Follifoot riding group volunteers celebrate 30 years of service

A Follifoot disabled riding club is celebrating six of its volunteers reaching 30 years of service.

Follifoot Park Disabled Riders Group, which was established in 1986, has helped more than 100 riders from children to adults enjoy the benefits of horse riding.

The charity now has 120 volunteers who help those who are disabled to ride.

This past week, six of the group’s volunteers were awarded certificates for reaching three decades of service.

Beryl Fleming, one of those who reached the milestone, said:

“It is a real pleasure volunteering here and so rewarding to see the progress that our riders make and the fun that horse riding gives them.”

Morag Bennett, chair of the riding group, said:

“Volunteers are the lifeblood of our charity and we are lucky to have so many people willing to give up their time to help our riders.

“To have served for 30 years is a remarkable achievement and shows amazing dedication for which we’re very grateful. 

“We are also fortunate to be based at Follifoot Park Riding Centre, with its excellent facilities and continued support.”

For more information on the group and how to get involved, visit the charity’s website here.

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County council plans programme to tackle children being ‘enticed’ to vape

A public health boss has revealed how an educational programme to counter the social media marketing of vaping products to children was being developed, amid growing concerns about the number of youngsters being “enticed” into using e-cigarettes.

Cllr Michael Harrison, North Yorkshire County Council’s executive member for health and adult services, announced the move following the leader of Selby District Council questioning what action could be taken to reverse an apparent escalation in children vaping.

Cllr Mark Crane told a meeting of the county authority he was seeing more and more young people using vaping products, adding: 

“I see them in school uniforms and I also see ones that seem very young to me.”

A NHS survey in 2013 of 10,000 children found three per cent of children aged 11 to 15 had vaped, but last year the figure had risen to 10%.

Cllr Crane was speaking days after England’s chief medical officer called for a clampdown on firms who use social media sites, such as Tik Tok, to market colourful e-cigarettes with flavours such as pink lemonade and strawberry, banana and mango to youngsters.

Sir Chris Whitty told MPs it was beyond doubt that firms were designing vapes to appeal to children, branding their actions “appalling”.

It is believed e-cigarettes have increased in popularity with children due to their relatively low cost, bright colours and fruit flavours.

Last month, the leader of neighbouring council Stockton, Councillor Bob Cook said the authority would lobby for more regulation on vaping following concerns over growing under-age use of the products.

Meanwhile, Dr Elizabeth Garthwaite, a kidney specialist and clinical director at Leeds Teaching Hospitals, has told teenagers at Ripon Grammar School that an increasing numbers of young people were presenting to hospital with problems associated with addiction and vaping.

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She said while vaping products were initially designed as a nicotine replacement to help smokers break their addiction, vaping was far from harmless.

Cllr Harrison said there was “certainly something national government could do” to tackle the marketing, but the council was intent on educating people about the dangers of vaping.

He said: 

“It is illegal to sell vape materials to under-18s, but it is clear that there is marketing going on that is enticing under-18s to take up vaping…”

The meeting was told the authority’s public health team were working on a programme of education and awareness which would be rolled out across our schools and young people in the coming months.

Cllr Harrison said the authority recognised the place of e-cigarettes in helping people to give up smoking, but the council’s educational campaign would stress that neither habit was healthy.

Underlining the scale of the challenge to educate young people, he added: 

“You are fighting a battle if there’s advertising that is more prevalent on social media than mainstream media.”

Explained: What happens to bin collections in Harrogate after devolution?

A new council is set to take over in the Harrogate district in four weeks’ time.

Both Harrogate Borough Council and North Yorkshire County Council will make way for North Yorkshire Council on April 1.

While the move throws up questions over council tax and economic development, perhaps the first thought on residents’ minds is who is going to collect the bins?

In this article, we will explain what this means for waste collection and disposal in the district.

Who currently collects my bins?

At the moment, Harrogate Borough Council collects household bins across the district.

Waste collection staff employed by the borough council collect bins on a weekly basis.

This includes garden, general and recycling bins.

What about waste disposal?

Disposal of waste is currently a responsibility for North Yorkshire County Council.

It is responsible for household waste recycling centres, including those on Wetherby Road and Pennypot Lane in Harrogate and Dallamires Lane in Ripon.

The county council also oversees the Allerton Waste Recovery Park near Knaresborough, which recycles and converts biodegradable waste to biogas.  

