Appeal for missing man seen in Harrogate

Police are appealing for information about a missing man seen in Harrogate.

Richard Pask, 54, of Bramham near Wetherby, was seen at Enterprise car rental on Ripon Road in Harrogate.

A subsequent police social media post said he was later captured on CCTV getting off a bus at Thorner on Monday.

https://twitter.com/WestYorksPolice/status/1676337464435265536?s=20

West Yorkshire Police described him as white, 5ft 8, bald with white partial hair and stubble.

Richard was wearing a blue raincoat, cream trousers and brown shoes.

Anyone with any information on his whereabouts is urged to contact West Yorkshire Police.

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White horses to carry Harrogate’s Sophie Lambert on her final journey

White horses decorated with purple will carry Harrogate’s Sophie Lambert on her final journey this week.

Sophie, 22, was found dead last month after a five-day missing person search that touched the lives of thousands of people in Harrogate and beyond.

Animal lover Sophie was particularly fond of horses and her big brother Craig Robinson has chosen two to pull a carriage carrying her body to Harrogate’s Stonefall Crematorium on Friday.

Her pet chihuahuas Boston and Bentley will wear jumpers saying ‘my mummy is in heaven’.

Sophie loved animals and had two dogs.

A crowdfunding appeal set up by Craig to give Sophie “the best send-off ever” has raised more than £3,700 — well above the £3,000 target.

He wrote on social media:

“Well, Soph, these beautiful horses are the ones I’ve picked for you with purple on there as well as you loved bright colours, these horses will bring you home one last time my angel.

“I hope I’ve done you proud and done everything to be perfect for you.”

The 40-minute service at 11am, which will be live-streamed, will be followed by drinks celebrating Sophie’s life at the Malt Shovel in Brearton.

The purple and white horses will match Sophie’s favourite colours.

There is no dress code but Craig has requested everyone wears odd socks because, as Craig puts it, “Sophie never did believe in wearing the same coloured socks as she said life was to short to match them”.

He has been setting of bio-degradeable lanterns this week in memory of Sophie, and said:

“I thank you all once again for the support help and donations you guys have given us in order to give Sophie the spend off she has always deserved. Rest easy Sophie my little Angel night night.”

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‘Two in three chance’ Conservatives will lose Selby & Ainsty

The upcoming by-election in Selby and Ainsty is the most likely of three in the UK to see a win for the Conservatives, according to bookmakers’ odds.

Parliamentary seats in Uxbridge and South Ruislip, and Somerton and Frome, will also be contested on Thursday, July 20.

Statistics from bookmakers’ odds, analysed by the Telegraph, reveal the Selby and Ainsty seat is the most likely of the three to remain in Tory hands.

However, it still has a 66% likelihood of being lost to another party or independent candidate.

By comparison, Boris Johnson’s former seat of Uxbridge and South Ruislip has a 92% likelihood of being lost, and Somerton and Frome – previously held by David Warburton until his resignation after having the whip removed by the party – is rated at 71%.

In Selby and Ainsty, the by-election was triggered by the resignation of Nigel Adams, a close ally of the former prime minister.

He had held the seat since 2010, when it was first formed, and won a majority of just over 20,000 at the last election in 2019.

This time, the Conservative candidate will be Claire Holmes. She will stand against 12 other candidates, including two who have stood in the constituency before: Arnold Warneken for the Green Party and Mike Jordan for the Yorkshire Party.

The full list of candidates is:

Any constituents who have not yet registered to vote have until midnight tonight to do so on the government’s website.

It will be the first time voter ID will be required for an election in North Yorkshire. Acceptable forms of ID include photocard driving licences, UK passports, and bus passes for older or disabled people.

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Reduced speed limit at A59 Kex Gill to remain until September

A reduced speed limit on the A59 at Kex Gill is set to remain in place until September due to an “uneven road surface”.

North Yorkshire Council has introduced the reduction which sees the speed limit lowered from 60 to 40 miles per hour.

Officials at the authority said the measure had been implemented due to the stretch of Kex Gill Road being uneven.

It added that the speed limit reduction will remain in place until September when the road will be closed for two weeks and resurfaced.

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

“We have introduced a 40mph speed limit on a section of the existing A59 at Kex Gill due to the uneven road surface. This will only be in place until we carry out a resurfacing scheme.

“A start date is yet to be confirmed but we anticipate early September, lasting for two weeks under full road closures with signed diversions in place. We will notify the public in due course.”

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Business Breakfast: Harrogate builders’ merchants supports retrofitting scheme

The Stray Ferret Business Club’s next meeting is a breakfast event on Thursday, 27 July at Banyan in Harrogate between 8-10am. 

The Business Club provides monthly opportunities to network, make new connections and hear local success stories. Tickets will be available later this week.

