National Lottery Open Week is set to offer free and discounted places for visitors across the Harrogate district this weekend.

This year’s Open Week event takes place March 9-17 and will include RHS Harlow Carr, Fountains Abbey and Nidderdale Museum.

Venues funded by National Lottery will offer discounted entry for visitors who can use their National Lottery ticket or scratch card as entry. To redeem this offer people must be able to produce proof of purchase.

Offers are available locally at:

RHS Garden Harlow Carr

Visitors can enjoy two tickets for the price of one this weekend at Harrogate’s RHS Garden, near Beckwithshaw.  The deal runs from March 11-17 and visitors can explore the gardens 2,000 plant varieties.

The Royal Horticultural Society received £4 million from the National Lottery Heritage Fund towards a six-year gardening project that includes developing the world’s first centre of horticultural excellence.

The Main Borders at RHS garden Harlow Carr.

Fountains Abbey and Studley Royal Water Garden 

The offer is available March 9-17 for visitors to explore the monastery and estate grounds near Ripon free of charge. The National Lottery has supported Fountains Abbey in vital conservation work.

Fountains Abbey

Nidderdale Museum 

The local and social history museum in Pateley Bridge is offering free entry on March 16. Tickets usually entry costs £5 with free accompanying children.

Nidderdale Museum has benefited from a grant from the National Lottery fund to start work to make the museum sustainable.

Nidderdale Museum

There are also nearby offers with Beningborough Hall and Goddards in York offering the same deal as Fountains Abbey plus Leeds Library offering free tours.

For the Harrogate district offers booking in advance is not required. Proof of purchase of a National Lottery game can be either a hard copy ticket or digital.

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• Huge response to Harrogate walking group for single people

A walking group set up for single people in Harrogate has attracted more than 500 members since it was launched a month ago.

Holistic therapist Jane Illman co-founded Your Pace or Mine to bring together singles who enjoy walking and socialising.

Besides fortnightly free walks involving up to 60 people, the group organises social events “to create an inclusive space where friendships can flourish and new connections can be made”, according to Jane.

Members are now planning a broader range of walks plus evening walks combined with yoga, along with quiz nights and wine-tasting evenings.

Asked why Your Pace or Mine had proved so popular, Jane said:

“I think it’s attracting so many members because there really isn’t anything on a local level like it. Other groups are national groups and very much focussed on singles or hook-ups.

“We are different, we are facilitating connections and friendships in a safe environment and the group has a very positive vibe.”

Further details are available here.

Read more:

• Harrogate women set up walking group for singles
• Roadworks due as Northern Powergrid begins £5.5m scheme in Harrogate

The story is sponsored by Hälsa Wellbeing

Friday, March 15 was officially World Sleep Day, and Harrogate-based Hälsa Wellbeing marked the occasion by highlighting the importance of sleep.

It’s no exaggeration to say that sleep is a fundamental part of living. In fact, research revealed that on average an individual spends 26 years asleep.

The same study also found that we spend approximately seven years trying to get to sleep. That’s a lot of time trying to nod off, rather than actually getting well-needed rest.

Tiredness can seep into everyday life and cause innumerable knock-on effects, such as heightened emotions, ailing mental health and poor work performance.

That’s why Hälsa Wellbeing has shared their top three tips to help you hit that optimum seven to nine hours a night.

Enforce some non-negotiable habits

There are some very simple, but effective, habits you can introduce into your bedtime routine to make dropping off to sleep all the smoother.

These could include setting yourself a screen deadline, reading a chapter of a book, or maybe even doing some meditation – whatever works for you.

Sleep loves routine so waking at the same time every day – even at the weekend – can really aid our sleep too.

Sleep loves routine (Image: Pixabay)

When we enter a period of insomnia or disrupted sleep it can be tempting to stay in bed much later. However, this actually upsets your sleep pattern, so the advice is often to get up and get plenty of day light.

Consistency is key, and building these habits into part of your nightly wind-down is important in preparing your body, as it can send signals to your brain that sleep is imminent.

Create the right sleep environment

The optimum sleep environment is obviously subjective, but there are still some commonly agreed upon factors which may be able to help.

Generally speaking, it’s easier to drop off to sleep if your room is dark, quiet and well-ventilated.

Using a mobile phone as an alarm clock isn’t always advisable either, as we all know phones equal scrolling.

