For most people, the Great Knaresborough Bed Race is all about fun and supporting good causes.

But for some, it’s also a highly competitive 2.4-mile mad dash across town and river while pushing a bed.

The elite teams train hard for the glory of arriving back at Conyngham House first and it’s doubtful whether anyone has had more success in the event’s 57-year history than Chris Miller, 41, who led the GH Brooks team to victory in 13 minutes and five seconds last week.

It was Chris’ 12^th success in the race since he first took part in 2003, making him the Novak Djokovic of the bed race. He chalked up nine wins with Harrogate Harriers before having a break and landing three more with GH Brooks.

The GH Brooks team leading with Chris (left)

The GH Brooks team is on a four-race winning streak. Its reserve team even managed third, with Ripon Runners second in the men’s race and first in the women’s.

GH Brooks is a builders’ merchants in Harrogate and although the name conjures up images of guys in high vis jackets with jeans hanging down their backsides beating a load of runners, the truth is more prosaic.

They are the Harlem Globetrotters of the bed race — local running superstars hand-picked for the event thanks to the support of GH Brooks owner Andy Broadwith. Chris confesses:

“We are a team of ringers. We are all mates who race for local clubs.”

Chris represents Wharfedale Harriers, others run for Harrogate Harriers and Leeds City Athletic Club. But nothing on the track or fell compares with the bedlam of bed race, where tens of thousands of people line the midsummer streets.

Running for Wharfedale

He says:

“It’s just mad. When you come by the World’s End pub you are just hit by this wall of noise.”

Elite local runners are queueing up to be part of the GH Brooks success story but Chris, who by day is a scientist, is understandably reluctant to break up a winning team. John Young, with six race wins, is another major part of the success.

Don’t even think of applying if you can’t manage a five-minute mile — and not many can. To maintain that pace while pushing a bed up winding, undulating streets and swimming across the Nidd is extraordinary.

“You have to be a competitive standard because you’re only as fast as your slowest runner. You’ve got to be prepared to be hurt and then hurt again.

“Experience helps but it’s down to having six runners who are all of a similar standard.”

This year’s time was six seconds slower than last year, when GH Brooks became the first to dip below 13 minutes.

But Chris says it was the “hottest and hardest” bed race he’s done.

Winning with Harrogate Harriers

How long will he continue? A couple of years, he says, but admits bed race is addictive. He will send out the call after Christmas to see who wants to enter and doesn’t expect many refusals. He says:

“People say afterwards ‘I think this will be my last one’ but when it rolls round they want to do it again. There’s nothing like it.”

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Sergeant Paul Cording is delighted yet slightly baffled to have been recognised in the King’s Birthday Honours list.

The roads policing officer, who is based in Harrogate, has received a British Empire Medal for services to policing.

He told the Stray Ferret:

“It’s a bit bonkers.

“I’m just doing my job and none of us in the emergency services do anything for recognition. We joined because we want to make a difference.”

He has known about the award for around a month, having received a letter “on His Majesty’s service”. Sgt Cording said:

“My wife was working at home and was on some sort of probably very important Teams call and I was just standing with this letter in my hand, shaking.”

After his wife ended the call, Sgt Cording said “it got a bit emotional” as he told her what the letter contained.

Until last night, she was the only person he had told about the award, for which he was nominated by the chief constable’s office.

Sgt Cording has been with North Yorkshire Police since the start of his career in 2001, moving into roads policing in 2010.

Leading a team of roads policing officers, he has become well-known for tweeting from the scene of collisions and sharing results from arrests.

He views that work as part of his role, saying:

“I do the easy bit and share results. I’m very lucky to have a lot of people following and supporting us on social media.

“It definitely humanises what we do and takes away that image of traffic cops hiding behind a bush with a speed camera.”

Sgt Cording and his team also feature regularly on Channel 5’s Traffic Cops, filmed across the region.

Agreeing to be on national TV was a step up from being on Twitter, but soon became second nature – and he believes has been another positive move in humanising the police. He said:

“I was a bit worried to start with, but it becomes normal. It’s a cliche, but you forget the cameras are there.

“There’s the odd person who will play up to the camera, but the majority of people, if they’ve done something wrong, the last thing they want to do is look an idiot on national telly. The majority behave as I would expect.”

