Harrogate District Hospital could face a further six months of disruption after junior doctors voted to extend their mandate for strike action.

It’s been over a year since junior doctors began striking over pay and this week 98% of British Medical Association union members backed further walkouts on a turnout of 62%.

Most recently, junior doctors at the Lancaster Park Road hospital staged two separate walk-outs between December 20-23 and January 3-9.

The strikes have had a “draining impact”, according to the boss of Harrogate & District NHS Foundation Trust.

Junior doctors are qualified doctors in clinical training and they make up nearly half of the medical workforce in England.

The BMA says while workload and waiting lists are at record highs, pay has effectively been cut by more than a quarter since 2008.

The union is asking the government for a 35% pay rise, but health ministers have described the demands as unreasonable.

A spokesperson for Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust said the hospital hopes a deal can be reached before future strikes take place.

They said:

“Whilst we respect the decision made by BMA junior doctors to extend their mandate for industrial action, we hope that the BMA and government can have effective discussions which will lead to a solution before further strikes are undertaken.

“Should further industrial action take place we will continue to manage the disruption to ensure our patients are safe during the strike, any impact on patient care is kept to a minimum and emergency services continue to operate as normal.

“We value our staff and know that junior doctors do not want to be striking. We hope a breakthrough can be made soon so that we can continue to focus on delivering high quality care to all those who need it.”

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A Harrogate financial firm has appointed a new joint chief executive.

Matt Beddall has joined Titan Private Wealth as joint chief executive, alongside existing chief executive Mark Puleikis

Mr Beddall joins Titan from Investec Wealth & Investment, where he was divisional director and head of the Sheffield office.

Titan Private Wealth, previously Cardale Asset Management, is an investment management business providing portfolio management to private clients, pension schemes, charities, corporates and intermediaries across the UK.

Mr Beddall said:

“I am thrilled to be joining such a successful and award-winning business as Titan. I look forward to helping lead the business through its next growth phase and continuing the amazing work that has already been put in place.”

Grantley Hall restaurant collaborates with champagne house 

Grantley Hall has unveiled a new Mediterranean-inspired menu at one of its restaurants.

The menu is launched in time for the summer at The Orchard and is in collaboration with Veuve Clicquot.

The Orchard changes with the seasons and is one of five restaurants at Grantley Hall.

Monika Czop, food & beverage manager at Grantley Hall, said:

“I am so very excited that our new concept for The Orchard is now live for our guests to experience this summer.

“Our collaboration with Veuve Clicquot encapsulates the spirit of the summer and we are delighted to be one of only a few locations to be part of its Road to the Sun campaign this year! I can’t wait to welcome you all to experience The Orchard in all its glory – let’s celebrate with Champagne this season.”

Orchard, Grantley Hall

Cedar Court Hotels is the latest sponsor of Harrogate International Festivals

Harrogate International Festivals has announced a new sponsor.

Cedar Court Hotels, which has a hotel in the town, is the latest company to agree sponsorship of the festival.

Cedar Court managing director Wayne Topley said:

“Harrogate is synonymous with world-class art and culture – attracting amazing musicians as well as some of the biggest names in literature. To be a festival sponsor feels like a perfect match.”

Sharon Canavar, Harrogate International Festivals chief executive, said:

“Art and culture go hand in hand with hospitality and the fact that Cedar Court Hotels believe in Harrogate and are prepared to invest in the town makes this partnership all the more rewarding.”

(Left to right) Wayne Topley, Sharon Canavar and Oliver Stott, the hotel manager. Image: Mike Whorley

Nomad Catering opens tasting room 

Nomad Catering, a Harrogate based catering company, moved to Cardale Park on the outskirts of Harrogate in June last year. This week it celebrated finishing its tasting room.

The room provides a modern industrial space for clients to taste their food ahead of booking them for events.

In the past year Nomad Catering has catered for the BBC Sports Personality of the Year awards at Media City in Salford, the centenary dinner for the Flying Scotsman at the Keighley & Worth Valley Railway and provided food for a Michelin three-star chef’s wedding.