Checking messages, social media and the news last thing at night is not relaxing and adds to the stress of the day, not to mention the disruption the light causes.

Instead, buy yourself an alarm clock and place your mobile at the other side of your bedroom or preferably downstairs.

Invest in some wellness products

Halsa Wellbeing also sell a range of products

Dedicate time to your bedtime routine, and create a wellness moment with the use of sleep products.

Whether it’s a pillow spray, scented candle or essential oils, sometimes introducing a touch of luxury into your routine can help you unwind.

Hälsa’s sister company Hälsa Aromatics sells a range of aromatherapy products to aid relaxation and sleep, such as their popular sleep balm.

What is Hälsa Wellbeing?

Hälsa is a Harrogate-based wellness group, delivering solutions in corporate and clinical organisations, to help create a culture of health and wellbeing, and promote healthy work-life balance.

Categorising these services into four key areas – ‘eat well, feel well, sleep well, think well’ – they operate a less is more approach when it comes to balancing some of the pressure, stress and tension that individuals can face.

Here are just a few examples of the support Hälsa Wellbeing provides:

• Tailored wellbeing programmes
• Wellbeing days and events
• Expert guidance and support
• Complementary therapies
• Wellbeing themed workshops
• Conference support
• A range of online wellbeing services
• Menopause support

Find out more:

Hälsa Wellbeing is located at 29 Hornbeam Square, HG2 8NB. You can get in touch by visiting the website, emailing info@halsawellbeing.com, or calling 03300 552 122.

Lead image: Pixabay

Preparatory work on the £12.1 million Harrogate Station Gateway is set to begin soon after the full business case was approved today.

West Yorkshire Combined Authority nodded through the scheme, along with other similar gateway projects in Selby and Skipton, in just two minutes at a meeting.

It followed a lengthy debate that resulted in buses in West Yorkshire being brought back under public control, which Labour mayor Tracy Brabin described as a “historic moment”.

Ben Still, chief executive of West Yorkshire Combined Authority, suggested administration of the three North Yorkshire gateway schemes could be transferred to the newly formed York and North Yorkshire Combined Authority, which will be led by whoever is elected mayor on May 2.

Cllr Keane Duncan, the executive member for highways at North Yorkshire Council and Conservative candidate to be North Yorkshire mayor, said last week preparatory work would begin soon on the Harrogate gateway if approval was granted today. Construction is due to start in September and last one year.

He added:

“This is a very exciting time for the regeneration of all three town centres.”

Today’s decision is unlikely to be welcomed by gateway opponents, especially after the cost of the Harrogate scheme increased again from £11.2 million to £12.1 million and the plans are not expected to be made public for months.

The scheme has also been branded “poor value for money” that will “mainly disbenefit highway users”.

North Yorkshire Council is contributing £1.1 million and the remainder is from the government’s Transforming Cities Fund.

The project has been ‘de-scoped’ after North Yorkshire Council admitted its previous plans, which included pedestrianising part of James Street and reducing a stretch of Station Parade to single lane traffic, were legally flawed.

The council has said it will include:

• Pedestrian improvements along Station Parade, including raised crossings and signal junction improvements.
• A bus lane from Bower Road into the bus station and a south-bound segregated cycle lane.
• Public realm improvements to One Arch and Station Square.
• New cycle parking at the railway station.

But the full plans have not been made public, which prompted retired Harrogate architect and anti-gateway campaigner Barry Adams to renew his plea for the scheme to be halted.

Mr Adam said:

“The gateway plan achieves absolutely nothing but disruption to the town. We need to get this madness stopped.”

Read more:

• Work set to begin soon on ‘poor value’ Harrogate Station Gateway
• ‘Stop this madness’ says anti-Station Gateway campaigner

Harrogate and Knaresborough councillors will ask officials drawing up a new map for housebuilding in North Yorkshire to consider removing the 53-home Knox Lane site.

Developer Jomast has seen proposals at the location repeatedly thwarted by council planning committees, most recently in September.

The plans have been controversial in Bilton and Knox with residents claiming the development will destroy wildlife and a green corner of the Harrogate suburb.

More than 2,200 people have signed a petition calling on North Yorkshire Council to remove the site, known as H2, from inclusion in the new countywide local plan it’s working on.

If the Knox Lane site were excluded, it would significantly reduce the chances of houses ever being built there.

However, Jomast could be keen to secure planning permission before the new local plan is finalised in four years as the site is included in the current Harrogate district local plan.