What will happen on April 1?

On April 1, the borough council will no longer be responsible for waste collections as it will not exist.

Instead, North Yorkshire Council will take over the responsibility and bins will be collected as normal.

Staff who currently work for the borough council on waste collection will move over to the new authority.

The new council will also be responsible for the running of household waste recycling centres in the district, as well as Allerton Waste Recovery Park.

Residents may not notice much change in their collections. However, for council bosses, the idea is that the transition to the new authority is smooth.

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Is crime commissioner Zoe Metcalfe aiming to be North Yorkshire’s first mayor?

Zoe Metcalfe, the North Yorkshire Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner, is hoping to stand for election to become the county’s first mayor, the Stray Ferret understands.

A Conservative Party source has told the Stray Ferret that Ms Metcalfe had indicated she planned to launch a bid for the party’s nomination for next year’s mayoral election.

The mayor will oversee a significant budget for York and North Yorkshire and have the power to allocate funds to areas such as transport, education and housing.

He or she will also swallow up the commissioner’s role currently occupied by Ms Metcalfe.

Ms Metcalfe has strong local connections: she was born in Ripon, educated in Harrogate and lives near Boroughbridge.

A former Harrogate borough councillor, she was elected to her commissioner’s role in 2021 with 39.5% of the vote in a by-election caused by the resignation of fellow Conservative Philip Allott following comments he made about the murder of Sarah Everard.

Since taking up the role on a salary of £74,000, she has overseen the introduction of a Risk and Resource Model for North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service, which sets out how resources will be deployed from 2022 to 2025.

The changes included reducing Harrogate Fire Station’s nighttime cover from two fire engines to one.

The commissioner’s role gives Ms Metcalfe a countywide profile that could enhance her prospects of winning the Conservative nomination for mayor — a new role being created as part of North Yorkshire devolution.

The Stray Ferret contacted the crime commissioner’s office asking whether Ms Metcalfe planned to stand but did not receive a response.

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Harrogate council defends new ‘oversized’ bins

Harrogate Borough Council has defended installing new bins in Burton Leonard after concerns it is “oversized”.

The council installed the bin on the village green last month as part of changes to waste collection.

More than 250 of the facilities have been put in place across the district, with a further 450 to come.

Council officials said the new bins are able to be collected by waste vehicles, which means more time can be spent on litter picking.

However, residents have said the bins are not wheelchair accessible, are “eight to 10 times” bigger than normal bins and appear unsightly.

Burton Leonard Parish Council objected to the plan to install the bin.

It said:

“The parish council objected on the grounds that the proposed bins would appear incongruous in a conversation area. Other parishes objected on similar-grounds.”

A borough council spokesperson said:

“We want to ensure litter is kept to a minimum across the Harrogate district.

“The new litter bin infrastructure allows street bins to be emptied by our waste vehicles so reducing resource requirements, miles travelled and the associated carbon emissions.

“Meaning we can spend more time litter picking and keeping the district clean and looking its best.

“There are ongoing discussions with the parish council on the final location of one of the bins installed and we will work with them to find a satisfactory solution.”

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Harrogate district CCTV control room not manned due to staff shortages

A control room monitoring more than 200 CCTV cameras in the Harrogate district has not been manned at times over the last year due to staff shortages.

The control room, run by Harrogate Borough Council, oversees cameras operating 24 hours a day in Harrogate, Ripon and Knaresborough.

Control room staff are able to respond to police reports and track suspicious activity. Police can buy the footage to use as evidence in pursuing crimes.

Julia Stack, community safety and CCTV manager at the council, was asked by Councillor Victoria Oldham at a meeting of the council’s overview and scrutiny commission this week whether the room needed to be staffed.

Ms Stack replied the priority was to “man that service for 24 hours a day”, adding:

“I will be honest,. We have had some challenging issues in terms of recruitment within the last 12 months so there have been times when we have been unable to have the staff there but the cameras will be recording.”

Ms Stack added the team was now “almost at full complement of staff”.

Cllr Oldham, a Conservative who represents Washburn, replied:

“I’m aware of two incidents last week when it wasn’t manned and one of them could have been very embarrassing.”

Julia Stack

Julia Stack speaking at the meeting

Ms Stack said the service worked closely with police but added:

“There’s always the risk we may be dealing with one location and there may be something happening in another one. That is down unfortunately to consistent funding cuts to the service.”