Nomad Catering event. Image: Leanne Peacock Photography

Harrogate Bridal Boutiques Named in UK Top 50

Two wedding dress shops in Harrogate have been named among the Top 50 bridal boutiques in the UK, according to one of the leading hen party providers in its annual rundown.

Joana Bridal and Bee Bridal were listed by GoHen.com which compiled its list based on a variety of factors including style, variety, value for money and service.

Fourth award for Ripon photographer 

Ripon photographer Helen Tabor has won her fourth bronze award from the British Institute of Professional Photography for her architectural images.

Her photo of architect Santiago Calatrava’s railway station at Lyon-Saint-Exupéry TGV station won the award in the BIPP’s monthly image competition. Her January entry, of the spiral staircase at Victoria Gate Leeds was also awarded a bronze.

Ms Tabor said:

“My architectural work all stems from my love of interesting buildings and their structure, and I like to bring out the art in their design through careful composition in my photographs.”

Into the unknown by Helen Tabor

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The Starbeck community has created a mosaic dedicated to supporting mental health after three young people from the area died from suicide last year.

Starbeck Post Office has funded and erected the large mosaic for a wall on Camwal Terrace, Harrogate. The mural reads ‘Mental Health Matters’ and is surrounded by brightly coloured tiles.

Postmaster Andrew Hart, who runs the Red Box in Starbeck commissioned the artwork. He said:

“The mosaic remains our tribute to the memory of three young people the community lost.”

The Red Box Starbeck

The artwork was commissioned from Artizan International and created by Liz Cluderay, director of Artizan’s cafe and creative space in Harrogate. Ms Cluderay and her students set to work creating the art piece last summer.

Ms Cluderay said:

“It took us a number of weeks to complete it is a huge project, now it is up it looks tiny but it was huge. All of the Artizan community got involved in the art, from the design to completion.

“The students especially liked the messiness of grouting. It is really important for disabled artists to be recognised by the public for their work and to beat stereotypes.

“We were grateful to be commissioned by The Red Box, the mental health mosaic is an important topic and it was good for us to have important conversations about mental health with our disabled artists. It is good to raise awareness so they can be aware of their own mental state, often disabled people can feel isolated but this opened up important communication.”

Liz Cluderay and Andrew Hart

Starbeck Post Office commissioned a large mosaic rainbow for the same wall, which Henshaw’s created. The rainbow mosaic is dedicated to local medical staff, carers and key workers who worked during covid.

Then last year a mural of Bees for the High Street was commissioned, dedicated to the king’s coronation. It was painted by Sam Porter of Muralminded.

Starbeck rainbow mosaic

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Readers’ Letters 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.

This letter is in response to the Trading Hell series we ran this week. It followed a three-month investigation into anti-social behaviour and crime in parts of Harrogate.

Congratulations to you for raising this issue.

I don’t have a specific situation or incident to report, but I have noticed a huge increase in what might be called passive aggressive behaviour in town.

The beggars are abusive, the teenagers look at you as if you have encroached on their patch and there is a general feeling that something is about to kick off”. I don’t think I have ever seen a police officer on foot in town over the past five years or so.

But why does it always have to be somebody’s fault other than the perpetrator of the misdemeanour? Sadly, this reflects a breakdown in society as us old timers (I’m in my 60s) comment upon time after time.

Unfortunately, I can only see the situation deteriorating further.

Punishments need to fit crimes and these pariahs of society need to learn that their anti-social behaviour is the road to nowhere.

John Chadwick, Huby

The Kex Gill saga is an ‘absolute farce’

This letter is in response to one man’s frustration over a lack of communication about the ongoing A59 at Kex Gill closure.

I 100% agree with Mr Young. This situation is an absolute farce, it is not a difficult situation to address, nor was it unforeseeable that it would happen.

Surely the project risk assessment should have identified the potential for this type of event and made suitable provision.

