More than 100 of UK’s best artists to exhibit at Harrogate Art Fair

This story is sponsored by Harrogate Art Fair.

More than 100 artists from all over the UK will be converging on Harrogate next month to exhibit their best work at the Harrogate Art Fair. 

The event, on October 13-15 at the Yorkshire Event Centre on the Great Yorkshire Showground, will bring together painters, printmakers, photographers, sculptors, ceramicists and selected galleries from all over the UK, offering the best in British contemporary art. Prices range from £50 to £5,000. 

The perfect place to immerse yourself in a world of art.

One of the most popular exhibitors is Jos Haigh. Jos is a painter based in Harrogate and Buckinghamshire whose vibrantly colourful pictures of African animals made her one of the best-selling artists at the inaugural Harrogate Art Fair last year. She said: 

“I’ve been showing my art all around the country for years – at Windsor, Surrey, Manchester and Edinburgh – and Harrogate Art Fair really is one of the best. It’s fantastically organised, everything’s made very easy for exhibitors, and it attracts a lot of the UK’s best artists.

“When I came last year, people were so warm, enthusiastic and interested – I didn’t have to think twice about coming again.”

Although she was born in Goa, Jos’s art is inspired and informed by her childhood in Kenya. But her trips north have provided her with new sources of inspiration. So her most recent paintings include striking images of cows, owls and other British animals.

Artist Jos Haigh, who will be exhibiting her work at the Harrogate Art Fair, with one of her works.

Jos has found inspiration for some of her latest works here in Yorkshire.

 Jos’s spectacular painting of a red kite even features on this year’s general admission ticket. She said: 

“I’ve been enchanted by animals ever since I saw them roaming right next to the road in Kenya, which is why I’ve always enjoyed painting pictures of elephants, giraffes and zebra. But there are so many wonderful animals right here in the UK that it would be a shame not to paint some of them. 

“I just hope that visitors to the Harrogate Art Fair will love viewing them as much as I’ve loved painting them.” 

Harrogate Art Fair is organised by Contemporary Art Fairs. The company also hold art fairs in Windsor and Surrey. 

The fair will be open from private viewings from 6 to 9pm on Friday, October 13 (tickets: £15), and from 10am to 5pm on Saturday and Sunday, October 14-15 (£8, concessions £6). 

Find out more:

You can book tickets for this event online at the Harrogate Art Fair website.  

For information about exhibiting at the Harrogate Art Fair, visit the website or call 01753 591892.  

You can also see more of the artworks on offer at Harrogate Art Fair on its Instagram page. 

 

‘No timeline’ for £1.8m care facility at Cardale Park

Council officials have said no timeline has been set on proposals for land at Cardale Park in Harrogate which was purchased to provide care services.

The three-acre site on Beckwith Head Road in Harrogate was previously owned by Tees, Esk and Wear Valleys NHS Foundation Trust, which runs mental health services in the district.

North Yorkshire County Council, which has now been replaced by North Yorkshire Council, completed a £1.8 million purchase of the land last year.

At the time, the authority said it had bought the site in order to progress a “scheme to assist with social care market development in the Harrogate area”.

In February, the council said it was “examining the best options” for the site.

The Stray Ferret asked North Yorkshire Council whether it had any timescales for bringing forward a proposal for the site.

Richard Webb, the council’s director of health and adult services, said:

“We cannot at this stage provide you with a timeline as we are still in the process of examining the best options for meeting the community’s needs and will bring forward a scheme in due course.”

The land was previously given approval for a 36-bed mental health facility on the site, following the closure of Harrogate District Hospital’s Briary Unit, which helped adults with mental illness.

However, those plans were dropped in 2019 and inpatients on the unit were sent to Foss Park Hospital in York instead.

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Harrogate’s Luke Richardson wins England’s Strongest Man

Harrogate strongman Luke Richardson won England’s Strongest Man yesterday to end his two-year injury nightmare.

Luke, 26, took the sport by storm when he won Europe’s Strongest Man at Allerton Castle near Knaresborough in 2020 and then finished ninth in the World’s Strongest Man in his first full season.

But at the 2021 World’s Strongest Man he suffered the first of what was to be a series of serious injuries to his biceps, knee and back that sidelined him and forced him to re-evaluate his approach.

