Local Harrogate News & Views around the district - Page 350 of 1104

Missing Harrogate woman found

A missing woman from Harrogate has been found, police have confirmed.

She was missing since Wednesday, June 14.

North Yorkshire Police issued a statement yesterday to confirm that the woman had been found.

12-foot horse sculpture to be installed at the Great Yorkshire Show

A large horse sculpture has been delivered to the Great Yorkshire Showground.

The art work is made out of more than 600 welded horseshoes, collected from across Yorkshire.

The 750-kilogram piece is named ‘Os II’ after the Yorkshire slang word for horse and was craned into position outside the Yorkshire Event Centre today.

Its creator, Ollie Holman is a thirty-one-year-old artist from North Yorkshire, who has been welding since he was a teenager.

‘Os II’ will be displayed next to the Yorkshire Show’s art show from Tuesday, July 11 to Friday, July 14 along with some of Ollie’s other sculptures.

The sculptor cannot wait to see his work displayed at the event and said:

“I hope it stops people in their tracks and creates a big crowd around it. It will be nice to see people’s reactions,”

“The driving force behind this one was to improve myself as an artist and really capture the raw physical power of the horse in more detail. I layered up the horseshoes to give it that sense of power.

Ollie has made many horse sculptures, including another 12-foot piece which was sold to Cheltenham Race Course, but he is especially proud of his latest creation, which took five years to make.

Charles Mills, Director of the Great Yorkshire Show added:

“Ollie’s sculpture is a true epic that I have no doubt will turn heads at the Great Yorkshire Show.

“We are proud of the high-quality equestrian classes we have at the Show each year, so this is a very fitting sculpture to have in such a prominent position on the Showground.”

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Where to see Open Gardens in the Harrogate district

Some of the best private gardens in the Harrogate district have been opening their doors to the public over summer.

The National Open Gardens Scheme enables people to view gardens that are not usually accessible. Visitors are normally asked to pay a small fee that is then donated to charity.

About 3,500 gardens across Britain take part in the initiative, which started in 1927 to raise money for nurses. Last year it raised £3.11 million.

We have previously featured events in Great Ouseburn, Norton Conyers, Knaresborough and Marton-cum-Grafton, which took place in June.

Some venues run their own open gardens days, which are not part of the national scheme. If you have one coming up, let us know and we will add it to our listings. Email contact@thestrayferret.co.uk

Hampsthwaite

Hampsthwaite will be hosting 12 open gardens on Saturday 1 July from 12.30pm to 5pm.

The trail will begin on the village green, viewing historical properties. There should be a wide variety of planted and naturally wild areas.

It will then follow down Church Lane and end at Station House.

Entry is £5 and free for accompanied under-15s. All proceeds will go to St. Thomas a Beckett Church, Hampsthwaite.

Tickets can be bought on the day from the Memorial Hall.

For more information about what’s on check here.

Harrogate

Saint Michael’s Hospice is opening the grounds of its hospice on Hornbeam Park, between 11am and 3pm on July 2. Visitors can admire the work of the volunteer gardening team, see the hospice’s ‘secret’ viewpoint and enjoy the beauty of the space.

Refreshments will be served on the terrace overlooking Crimple Valley and there will be a raffle, craft activities, live music from the Spa Town Ukes and a plant sale.

Entry is free with donations welcome for refreshments and activities. Children under 18 must be accompanied by an adult and assistance dogs are the only dogs permitted.

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Three times more street parties in Harrogate for Queen’s jubilee than King’s coronation

There were more than three times the number of street parties in the Harrogate district for the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee than there were for the King’s Coronation, figures show.

Last June the country celebrated Queen Elizabeth II’s 70 years on the throne and Harrogate was no exception with North Yorkshire Council revealing in a freedom of information request that 32 street parties took place over the long weekend.

From Patelely Bridge to Knaresborough and Harrogate, bunting-laden parties were held in almost every corner of the district.

Normally, the council asks for a fee to close a street but it decided to waive these costs to encourage festivities.

The same policy was in place for those wanting to celebrate the King’s Coronation last month when Charles III officially ascended to the throne following the death of his mother in September.

But this time, the number of street parties held across the former Harrogate district area was much lower with nine taking place, according to the council.

The figures also reveal that across the whole of North Yorkshire there were 116 street parties for the Queen’s Jubilee and 33 for the King’s Coronation.

Graham Smith, chief executive officer of the anti-monarchy campaign group Republic said the figures show that support is falling for the royal family in the county.

He said:

“Support for the monarchy is falling and this is clearly as true for North Yorkshire as the rest of the country. For a lot of people the Queen was the monarchy and the monarchy was the Queen.