It is a huge inconvenience for residents and others who are having to suffer lengthy diversions.

That said, everything relating to this route has been so badly managed for years and, unfortunately, is no surprise to anyone affected.

Tony Sidwell, Ripon

Paul Haslam for mayor is a ‘breath of fresh air’

This letter follows news of former Tory whip councillor Paul Haslam standing for mayor of North Yorkshire. 

It came as a breath of fresh air to read that councillor Paul Haslam has resigned as the Conservative party whip to stand as an Independent candidate for Mayor of North Yorkshire.

It is a position which demands loyalty to all residents of North Yorkshire and not allegiance to a political party, which has gifted the incumbent their salary of £81,300.

It requires broad knowledge of commerce, as well the workings of public services and its politics. It requires the ability to identify and lead a network of talent and not one based on party hierarchy or other organisations..

This is not political party propaganda. I do not belong to a political party and I am a centrist.

I have seen Cllr Haslam at local community meetings and consider him an efficient operator with local interests at heart.

As a capable Independent candidate, who is challenging the existing hierarchy, Cllr Haslam will have my vote.

I hope the electorate fully realise importance of the Mayor of North Yorkshire and that usual voter apathy for local elections does not occur. The election turnout for the retiring Police Commissioner was less than 15%, which means that 85% didn’t care.

The outcome of this election will be more meaningful and it will affect everyone by influencing the many areas of our public services.

Brian Graham, 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.

Read more:

• Readers’ Letters: Harrogate is short of social housing – not luxury apartments
• Readers’ Letters: Why does everything in Harrogate have to cater to the young?
• Readers’ Letters: Stainburn Forest parking charges are a ‘dismal state of affairs’

This week’s photograph was taken by Mark Fuller from Harrogate, capturing one of the art installations from BEAM, hosted in Harrogate last weekend.

Photo of the Week takes centre stage in our new-look nightly email newsletter. The newsletter drops into your inbox every evening at 6pm with all the day’s stories and more. To subscribe, click here.

(Image: Mark Fuller)

Photo of the Week celebrates the Harrogate district. It could be anything from family life to capturing the district’s beauty. We are interested in amateur and professional photographs, in a landscape format.

Send your photographs to letters@thestrayferret.co.uk for a chance to be featured next week. We reserve the right to adjust and crop images to fit into our format.

From a little-noticed gym on Skipton Road in Harrogate, Nathaniel Kalogiannidis is preparing for the fight of his life.

He’s one on the UK’s best practitioners of Thai boxing – or muay thai – and he’s just three bouts away from winning a six-figure contract with ONE Championship, the world’s biggest fight promotion organisation. If you’re a little hazy on the muay thai hierarchy, think Premier League. 

When I meet him at the Kao Loi Gym, he’s relaxed after a week in Morocco, where he and his girlfriend went for a quick holiday following his last fight. Yet nine days after the bout in Manchester, his nose is still bruised and his knuckles still hurt, but he’s in good spirits, relentlessly cheerful and hitting the pads on full power. 

He lost that fight, but the winner – the UK’s number one at 79kg – broke his hand on Nathaniel’s forehead, so he’s out of contention and the Harrogate man has a second chance. He’s not going to let it pass. 

He said: 

“I’ll be grabbing this opportunity with both hands. If it works out the way that I’m hoping, I should be going to Canada.” 

Nathaniel Kalogiannidis punches opponent Dan Bonner during their recent bout in Manchester. Photo: Lamine Mersch.

His last fight was part of a four-man tournament where the winners were supposed to fight each other. They didn’t – “neither made it out” says Nathaniel – so that contest will happen next month at the O2 in London. The winner of that will head to Alberta, Canada in November. From there, the victor will be on a flight to Thailand. 

If he ever feels daunted by how far there is yet to go to achieve his dreams – which appears unlikely, given his easy confidence – he should perhaps reflect on how far he’s come. 

Born in Harrogate District Hospital, he spent his childhood in his father’s home country of Greece, where his dad introduced his “little hyperactive kid” to taekwondo. He won his first fight at the age of six and has been hooked ever since. 

