Thieves steal ‘large amount’ of equipment from Ilke Homes’ factory

Thieves have stolen a “large amount of equipment” from Ilke Homes factory in Flaxby.

The modular housebuilder, which employed 1,150 staff, went into administration in June. Nearly all staff immediately lost their jobs.

The equipment was stolen two days after it had been auctioned by administrators to realise the value of assets on behalf of creditors.

A North Yorkshire Police spokesperson said:

“North Yorkshire Police is investigating a report of a break-in at a large industrial premises near the village of Flaxby in North Yorkshire.

“It was reported that on August 19 a large amount of equipment worth thousands of pounds had been stolen from the premises.

“The investigation is ongoing at this time. No arrests have been made.”

Ilke Homes’ factory is close to junction 47 of the A1, about two miles from Knaresborough.

Ilke Homes’ site near the A1(M).

Administrators AlixPartners commissioned Hilco Valuation Services to auction items including electric hand tools, travelling cranes and tipping skips.

The Stray Ferret asked AlixPartners for details of the value of stolen items and whether the site maintained on-site security.

It declined to comment beyond a statement that said:

“We can confirm that there was a break-in and subsequent theft at a property relating to the Ilke Homes administration.

“The administrators are now working with insurers and all related parties to minimise any losses incurred.”

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Ilke Homes, which was founded in 2018, reported a pre-tax loss of £34m in its latest accounts.

It claimed to produce operationally zero-carbon modular homes from its Flaxby site.

Police urged anyone with information about the break-in to dial 101 and quote incident number 12230156480

Vandals smash windows of 15 buses in Tockwith in £100,000 attack

The windows of 15 buses have been smashed in an attack causing £100,000 of damage in Tockwith.

North Yorkshire Police said yesterday the incident occurred at Tockwith Airfield, on Southfield Lane between 10pm – 9am on the evening of Monday, August 21.

Police are now appealing for witnesses and information.

The force said in a statement:

“We’re now requesting the public’s assistance to help establish the full circumstances surrounding the incident.

“In particular, we’re appealing for information from anyone who witnessed anything suspicious in the surrounding area at the time of the incident and/or if anyone has any CCTV.”

The runways of the former airfield, which was previously RAF Marston Moor, are now used for driving education courses and specialist training.

Connexions Buses, which is located on Southfield Lane in the village, told the Stray Ferret none of its vehicles were damaged in the incident.

It also posted on Facebook “the companies that it involved have worked very hard to replace almost all of them already”.

The companies have not been named.

Police urged anyone with information to email chloe.winter-atkinson@northyorkshire.police.uk or dial 101 and ask for Chloe Winter-Atkinson.

If you wish to remain anonymous, you can pass information to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

Quote reference number 12230158082.

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Firefighters rescue 16-year-old dog in Harrogate

Harrogate firefighters rescued a 16-year-old dog that had got stuck on a path yesterday.

A crew from Skipton Road were summoned to nearby Dene Park in Bilton at 9.43pm last night.

According to North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service’s incident report, the dog was too frail to stand.

It said:

“Fire control received a call from a resident who was concerned for the safety of a 16-year-old dog who was unable to get up and was laid in the middle of the path.

“The caller stated the dog was very old and his owner was also an elderly gent.

“Other residents were unable to lift the dog and take him back home. A fire crew from Harrogate attended whilst still maintaining their availability and assisted by lifting and carrying the dog back home to his owner.”

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Rachel Daly and Erling Haaland win player of year awards

Harrogate-born Rachel Daly was named PFA women’s Players’ Player of the Year last night.

The Aston Villa and England player was chosen from a shortlist of six at a ceremony at the Lowry Theatre in Salford. Chelsea’s Lauren James was named Young Player of the Year.

Manchester City striker Erling Haaland took the men’s award at the same event. Arsenal’s Bukayo Saka was named Young Player of the Year.

In a tweet last night, Daly said she was “feeling beyond grateful” to have won the award, which was voted for by her peers.

Wow, what an honour to have won this award. Feeling beyond grateful 🫶🏻 https://t.co/88ZeJ46ddY

— Rachel Daly (@RachelDaly3) August 29, 2023

It is the latest success for the former Rossett School student, who in just over a year has won Euro 2022 with England, won the Golden Boot for being the Women’s Super League top scorer and played in the World Cup final.

Daly’s achievements have, however, been completely overlooked by North Yorkshire Council, which still has no plans for a civic honour.

