New cafe due to open in Harrogate today

A new cafe is due to open in Harrogate town centre today.

Central Cafe is located on Oxford Street, between travel agent TUI and stationers Jespers of Harrogate.

The unit has been empty for almost two years since The Works vacated the site.

The discount books and stationery store moved over the road into the former Edinburgh Woollen Mill in October 2021.

According to signs in the window, Central Cafe will open today and specialise in gelato and crepes.

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Plans to install electric vehicle charging points at Harrogate M&S food hall

Plans have been submitted to install eight electric vehicle charging points in the car park of  Marks and Spencer’s food hall at Oatlands in Harrogate.

BP Pulse, which is BP’s electric vehicle charging business, has applied to North Yorkshire Council for the scheme.

BP Pulse has an agreement to install high-speed electric vehicle charge points at about 70 M&S stores.

A planning statement by Manchester planning consultants Rapleys LLP on behalf of BP Pulse said the charging points would be located to the north of the store, next to Hookstone Road.

The statement says six of the spaces have their own dedicated charger, and two spaces would share a hyper charger, which is an ultra-fast DC to DC charger that can fully charge batteries in a a few minutes.

One of the spaces would be a disabled bay.

A planning document showing the chargers would go alongside Hookstone Road.

The statement said the “modest scale” development was “entirely consistent with the site’s established land use as a car park”.

It added:

“The central imperative of the development, at this site and others nationwide, is part of the inevitable and essential move away from hydrocarbons into a world where net zero carbon transport is the norm.

“The development is a key part of the move to a cleaner energy mix, and should be embraced by the local authority in these terms.”

The council must now decide whether to approve the plans.

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Business Breakfast: Harrogate Town sign another sponsor

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.

Harrogate Town have announced a partnership with a Harrogate construction and plant hire firm.

Kitching Plant Hire has over 350 machines to buy and hire, including diggers, excavators, rollers and cement mixers.

The club said the firm’s commitment to innovation and quality mirrored its values.

Matthew Kitching, director of Kitching Plant Hire, said:

“We’re excited about our new partnership with Harrogate Town AFC, being proud supporters, we felt the timing is right to show our commitment to our local club.”

Joanne Towler, commercial director of Harrogate Town AFC, said the company’s support was “instrumental in driving our club’s progress”.

Harrogate and Boroughbridge companies help beautify York 

A  Borougbridge landscape contractor has partnered with a horticultural company in Kirk Hammerton to remodel the grounds of York Museum Gardens.

ATM Ltd, a landscaping, highway and maintenance company, has partnered with Johnsons of Whixley to supply thousands of plants to the 12.5 acre area of land as part of the recent Environment Agency flood defence improvements project.

ATM provided the project with all soft landscaping following engineering work to raise an existing flood bank, while the commercial plant suppliers selected plants to ensure pollination will thrive throughout the year.

The aim of the project is to rejuvenate the gardens, which were first established in the 1830s, and create a fresh and enjoyable space for the public.

Daniel McClaren, contracts manager at ATM Ltd, said:

“The plants were carefully selected with wildlife and seasons in mind. The gardens will be enjoyed all year round. ”

Eleanor Richardson, marketing manager at Johnsons, said:

“York Museum Gardens is on our doorstep, so it has been great to visit the site and see the hard work ATM have completed and see the plants thriving.”

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Baby loss ball to be held in Harrogate in memory of stillborn twins

Parents of twins who were stillborn last year are inviting anyone who has lost a child to take part in a celebration of their lives in Harrogate this autumn.

Hayley and Neil Patrick-Copeland hope to raise money for a charity supporting families through child bereavement with their Baby Loss Awareness Ball.

Hayley said she hoped the event would bring people together, as well as raising money for other parents going through the same situation.

She told the Stray Ferret:

“Everyone deals with it differently, but I think it’s really important to try and change the conversation around baby loss, so people don’t see the trauma and think, ‘we mustn’t talk about it’.

“The vast majority of people i’ve met would just love people to talk about their children, include them, say their names.

“People say, well-meaningly, they don’t want to upset you by reminding you about your children. But people don’t forget their children have died – they’re constantly in their mind.

“Yes, it might make you cry, but the fact that someone mentions them is emotional because it’s wonderful.”

Hayley was 25 weeks pregnant last year when her twin girls were born, on August 2 last year.

She and husband Neil had been told it was a high-risk pregnancy, because the twins shared a placenta, and at 24 weeks doctors diagnosed twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome (TTTS).

Despite successful laser surgery in Birmingham, the babies’ hearts stopped beating and they could not be saved. Hayley and Neil returned to North Yorkshire and she gave birth a few days later in hospital in York.

Hayley said:

“It’s the most life-changing, earth-shattering thing anybody could ever imagine.

