Local Harrogate News & Views around the district - Page 238 of 1075

Harrogate vegetarian café hosts art exhibitions to create ‘neighbourhood feel’

Harrogate vegetarian café, Delicious, is to host art exhibitions every month highlighting the talents of local artists.

The café, on Mayfield Grove, has only been open since June this year.

It’s owner, Olivier Roch, told the Stray Ferret that he wants it to become a hub for the local community -whether or not they are vegetarian.

“The purpose is to promote local artists. My place is on Mayfield Grove and we are seeking to be a neighbourhood café and be a place of soul. To offer something else other than food.”

Mr Roch grew up in France but has lived in Harrogate for the past 30 years and previously ran the Zinc bistro on John Street where he also used to promote local artists.

Seven artists are booked at Delicious, with a new display and opening on the last Friday of the month. The artist work is then hung on the café walls for the following four weeks. There is also a writing course on Tuesdays.

Mayfield Grove has been the scene of violent crime in recent years. Mr Roch says no area is immune from crime but believes the street is changing:

“Unfortunately crime is everywhere and I do not think Mayfield Grove is particularly different from anywhere else.

“I think the area is getting a little bit like Cold Bath Road.

“When I first came to Harrogate, my first bedsit was on Franklin road – now a lot of those beautiful houses have been transformed into single homes.

“It has turned around and now people want to live in the centre of town. There is a neighbourhood feel in the area and people are looking for that – a sense of community and we are trying to establish that.”

Olivier Roch outside his cafe and an example of the art displayed

North Yorkshire housing companies estimate end of year profits

Two North Yorkshire Council housing companies are estimating to report a profit by the end of this financial year.

Brierley Homes and Bracewell Homes are expected to post improved performance after completing further sales, according to a council financial report.

Both companies were taken over by North Yorkshire Council in April 2023.

Bracewell, which is a former Harrogate Borough Council firm, is forecasting a profit return of £1.52 million by the end of 2023/24.

A report said the company had seen sales of shared ownership properties and the “receipt of rental income on the proportion retained within the company”.

However, it added that Bracewell was still awaiting the completion of purchasing a further two sites.

It said:

“The main challenge for the Company relates to receiving accurate information from developers.

“Bracewell is due to complete on house purchases at two sites this financial year however neither developer has managed to achieve their initial forecast completion dates.”

Meanwhile, Brierley Homes, which was set up by the former North Yorkshire County Council, is forecasting a profit of £959,000 by the end of the year.

The figure is based on the company completing sales at sites in Marton cum Grafton, Pateley Bridge and Great Ouseburn.

Meanwhile, the firm is expected to start work on another housing site in Kirby Malzeard this year.

It comes as the council reported a “positive outlook” for the company in March amid an increase in sales.

Police commissioner rejects advice to delay appointment of chief constable

North Yorkshire’s police commissioner has rejected advice to delay the appointment of a new chief constable.

The current chief constable, Lisa Winward, announced last month she will retire on March 31, 2024.

As a result, members of North Yorkshire and York’s police, fire and crime panel, which met at City of York Council yesterday, urged Conservative commissioner Zoë Metcalfe to postpone the recruitment process for up to 15 months.

Ms Winward’s retirement will come just weeks before a new Mayor of York and North Yorkshire, who will take on police commissioner powers including the ability to appoint a chief constable, will be elected.

The panel felt the delay would ensure senior police officers had sufficient time to see eye-to-eye with the new mayor.

Ms Metcalfe, however, rejected the guidance today. She felt months of temporary leadership would not be in the public’s best interest.

She said:

“As the single elected individual with responsibility for the totality of policing and crime for York and North Yorkshire, I have a duty to ensure that the force has outstanding, inspirational long-term leadership to keep our communities safe and feeling safe.

“I was surprised that some panel members saw fit to substitute their preference, not just for my decision, but for the considered professional views of all national stakeholders with a remit for excellence in police leadership.

“It gives me no pleasure to say that the recommendations of those key national stakeholders outweigh the panel’s recommendation.

“I stand by my decision.”

Ms Metcalfe added:

“This is a crucial time for the programme of improvements for North Yorkshire Police.

“The role of chief constable of North Yorkshire Police is a terrific opportunity for an inspirational, visionary chief police officer.