The Stray Ferret is backing Killinghall Nomads‘ campaign for this to change. Daly started her career with the club. You can sign a petition supporting this here.

Rossett School, which has said it will rename its sports pitches in honour of its former pupil, has also joined calls for the council to recognise Daly.

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New bar set to open on Harrogate’s Cold Bath Road

A new bar looks set to open in a former Harrogate shop next month 

17 Miles, which will be based on Cold Bath Road, is set to open its doors in the former Scandinavian clothes shop Bias.

Harrogate man Matthew Gray, who owns the new bar, told the Stray Ferret that he decided to set up the pub as a passion project.

Mr Gray, who was granted planning permission for the conversion back in April, said he wanted to open in the Cold Bath Road area which he described as “up and coming”.

He said:

“I think the vibe around the area is increasing.

“In terms of the venue, it immediately catches the eye of passers by with its windows.”

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17 Miles, which was given the name for the door number and Mr Gray’s son, Miles, will be based at 17 Cold Bath Road.

It is set to offer punters a range beers from independent breweries to non-alcoholic options.

Inside the new 17 Miles bar on Cold Bath Road.

Inside the new 17 Miles bar on Cold Bath Road.

Mr Gray also has plans to introduce cheese and meat boards in the future, but added that he was focused on getting the bar off the ground first.

The bar is set to open from 4pm to 11pm Tuesday to Friday, 12pm to 11pm on Saturday and 12pm until 9pm on Sunday.

Dogs will also be welcome.

Mr Gray said he hopes to open 17 Miles in September once he has received final approval from North Yorkshire Council.

Harrogate salon to celebrate its 50th anniversary today

A well-known Harrogate salon is celebrating its 50th anniversary today.

Sheila Henry, located on Mowbray Square, was founded by Sheila Morton in 1973 as a hair salon and introduced beauty treatments in the early 1980s.

The current owner, Angela Charlton, joined the business in 1987 and worked alongside Ms Morton until she purchased the business in 2017.

The salon now offers a range of traditional beauty services including massages, nail treatments and spray tanning, as well as more specialised treatments such as electrolysis skin tag removal and laser hair removal.

Customers can expect a free glass of fizz with treatments this week, as well as goodie bags with free samples and sweet treats to celebrate the big birthday.

The salon will also be hosting a prize draw for those that spend over £40 from today until Saturday – with free treatments, vouchers, robes and gift boxes up for grabs.

Ms Charlton told the Stray Ferret:

“We’re all very excited about the celebrations.

“I worked for Sheila for 36 years before I took over the business but she is still a regular client and will be in the salon on the anniversary to celebrate too.

“I feel very proud of the salon and all that it has achieved.”

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Business Breakfast: Yorkshire Water launches recruitment campaign for river health team

The Stray Ferret Business Club’s next meeting is an after work drinks event on Thursday, August 31 at The West Park Hotel in Harrogate between 5-7pm. 

The Business Club provides monthly opportunities to network, make new connections and hear local success stories. Get your tickets by clicking or tapping here.

Yorkshire Water is recruiting 16 new staff for a brand new river health department.

The company has set up the team to deliver a joined-up, region-wide approach to river health across the many organisations and stakeholders in Yorkshire.

The 34-strong team will be working closely with community groups to understand what is important to them and develop a way of working together to improve river health in partnership.

The firm is set to recruit an environmental investigation lead, river health improvement manager, river health partnership and community engagement advisor.

Kevin Reardon, head of river health at Yorkshire Water, said: 

“We are committed as a business to playing our part to further improve river and coastal water quality around the region. The health of our rivers is a key national conversation, and we all have a lot to do to deliver investment in the areas that will make improvements to water quality.

“We know river and coastal water quality is a key priority for our customers and this new department illustrates our commitment to doing the right thing and working hard, alongside other stakeholders, as we begin our largest programme of environmental investment since privatisation.

“Yorkshire Water colleagues are passionate about the environment and we’re currently recruiting for 16 additional roles to help complete our team, which we believe will make further improvements to river health in the next two years and prepare ourselves for the next investment period 2025-2030.”

For more information on the roles available, visit the Yorkshire Water website here.

Stray Ferret to host latest Business Club event

The Stray Ferret will host its latest Business Club event tomorrow with after work drinks at the West Park Hotel.

The event will see guest speaker Craig Hines from 2 Inspire give a talk about the various models that can be applied to support flexible working and the success and pitfalls businesses face in implementing these.

There will also be a chance to meet attendees at the event with a networking session.