“With endless scandal and the loss of the Queen, and growing concern about the way the country is governed, it’s not surprise people are less excited about celebrating big royal events.”

During both weekends, the now abolished Harrogate Borough Council organised huge free parties in Harrogate.

Across four days last year it transformed part of the Stray into ‘Jubilee Square’, with a large stage and video screens broadcasting the Queen’s Birthday Parade and other royal events from London.

The Valley Gardens also hosted a free family festival organised by the council with jugglers, magicians, fairground rides, face painting and live music.

Similarly for the coronation, the council put on a three-day event in the Valley Gardens with family entertainment and coronation ceremony on a big screen live from Westminster Abbey.

Olympic champion to present prizes at Sunday’s Harrogate 10K

About a thousand runners will take part in the Harrogate 10K on Sunday.

The event, organised by running club Harrogate Harriers, starts and finishes at Harrogate Sports and Fitness Club on Hookstone Road.

Olympic triathlon champion Jonny Brownlee will present medals to the winners of the adult races, which starts at 10am.

The adult event will be preceded by a fun run for children, which includes a 1.3 km route for children in school years 2-5 will and a 2.5 km course for those in years 6-9.

The event, sponsored again by Knaresborough renewable energy firm Harmony Energy, takes runners on around Crimple Valley, finishing with the notorious Crimple killer last uphill kilometre.

A total of 486 adults and 70 children took part last year. This year, more than 800 adults have already registered.

However, local running star Cal Mills, who set a men’s record of 33 minutes and 13 seconds last year, won’t be defending his title.

Cal Mills (green vest) on his way to victory last year.

The women’s race last year saw Emily Gibbins, of Ilkley Harriers, destroy the female record by more than four minutes in a winning time of 38 minutes and 15 seconds.

Entry for the 10k race can be done here https://racebest.com/races/375cy

Online entries, which can be booked here, close at 10am tomorrow. If places remain, you can enter on the day.

Ripon Independent councillor Andrew Williams joins Tory alliance

Ripon Independent councillor Andrew Williams has formed a political alliance with the Conservatives on North Yorkshire Council.

Cllr Williams, who is also the leader of Ripon City Council, is one of three independents to become members of a new Conservatives and Independents Group, which was announced today.

The Stray Ferret reported yesterday the Conservatives were wooing independents to maintain their grip on power. This month’s defection of Cllr Mike Jordan left them with precisely half of 90 seats on the council.

A statement by the Conservatives this morning said the party had been reaching out to other members in the wake of Cllr Jordan’s defection “to secure the stable and sustainable governance of North Yorkshire Council for the benefit of its residents”.

Cllr Carl Les

Carl Les, the Conservative council leader, said:

“Each of them have put stable and sensible decision-making at the top of their agenda since the elections last May, and as such we have agreed a common purpose.

“It is important that following local government reorganisation our staff feel secure in a well managed authority with clear policies in place.

“We will work together to achieve the sustainable and stable political direction this authority deserves, as indeed we have from last May.”

Cllr Williams was elected to North Yorkshire Council in last year’s local elections with 1,453 votes, ahead of the Liberal Democrat candidate, who received 334 votes. The Conservative candidate was third with 312 votes.

The other independents to join the new group are Cllr Caroline Goodrick, who represents Sheriff Hutton and Derwent and Cllr Robert Heseltine.

(from left): Cllrs Heseltine, Williams and Goodrick

Cllr Williams is one of nine members of an Independents group. The other two to join are unaffiliated independents.

It is unclear the extent to which they will collaborate with the Tories.

Today’s statement said all three will continue to serve as independents.

However, the group is widely regarded as a way of shoring up support to the Conservatives in the period until the next North Yorkshire elections in 2028.

The Stray Ferret has attempted to contact Cllr Williams for further details of the arrangement.

Local girls’ football team struggle to find a female coach

A Harrogate based children’s football club has launched an urgent appeal for a young female coach.

Pannal Ash Panthers under fourteens girls’ football squad has been looking for a suitable candidate for more than 18 months.

The squad members have asked for a female coach closer to their age range, ideally between seventeen and twenty-five years old.

Chris Makin, head coach at Pannal Ash Junior Football Club said:

“We understand the importance of representation and relatability for our young players.

“Unfortunately, despite casting our net far and wide, we have encountered several false starts, leaving us empty-handed.”

The number of girls playing football has seen a huge rise following England’s UEFA Women’s Euro 2022 win.

At Pannal Ash FC, the girl’s section has grown rapidly over the last five years, with around 110 more girls from ages five to eighteen joining.

According to Mr Makin, the Lionesses are icons to the girls playing at Pannal Ash.

He believes a young, sports-minded female coach, like those playing for England’s women’s team, would “inspire and empower” the squad’s players.