Luke takes the England’s Strongest Man title. Pic: Giants Live

Talking about his career in a video with Giants Live, the company that runs the tour that qualifies strongmen for the World’s Strongest Man, he said:

“The last three years for me have easily been the toughest time I have had to go through in my life

“I went from having no injuries to having four in the last two years.”

Luke Richardson reflecting on the last two years. Pic: Giants Live

Luke went to Starbeck Community Primary School and Harrogate High School, said he had learned to live in the present and enjoy his success rather than constantly strive to be one of the greatest strongmen of all time.

He said he “felt no joy in winning those things which is ultimate failure because I was constantly looking at the next thing”.

His new mindset doesn’t appear to have hampered him as he proved at Doncaster yesterday by defeating Kane Francis and Paddy Haynes for the title of England’s Strongest Man, which qualifies him for Britain’s Strongest Man.

Luke trains at Absolute Fitness in Boroughbridge, which is owned by Giants Live owner and former top strongman Darren Sadler.

Doing the log lift at Absolute Fitness in Boroughbridge. Pic: Giants Live

New charity shop and cafe to open in Harrogate

A new charity shop and café is to open at Hornbeam Park in Harrogate next week.

Yorkshire Cancer Research is opening the shop and café at its new centre on Hornbeam Square West.

Income will fund services such as the charity’s health and wellbeing programme for people with cancer called Active Together, which will be available at the same centre from November.

Tony Graham, director of retail at Yorkshire Cancer Research, said:

“Our beautifully stocked shop will offer a unique experience where people can purchase high quality pre-loved fashion, accessories, home-ware, books and records.

“Thanks to supporters’ kind donations, the shop offers a range of desirable products – from vintage collectables and high-end labels to nearly-new fashion.”

The new Café Hornbeam

 

Staff and volunteers celebrate the opening of the shop and café.

The charity said its Café Hornbeam will serve healthy breakfasts as well as waffles, sandwiches and salads. Harrogate-based bakery Baltzersen’s will provide the pastries and cakes.

The shop will open from 9am to 5pm from Monday to Saturday and from 10am to 4pm on Sundays.

The café will open from 8am to 6pm from Monday to Friday, from 9am to 5pm on Saturdays and from 10am to 4pm on Sundays.

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Seven weeks of roadworks begin today in Harrogate

Seven weeks of roadworks are due to get underway in Harrogate town centre today.

Some of the main routes in town are likely to be subject to traffic lights and delays.

Parliament Street, Ripon Road, King’s Road and Cold Bath Road are among the roads affected.

The disruption will enable gas distributor Northern Gas Networks to replace metal pipes with plastic pipes.

Cold Bath Road could be the worst affected route, with “multiple lights” operating for five weeks.

The roadworks are the second phase of delayed works  that were “paused” a year ago.

Here’s what motorists can expect.

Crescent Road lane closure and traffic lights 

A lane closure will be introduced on Crescent Road and Ripon Road along with four-way lights at the junction of Crescent Road, Parliament Street, Ripon Road and Kings Road for two weeks. The existing lights will be bagged, and temporary traffic lights will be in operation from 7am to 7pm.

Montpellier Road (roundabout) & Montpellier Hill Lane closure

A lane closure will be implemented on Montpellier Road (roundabout) and Montpellier Hill Lane for two weeks.

Cold Bath Road traffic lights and parking suspensions

Multiple two and three-way lights will be introduced on Cold Bath Road for five weeks starting from Monday.

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Wellington Square Road closure

A road closure will be implemented on Wellington Square for two weeks.

Northern Gas Networks saud traffic lights will be manned seven days a week between 7am and 7pm “to ensure a smooth flow of traffic”.

Council to hire contractor for Harrogate school expansion

North Yorkshire Council is set to hire a contractor to expand Springwater School and refurbish Oak Beck House in Harrogate.

The authority will take on the procurement exercise over the next six months.

It comes as senior councillors backed plans to increase the capacity at Springwater School in Starbeck by 45 pupils in February this year.

According to a council report, the work is earmarked to start in August 2024 and is due to be complete by May 2025.

It says:

“The scheme will create additional teaching space at Springwater School, Harrogate and adaptations and refurbishment at Oak Beck House, Harrogate.”

No cost for the work is included in the report.

Springwater School, which is based off High Street, teaches children aged two to 19 with “profound and multiple, severe or physical difficulties”.

