Harrogate Town plans new terrace and merchandise kiosk

Harrogate Town has lodged plans to install a new terrace and merchandise kiosk at its Wetherby Road ground.

The club has tabled the proposal, which would see a new 100-person terrace built near to the north stand turnstiles, to Harrogate Borough Council.

Meanwhile, a kiosk is also planned in order to serve fans refreshments and Harrogate Town merchandise.

The club said the new terrace is required because the English Football League will no longer accept perimeter standing at stadiums.

In planning documents, it said:

“The proposed terrace will accommodate spectators which use the existing perimeter standing areas and will therefore not increase the overall ground capacity.

“The small kiosk building will be used for the club shop selling on site merchandising on match days, as well as a replacement (non-alcoholic) drinks servery to replace a kiosk within the AON Terrace that was recently converted to WC’s.”

The location for the terrace and kiosk at the Envirovent Stadium.

The location for the terrace and kiosk at the Envirovent Stadium.

The council will make a decision on the plan at a later date.

The club recently saw its proposal to upgrade its Envirovent Stadium approved.

It will see almost 1,000 seats installed to bring the ground up to EFL standards.

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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.

Lawyers helped me through worst time of my life, says Harrogate mum

This story is sponsored by Harrogate Family Law 

A Harrogate mother-of-three who divorced her husband says she couldn’t have got through the challenging process without the support of Harrogate Family Law (HFL). 

Mrs H had been married for 14 years when her previously happy marriage hit the rocks and she was left feeling there was no other option than separation.

For Mrs H and many people in this situation, this is a time of mixed emotions. Feelings of deep unhappiness, guilt about splitting up a family, and complete failure for breaking wedding vows are a heavy weight to bear.

Mrs H was married to a successful lawyer who regularly threatened that she would be left with nothing if she divorced him.

She said: 

“Mine was a very acrimonious separation. My ex-husband was very controlling, and approached our break-up very aggressively.” 

Contacting a lawyer is a very daunting prospect and Mrs H mulled over whether to make the call and set the wheels in motion.

However, she was surprised at the initial meeting, as its aim was to ensure that all avenues had been explored before making a final decision on separation.

On HFL’s advice, the couple tried counselling in an attempt to work through their problems with the aim of avoiding separation or divorce. Unfortunately, counselling was not successful.

HFL advised Mrs H to try mediation in the hope that a fair and amicable settlement could be agreed.

Cut off at Christmas

In Mrs H’s words, mediation was a “disaster” and a lengthy period of correspondence followed. During this period, Mr H tried every trick possible to get Mrs H to agree to his terms.

His actions included, without notice, a significant reduction in funds to the account which supported Mrs H and their three children.

Mrs H said: 

“My ex-husband cut off all funds to me. I was faced with a really difficult Christmas with the kids – I didn’t even have the money for our Christmas dinner.

“If it weren’t for a good friend lending me some money, his children would have been left living on nothing over the festive period.

“Thankfully, HFL didn’t invoice me until they absolutely had to and they were incredibly understanding about the situation I was facing.” 

In the end, Mrs H’s ex-husband took the case to court in an effort to exhaust her funds, but things didn’t go his way – the judge awarded a fair settlement to Mrs H and her three children, including the payment of her legal costs. 

Mrs H said:  

“My ex-husband tried to leave me with as little as possible, but with HFL’s help the outcome was fair and ended up being just what they’d said it would be – they called it absolutely right.

“They stood up to my ex-husband and his lawyers, and were very robust in their counter-arguments. For them, it was never about the fees – it was all about the desire to get the best possible result for me and my children in a fair way.”

Mrs H was so impressed with her lawyers that she’s already referred several friends to Harrogate Family Law. She said:

“HFL really made a difference. They don’t sugar-coat anything, so you always know exactly where you are.

“If you phone HFL there’s a really understanding person on the other end of the line. You share a lot of personal information with your lawyer, more than you do with your friends, but never once did I feel judged. They were the right people, at the worst time of my life.”

Find out more:

For clear, honest advice from a supportive solicitor at Harrogate Family Law, call 01423 594680 or go to harrogatefamilylaw.co.uk.

 

Harrogate woman jailed for 10 weeks

A woman from Harrogate has been jailed for 10 weeks for failing to comply with a community order.

Claire Read, 28, of Fairfax Avenue, admitted the offence when she appeared at Harrogate Magistrates Court on Friday.