“It’s everybody’s worst fear, your children dying, and on top of that not just the grief for the fact that you’ve lost them, but for the whole lifetime they should have had.

“Intertwined with that is the absolute joy and delight of meeting your children. They were our first children, so we became parents.

“The overwhelming joy of meeting these beautiful little girls we created is the greatest honour. This is why we are trying to make sure we have a legacy and make sure they are always part of our lives and our family, and remembered and included.”

As a result, the couple will raise money for the charity 4Louis through their blue-and-pink themed Baby Loss Awareness Ball, which takes place at Pavilions of Harrogate on Saturday, October 14.

4Louis provides memory boxes for parents whose babies are stillborn, enabling them to capture hand and footprints, and give their child a teddy bear.

The charity also delivers cooled boxes and blankets to allow bereaved families to spend more time with their children after they have died.

Hayley and Neil were able to spend time with Alya, left, and Aleah thanks to 4LouisHayley and Neil were able to spend time with Alya, left, and Aleah thanks to 4Louis

Although Hayley and Neil live in Selby, they chose the venue in Harrogate because of its peaceful setting, and to offer easy access to people from across North Yorkshire.

They particularly wanted to hold the night during Baby Loss Awareness Week, and all attendees will be given a candle to take home and use in the national wave of light the following evening.

If it goes well, Hayley said they hope it will become an annual event and a way of welcoming recently bereaved parents from across the county into a supportive community.

“Since the girls died and we had met them, we decided this was something we would like to do in their memory and all of those beautiful babies, especially so there was an event in North Yorkshire that recognised them in a fun, celebratory way that was not a sombre occasion.

“Candle-lit services are lovely and very special, but we also want a celebration for them.”

Tickets, which include a welcome drink, three-course dinner and entertainment, are £65 each or £600 for a table of 10. They can be booked via the event website.

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Stray Views: Let’s see police tackle anti-social behaviour after Remembrance Day withdrawal

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.

How sad to see the deputy chief constable exercising his “lawful” duty and removing police traffic control from some Remembrance Day parades.

However, his new found ability to police anti-social behaviour should rid our pavements of e-scooters, e-skateboards and bicycles.

It also should get rid of the noisy “Hooray Henry” young motorists who speed around the town with illegal exhaust systems ruining our enjoyment of our lovely town.

Every cloud has a silver lining.

Mike Hodgson, Harrogate

‘Shame’ over Great Yorkshire Showground fencing

I’m trying to make some sense of the extraordinary decision to fence off the Crimple meadows.  

For 10 years or more this area has, thanks to the generosity of Yorkshire Agricultural Society, been part of the lungs of Harrogate. Whilst I understand the land is theirs to do with as it sees fit, it seems mean-spirited to withdraw this amazing area from the people of Harrogate and beyond with no notice.  

I’m struggling to see what the society gains by doing such a thing – unless its aim was to deliberately upset the huge numbers of people who regularly used the space. The fencing of the area must have cost a fortune.  Money it can hardly re-coup in a hurry by renting the land or by selling sheep, particularly as those sheep will presumably have to be moved on the numerous occasions the fields are used as a car park.

I’ve heard some suggestions that reverting the land to farming might be a prelude to more lucrative development. Can this be true?

The land is theirs and what it does with it is its business. However, the town does have to tolerate the massive disruption the show(s) bring(s) every year — something we are given little choice in.

Robin Thompson, Harrogate

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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Ex-Simply Red band member to judge at Harrogate allotment show

A former member of the band Simply Red will be among the judges at next weekend’s allotment show in Harrogate.

Harrogate and District Allotment Federation will be holding its 62nd annual show in the Sun Pavilion in Valley Gardens from 11pm to 4pm next Sunday.

The show gives allotment plot holders from Harrogate, Ripon, Knaresborough and Boroughbridge the opportunity to showcase their gardening achievements.

The allotment sites will display Simply Red-themed arrangements for this year’s inter-site allotment competition

The arrangements, which will include red flowers, fruit and vegetables, will be judged by Knaresborough-born Tim Kellett, a former member of the band Simply Red.

The outstanding exhibit winner in 2021.

Judging will take place between 10am and noon and then Councillor Eamon Parkin, deputy mayor of Ripon, and his consort Lucy Proud will officially open the show.

Trophies will be awarded at the end to plot holders who have achieved the most points in certain categories or who have presented particularly good exhibits.

Nick Smith, director of Harrogate Flower Shows, will present the prizes.

Profits from the show go to a local nominated charity each year to enhance their gardening projects.

This year’s chosen charity is Ripon in Bloom, which intends to use the donation to help with the refurbishment of Bedern Bank.

The show includes a plant stall.

Entry to the Show is free. There will be a raffle, tombola stall, cakes, produce and plant stalls as well as artisan craft stalls and stalls showcasing local charities.