Nathaniel at the Kao Loi gym on Skipton Road in Harroagte.

He returned to Yorkshire and attended King James’s School in Knaresborough, always keeping up with the martial arts. Did he fight at school? He laughs: 

“I tried to stay out of trouble! I’m sure there are some teachers who can remember a few instances. 

“My first coach, who I had in Greece, was always encouraging us not to get into confrontations outside of the gym, so it’s something I’ve tried to stay away from. But as a teenage boy, I feel like that’s sometimes a little inevitable.” 

Does he regard himself as a Harrogate fighter, or a Knaresborough fighter? Yorkshire, English, or Greek? He said: 

“Harrogate, Yorkshire – I don’t want to sound too territorial, to be honest! I want to represent my team and the people who believe in me. That’s who I represent.” 

Photo: Lamine Mersch.

He’s now a professional fighter and at the age of 25, he jokes that he’s “still got about 10 more years of punch-ups” in him. His record is 10 wins and five losses, but he says those don’t bother him. He ranks eighth in the UK at middleweight and his trajectory is ever upward. 

He said: 

“I pride myself on not cherry-picking opponents. I’ve never said no to any man who’s been offered to me in a fight. My first professional fight was against the UK number five ranked K1 fighter. All of my opponents have gone on to fight at international level or world level, so the guys that I’m getting beaten by – and it’s not by a lot – are very respectable opponents. 

“I’ve never said no to anybody, because I’m not interested in polishing my record. I’m interested in being the guy who will just get in there, fight anybody and always make it an entertaining fight. Wins and losses don’t really matter to me too much.” 

That may be so, but it doesn’t mean he’s not deadly serious about getting to Canada and then Thailand. He knows who he’s up against and he’s training hard, with between 10 and 12 sessions a week – two a day, six days a week, each an hour-and-a-half or two-and-a-half hours long. He said: 

“We prefer quality over quantity. I don’t really need really long hours to be training – it’s just how good I can be for five three-minute rounds. That’s all that matters in a fight.” 

Those 15 minutes are intense. The lead-up to a fight typically takes months, so there’s a lot of time to think about it. Nathaniel said: 

“It’s really interesting, because the emotions up to the fight are never consistent. For a lot of fights I’ve been really nervous, about a month out. It’s a rollercoaster of emotions – it’s so inconsistent. Up, down, up, down. And then you get to walk into the ring, and there’s still a little bit of that anxiety and right before I walk out, my music comes on and everything leaves. It just goes and I’m just full of confidence. And I’m completely zoned into I have to do.

“It’s quite a beautiful thing for me because my brain’s quite full-on and I’ve got a lot of internal chatter, but to know that for however long the fight is, all I have to think about is me and the person stood in front of me. I don’t have to think about anything else. It sounds mental, but for me that’s a really, really peaceful place.”

It may feel peaceful, but that’s not how it looks. Muay thai is known as the ‘Art of Eight Limbs’ because it allows the use of eight “weapons” – the hands, the elbows, the knees, and the legs/feet – and the damage they can do can be spectacular. When Nathaniel’s last opponent broke his hand on his skull, the two of them were covered in his blood, and he needed seven staples in his forehead. 

Nathaniel lost his last fight, but the winner broke his hand and will be unable to progress. Photo: Lamine Mersch.

Little wonder that fighters study each other intently to avoid the traps. In training, their sparring partners aim to imitate the fighting style of their next opponent, so that all the correct responses can be filed away and incorporated into the game plan. The last thing a fighter wants is to have to think too hard when in the ring. Nathaniel said: 

“You put it all into your autopilot so you don’t have to think. I’ve had times where I have been really thinking and you fall behind. You don’t have any momentum – it’s gone. Gone. It’s like a meditation – you can’t afford to be stuck on any single thought.” 

