The pitch and putt course in Harrogate’s Valley Gardens.could be replaced with a bike track for young people.

North Yorkshire Council is conducting a survey on installing a pump track in place of the nine-hole course.

A pump track is a hard-surfaced circuit designed for bikes and scooters which uses the natural bumps and bends in the land to generate momentum.

The council said the track, which would take up 2,000 square metres. would provide an additional activity for children up the age of 10 years.

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The pitch and putt course costs £5.50 for adults and £3.50 for concessions and closes in winter.

If the pump track goes ahead, it would be the first of its kind in the Harrogate district.

The survey runs until November 30. The council has yet to give any details on what will happen then.

Pateley Bridge Town Council is also considering the installation of a pump track in the town, following a suggestion at September’s meeting. However, a decision has not been made yet.

A Harrogate woman who has volunteered at Wensleydale Railway for eight years has become its first ever female train driver. 

Sue Threadgold first trained as a crossing keeper and then as a train guard.

She started her driver training last year and is now qualified to drive the railway’s class 142 and class 143 diesel multiple unit passenger trains, commonly known as Pacer trains. 

She said: 

“My goal when I joined was to become a train driver, so I am really happy to have fulfilled my ambition and I thank everyone at the railway who has helped me achieve this!” 

Sue at the controls of a diesel Pacer train.

The 22-mile-long Wensleydale Railway is a volunteer-led enterprise running heritage diesel services for 22 miles between Scruton and Leyburn via Leeming Bar, Bedale and Finghall Lane. It is also working to extend services from Leyburn to Redmire. 

The railway also holds seasonal events, such as Haunted Rail this Halloween on Saturday, October 28 and the special Bonfire Express service from Leyburn to Bedale for the Bedale Bonfire and Fireworks Display on Saturday, November 4. 

Sue added: 

“I would encourage more people to get involved in their local heritage railway. There are a wide variety of volunteer roles available, to suit all interests and abilities. It’s really rewarding to be part of a great team, helping to keep our history and heritage alive for the public to enjoy!” 

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The Stray Ferret Business Club’s next meeting will take place on Thursday, November 30. 

The Business Club provides monthly opportunities to network, make new connections and hear local success stories.

A Harrogate advanced engineering company is working with gas networks to detect and repair leaks with the aid of state-of-the-art robots.

Synovate‘s LeakVISION robot crawls along pipelines and uses heat sensors to detect leaks, which are often caused by shrinkage, a phenomenon that accounts for more than 1% of the UK’s greenhouse emissions.

The issue is a significant one for the gas companies. Earlier this year, a major methane leak in the UK was detected from space. The amount of methane – a potent greenhouse gas – that was lost over three months would have been enough to power 7,500 houses for a year.

Synovate’s new robot technology was trialled by Cadent, the UK’s largest gas distribution network, ahead of the King’s Coronation festivities in London. The use of robots minimised the need for roadworks at a time when the capital was extremely busy with hundreds of thousands of visitors.

The technology earned Synovate the award for Innovation of the Year at last year’s Gas Industry Awards.

Simon Langdale, engineering director at Synovate, said:

“We continue to develop and invest in a large fleet of robots and operator training to support the utility companies fight against leaks. Addressing shrinkage in a low-impact manner is crucial to reducing road disruptions for councils and road users. It will also help to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and support the nation’s climate goals.

“We believe this scalable rapid-response technology is essential to maintaining services for homeowners and businesses across the UK. Synovate’s technology ensures the faster and more efficient detection and repair of gas leaks, contributing positively to households, communities, and the environment.”

The design and development of the robots took two years and an investment of £1.2 million. Synovate collaborated with engineering experts from Sheffield, Birmingham, Bristol, and Leeds Universities.

LeakVISION’s development was backed by the Strategic Innovation Fund, a collaboration between UK energy regulator Ofgem and Innovate UK under UK Research and Innovation.

Free leadership seminar

Harrogate-based business consultancy Quarterdeck will be holding a free leadership seminar next month.

The event will examine ‘Why most leadership training is a waste of time and money’, ‘The difference between management and leadership’, ‘Why most people fail to become a good leader’, ‘How to motivate others to greater performance’, ‘Why most people don’t bother’, and ‘The one area that most people neglect but is essential’, which deals with work-life balance.

Advertising the event, Quarterdeck’s website says:

“We’ve worked with thousands of people across hundreds of businesses and we find common threads that people encounter when trying to manage people.”

It adds:

“We’ve found that leaders are not born, they are made, and we can show you how.”