Stray Horns will play in the Bandstand from 1.30pm to 3.30pm.

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Harrogate bar to host Taylor Swift quiz to celebrate UK tour

A Harrogate bar is set to host a Taylor Swift-themed quiz to celebrate the UK leg of her tour.

Starling Harrogate, on Oxford Street, will stage a six-round quiz this Friday (August 18) for ‘Swifties’ to enjoy.

Attendees will need to brush up on their ‘Tay-Lore’ ahead of the event, and will be tested on their knowledge of her music videos, lyrics, her sell-out Eras Tour and more.

Teams will be formed on the evening and the lucky winners will be awarded Swif-tea mugs, while the winner of the best-dressed award will receive a free cocktail.

Organiser and die-hard Taylor Swift fan, Tiffany Snowden, held a release party ahead of her album, ‘Red’, in 2021 and is hoping the quiz will see the same level of success.

The 2021 album release party.

She said:

“We still have a few tickets left and last time was such a success, I’d love for other Harrogate-based Swifties to be able to attend.

“[It is a] pub quiz like no other, centred around the one and only, Taylor Alison Swift (a.k.a. the music industry).”

The quiz will be followed by an after-party featuring the star’s songs on repeat.

A ‘posh’ pizza buffet, including pizza slices and sides, will be also included in the ticket, as well as a complimentary glass of wine on arrival.

The singer, who is the second most listened to artist globally on Spotify, recently announced 13 UK shows as part of her Eras Tour in 2024, including Liverpool, Cardiff, London, and Edinburgh. VIP tickets set fans back over £600, while regular admission ranged from £58 to £172.

The quiz will take place on Friday, August 18, from 7pm – 10pm.

Tickets for the event can be found here.

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Missing Harrogate girls found safe

Three missing girls from Harrogate have been found safe.

North Yorkshire Police have confirmed that two 13-year-old and a 16-year-old girl were found in Leeds and returned to their families.

The girls were last seen at 5pm on Thursday (August 10).

A police statement said:

“Protecting vulnerable people is of paramount importance to North Yorkshire Police.”

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How Harrogate’s hockey club coach made his passion his full time job

It was a mixture of trying to avoid rugby and suffering from concussion which led to Harrogate Hockey Club coach Jimmy Greenwood to pick up a stick.

The 51-year-old, who was born in Garforth, was forced to play rugby union when he moved to Harrogate and attended the grammar school.

In an effort to avoid being on the school team, he joined Harrogate Hockey Club as soon as he turned 14.

From there, it has been his love for more than three decades.

But, sat in the club on a Thursday afternoon as the pitch outside is packed with kids learning from Olympic gold medal hockey star Maddie Hinch, Jimmy says he never thought it would get to a stage where it became his full time job.

Picking up the stick for the first time

“I think I got concussed three times,” Jimmy says as he recalls his early rugby days at Harrogate Grammar School.

He had never picked up a hockey stick before turning 14.

But, to get out of playing rugby, he felt he should join the hockey team.

“I thought, if I’m in the school hockey team then I can’t get picked for the rugby team.

“So I began my hockey career.”

Jimmy’s school teacher Mr Sutton was a coach at Harrogate Hockey Club when it was based at Harlow Hill.

He took up a trial offer and ended up playing in the men’s side.

Jimmy in action for the men's side.

Jimmy in action for the men’s side.

Some may look at Jimmy’s story from player to full time coach as an accident given how candid he is about how he got into the sport.

But for him, hockey itself requires skill, technique and time to master.

“It’s an addictive sport. Once you’re in, you’re in.

“It’s an amazing journey when you start. Every other sport I played was just in your age group.”

Jimmy was playing with players much older than him when he joined Harrogate Hockey Club at aged 14.

At that age, he was able to play with adults – some of whom were into their 40s and 50s.

As a junior, he played on the wing because he was quick before he gradually moved to centre forward as he got older.

In the 1980s, the club was playing against the likes of Ben Rhydding, Thirsk and York – teams within the Yorkshire region.

It wouldn’t be until much later that Jimmy would test himself against tougher sides in Birmingham and further south when he studied at the University of Durham.

Much of Jimmy’s playing career was playing in the North Premier League for Harrogate.

However, in 2004, the club were promoted to the National League – which saw them pitted against the likes of Lewes and Birmingham.

For Jimmy, the move into the next division, which moved them outside of the north of England, was an eye opener.

“It was mainly decision making.

“There’s a level of skill that everyone can get to in hockey. There’s only so quickly that you can move a ball, like footballers.

“But then it comes down to how quickly the brain works.”

His passion for the sport took him as far as England trials – although his career never reached that level.

Turning to coaching

These days, Jimmy takes his hockey playing more casually.

However, he had his eye on becoming a coach when he was 18.

“I’ve sort of coached off and on for my whole career.”

