Tenancy firm at The Inn at Cheltenham Parade enters liquidation

The company that operated The Inn at Cheltenham Parade in Harrogate is to be wound-up by liquidators.

A notice on public records website The Gazette said The Inn Harrogate Ltd appointed insolvency firm Begbies Traynor as liquidators to wind up the business on March 8.

The Inn at Cheltenham Parade, which remains open, is a bar, restaurant and hotel with 14 rooms. The venue was known as Harrogate Brasserie until it rebranded as The Inn at Cheltenham Parade in 2019.

The exterior of the Inn at Cheltenham Parade

We contacted the pub and the liquidators for further information.

Adrian Sykes, who is listed as a director of The Inn Harrogate on the Companies House website, said:

“I ran The Inn at Cheltenham Parade as a tenancy. The limited company has been put in to liquidation. But someone else has taken the tenancy on from the landlord so it is trading as normal under the same name. All staff and suppliers have been transferred over to the new company.”

Begbies Traynor did not respond to our request for further details.

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Harrogate man given hospital order for attempted murder of two children

Warning: this story contains references to self-harm, suicide and mental illness. 

A Harrogate man has been given a hospital order with restrictions for the attempted murder of two children.

Following a nine-day trial in April 2023, George Edward Yates, 42, was found guilty of two counts of attempted murder following an incident in Beckwithshaw on June 20, 2022.

At the time the Judge adjourned sentencing so that Yates could undergo psychiatric assessments.

He was today sentenced at Sheffield Crown Court.

On sentencing, reports were presented back to the court which stated that at the time of the offence Yates was suffering from delusional thoughts before carrying out the knife attack on two children.

Because of his mental state at the time of the incident, the judge sentenced him to a hospital order with restrictions, meaning that should he ever released back into the community, he will be closely monitored by mental health professionals.

‘Placed knives around his house and in his car’

During the trial the court heard how Yates, commonly known by his middle name Ed, and previously of Beckwithshaw, had placed knives around his house and in his car.

He’d also prepared a homemade incendiary device which was capable of causing a fire.

At around 8am on the day of the incident, he attacked the two children with a large bread knife, severely cutting the throat of one child which resulted in life threatening injuries.

Police sealed off the area.

He then attempted to do the same to a younger child.

Hearing the screams of the younger children, a teenager ran to help them and tackled Yates, managing to wrestle the knife from him as he attempted to harm the youngest child.

Fortunately, all three children were able to run away from Yates.

Two decorators working at a house nearby were approached by the children and they protected them from Yates, who had chased after them following the attack.

Pre-recorded interviews of the children recounting the incident, which were conducted by specialist police officers, were played in the court.

The painters and decorators’ evidence was also read out to the court.

The two men described hearing the children’s screams and seeing them running towards them, one with blood pouring from a large open wound in their neck.

The court heard how the men rushed to provide first aid to the children, using one of their own hoodies to try to stem the flow of blood, while they called the emergency services.

The teenager had also suffered a minor hand injury from grabbing the knife away from Yates.

The decorators stated that as they were helping the children, Yates twice approached them, but they protected the children by shouting at Yates to keep back and go away.

Police were called to the scene and after making an initial check on the welfare of the children, they entered a nearby house and found Yates in the bathroom.

He had attempted to take his own life by cutting his own throat and wrists, and superficially stabbing himself in the chest. He’d also ingested liquid morphine, which he’d taken from his mother’s house days before the attack.

Yates was immediately arrested and taken to hospital for treatment to his self-inflicted wounds.

Following treatment, Yates assaulted a police officer who was on bed-watch duty at the hospital.

The most seriously injured child was taken separately to Leeds General Infirmary and underwent life-saving surgery.

