Santa’s Chief Elf Tinsel is inviting good boys and girls from across the Harrogate district to become a fellow elf in this year’s Christmas show.

Tinsel, from Enchantica’s, is set to delight children and grown-ups alongside the big man himself at a very magical Elf Village at Harrogate’s Cedar Court Hotel.

And this year Tinsel, aka Suzanne Kaye-Vaughan, is inviting people to nominate local children to make guest elf appearances.

Ms Kaye-Vaughan was inspired to offer the VIP roles after her son Dante asked if he could wear an elf uniform and help her with last year’s show at  The Crown Hotel.

She said:

“It was the highlight of my year having him enjoy sharing the magic too and seeing him shine bright performing alongside us.

“This year I would like to give that opportunity to some other local children too and we are accepting nominations to fill a handful of these guest elf appearance roles.

“The children will get to come and wear an elf costume and help with the elf songs.”

Keeping the magic alive

Ms Kaye-Vaughan, who is well-known in Harrogate for spreading the magic with her business Enchantica’s, said after chatting with some families, she realised there were concerns that children might recognise her as ‘Suzie’, rather than Tinsel.

She said:

“I know that a few do have a little fear that because they know me locally as ‘Suzie’ that their children will not believe that I actually work for Father Christmas.

“I just reassure them that it’s my real job and that I work regionally in the Harrogate area.

“When I explain that it’s on my CV and how lucky I feel to have the role as chief elf in Harrogate helping Father Christmas get ready for the big day and working on a big elf training project, they too realise that my elf role is the real deal.

“Not all elves live at the North Pole. Some, like me, are lucky to live in other beautiful places in the world like Harrogate – and we work remotely.

“We actually love it when we see families that we know visiting us year-after-year. That’s one of the main reasons we keep adding to the magic each year so that every visit is super special and filled with even more enchantment than the last.”

Read More:

• The woman behind Harrogate’s Tinsel the elf
• Seven places to see Santa across the Harrogate district this Christmas

And it is “keeping the magic alive”, that Ms Kaye-Vaughan stresses is so important at Christmas time.

Dreamweavers

Explaining how she does this with her five-year-old son, she said:

“Dante has asked ‘mummy when you work are you going to the North Pole?’, and I tell him I just work remotely with the elves in the Harrogate area.

“I think we have a great responsibility as adults to keep activating the magic. By being a dreamweaver at home and adding to the magic, there is nothing greater than seeing the joy on a little one’s face. That is what we want to bottle.

“By having traditions it activates magic and reminds us of that joyful feeling. It doesn’t matter what age we are, we know Christmas is coming, we are going to have the quality time together and it sparks that joy we remember from our childhood and that magic then lasts for generations to come.”

Tinsel and Father Christmas.

Traditions

Ms Kaye-Vaughan said research has proven that families who have traditions that are filled with joy, the next generation carry them on and build on them.

She said:

“When I think about what our tradition is, it really is that we make Christmas magic.

“When we’ve been doing the elf jobs this week, I save certain ones for when Dante is not in school because he absolutely loves them.

“We look at what is on the list and what Father Christmas has asked for and we are genuinely helping Father Christmas to make more magic to share with families.

“By doing this, it certainly does make a lot of magic for ourselves. It’s the gift of Christmas sharing magic with others and we talk about how special and important that is.”

If you would like to nominate a child to be an elf in this year’s Christmas show, send an email with your child’s name, age and reason why they should be Tinsel’s helper to events@enchanticas.co.uk before November 11.

To book tickets for the Harrogate Father Christmas Experience at the Cedar Court Hotel, click here

The experience is supported by Harrogate BID.

A new restaurant offering live music is set to open in the Harrogate building formerly occupied by Samsons.

Samsons opened in the former home of Le Bistrot Pierre in Town Centre House on Cheltenham Crescent in March.

But it proved a short-lived venture, closing just months later.

Now signs advertising HG1 Grill and World Bar have gone up on the building.

The Stray Ferret understands the spacious restaurant will offer a seasonal menu featuring Mediterranean cuisine and seafood.

There will also be live music and a cocktail bar.