The district has spawned its own football superstar, Rachael Daly, who won the 2022-2023 Women’s Super League Golden Boot and recently opened a café in Killinghall named after her.

The club has made many efforts to find a suitable match but have been unsuccessful.

Mr Makin told the Stray Ferret:

“We have left no stone unturned in our search, leveraging extensive social media coverage with captivating video content featuring esteemed members of the England Lionesses squad.

“Additionally, we have even offered funded FA Coaching qualifications to potential candidates. Our aim has been to find a coach who resonates with our girls and meets their specific preferences”

Throughout the search, many potential candidates were contacted. However, the club was met with few responses, as well as several last-minute cancellations and no-shows.

The team will continue to look for a coach who is more representative of its members and hopes to find the right match soon.

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Lack of special need provision in schools ‘failing children’, says Harrogate mother

A Harrogate mother has criticised special educational needs provision in North Yorkshire as “failing children” after her four-year-old was placed into a mainstream school.

Emily Mitchell, whose daughter Elsie is non-verbal, has been diagnosed with autism and of high need, said schools for special educational needs lacked funding and staff to cope with demand.

Ms Mitchell made the comments after she said her daughter’s needs were “disregarded” during a placement process.

Ahead of applying for schools last year, Elsie was given an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) which detailed her needs and was submitted to schools to consider.

Ms Mitchell, who runs a support group for neurodiverse children and their parents, said she was turned down by five mainstream schools and two specialist schools ahead of the school year starting in September.

The specialist schools, which included Springwater School in Starbeck, said they were up to capacity for pupils.

Meanwhile, the mainstream schools were unable to meet Elsie’s need.

Following the process, Ms Mitchell took North Yorkshire Council to mediation in May in order to resolve the issue.

However, despite assurances from professionals and Elsie’s pre-school that she would require specialist care, Ms Mitchell said the council decided to place her into a mainstream school.

Ms Mitchell said:

“After all that time and effort I get a phone call from the local authority to say because they can’t find anywhere to put Elsie, she will be placed in her local catchment mainstream school, who have already told the local authority they can’t meet need.

“But they have over ruled this and not given me any other choice.”

Emily Yeates and her three-year-old daughter Elsie at the first Neurodiverse Stay & Play event in Oatlands Community Centre.

Emily playing with her daughter Elsie.

Ms Mitchell has since taken the decision to appeal and submitted a formal complaint.

She said she feels the provision for special educational needs in North Yorkshire is failing children and described it as “unfair”.

Ms Mitchell said:

“This is so ridiculously unfair on poor Elsie as they are just disregarding her needs.

“There are no spaces for special educational needs children in the schools, not enough funding, not enough staff and the whole system are failing these children.

“I know for a fact Elsie isn’t the only child that is suffering because of this. It’s going to be traumatising for Elsie, so I’m fighting and taking this further.”

The Stray Ferret has approached North Yorkshire Council for a response, but had not received one by the time of publication.

Increase in demand

The council said in its own reports that it has a shortage of places for special educational needs and disabilities pupils.

According to a report in May this year, the authority estimated that since 2016 the number of children and young people with SEND and an Education, Health and Care Plan has increased by more than 110% across the county.

Currently, there are 4,500 children with an EHCP in North Yorkshire and the council estimates it will need an additional 350 SEND school places over the next three to five years to meet demand.

In a report, it said:

“The growth in numbers of autistic children and other communication and interaction needs is the single largest area of growth and the local authority has a duty to have a range of provision to meet those needs including mainstream schools, resource bases and special schools.”

Last month, the council launched a consultation on converting the former Woodfield Primary School in Harrogate into a school for children with autism.

It also announced plans to expand Springwater School in Starbeck by an additional 45 places in February.

Headteachers unite to support 20mph speed limit near Harrogate schools

The leaders of 13 schools and education settings in Harrogate have called for councillors to commit to urgent road safety improvements when they meet on Tuesday

The road safety group, which also includes campaigners and local councillors, met yesterday at Ashville College as part of its ongoing bid to create safer streets for 9,000 pupils.

North Yorkshire Council will consider on Tuesday how to respond to a petition calling for a maximum speed of 20mph across south and west Harrogate — covering Oatlands and parts of Pannal, Stray, Hookstone and St Georges areas in Harrogate. The agenda for the meeting is here.

Councillors on the Harrogate and Knaresborough area constituency committee passed a motion supporting the measures last year. But it requires the support of the council’s ruling Conservative-controlled executive to proceed.

Cllr Keane Duncan, the Conservative executive councillor for highways, appeared to dampen hopes this week when he said the council planned to draw up a speed management strategy rather than agree to 20mph limits.