‘Utterly horrific and disturbing crime’

Speaking after sentencing, senior investigating officer, detective chief inspector Steve Menzies of North Yorkshire Police’s major investigation team, said:

“This was an utterly horrific and disturbing crime, made all the worse by the young ages of the victims involved. To be attacked in such a violent manner, without any warning, is sickening, and sadly something the children will never forget. Whilst they have made remarkable physical recoveries, and shown immense bravery throughout the incident, the police investigation, and the trial, the emotional effects will be long-lasting.

“Since the attack they have all received support and care from specialist services, and I hope that with further support from professionals, their loved ones, and the sentencing that has been delivered by the courts today, they can put this horrendous incident behind them and move on to more positive times.”

He added:

“I’d like to pay tribute to the outstanding bravery of the teenager. They witnessed a horrific scene, yet tackled Yates and managed to grapple the knife from his hands. Thanks to that swift and decisive action, the younger children survived.

“I also have to commend the two workmen who cared for the children, called the emergency services, and protected them from Yates until police arrived at the scene. Their quick thinking meant that the children received prompt medical care, and also meant that Yates survived his self-inflicted injuries, so he could be dealt with and face justice today. I nominated them, and the older child for formal recognition and I am delighted that the judge formally commended them in her summing up.

“As for Yates, he carried out an appalling attack on two defenceless children, and after hearing the evidence, the jury found him guilty of the attempted murder of the two children. I’m just incredibly thankful that the children survived.

“Finally, I’d like to thank my fellow investigators, and the prosecution team, who worked meticulously and tirelessly on this case to bring about today’s result. This has been a traumatic, disturbing, and highly emotional incident for everyone involved, and I’m grateful to my colleagues for their professionalism and pure determination to ensure justice was served for the three children.”

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Firefighters retrieve gazebo from Harrogate church roof

Firefighters were called to a church in Harrogate today when a freak gust of wind blew a gazebo on to the roof of the church hall.

An eyewitness said the gazebo had been used as a car port for a property near St John’s Church on Bilton Lane.

But a sudden gust of wind sent it flying towards the heavens at about 1.30pm before it landed on the roof of the hall.

He added the firefighters handled the incident with expertise and “the main thing is nobody got hurt”.


North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service’s incident report said:

“Harrogate crew attended to make safe a gazebo which had blown onto a roof.

“Crews handled the gazebo down to ground level and made safe using tyres to weigh down. Incident handed over to responsible person.”

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Bid to trace shopper knocked over by Harrogate M&S thief
North Yorkshire Police is appealing for witnesses after a shopper was knocked over by a thief at a Harrogate Marks and Spencer.
The shop theft occurred at M&S Oatlands, on Beech Avenue Business Park, at approximately 12.20pm on Friday February 23.
Whilst making their escape, a suspect knocked an innocent member of the public to the ground as he ran out of the door. Staff helped the customer who then carried on doing his shopping.

North Yorkshire Police said:

“We would like to speak with the man who was knocked to the ground and other members of the public who kindly assisted him.”

Anyone with information is urged to contact North Yorkshire Police on 101, select option 4, and speak to the Force Control Room quoting reference 12240033392.

To remain anonymous anyone can pass information to Crimestoppers on 0800 555111.

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Business Q&A: Victoria Clark, French Soaps

This is the latest in a regular series of Business Q&A features published weekly.  

This week, we spoke to Victoria Clark, owner of French Soaps in Harrogate.

Tell us in fewer than 30 words what your firm does. 

We’re the largest importer of French soap in the UK. Our products are all natural, traditional soaps made in the Provence and Marseilles region of France.

What does it require to be successful in business? 

For me there are two things. Firstly, people. You’ve got to have the right people around and you have to look after them, and that starts from the top. ‘People’ also includes customers. People should always come first.

Secondly, having a focus: knowing what you’re good at and sticking with it. Own your space. Know it, love it, and be brilliant at it.

What drives you to do what you do every day? 

The customers and the product. I love my products and I love surprising people, delighting people, and having happy customers.

What has been the toughest issue your company has had to deal with over the last 12 months? 