The long-term future of the service when Harrogate Borough Council is abolished at the end of this month and North Yorkshire Council takes over is unclear.

Scarborough and Northallerton also have CCTV control rooms in the county and Ms Stack the service overall was inconsistent and would be reviewed.

Cllr Robert Windass

Cllr Windass speaking at the meeting

Councillor Robert Windass, a Conservative who represents Boroughbridge, said Boroughbridge had been “kicked out” of Harrogate Borough Council’s CCTV monitoring system years ago.

Cllr Windass said Boroughbridge Town Council now provided CCTV and, unlike Harrogate Borough Council, did not charge the police for accessing it. He said:

“If the police request footage for any crimes there is absolutely no charge because we consider it a valuable service we should provide and support to the police.”

Cllr Mike Chambers, the Conservative Cabinet member for housing and safer communities, replied:

“I agree it is a service that is valuable to the police. But we have a control room that has staff. If we don’t levy charges as many other departments within this council do then how do we pay for the staff?”

CCTV overlooking Harrogate’s Royal Hall

‘Limited resources’

After the meeting, the Stray Ferret asked Harrogate Borough Council about the control room staff situation and what will happen to the service when the council is abolished in four weeks.

A council spokesperson said:

“Our CCTV control room is in Harrogate and has five operators and one CCTV and business crime operations officer, as well as a small pool of casual staff who work alongside full-time officers, who are responsible for surveillance of cameras covering Knaresborough, Harrogate, Ripon and council buildings.

“They also undertake reviews and produce evidence for the police and other third parties, operate a RadioLink service and support a business crime partnership.

“Like ourselves, North Yorkshire Police have limited resources and even if the control room report an incident to the police, there is no guarantee that they are always in a position to respond straight away. Therefore, we ensure cameras record 24-hours a day, 365 days a year so that our staff can aim to get the best evidence to assist with any incidents.

“Closures are kept to a minimum and shifts are extended with staff work overtime to ensure sufficient support for the CCTV control room.

“In recent months, we have seen a limited number of applicants to the roles available. And once appointed, each post is subject to police vetting which takes times to be thoroughly carried out, followed by a two-month training period.

“However, we can confirm that two new appointments have recently been made.

“From 1 April there will be no change to the service.”

Does the Harrogate district still offer fashion on a budget?

The departure of New Look from the town centre this week has led to concerns over what the Harrogate district offers to people on low incomes.

Its closure, which reportedly came despite the company’s wish to stay in Harrogate, follows the departure of M&Co in Ripon when that company went into administration.

While many large brands remain, alongside new and long-standing independent businesses, the budget end of the market is less well-served.

Other than Primark, affordable fashion – especially for men – is hard to find anywhere in the Harrogate district, especially following the departure of the likes of H&M in recent years.

The issue is recognised by local organisations working with people on low incomes, including Harrogate and District Community Action.

Its information and communications officer Angela Jones said:

“Local charities in Harrogate district recognise the challenges of finding affordable food and clothing in the current economic climate and are very active in supporting people facing food and clothing poverty.

“HADCA signposts people to organisations who can help, including through our Where To Turn directory. Local charity shops also play a vital role, recycling unwanted clothing at a lower cost, whilst fundraising for their causes.”

Mike Procter

Mike Procter, co-ordinator of Harrogate Clothes Bank

Among the organisations supporting people who can’t afford to buy new clothes is Harrogate Clothes Bank.

Based on Hornbeam Park, the charity takes donations from individuals and passes them on to people who need them.

Its operations director, Mike Procter, said:

“We try to provide dignity to people who struggle to afford clothes. We try to create shopping experience.

“Everything we provide is free of charge. Customers can self-refer or be referred by a support organisation – no proof of referral or proof of low-income is required. We operate on a basis of trust.

“We have noticed a significant increase in customer numbers in last 12 months.”

The clothes bank was founded in 2016 by St Mark’s Church and is run by volunteers, including people of all faiths and none.

Last year, it saw 550 customers taking 8,000 items. It shared some of its clothes with other organisations, including Harrogate Homeless Project and the women’s refuge charity IDAS.

It also gave 700kg of clothing to a Ukrainian church via Harrogate’s Calvary Chapel, and 1,000kg to other clothes banks in West Yorkshire. A further 900kg of clothes were sold at a nominal price for reuse, recycling and repurposing.