Read received a suspended sentence, which included a community order, on September 23 last year.

As part of this, she was required to attend an appointment on February 15 but failed to do so.

Court documents say Read was jailed for ‘wilful and persistent failure to comply with the requirements of a community order’.

The documents added her guilty plea was taken into account when the sentence was imposed.

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Police and fire crews rescue homeless man from Starbeck bin

Police and fire crews rescued a man from a commercial bin in Starbeck last night.

Firefighters from Harrogate were called to a premises in the High Street just after 6pm, where they used small tools to release the man.

A spokesperson for Harrogate Fire Station said:

“It was believed to be a homeless person who got himself trapped accidentally when the lid came down and locked.”

Police officers at the scene offered to take the man to a homeless shelter.

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Trial begins into man charged with attempted murder in Beckwithshaw

The trial has begun of a man accused of the attempted murder of two children in a village near Harrogate.

The man, who is in his 40s, appeared at Leeds Crown Court yesterday when barrister Robert Stevenson opened the case for the prosecution.

The defendant, of Otley Road, Beckwithshaw, denies two counts of attempted murder. He was arrested following an incident on June 20 last year.

The alleged victims cannot be named for legal reasons.

The trial is expected to last five days. 

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Odeon packed for 90-minute archive film of Harrogate district

A 90-minute programme of archive footage of the Harrogate district has once again packed out the Odeon.

Two extra screenings were fully booked yesterday after tickets for September’s original viewings were also snapped up.

It means almost 1,000 people have watched the curated footage now.

The programme, which features clips held at the Yorkshire Film Archive in York, was commissioned by Harrogate’s Civic Society and FIlm Society.

It shows Harrogate and Knaresborough celebrating coronations in 1937 and 1953, the opening of the Odeon Cinema and Dustin Hoffman in Harrogate during filming of the 1979 film Agatha.

Harrogate on Film

1970s fashion, Harrogate style

It also features the Harrogate Spa in 1930s, local railways in 1962, including the Ripon line that closed six years later, Knaresborough’s zoo and aquarium in 1968, the Knaresborough bed race in 1977, Disability Action Yorkshire, the Harrogate flower show and the Great Yorkshire Show, including a visit by the Queen in 1957.

Some of the highlights are available through the Yorkshire Film Archive website.

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Business Breakfast: Harrogate Specsavers director retires after 30 years

It’s time to join the Stray Ferret Business Club. The third in our series of networking events in association with The Coach and Horses in Harrogate is a lunch event on March 30 from 12.30pm.

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 opticians director is set to retire after 30 years in business.

Robert May, director of Harrogate Specsavers, has overseen the growth of the opticians on Beulah Street from three test rooms and six staff to 11 testing rooms and a team of 50 people.

Mr May will leave the store to optometrist directors Fraz Khan and Caroline Sullivan, as well as Andrew Bryer, retail director.

On his retirement, Mr May said:

“I often say to people, in what other job do you get the opportunity to make a difference to someone’s life every 20 minutes? 

“There’s so much more to it than just getting customers new glasses. I’ve experienced the industry progress from pen and paper to full retinal photos and OCT scans, the level of holistic eye healthcare we can provide is really exciting.”

Mr Khan added:

“Robert has been a pleasure to work with over the last two years and he will be dearly missed by staff and customers alike.

“He’s gone above and beyond during his 30 years as an optometrist director and we hope he enjoys his well-deserved retirement.”

New legal director at Harrogate law firm

Raworths Solicitors in Harrogate has appointed a new legal director.

Heather Roberts has been hired to the company’s growing commercial property team.

Heather Roberts and Matthew Hill. Picture: Rachel Creer.

Heather Roberts and Matthew Hill. Picture: Rachel Creer.

Ms Roberts joins the firm with 20 years of experience of acting for investors, developers, landlords, tenants and banks.

She said:

“I have been aware of Raworths’ reputation as a legal firm which builds lasting relationships with its clients, and at the heart of that is the unique way the team can draw upon the skills and expertise of their colleagues across disciplines. 

“This approach really appeals to me, and I’m excited to add to the incredible pool of talent here to help grow the commercial property business. 

“The firm proactively supports and nurtures the ongoing development of its team at all levels, and I also hope to play a key role in cultivating the skills of our expanding team going forwards.”

