Local Harrogate News & Views around the district - Page 211 of 1038

Harrogate district celebrates gold rush at Yorkshire in Bloom

The Harrogate district took home several gold medals at yesterday’s Yorkshire in Bloom Awards.

Harrogate in Bloom won the gold medal in the small city category for the quality of its floral displays in the town and on the approach roads.

Harrogate in Bloom was also awarded the discretionary Yorkshire Rose Best City Award 2023 at the event, which was held at the Riley-Smith Hall in Tadcaster.

Local towns, villages, and communities across also received recognition for their floral efforts.

Yorkshire in Bloom, which is a regional representative of the RHS Britain in Bloom campaign, encourages people to get green fingered and brighten up their surroundings.

It hopes this will boost local economy through increased tourism and promote environmental maintenance and cleanliness.

Competitors are assessed by local judges based on criteria set by the Royal Horticultural Society.

Here are details of the local winners.

Harrogate in Bloom – Small City Award: Gold (category winner)

Harrogate in Bloom saw a range of floral exhibitions around the town centre coordinated by Harrogate Business Improvement District.

Judges said:

“The floral displays in the town and on the approach roads are excellent and maintained to a high standard. This is matched in places with perennial planting and alternative mowing regimes to improve biodiversity.”

Harrogate town centre

Ripon in Bloom – Town/City Centre Award: Silver Gilt

Judges praised the floral “hidden gems” at Ripon Spa Gardens and Temple Gardens.

They said the display added to the city being “a blooming attractive place to visit”.

Evie Wood’s coronation design in Ripon Spa Gardens

Knaresborough in Bloom – Large Town Award: Gold (joint category winner)

Hanging baskets and floral pots around the town all contributed to Knaresborough’s first prize.

Those involved put a great deal of thought and horticultural knowledge into it, the judges said, as well as describing it as “beautifully carried out”.

Pic: Knaresborough in Bloom Facebook

Starbeck in Bloom – Urban Community Award: Gold (joint category winner)

Starbeck’s entry was considered to be “much loved” by the judges.

They said despite the entry largely being a single Harrogate street, there is a “real sense of community and caring about their local environment”.

Pic: Starbeck in Bloom Facebook

Villages/Communities/Businesses

Birstwith in Bloom — Village Award: Gold (joint category winner)

Birstwith in Bloom — Best Small Community – Winner

Spofforth in Bloom — Village Award: Gold (joint category winner)

Knaresborough Castle — Parks, Gardens, Cemeteries & Buildings Award: Gold

Ripon Spa Gardens — Parks, Gardens, Cemeteries & Buildings Award: Platinum

Valley Gardens — Parks, Gardens, Cemeteries & Buildings Award: Platinum

Millennium Garden Spofforth –RHS ‘It’s your Neighbourhood’ Award: Level 5, Outstanding

Ginny Greenholes Spofforth — RHS ‘It’s your Neighbourhood’ Award: Level 5, Outstanding

Ripon Museum Trust Garden — RHS ‘It’s your Neighbourhood’ Award: Level 5, Outstanding

Woodlands Community Garden — RHS ‘It’s your Neighbourhood’ Award: Level 4, Thriving

Harrogate Golf Club – Small Business Award: Silver Gilt

Goldsborough Hall – Medium Business Award: Gold (category winner)

Nidd Hall Hotel — Medium Business Award: Gold

Rudding Park Hotel – Large Business Award: Gold (category winner)

Himalayan Gardens and Sculpture Park — Tourist Attractions: Gold

Metal fences put up around Harrogate’s Crescent Gardens pavilion

Metal fences have been put up to prevent people entering the pavilion in Harrogate’s Crescent Gardens.

The fences, which appeared this morning, were erected following a two-week occupation of the pavilion by a group of rough sleepers this month.

The group set up camp in the pavilion and have returned at least twice since they were dispersed last Friday in an operation carried out by North Yorkshire Council and North Yorkshire Police

The encampment led nearby residents to express concerns about anti-social behaviour and a lack of action from the council and police.

The pavilion encampment

How it looks this morning.

The group returned to the pavilion on Sunday evening and again on Tuesday morning — but were removed again both times.

The Stray Ferret asked North Yorkshire Council earlier this week what legal powers it used to disperse the people in the pavilion and what action it planned to take to prevent repeat occupations but has not yet received a response.

Health chief pledges to help patients at Harrogate NHS dentist

NHS dentistry provision was discussed at a meeting yesterday between Andrew Jones, the MP for Harrogate and Knaresborough, and Stephen Eames, the chief executive of the Humber and North Yorkshire Integrated Care Board.

The issue was highlighted recently by the announcement that Chatsworth House dental practice on King’s Road in Harrogate was closing to NHS patients from December 1.

