A Harrogate primary school cycled 1,000 miles in 24 hours to raise £6,560 — triple its fundraising target.

Teachers, pupils and parents from Hampsthwaite Church of England Primary School set off on a virtual race from John o’ Groats to Land’s End with the target of raising £2,000 to fund playground improvements.

Riders took 15-minute turns on one of four stationary bikes in the school hall, with quick changeovers to ensure the pedals never stopped moving.

Video messages of support were received from professional cyclist Lizzie Deignan and Olympic gold medallist, Jonny Brownlee.

The first day finished with a disco ride in the dark, complete with lights and motivational music until 9.00pm and riders were back on the saddles again by 6.00am to continue the virtual journey.

An online fundraising page and cash sponsorships have so far generated £6,560.

Ms Ross with the head girl and head boy

Headteacher Amy Ross said:

“I am so proud of Team Hampsthwaite and what we have collectively achieved in these past two days.

“Every child has been involved and had the chance to take a turn on the bike and the support from parents and family has been incredible.

“I am overwhelmed by the amount of money that we have raised; it will make a tremendous difference towards improving the playground, which all pupils will get to enjoy.”

Read more:

• Hampsthwaite pupils prepare for epic 1,000-mile bike ride!
• The Harrogate school providing children with additional support

Harrogate is to celebrate its mix of retail shops with a fashion show in the town centre.

The Celebration of Fashion event on Saturday, May 20, will be hosted by Harrogate BID and is sponsored by the Victoria Shopping Centre. The Stray Ferret will cover the show as media partner.

The aim of the fashion show is to showcase what Harrogate has to offer in terms of high street chains and independent boutiques, and to invigorate the high street.

A pop-up catwalk will be installed in the town’s Victoria Shopping Centre piazza area and retailers will host in-house pop-up experiences to attract customers.

Morgan Clare, Hoopers, Specsavers, Lush and Primark have already signed up to take part, demonstrating the level of interest in the event from the outset.

Harrogate BID manager Matthew Chapman said:

“Harrogate is renowned for being home to many retailers that offer visitors the opportunity to purchase the latest trends in fashion, whatever the occasion.

“What could be better than retailers coming together to display their unique offering and for visitors to head to the piazza and take a tour of the Harrogate Celebration of Fashion’s programme of events – to see what fashion suits them?”

The fashion show will run from 10am to 5pm.

Retailers wishing to showcase their ranges, from wedding collections to activewear, vintage to seasonal outfits, are invited to secure their place by emailing info@harrogatebid.co.uk.

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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 new specialist health and nutritional supplement shop has opened in Harrogate.

Go Herbs, which is based on Station Parade, offers customers a a wide range of vitamins, natural health products and sports supplements.

The store is overseen by Emilija Krukoniene and Abbie Green, who wanted to create a welcoming, positive and educational experience for customers to learn how they can improve their health, wellbeing and sports performance.

Ms Krukoniene said:

“We are really excited to see our vision coming to fruition as we open our first store in Harrogate and welcome customers. 

“Whilst most of us can get all the vitamins and minerals we need by eating a healthy, balanced diet, sometimes we need a little extra help and so we are looking forward to getting to know the  local community. 

“Health and nutrition is my passion and it has always been a dream for me to  be able to help people look and feel their best by helping them find the best products to support them whatever their goals, with a welcoming in-store experience.”

The store is planning a series of events throughout the year such as Q&A sessions, collaborating  with local groups and organisations, providing expert advice and support alongside high-quality products.

Women’s networking event to be held in Harrogate

A networking event for women in business is set to be held in Harrogate.

The event is organised by She Business UK, which aims to support women within the workplace.

The networking lunch will be held at Co-Lab on Kings Road and will take place from midday until 2pm on Tuesday, April 18.

It will include a discussion led by Fiona Kearns, women’s ambassador at She Business UK.

For more information, visit the networking EventBrite page here.

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Stray Views is a weekly column giving you the chance to have your say on issues affecting the Harrogate district. It is an opinion column and does not reflect the views of the Stray Ferret. Send your views to letters@thestrayferret.co.uk.

Following the furore concerning the installation of 10 electric vehicle charging bays alongside the Chapel Street car park, on turning in to the street yesterday, I was astounded to see a large tour bus parked across eight out the ten bays. 

Later, a different tour bus was parked there also. This appears to be yet another own goal by the council, not only do these bays not conform to short stay provision, it appears that tour buses continue to use the site for disgorging their punters into the town.