Cllr Pat Marsh, the Liberal Democrat chair of the area constituency committee, described the move as “kicking the can down the road”.

But school leaders and campaigners remain hopeful of a successful outcome. In a joint statement, they said:

“There is strong evidence from studies of the positive impacts of maximum speeds of 20mph, and we urge the members of the executive to approve the motion, so safer roads can be created for our schools and the wider community, with a clear programme and timeframe for delivery.

“A maximum speed of 20mph is a key foundation in creating a safer urban environment for all and it encourages healthy active travel choices, from door to destination, around the community. “

The road safety group added whatever the outcome, it will “continue to push for investment in the safety of the roads around our schools, including: maximum speeds of 20mph, upgraded crossings, better use of double yellow lines, and repairs to damaged or outdated pavements, barriers and kerbs”.

Hazel Peacock hands the road safety petition to Elizabeth Jackson of North Yorkshire Council

Campaigner Hazel Peacock handing the road safety petition to North Yorkshire Council in May.

Cllr John Mann, a Conservative who represents Oatlands and Pannal, said he welcomed the council’s recommendation “to undertake a series of planned speed limit reviews delivered over a period of time, which will generate a pipeline of schemes”.

He added:

“Given the tragic road accidents that have recently occurred near to schools in Oatlands this year, I am calling for my recent applications for 20mph limits for Yew Tree Lane, Green Lane and Hookstone Road to be given a high priority in the highways pipeline of schemes for the introduction of 20mph limits.”

Cllr Mann said he would allocate his £10,000 locality budget, which each councillor receives to spend on local initiatives, for road safety schemes.

The school leaders who attended yesterday’s meeting were:

Richard Sheriff, chief executive, Red Kite Learning Trust
Jane Goodwin, interim chief executive, Yorkshire Causeway Schools Trust
Dave Thornton, interim headteacher and Iain Addison, deputy head at St Aidan’s CE School
Neil Renton, headteacher, Harrogate Grammar School
Tim Milburn, headteacher, Rossett School
Rhiannon Wilkinson, headteacher and Richard Rooze, bursar at Ashville College
Corrine Penhale, headteacher, Rossett Acre Primary School
Tim Broad, headteacher, Western Primary School
Zoe Anderson, headteacher, Oatlands Infant School
Estelle Scarth, headteacher, Oatlands Junior School
Steve Mort, headteacher, St John Fisher’s Catholic High School
Dr Helen Davey, headteacher/Emma Mitchell, business manager, Willow Tree Primary
Jane Turner, headteacher, Pannal Primary School
Victoria Kirkman, executive headteacher, Admiral Long and Birstwith CE schools and interim executive headteacher, Ripley Endowed CE, Beckwithshaw & Kettlesing Schools
Danny Wild, principal and Kate Herbert, performance and projects co-ordinator, Harrogate College

Campaigners who attended:

Hazel Peacock and Dr Vicki Evans – Oatlands Road Safety and Active Travel Campaign
Dr Jenny Marks and Ruth Lily – Pannal Ash Safe Streets

Business Breakfast: Harrogate Town announces community scheme sponsor

Harrogate Town has announced Blossom Homecare as sponsors of its community programme.

The homecare provider, which covers Ripon and Harrogate, has agreed to sponsor the club’s Talk of the Town scheme.

The sessions, which are run by Harrogate Town AFC Community Foundation, are aimed at reducing social isolation and improving both physical and mental wellbeing by bringing people together in a welcoming and safe environment.

Joanne Towler, commercial director at Harrogate Town, said:

“The collaboration with Blossom Homecare brings invaluable expertise and resources to the programme. As a trusted provider of homecare services,

“Blossom Homecare can contribute their knowledge in promoting health, well-being, and community outreach. Through their involvement, the partnership can further expand its reach and impact, offering assistance to those in need and facilitating meaningful connections.”

More than 100 businesses sign up to Harrogate College network

More than 100 employers have signed up to Harrogate College’s employers’ network.

The network was set up to help create a direct link between businesses and the college to help tailor work and training opportunities for students.

Danny Wild, principal of Harrogate College.

Now, the scheme has 103 members – a four fold increase since its first meeting in 2021.

Danny Wild, principal at Harrogate College, said:

“It’s fantastic to see the network growing so fast. To have gained more than 100 members in under two years is a real achievement – and a sign that we’re building something special here.

“The feedback we gain from businesses is invaluable and helps us identify and address any gaps in our courses, so we can keep ahead of the curve in terms of meeting emerging training needs.

“Our students also benefit from meeting employers when they come along to support our events, like recruitment fairs, or give guest talks – and this in turn helps them secure work placements or apprenticeships.”