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Sgt Cording’s BEM is not just for his professional service to North Yorkshire Police, however.

It also recognises his charity work: the many challenges he has taken on to raise money for road safety organisations and other good causes.

He has completed the Marathon des Sables, the Great North Run, and other half-marathons over the last 15 years.

Earlier this year, Sgt Cording decided to cover 325km in just a week reflecting the 325 people killed or seriously injured on the roads of North Yorkshire in 2021.

It is the most recent in a string of fundraisers for charities including RoadPeace, Brake and Road Safety Talks, run by Lauren Doherty, who was left paralysed after being hit by a car while walking home when she was just a teenager.

She now shares her story with school children, emphasising the need to be careful at all times and describing the impact of her decision to cross a road at the wrong moment – not just on her, but on everyone around her.

Motivation

Lauren helped to put together the nomination for Sgt Cording’s BEM, along with other people he has worked closely with over recent years.

He says supporting charities like Lauren’s is a continuation of the work he and his team do every day:

“I get my drive from doing my bit for families at their lowest ebb. In this role, I’m not always dealing with drunken idiots. I get to see people who need support because their world has just fallen apart.

“That dovetails nicely into the charity side of things. We deal with the front end of the collision. These people whose lives have just been shattered need support going forward too.”

There are personal reasons for some of his fundraising as well.

Over the last five years, four officers in North Yorkshire Police have taken their own lives, including Mick “Aky” Atkinson. Sgt Cording has been a regular participant in the Tour de Aky cycle ride in his memory

Sgt Cording recognises the challenges police officers can have in dealing with some of the harrowing scenes they face at work.

For him, as well as raising money, exercise is a way to maintain good mental health, getting out into nature and taking time away from his day job and his social media account.

There will be no getting away from the many messages he’ll be receiving today though, after the honours list was published last night.

On shift from 7am, he’s expecting to be providing the cakes for the team to mark the occasion. A date at Buckingham Palace awaits in the coming weeks.

Until then, it’s business as usual.

A Harrogate business owner will be setting out on the challenge of a lifetime next week, inspired by the people who cared for his late aunt.

Simon Gregory is planning to ride 1,000 kilometres — more than 620 miles — in just 48 hours to raise money for Macmillan Cancer Support.

His aunt, Rev Ruth Scott, was cared for by a Macmillan nurse after being diagnosed with lymphoma until her death in 2019, aged 60.

Simon is no stranger to challenges, having completed a 288-mile ride in 24 hours in 2021 for the same cause. He told the Stray Ferret:

“The first one I did two years ago was 100% about Ruth. This one has been more about Ruth’s journey and a lot about the Macmillan nurse who supported Ruth and us.

“When I did the last ride, people were telling me stories about having cancer or losing people to cancer without that support that Macmillan provide. That just scared the life out of me. I want everyone to be able to get the support Ruth had and that we had.”

For this challenge, Simon will head to Ardnamurchan Point in west Scotland, from where he will set off next Friday at noon.

He will cycle the length of Britain, aiming to finish at Winchester Cathedral at noon on Sunday.

The aim of the ride is to raise £25,000 – enough to fund 101 days of care from Macmillan nurses, in tribute to the nurse who cared for Ruth.

The two ends of the route have particular significance to Ruth and her family, he said.

“Some of her ashes are scattered near where I’m starting. The Isle of Mull and Iona were her happy place – somewhere she went to rest and recharge. The rest of the ashes are interred at Winchester.”

Simon is completing the ride to raise funds for Macmillan nurses, who supported Rev Ruth Scott.

While the ride itself will be challenging enough, the training has also been gruelling.

Simon has spent long hours on his bike, setting out on rides of up to 20 hours from his home in Harrogate in recent weeks.

Early in his training, he got hypothermia after encountering a freezing hilltop on an otherwise warm day. Last year, he had two operations on his shoulder after shattering his collarbone when his bike slipped on black ice.

He said:

“I’ve had interesting things, like chains breaking and punctures. A couple of weekends ago I get sun stroke, which was fun.