Campaigners Margaret Cockerill, Alison Heyward and Jill Harrison collecting signatures.

Alison Hayward, who organised the petition, addressed councillors at the council’s Harrogate and Knaresborough area constituency committee in Harrogate this morning.

Ms Hayward said:

“This community is made of individuals and families who treasure our peaceful natural surroundings and historic value. This community has residents who care and are worried about what will happen, and what we shall all lose if housing developments are allowed in H2.

“Including the site in the local plan would contradict the principles of sustainable and community-centred development.”

Councils are legally obliged to have a local plan that sets out where houses can be built over a minimum 15-year period.

The new North Yorkshire Council local plan is still in the early stages and officers are expected to issue a call for sites soon.

Site layout for the proposed Knox Lane scheme.

Councillor Paul Haslam, a Conservative for Bilton and Nidd Gorge, said if houses were built at Knox Lane residents would suffer because it was not near a bus stop or other local facilities.

He said:

“Imagine walking Knox Lane in the dark to get the 36 bus. There are other issues around adding to congestion, access to emergency services, flooding and building techniques required.

“Residents have made a constructive local-based consideration for us.”

Cllr Peter Lacey, a Liberal Democrat for Coppice Valley and Duchy, proposed a motion to ask North Yorkshire Council to give “serious consideration” to removing Knox Lane from the local plan.

Cllr Peter Lacey

The motion was backed by all councillors except Cllr Hannah Gostlow, a Liberal Democrat for Knaresborough East, who abstained because she sits on the council’s development plan committee overseeing the local plan process.

The Harrogate and Knaresborough area constituency committee has an advisory role so any decision on whether Knox Lane is included in the local plan will be made at a later date.

Read more:

• Five candidates to contest Stray, Woodlands and Hookstone by-election
• Business case approved for £12.1m Harrogate Station Gateway

Suspected motorbike thieves were arrested after a police chase in the Cold Bath Road area of Harrogate last night.

North Yorkshire Police said in a statement today (March 14) it received a call that four people were interfering with a motorbike parked on Montpellier Parade at around 6pm.

The statement added:

“We immediately deployed police units to the area, and with the assistance of CCTV tracking the suspects, officers detained two people as they were pushing the motorbike away.

“Two other suspects were seen walking up Cold Bath Road, and when officers arrived they ran off. However, officers caught up with them, and they were detained after a short foot chase.”

The males aged 16, 17, 20 and 28 were arrested on suspicion of stealing a vehicle. Two were also arrested on suspicion of causing criminal damage, and going equipped for theft.

The statement said:

“We were able to identify the owner of the motorbike, and visited him to update him – he was on the phone reporting the theft when we spoke to him.”

Police added “enquiries are ongoing into the theft”.

Read more:

• Cold callers arrested after Harrogate woman in 80s hands over bank card 
• Police and council launch project to tackle crime in Harrogate 

Five candidates will contest a North Yorkshire Council by-election in Harrogate next month.

Nominations for the Stray, Woodlands and Hookstone division seat have closed with voters going to the polls on Thursday, April 11.

The by-election is being held following the resignation of Liberal Democrat Pat Marsh, who posted anti-semitic comments on social media.

The candidates are:

• Gilly Charters (Green Party)
• John Radcliffe Ennis (Conservative Party)
• Geoff Foxall (Labour Party)
• Jonathan Mark Swales (Reform UK)
• Andrew David Timothy (Liberal Democrats)

Voting will take place from 7am to 10pm with the election count taking place in the evening after the close of polling.

Residents of the Stray, Woodlands and Hookstone division have until midnight on Friday, March 22, to register to vote and until 5pm on Monday, March 25, to apply for a postal vote.

If someone is unable to vote in person or by post they have until 5pm on Wednesday, April 3, to apply for a proxy vote.

Voters attending the polling station will need to bring photo ID to be able to vote.

This could include a UK or Northern Ireland photocard driving licence, full or provisional; a UK passport or a passport issued by the EU, Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein, the Isle of Man, or any of the Channel Islands; and some concessionary travel passes, such as an older person’s bus pass or blue badge.

Voters will be able to use expired ID if they are still recognisable from the photo.

Anyone without an accepted form of ID should apply for a free voter authority certificate by 5pm on Wednesday, April 3.

You can register to vote here and apply for a postal vote here. You can apply for voter ID here.