Whether you’re looking to expand your professional network, explore potential collaborations, or simply enjoy a refreshing drink after a long day, this event is perfect for you.

The event will be held at the West Park Hotel in Harrogate between 5pm and 7pm. You can purchase tickets here.

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Station Gateway: Council won’t have to repay government if project is scrapped

North Yorkshire Council will not have to repay government money it spent on consultants for the Harrogate Station Gateway project if it is scrapped.

The Local Democracy Reporting Service revealed in June that the council had paid global consultancy WSP more than £2 million to draw up its business case and undertake designs for the Harrogate active travel scheme.

All costs so far incurred on Station Gateway, including the consultants’ fees, have been paid for by the council and reimbursed by the government through its Transforming Cities Fund.

But, according to a council spokesperson, the government would not ask for the money back, which is one less headache for the under pressure authority when it comes to the troubled project.

The gateway has been in the works for years but is now in major doubt after North Yorkshire Council said earlier this month that it had “rescinded the decision to proceed” with its proposals due to a legal challenge.

In a statement, the council said it would not be proceeding at the moment to avoid “further costs and delays” after a judicial review was launched by lawyers acting on behalf of Hornbeam Park Developments over the way the council consulted residents and businesses.

A report will go before the council’s Conservative-run executive next month with recommendations for what happens next.

At a meeting of North Yorkshire Council’s Conservative-run executive last week in Harrogate, council leader Carl Les said it was a “matter of some urgency” that the gateway report is published and chief executive Richard Flinton said this would likely be ahead of an executive meeting on September 19.

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Harrogate Town ‘relishing’ being underdogs in Blackburn clash

Harrogate Town are “relishing” being underdogs in tomorrow night’s clash against Blackburn Rovers, says manager Simon Weaver.

Town will take on the Championship outfit, who sit two divisions above Harrogate, in a Carabao Cup second round match at the EnviroVent Stadium on Wetherby Road.

Tickets have been selling fast for the game in what is arguably the club’s most illustrious match ever.

The fixture will be the first time Harrogate has hosted a Championship club, with League One Blackpool and Portsmouth the previous highest ranked to visit.

Town are expected to be labelled as underdogs for the game. However, Simon Weaver, Harrogate manager, said the club will relish the tag.

He said:

“It’s an understandable tag to remain with us. At every level, we have always had that tag.

“But we relish being underdogs and having a bit of a chip on our shoulder. We love it when teams sing about Betty’s tea shops and when people expect it to be soft and flaky. Hopefully we can prove people wrong.”

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A place in round three of the competition awaits the winners, with more Premier League clubs added to the draw, including the likes of Manchester City, Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester United.

Town go into the cup tie off the back of a 2-0 win in the league against Morecambe on Saturday.

Meanwhile, Rovers narrowly missed out on a play-off place last season, finishing seventh in the Championship and missing the chance to return to the Premier League, which they won in 1994/95.

Blackburn go into tomorrow night’s fixture after defeating Watford 1-0 in the Championship on Sunday.

Tickets for the game remain on sale to Harrogate Town fans online who attended three or more games since the start of last season.

Tickets are on sale here, or in-person to all supporters from the club’s Commercial Street Store.

Man dies after crash between Harrogate and Ripon

A 59-year-old man has died following a collision on the A61 between Ripley and South Stainley last weekend.

North Yorkshire Police said the crash happened at 5.20pm on Saturday, August 26.

Three cars were involved in the collision, including a dark coloured Suzuki Bandit Motorcycle, a dark coloured Land Rover Discovery and a white Ford Transit Van.

The rider of the motorcycle, a 59-year-old man, died.

Police said the man’s family have been informed and are receiving support from specially trained officers.

The driver of the Land Rover Discovery and the Ford Transit both stopped at the scene to assist officers with their enquiries.

Officers believe that the motorcyclist was travelling with a group of unknown motorcycles immediately before the collision and he was at the rear of the group.

The road was closed for several hours to allow officers to conduct investigation work at the scene of the collision.

In a statement, North Yorkshire Police said:

“We’re appealing for information and witnesses following a fatal collision on the A61 over the weekend.

“We’re now appealing to anyone who may have seen the collision or who may have any dashcam footage of the collision or the vehicles prior to the incident, to come forward.

“Anyone with any information or footage is urged to preserve the footage and contact us on 101 quoting reference 12230161248.

“Alternatively, you can email ross.moralee@northyorkshire.police.uk.”

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