Supplies. We work with some big savonneries in France and also with some small, family savonneries. Last summer, it was particularly hot and a lot of our products are handmade, and there were a lot of problems in terms of being able to make product in sufficient quantity when it was cool enough.

Which other local firms do you most admire and why? 

To have a successful business, you need to have a focus, stick at it and be brilliant at it, so for me, that has to be Bettys. They do what they do really well, and they haven’t tried to go out of area or do anything that they can’t manage and control.

Who are the most inspiring local leaders? 

Any business needs to evolve, and the best often do that through a constant series of small changes and tweaks that keep things fresh and alive.

For me, the people that do that really well are the Mackanesses at Rudding Park. They’re always looking at what they’re doing and moving it on.

What could be done locally to boost business? 

Improve parking to make it easier for people to use the facilities in the town. We need 10-15 minutes of free parking in the centre of town, not big pedestrian zones or hour-long car-parking charges everywhere.

If you live in an outlying area like I do, you just want to go in, do what you need to do, and leave. I don’t want to be parking and getting a bus – I’m not there for a day-trip, I’m there to use the facilities.

Best and worst things about running a business from Harrogate? 

I love working in Harrogate and running a business here. Our customers love the fact we’re in Harrogate, and there’s a perception that it’s a good brand fit: a nice product in a nice location.

The worst thing is that prime retail locations are so expensive! My company needs a prime retail location because that’s what the brand needs, and I’d need the footfall to make it viable, but the cost of doing that doesn’t work for me with the size of business I have at the moment.

Photo of packets of French soap flakes on a shelf at Harrogate business French Soaps.

What are your business plans for the future? 

We’re going to start doing some shows, so this year you’ll find us at the Harrogate Flower Show in April.

We’re also working with some other brands and there are various new launches coming along, although I can’t say too much about that at the moment. We’ve always got something happening

What do you like to do on your time off? 

I play golf, love pilates and yoga, and enjoy dog agility and scent work – so I’m busy most of the time.

Best place to eat and drink locally?

In Harrogate, Konak Meze, the Turkish restaurant on Mount Parade.

Slightly out of town, our favourite place is Harewood: Muddy Boots Café and The Hovels. But I’m always open to trying new places.

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Council tree expert ‘not in a position to support’ Harrogate Spring Water

North Yorkshire Council‘s tree expert has said he is “not in a position to support” Harrogate Spring Water‘s bid to expand into woodland alongside its headquarters.

Arboricultural officer Alan Gilleard raised a series of concerns in his response to the consultation on the company’s planning application.

Mr Gilleard said “normally an application includes a tree survey though I cannot find one”. He added he could also not find any evidence detailing the species to be removed.

He raised several other issues that required further information before concluding:

“Reading through the documentation we seem to be light on detail and some way off a position where we could support. At the moment I am not in a position to support.”

The company, which is part of French-owned multi-national Danone, wants to fell trees in a section of the Pinewoods known as Rotary Wood to make space for a new building. It has agreed to plant 1,500 saplings to create a community woodland as mitigation for the loss of trees.

Rotary Wood in the Pinewoods

The public consultation was due to end on Sunday (March 10) but has been extended following a request from Pinewoods Conservation Group, which does not feel it has sufficient information to give its view. Representatives from Harrogate Spring Water are due to attend the group’s annual general meeting on Wednesday, March 20.

So far the consultation has attracted 590 objections and six expressions of support.

Concerns about ‘large scale industrial’ building

In another blow for the company, Helen Golightly, the council’s principal landscape architect, has said the “planting details are incomplete for the stage of the proposals” and requested further details.

Ms Golightly said it was “essential” for Harrogate Spring Water to produce a landscape visual appraisal that “should account for the loss of woodland and the consequences of this on both visual amenity and the character of the area”.