The meeting was a follow-up from a briefing this month which the ICB – a collaboration of health and care organisations tasked with improving the health and wellbeing of people in the region – arranged for all Humber and North Yorkshire MPs.

Mr Jones said:

“We have a short-term issue – one that I raised at Prime Minister’s Questions – about what happens when a practice suddenly closes to NHS patients as has happened here. We also have a medium-term issue about increasing NHS dentistry capacity. Mr Eames and I discussed both these issues.”

Chatsworth House Dental Clinic

The ICB told Mr Jones it is planning to redistribute the funding given to Chatsworth House to other local practices so that they can take on more patients. Patients affected will be contacted directly by the ICB to explain where their new practice will be.

According to a government briefing published in April 2023, total funding for NHS dental services in England fell by 8% in real terms between 2010 and 2022.

The crisis in NHS dental provision was highlighted by a YouGov poll in March. The survey found that more than a quarter of the UK population (27%) have not seen a dentist within the last two years, and one in five people (22%) are currently not even registered with a dentist.

Of those, 37% said it was because they couldn’t find an NHS dentist, and 23% said it was because they couldn’t afford to pay for treatment. One in 10 admitted to attempting their own dental work.

To help address the problem, the ICB is looking to increase NHS dental capacity locally through the rapid launch ‘Centres of Dental Development’, which are intended to support, develop and retain the dental workforce across the Humber and North Yorkshire.

Mr Jones said:

“It is good that the ICB are looking at the long-term sustainability of our dental service. This is a positive and constructive approach and I have asked that Harrogate, which is the largest town in North Yorkshire, will be host to one of these new centres.

“Such a facility would place front and centre significant dental provision for our area. It could educate a new generation of local dentists. To have such a centre in Harrogate would be a huge boon to our area.

“I look forward to receiving more details from the ICB and feel hopeful that my request for a Centre of Dental Development in Harrogate will be successful.”

Harrogate boxer jailed after biting man’s ear in bar

A professional boxer from Harrogate has been jailed for more than seven years for wounding a man by biting his ear in a bar.

Guy Kitching, 21, an unbeaten middleweight, was found guilty of wounding with intent this week following a trial at York Crown Court.

The incident occurred during an assault at The Foundry Project in The Ginnel on December 27, 2021.

A doorman who worked at the bar told the court it was a busy night during the Christmas period and that the scene was “quite chaotic”.

He said he intervened following a disturbance and a man told him he had been bitten.

Under cross-examination from prosecutor Helen Towers, Kitching, of Hillbank View, Harrogate, admitted that he and the named victim had come across each other at the top of the stairs inside the bar and that an argument broke out, but denied biting him.

Ms Towers told the jury that the victim ended up with a very serious wound to his ear. There was said to be some “background” to the incident.

Earlier this year, Kitching notched up his first professional boxing victory in a performance described by his trainer as “perhaps the best debut performance I have ever seen”.

His professional record currently stands at two wins from two contests.

The former Rossett School pupil, who trained at ABC boxing club in Leeds, enjoyed a distinguished amateur career before gaining his professional licence and signing for VIP Promotions.

A part-time roofer by trade, Kitching finished many of his 23 amateur bouts by stoppage, winning several Yorkshire belts and qualifying for national finals.

Judge Simon Hickey jailed Kitching for seven years and six months.

Tories win by-election to strengthen grip on North Yorkshire Council

The Conservatives have strengthened their grip on North Yorkshire Council with a by-election win.

Egg farmer David Hugill took the Hutton Rudby and Osmotherley division yesterday with 48 per cent of the vote.

Liberal Democrat Duncan Russell, a former army major, was second with 38 per cent and Green Party candidate Allan Mortimer received 12 per cent of the votes.

Yorkshire Party candidate Lee Derrick got about one per cent in the by-election, in which 39 per cent of the 5,077 electorate turned out.

Last night’s official results.

The result, which appeared to come as a huge relief to party members attending the count at Northallerton Civic Centre, means the decades-long Conservative control of County Hall, with half of the 90 elected members, is re-established.

The Tories have shored up support this year by entering into an agreement with three independent councillors, including Ripon Minster and Moorside Cllr Andrew Williams.

Mr Hugill had been a Tory councillor for part of the division for many years, but lost out in a party selection to fellow Conservative Hambleton District councillor Bridget Fortune ahead of the May 2022 election, which saw him lose by 249 votes to Mrs Fortune.

The by-election was triggered by the resignation of Cllr Fortune, amid allegations over her treatment by some members of the party.

Senior council officers are still considering a complaint over an incident in the council chamber in May, in which Lower Wensleydale councillor and Conservative whip Tom Jones was said to have tried to prevent Cllr Fortune from voting.