A Harrogate builders’ merchants is supporting an online training course to teach builders about retrofitting homes.

GH Brooks is hosting a sign-up event at its branch on Claro Road to help the initiative to make buildings more energy efficient.

The course is being launched by the charity Zero Carbon Harrogate on July 7 between 7am and 11am.

It is designed to help prepare the local building trade for home retrofit specifications.

John Kerr, Zero Carbon Harrogate’s retrofit programme manager, said: 

“We are so pleased that GH Brooks are helping us spread the word about retrofit and the free training we have on offer.  

“A big part of retrofitting homes is supported by good suppliers like them and supporting their customers. We really hope that the local building trades take advantage of this training, preparing them for both demand from homeowners and new legislation in home efficiency measures.”

For more information on how to sign up for the online course, visit the Zero Carbon Harrogate website here.

Rudding Park wins at industry award ceremony

Rudding Park Hotel and Spa has won an award at the annual Good Spa Guide awards.

The spa, which is based on Rudding Lane, picked up the best spa for the eco conscious award.

The ceremony was held at the Spa Life Convention in Gloucestershire on July 3.

Sarah Johnson, Rudding Park Head of Spa collecting the award with members of her team; Lorraine Kennedy, Emma Sorby and Megan Ainsworth.

Sarah Johnson, Rudding Park head of Spa, collecting the award with members of her team; Lorraine Kennedy, Emma Sorby and Megan Ainsworth.

Rudding Park was one of eight finalists, which also included The Spa at Carden Park and Swinton Country Club & Spa.

Sarah Johnson head of Rudding Park Spa said:

“As a responsible business the environment and sustainability is a key focus for us combined with ensuring we provide guests with an exceptional spa experience.

“Offering guests something new and embracing our natural environment is really important, so we are absolutely thrilled to have won the award for the best spa for the eco conscious.”

Person trapped in Harrogate hotel lift suffers panic attack

Firefighters were summoned to a Harrogate hotel today when a person trapped in a lift suffered a panic attack.

A crew from Harrogate were called to the hotel on Ripon Road at 9.21am this morning.

According to North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service’s incident report, three members of staff were stuck in a lift.

The report does not say which hotel it was or how long they were trapped.

It said:

“Crews gained entry to the lift and administered oxygen to one occupant who was suffering from a panic attack.

“Incident then lift with life engineer.”

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‘Do it for David’: Harrogate Festivals boss set for Great North Run

A well-known figure in Harrogate’s cultural life has set herself a new challenge to support a cause close to her heart.

Sharon Canavar, chief executive of Harrogate International Festivals, is aiming to complete the Great North Run to raise money for the Stroke Association.

She has chosen the charity after leading Harrogate businessman David Simister suffered a life-changing stroke in early March.

Having set a target of £1,500, she is already more than a third of the way there, just 24 hours after setting up her fundraising page – and said she hopes to raise even more before the event in September.

Sharon said:

“David is so well-loved. He was involved in so much and really cared about everything he worked on. Particularly over the pandemic, he was great with keeping the show on the road.

“I don’t think I’ve met anyone with a bad word to say about him.”

After growing up in Harrogate and attending Ashville College, Mr Simister trained as a journalist before founding Different PR with former schoolmate Richard Chew.

As well as working with a number of high-profile clients, he was heavily involved with Harrogate District Chamber of Commerce and became its chief executive in 2021. He has stepped back from his current roles as a result of his illness.

Harrogate International Festivals team with David SimisterSharon Canavar in green next to David Simister and the HIF team

Having done the Great North Run three times previously, Sharon said it will be emotional running for a close business connection and personal friend.

She has not run regularly since suffering an injury during the covid pandemic, and credits the Harrogate Town Running Group with getting her back to training to be ready for the Great North Run.

However, she has the small matter of HIF’s busiest few weeks of the year to get through first.

The summer season was launched at the weekend, with the flagship Theakstons Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival scheduled for two weeks’ time.

This year’s events also include a children’s festival on July 15 and 16, and the Harrogate Carnival on July 30, which falls just six weeks before the run.

Sharon said:

“Running is quite good for stress relief. It’s good to get out and go for a stomp and work things through in my mind.

“David has been such a key part of my personal and festivals life, it’s really giving me the motivation to keep going and raise as much as possible to support him and other people affected by strokes.”

To support Sharon’s fundraising for the Stroke Association, click here.

Highways boss defends North Yorkshire speed limit review

The councillor responsible for highways in North Yorkshire has defended a review into speeding amid concern the local authority is delaying the introduction of 20 miles per hour speed limits.

Campaigners, headteachers and local councillors have called for a timescale on bringing in 20 miles per hour speed limits in Pannal Ash and Oatlands areas in Harrogate.

