Harrogate’s Archie Gray could be in line for his senior Leeds United debut.

Leeds are set to take on Cardiff City in their EFL Championship opening match at Elland Road at 2.30pm today.

Gray has been involved in all of the club’s pre-season fixtures in preparation for the new season.

The 17-year-old could feature in central midfield alongside Ethan Ampadu, who he partnered with in Leeds’ final friendly against Hearts last Sunday.

Speaking in a press conference ahead of the opening game, Leeds manager Daniel Farke sought to relieve pressure on the youngster amid his first team prospects.

He said:

“I don’t like to praise young lads too early. I’ve spoken about his development. 

“I’m happy with him. But before he has played the proper amount of games I’m not willing to sing the high praise of Archie Gray because I don’t think it’s healthy.”

Gray completed his GCSEs at St John Fisher Catholic High School in Harrogate last year.

He signed his first professional contract with Leeds United in March this year.

He is also great-nephew of Leeds legend, and Kirkby Overblow resident, Eddie Gray.

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Reform UK has announced its prospective parliamentary candidates for Harrogate and Knaresborough and Ripon and Skipton.

The right-wing party was founded as the Brexit Party with support from Nigel Farage in 2018.

It was renamed in 2021 and is now led by Richard Tice.

Reform UK has said it will field candidates in every constituency at the next general election, which must take place within the next 18 months.

It has selected Richard Brown to contest Harrogate and Knaresborough and Simon Garvey to stand in Ripon and Skipton. The seats are currently held by Conservatives Andrew Jones and Julian Smith respectively.

We spoke to both candidates, neither of whom has stood for political office before.

Harrogate Station Gateway ‘ridiculous’

Mr Brown (pictured), an accountant from Harrogate, said he believed local authorities should be more open and accountable.

He described the £11.9 million Harrogate Station Gateway initiative as “ridiculous” and accused the council of wasting public money on schemes most people didn’t want. He cited the £10,000 spent on a fountain in Valley Gardens as another example.

Being an accountant, he said he’d “like to see the figures” before forming a view on what should happen to Harrogate Convention Centre, which has unsuccessfully sought funds for a £49 million upgrade.

Mr Brown said he decided to put his name forward after attending some Reform UK meetings and being “impressed by the quality of people”.

Many Reform UK members had Conservative or UKIP backgrounds, he said, but he hadn’t voted consistently for any party since the days of Margaret Thatcher. He said he voted for the Conservatives at the last election to achieve Brexit.

He said:

“My clients have always told me I should stand as an MP. I thought maybe that’s an itch I ought to scratch.”

Mr Brown said he wasn’t campaigning to make up the numbers. He said people were disillusioned with the Tories and not impressed by Labour or the Liberal Democrats and there was an opportunity to appeal to disaffected Tories.

He said he hoped Reform UK would have a “Berlin Wall moment” by shocking the established political parties and winning in places such as Harrogate and Knaresborough.

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‘I backed Boris to get Brexit done”

Simon Garvey (pictured) said he was a mainstream Conservative with no political ambitions who decided to stand because of recent political developments.

Mr Garvey, who lives with his wife and children in Ripon, said:

“I backed Boris to get Brexit done and feel disenfranchised now after Boris was ousted. If Liz Truss was given a chance I would have backed her too as she was chosen by the membership but from a democracy standpoint I don’t feel I can support Rishi Sunak as I don’t think you can have un-elected leaders.”

Mr Garvey has a background in education. Besides teaching in Ripon, he set up Inclusive Learning Systems to develop software for schools.

He cites education, and “good teachers being forced out of the system”, as one of his main concerns, along with the drive to carbon net zero, which he said had affected many people financially.

Mr Garvey said:

“We had an open goal with Brexit. Boris could have led us to a great place financially. But forces outside the political sphere are influencing where the country is heading.”

He predicted if the opinion polls were correct and Labour won the next election, many voters would turn to Reform UK at the following election out of disillusionment with both Labour and the Tories.

The future of a Harrogate tourism body remains unclear as North Yorkshire Council reveals plans to create a new organisation to attract visitors to the county.

Destination Harrogate, which is the destination management organisation for the region, was set up by Harrogate Borough Council.

However, North Yorkshire Council is set to table a bid to government in September for a local visitor economy partnership — which will replace destination management organisations following a review by ministers.

The new body would be responsible for promoting tourism in North Yorkshire and attracting events.