Leading North Yorkshire Conservatives, including North Yorkshire Council leader Carl Les and the party’s mayoral candidate Cllr Keane Duncan warmly congratulated Mr Hugill on his victory after the late-night count.

In his acceptance speech, Cllr Hugill said the campaign had “been dominated by so-called Tory in-fighting” and called for it to be ended.

Harrogate and Ripon to provide more homes to Afghan refugees

More Afghan refugees are to be housed in Harrogate and Ripon following an urgent request from the Home Office.

North Yorkshire Council has approved the use of eight Ministry of Defence properties in the county — but also flagged up concerns about the pressure on its housing stock.

Six of the new homes are in Catterick and one each is in Harrogate and Ripon.

A council report cited humanitarian concerns as the reason for agreeing to the request and said eight properties “would be manageable in relation to school places, integration support and English language classes”.

But it added:

“Caution is necessary in relation to accommodating more than eight additional households.

“Existing housing pressures in the county need to be considered alongside the fact that North Yorkshire Council is responsible for finding move-on housing for the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy households in the service family accommodation properties should they wish to stay in North Yorkshire.”

The Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy, which was implemented in April 2021, entitles Afghan citizens who worked for or with the UK in Afghanistan and their partners and children to relocate to the UK.

The report said North Yorkshire had resettled 175 people from 45 Afghanistan households under the scheme since February 2021 and had also received over 1,300 Homes for Ukraine arrivals since spring 2022 , “some of whom are requiring move-on housing in the county following the end of their sponsorship period”.

Rachel Joyce, the council’s assistant chief executive local engagement, said:

“There are specific timelines for this process, however, the Ministry of Defence have identified eight properties in total in Harrogate, Ripon and Catterick Garrison which would provide safe and suitable accommodation for eligible Afghan refugee families.

“Families will be matched to the properties giving them the independence, space and privacy they require. It’s also a chance for them to integrate with the local community and play a part in community life.

“We are unable to reveal the exact addresses of the properties at this stage.”

Harrogate school ‘could be judged outstanding’, says Ofsted report

A Harrogate primary school is to be re-inspected by Ofsted after an interim assessment suggested it could be judged ‘outstanding’.

Oatlands Junior School was rated ‘good’ when Ofsted visited in 2018, and following inspectors’ latest visit in July, the school retained that status.

But in its report, Ofsted said there was “enough evidence of improved performance to suggest that the school could be judged outstanding if we were to carry out a graded (section 5) [i.e. more comprehensive] inspection now”.

Oatlands is now expected to undergo a graded inspection within the next two years to assess whether it is still ‘good’ or has attained ‘outstanding’ status.

The report, released today, particularly praises the school’s inclusivity, reporting that leaders and staff “help every pupil, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), to be the very best that they can be.”

It goes on to praise the school’s “broad and interesting” curriculum, pupils’ behaviour, sense of equality, and respect for difference and diversity.

Photo of four pupils from Oatlands Junior School in Harrogate, jumping in the air.

The headteacher of Oatlands Junior School, Mrs Estelle Scarth, said:

“The report certainly captures everything about Oatlands Junior School that we are immensely proud of and quite rightly describes all the outstanding evidence that was found throughout a very thorough inspection.

“Our success is firmly based on the dedication and talents of everyone that works in our school, the strong, positive relationships that we have with our parents and carers, and of course, all the amazing children in our care.”

Oatlands Junior School, along with Western Primary and Harrogate Grammar School, was one of the founding schools of the Red Kite Learning Trust in 2015. This has since grown into a multi-academy trust of 14 schools across North and West Yorkshire.

Amanda Thornton Jones, Director of Primary Education for Red Kite Learning Trust, said:

“Ofsted recognised the strong collaborative approach within our Trust and how talent and expertise of staff are developed across all our schools. Oatlands Junior School has a highly trained, dedicated and expert team led by an exceptional headteacher.

“Mrs Scarth’s high aspirations and vision are shared by all within the school community. Oatlands Junior is a highly successful school, providing a rich curriculum which releases potential and creates amazing opportunities for all pupils.”

Business Breakfast: Harrogate’s Ashville College appoints director of sport

Harrogate’s Ashville College has appointed a new director of sport.

Paul Stansfield, who previously played for Harrogate Town FC and coached the club’s under 18s, will take up the role at the college.

Mr Stansfield spent six years at St Aidan’s Church of England High School, where he was head of year and head of department, and seven years at the town’s St John Fisher Catholic High School, where he was latterly deputy head.

He said:

“I look forward to working with my team to build on Ashville’s strong sporting reputation and excellent facilities.

“Ultimately, my aim is for every pupil in the school to love sport. I was attracted by the variety of sports available at Ashville, from basketball to hockey, cricket to tennis, rugby to swimming; pupils need to first experience many different sports and skills to find their own way, their own passion.”