He says the worst feeling is finishing a fight and thinking he could have done more. It only happened once and he’s never let it happen again. He said: 

“I know for a fact that I leave absolutely everything in the ring. I give absolutely everything in my preparation. Anything I can possibly do, anything that I can control, I do 100%. I don’t do half measures.” 

But then again, the other fighters are doing the same thing, so is there ever bad blood? Trash talking has become de rigueur in boxing, so is it the same in muay thai? He said: 

“Muay thai is a much more traditional, respectful support, and I’ve always had respect between me and my opponents.  

“It doesn’t always mean that I’ve liked the guys who I’ve fought, before or after, but they’ve never been anything but respectful after the fight. A lot of the time it might not even be a personal thing, but when you have the same dream as somebody else, it’s very hard to get along with them. We both want the same thing. We’ve both put a lot into what we’re doing. 

“But I’ve met some of the nicest people I’ve ever met through combat sports. To go through 15 minutes of doing what we do in a ring to then hug it out covered in blood and have a drink, which I have done with a lot of my opponents – a drink and a chinwag after – is really, really quite a beautiful thing, I think.” 

That feeling is, of course, intensified by victory – winning, he says, is like an addictive drug. He said: 

“It’s an incredible feeling getting your hand raised. I wish I could bottle it up and give it to people. But I can’t – it’s the product of giving something 100%, chasing something that you love, and coming out the other side victorious. It’s got to be one of the best feelings in life.” 

Whether he wins, loses or draws at the O2 next month – he says “When I win” – there’s no chance that Harrogate and Knaresborough’s hometown challenger will throw in the towel on his career anytime soon. Had he lost that first bout aged six, he would still have kept fighting. He said: 

“I’ve lost loads of times and there have been times when people have told me to stop, and I could have just quit and done something else as a career. But I’ve never wanted to do anything else.

“I really feel like this is my calling and this is what I was put on this planet to do. And to use my platform to help and influence other people through combat sports. So, one way or another I’d have found myself back inside of a ring!”

Read more:

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The first mayor of York and North Yorkshire will be in charge of multi-million pounds of devolved money, have powers over transport and skills and be tasked with banging the drum for the county.

Six candidates from around North Yorkshire have put their names forward to campaign for the position.

But, despite an election being just six weeks away, enthusiasm for the mayor among the public appears low.

Part of this may be down to a lack of understanding over what a mayor does, how they make decisions and who will scrutinise them.

This week, the Stray Ferret spoke to James Farrar, director of economy and interim head of paid service at York and North Yorkshire Combined Authority, to clear up some of those questions.

How will decisions be made?

Perhaps one of the confusing aspects of devolution is the difference between the combined authority and the mayor.

Mr Farrar explained that the authority is the legal entity which holds the money given by government.

The mayor will chair the authority, meaning he or she will be responsible for ensuring that decisions on public money are made properly through the combined authority board.

Mr Farrar explained:

“In simple terms, the mayor becomes the chair of the combined authority.

“The combined authority is the legal entity, which is able to hold and manage the money and make the investments.”

James Farrar

The mayor will have their own priorities, which they will be responsible for. But any decision will be put before the combined authority board.

For example, should the mayor want to set up a mayoral development corporation — which is an organisation set up to regenerate a defined area — it would need to be put before the board for approval.

The board itself will be made up of leaders and deputy leaders from both Conservative-controlled North Yorkshire Council and Labour-controlled City of York Council.

Any decision would need to be made by simple majority, but the mayor has to be on the “winning side”.

This, Mr Farrar says, will prevent any one side from “ganging up” on each other.

He said:

“The two local authorities cannot gang up on the mayor and do something that the mayor does not want to do. The mayor has always got to be on the supportive side of the vote.

“But, if an investment is in North Yorkshire then they also need North Yorkshire to support it. If it is based in York, then they would need York to support it.

“That’s the backstop that we have got to make sure we have that collaborative approach.”

How will the mayor be scrutinised?

Aside from the combined authority board, there are other committees which scrutinise the mayor’s decision making.