Quarterdeck’s leadership seminar will be held from 9am to 12 noon on Tuesday, November 21 at the Rudding Park Hotel in Harrogate. Bookings can be made online.

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A bus service to the Yorkshire Dales from Harrogate and Knaresborough has been extended through the winter.

DalesBus 74 will run every Saturday to Ilkley, Bolton Abbey and Grassington.

It is expected to run until Easter 2024, when operators hope to extend it into the summer.

The 74 will leave Knaresborough bus station at 9.05am before calling at Harrogate at 9.10am. It returns from Grassington at 5pm and Bolton Abbey at 5.25pm.

The service is managed by Dales and Bowland Community Interest Company, which aims to improve sustainable access to the Yorkshire Dales National Park and Nidderdale Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

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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.

Although it may be a tad disappointing not to have a formal switch on of the Christmas lights, it’s reassuring to hear that the BID are listening to members and thinking about return on investment. They don’t have money to waste.[No Christmas lights switch-on event in Harrogate this year]

It may be a “nice to do” but does it actually help local businesses? Perhaps not. Whereas street cleaning, murals, lighting, flowers, window dressing and advertising does feel (and look) as though the BID is doing a good job.

I don’t run a local business but as a resident, I can see the impact and it does feel notably better than the lacklustre efforts from whatever was being done (or not) several years ago.

So if ever businesses are questioning their investment in the BID, please be assured that from someone who lives in the town centre, it’s making a positive impact.

But FYI – please sort the dangling lights that have been brought down by the recent weather (especially Montpellier Hill), before some morons decide to vandalise them instead. Thank you!!

Mark Fuller, Harrogate

I note that the cost of the garden waste collection will rise next year to £46.50 and that a member of the Council stated that those people who do not use the service should not be expected to pay towards it.  [Harrogate district garden waste fees set to increase by 7%]

I can think of many service’s I pay towards that I do not use but am happy to pay for.

A long-serving employee at one of Harrogate’s best-known hotels was joined by colleagues recently to mark a major career milestone. 

Dave Johnson, who is events operations manager at the Majestic Hotel, celebrated 35 years in the job with prosecco and a cake baked by his wife Joanne, who is sous chef there.

He was also presented with a special golden ‘35 years’ pin-badge and given a two-day stay at the Redworth Hall Hotel near his hometown in County Durham. 

He said: 

“I first came to Harrogate as an 18-year-old from Shildon and thought ‘what a wonderful place’, so I stayed. I started at the Majestic as a night porter and have held quite a few positions since then. 

“I even met and married Joanne here, so the Majestic has been a big part of my life.” 

When Dave first started work at the hotel, the world was a very different place. The Cold War had yet to thaw, the digital revolution hadn’t even begun, and Margaret Thatcher was in No 10. In fact, she visited the Majestic twice as Prime Minister when Dave was there. He said: 

“There were police on the front desk for three weeks before she came, vetting everyone who came in. Security was very tight.” 

Mrs Thatcher was far from the only VIP Dave has met over the course of his career at the hotel. He met England cricketing hero Ian Botham on his first day in the job and has met lots of other famous people since then, including Prince Charles, Rudolph Giuliani, Lenny Henry, Princess Anne, Rick Astley and many others. 

In 1988, the hotel was owned by Trusthouse Forte and changed hands several times until it was finally bought by the Cairn Group in 2016 and rebranded as the DoubleTree by Hilton Harrogate Majestic Hotel & Spa. Dave said: 

“That was a great boost to morale. They invested £15 million in refurbishing the hotel, and our wages went up. The perks of working here now are brilliant, and we have a greater choice of hotels to stay at when we take time off. Flying the flag for Hilton also brings a lot more customers in.” 

Dave may have put in a long stint at the Majestic, but at 53, he’s not ready to quit any time soon. He said:

“I just like looking after customers and meeting such a wide range of people. Maybe some day I’ll move to sunnier climes, but I’ve got no plans to move just yet.” 

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A second round of water sampling on the River Nidd has confirmed high levels of the faecal bacteria E.coli.

Volunteers tested for E.coli levels along the length of the Nidd as part of a clean-up campaign amid concerns about the state of the river and reports of bathers at Knaresborough Lido suffering sickness and diarrhoea.

The first round of sampling took place in August and the laboratory results of the second round, which took place a fortnight ago, were released last week.

David Clayden, chairman of Nidd Action Group, which coordinated the sampling, said the latest results confirmed the previous findings, which showed concentrations of E. coli bacteria were above acceptable limits.

He added the locations identified as E.coli hotspots in August once again produced the most concerning results.

