Bathers took to Swinsty reservoir on Sunday as part of a mass trespass aimed at promoting the right to swim in UK open waters.
It is illegal to swim in Yorkshire Water-owned reservoirs, including Swinsty.
The company and North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service issued a joint plea on Friday urging people not to enter reservoirs on safety grounds.
Yorkshire Water estimates 277 accidental drownings occurred in 2021, of which five were in North Yorkshire. Eighty-two percent of the 277 fatalities occurred inland, at reservoirs, lakes and rivers.
Ramblers take part in an annual gathering at Kinder in Derbyshire to mark the 1932 protest that established the right to roam.
But swimmers have taken to the United Utilities-owned Kinder reservoir to exercise “the uncontested right to swim in open water” as part of the protest in the last three years following the boom in wild swimming
Swinsty on Sunday. Pic: Len Downes
Sunday’s gathering at Swinsty in the Washburn Valley took place on the same day as the Kinder trespass.
Kate Rew, founder of the Outdoor Swimming Society, told the Stray Ferret:
“We were there and we communicated to our members about it — but no one organised it, it was a happening.”
Pic: Len Downes
Alastair Harvey, lead countryside and woodland advisor at Yorkshire Water, said last week:
“It is vital those visiting our sites stay out of the water, no matter how tempting it may appear. Cold water shock, undercurrents and operating machinery all pose dangers to people deciding to enter the water.”
North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue said in a statement:
“Reservoirs can be extremely dangerous and swimming in them can soon become serious, or even fatal – even if you are a strong swimmer.”
Read more:
- Reservoir swimming warning amid planned ‘mass swim’ at Swinsty
- Swinsty and Fewston parking charges to include ‘season ticket’
Harrogate and Knaresborough to host international orienteering race
An international orienteering event is set to be held in Harrogate and Knaresborough.
The EuroCity races will be held this July and see participants compete in multiple locations including Cordoba, Vigo, Ghent and Sopot/Gdansk.
Harrogate and Knaresborough are set to host parts of the race on July 15 and 16.
The event is set to see between 300 and 500 participants take part.
Kay Hawke, project officer at British Orienteering, said:
“It is a typical orienteering event where participants wear an electronic timing chip and receive a map at the Start (they are not allowed to see the map beforehand).
“They must visit all of the controls (checkpoints) on their map in numerical order, choosing what they think is the best way between the checkpoints, simple – fastest time (and controls completed correctly) wins.”
Read more:
She added:
“The beauty of the sport is that following someone may not be the best option anyway, especially if they have chosen a longer route to a control.”
The Saturday will see a short sprint event based from and around the grounds of Knaresborough Castle, while Sunday will see an urban event around the streets of Harrogate.
For more information on the EuroCity race and how to take part, visit the website here.
Harrogate auction house sees 50 year old bottle of whisky fetch £12,000The next time someone at work gifts you a bottle of whisky, you might want to think twice before you open it.
A bottle of whisky that was consigned to Tennants Auctioneers in Harrogate has fetched £12,000 hammer price at auction.
The seller had been given it by a colleague a number a years ago and hadn’t realised how much it had appreciated in value.
The bottle was a Macallan 1940, 50 Year Old Single Speyside Malt Scotch Whisky — one of the most collectable whiskies which has dramatically increased in value over the last 20 years.
The whisky was distilled on January 1 1940 and laid down by Macallan for 30 years, before the cask was bought by independent bottlers Gordon and Macphail.
They moved the cask to their warehouses in Elgin where it remained maturing for another 20 years before being bottled. It formed part of Gordon and Macphail’s Speymalt range and was sold with its original presentation case and certificate.
Macallan still continues to dominate the whisky market at auction.
The bottle was sold at Tennants’ fine wine and whisky sale at its auction house in Leyburn, North Yorkshire, on Friday.
Read More:
- Ripon’s Studley Royal House goes on market — for £8 million
- Business Breakfast: Bettys and Taylors of Harrogate wins King’s Award
Business Breakfast: Harrogate mobile company partners with United States firm
It’s time to join the Stray Ferret Business Club. The fourth in our series of networking events, with Banyan Bar & Kitchen, is a breakfast event on April 27 from 8am.
Don’t miss out on this chance to network with businesses from across the Harrogate district. Get your tickets by clicking or tapping here.
A Harrogate mobile applications company has announced a partnership with an American telecommunications company.
Mobile Tornado, which is based at Cardale Park, has partnered with Stolz Telecom, which provides telecommunication services to public safety and enterprise sectors in the United States.
The partnership will see the American company act a reseller for Mobile Tornado’s push-to-talk over cellular and workforce management technologies in the US.