The council has also published a 88-page tourism strategy for the county, which includes aims to grow the tourist economy.

The Stray Ferret asked North Yorkshire Council whether the move would mean that Destination Harrogate is scrapped as a result of the single tourism strategy.

In response, David Caulfield, the council’s assistant director for tourism, said:

“The new destination management plan will bring together all areas of North Yorkshire to provide a single strategy for the council and key partners to support the strong tourism offer within the county to flourish further and offer even greater value to the local economy.

“This will put North Yorkshire in an excellent position in its application to become a local visitor economy partnership.

“All the tourism teams previously within the former district and borough areas, including Destination Harrogate staff, have been brought together as one North Yorkshire tourism team to support the development of the strategy and ensure the strong local brands are represented.

“Given Harrogate’s well-defined tourist offer, we expect the area to be an integral part of the overall framework.

“Harrogate has been identified as among the strongest brands within North Yorkshire along with the North York Moors, the Yorkshire Dales and the coast.”

Questions over future

Questions were raised over Destination Harrogate’s future ahead of the establishment of North Yorkshire Council in April.

At a Harrogate Borough Council meeting in February, Paula Lorimer, director of Harrogate Convention Centre, said a government review into destination management organisations would likely mean only such bodies from cities or large regions will be able to receive funding from central government.

She suggested Harrogate would have to amalgamate into a wider, yet-to-be created North Yorkshire destination management organisation to qualify for the funding.

Read more:

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Meanwhile, borough council chief executive Wallace Sampson told councillors the new authority could look to “identify savings” with Destination Harrogate after it is handed control of the organisation.

He added:

“[Destination Harrogate] is a discretionary service and against the background of a challenging financial environment for the new council, every discretionary service will be subject to financial scrutiny.”

Mr Sampson warned of the possible pitfalls of Destination Harrogate being merged into a county-wide tourism body, which he suggested could dilute the focus on individual places.

The man behind the blend of Yorkshire Tea, Warren Ford, has died aged 90.

Born in Lewisham, South London, on May 16, 1933, Warren went to school in London before leaving aged 16.

He worked at Tetley’s tea as a senior buyer, before being sought at by Victor Wild, who built up Betty’s tea room in Harrogate, in the 1970s.

By 1976 Warren had been appointed as a director of Taylors and the following year, along with Victor, Jonathan Wild and Eddie Hardie, was one of the original ‘gang of four’ responsible for the creation, launch and early success of Yorkshire Tea.

Warren became fundamental in establishing the foundations for the future growth of Yorkshire Tea. He even suggested the colour orange for the packaging, recognising that it was the most unused colour on the tea shelf. 

Jonathan Wild remembers that Warren’s ability gave him confidence in the product.

He said:

“Yorkshire Tea took over our lives and compelled us to stretch ourselves beyond the limits of our experience – and inexperience. 

“What gave me confidence was belief in ‘The Tea’ and in Warren’s ability.  We rode our luck well and tempered our ambition with stealthy patience, but I’m not sure that at any other moment in time – before or since – we could have created something so unique and ultimately so successful as Yorkshire Tea.” 

The brand, Taylors Yorkshire Tea, was launched in 1977 and became popular. It received royal warrant in 2009.

Reflecting on the gang of four and the creation of the brand, Warren recalled:

“it was a team effort from the start: Victor’s creativity and prudent financial control, Eddie Hardy’s relationship with supermarkets and determination that we invest in packaging technology, Jonathan’s youthful energy and ambition, and, of course, all the advantages that I brought: an experienced, integrated approach to buying and blending in which we competed to our advantage by selecting rather than collecting our teas. 

“It required all these elements to create success.” 

Warren Ford died on June 21, 2023. 

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Two back-to-back football matches will be played at Harrogate Railway this weekend as part of a day of fundraising.

Ladies’ Day will see the women’s reserves play at noon on Sunday, followed by the first team facing Farsley Celtic at 2pm.

Entry will be free for spectators, with a barbecue, raffle and refreshments all on offer as part of the entertainment.

First team coach Rich Burns told the Stray Ferret:

“it’s a celebration of ladies’ football in the club and the region. We’ve gone from one football team to four in the space of two years.

“I’ve been there for 15 years and we’ve only had one senior ladies’ team and various girls’ teams. Since the Euros, where the Lionesses were successful, now the World Cup and the WSL, there’s a real growth and demand for women’s football in the region.”