The clothes bank is holding a fundraising end-of-season sale tomorrow, Saturday, March 4, from 10.30am to noon, with high-quality winter clothes for men, women, and children of all ages.

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Meanwhile, Harrogate Business Improvement District said it is working to ensure the town centre continues to deliver shops and services that meet the needs of all residents, as well as visitors.

BID manager Matthew Chapman said:

“The future of high streets is evolving into ‘mixed use’, so that whilst we absolutely champion national chains and independents, the direction is moving towards town centre living on second and third floors. Mixing with retail and hospitality and leisure and professional services will become the norm

“Latest data shows that 47 per cent more people are buying ‘own brands’ in supermarkets due to inflation, and the increase in the cost of living will affect where people buy their clothes.

“We continue to lobby the government to look to reform the way in which business rates are collected and collated, as well as encouraging landlords to make Harrogate a more appealing – and affordable – place to do business.”

Mr Chapman said the BID’s primary aim was to keep the town safe, clean and welcoming, as well as organising events designed to increase footfall.

While New Look may have left this week, the BID is working on a fashion show, to take place in May, promoting local fashion shops, hairdressers and jewellers. He added:

“It is always a shame when we see a well-known name leave the town, but Harrogate still has plenty to offer in terms of retail fashion outlets.”

‘If you swim with sharks, you get bitten,’ judge tells Harrogate cocaine dealer

A Harrogate drug pusher has been jailed for over two years after police caught him with over 50 grammes of high-purity cocaine.

Robert Marsh, 27, was stopped by a plain-clothed officer near his home on Burley Bank Road, Killinghall, in March last year. 

The officer found just over two ounces of cocaine inside Marsh’s car, prosecutor Adam Walker told York Crown Court.

Marsh was arrested and a subsequent search of his home revealed a cornucopia of drug items including weighing scales and dealer bags, the court heard.

Police also found cocaine inside a Tupperware box and £90 cash inside a cupboard, added Mr Walker.

He said the 55g of cocaine found inside the vehicle had a street value of up to £5,550. The value of the drugs and the period of time that Marsh had been dealing suggested he stood to make “significant” profits.

Police also seized two mobile phones from Marsh, which showed he had played an “operational or managerial” role in the drug racket. He had been giving people drugs “on tick” and was “managing a customer’s debt”.

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Defence barrister Susannah Proctor said Marsh, of Pinemoor Caravan Park, had never been in trouble before and was easily led due to his vulnerabilities. 

She said Marsh “struggles intellectually” and found himself hanging around people he met at house parties who had persuaded or coerced him to deal drugs for them, although the prosecution didn’t accept this claim.

Gambling debt

Ms Proctor added Marsh had a £7,000 gambling debt at the time and sold drugs to try to pay that off. He had struggled to pay his rent due to his gambling and moved into a caravan owned by his parents.

She added:

“He’s going to lose his home (and) he’s going to lose his job.”

Judge Sean Morris, the Recorder of York, told Marsh: 

“Prior to starting drug dealing you had been going to house parties and you realised there was more money to be made and got involved in drug dealing as a means to an end.

“That involved having money put into your bank account, giving people cocaine on tick and being caught by police (with) very-high-purity cocaine in your car, which on the street would be worth thousands of pounds.” 

He said Marsh was “not the most robust of characters” and now found himself in a “nightmare” of his own making. 

Mr Morris added:

“Cocaine is an absolute scourge.

“If you swim with sharks, you are going to get bitten.”

He said Marsh “had to go to prison because Class A dealers must go down, otherwise people might be tempted to earn a little extra cash like you”.

Marsh was handed a 30-month jail sentence of which he will serve half behind bars before being released on prison licence.

Harrogate Town’s stadium upgrade approved

Harrogate Borough Council has approved plans by Harrogate Town FC to upgrade their Envirovent Stadium on Wetherby Road.

It will see almost 1,000 seats installed to bring the ground up to English Football League (EFL) standards.

To the south of the ground, the Myrings terrace will see 264 seats installed and the 1919 bar will be demolished and replaced with a new standing terrace.

A total of 603 seats were installed in the Black Sheep Brewery stand a few weeks ago.

The changes will not increase the overall capacity of 5,071 but will see the number of fans that can be seated rise from 1,193 to 2,060.