She said there needed to be “a rudimentary tree survey” and raised concerns about the latest designs for the proposed new building. which she described as a “very large scale industrial building”. She said:

“The reserved matters application shows a building which is much more monolithic than the outline proposal which had a series of components which helped to provide some relief along elevations and incorporated areas of glazing along the north elevation.

“There was also a suggestion of a green roof which now appears to have been removed from the proposals.”

Harrogate Spring Water has pledged to replace any trees lost on a 3:1 ratio. It has said the scheme will create 50 jobs plus 20 more during construction.

Richard Hall, managing director at Harrogate Spring Water, previously said the new community woodland “will be fully accessible to the public and we hope will become a valued resource for the local community for many years to come”.

Harrogate Spring Water received outline planning permission for the scheme in 2017, which remains valid. The current reserved matters stage deals with its appearance, size and landscaping. Councillors rejected a previous reserved matters application in 2021,

You can view planning documents and comment on the application by visiting the council’s planning portal here and typing in reference number 20/01539/REMMAJ where it says ‘enter a keyword’.

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Bid to convert High Harrogate Working Men’s Club to flats

Plans have been submitted to convert High Harrogate Working Men’s Club into two flats.

The club, which forms part of a three-storey building on Devonshire Place, has operated since 1901, according to planning documents sent to North Yorkshire Council.

The documents add the club, which last posted on Facebook on May last year, is currently closed.

It was granted permission in 2022 to convert the first and second floors into six flats while retaining and refurbishing the ground floor bar.

But a planning and heritage statement in support of the new application says “the continued public house / working men’s club facility within the building is now no longer considered to be viable”.

A planning document showing where the club is.

The statement highlighted a marketing exercise by Nationwide Building Sales. It said:

“This states that the costs of the approved refurbishment substantially outweigh the valuation of the completed bar and that any investment would not be protected in the property value should the business not be successful.

“Interested parties have been deterred by the costs of the refurbishment and NBS have not been able to progress a sale beyond the initial enquiries.

“Potential buyers were also unconvinced that the area warrants another new bar when the area is already saturated.”

The statement also refers to a viability and marketing report prepared by commercial property consultants Everard Cole in September last year, which said “poor trading performance and the provision of alternative facilities nearby” deterred buyers. It added:

“To refurbish the working men’s club, a capital expenditure of circa £600,000 to £750,000 would be required and this would not see a return sufficient to be viable, especially due to its out of town location.”

The planning documents do not give the name of the applicant but identify the agent as Nicholas Gallagher, of Leeds agents Nicholas and Nicholas Ltd.

The club, which is a registered society under the Cooperative and Community Benefit Societies Act 2014, opened in a local public house before moving into 5 Devonshire Place.

You can view the planning documents on the council’s website here. Type in reference number ZC24/00704/FUL

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Police ‘increasingly concerned’ for missing Harrogate man

North Yorkshire Police has issued an urgent appeal to find a man who has been missing from the Harrogate area for nearly two weeks.

The constabulary said in a statement this afternoon Cao Xuan Tuan, 25, has not been seen since  Thursday, February 29.

The statement added:

“Cao is Asian, with short straight black hair, brown eyes and around 5 foot 6” tall.

“We’re growing increasingly concerned for Cao’s welfare and are asking for anyone who may have seen him, or knows where he is, to contact us immediately.

“Cao, if you are reading this, please get in touch with someone, we just want to know that you are safe.”

Officers urged anyone who has seen Cao, or have information that could help, to urgently call 101 or, if you know his immediate whereabouts, 999.

Quote reference number 12240041667.

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Council predicts positive future for Harrogate Convention Centre despite scrapping £57m redevelopment

Senior Conservative councillors confirmed this morning that a proposed £57 million redevelopment of Harrogate Convention Centre will be scrapped.

But they offered a positive outlook for the facility’s future and heard it could operate without a £2.7m annual council subsidy in less than three years if it can attract outside investment to make smaller improvements.

North Yorkshire Council’s executive met in Northallerton this morning and agreed to discontinue the project it inherited from the defunct Harrogate Borough Council.