An opening date has yet to be announced but it is expected to be within days or weeks rather than months

Read more:

• Harrogate town centre restaurant not expected to reopen
• Guide to bonfire and fireworks displays in the Harrogate district

A McColl’s in Harrogate is among more than 100 of the convenience stores set to close.

The news comes after Morrisons completed the acquisition of McColl’s from administration last week.

Morrisons said in a statement it now plans to close 132 McColl’s, including the Otley Road store at Harlow Chase. About 1,300 jobs nationally are at risk.

The Stray Ferret visited the Otley Road shop this afternoon and was told it was still trading for the time being. The member of staff said she was the only person employed there and was awaiting further details.

There are currently 1,164 McColl’s stores trading, 286 of which are Morrisons Dailys.

The company said it planned to convert “the substantial majority” of McColl’s stores to Morrisons Dailys within the next two to three years but it plans to sell 28 stores and close 132 others.

It said:

Of the 132 stores to close, 55 include a Post Office counter. Morrisons will delay the closure of these stores until next year to allow them to serve communities over Christmas.

Read more:

• Shoppers form long queue for opening of Harrogate’s first Lidl
• 62 homes set to be built at council’s Harlow Nursery

Harrogate Borough Council looks set to press ahead with plans to sell land at Harlow Nurseries for housing.

The site next to the Pinewoods is owned by the council and sells plants, pots and compost to the public.

The council’s Harrogate district Local Plan 2014-35, which outlines where development can take place, allocates 40 homes to the site. The nursery will relocate if a development goes ahead.

Consultants hired by the council came up with two options this year. The first option was to build a mix of 57 family homes and flats. The second was to build 62 homes and flats with smaller gardens.

A report due before councillors next week recommends the 62-home option and invites expressions of interest for the land before proceeding to tender for a conditional sale.

The council says the area “provides a good opportunity for sustainable, low carbon and high quality place-making”.

The report says:

“The masterplan illustrates how a bespoke, high quality, carbon efficient, housing development could be delivered at Harlow Nurseries.

“It would create a community that sits well in its setting with a dedicated pedestrian and cycle tree lined avenue at its heart.

“A mixture of dwellings is proposed totalling 62 homes including 40% affordable.”

Read more:

• Harlow Hill and Pannal Ash residents bracing themselves for ’15 years of disruption’
• Plans for housing at Harlow Nurseries emerge
• Plans for new plant nursery in Harrogate progress – but council refuses to reveal location

The plans have previously been met with anger from residents who objected to the closure of the Harlow Hill nursery where thousands of plants are grown each year for the district’s award-winning gardens.

In June, Cllr Sam Gibbs, the council’s cabinet member for environment, waste reduction and recycling, signed off £50,000 for “in-depth professional advice,” site surveys and other works to progress the replacement nursery plans.

At the time, a council spokesperson said the proposals were in the early stages and that it wanted to see whether the unnamed preferred site is “viable”.

The Stray Ferret has approached the council to ask whether it has now identified a preferred site for the existing nursery.

Community groups in the Harrogate district are being invited to apply for grants of up to £3,000.

The Local Fund for the Harrogate District opened today for applications to its latest round of awards.

The fund is a three-way partnership between Harrogate Borough Council, Harrogate & District Community Action and Two Ridings Community Foundation.

it focuses on small organisations with charitable aims where a small amount of money can make a significant difference.

The guidance notes say:

“Local groups can apply for activities and services that support people, keeping them connected to their community and with each other.

“This may be particularly important during the cost-of-living crisis, you may want to run more activities throughout the winter months, so people have a warm space to access.

“We cannot support overheads alone but encourage you to include them as part of your application and our commitment to full cost recovery.”

Read more:

• £41,000 given to 14 community groups in Harrogate district
• Harrogate hospital well below urgent cancer referral target

A total of 14 groups received a total of £40,688 in the last funding round, which was celebrated at an event at West Park Hotel in Harrogate last night.

Successful applicants included Boroughbridge and District Community Care, Nidderdale and Pateley Bridge Men’s Shed, St. Andrew’s Church in Burnt Yates, Pannal Ash Junior Football Club and Harrogate District of Sanctuary.

A total of £84,681 was given to 29 groups in the previous year.

The deadline for the new funding round is January 9. Decisions will be made by mid-February.