“There have been hard times. I’ve got my nutrition wrong and ‘bonked’, which means there’s nothing left in the tank and I’ve had to lie in a ditch and eat stuff and wait until I could get going again.”

Support crew

Fitting all of the training and recovery around his job running a recruitment business with his wife, and spending time with their two young children, has been a challenge – but he says being busy has also helped to keep the nerves at bay.

He has also been given support from his business, Returners’ Tribe, Paria, Precision Fuel & Hydration, and Starling bar in Harrogate, whose founder, Simon Midgeley, will be part of the first support crew setting off with Simon to Scotland next Thursday.

As well as offering practical support in shifts en route, the support crews – made up of close friends and family – will keep him focused during the 48-hour challenge. Simon said:

“I think it’s going to be very emotional. It’s not just about me and Ruth – it’s the other people involved in the support team.

“I’m going to be carried by the names of other people: my sponsors have put loved ones’ names on the bike, people who have survived cancer or who have supported them through cancer. I’ve even got the name of a dog who’s survived cancer.

“There are 23 names on the bike. Having them with me is going to add to that emotion.

“48 hours is an awfully long time, so it’s going to be a whole range of emotions, a whole spectrum of emotions, some I won’t expect, some I am anticipating.”

To get ready for the event and boost his fundraising, Simon will be on his turbo trainer outside Marks and Spencer on Parliament Street in York tomorrow, collecting donations from shoppers.

To follow Simon’s progress on his Instagram page, click here. Find out more about the challenge and donate to his fundraising on his JustGiving page.

Read more:

• Harrogate nephew of former broadcaster to cycle 1,000km in 48 hours
• Dad to cycle 1,600km to fund research into late wife’s cancer

Two prolific burglars have been jailed for stealing over £6,000 of tobacco from a Co-op store in Starbeck.

Brazen duo John Barnes, 34, and Ryan Mulvaney, 48, hauled a duvet down the street to help them break into the shop on the High Street.

They forced their way in by smashing rear fire doors and reportedly used the duvet to avoid treading on broken glass, York Crown Court heard.

They then bagged £6,220 of cigarettes and tobacco and £627 cash, carrying the loot in two large boxes but leaving the duvet behind.

Prosecutor Lydia Pearce said police were alerted to the store’s burglar alarm going off at about 4.30am on May 23.

They retrieved CCTV from the area around the shop which showed two men walking towards the store with a duvet about five minutes before the break-in.

The same two men are then seen leaving the store carrying two large boxes and returning to a nearby flat. 

The video footage then shows them leaving the flat with an unnamed woman and getting into a taxi which took them to Tewit Well Road.

At 9am on the same day, police were alerted to “suspicious activity” in Victoria Avenue by a member of the public who heard “somebody talking about getting rid of some gear”.

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A police constable stopped Mulvaney and Barnes, who gave a false name but was identified by his fingerprints. Both men were identified on CCTV.

During a subsequent search, officers seized the cigarette boxes and other items such as scratch cards stolen in the burglary. 

They also found a man bag at a flat in Spa Lane which Mulvaney had been wearing at the time of the raid. He was also found in possession of heroin and police seized cannabis from Barnes. 

Officers also seized £627 cash from the property, said Ms Pearce.

Both men were arrested and charged with burglary which they admitted. Mulvaney also admitted possessing heroin and Barnes admitted possessing cannabis and obstructing a police officer by giving a false name.

111 previous offences

The two career criminals appeared for sentence today after being remanded in custody.

Barnes, from Harrogate but of no fixed address, had 33 previous convictions for 64 offences including 25 thefts. He was most recently convicted of two burglaries in March 2022 for which he received a five-month prison sentence.

Mulvaney, also from Harrogate but of no fixed abode, had a criminal record comprising 111 previous offences including 55 thefts. His most recent burglary conviction was in October 2020 when he was jailed for three years and four months.

In that incident, Mulvaney broke into the Harrogate home of a poorly man who was resting in bed. He climbed through an open window at the house in Stonefall Avenue and stole an envelope containing £1,000 from the living room.

Mulvaney was still on prison licence for that offence when he burgled the Co-op which resulted in him being recalled to jail.

Defence barrister David Ward, for Barnes, said his client was a homeless crack-cocaine and cannabis addict and spent his time “just wandering, aimless”.