A council officer described the project as unaffordable and blamed spiralling building costs which have seen the cost jump from £49m to £57m.

It also failed in a bid to win Levelling Up money worth £20m from the government that would have helped to pay for the project.

The council’s executive member for finance Cllr Gareth Dadd said it had been a “long and arduous task” to get to a decision on the redevelopment which he said would have achieved “dubious outcomes to say the least”.

Executive member for corporate services, Cllr David Chance, said it would have been “ludicrous” to move forward in light of the current financial predicament facing the authority.

The council is facing a £41.6m deficit in its budget this year with significant financial pressures on adult social care and special educational needs.

Cllr Dadd said:

“It was our job to get under the bonnet of the issues and see how the landscape has changed.”

The council will now undertake market testing to see if the venue can attract investment from the private sector or elsewhere. Cllr Dadd also proposed that the council writes to each mayoral candidate for the upcoming York and North Yorkshire Combined Authority urging them to support further investment.

Despite scrapping the redevelopment, Cllr Dadd maintained the council was committed to improving the convention centre and said it was “not the end of the story, far from it”.

The Harrogate Convention Centre opened in 1982 with conferences and events providing a boost to the town’s bars, restaurants and hotels.

North Yorkshire Council says the convention centre contributes £45m a year to the wider Harrogate district economy which Cllr Dadd said “should be ignored at our peril”.

Convention centre director Paula Lorimer came out against the redevelopment, arguing to do so would be counterproductive as it would involve shutting the venue for large periods.

Ms Lorimer is a proponent of creating new break-out spaces for conference delegates, which she believes could attract £1m additional income each year.

She told councillors that last year was the venue’s most successful in many years and if the upturn continues, along with a more commercial business model and investment, the convention centre could be “cost-neutral” for the council within just three years.

Ms Lorimer also suggested the venue could be renamed to reflect “a broader Yorkshire identity”. It was previously known as the Harrogate International Centre until 2017.

She said:

“I’m very committed to getting investment in the HCC but not at any cost, I do feel there are better ways of investing tactically, so we can do parts of the venue each year.”

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Kex Gill: Repair work unlikely to start before end of month

Work to repair a crack in the road on the A59 at Kex Gill is unlikely to start until at least the end of the month.

In an update, North Yorkshire Council said the wet weather and “further movement” had delayed and complicated matters.

The A59, which is the main route between Harrogate and Skipton, closed suddenly on February 2 after a crack appeared. It has led to lengthy diversions and increased traffic in places such as Ilkley and Pool-in-Wharfedale.

Barrie Mason, the council’s assistant director for highways and transport, said:

“February has been one of the wettest on record and this persistent rainfall has made the situation worse.

“We are monitoring the landslip daily and have unfortunately seen further movement since the start of the closure. This has resulted in additional investigations to ensure we have the most appropriate and effective repair scheme.

“Designs have now been completed, which will include sheet piling and backfilling, to address the existing slippage and prevent future movement of the road.”

Mr Mason added:

“Given the complexities of the work involved, we are working with our contractor on when it can start, which we hope to be before the end of the month.

“At the same time, we will also carry out any additional works which might be required in this area to minimise any further disruption once the road has re-opened.”

Motorists have previously expressed frustration at the lack of communication about the timeframe for work.

A council map showing Kex Gill.

Some have also questioned whether the closure is linked to work on the £68.8 million realignment of the A59 taking place nearby.

The realignment is being funded by £56.1 million from the Department for Transport and £12.7 million from the council.

Mr Mason said:

“As we have said previously, the A59 at Kex Gill has a long history of landslips and this latest closure is a result of the weather over the past few months.”

He thanked people for their patience and said:

“We understand the delay it is causing to journeys and would reiterate that we are doing all we can to complete the repair as quickly and safely as possible.”

The update does not give a latest estimate for the cost of the repairs, which were previously £115,000.

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