Grants from £200 to £3,000 are available.

Applicants must be based in and/or working in the area served by Harrogate Borough Council.

Further details are available here.

Jan Garrill, chief executive of Two Ridings Community Foundation, said:

“It is five years since The Local Fund was launched and since 2018, 88 projects have been supported and £237,266 paid out in grants.

“These grants have supported activities around mental health, inequality, hidden poverty and loneliness. More recently they have assisted in the response to and recovery from covid and now the impact of increases in the cost of living.

“Despite the local government changes in 2023 the fund will remain for the long term, supporting local grass roots community action across the whole of the district and with local people involved in decisions about the awards.”

Pic shows: Harrogate borough mayor, Councillor Victoria Oldham (centre), with voluntary sector representatives at last night’s event.

A yellow weather warning has been put in place for the Harrogate district for strong winds.

The Met Office has issued the warning until 8pm tonight.

It forecasts a spell of “very windy weather” to hit the district and parts of northern England.

The Met Office has warned that public transport and roads could be affected.

It said:

“Some delays to road, rail, air and ferry transport are likely.

“Probably some bus and train services affected, with some journeys taking longer.”

Meanwhile, the district is expected to see temperatures of 12 degrees today.

This morning will be dry before rain showers arrive this afternoon and into this evening.

Read More:

• Firefighters put up poppies as Ripon prepares for services of Remembrance
• Starbeck to have two Remembrance Sunday events amid time disagreement
• Poppies to adorn Knaresborough castle again

Mental health services for people across the Harrogate district still require improvement, according to the health regulator.

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) found the services provided by Tees, Esk and Wear Valleys NHS Foundation Trust (TEWV) were below the standards expected.

However, inspectors said there had been some improvements since the last inspection report in December 2021.

At that time, TEWV’s forensic in-patient and secure ward services were found to be inadequate, with the trust ordered to make urgent improvements. Now, the service is rated ‘requires improvement’, though the ‘safe’ aspect of the inspection is still rated ‘inadequate’.

The report said:

“Fifteen patients we spoke to raised concerns regarding there not being enough staff on the wards. Patients told us staff spent a lot of time in the office which sometimes made them feel neglected.

“Two patients told us that they had not received their prescribed medication on the day we arrived due to staffing. Another patient told us they did not know who their key worker was.

“However, most patients said that staff were caring towards them.”

In-patient and secure wards for Harrogate district residents are provided elsewhere in the north-east after the mental health unit at Harrogate District Hospital, the Briary Ward, was closed down in 2020. The CQC inspection of TEWV’s services was carried out at Roseberry Park Hospital in Middlesbrough.

The Briary Wing, Harrogate District Hospital, which was closed in May 2020.

Inspectors said data provided about staffing levels over an eight-week period suggested the service was regularly understaffed to an unsafe level. However, managers said the data was inaccurate and there was always a nurse and support staff on duty.

The report said:

“Staff were frequently being moved to different wards during their shift based on risk, which meant they were often working in environments and with patients they were unfamiliar with.

“This was impacting on several areas within the service; incident data showed staff were not always able to provide a timely response to incidents. Staff were unable to carry out all clinical duties on time, such as administering medication and completing clinical audits.

“Staff were regularly unable to take their breaks off the ward. Patient’s hospital ground leave, Section 17 leave (permission to leave the hospital) and visits from friends and family were being cancelled daily at short notice.

“Patients told us they felt neglected and did not have enough time with staff. Carers we spoke to highlighted staffing pressures as a concern and felt it was impacting on patient’s continuity of care and their ability to visit their loved ones.”

Areas for improvement

The CQC set out 12 areas where the service must be improved in order to meet legal requirements, including adequate staffing levels, cleaning all wards, ensuring staff have up-to-date training, and reporting all incidents quickly and accurately

Naomi Lonergan, care group director of the secure inpatient services at TEWV, said:

“We have been working hard to improve the service since the previous Care Quality Commission inspection in June 2021 and we are encouraged by the improvement in the rating.

“We have recruited 70 health care assistants since the last inspection and we are working with local universities to support the recruitment of registered nurses. This is in addition to developing an international recruitment strategy which is already making a difference.