Nick Bentley, Staveley

Station Gateway proposals ‘highly questionable’

North Yorkshire Councillor Keane Duncan is a welcome breath of fresh air in challenging the supine response of Harrogate Borough Council to the evangelical cycle-lobby which has resulted in many hundreds of thousands pounds being spent on whimsical cycle lanes which the vast majority of Harrogate residents, if properly consulted, would have preferred to be spent on eliminating the pot holes which plague our streets.

There is absolutely no doubt that the public piazza outside the Victoria Centre is tired and needs updating. But the rest of the £11 million plans are highly questionable.

Bus and train visitors would in future have to navigate a two-way cycle lane on what is currently a one direction traffic flow.

The latest London experience statistics show that far less than 50% of cyclists stop at pedestrian lights. At present there are four sets of traffic lights in a 300 metre stretch on Station Parade to help pedestrian visitors to cross the road. It works extremely well. When was the last injury recorded?

Will the plans improve life for cyclists wanting to go to the train station? Not really. They can do that already via the dedicated cycle lanes on East Parade.

Councillor Duncan has promised that “ traffic flows will be revisited and re- assessed”.It is wonderful to me to hear that ,at last, someone on the new NY council seems to be giving balanced consideration to the welfare of residents of Harrogate.

But will the NY council have the guts to turn down the free £ 11m government grant or the wit to redefine the plans to recognise that the interests of many potentially adversely affected residential council tax-payers should also be given due consideration? I have my fingers – crossed.

Tim Emmott, Harrogate

Read more:

• Stray Views: Rossett Nature Reserve ‘has been slashed back’
• Stray Views: Otley Road cycleway a “scandalous waste of public money”
• Stray Views: North Yorkshire rural transport ‘desperately inefficient’

Do you have an opinion on the Harrogate district? Email us at letters@thestrayferret.co.uk. Please include your name and approximate location details. Limit your letters to 350 words. We reserve the right to edit letters.

A Green Party councillor has said North Yorkshire Council’s plan to curb climate climate change does not go far enough.

In January the council published a draft climate change strategy includes ambitions such as becoming carbon neutral by 2030, increasing walking and cycling as well as planting 37,000 hectares of new woodland by 2038.

Last month, it then launched a survey called Let’s Talk Climate that asked residents a series of questions about the strategy

However, Arnold Warneken, Green Party councillor for Ouseburn division, said the survey has garnered just over 1,000 responses, which he called disappointing.

He blamed the number of responses on a lack of promotion by the council and said it should be offering more, particularly around agriculture which is estimated to contribute one third of the county’s total emissions.

Cllr Warneken said:

“Air quality is often overlooked and as far as agriculture is concerned we’re taking no action. The council owns its own farms and there are things we can be doing. I don’t think we’re offering enough and the survey isn’t getting the responses it warrants.

“They haven’t pushed the survey hard. I like the officers but I don’t think we’re in people’s faces enough with it.”

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Cllr Warneken called on residents to fill in the survey before the deadline.

He added:

“We’ve got another two weeks where people can spend 10 minutes filling in a form that gives a real chance for county to lead the way on biodiversity and climate change and give our children and grandchildren a better quality of life.”

North Yorkshire County Council’s Conservative executive member for managing our environment, Cllr Greg White, said:

“We remain committed to tackling the threat of climate change, and we recognise that this is the biggest challenge that we face both in North Yorkshire and as a country as a whole.

“We have launched a county-wide engagement with the public to seek their views on a draft climate strategy for the new North Yorkshire Council.

“This includes the first ever public engagement specifically targeting young people, seeking the views of people aged 16 to 25 on the draft climate strategy.

“There are a host of ways for everyone to take part in the latest Let’s Talk engagement campaign about climate, including online as well as face-to-face events and support from the 42 libraries across the county.

“The engagement has also been publicised to the media, and details have been sent to staff, councillors and partner organisations to ensure that the widest possible audience is reached.

“The new council has an ambition to become carbon neutral by 2030, and we have also endorsed an ambitious bid for York and North Yorkshire to become the first carbon negative region in the country, meaning more carbon dioxide emissions would be removed from the atmosphere than are emitted.

“Work which has already been undertaken in the county to tackle carbon emissions includes the installation of energy-saving LED street lighting, energy efficient improvements to buildings and trialling the use of electric vehicles.”

You can take part in the survey on the council’s website here.

Developers have resubmitted plans for new homes in the Crimple Valley.

The application by Square Feet Ltd and Antela Developments Ltd would see the homes built at Almsford Bank Stables on Leeds Road.

Harrogate Borough Council rejected proposals for 35 homes in the area back in November 2022.