Kevin Blount, for Mulvaney, said his client had been recalled to prison until February next year and knew he would be given further jail time for the Co-op burglary.

Recorder Ian Mullarkey said it was clear that the duvet had been used to “facilitate” the break-in, probably to protect the burglars from broken glass. 

He said that both men had “extensive records” and there was “significant loss” to the Co-op.

Mulvaney and Barnes were each jailed for eight months.

The Yorkshire Party candidate to be North Yorkshire mayor next year quit the party after a disagreement over a policy to hand out free chickens.

Keith Tordoff, who is from Pateley Bridge, pledged in an interview to give three chickens to 20,000 households in North Yorkshire.

But the policy had not been discussed in detail with the Yorkshire Party and thus Mr Tordoff will now seek election as an independent candidate.

He announced his resignation from the party this week.

Other disagreements included the Yorkshire Party’s website ‘not being up to date’ and there not being enough volunteers.

Mr Tordoff said:

 “They don’t like stories like the chicken story.

“They really tried to clamp down and said that shouldn’t have been released.

“I’ve been contacted by one of the largest egg producers in the country saying they want to offer help.

“It stimulated the imagination of people but the Yorkshire Party leadership didn’t think it was appropriate and would make the party look a bit foolish or silly.”

Read more:

• Pateley Bridge man resigns as Yorkshire Party mayoral candidate
• Yorkshire Party mayoral candidate promises free chickens if elected

Mr Tordoff also said he recorded a promotional song based on the lyric in Dire Straits’ Money For Nothing ‘your chicks for free’.

He said:

“They didn’t want me to release that.

“It’s not going to diminish anything but unfortunately they couldn’t quite see through it.

“I don’t think they quite have the drive, the vision, the imagination, or my appeal to people to work on projects.”

Although he wished the Yorkshire Party the best, Mr Todoff said its leadership “went over the top” on their crackdown of his policy.

He said:

“They couldn’t grasp it.”

Yorkshire Party co-leader Bob Buxton said: 

“Keith is used to being independent.

“He came up with the chicken story and that perhaps took away the emphasis from more substantial policies.

“I’m not saying it’s a bad policy but I would have liked to have fleshed it out a bit more.

“He’s very autonomous.

“It was all very polite but he felt and we felt it was best to part ways.”

The party will field a different candidate following the by-election in Selby and Ainsty triggered by Boris Johnson ally Nigel Adams.

Four trees on the Stray in Harrogate are to be felled by North Yorkshire Council.

The trees, close to Beech Grove, are deemed to be in poor condition and pose a safety risk due to their proximity to the road.

Resident Chris Graville sent us this video of one of the trees being cut down.

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

“This lime tree is one of four along Beech Grove on the Stray which are in poor condition and are to be removed as they are deemed high risk due to their position next to the road.

“This work is in line with the national tree and woodland policy which ensures two trees are planted to replace every one cut down.

“This means we are sustaining and increasing the number of trees across the county.”

North Yorkshire Council took over responsibility for managing the Stray on April 1, when Harrogate Borough Council was abolished.

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A million pound farmhouse near Harrogate could be won for just £10 in a prize draw.

The American company Omaze today announced the 17th century property between Hampsthwaite and Birstwith, which also comes with a guest cottage, as its latest million pound prize draw.

The draws, which take place every two months, raise money for charities and Omaze keeps 20 per cent of net proceeds. The firm said it has raised £13.25 million for charities since its UK launch in 2020.

Omaze’s latest property in Nidderdale, which is its first in the Harrogate district, will generate funds for Blood Cancer UK.

The gardens of the house near Birstwith

The winner will receive £100,000 in cash as well as the farmhouse, which is estimated to have an annual rental value of almost £50,000.

Blood Cancer UK supporter, Celia Imrie, who starred in the film Calendar Girls, has backed the draw.

She was reunited with original Calendar Girls Tricia Stewart and Lynda Logan, as well as Lynda’s husband Terry, the famous calendar’s photographer – to mark the launch of Blood Cancer UK’s latest partnership with Omaze.

The Calendar Girls reunited to support the cause.

