Local Harrogate News & Views around the district - Page 283 of 1039

Historic Harrogate hotel reopens after 152-day transformation

The former St George Hotel in Harrogate reopened yesterday after a 152-day transformation.

The hotel has new owners, a new name and a completely refurbished look and feel, which it is hoped will attract local people to eat and drink there.

Now called the Harrogate Inn, it has adopted a country pub feel that is the hallmark of owners the Inn Collection Group.

The Newcastle-based company has added the venue to its portfolio of 32 locations that also includes the Black Swan at Helmsley and the Wordsworth Hotel in the Lake District.

Closer to home, the Inn Collection Group also owns the Ripon Spa Hotel and Dower House in Knaresborough, which are due to reopen under new names the Ripon Inn and the Knaresborough Inn this summer.

The Harrogate Inn

The Harrogate Inn, which closed at the end of January for refurbishment, has a new entrance, a new bar and restaurant, six extra rooms, two new outdoor patio features. Meals are available from 11am to 9pm.

Louise Stewart, property director at the Inn Collection Group, said:

“The works have been extensive with a total refurbishment of the old function rooms and reception area of the old St George Hotel, the creation of the new grand entrance and remedial works to the building’s roof.

“It has delivered a venue which has been warmly received by those we have shown around prior to reopening, and I hope that the inn is going to delight guests going forward.”

The Harrogate Inn project has been managed by Silverstone Building Consultancy and delivered in partnership with 7Formation.

A61 reopens after gas leak at Ripley

The A61 at Ripley has reopened this morning after a collision involving a lawn mower caused a gas leak last night.

As well as closing the road, emergency services advised nearby residents to close their windows.

North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service said a crew was called to the scene just after 6.30pm.

Its incident log said:

“A crew from Harrogate and an officer from Ripon responded to reports of a grass cutting machine that had impacted a large gas main and caused it to rupture creating a significant leak.

“Crews stood by and assisted with traffic management whilst gas engineers excavated to locate the leak and worked to isolate the supply.”

Northern Gas Networks was on the scene soon after and firefighters issued advice on social media.

⁦@NorthYorksFire⁩ currently on scene at a large gas leak, A61 between the roundabouts at Ripley. Please avoid the area whilst we wait for specialist support. If you live in Ripley adjacent to the A61 then keep your doors and windows closed and avoid using naked flames. pic.twitter.com/4PIGNniTCu

— Ben Cairns 💙♥️💚 (@SierraZero4) July 3, 2023

Traffic between Harrogate and Ripon was diverted through the village as engineers worked to repair the rupture.

The road is open this morning.

Business Breakfast: Ripon ad firm agrees Transdev sponsorship

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 Ripon advertising firm has agreed a sponsorship deal with bus company Transdev.

Adverta Transport Advertising, which specialises in bus and tram adverts, will promote local attractions and businesses across the company’s fleet as part of the deal.

The agreement will see Transdev, which operates Harrogate Bus Company, promoting destinations along its bus routes to encourage greater use of sustainable travel.

Adverta is one of the UK’s largest bus and tram advertising specialists representing 30 bus companies and was acquired by Yorkshire-based outdoor advertising company CP Media in 2022.

Mike Brennan, chief executive of CP Media and Adverta, said:

“When we acquired Adverta it made total sense to extend its model into optimising sponsorship revenues as well. Transdev is one of the most prestigious and respected transport companies in the country and we are thrilled to be working with them.”

Matt Burley, commercial manager of Transdev, said:

“It is really important for us to promote the destinations we serve along our routes to our customers and to form great relationships with these attractions.”

Healthcare practice to takeover Harrogate parkrun

A healthcare practice is set to takeover Harrogate parkrun as part of the 75th anniversary of the NHS.

Moss Healthcare, which is based at King’s Road in Harrogate, will have staff and patients acting as volunteers at the weekly run around the Stray this Saturday.

The Harrogate parkrun is one of many ‘parkrun for the NHS’ events happening across the country to celebrate the milestone anniversary.

James Sharratt, business manager at Moss Healthcare Harrogate, said:

“We have managed to get our staff and patients, including our patient participation group, involved – whether volunteering or taking part in the run itself.”

Harrogate college Henshaws retains ‘good’ Ofsted rating

Henshaws has retained its ‘good’ rating in an inspection report published today.

The independent specialist college in Harrogate, which provides education and training for learners with profound and multiple disabilities and complex needs, was praised for its “effective and caring support”.

The three-day visit by three inspectors in May was Henshaws’ first Ofsted inspection since 2018.

Their report said:

“Learners behave well in lessons and around the college as a result of the effective and caring support of staff.

“Learners are respectful towards each other, staff and visitors. Staff create a calm environment, which enables learners to flourish.

“Learners know that staff will not tolerate poor or unkind behaviours, such as swearing and name calling.”