“The process for selection will be open, rigorous, exciting and challenging – and will involve a broad range of local and national key partner organisations so that York and North Yorkshire can be sure that we have the very best of police leadership for our communities.”

The move comes as members of the panel raised concern that the selection of the chief constable would coincide with the election of the Mayor for York and North Yorkshire.

Cllr Lindsay Burr, who represents Malton, said it would be an incorrect decision for the public to appoint a chief constable when the force’s strategic direction had not been set by the incoming mayor.

Huby councillor and former police officer Malcolm Taylor said while moving ahead with recruiting a chief constable might be a good decision in the short-term, the appointment was a long-term role.

Meanwhile, Ms Metcalfe also rejected an option to appoint an interim chief constable earlier this month.

The Stray Ferret reported that the commissioner was also given alternatives, including appointing the deputy chief constable to role until after mayoral election, but turned down both options in favour of starting a recruitment process.

New Harrogate care home set to open in January

A new care home is set to open in Harrogate in January 2024.

Fairfax Manor, which will be based on Wetherby Road opposite Harrogate Town’s football stadium, will be operated by Staffordshire-based Lovett Care Ltd.

The 90-bed care home was built on the site of the former Tate House after being given planning permission back in April 2021.

The company said the home would be a “welcome addition” to Harrogate amid increasing demand for elderly care.

Gillian Allat, general manager at Fairfax Manor, said:

“I am thrilled to be joining a growing organisation. Fairfax Manor will be somewhere that our residents will be proud to call home.

“I am passionate about providing exceptional person centred care and looking forward to growing a team who share my values. If anyone is interested in living or working with us then please get in touch.”

Visual inside Fairfax Manor.

The new facility is set to offer ensuite rooms, 24-hour care and landscaped gardens.

It will also feature an orangery, coffee lounge, bar, cinema, beauty salon and private dining room for special family get togethers.

The move comes as Lovett Care Ltd agreed to acquire the home from Harrogate-based Angela Swifts Developments.

The firm also completed acquisitions for Eden Manor Care in Carlisle and another facility in St Helens.

Fairfax Manor will become the tenth home to be operated by the company.

Hopewalk in Valley Gardens marks suicide prevention charity’s 10th anniversary

The annual Hopewalk will take place in Harrogate‘s Valley Gardens this Sunday in support of Papyrus, a UK charity that aims to prevent suicide in young people.

Over the last six years Harrogate Grammar School has supported the event in memory of one of its students, Dom Sowa, who died by suicide in 2017.

Dom’s mother, Pat Sowa, has since become a campaigner for the charity.

This year marks the charity’s tenth anniversary and it is hoping the walks will be “bigger and better than ever”.

The walk will be held on Sunday (October 15) at 10am.

Participants meet at the entrance to Valley Gardens, walking through the Pinewoods and back again. To sign up click here.

Harrogate’s John Shackleton, 85, to embark on 49th humanitarian trip today

A Harrogate man will begin his drive from Harrogate to Georgia today to deliver an ambulance on his 49th humanitarian trip.

John Shackleton, 85, has bought and stocked 36 ambulances over the last 30 years to provide emergency vehicles and vital medical equipment to humanitarian organisations in Eastern Europe and beyond.

Last month, Mr Shackleton appealed for co-drivers last month and has since been “inundated” with applications.

One passenger, a Harrogate man who works as a veterinary regional manager, finishes work at midday today and will venture straight to Georgia.

The other, who is from High Wycombe, is an army paramedic who took the opportunity while on leave.

Mr Shackleton told the Stray Ferret a Berlin-based film crew also contacted him to follow the 3,000-mile journey. The producers will be dropped off en route in Berlin.

The group plans to deliver the ambulance, that Mr Shackleton collected from Amsterdam earlier this week, to a small organisation building a hospice on a farm on the Georgian and Russian border.

He said the organisation has been “praying for an ambulance for years”.

When asked if this would be Mr Shackleton’s final mission, he added:

“Well, I’ve said my trips before would be my final one and I’m still going now.

“I had a heart attack – which I’m mending from very quickly – but I lost a lot of weight and, as I’m struggling to put it back on, it’s becoming difficult to chop the wood I sell to fund the ambulances.”