At a meeting in February, the council said the move would help to provide “more local, quality in-house special school places” within the county.

As part of the plan, the council intends to spend £3.1 million from its High Needs Provision Capital Allocation, which is granted by government.

Meanwhile, the council also intends to carry out refurbishment work to Oak Beck House on Electric Avenue.

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Firefighters tackle Harrogate hospital fire, A1 crash and barn blaze

A toaster fire at Harrogate District Hospital proved to be just the start of an incident-packed day for local firefighters yesterday.

Crews from Harrogate and Knaresborough were called to the hospital on Lancaster Park Road at 8am.

North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service‘s incident report said:

“The fire originated in an industrial rotating toaster, and caused 25% fire damage to the kitchen, and light smoke logging to a communal area.”

It proved to be the first of several call-outs yesterday.

Teen rescued from car

At 11.07am, firefighters from Boroughbridge and Ripon rushed to a single vehicle car crash at Skelton Road in Boroughbridge where a Peugout 206 had careered off the road.

Crews used an electric saw to get into the vehicle through the windscreen and free a female driver. who was described as “approximately 17” in the incident report. It added:

“The female was uninjured and left in the care of the air ambulance service.”

Two-car crash on A1

A1 at Boroughbridge

The A1 at Boroughbridge

At 12.14pm, crews from Ripon, Boroughbridge and Northallerton responded to reports of a Hyundai and an Audi colliding between junctions 48 and 49 on the northbound A1(M).

The incident report said:

“All occupants of the vehicles were out on arrival. The female driver of the Hyundai, aged approximately 40s, suffered superficial injuries only.

“The male driver, and female passenger of the Audi, both aged approximately 50s, were uninjured. Crews used a turfer winch to remove the vehicles to a safe location.”

Barn fire in Spofforth

At 1.59pm, Harrogate firefighters were back out again. This time they were joined by a crew from Wetherby to a barn fire at Park Lane in Spofforth.

Water bowsers from Tadcaster and Boroughbridge also responded.

The incident report said the barn, which measured about 40 metres by 20 metres, contained straw and the incident was still ongoing by late afternoon.

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Business Breakfast: Harrogate mobile company reports improved revenue

A Harrogate-based mobile company has reported improved results in its half-year report.

Mobile Tornado, which is based at Cardale Park, recorded total revenue of £1.26 million for the six months up to June 30.

The figure is an increase from £1.10 million in the same period in 2021/22.

In that time, the company has reached a landmark agreement with Leeds Bradford Airport to provide push-to-talk over cellular equipment for the airport’s workforce.

Jeremy Fenn, chairman and acting chief executive of Mobile Tornado, said: 

“The company has for some time been a key player in the PTToC (press-to-talk over cellular) market, with a presence in Africa, South America and Europe.

“Our solution meets the mission-critical communication needs of our customers, and is characterised by a number of key differentiators, such as seamless transition, market-leading group sizes, a unique dispatcher console, and highly efficient data utilisation.

“These features continue to set us apart from our competitors and allow us to deliver market leading performance to our partners and customers.”

Companies build bike track for Boroughbridge school

Local companies have come together to create a bike track for a Boroughbridge school.

Jon Cole, of Infrastructure Managers Ltd, and Mark Simpson, of Tarmac, helped to convert a piece of muddy playground at Boroughbridge Primary School into a new track for pupils.

The opening of the bike track.

The opening of the bike track.

The new facility was opened last week.

Neil Ryder, deputy headteacher at the school, said:

“We are thrilled the children at the school have access to such a quality resource, they are very lucky and we can’t thank all the people involved in producing it for us.

“We want our school to promote the importance of active lifestyles and environmental responsibility. We hope this will start our desire to get more children and adults riding bikes and scooters to get to and from school.”

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Stray Views: New larger waste bins are a ‘wasteful debacle’

Stray Views is a weekly column giving you the chance to have your say on issues affecting the Harrogate district. It is an opinion column and does not reflect the views of the Stray Ferret. Send your views to letters@thestrayferret.co.uk.

Your recent article [Council spends £478,000 on halving number of litter bins] highlights the scandalous and wasteful irresponsibility of the new council. Blaming the defunct Harrogate Borough Council for making the decision is lazy – North Yorkshire Council didn’t have to action it.