More information on the by-election is available here.

Read more:

• Business case approved for £12.1m Harrogate Station Gateway
• Harrogate councillor Pat Marsh resigns after anti-semitism row

Three men have been arrested after a Harrogate woman in her 80s handed over her credit card in a door-to-door cold call.

North Yorkshire Police said in a statement today one of the three men, who are from Middlesbrough, entered the woman’s home on the pretence of selling household items after being released from prison on March 6.

The statement adding:

“He pressurised the victim into handing over her bank card and pin number and withdrew the maximum amount he could.

“He fled from the property when he saw a friend of the victim arrive on the drive.”

Police investigations identified a vehicle connected to the incident.

The car was intercepted when it re-entered Harrogate a few days later and officers arrested the three men inside.

The statement added:

“The suspects were taken into custody for questioning. The driver, 51, was arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to burgle and drug driving after testing positive for cocaine at the roadside.

“The passengers, one aged 37, was arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to burgle and a 31-year-old was arrested on suspicion of burglary with intent to steal.”

The statement said the men have been released on conditional bail pending further enquiries.

‘Check before you open the door’

Police warned people to be on their guard against door-to-door sellers, who they said can be “pushy” and “threatening” and may charge inflated prices.

It urged people to:

• Check who they are before you open the door
• Fit and use a door chain
• Always lock all of your external doors, even when you are at home
• Don’t open the door unless you know who they are and are expecting them
• Don’t part with any money or bank account details
• Don’t be afraid to say no

Police added:

“If anyone who cold calls tries to enter your home without your permission, is threatening or refuses to leave your property, call 999.

“Older people are targeted due to their trusting nature, so if you have older parents, relatives or friends, please share this message with them and check they know how to stay safe if cold callers knock on their door.”

Read more:

• Police and council launch project to tackle crime in Harrogate
• Harrogate man given hospital order for attempted murder of two children

A new drive to target anti-social behaviour, street crime and shoplifting in Harrogate has been launched by North Yorkshire Police and North Yorkshire Council. 

Project Spotlight was announced yesterday, just days before the Stray Ferret publishes Trading Hell, a week-long series of features investigating these very issues. 

Over the course of our investigation we spoke to a chief inspector from North Yorkshire Police, as well as North Yorkshire Council, Harrogate BID, Harrogate Homeless Project and dozens of town centre traders. You can read the first of our special reports on Monday. 

Project Spotlight sees teams working with residents, shoppers, town-centre workers and businesses to: 

• gather information about crime and anti-social behaviour and use it to target police and council resources at key times and locations;
• reduce thefts, anti-social behaviour and other crimes by working with retailers and licensed premises;
• prevent begging and rough sleeping by ensuring vulnerable people have access to the services they need and are encouraged to use them;
• deploy targeted, high-visibility patrols to make sure residents, town-centre visitors, workers and businesses feel safe;
• reduce drink- and drug-related crime by working with specialist teams, licensed premises and support services;
• ‘design out crime’ by making changes to the town-centre environment;
• keep the public informed about the project and its progress, encouraging them to keep sharing information about any town-centre issues affecting them. 

Project Spotlight builds on work between North Yorkshire Police, North Yorkshire Council and other organisations to address street crime, retail theft, begging, rough sleeping, substance abuse and anti-social behaviour. 

Project Spotlight will work with retailers to tackle shoplifting and other town-centre problems.

In a sample of 140 patrols of the town centre since October 2023, North Yorkshire Police made 10 arrests and moved people on or gave words of advice 54 times. The force also issued one dispersal order, which effectively bans someone from an area for a certain amount of time. 

Harrogate neighbourhood policing inspector Nicola Colbourne said:  

“Project Spotlight sees us stepping up that positive work we’ve already done with partner organisations, the public and town-centre businesses. 

“We’re using a good old-fashioned mix of community engagement, information-gathering, targeted policing and robust law enforcement during this project, which we’re delivering alongside policing Harrogate’s wider residential areas. 

“Harrogate is already an incredibly safe town, in what is officially England’s safest county. With the help of the public, businesses and key organisations, we’re working hard to make it even safer.” 

North Yorkshire Council’s assistant chief executive for local engagement, Rachel Joyce, said:

“Alongside North Yorkshire Police and others, we have been working hard to maintain Harrogate town centre’s reputation as a safe and welcoming place in which to visit and work.
“Operation Spotlight presents an opportunity for all concerned to come together and build on this work. To do this we need the co-operation of the public and the business community and I would encourage everyone to support us in this aim.”