Luke Wilkinson, of Mobile Tornado, said:
“We are delighted to be partnering with Stolz Telecom, a highly respected company in its field. This partnership will open up new growth opportunities for Mobile Tornado in the United States.”
Robert Stolz, president of Stolz Telecom, said:
“Our vision is to create safer, more proactive organisations by redefining the boundaries of critical communications.
“We are excited to be able to offer Mobile Tornado’s world-leading solutions to our customers, the people who keep our communities safe.”
Directors group celebrates 120th anniversary
Business leaders across Yorkshire are celebrating the 120th anniversary of the Institute of Directors.
The group was formed in 1903 and granted a Royal Charter in 1906 ‘to represent the interests of members and of the business community to government and in the public arena.
Jon Geldart, director general at Institute for Directors.
To mark its 120th anniversary, IoD members are gathering at their prestigious London headquarters – 116 Pall Mall – on 13 June to celebrate with networking, exhibitions, speeches and a tour of our iconic building.
IoD Director General Jon Geldart said:
“We are very proud of our heritage as the voice for business and directors across the home nations.
“The IoD is also a movement for good, shaping regional and national agendas and influencing policy makers and government.”
Read more:
- Business Breakfast: Harrogate businesswoman wins lifetime achievement award
- Business Breakfast: Harrogate property specialists move to new office
Man pleads guilty to failing to stop after serious crash in Harrogate
A man has pleaded guilty to failing to stop and report a serious crash on Harrogate’s Cold Bath Road last year.
Harris Hendry-Hussain, of Swinton Court, Harrogate, appeared before Harrogate Magistrates Court this morning charged with three offences.
The 21-year-old, who spoke only to confirm his name and address, was charged with driving without insurance, failing to stop after a road accident and failing to report the accident.
The prosecution told the court Hendry-Hussain was driving a Volkswagen Golf on the morning of the incident on March 6, 2022.
At 3.10am, police were called when Hendry-Hussain’s car crashed into two parked cars on Cold Bath Road.
The prosecution said a male, who was a passenger in the Volkswagen, was left at the scene and required hospital treatment for neck and back injuries.
Read more:
It added the 21-year-old was later identified on CCTV fleeing the scene of the crash.
In a statement at the time, North Yorkshire Police said it was only by “sheer luck” that no one died as a result of the collision.
Hendry-Hussain pleaded guilty to all three charges put to him in court this morning.
Harrogate Magistrates Court adjourned the case for sentencing on May 11.
Highest-paid staff at former Harrogate council take up new rolesThe most senior officers at Harrogate Borough Council have started new roles at North Yorkshire Council this month.
Trevor Watson, Paula Lorimer, Paul Foster, Rachel Joyce and Jennifer Norton have all taken up positions in the senior management structure of the new unitary authority and will be paid between £79,000 and £111,500.
Former chief executive Wallace Sampson was the only senior member of staff not to automatically transfer over to North Yorkshire Council on April 1 after he agreed a redundancy package worth £101,274.
Mr Watson had a high-profile role at Harrogate Borough Council as director of economy, environment and housing and is now assistant director of planning at NYC. He is paid a salary of £101,500.
Rachel Joyce has gone from director of corporate affairs at the borough council to assistant chief executive – local engagement at North Yorkshire Council and is now paid £111,500 a year.
Read more:
- Liberal Democrats back creation of Harrogate town council
- Have your say on new development plan for Pannal and Burn Bridge
Paula Lorimer remains the Harrogate Convention Centre director and the person in charge of the town’s conference and exhibitions facility. She is paid £107,995.
Former head of finance Paul Foster has begun his new role as assistant director of resources on a salary of between £99,000 and £101,500.
The Civic Centre has been rebranded following this month’s changes.
Jennifer Norton, who was head of legal and governance at Harrogate Borough Council, is now assistant director of legal at North Yorkshire Council and is paid between £79,000 and £86,000.
Last week the TaxPayers’ Alliance, a pressure group that campaigns against ‘wasteful spending’ in the public sector published its annual Town Hall Rich List. It included a list of council officers who are paid a salary above £100,000.
John O’Connell, chief executive of the TaxPayers’ Alliance, said:
“Taxpayers facing record council tax rises want to be sure they are getting value for money from their local authority leadership.
“Many authorities continue with extremely generous pay and perks, including bonuses and golden goodbyes, while local people are facing a financial squeeze.”
North Yorkshire Council’s chief executive, Richard Flinton, said:
Police seek wanted man from Harrogate“The new North Yorkshire Council has the third largest population of any council nationally and covers the largest area in the country.