Key points/questions that need exploring/asking:

1. How many of the ‘old’ bins actually needed replacing?

2. £478,000 will take 14 years to recover from the alleged savings. Will the new bins even last that long?

3. What are the respective capacities of the bins? The new ones would have to be significantly bigger (at least double) to make meaningful travel savings. In any event, there will be more travel required to clear up fly tipping which itself is an environmental hazard! – which will also reduce the actual savings achieved by the council.

4. The previous bins were presumably sited with the experience of public activities. Re-siting them merely for the convenience of the council was asking for trouble.

5. If the council had consulted the public beforehand they might have learnt valuable information from everyday users of the bins, to inform eventual decisions and facilitate community ownership of the final decisions who’d have a vested interest in the practical outcomes. It would also have been a valuable opportunity to explore the idea of dog walkers taking their dogs’ waste home to save money. And show how those savings could be invested in the local community.

6. What does Ms Wallis mean by saying “The main aim of the project was to reduce the number of duplicate journeys between different services.” ? What services were making the same journey to the same bins and why were they doing that?? If this was the main aim, what are the expected savings? If this statement is true, it’s everything to do with management of staff and nothing to do with numbers and sizes of bins.

7. Ms Wallis also refers to improving the street scene with this initiative. How is this improved with less bins or no bins at all? – leading to more overflowing waste in high footfall areas that previous bins couldn’t cope with and fly-tipped waste where bins have been removed altogether?

Alice Woolley

Let’s have empathy for the homeless

I have been reading with some sadness the conversations on here about homelessness in Harrogate, especially the rough sleepers around the Crescent Gardens, and how people find this disturbing.

What I find more disturbing is how nobody has mentioned the plight of those homeless people and why they are rough sleeping in the first place. It’s not like it’s a life choice. These conversations remind me of “tidying up“ the streets of Windsor before the last royal wedding.

How awful that poor people with drug, alcohol and mental health problems make the place untidy and have nowhere to live. The wealth of Harrogate sits amidst absurd house prices, unaffordable rent, and the gig economy. But the visible consequences make us uncomfortable.

Life for the poor is getting worse, we need to help them, not demonise them.

Penny Robinson, Harrogate

20mph is correct 

I can’t support Mark Fuller’s view [Stray Views: Why no 20mph limit outside my children’s primary school?] that we need the the evidence of a child death before a 20mph speed limit is applied outside Willow Tree School on Wetherby Road.

The sheer weight of traffic should be reason enough.

John Hibbitt, Boston Spa 

Do you have an opinion on the Harrogate district? Email us at letters@thestrayferret.co.uk. Please include your name and approximate location details. Limit your letters to 350 words. We reserve the right to edit letters.

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International pianists heading to Harrogate for concert series

Two titans of the British classical music scene will perform in Harrogate as part of the new season of concerts at the Wesley Centre.

Pianists Sir Stephen Hough and Angela Hewitt headline the 29th season of events organised by Andrew Hitchen.

It will be Sir Stephen’s 10th appearance in Harrogate and Ms Hewitt’s third.

There will also be a sixth recital at the Wesley Centre by acclaimed French pianist Jean-Efflam Bavouzet. He is due to appear on February 12 — two days after Sir Stephen. Bach specialist Ms Hewitt will perform on April 13.

Besides pianists, the season also includes lieder, jazz and chamber music.

Last year’s average attendance was 15% up on the previous year, as people returned to live events after covid.

The schedule includes 10 lunchtime concerts, usually on the first Monday of the month, and two evening concerts.

The season begins tomorrow (Monday, October 2) when Elisabeth Brauß performs Schubert and Schumann.

Read more:

The rest of this season’s programme includes: 

November 6 — Leeds Lieder recital

December 4 — Charlotte Saluste-Bridoux and Joseph Havlet (violin and piano)

January 8 — Mithras Trio

February 5 — Beethoven and Brahms trio

February 10 — Sir Stephen Hough (piano)

February 12 — Jean-Efflam Bavouzet (piano)

March 4 — Jean-Paul Gasparian (piano)

April 13 — Angela Hewitt (piano)

May — to be confirmed

June 3 — Nicholas Daniel and Huw Watkins (oboe and piano)

July 1 — Richard Wetherall Trio (jazz)