But Cllr Keane Duncan, the executive councillor for highways at North Yorkshire Council, said today the authority would not support default 20 miles per hour zones within the county.

It will instead draw up a speed management strategy to “guide a countywide review of speed limits across towns, villages and rural road”.

Cllr Duncan said this “tailored approach” to road safety measures that would not delay road safety measures.

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Hazel Peacock, of the Oatlands Road Safety and Active Travel Campaign, and Dr Jennie Marks, of Pannal Ash Safe Streets, told the meeting 20 miles per hour limits in their areas were “urgently needed” and called for timescales on implementation.

Councillors on the council’s Harrogate and Knaresborough area constituency committee passed a motion supporting the campaigners’ plea last year.

Earlier this week, leaders of 13 schools and education settings in Harrogate also backed the measure.

But it required the support of the council’s Conservative-controlled executive today.

Headteachers, councillors and campaigners united to call for urgent road safety measures this week.

In response, Cllr Duncan said measures were already being considered for the areas which are “not narrowly limited to 20 miles per hour limits only”.

He added:

“Work on these measures is already in progress and nothing within today’s new approach to setting speed limits will delay work that is already ongoing nor prevent implementation of appropriate 20 miles per hour zones in Pannal Ash and Oatlands.”

Cllr Duncan added that proposals for the Otley Road sustainable transport package would go before the council’s Harrogate and Knaresborough area constituency committee in September.

Meanwhile, further consultation on the delayed Oatlands feasibility study, which aims to cut congestion in the area, would be carried out later this year.

Missing Harrogate woman found

A missing Harrogate woman has been found, police have said this afternoon.

The woman, was reported missing by her family on Tuesday, June 20 — six days after she was last seen by neighbours at her flat in Starbeck on June 14 .

North Yorkshire Police issued an urgent appeal for help finding her that day.

The force have now said:

“The 56-year-old woman who went missing from the Starbeck area on Wednesday 14 June has been found.”

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Lib Dems withdraw support for Harrogate’s Station Gateway

The Liberal Democrats have withdrawn their support for the Station Gateway proposal in central Harrogate.

The move was announced by Cllr Chris Aldred at North Yorkshire Council’s executive today, after several of the party members voted in favour of the scheme in May.

He said their support had been on condition that North Yorkshire Council engaged in a meaningful way with residents, businesses and the Harrogate and Knaresborough Area Constituency Committee over the plans.

Cllr Aldred, who represents High Harrogate and Kingsley division, said:

“It is with disappointment that I am speaking here today. Disappointment at the failure of this executive to engage with business and residents in a meaningful way.

“Disappointment at the failure of this executive to respect the recommendations of Harrogate’s democratically elected Councillors on Harrogate and Knaresborough Area Committee.

“And disappointment that those most closely affected are left feeling ignored, with their genuine concerns sidelined.”

The issue had already split the party, with area constituency committee chairman Cllr Pat Marsh voting against the plans, while several other Lib Dems supported them.

Cllr Marsh then went to a meeting of the executive to ask its members to drop the proposal, despite her committee having voted to ask the executive to proceed.

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Cllr Aldred said the executive had failed to meet a deadline of June 30 to set up a working group of the area constituency committee and to arrange face-to-face meetings with concerned residents and businesses.

Calling for more engagement with the local councillors over the Station Gateway plans, he added:

“Liberal Democrat members will continue to monitor every aspect of this scheme, on behalf of our residents and hold the executive to account for every pound of public money spent on it.

“But we simply can not support a scheme that is being driven by an administration determined to ignore residents, businesses and councillors alike – an administration who constantly fall short of what is expected.

“This administration seems more focused on clinging to power and has prioritised its own political backroom conversations aimed at maintaining a majority in the chamber, above getting a grip on this controversial issue.

“We have given you enough opportunities to demonstrate you are sincere and competent. Sadly, you have clearly demonstrated that you are neither.”

The declaration prompted a row between the party’s councillors from across the Harrogate area and the ruling Conservatives on the executive.

In response, Cllr Keane Duncan, the Conservative executive councillor for highways, described the move as “playing politics” with the gateway scheme.

He accused Cllr Aldred of “rowing back” on his support to achieve “harmony within the Liberal Democrats” – which Cllr Aldred denied.

Cllr Duncan said:

“We are drawing up an engagement plan, that will determine who we are going to speak to in terms of businesses and residents throughout the construction period.

“A decision has been taken at this executive to support the gateway scheme. We are delivering on the support that you gave and that the majority of your colleagues gave.

“We will engage and we will ensure that we deliver this plan. We are very clear that the Conservative group on this council and this executive supports the gateway. The Liberal Democrats have now been clear that you do not.

“We will see in the long term how that plays out. I believe we have a fantastic scheme and I believe that this investment should be made in Harrogate for the long term and long lasting benefit of residents.”