“We have set up a health care assistant council and one for nurses to improve how colleagues contribute to the quality of care within our trust.

“We are also focused on creating a community on our wards, through the work we do with our recovery and outcomes team who put on events and activities for people in our care that help their recovery.

“We recognise that there is more to be done. This includes an unrelenting focus on patient safety with our absolute priority being on safe staffing and safeguarding our patients. We continue to prioritise the experience of our patients, their carers and colleagues to make the improvements we need to and we are confident the service is making these changes and will continue to do so.”

Read more:

• Mental Health Act detainees driven over 60 miles out of Harrogate
• Plans submitted to add more bedrooms to Harrogate mental health hospital

Children’s mental health services ‘requires improvement’

Meanwhile, TEWV’s specialist community mental health services for children and young people which were rated ‘inadequate’ in the ‘safe’ category last year have now been rated ‘requires improvement’.

In a report published in September, following inspections over the summer, the CQC said:

“Although staffing levels, caseloads and waiting times for treatment had improved since the last inspection, the service did not always have enough nursing and support staff to keep patients safe. Vacancy rates varied by team…

“Caseload sizes had reduced across the community teams. Most of the staff told us there had been significant improvements to caseload sizes and caseloads were more manageable. Only two of the staff we spoke with raised concerns about staffing levels and caseload sizes.”

Inspectors said a recruitment drive meant two new matrons were about to begin work, with a focus on managing staff caseloads.

The average waiting time for treatment had reduced to 104 days, compared to 371 days in 2021, and the number of children waiting more than 12 months had reduced to 275 from more than 1,000 in the same time period.

The CQC, which inspected six teams within the community mental health service for children, said TEWV must adequately staff its service and continue to work to reduce waiting times.

Brent Kilmurray, chief executive of Tees, Esk and Wear Valleys NHS Foundation Trust, said:

“We are pleased that the CQC have raised the rating for our community children and adolescent mental health service (CAMHS) in the safe category.

“The CQC report acknowledges improvements that have been made, including how quickly we responded to address the issues identified at the previous inspection. It also recognises that we are achieving our targets of maintaining contact with children and young people on waiting lists.

“This is a step in the right direction, and a testament to the hard work from our CAMHS community teams across the trust.

“We know there is still work to do and more opportunities to improve the service. We will now focus on embedding the recommendations from the report to ensure that we provide the best care to the young people in our communities.”

Business Breakfast is sponsored by Harrogate law firm Truth Legal. 

The Harrogate founder of a not-for-profit organisation has received a national award for his work.

John Longden OBE, chief executive of Pub is the Hub, was given the Industry Champion Award by the British Beer and Pub Association (BBPA) at its annual dinner.

It was presented in recognition of his work to help pubs diversify and support local communities by providing essential local services.

So far, the organisation has helped more than 600 pubs to diversify, with almost 200 of those receiving help from its community services fund. Diversification can provide village shops, community cafes and libraries, as well as allotments and even cinemas.

Receiving his award, Mr Longden said:

“You have no idea how special this is. This is also for the family of Pub is The Hub and to our family of supporters.

“We all enjoy collaborating and helping publicans in their local areas. For every £1 invested in a shop, community café, village garden or play area it creates between £8 to £9 of social value. It is the social value that helps to bind us together in this wonderful industry.”

“We believe we can inspire 1,000 projects over the next three years and we have over 50 expressions of interest at this time.”

Emma McClarkin OBE, chief executive of the BBPA, added:

“This time last year we hoped we were done with ‘unprecedented times’ but here we are again after another year of surprises, challenges, and once-in-a-lifetime events.

“And throughout all of it our pubs and brewers have remained at the heart of villages, towns, and cities across the countries, providing a place of solace and community for so many and it’s why I am really proud to stand here tonight representing our brilliant industry.”

Read more:

• Business Breakfast: Harrogate developer completes £5.5m business park
• Business Breakfast: Harrogate event celebrates success of inclusion project

Early festive plans as Ripon businesses join forces

A group of Ripon independent retailers are joining forces later this month to take part in a special Christmas event, where a gift hamper worth more than £100 will be won by a lucky shopper.

The businesses – seven of them on North Street and one on Fishergate – will be open from 10am until 8pm on Thursday November 17.