As a legal requirement, the body has an overview and scrutiny committee made up of other councillors from York and North Yorkshire from all political parties.

The committee will act as checks and balances on the mayor and combined authority’s activities.

Read more:

• York and North Yorkshire Combined Authority launches
• What will the new combined authority mean for Harrogate?
• North Yorkshire mayor to be paid £81,300

The mayor, who will be paid an £81,300 a year allowance, could also have their own staff.

They may also appoint a political advisor and communications officer.

Staff from the Office of the North Yorkshire Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner will also be transferred to support the mayor once they take on police and crime powers.

However, the mayor may wish to delegate those responsibilities to a deputy mayor.

Voters across North Yorkshire will go to the polls on May 2 to elect the first ever mayor of York and North Yorkshire.

A combined authority report published in January revealed that the election is set to cost taxpayers £2.2 million.

Voters have until midnight on April 16 to register to vote for the mayor.

Who is standing for mayor?

Pateley Bridge man and former police officer Keith Tordoff will stand as an independent.

The Green Party has chosen councillor and former soldier Kevin Foster as its candidate.

The Conservative Party has picked Malton councillor and ex-journalist Keane Duncan, who is currently in charge of transport at North Yorkshire Council.

Labour has chosen local business owner and chair of the York High Street Forum David Skaith.

Swinton Park owner Felicity Cunliffe-Lister will stand for the Liberal Democrats.

Harrogate resident and North Yorkshire councillor, Paul Haslam, will stand as an independent candidate after resigning from the Conservative Party.

A planning application has been submitted to convert a residential Harrogate house into a children’s home.

The change of use application, submitted by Jolyon McKay, was put to North Yorkshire Council last week.

It outlines proposals to turn Oak Back, a house on Ashgarth Court near Ashville College, into c2 classified housing – which refers to residential accommodation for people in need of care.

In a covering letter to the council, Mr McKay said:

“We aim to convert our family’s c3 [dwelling house] in to a c2 [residential child placement].

“This will cause no change to the exterior or interior of the property. The plan for the home will be to remain looking and feeling as if it were an average family home.”

The application adds there will “never be more than a maximum of three children living at the home in permanent residence”. It added that this was in order to “create a sense of family for the children”.

The children’s home would have four bedrooms and employ nine full-time staff.

North Yorkshire Council will make a decision on the application at a later date.

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A Mediterranean café has opened on Beulah Street in Harrogate.

Tulip Café has set up in the former Sirius Café site and aims to offer Mediterranean flair serving coffee and scones alongside Turkish tea and sucuklu toast.

The owners of Tulip, Aydan Eski and Karen Ula, decided to set up their business venture in the heart of Harrogate.

Ms Eksi, is originally from Bodrum and Ms Ula has always lived in Harrogate with her husband, Mehmet Ula, owner of Woodlands Car Wash And Valeting. 

The site has undergone refurbishments costing approximately £5,000, from painting throughout and new signage to upgrading the kitchen equipment.

Ms Ula previously worked at Rosset High School and said the café is not a huge change as she “loves working and talking to people”.

She said:

“We are in a great location, Beulah Street is nice and busy and right in the centre, and there is a great community here. Our products are homemade and we try to source things locally.

“We chose to go Mediterranean because it is huge, we didn’t want to limit ourselves just to Turkish products.”

The café stocks tea from True Tea and its bouquets of Tulips come from Blamey’s Florist of Harrogate.

Alongside the local produce the pair are selling traditional Mediterranean souvenirs including rose jam, olive butter and evil eye jewellery.

Ms Eksi added:

“It was important for us that we didn’t take over retail space, we chose to set up in a café that was already here, and it means it is good for Harrogate and Sirius customers can come back.

“We are trying to get people to try our Turkish foods, such as the suckuk (Turkish sauasage) but of course we have English things too like the the scones.”

Take a look at Tulip Café:

The interior of Tulip Café

Karen Ula making a coffee

Homemade produce on sale

Mediterranean souvenirs on sale

Tulips and muffins in the café

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