They added “staff support learners well to become active citizens and members of their communities” and that leaders and managers have a “clear vision” that enables learners to build confidence, develop independence and achieve their aspirations.

The report said:

“They support learners, for who it is appropriate, to prepare for employment or to participate in volunteering opportunities.

“They help learners to make friends, learn to live more independently and to look forward to a positive future.”

Safeguarding is described as “effective”. However, Ofsted said a small number of sessions “are not age appropriate” and urged the college to “ensure that the pace of learning in all lessons is appropriate to enable learners to make the progress of which they are capable”.

Besides its overall ‘good’ rating, Henshaws was assessed as ‘good’ in five of the six sub-categories. It was rated ‘outstanding’ in the sixth, which was for personal development.

‘Wonderful to be recognised’

The college on Bogs Lane provides day and residential provision for 66 people. Most learners are aged 19 years and over and all have an education, health and care plan coordinated by their local authority.

The personalised curriculum includes subjects such as art, music, dance, horticulture, English, mathematics, a forest school and swimming.

Sally Daniels interim chief executive and director of education and care services, said it was delighted by the outstanding mark, adding:

“The new inspection framework is generally viewed as being more challenging and we are very pleased to have maintained our overall ‘good’ rating.

“In addition, our safeguarding processes were rigorously challenged during the inspection and found to be highly effective.

“We work tirelessly to provide our students, their families and their carers the best support and curriculum we can and it is wonderful that this has been recognised by our regulator.”

Chief medical officer Chris Whitty learns about ageing in Darley and Harrogate

England’s chief medical officer Professor Chris Whitty has visited Nidderdale and Harrogate to collect information for his annual health report.

His report this year will focus on health issues in an ageing society.

To learn first-hand about the issues, Prof Whitty talked to various local groups about the challenge of tackling social isolation in rural communities.

He was shown around Darley Village Shop, a community hub set up in 2016 which is home to a café and a post office. The shop was launched in 2016 following a major £60,000 fundraising drive organised by Darley locals.

As well as providing a space for locals to sit and socialise, staff and volunteers at the village store have been delivering meals to elderly residents in the local area.

He spoke to Tracey Dawson of Nidderdale Plus, which provides services that improve the wellbeing of older residents, such as minibus trips, and met the chair of Christ Church Community Centre in Darley, which stages coffee mornings and exercise classes for older people.

Prof Whitty said:

“It is really insightful to see how local people have found solutions to support their communities.

“What people are doing here in Nidderdale shows what can be achieved, and it is helping address some of the big challenges we face as a society.

“People have demonstrated how they can come together to help others, especially during the covid-19 crisis, and it is good to see this good work is continuing to be built on.”

Prof Whitty with (left to right) Nidderdale Plus digital champion co-ordinator Jo Hayes, Christ Church Community Centre committee member Erica Spencer, and Christ Church Community Centre chair, Angela Houseman.

Prof Whitty also travelled to The Cuttings care home in Starbeck run by Harrogate Neighbours, as well as a hub club that operates at the Dementia Forward community hub in Burton Leonard.

He also went to Harrogate District Hospital, where he spoke with NHS staff and social workers about local services including those provided by Harrogate and Rural Alliance and North Yorkshire Council’s Living Well project, which is a free service to improve the health, wellbeing and independence of adults.

North Yorkshire Council leader Carl Les, said:

“In North Yorkshire, we are leading the way nationally with schemes such as Extra Care, which is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year.

“To be able to show the chief medical officer first-hand how those initiatives work was a real honour”

According to the latest census, over 65s represent around 25% of the population in North Yorkshire compared to 18% for England as a whole. The council predicts this figure will increase to a third by 2043.

Louise Wallace, the council’s director of public health who accompanied Prof Whitty on his visit. said:

“To have the chief medical officer visiting to see these challenges and also all the good work that is being done by our communities was an invaluable opportunity.”

Harrogate district libraries will not ban or censor ‘offensive’ books

North Yorkshire Council has said it will not ban or censor books that readers find offensive in its libraries.

Novels have increasingly become tangled-up in the so-called culture wars, particularly in the United States where thousands of books have been banned in school and public libraries due to complaints about race or LGBTQ+ themes.

The trend has spread to the UK with research published this year by the UK’s library association, the Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals, finding that requests to ban books in the UK have increased significantly in recent years.

Its survey of librarians reported a third have been asked by members of the public to censor or remove books and 82% said they were concerned about the increase in the requests.

But North Yorkshire Council, which runs libraries in the Harrogate district, has said it has only received one request to ban a book in the last five years.

Boroughbridge Community Library

The book in question was Hilary Bonner’s crime thriller Deadly Dance and the request related to graphic descriptions the reader found upsetting.