There will be discounts at selected stores and shoppers are invited to enjoy a glass of fizz and a festive treat while they browse the goods and services on offer.

The participating retailers are The Castle, The GreenHouse, Memorable Moments, Carlton Couture Bridal, Absolute Bliss Health & Beauty, Eastwick, St Michael’s Hospice Shop and Halls of Ripon.

Details about the discounts and how to enter the prize draw for the hamper can be found by clicking here.

Town and parish councils in the Harrogate district are to be invited to propose taking on more powers when local government undergoes its biggest shake-up for almost 50 years.

North Yorkshire Council will take charge of all local government in the county on April 1. The seven district councils, including Harrogate Borough Council, and North Yorkshire County Council, will be abolished.

Under a pilot scheme, lower-tier authorities will be offered the chance to manage more local services as part of a “double devolution” approach designed to prevent too much power being centralised at Northallerton.

It could see Ripon City Council, Knaresborough Town Council, Pateley Bridge Town Council and others in North Yorkshire take on more powers over assets and services.

Harrogate currently does not have a town council.

As part of the plan, county council officials will write to parish authorities by the end of this month inviting them to submit expressions of interest.

From there, six councils will be picked to develop a business case.

In a report due before the county council’s executive on November 8, Neil Irving, assistant director of partnerships, said:

“Double devolution is entirely separate from the proposed devolution deal between the government and the local authorities in York and North Yorkshire.

“Double devolution has operated for over 10 years in some other parts of the country, including Cornwall and Wiltshire. 

“There is also significant experience of existing councils in North Yorkshire successfully transferring services and assets to community groups and to town and parish councils.”

Councils will be able to propose taking on a wide range of assets and services, rather than picking from a list.

However, the county council intends to make it clear that proposals to take on decision making powers, such as planning or traffic regulation, will not be considered.

Read more:

• ‘Double devolution’ for parish councils, under county council plan
• New North Yorkshire Council launches consultation on funding priorities

It would also not consider “expressions of interest with regard to services and assets that generate a significant net income for the new council”.

Once invited, local councils will have until March 2023 to express an interest in taking on more services.

‘More things done at a local level’

The move comes as county council officials proposed offering parish authorities more powers in August 2020.

Cllr Carl Les, leader of North Yorkshire County Council, pledged to offer more powers for people to “get more things done at a local level”.

He said at the time:

“We believe this double devolution which passports powers from Whitehall to the town hall and the town hall to the village hall is an exciting prospect.

“We are seeking more powers from the government, but we want more powers to be devolved to the very local area as well. We want to bring people together to get more things done at a local level.”

Campaigners have launched a petition to save land on Knox Lane from housing.

Keep Knox Natural has called on Harrogate Borough Council to remove a parcel of land in the area from its Harrogate district Local Plan 2014-35, which outlines where development can take place.

The move comes after councillors on the authority’s planning committee voted to delay a decision on a proposal to build 53 homes on the land amid concerns over contamination.

Last Sunday, campaigners took to Nidderdale Greenway, off Bilton Lane, dressed as woodland creatures to collect signatures for the petition.

The group argues that the council should reject the current application and remove the land from the local plan.

A spokesperson from the group said:

“We believe that this land should never have been included in the Harrogate local plan; it is entirely unsuitable for development.

“It lies within a designated special landscape area and building on this land will severely damage bio-diversity and destroy a range of landscape and historical features.

“Additionally, we believe that the development would cause serious risk of floodwater damage to Spruisty Bridge and houses near the site on Knox Lane.”

Spruisty Bridge

Read more:

• Controversial Knox Lane housing plans recommended for approval
• Contamination concerns delay decision on 53-home Knox Lane site
• Stray Views: Knox Lane housing scheme ‘lacks detail’

The council’s planning committee has yet to make a decision on the Knox Lane housing plan.

The plans first submitted in April 2020 initially included 73 homes, but this was reduced to 53 after local complaints.

Despite further changes, residents have continued to strongly oppose the development with a total of 313 objections and no letters of support being submitted to the council.

The proposals – which include 30 homes classed as affordable – will be brought back to another meeting of the council’s planning committee in the coming months.

You can view the Keep Knox Natural petition here.