Mr Shackleton anticipates the journey will take around 10 days. He said:

“I’m not nervous about this trip – I don’t get nervous. If problems are there, I solve them. They’re there to be solved.

“It’s a waste of time to worry.”

Mr Shackleton began his humanitarian work after seeing news reports revealing the poor conditions of Romanian orphanages following the borders opening in 1990. He was joined by a team of volunteers to install flushing toilets and showers at the orphanage.

This time, the team will stay in Georgia for just under a week to help the organisation, before hitchhiking to the nearest international airport to return home.

Mr Shackleton and his co-drivers will depart from his Harrogate home at midday today.

Click here to find out more about John Shackleton’s previous trips.

North Yorkshire chief fire officer defends charging for false alarm call outs

North Yorkshire’s chief fire officer has defended a policy to charge businesses which repeatedly trigger false alarm call-outs.

Jonathan Dyson told a meeting of North Yorkshire and York’s police, fire and crime panel the ultimate goal of charging for false call-outs was to protect the cash-strapped service’s resources for incidents where people’s lives were at risk.

The meeting heard automatic fire alarms were the predominant call-out for North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service and the brigade’s policies had always included the option to charge, but it had made that policy clearer recently in its Risk and Resource Model 2022-2025 as it was “starting to see repeat offenders”.

In the 12 months to March 2022, the service was called to nearly 7,600 incidents, of which nearly half were false alarms.

A study of Home Office data in 2021 found only 2% of confirmed incidents from automatic fire alarms were a result of an actual fire.

It found some 90% of false alarms were due to “false apparatus”, with two per cent being deemed as malicious.

Automatic fire alarms send a signal directly to fire services to respond to, but due to the volume of false call-outs some fire and rescue services now also require a confirmed fire before responding.

The meeting heard businesses in North Yorkshire and York whose fire alarms triggered four false call-out a year would be liable for a charge under the service’s policy.

North Yorkshire councillor Rich Maw questioned whether the policy was “more of a headline rather than actually something that will deter”.

The meeting heard the policy was designed to protect the service’s appliances and firefighters, to ensure time for training, and “to respond to true life incidents”.

Mr Dyson said the service went to great lengths to ensure it was supporting businesses, and only when it was “absolutely required” would the service start charging for false call-outs.

He added while charging had been proven to be effective in energising managers in places such as universities to tackle people who triggered alarms irresponsibly, he did not anticipate the North Yorkshire service having to resort to charging on a consistent or regular basis.

However, Mr Dyson said:

“The problem being of course, to some companies it is cheaper to pay any charge that we incur on them than making the responsible persons do their job or the changes that are required.”

Harrogate sports club hosts world renowned squash players

Two of the world’s best squash players paid a visit to a Harrogate sports club this week.

Harrogate Sports and Fitness Club, which is based at Hookstone Wood Road, played host to James Wilstrop and Mostafa Asal.

Willstrop, who lives in Harrogate, is a former world number one and a Commonwealth gold medalist, while Asal is currently ranked number four in the world and considered to be one of the most exciting players in the sport.

The club said:

“They were at the club practising for some upcoming squash tournaments, but had some spare time to chat with some of the Harrogate junior squash players and pose for a photo with them.”

Willstrop, who grew up in Pontefract but lives locally, won Commonwealth gold in 2018 and at last year’s games in Birmingham.

Meanwhile, Egyptian squash player Asal is considered to be one of the most exciting players in the sport due to his playing style and controversial on court behaviour.

Asal, who has 1.2 million Instagram followers, was handed a 12-week ban and £50,000 fine back in August.

The Professional Squash Association gave the 21-year-old the suspension after finding thee separate breaches of the PSA code of conduct, including abuse of racket or equipment and unsportsmanlike conduct in a match against Joel Makin in May this year.

The visit comes as the club’s premier squash team has just started its new season.

The team will pit itself against sides from Sheffield and York in the hope of winning the league championship. Home games are held every other Wednesday and are free entry at the Hookstone Wood Road centre.

Business Breakfast: Harrogate rental firm posts ‘solid’ half year results

The Stray Ferret Business Club’s next meeting is a breakfast event on Thursday, October 26 at Banyan in Harrogate from 8am to 10 am.