As well as first and reserve teams, Railway now has an under 18s ladies’ side, offering teenagers the chance to learn, or continue learning a sport they have enjoyed at school.

Rich said it offers a natural pathway into the adult teams too.

And it is for one of the first team players that the day has been organised.

Dee Swales played for the club for around five years, before moving to Farsley Celtic. She returned two years ago, but last year was diagnosed with breast cancer.

Rich said:

“She has been undergoing significant treatment and dealt with the first part really well, but she has unfortunately developed a secondary cancer.

“The NHS doesn’t fund the treatment she needs when it’s for secondary cancer, so you have to raise funds yourself.

“She has been dong loads of stuff and fundraising, but the club really wanted to show our support for this as well.”

Setting a target of £1,000, the club said any money raised that exceeds the amount Dee needs will be split between Macmillan and Cancer Research UK.

Harrogate Railway Football Club on Station View, Starbeck, will host the event

Dee is also planning to join in the fun on the day – though will have more reason than most to play it safe. Rich said:

“She’s a week away from being married. I think the biggest challenge is keeping her off the pitch, because [fiancee] Abi would absolutely kill us if she gets injured for the wedding!”

With women’s football much more popular than ever before, Harrogate Railway are hoping for a big crowd at the event on Sunday.

Rich added:

“Everyone’s aware of Rachel Daly and her ties to the region. She spent a small amount of time with Railway and when she came back from the US during the summers, she used to come to our training sessions.

“It has been really fantastic that the Lionesses have been offering discounted tickets to grassroots clubs.

“We’ve been able to support them a few times and we went to see them at Wembley.

“You don’t get the same level of animosity you can get at the men’s game and it does seem very family-friendly.

“Seeing 87,000 people in Wembley for a ladies’ game was fantastic – it was a celebration of football.”

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Volunteers lined the banks of the River Nidd and its tributaries this week to test water quality as part of a major clean-up campaign.

Nidd Action Group coordinated the activity as part of a bid to achieve bathing water status, which would require organisations to take measures to improve water quality.

It follows concerns about the state of the river and reports of bathers falling ill at Knaresborough Lido.

Nidd Action Group includes conservationists, anglers, academics and residents. Harrogate and Knaresborough MP Andrew Jones is also supporting the initiative by gathering data on the number of people using the river at the Lido.

On Thursday afternoon, 40 volunteers dipped test kits into the Nidd at various points from the upper reaches at Scar House, north of Pateley Bridge, right down to Moor Monkton, close to where the Nidd joins the River Ouse.

Volunteers learning to take samples last month.

A second round of sampling will take place late next month before a bid for bathing water status is submitted to the government.

David Clayden, chairman of  Nidd Action Group, said this week’s sampling appeared to go well.

He added:

“The weather was kind to us, unlike the previous very wet day. The river was running quite high, but I’ve had no reports of any incidents.

“All the samples in their sterilised bottles have been assembled, along with the documentation and the data collected at the river.

“Samples are being analysed in the accredited laboratory in Lichfield, and further samples will be sent to another laboratory on Monday  for less urgent analysis.

A second round of sampling will take place late next month in the same locations but in different weather and river conditions.

Bilton Conservation Group volunteers sampling at Oak Beck on Thursday.

Shirley Hare and Warren Considine with a sample from Oak Beck.

Mr Clayden said the results would then be shared and “we will identify any inferences that can be drawn, and discuss any actions, beneficial to the river, that might be taken”.

Sampling took place ar Scar House Reservoir, Lofthouse, How Stean Gorge, Low Sikes, Ramsgill, Wath, Pateley Bridge, Glasshouses, Summerbridge, Birstwith, Crag Hill Farm, Ripley Beck, Killinghall, along Oak beck in Bilton, Nidd Viaduct, Knaresborough, Crimple Beck, Little Ribston, Hunsingore and Moor Monkton

Mr Clayden commended the volunteers for their commitment and thanked Yorkshire Dales River Trust, a charity based in Pateley Bridge. for assembling the sampling kits and the Environment Agency staff who also undertook sampling.

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Two businessmen are hoping to breathe new life into a popular Harrogate fish and chip shop and keep it as a local favourite.

Taru Pahwa and Pradeep Angoor took over Dougie’s on King Edward’s Drive three weeks ago, and said they are already getting to know regular customers.