Harrogate funeral director wins green award

A Harrogate funeral directors has been named green funeral director of the year in a national industry awards.

Full Circle Funerals, which is based on Skipton Road, was recognised for its approach to green funerals, its commitment to being a sustainable business and its wider efforts to improve knowledge about how to achieve net zero funeral care.

Sarah Jones, founder of Full Circle Funerals.

It was recognised at the AGFD Good Funeral Awards, which was held in Solihull.

Sarah Jones, founder of Full Circle Funerals, said:

“We are delighted to have been named Green Funeral Director of the Year and are always pleased to support people who want to consider the environment in the choices that they make.

“We also work hard to try to think about how Full Circle impacts the environment and to support other organisations in our local communities who are doing the same.”

Inaugural Stray Ferret Digital Marketing Conference proves huge success

Businesses at the Pavilions of Harrogate educated themselves on all things digital at the inaugural Stray Ferret Digital Marketing Conference today.

The event, which was sponsored by Ison Harrison Solicitors and York and North Yorkshire Growth Hub, saw industry-wide speakers discuss the importance of a digital presence and the need to invest in digital marketing to optimise businesses.

From SEO strategies and emojis to driving digital growth and social media planning, no stone was left unturned.

Digital agencies Next Chapter and Impression Studio both discussed the importance of standing out in a crowded marketplace, embracing modern technology, and developing a clear digital marketing plan for the best results. Ben Foster of the SEO Works talked delegates through the art of getting to the top of an internet search.

Social media manager Rachel Moore, The Glam Hut’s Mia Williamson and Best Kept Secret Clothing’s Fiona Martin all emphasised the importance of social media. Rachel spoke about aiming to master one platform, while Mia and Fiona said small businesses don’t need to spend huge amounts of money on equipment to make good content.

“Personality shining through and consistency are both key”, they added.

Georgie Pogge-von Strandmann, solicitor and branch manager at Ison Harrison Solicitors, said:

“We’re really pleased to be part of the Stray Ferret Digital Marketing Conference and supporting other businesses in the digital marketing world.”

The Stray Ferret’s Commercial Manager Emma Harris added that in a world consumed by technology, we now more than ever must “embrace digital marketing and all its benefits”.

Lucy Playford, affectionately known as Harrogate Mama, and Chelsea Talbot from Positive Influence Agency gave an in-depth guide into influencer marketing. The pair discussed the positive effects an influencer can have on brands that choose to market through them.

Lauren Cooper and Georgie Harmer from Intandem Communications led a talk on the power of engaging content, while Chloe Byrne from Audience brought the day to a close with an insight into this year’s consumer trends.

Jack Colding from York and North Yorkshire Growth Hub.

Karen Booth, business relationship manager at York and North Yorkshire Growth Hub, added:

“We’re so happy to support other businesses here today and to be part of the first Stray Ferret Digital Marketing Conference.”

Harrogate hospital ‘crumbly concrete’ to cost £20m to eradicate

Health officials have estimated it will cost £20 million to eradicate “crumbly concrete” from Harrogate District Hospital.

RAAC, which stands for reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete, is a lightweight material that is less durable than traditional concrete and has a life expectancy of just 30 years before it runs the risk of collapse.

The first section of Harrogate District Hospital was built in 1975 during a period when RAAC was used in the construction of public buildings.

A report about the material at the Lancaster Park Road hospital was discussed at a meeting of Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust’s board yesterday at the Crown Plaza hotel.

The report said a full survey of the estate by engineers WSP found 2,500 RAAC panels. It added that remedial works have been completed on 12 “high-risk” panels with some theatres and corridors in the hospital made safe with props.

The report said there will be an annual survey of all RAAC panels and a roof with the concrete will be replaced.

It said there may also be further propping of panels that are in danger of collapsing.

To eradicate RAAC from the site, the trust has bid for £20m of funding to NHS England, which includes relocating demolishing and rebuilding a therapy services building.

Whilst there is RAAC present at Harrogate hospital, it is not as prevalent as in other hospitals in Yorkshire such as Airedale in the Bradford district. In May, the government announced it will be completely rebuilt due to RAAC.

Jonathan Coulter, chief executive at Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust’s, addressed RAAC in a statement.

He said:

“There has been a flurry of activity in respect of the management of estate where there is RAAC present. This followed the concerns raised at the end of last month across the education system.

“To be fair, the NHS has been very aware of this issue and risks are being managed, but there is now greater concern and the threshold for risk is being challenged.

“As the board will be aware, we do have some RAAC across the HDH site that we survey regularly, manage, and have a plan for gradual replacement. As part of our capital plans, including our new theatre build, we are reviewing and assessing the potential to tackle this issue more quickly.”

Villages/Communities/Businesses

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Harrogate funeral director wins green award

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