However, the developer has now reduced the number of homes to 17.

It includes 10 self or custom build homes and seven affordable houses.

The council had previously refused the plan on the grounds that the site was not allocated for housing under the Harrogate district Local Plan 2014-35, which outlines where development can take place.

It added that the plan “would result in harm to the character and appearance of its surroundings”.

However, the developer said in its planning documents that it had submitted a “wide range of technical and assessment works” in support of the proposal.

It added:

“It is concluded that there are no technical reasons relating to these matters why planning permission should not be granted.”

Read more:

• Controversial plan for 35 homes in Crimple Valley rejected
• Dozens of objections to ‘ludicrous’ Crimple Valley housing plan

The development has long been opposed by local residents as part of the Save Crimple Valley group.

The group has argued that the site is “unsafe” for such a scheme and urged the council to reject the plan last year.

The previous scheme was met by more than 240 letters of objection.

A decision on the new plan will be made by the new North Yorkshire Council at a later date.

Leon in Harrogate is due to close at 8pm today.

It will mark the  end of an ill-fated nine-month venture by the fast food chain, which employed about 20 people on Wetherby Road.

The final meals will be served at 8pm unless supplies run out sooner.

The site is operated by EG Group, which has a chain of forecourts across the country.

They include franchise partners such as Starbucks, Greggs and KFC.

EG Group considered opening a Starbucks on Wetherby Road before opting for Leon instead.

There is speculation it will now revert to its plans for a Starbucks, but the company has not replied to the Stray Ferret’s enquiries about its plans.

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In September, the Harrogate district will have a new secondary school — but it won’t be anything like the current ones.

Strive for Education‘s roll will have just 33 students who struggle in mainstream schools and require additional support. Many will have been referred for two or three days a week by other schools in the district.

Strive was set up three years ago by former Harrogate Grammar School assistant headteacher Andy Brown and his wife Sonja, who felt students requiring additional support were under-served locally.

Education inspector Ofsted paved the way for it to transition from an alternative education provider to an independent school, and potentially expand its provision, when inspectors published a report this year concluding it “is likely to meet all the independent school standards”.

Ofsted recognition means Strive will be able to provide a full-time curriculum from September and be eligible to take on students who receive education, health and care plans from local authorities full-time.

Based on North Park Road in Harrogate and with a workshop in Starbeck, Strive classes have no more than six pupils to ensure students get enough support.

The hairdressing area

There is a hairdressing studio and a calm room with bean bags where students can relax, as well as a kitchen and a pool table.

Mr Brown says:

“I identified a huge gap that wasn’t being met locally. A lot of kids were travelling out of the area for this kind of provision.

“Put kids in the right environment with the right support and they feel safe. The big difference is they know we care. Of course all schools care – but it’s different level here.”

Students, who stay for between 12 weeks and two years, have special educational needs, including social, emotional and mental health issues. Autism and ADHD are common.

Read more:

• Ofsted paves way for new Harrogate school offering additional support
• Headteacher of King James’s School in Knaresborough leaves after 15 years

Mr Brown admits it can be difficult to pitch the teaching given the wide range of needs and abilities. But he adds:

“If anyone asks me what the greatest challenge has been it’s not the kids — it’s getting the right staff in. They have to be able to relate and provide the right education.”

If the school expands, its main Harrogate site on a residential street might not be able to cope and the Browns are keeping an eye out for a new school – although they have ruled out Woodfield Community Primary School in Bilton, which closed last year. But change isn’t imminent. Mr Brown says:

“The plan is that next year we will be open as an independent school and see how it goes for the first year and take stock.”

Andy Brown

For now though, the timetable and staffing are in place for September.

Mr Brown says his education background and his wife’s business and HR experience makes them a “perfect combination”.

But such specialist education isn’t cheap. Annual fees for full-time places start at £27,000 and vary depending on the needs of the young person, the extra support they require, and any additional professional services needed such as speech and language therapists and educational psychologists.

Strive’s educational offer also depends on whether young people are placed as part of alternative provision or full-time on-roll places.

The school will be holding a drop-in open day on April 28 at which people can meet staff and look round.

As Harrogate Borough Council draws to a close, the move to scrap the authority also sees 24 councillors lose their roles.

The brand new North Yorkshire Council will have 16 elected representatives from the Harrogate district.

However, only 12 of those councillors will move on from seats on the borough council.

Some have successfully sought reelection to the new council.

Among those stepping down include council leader, Cllr Richard Cooper, and deputy leader of the authority, Cllr Graham Swift.