Matthew Hill, head of commercial client services at Raworths, said: 

“We welcome Heather, whose specialist commercial property expertise will be a huge asset to our growing team which has benefitted from a raft of new client wins over the past few months.

“There are major opportunities for us to grow our business in this sector, driven by a stronger than anticipated market post-pandemic and growth more broadly across the region where the demand for space continues to surge.

“Heather’s appointment is part of a strategic recruitment drive for our commercial team as we look to grow our client portfolio across the region and nationwide.”

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Police issue ‘keep dogs on lead’ plea after sheep killed near Harrogate

Police have urged people to keep dogs on leads in the countryside after a sheep died at Norwood, near Harrogate, following an attack.

North Yorkshire Police is investigating after four sheep were attacked by a dog on Friday, which left one dead.

The force described the dog involved as being light ginger in colour, and a similar size to a Hungarian Vizsla, but with a larger head.

Officers have appealed for further information about the incident.

A police statement today added:

“It is particularly upsetting at this time of year, as many sheep are carrying lambs.

“Anyone who was in the Norwood area around 1pm on Friday, 24 March who may have information on this incident, is urged to contact officers as a matter of urgency.”

Anyone with information on the incident can contact the force and quote reference 12230052829.

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Nidderdale smokehouse company ordered to pay creditor £3,300

A food business based in Nidderdale has been ordered to pay £3,372 to one of its creditors.

Wiltshire-based Trafalgar Fisheries made the claim against Mackenzies Yorkshire Smokehouse at Harrogate County Court yesterday.

Alistair Watret, who appeared on behalf of the claimant, told the court no payment had been made to the company since December 30 last year.

He added there had been “no contact at all” from Mackenzies since that date.

A representative from Mackenzies was not present at the hearing.

Deputy district judge Armstrong said the firm had “failed to provide any contact details” for the hearing.

However, he added this was “not entirely surprising” given that the company had appointed liquidators.

As reported by the Stray Ferret, Mackenzies entered into voluntary liquidation owing more than £1 million last month.

Papers filed with Companies House reveal it owed £1,025,690.40 to 156 other companies. Among its debts is almost £45,000 to HMRC for VAT, PAYE and National Insurance contributions.

As well as a smokehouse, Mackenzies runs a farm shop and cafe, both of which remain open.

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The company hired Clark Business Recovery to oversee its liquidation in February.

Mr Watret told the hearing yesterday that Trafalgar Fisheries still wished to proceed with the claim despite Mackenzies appointing liquidators.

Judge Armstrong ordered Mackenzies pay the sum to Trafalgar Fisheries.

In making his judgement, he also said an order will be sent to the liquidators.

Harrogate district criminals could apologise to victims rather than go to court

Criminals could meet their victims to apologise rather than go to court under a new restorative justice agreement in North Yorkshire.

The Community Remedy document aims to give victims of low-level crime and anti-social behaviour a greater say in how offenders should be held account.

The updated document was agreed by Chief Constable Lisa Winward and Zoë Metcalfe, the Conservative North Yorkshire Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner, after a six-week public consultation.

It lists actions that can be carried out without court proceedings by criminals who admit their wrongdoing.

The options include bringing victims and criminals together “in a safe and supported way” to allow greater understanding of each other.

Other options include criminals giving verbal or written apologies or signing acceptable behaviour contracts in which they pledge to improve their behaviour.

Those guilty of offences could also engage in reparations by repairing or paying for damage caused or litter picking, or agree to attend anger management programmes or mediation.

Ms Metcalfe urged victims to “carefully consider using the options so that offending can be addressed and community safety restored”, adding:

“Community Remedy provides a vital opportunity for victims to be consulted and input on the outcome and resolution to an anti-social behaviour offence.”

“The local options provide victims with the opportunity to ensure justice and reparation for an offence, as well as an important opportunity for perpetrators to learn about the impact of the offence and change their behaviour in the future, without being criminalised through court proceedings.”

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Chief Constable Winward said Community Remedy “can be a more meaningful resolution to some victims and perpetrators than other criminal justice outcomes and can be more effective in keeping people safe and feeling safe”. She added:

“Anyone who has been a victim of a crime or anti-social behaviour will inevitably feel the impact of that event in some way.

“In some cases, just being able to share how it made them feel with a perpetrator or for a perpetrator to reflect on their actions and offer to put things right can be extremely powerful in the healing process and allow people to move on.”

Community Remedy will only be used when criminals admit their offence and both parties agree to take part.