Taru said:

“It’s good. People are liking it. There are things for us to improve, but we have had a positive response so far, and sales are improving every day.”

Known to friends as Taz and Deep, the pair each own off-licences around Harrogate, including the Number One Shop on Electric Avenue and Harlow Hill Stores on Otley Road.

Dougie’s is their first venture together, but they are old friends and play sports together, which they hope is a recipe for good team spirit.

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While Taz works behind the scenes, taking care of supplies, Deep will be in the shop day-to-day, serving customers and managing the small team.

They have already recruited kitchen staff, but are still looking for a couple of people to work front-of-house.

Taking ownership of Dougie’s has been a long aspiration for the pair, who live nearby and first looked at it when it was put up for sale by the founding family around six years ago, after running it for many years.

Taz said:

“We were new and still settling in with our businesses. It wasn’t the right time for us.”

The person who bought it in 2017 decided to sell up this year, and Taz and Deep took their chance this time.

While they have no immediate plans for change, they said they are happy to listen to what locals want. Deep said:

“The first thing we did was increase our opening hours. It was only three-and-a-half days, and now it’s six full days, including Sunday.

“I think people appreciate that. For me, I think it confuses people if you are open a couple of hours and then again later. To keep it simple, we decided to open all day.”

Deep and Taz ready to serve lunch

The hours may be longer, but the menu and prices will remain the same – despite increasing costs in the industry.

Deep said he had heard from his supplier this week that the price of potatoes will be rising by more than 20%, but that won’t be passed on to customers.

He added:

“The support from the community will be really helpful to keep us going, because of the bills and the rent itself – forget about the raw materials.

“We’re happy to take on board any recommendations and requests and work on it.”

Taz added:

“We’re introducing deliveries – in the next couple of weeks, it will be all up and running.

“It’s still early stages. Maybe in six months, a year, because there is no pizza or kebab shop, that’s something we are seriously considering. At the moment, people have to go into town for it.”

As for the name – long associated with decent fish and chips by people in Bilton and beyond – Taz and Deep are happy to honour its founder and keep Dougie’s going for years to come.

A striking new set of murals aims to bring the natural world into an unloved urban part of Starbeck, its creator says.

Sam Porter has painted three murals to brighten up the underpass near the level crossing.

They feature wild birds and plants, as well as symbols of the area’s history, on three boards put up along the white walls.

Harrogate-based Sam was commissioned by Starbeck in Bloom to do the work, which was funded by Northern Rail.

He told the Stray Ferret:

“The thing I found quite difficult was, I’m used to painting directly onto the walls and you can work with the environment easier.

“It could have spanned through the whole underpass, but we would have had to close the underpass, which would have been a problem.

“But doing this has been really good, because it has added another strand to my work, using panels if people don’t want things directly onto walls.”

Sam said he was fortunate to be offered space to work in the yard at Amara Jane, the furniture shop next to the station, keeping him close to where the paintings would go on display.

He has struck up a friendship with the business owner, Andreas Mandrekas, and has been offered use of the yard again in future.

After years of travelling to Manchester, where he was being commissioned regularly, Sam is happy to have been asked to do more work in Harrogate in recent years.

His murals can now be seen in Cross James Street in Harrogate, as well as on Cheapside and near the Two Brothers Grill and Pizzeria in Knaresborough.

He has also created artwork for community buildings, including Aspin Park and Western primary schools.

He will soon be working on a mural for the Kiosk at Conyngham Hall as part of Knaresborough’s Feva Festival.

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As part of his work, Sam enjoys researching local history to come up with the designs for his murals.

In Starbeck, he has featured some of the local buildings, as well as the Pump Room in Harrogate. He said:

“When people used to come to Harrogate for the waters, they used to get the train to Starbeck and then get coaches up, because people in Harrogate didn’t want the dirty trains coming into town.

“The workhouse was in Starbeck, so it has always been the more working class area of Harrogate, but a vital part of the whole thing.”

Much of his work has been commissioned to brighten up unloved or troubled areas of towns and cities.

Sam said statistics show levels of crime and anti-social behaviour can be reduced if hotspots are improved, prompting more local pride among the community.

His inspiration comes from the world around him, which he began to appreciate more during the pandemic.

“It was during lockdown I reconnected with nature a lot. There are a few things about that time that I miss.