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This is to ensure the club meets an EFL requirement that grounds have a minimum capacity of 5,000 and 2,000 seats.

The 1919 bar has not been used on matchdays since before the covid pandemic. It has also been used for private functions.

The club recently opened a new bar next to the Black Sheep stand.

The ground on Wetherby Road has been used by the club for over 100 years and has seen significant investment over the last few years as the club looks to keep up with rapid growth on the pitch.

Simon Weaver’s side now play in the EFL after playing most of its existence in the lower leagues.

They currently sit in 21st in League Two and play Gillingham at home tomorrow (Saturday).

A Harrogate Town spokesperson said:

“As part of our wider stadium development plans, work will soon begin on a new South Stand at the Envirovent Stadium with the aim of being completed in time for next season 2023/24.

“The development will enable the club to reach the required EFL regulation of a minimum of 2,000 seats and will also help us provide for the increasing demand for seats which we cannot accommodate currently.

“We are seeing more young families and first-generation Town supporters, as well as first time fans visiting than ever before so we are delighted to be in a position to provide more seats and facilities to meet the growing demand. In turn, it will help deliver an enhanced match day experience for our loyal supporters and visiting away clubs too.”

Midwives launch Harrogate district support service with drop-in session for ‘covid parents’

Two former hospital midwives are inviting families who had a baby during the covid pandemic to an event this weekend.

Sue Oxendale and Jane Bamford have set up social enterprise Taking Baby Steps to offer extra support with issues including anxiety during pregnancy, birth trauma, and baby loss.

The pair encountered many parents facing those challenges during their combined 35 years as midwives at Harrogate District Hospital.

Sue said the issues were exacerbated in 2020 and 2021, when many women had to give birth and go through the early days of parenthood with much less support from their families than would usually be possible.

She told the Stray Ferret:

“Becoming a parent now can be really isolating. That can create anxiety in itself.

“When I had my kids, it was all church-based, community centres and coffee mornings. Things like that have become less and less.

“If we can start setting up networks of mums and a dads’ group, it all helps.”

Sue and Jane left their hospital roles last year to set up Taking Baby Steps and were given several grants, including £10,000 from the National Lottery, to fund their work.

They have begun to work with parents looking for more support than is available through the NHS and the funding enable families on low income to access their help.

The pair will also offer support to NHS professionals and students to help them deal with the challenges they may face while supporting patients.

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Having trained after her three sons were born, Sue became a specialist bereavement midwife while she was at Harrogate District Hospital. She said:

“I loved my job working on delivery suite, helping couples become parents and bringing new life in to the world, but I was always drawn to improving care for women and their partners who weren’t going home with a baby in their arms.

“I knew we only had one chance to get the care right when looking after families who had suffered a miscarriage, stillbirth or neonatal death or sadly made the painful decision to not continue with the pregnancy if there were complications affecting their baby’s development.”

Meanwhile Jane, along with her husband, experienced her own struggles with infertility and unsuccessful IVF, before adopting two children.

Those experiences influenced her work at the hospital, she said, and led her to take an interest in issues relating to fertility, trauma and anxiety. She said:

“I realised that there were a lot of women who were also struggling with their emotional health and wellbeing in areas such as perinatal anxiety, tokophobia [fear of pregnancy] and birth trauma.

“I also had conversations with couples who had experienced years of fertility treatment and then had become pregnant but felt that there wasn’t a recognition during their pregnancy of the journey and potential trauma they had already been through to get to this point.

“I began doing the appointments that were held at Harrogate Hospital named ‘pregnancy and birth revisited’, where a lady and her partner have the opportunity to return and discuss her birth experience in more detail. During these appointments I also began to appreciate the impact these experiences had on the birth partner also.

“Whilst it may seem obvious that they are affected I saw that they could be experiencing symptoms of trauma, affecting their day to day life.”

Tomorrow’s event will focus particularly on families who have been affected by the covid pandemic.

From giving birth without their chosen birth partners to missing out on the support of wider family and other parents during the baby’s early weeks and months, Sue and Jane believe there has been a significant impact on new parents’ experiences and their feelings about the beginning of their parenthood.

The drop-in session will bring together parents to chat about their experiences and find mutual support.

It takes place tomorrow at Chain Lane Community Hub in Knaresborough, from 9.30am to 11.30am. Tea, coffee and cake will be on offer, and anyone is welcome to call in during that time.