Members of the cabinet Cllr Phil Ireland and Cllr Stanley Lumley have also departed.

In this article, we take a look at the 24 councillors who will no longer represent the district.

Rebecca Burnett

The former chairman of Harrogate Borough Council’s planning committee.

She represented Harrogate St Georges since 2018. 

Trevor Chapman

Mayor Trevor Chapman and wife Janet

Cllr Chapman, who represented Harrogate Bilton Grange, was mayor of the Harrogate borough last year.

The Liberal Democrat was on the council since 2018.

Read more:

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• Explained: Who will make planning decisions in Harrogate district after devolution?

Richard Cooper

Leader of the council since 2014, Conservative Cllr Cooper represented Harrogate central on the authority.

He announced in October 2021 that he would not seek election to North Yorkshire Council.

Ed Darling

Conservative Cllr Darling was chair of the licensing committee on Harrogate Borough Council and represented Knaresborough Castle ward.

John Ennis

John Ennis, Conservative.

Cllr Ennis, a Conservative, represented the Harrogate Stray ward on the authority.

Sam Green

Sam Green, who was the youngest councillor on Harrogate Borough Council.

Cllr Green, who was only elected in May last year, was the youngest borough councillor at 26-years-old.

He was elected to the Wathvale ward on the council.

Sid Hawke

Cllr Hawke was one of two Ripon Independent councillors on the borough council.

Phil Ireland

Conservative Cllr Ireland was one the authority’s cabinet. He held the carbon reduction and sustainability portfolio.

He also represented Knaresborough Aspin and Calcutt ward.

Steven Jackson

Cllr Jackson was a Conservative councillor who represented the Harrogate Saltergate ward on the council.

Sue Lumby

Cllr Lumby was the Conservative councillor for Harrogate Coppice Valley. She also chaired the council’s human resource committee.

Stanley Lumley

Councillor Stanley Lumley (pictured left)

Conservative Cllr Lumley was the authority’s cabinet member for culture, tourism and sport and oversaw the creation of Brimhams Active, which now runs council leisure centres.

He unsuccessfully stood for election to the new North Yorkshire Council. He also represented Pateley Bridge and Nidderdale on the borough council.

Stuart Martin

Conservative Cllr Martin was mayor of Harrogate borough in 2020.

He represented Ripon Moorside on the authority.

Pauline McHardy

Cllr McHardy, who represented Ripon Minster, was a Ripon Independent on the borough council.

Nigel Middlemass

Cllr Middlemass was a Conservative councillor who represented Harrogate Kingsley ward.

Ann Myatt

Conservative Cllr Myatt represented Ouseburn ward on the borough council.

Tim Myatt

Cllr Myatt was part of the council’s cabinet and held the portfolio for planning.

He also represented Harrogate High ward.

Victoria Oldham

Conservative Cllr Oldham is the current mayor of the Harrogate borough. She chaired full council meetings this year.

She also represented Washburn ward.

Alex Raubitschek

Cllr Raubitschek was a Conservative councillor who represented Oatlands ward.

Matt Scott

Conservative Cllr Scott represented Harrogate Bilton Woodfield on the borough council and chaired the authority’s general purposes committee.

Nigel Simms

Cllr Simms, who represented Masham and Kirkby Malzeard, was vice-chair of the council’s planning committee.

Graham Swift

Conservative deputy leader of the council and portfolio holder for resources, enterprise and economic development, Cllr Swift was among the senior councillors on the authority.

He unsuccessfully stood for election to North Yorkshire Council. He also represented the Duchy ward on the borough council.

Tom Watson

Liberal Democrat Cllr Tom Watson represented Nidd Valley on the borough council.

Matthew Webber

Cllr Webber, who was a Liberal Democrat, represented New Park on the authority.

Christine Willoughby

Liberal Democrat Cllr Willoughby sat on the council for Knaresborough Eastfield.

A total of 4,000 people attended Springtime Live at the Great Yorkshire Showground in Harrogate today.

The event, which showcases food, farming and the countryside,  featured pigs, goats and sheep brought by local farmers including Ian’s Mobile Farm and the Yorkshire Lamb Orphanage.

Peppa Pig and Peter Rabbit also entertained the youngsters while Diggerland was at the event for the first time.

Ripon Farm Services donated mini tractors which youngsters could ride around in an indoor circuit.

There were also cookery workshops and a climbing wall as well as alpacas, reptiles, Ferretworld’s Roadshow, Rare Breeds Survival Trust and forest crafts.

Springtime Live is organised by the Yorkshire Agricultural Society, a farming charity that also organises the Great Yorkshire Show.

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