“Obviously it was grim, but for the first time ever, you were told, ‘you don’t have to do anything and you aren’t expected to do anything’, so I focused in on some things I loved and started looking at nature again.

“I became aware of how lucky we are with what’s around us – so much beautiful countryside.

“I like bringing nature back into an urban environment. I think that’s really what needs to happen in the world, in order to save it. You need to live with nature, rather than keep on harming it.”

Harrogate Town fans are optimistic of their side’s chances of avoiding relegation as the club enters a fourth campaign in the English Football League.

Town take on Doncaster Rovers away from home tomorrow in a tantalising Yorkshire derby to open the season.

The club has bolstered its first team with the likes of striker Abraham Odoh from Rochdale and winger James Daly among the summer recruits.

Phil Deighton, a long time season ticket holder at Wetherby Road, said Harrogate should be in a position to avoid the drop again this season.

He added that the additions to the squad during the summer transfer window, in particular Odoh, had pleased him.

Mr Deighton said:

“I am a season ticket holder and have been watching Town for a a long time. Just watching league football is brilliant for me as most of my time watching it has been non-league.

“The preparations for the new season look good, it is nice to see a couple of players that were on loan re-sign permanently and I was pleased that Mr Weaver added in the striking department  – I looking forward to seeing Abraham Odoh, he looks a skilful player.

“Overall, I think the pre-season has gone well, just a shame none of the game have been at home, and I think we will do slightly better in the league this season and not have the worry of relegation.”

‘Strongest squad in 14 years’

Town will head into the new season with an away trip to the Eco-Power Stadium to face Doncaster.

Manager Simon Weaver said the squad was the strongest he had in his time at the club.

He said:

“I think it is quite honestly the strongest squad I’ve had at the club in 14 years.

“I’m proud of the efforts of the players in pre-season. The new lads have settled in well, they have integrated into the changing room really easily which is great. The vibe is strong.”

Simon Weaver, Harrogate Town manager.

Weaver also has a fully fit squad going into the new season, with the exception of long term absentee Stephen Dooley who is on the sidelines with an injury.

Ahead of the clash with Doncaster, Weaver said there was massive appetite for the derby but warned that it was “no more important” than any other match.

He said:

“Everybody builds up the first game of the season and that’s because there is massive appetite for it.

“But it’s no more important or no less important than any other game in a 50 game season. We have to stick to what we’re good at and be organised, hard working and have loads of energy and be an exciting team to watch.

“But at the same time, not put too much pressure on because there’s so many games this season and so many points to play for.”

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A government minister has opened the new offices of a Harrogate energy technology firm.

Lord Callanan, minister for energy efficiency and green finance at the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, opened the new headquarters of Chameleon Technology at Central House on Otley Road in Harrogate.

The company specialises in technology for energy suppliers, including manufacturing in-home displays to link up to smart meters.

Lord Callanan visited the new office space this morning and met with Mike Woodhall, chief executive of Chameleon Technology, and some of the firm’s engineers.

He also presented a plaque to announce the opening of the new headquarters and gave a short speech.

Lord Callanan said:

“We have already made good progress in rolling out smart meters, with more than 32 million now in homes and small businesses across Great Britain.

“Seeing how much energy they are using in pounds and pence is putting people in control of their use and helping them save money on their bills.

“Working closely with industry partners, we’re well on our way to a more efficient energy system. I was delighted to open Chameleon Technology’s new Harrogate offices and meet the team helping us become a nation of smarter, cleaner energy consumers.”

 Pictured, from left, Mike Woodhall; Jennifer Woodhall, sustainability director at Chameleon Technology, Lord Callanan, and Jonathan O’Donnell, senior hardware engineer at Chameleon Technology

The move to the new office space comes as the company recently manufactured its 10 millionth in-house display system.

Mr Woodhall added:

“Manufacturing and delivering 10 million IHDs to UK households is a milestone to be proud of. Continued uptake of smart meters, alongside the real-time data provided by IHDs, will help build a flexible, decarbonised and digitalised energy system, one that will benefit both the environment and consumers through lower energy bills.

“Smart meters and integrated IHDs are an integral part of our future energy system.”

Main picture: Lord Callanan, third from left, with Chameleon Technology’s Jennifer Woodhall, chairman Steve Mitchell, COO Mike Pyke, Mike Woodhall, general council Wendi Higgins, special partnerships director Rachel Possgate, and operations director Ethan Yu.