“Our senior managers oversee about 10,500 staff, excluding schools, and are responsible for managing an annual revenue budget of £1.4 billion.
“When it was being drawn up, the management pay structure analysed senior managers’ salaries against comparable authorities to ensure that they were in-line with expectations for roles at this level.
“It is also important to remember that the council is saving about £3.7 million in senior management pay every year by moving from eight councils to one authority, reducing the number of chief executives and senior officers.
“We want to ensure the council can retain and attract talented individuals to deliver essential services for our 615,000 residents and 33,000 businesses, and we believe our pay structure allows us to do that whilst also providing value for money for taxpayers.”
North Yorkshire Police have arrested a man following a wanted person appeal in Harrogate.
The force issued a statement saying Darren Atkinson, 37, was wanted in relation to a harassment offence. It added:
“Officers believe he may in the Harrogate area.
“Despite several enquiries they have not yet been able to located him.”
Anyone with information can contact North Yorkshire Police on 101, select option 1 and speak to the force control room. Quote reference 12230057307.
You can also report anonymously to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
Read more:
- Body found at Harewood was 250 metres outside police search area
- Harrogate train station set to have unmanned exit?
Striking teachers to hold Harrogate rally on Thursday
The National Education Union is to hold a rally in Harrogate on Thursday as part of a day of national strike action.
Teachers are due to strike on Thursday this week and Tuesday next week as part of their ongoing pay dispute with the government.
The action has been called after 98% of NEU members rejected the government’s latest pay offer.
Thursday’s rally by Britain’s largest teachers union will be held at Cambridge Crescent between 11am and noon and will include guest speakers from unions and the education sector.
Gary McVeigh-Kaye (pictured above), North Yorkshire branch secretary for the NEU, said:
“The government’s recent offer was an insult and in no way represented a serious negotiated settlement.
“Offering our members a 4.3% pay increase, whilst inflation is still over 10%, does not even begin to address the real terms pay cut of 24% most teachers have experienced under 13 years of Tory government.
“To add insult to injury, this pay increase was expected to be taken from already stretched school budgets.”
Mr McVeigh said the NEU had attracted 60,000 new members since its January strike ballot and called on the government to engage in “serious negotiations”.
Picket lines have been formed outside many schools in the Harrogate district on strike days.
Education Secretary Gillian Keegan has urged teachers to “get back to the classroom” and said a 4.5 per cent average pay rise would see the starting salary for a new teacher rise to £30,000.
Read more:
- Almost 500 appointments cancelled at Harrogate hospital due to junior doctors’ strike
- Union escalates dispute over transfer of Harrogate council staff
Harrogate train station set to have unmanned exit?
Harrogate train station could be set to have unmanned barriers on the exit leading to East Parade.
The barriers are currently monitored by staff, who help with ticket queries.
But a source contacted the Stray Ferret to say rail operator Northern planned to remove staff from the East Parade exit.
The source was concerned this posed safety risks if people needed to leave the station quickly and would also particularly inconvenience disabled people who require help at the barriers.
The Stray Ferret asked Northern if and when it planned to implement the new system and what response it had to the concerns.
Tony Baxter, regional director for Northern, said in a statement:
“We’re always looking at ways to improve the customer experience and passenger flow across our station estate, including Harrogate.
“Any improvement plans are always subject to rigorous safety and accessibility checks.”
Northern did not respond to a further email seeking clarification on when any changes would be implemented.
We also asked rail union the RMT if it had any concerns but it did not issue a response.
Read more:
- Don’t watch explicit videos on commute home from work, says Northern Rail
- Almost 500 appointments cancelled at Harrogate hospital due to junior doctors’ strike
Plan approved to convert former Cold Bath Road shop into bar and cafe
A plan to convert a former Cold Bath Road shop in Harrogate into a bar has been approved.
The proposal, which has been tabled by 17 Miles Ltd, will see the former store at 17 Cold Bath Road converted.
The building, next door to Lunns Blinds and Curtains, was previously occupied by Scandinavian clothes shop Bias, which has since moved to Montpellier Parade.
Now, North Yorkshire Council has approved a plan to convert it into a bar and cafe.
Documents submitted to the authority propose opening times from 4pm to 11pm Wednesday and Thursday, and 12pm to 11pm on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
Read more:
- Harrogate restaurant relaunches following £30,000 refurbishment
- Knaresborough Pure Gym confirms May opening date
However, further details, including the name, have yet to be revealed.
Cold Bath Road already has a selection of pubs and bars, including the Fat Badger, District Bar and The Last Post.