He describes himself as a “technical” coach and has long argued that there is a difference between technique and skill when it comes to players.

“When I say technical, most people would call that a skills coach.

“Making sure people are stopping the ball correctly, holding the stick properly and showing them some tricky moves to do against opposition players.

“In my head – and I will argue this with everybody – that’s technique. The skill is picking the right thing to do at the right time.

“I like to empower anyone that I coach with as much technique as I can give them so that they are the best player that they can be. Then it is up to them, they can be world beaters if they can make the right decisions.”

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Amid the part time coaching and playing hockey on evenings and weekends, Jimmy had a day job.

Before the covid pandemic, he ran a book publishing business.

He worked for himself and enjoyed it, but then the covid pandemic hit and the world turned upside down.

“I have always run my own businesses and I wound one up about two years ago.

“It had done quite well through covid, but coming out the other side of covid the education sector changed quite drastically. The business couldn’t cope with the changes.”

Jimmy did not know what to do and tried to work for other people, but did not like it.

He turned to his passion in the hope that it may offer him work.

Fortunately for Jimmy, the club was in a position where it needed to offer support to its development officer, Megan Reid.

“She needed a coach to help her to do some of these outreach programmes into schools and to help do some of the club coaching here and to develop the juniors.”

Two months in, Jimmy says the job is a labour of love and something he feels he is well suited to.

“It is in some ways not like working because it is something that I absolutely love doing and I have done it for so long.

“But it is kind of strange to have never done it as a job before.”

While his new job involves coaching, it also involves helping to build the club back up from covid.

Like a lot of sports, Harrogate Hockey Club was hit hard by covid.

Some members did not return and the junior teams lost their way with no sport to play.

“To get everything back on track, it needs that extra support.

“I think it is happening in all sports now. Being able to rely on people’s goodwill to run teams nowadays is quite hard.”

The club has been fortunate enough to have stars like Maddie Hinch, who won gold for Great Britain at the Rio Olympics in 2016, hosting training sessions at the Ainsty Road pitch to help generate interest in the sport.

Despite the task in hand, Jimmy still has goals in mind.

He wants to try and play beyond the age of 55 and to help to grow the club and its membership.

“Having run businesses over the years, it’s like growing a plant.

“First and foremost, you need to grow it. You can get rid of some bits that are a bit unwieldy and then make it nice.”

If you have any local sporting heroes who you think should be featured in Sporting Spotlight, contact calvin@thestrayferret.co.uk.

Harrogate and Knaresborough MP supports housing asylum seekers on barge

Harrogate and Knaresborough MP Andrew Jones has said he supports the use of the Bibby Stockholm barge to house migrants.

The barge, moored in Dorset, has dominated the news this week.

Thirty-nine migrants onboard were removed on Friday after traces of Legionella bacteria were found in the water system.

However, the government remains committed to housing up to 500 men aged 18 to 65 on the vessel while they await the outcome of asylum applications — and Mr Jones agrees. He said:

“The people coming to this country on small boats are not fleeing an immediate threat of persecution.  They are coming from France.

“They are being exploited by people smugglers who are responsible for hundreds of migrant deaths in the Channel and in the Mediterranean. This is international, organised crime and we must not simply ignore it.

“I am interested in helping genuine refugees and preventing drownings in coastal waters. I also want to see migrants who are not fleeing persecution returned to their home country quickly.

“So I do agree with the decision to use the Bibby Stockholm as it will help speed up our processing of asylum applications, prevent people absconding once they arrive here and help us get genuine refugees into our housing and healthcare system quickly.”

‘We should be proud of our record’

The Stray Ferret asked Mr Jones if he agreed with fellow Tory MP Lee Anderson’s comment that the government had failed on immigration.

We also asked what he thought of Mr Anderson saying asylum seekers should “f*** off back to France” if they don’t like being housed on the barge. Last year Mr Jones told the Commons there was a ”problem with standards in our politics”.

Mr Jones said there was a collective failure across continents to tackle the issue. He said:

“People leaving poor countries where that country is a safe place and trying to get to rich countries is not something that can be prevented by the United Kingdom alone.  It is a global problem which requires a global response.

“That said, we should be proud of our record on helping genuine refugees. Since 2015 we have offered a safe and legal route to the UK to almost half a million men, women and children seeking refuge as well as family members of refugees.”

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Mr Jones suggested he disapproved of the use of the f word by Mr Anderson, who is deputy chairman of the Conservative Party. He said:

“Anyone who knows me, even slightly, knows how I express myself and it is very different to the way Mr Anderson expresses himself.  Indeed it is different to the way Labour’s Diane Abbott expressed herself on Twitter on exactly the same issue.

“I like to dial down the heat and focus on the facts.  And those facts are that we have migrants coming to this country, some legally and some illegally.  We need to help those who genuinely need it and return those who do not to their home countries.”