Project Spotlight comes in response to problems highlighted by the Stray Ferret’s Trading Hell survey, which revealed very high levels of dissatisfaction among town-centre traders at North Yorkshire Police’s response to anti-social behaviour and retail theft.

The results of the survey, some of which have been shared with North Yorkshire Police, will be revealed in our first Trading Hell report, published on Monday.

Read more:

• Police issue CCTV appeal following Ripon supermarket theft
• Government inspectors hail improvements at North Yorkshire Police
• North Yorkshire Police apologises to LGBTQ+ community

Northern Powergrid will begin a £5.5m scheme to make the electricity supply in the Harrogate area more reliable next week.

The company, which manages the electricity network for 3.9 million people, has said the upgrade will “improve the resilience and reliability of the vital local electricity network”.

But it will cause disruption to motorists on some of Harrogate’s busiest roads, including Ripon Road, Clarence Drive and Jenny Field Drive, where the work will start.

Upgraded cabling will be installed in 22 areas of Harrogate. Work will begin on Monday, March 18 and is due to end in September.

It will require having open excavated trenches in the roads. The trenches will be protected by barriers and some locations will have two-way traffic lights.

Northern Powergrid revealed the plans at a drop-in session on Tuesday night at Harrogate’s Crown Hotel, which businesses were invited to attend.

The Stray Ferret, which attended the meeting, was told Northern Powergrid and North Yorkshire Council have been in talks about the work for over a year in consultation with local councillors, Harrogate Business Improvement District and Harrogate District Chamber of Commerce.

Northern Powergrid operates to five-year plans and is currently working to its 2023-2028 plan, which includes upgrading its network. Once its plans are approved by a regulator, the company can receive funding from a fund, which is sourced from a percentage of bill payers’ money.

A similar scheme to upgrade York’s network, costing £1.5m, is currently underway.

Northern Powergrid five million pound investment route

A spokesperson for Northern Powergrid told the Stray Ferret that the upgrades were essential. They said:

“These upgrades are what Harrogate needs to improve reliability, The works are being done to future proof the town. We Invest ahead of need, we don’t wait until there is no power we are doing it before it is needed.”

Northern Powergrid said the increasing number of electric vehicles, housing and hospitality venues made it essential to act now.

It added that businesses and houses now required a range of electric outlets and an increasing number of venues including hotels and pubs were changing from gas to electric to meet net zero goals, putting more demand on the power supply.

Steve Crawford, project manager said:

“With the decarbonisation agenda there is a real uptake in electric power. All of this technology requires electric power reinforcing to meet this increased need.

“This work will create capacity for new developments and low carbon technology connections to support the town’s economic growth. Now is the right time for Harrogate the upgrades are what the town needs right now.

“It allows future services to progress but we can’t tell how long these reinforcements will last. We wouldn’t spend more than the area needs but we can’t afford to wait until it is broken.”

When and Where

Residents will receive letters up to two weeks in advance of work beginning, the company said. The project will start next week on Jenny Field Drive and is due to end at Majestic Court in September.

Full list of Northern Powergrid times and dates for the investment works

The impact

Work is expected to take place from 8am-5pm but Northern Powergrid have purposely avoided the Crescent Road, Ripon Road and King’s Road junction to reduce disruption.

It said access for residents, businesses and emergency vehicles will be maintained disruption would be minimised by, for example, avoiding work near Harrogate Ladies’ College during term time. Public transport will continue.

The last major Northern Powergrid work in the area took place almost eight years ago near David Lloyd, where the company’s substation is located. It said the David Lloyd to Penny Pot Lane section will take the longest time to upgrade due to there being a single circuit along the route.

Mr Crawford said:

“People won’t notice a difference, we hope the upgrades will be seamless, which for us is a good thing if people cannot tell. People don’t notice power until it has gone so we are working behind the scenes and there should be no interruptions to power.”

Sharon Incerti, project manager said;

“No one is expected to be off supply and there are no planned outages for the work to go ahead. There can always be faults but they are not expected. This is a really positive scheme for Harrogate.

“It will be some short term disruption to meet Harrogate’s wider and ever-changing needs.”

To keep up to date check www.onenetwork.com and contact generalenquiries@northernpowergrid.com for any further information.

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