Tributaries in the middle and lower Nidd catchment, including Ripley Beck, Oak Beck and Crimple Beck, had the highest concentrations of E.coli, with Bilton Beck the worst.

Sampling at Oak Beck in August.

In general, concentrations of E. coli were much lower in the upper catchment of the river from Pateley Bridge to Birstwith, than in the middle and lower catchments.

Knaresborough sampling locations revealed concentrations above the levels deemed sufficient for inland bathing water.

The Nidd Action Group committee met on Friday to talk about next steps, which will include organising a second public meeting to discuss progress and plans for 2024.

Mr Clayden said the meeting will be held in Knaresborough in early December and would follow a similar format to the one staged in March this year.

Meanwhile, Andrew Jones, the Conservative MP for Harrogate and Knaresborough, is expected to submit a bid to the government in the next few days to designate bathing water status on the Nidd.

If accepted, agencies will be obliged to undertake measures to clean the Nidd, as has happened on the River Wharfe in Ilkley.

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Wetherby Services has submitted plans for a solar farm on land next to the A1 (M) service station — with the renewable energy it generates used to power the site’s electric vehicle (EV) charging points.

The land north of the service station, which is currently used for agricultural purposes, spans more than five hectares but it would be turned over to solar panels under plans submitted by Moto Services to North Yorkshire Council this month.

According to planning documents, the proposal forms part of Moto’s strategy to bring forward solar farms on land next to Moto’s existing service stations.

Moto Services is the UK’s largest motorway service station operator with 59 sites.

It is expected the solar panels would be able to generate up to 7MW of renewable energy.

The screening opinion application asks the council if an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) should be submitted for a future full planning application for the solar farm.

The majority of the site is in a zone with a low flood zone risk. However, as part of it is also located in areas with medium to high risk of flooding, North Yorkshire Council has recommended that its flooding department is consulted on the proposal.

The solar farm application follows the launch of 12 EV charging points at Wetherby Services last year.

Planning documents state: 

“The proposed development is deemed crucial for the ongoing functionality of the associated Wetherby MSA. Electric vehicles will play a big part in the transition to zero emission transport, but to achieve these targets, it is imperative that suitable infrastructure is provided to support electric vehicles.

“The proposed development forms part of Moto’s wider strategy to bring forward solar farms on land adjacent to Moto’s existing MSAs, which will generate much needed electricity to power the EV Chargers at their services.”

In May, neighbouring authority Leeds City Council approved plans for 762 homes just 600m south of the site.

However, Moto says considering the “scale and nature” of the proposed solar farm development it would “unlikely lead to significant adverse effects” on the housing development.

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A Harrogate man is set to compete in a boxing match to raise money for charity.

Liam Brown is set to take part in the Ultra White Collar event at the Majestic Hotel on Ripon Road on November 26.

Mr Brown said he wanted to compete in the match to get back fit, but also to “give back more”.

He said he was inspired to embark on the fundraising campaign after recently saving a babies life on the M62.

Mr Brown, who works for Harrogate Automation Ltd, was stuck traffic on the motorway with his boss, Alex Eadington, on their way to a supplier in Warrington when they noticed a woman had pulled in the hard shoulder screaming for help.

He realised that her baby was choking and ran in to help and pulled a wrapper from its mouth.

Now, he hopes to give back more and has set up a JustGiving page to raise money for Cancer Research UK.

He hopes to raise money for the charity after his grandad died from cancer.

Mr Brown said:

“This charity is close to my heart after my grandad passed from pancreatic cancer .

“I would love to raise as much as possible to have a huge impact on the money needed to research a cure for this disease.”

The Ultra White Collar boxing match is aimed at beginners and encourages those taking part to raise money for charity.

The organisation, which was founded in 2013, holds events across the country and aims to raise thousands for charities each month.

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Tickets for next year’s Great Yorkshire Show will be available to buy from Wednesday, November 1.

Since 2021 tickets are only sold in advance with visitor numbers capped at 35,000 a day.

Next year’s 165th show will run from Tuesday, July 9, to Friday, July 12.  Last year tickets sold out a week before the event started.

The Great Yorkshire Show 2024 will be the final one for current show director, Charles Mills, as he comes to the end of his tenure.

Mr Mills said:

“This will be a very special show for me personally as it will be my ninth and final show as show director.

“Be sure, it will be full of entertainment, superb competition and the best animals in the UK coming together to celebrate farming, food and agriculture.”

Ticket prices for 2024 have risen for adults from £32 this year, to £35, children’s tickets remain at £13 – a family ticket has risen from £80 to £86. Under 5’s are free.

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