In a promotional video, Lynda joked:

“It’s only 10 minutes away from where I live so I’ll be popping round for a cup of sugar.”

The draw closes on July 30 for online entries and August 1 for postal entries.

James Oakes, chief international officer at Omaze, said:

“By offering this beautiful property, along with £100,000 in cash, we’re giving people the chance to live mortgage and rent free for the rest of their life – as well as raising money for charities whilst introducing them to brand new audiences.

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Labour has selected 26-year-old Keir Mather to fight the Selby and Ainsty by-election, triggered by the resignation of Conservative MP Nigel Adams.

Oxford history and politics graduate Mr Mather is a former parliamentary researcher who works as a senior public affairs advisor at the Confederation of British Industry.

Mr Mather, who would become one of the youngest MPs, was born in Hull and grew up near Selby.

His candidacy was supported by the unions GMB and Unison.

Many villages close to Harrogate, Knaresborough and Boroughbridge, including Spofforth, Follifoot, Kirkby Overblow, Goldsborough, Little Ouseburn, Nun Monkton, Green Hammerton and Kirk Hammerton, will go to the polls on July 20.

The Conservatives, who will defend a 20,137 in the by-election on July 20, have named Michael Naughton as their candidate while the Greens have selected Arnold Warneken.

It is expected to be a close contest between the Tories and Labour, with political forecasting website Electoral Calculus predicting a 55% chance of Labour victory and a 45% chance of Conservative victory.

A by-election in Boris Johnson’s Uxbridge and South Ruislip constituency will also take place on the same date.

Mr Mather said:

“It is an honour to have been selected to fight to represent this brilliant constituency. Whilst the Conservatives are too distracted by their own chaos to deliver, the people of Selby and Ainsty have been left without a voice.

“We are facing the worst fall in living standards in a generation. Mortgages are up, our public services are broken, and the economy is stagnating.”

Read more:

• Tories and Greens name candidates as local by-election looms
• Selby and Ainsty MP resigns with immediate effect

Harrogate may be experiencing wall-to-wall sunshine and high temperatures, but for one street, thoughts will turn to Christmas this weekend.

The Commercial Street Jamboree has been organised to raise funds for Supporting Older People to put on a Christmas meal for elderly people who live alone.

The event will also contribute to Harrogate Hospital and Community Charity‘s funds for an entertainer to visit the children’s ward at Harrogate District Hospital.

SOP will hold a book stall on the street, while Harrogate Hospital Radio will be broadcasting from the street. The independent shops along the street will also be getting into the fun of the event, which takes place tomorrow, Saturday, June 17, from 2pm.

Wave Aquariums will be offering face painting, Lilly’s Cafe will fire up the barbecue, and there will be an open mic and family entertainment.

Sue Kramer, chair of the Commercial Street Retailers group and owner of Crown Jewellers, said:

A longstanding garage in Hampsthwaite has resubmitted plans for a new MOT building.

Simon Graeme Auto Services Centre, which is based on Grayston Plain Lane, applied to relocate to the opposite side of the road last year.

The garage, situated just off the A59 near Hampsthwaite, has been established for over 25 years.

The move would have seen a new purpose-built facility created and the current MOT centre and car park demolished.

The new garage would also have included units for MOT servicing, training space and a reception and office. Fifteen car parking spaces would be provided, including six electric vehicle charging points.

However, Harrogate Borough Council rejected the proposal on the grounds that the development site was in open countryside and considered to be “unsustainably located”.

Read more:

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Now, the garage has resubmitted the plans to North Yorkshire Council which include a reduced MOT building size with the removal of the office and reception.

It adds the new building would be used in association with the current base on the other side of the road, which would be retained.

Documents submitted to the council said:

“The proposed building will be used in association with the existing business which will be retained – as such main reception area will be as existing with service / MOT bay and the new building will enable the business to meet its growing demand and also provide safe space to service electric vehicles and larger leisure / agricultural vehicles.”

The company added the new building was required in order for the business to adapt to changes in the industry.

It said:

“The proposed development seeks to create and deliver a simple, functional building to enable the business to grow and adapt to the changing needs of the business arising from growth of EV / hybrid vehicles and demand for servicing of larger leisure and agricultural vehicles.”

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