The council declined to remove the book on the grounds that it follows the approach of CILIP, which says access to information should not be restricted. Its guidance states:

“It is the role of a library and information service that is funded from the public purse to provide, as far as resources allow, access to all publicly available information. Access should not be restricted on any grounds except that of the law.”

The council added that its own policy does not permit the removal of any books at the request of an individual or group and that library staff do not label items to warn customers about potentially offensive or harmful content.

Ilke Homes collapse: 80 staff at Flaxby housebuilder start legal action

More than 80 employees of Flaxby-based Ilke Homes are to take legal action against the firm after it entered administration.

The company appointed AlixPartners as administrators on Friday after it failed to find a buyer or new investment.

In a statement, the administrators said the move will see the immediate closure of the manufacturing facility in Flaxby and all site activities are to cease.

It added that a “significant majority” of the company’s 1,150 staff would be made redundant with only a small amount remaining to help oversee the administration process.

Today, Manchester-based law firm Aticus said it has been instructed by 80 staff members, 60 of whom are from Flaxby, to investigate concerns around how the redundancy process was managed.

It said this would involve whether ex-employees were eligible to claim for a protective award claim against the company.

Aticus said if its clients were able to successfully pursue a claim, those involved would receive up to eight weeks’ worth of pay in compensation, with a cap of £571 per week.

Edward Judge, partner at Aticus Law, said:

“Further to the collapse of Ilke Homes, we have been instructed by more than 80 former employees who have lost their jobs and who are now looking to pursue a Protective Award against the company.

“While there are reports to suggest that the business will be bought out of administration, this does not prevent people who have already been made redundant from pursuing a claim even if they are offered their jobs back in due course.

“Of course, for many of our clients that would be the ideal outcome, but the Protective Award is claimed because the redundancy process was not followed correctly, which of course has a short term impact on a person’s financial wellbeing.”

The firm is also currently representing around 100 staff of former Harrogate-firm Amvoc, which collapsed back in March.

Harrogate Fire Station installs swift nest boxes on drill tower

Harrogate firefighters have put eight swift nesting boxes on their drill tower to help save the endangered species.

The swift population has fallen dramatically in recent years due to declining numbers of insects, climate change and the loss of old buildings used for nesting.

The Knaresborough Swift Group estimated last month only a dozen remained in the town and appealed for help finding new nesting sites to save the birds from disappearing.

Its plea, reported in the Stray Ferret, sparked numerous offers of help from Knaresborough as well as nearby towns and villages.

Harrogate firefighter Alex van Zeller, who is passionate about protecting swifts, was among those who responded.

His intervention led to eight boxes supplied by the swift group going up at the drill tower at Harrogate Fire Station on Skipton Road. The station’s aerial ladder platform was deployed to put up the boxes.

The drill tower’s height and space surrounding it makes it a perfect nesting site for swifts.

Waterstones in Harrogate to host book signing on Saturday

Local author Colin Philpott will be signing copies of his dystopian novel Deathday in Waterstones in Harrogate on Saturday.

The novel, published by Thirsk-based publisher Fisher King, is set in England in 2045 by which time euthanasia at the age of 90 has been made compulsory by law.

Mr Philpott, who said he does not advocate compulsory euthanasia, hopes the novel will nevertheless stimulate discussion about what should happen to all of us in later life.

Mr Philpott, who lives in Bishop Monkton, is a former head of BBC Yorkshire and a former director of the National Media Museum in Bradford.

Copies of his earlier non-fiction books will also be available at the book-signing, which will take place from noon until 1pm.

Knaresborough stride to victory in Harrogate 10K

Knaresborough Striders won the prize for the best team performance at the Harrogate 10K yesterday.

A total of 742 runners took part in the race — well up on last year’s 486.

It started and finished at Harrogate Sports and Fitness Club and took competitors around Crimple Valley, finishing with the dreaded ‘Crimple killer’ uphill final kilometre.

Organised by Harrogate Harriers, Olympic triathlon champion Jonny Brownlee was on hand to present trophies to the winners.

Ben Douglas, of Leeds City Athletic Club, claimed first place in the men’s race in 34 minutes and two seconds. The 33-year-old had won the Leeds 10K in May.

Jack Kelly, running for Knaresborough firm and race sponsors Harmony Energy, was runner-up for the second consecutive year.

Rebecca Flaherty, of Bingley Harriers, took the women’s race in 37 minutes and 14 seconds — her mum Sarah was second.

Knaresborough Striders’ trio Tom Calvert, Dan Caven and James Ireland secured the Berwins team prize.

It went some way to alleviating the disappointment they felt at last month’s Great Knaresborough Bed Race, when they were part of the team who saw their hopes dashed when a wheel on their seized up.

A fun run for children preceded the adult event.

Here are some photos of the event.

Pictures by Richard O’Brien and Andrew Hawkes Photography