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

A Harrogate rental company has reported a “solid” first half year of financial results.

Beckwith Knowle-based VP said in a trading update this week that the firm had “continued to trade resiliently” amid a “backdrop of challenging macro-economic conditions”.

Its interim results for the period up to September 30 will be published on November 28.

Anna Bielby, Chief Executive of Vp, said:

“We have delivered a solid performance in the period and are confident that we will continue to achieve our objective of driving demand for our products and services.

“With our strong financial position, we have an excellent track record of successfully navigating volatility in our core markets.

“We continue to closely monitor the impact of weaker markets in housebuilding and general construction; however, we remain confident that the Group will continue to provide shareholders with an attractive level of returns.”

Masham company shortlisted for Yorkshire business awards

A Masham company has been chosen as a finalist at the Yorkshire and Humberside Business Awards.

W E Jameson & Son Ltd was shortlisted for both the agribusiness and wholesaler categories at this year’s ceremony.

Chris and Graham Jameson, directors at W E Jameson & Son Ltd.

This year’s event will be held at The Majestic Hotel in Harrogate on November 10.

Graham Jameson, managing director of the company, said:

“Our family business has been established for 93 years and we are delighted to have been shortlisted for these awards.

“Every member of the Jameson team should be very proud of their efforts in maintaining the family culture of the business, caring for and supporting work colleagues, the community in which we work and the family farming businesses we supply.”

Call for North Yorkshire police commissioner to delay chief constable appointment

A watchdog has urged North Yorkshire’s police commissioner to delay the appointment of a new chief constable for up to 15 months, partly to ensure the top police officer sees eye-to-eye with an incoming elected mayor.

All but four members of North Yorkshire and York’s police, fire and crime panel voted to recommend to commissioner Zoe Metcalfe that she postpones finding a successor to chief constable Lisa Winward, who announced last month she would retire in March next year.

A meeting of the panel at City of York Council heard Ms Winward’s retirement had come at a particularly inopportune time as she would be leaving the key role just weeks before a mayor, who would set policing priorities, was expected to be elected to an incoming combined authority.

Panel members heard while the commissioner had decided to launch the recruitment process, with a likely appointment date in April, if the process was launched after the expected mayoral election in May, a new chief constable may not be appointed until 2025.

Ms Metcalfe told the meeting she had been independently advised to launch the recruitment as soon as practically possible by a string of national bodies and top officials, including the chiefs of the police inspectorate and the college of policing as well as Unison.

She said:

“I am not satisfied that deferring the decision to the incoming mayor, which would incur inevitable delay, for many months, and even extending until 2025, is the right decision for the public, delivery of service and North Yorkshire Police.”

Following concerns that uncertainty over who the incoming mayor would be could deter some candidates from applying to be chief constable, she added the role of leading the force was an “immensely exciting prospect” for any police leader.

She underlined that if the process was delayed until after the election the deputy chief constable would be asked to step up for “a very prolonged period of time”.

She said her experience of working with chief constables was that they were “very professional people” who would go out of their way to make a working relationship with the new mayor and deliver the mayor’s priorities.

Panel member Martin Walker, a former judge, backed the commissioner’s decision, saying one of the main criteria for a chief constable was to be “independent and strong”.

He said:

“If two people at the top of the most difficult, important and complex jobs can’t get on, and it has to depend on personalities, I think that’s wrong and frankly it wouldn’t be fit to do the job.

“In my own experience, throughout my career, I have had to work with people I don’t like, and I’m sure some didn’t like me, but it’s necessary to do that in life, and in my view you have to get on with it.”

However, several panel members said the relationship between the mayor and chief constable was vital and they wanted to see the priorities of the incoming mayor part of the process for the selection of a new chief constable.

The meeting the commissioner repeatedly pressed to pause the recruitment process until after a mayor is elected.

Huby councillor and former police officer Malcolm Taylor said while moving ahead with recruiting a chief constable might be a good decision in the short-term, the appointment was a long-term role.

Read More:

Read more:

Read more:

Read more:

Read More:

Read more:

Read more:

Read more:

Masham company shortlisted for Yorkshire business awards

Read more:

Read more: