“It means so much to us”, says Stray Ferret Business Award Winner

The Stray Ferret Business Awards saw 11 finalists, and one very lucky prize winner, crowned the winners of their categories.

The winners shared their reactions in the LCF LAW Winner’s Lounge.

Here is what some of them had to say.

The Golden Ticket Prize

Winner: Millie Rae

Millie Rae, of Cloud NINE, was crowned the winner of our Heads or Tails game, winning herself an overnight stay in the Presidential Suite and dinner at Grantley Hall.

In the LCF Law Winner’s Lounge, Millie said:

‘I’m very, very happy.

“We were playing heads or tails and I changed my mind at the last minute, and I managed to win! I’ll take my boyfriend with me…if he’s nice!”

Dynamic Leader Award – sponsored by Succession Wealth

Winner: Ian Baker, The Soundproofing Store

Ian Baker, founder and managing director of The Soundproofing Store, won first place in our Dynamic Leader Award.

Ian Baker with Clare Frisby (L) and Lawrence King of Succession Wealth (R)

In the LCF Law Winner’s Lounge, Ian said:

“My team put me up for this, I had nothing to do with it and I feel absolutely amazed”.

“I’ve always liked to treat people as you’d wish to be treated yourself — that’s what I always try to do”.

Best Independent Retailer Award – sponsored by the York and North Yorkshire Growth Hub

Winner: TravelGate

TravelGate is an independent travel agency in Harrogate. The company won the Best Independent Retailer Award.

Clare Frisby (L) with the TravelGate team and James Farrar, of York & North Yorkshire Growth Hub (R)

Melanie and Phil, in the LCF Law Winner’s Lounge, said:

“We are absolutely overwhelmed to have received this award.

It means so much to us – thank you to everybody”.

“There were some fabulous businesses in this category, so it is incredible to recognised”.

Digital Innovation Award – sponsored by ASE Computer Services

Winner: Strive Group

Strive Group is a connected experience agency in Harrogate.

The company took home the crown for Digital Innovation.

Clare Frisby (L) with the Strive Group team and Chris Dickinson of ASE Computers (R)

In the LCF Law Winner’s Lounge, Director Alistair Grant said:

“It felt awesome to be up on that stage and accept the award for the company”.

“There is such strength of talent in Harrogate and we wanted to show the local community the great opportunities here”.

The Stray Ferret would like to thank everyone who entered the awards and everyone who attended our event.

Thank you to all our sponsors, including all the businesses supporting our individual categories, and our lead sponsor, Prosperis.

Keep an eye on our site and social media over the coming days to see more news and photographs from the awards ceremony.

Stray Views: North Yorkshire rural transport ‘desperately inefficient’

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.

Hats off to North Yorkshire County Council for being open about the cost of Demand Responsive Transport (DRT) schemes. The reason that DRT is expensive in rural areas is because it is desperately inefficient.

DRT is supposed to be the answer where demand for timetabled services has dropped to uneconomic levels. But DRT actually makes the problem worse – if the only timetabled bus leaves at 10.30, it may well carry me (who would prefer to leave at 09.30) and my neighbour (who might prefer to leave at 11.30). 

But DRT asks us each when we want to travel, and if we are both lucky enough to bag a ride, then the bus will come to our village twice, carrying just one of us each time. And because the schedule is built in random order, as requests come in, the vehicles end up with wasteful gaps when there isn’t enough time to fit in an extra trip, and lots of “dead mileage” as the vehicles zoom around empty from one drop off to the next pickup.

I live in a part of rural Derbyshire that is likely to lose timetabled services soon, and I wanted to see if my fears were borne out by data. Finding no published information on loadings for DRT buses, I made a FOI request to NYCC for detailed information on the Yorbus service around Ripon. 

The data, for February, March and April 2022 shows the two minibuses carrying passengers for just a third of their operating time and when they did have passengers, it was rarely more than three. Normal taxis could have been used instead (with far lower costs and emissions) for over 97% of the operating hours. These figures will have improved, a bit, as ridership has increased in the last year, but Yorbus will still be running as what is in effect a badly-scheduled taxi service using vastly oversized vehicles.

Even if you don’t worry about the cost, DRT isn’t even a good replacement for a timetabled service. The marketing materials may talk about flexibility, but for the user that means uncertainty.

NYCC have reported that Yorbus has been unable to meet about 20% of the requests for a ride. 

Failure may be OK if you were planning to go shopping: perhaps you will be luckier tomorrow. But what if you had wanted to use Yorbus to get to work? Or to an appointment with a hospital consultant?

John Geddes, Winster, Derbyshire

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‘Disgust’ at North Yorkshire County Council view

I read with disgust but no real surprise in the Stray Ferret the view of the North Yorkshire Tory council expressed by the opposition concerning the behaviour of the council. 

They describe the behaviour as something like a “Putinesque regime” amongst other descriptors. They then go on to describe actions that are nothing short of abuses of power.

It irks me that this dire council has managed to wriggle out of it’s responsibility to face elections till 2027 as a result of the re-organisation of local government.

Let’s face it, it is likely that the forthcoming local elections are likely to see the Tories, deservedly, wiped off the the face of the electoral map in much of the country. North Yorkshire however remains lumbered with this dismal bunch for another four years.

This thoroughly depressing and damaging state of affairs should not be allowed to stand.

Nick Hudson, Harrogate

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.

£1.5m fund for voluntary organisations in North Yorkshire

Voluntary organisations that helped North Yorkshire communities during covid could benefit from a share of £1.5 million funding.

The funding will be available following the launch of the new North Yorkshire Council in just under four weeks, on April 1.

It will allow community and voluntary groups to increase their capacity to act as so-called “community anchors”. 

The funding, spread over the next three years, will be available to organisations to act as hubs for the public to access advice and support and to increase resilience in communities. 

The project is building on the work that was undertaken by all of the current eight councils in North Yorkshire, including Harrogate Borough Council, to develop close working relationships with a network of community and voluntary groups which were instrumental in providing support to residents during the pandemic. 

North Yorkshire County Council’s executive member for stronger communities, Cllr Greg White, said:

“Volunteers and community groups have always played a hugely important role in North Yorkshire, but their work came even more to the fore during the covid crisis. 

“These organisations became a trusted voice for communities and helped us to publicise key public health messages and provided support at a grassroots level by co-ordinating the delivery of food and other essential items while checking on the most vulnerable members of society.”

Community anchors

While the concept of community anchors has been employed elsewhere in the country, the scheme in North Yorkshire is thought to be among the biggest of its kind nationally. 

The vast swathes of rural North Yorkshire which are home to some of the most isolated communities in the country present significant challenges in ensuring that the 615,000 residents in the county are given the support and services that they need. 

Groups that are already established in North Yorkshire can apply for £15,000-a-year in funding to become a community anchor ahead of a deadline on March 20. 

To qualify for the funding, organisations need to be established in communities with an existing base where they are delivering services, while also demonstrating a proven track record that they are financially sustainable. 

The funding is being made available to broadly increase the capacity of the groups, rather than being targeted at a specific project, and to strengthen the resilience of communities to build on the solid foundations that developed during the pandemic. 

The investment would be available to finance a range of activities such as building partnerships with organisations including the council and health services and increasing their capacity to deliver physical and mental well-being programmes for communities. 

The money could also be employed to help develop projects such as community transport services, running social enterprises and delivering skills and education. 

The funding would also be potentially used to help communities to respond to emergencies, and improve people’s financial resilience, especially in relation to food and fuel. 

Nidderdale Plus and Ripon Community House

Groups which could apply for the funding and played a key role throughout the covid pandemic include Nidderdale Plus, the Upper Dales Community Partnership and the Grassington Hub as well as the Community Care Associations in Stokesley, Thirsk and Easingwold. 

Ripon Community House, which is based in part of the city’s old workhouse and celebrates its 10th anniversary this month, was another of the community support organisations established in the pandemic, and staff are due to apply for funding to become one of the new community anchors. 

The venue, which provides meeting rooms for the community as well as a food bank and activities such as chair-based exercise classes, currently houses a base for Harrogate Borough Council to offer services such as waste and housing, and this will continue with the launch of North Yorkshire Council. 

Ripon Community House’s chief officer, Suzanne Bowyer, said:

“The legacy of covid has meant that we have become a real trusted voice in the community, and people come to us for advice – if they don’t know which organisation to go to, then we can invariably help. 

“To have the chance to build on this work by becoming a community anchor is so important, and the launch of the new council in North Yorkshire will undoubtedly help ensure the public can access services even easier by knowing there is one single organisation to deal with.” 

Funding from the government has already been used for North Yorkshire’s voluntary sector as part of financial support provided nationally to help the country recover from the pandemic. 

However, the new funding is being provided via North Yorkshire County Council’s Stronger Communities Achieve Together programme and is aimed at supporting about 30 different organisations over a three-year period. 

North Yorkshire County Council and the seven district and borough authorities will merge from April 1 to pave the way for a devolution deal, which is set to transfer decision-making powers and millions of pounds of funding from Westminster to local political leaders. 

The new council will retain a main office in each of the former district areas, supported by additional customer access points in public locations.

Information on how to apply for the community anchors project is available online on the county council’s website.

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Harrogate levelling up bid comparisons ‘unhelpful’, says councillor

A Harrogate Conservative councillor has described as “unhelpful” comparisons between Harrogate’s failed levelling up bid and a successful bid for a village in Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s constituency.

The comments came as both the Liberal Democrats and Conservatives on Harrogate Borough Council made a rare joint plea to the new North Yorkshire Council to press ahead with a redevelopment of the town’s convention centre.

During a full council meeting this week, Cllr Chris Aldred, a Lib Dem, said the backing was needed after failed funding bids to the government’s levelling up fund in January.

He added that, while Harrogate was rejected for funding, a successful bid was made in Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s Richmond constituency.

Cllr Aldred said:

“Whilst government money was obtained to deliver a new Catterick town centre – I wonder whose constituency that is? – Harrogate lost out once more.”

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However, Cllr Sam Gibbs, who works as a party agent for the Richmond Conservatives, said comparison between bids was “not helpful”.

He added that the area of Catterick was deprived and the success of the bid had nothing to do with Mr Sunak.

Cllr Gibbs said:

“I don’t think comparisons with other bids is helpful.

“Saying that we’re more deserving than X or Y is largely pointless.”

He added:

“Focussing on Catterick for a start, there is no such thing as Catterick town centre.

“Yes it is in Richmond and I know what you were getting at with it being Rishi’s constituency, but I’m sure you know that the bid was put in by the Liberal Democrat and Independent-run council and has nothing particularly to do with Rishi.

“If you have ever been around what you call Catterick town centre, it is hard to argue that the money is not needed. It is one of the most deprived parts of North Yorkshire, the money is very, very much needed.”

A rare joint plea

Both the Conservatives and Lib Dems agreed to call on the new unitary council to back a £49 million renovation of the centre.

The council has previously warned that if the convention centre redevelopment doesn’t go ahead, the district could lose out on up to £250 million over the next 40 years in lost tourism and business spending.

A motion passed by the council asked that the new council “moves forward with urgency” in setting up a management board for the Harrogate Borough Council.

The project has moved to the design phase but where the money will come from to pay for it remains uncertain. North Yorkshire Council will make a final decision at a later date.

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

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

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

The move throws up questions over housing and planning in the district – in particular, who will make the decisions?

In this article, we will explain how key decisions over housing, new businesses and a Local Plan for the Harrogate area will be made.

Who currently makes planning decisions?

Currently, any decision over permission to build new homes or businesses in the Harrogate district is made by Harrogate Borough Council.

The council is the local planning authority – meaning any applications must be submitted to it.

Officials at the council then make decisions on whether to approve or refuse permission for a development.

Some applications may go to a council planning committee, which is made up of local councillors, to make a decision.

What will change from April?

From April, the borough council will no longer exist.

This means that the new North Yorkshire Council will become the local planning authority.

Any proposals to build new homes of businesses will have to be submitted to the new council.

It will then make decisions on new developments in the Harrogate district.

How will it make decisions?

North Yorkshire Council has proposed setting up two committees to deal with planning applications.

The first will be a strategic planning committee in Northallerton which will deal with major proposals, such as plans for 500 or more homes and employment sites.

There will also be a sub-committee on the Harrogate and Knaresborough Area Constituency Committee, which will deal with proposals of 500 homes or less.

Similarly, plans for Ripon would be overseen by the Ripon and Skipton Area Constituency Committee.

What about the Harrogate district Local Plan?

Under the new council, a fresh Local Plan will be drawn up.

The plan will show where land can be used for housing and employment over the next 15 years.

It means that the current Harrogate district Local Plan 2014-35 is set to be scrapped.

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Start your engines: it’s time for Knaresborough tractor run

About 400 vehicles are expected to take part in tomorrow’s 25-mile Knaresborough Tractor Run.

The tractors are due to set off from the Great Yorkshire Showground in Harrogate at 9am before snaking around the district.

The spectacular convoy will head to Ripley and Knaresborough before travelling to Staveley, Burton Leonard and Markington, Bishop Thornton and Glasshouses.

tractor run 2023

It is expected to arrive in Pateley Bridge at midday for a hog roast and then continue to Bewerley, Dacre, Darley, Birstwith and Hampsthwaite before finishing in Knaresborough at 4pm.

The number taken part won’t be known until tomorrow as drivers can turn up on the day.

Participation costs £20 and an extra £10 for each passenger. You can enter here or turn up at the showground.

All proceeds are donated to Yorkshire Air Ambulance — a cause close to the hearts of many farmers taking part because of the way it helps people in remote and rural areas.

Last year, a total if 383 tractors took part and the event raised £21,000.for Yorkshire Air Ambulance.

Although the route uses some minor roads, the convoy takes about an hour to file by and traffic delays are possible for vehicles caught up in the event.

Knaresborough tractor run

The route snakes around Nidderdale

Tractor Run committee chairman and Ramsgill farmer Steven Brown urged anyone with a tractor, farmer or otherwise, to take part, and anyone without one to turn out to support the event. He said: 

“Come along and join in the fun. We reckon it’s the biggest tractor run in the UK, so the chances of seeing anything similar elsewhere are slim.”

Prizes will be awarded for tractors in three categories: vintage, classics, and modern. 

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Stray Ferret Business Awards: The winners’ reactions

The Stray Ferret Business Awards saw 11 finalists, and one very lucky prize winner, crowned the winners of their categories.

The winners shared their reactions in the LCF LAW Winner’s Lounge.

Rising Star Under 30 Award – sponsored by Thompson’s Chartered Accountants

Winner: Laura Mounsey, Harrogate Family Law

Laura Mounsey is a Director of Harrogate Family Law, the Chair of the advisory board to the Independent Domestic Abuse Service (IDAS), as well as the youngest ever president of the Harrogate & District Law Society.

Her impressive career crowned her the winner of the Rising Star Under 30 Award.

Clare Frisby (L) with Laura Mounsey and Gyles Behbood (R) of Thompson’s Accountants

Laura told the Stray Ferret in the LCF Law Winners Lounge:

“This award means everything to me.

“I was nothing 10 years ago, so it is very honourable to be up here.

“My mum and step-dad are here tonight and I’d really be nothing without them”.

Business Growth Award – sponsored by Raworths

Winner: The Soundproofing Store

The Soundproofing store is the largest online retailer of soundproofing equipment and solutions in the UK – leading the company to win first place in the Business Growth Award.

Clare Frisby (L) with Ian Baker and Simon Morris (R) of Raworths

The team at The Soundproofing Store told us in the LCF Law Winners Lounge:

“It feels great to win. It is an award for the whole company – we feel very proud.

“Beating yourselves every year is what we’ve done, time and time again. It is thanks to our entire team.

“Thank you very much for this award”.

Unsung Hero Award – sponsored by the Big Bamboo Agency

Winner: Chris Ashby, Harrogate BID

Chris Ashby, the Street Ranger for Harrogate BID, keeps the town centre looking spotless.

Chris’s actions in helping save a man’s life in 2022 saw him take home the crown for the Unsung Hero Award.

Clare Frisby (L) with Matthew Chapman of Harrogate BID and Nicola Stamford (R) of Big Bamboo Agency

Matthew Chapman, Manager of Harrogate BID, spoke on behalf of Chris. He told the Stray Ferret in the LCF Law Winners Lounge:

“Chris will be very humbled and very proud to win this award.

“Chris is the glue that brings our team together — he is just so, so nice.

“This one is for Chris!”

Inclusivity Award – sponsored by Kempston Parkes Chartered Surveyors

Winner: Artizan Café and Creative Space

Artizan Café and Creative Space took home first prize for their work.

The café provides employment opportunities for differently-abled people and provides them with vital skills.

Liz Cluderay of the Artizan Café and Creative Space team told the Stray Ferret in the LCF Law Winners Lounge:

“Winning was an incredible feeling of huge pride. My work means a lot to me and the team mean the world to me.

“We have had the most amazing year creating what we have and this is just the icing on the cake”.

The Stray Ferret would like to thank everyone who entered the awards and everyone who attended our event.

Thank you to all our sponsors, including all the businesses supporting our individual categories, and our lead sponsor, Prosperis.

Keep an eye on our site and social media over the coming days to see more news and photographs from the awards ceremony.

Six choirs to sing together at festival in Harrogate

Six choirs from across the Harrogate district and beyond will be joining forces – and voices – next weekend to perform together for the very first time. 

The Harrogate Community Choir Festival, at Harrogate Theatre on Saturday, March 18, will be hosted by the Stray Notes Choir and originated from an idea from the choir’s music director, Liz Linfoot. 

She said:  

“After a difficult couple of years when choirs were unable to rehearse together and weekly Zoom rehearsals were the norm, Harrogate choirs are once again thriving. This festival is intended as a celebration of singing, and the joy which comes from being part of a choir community.”

Image of flyer advertising the Harrogate Community Choir Festival.

The Harrogate Community Choir Festival will feature six local community choirs showcasing some of their favourite songs in a variety of different styles. They are: the Stray Notes, Harrogate Male Voice Choir, Knot Another Choir, Love Pop Choir, Rock Choir, and the Skipton Choir.

Each choir will perform a set of four or five songs and the evening will culminate in a final song with all the choirs and the audience singing together. 

Liz added:

“The benefits of singing as part of a group are wide-ranging and scientifically proven, including supporting mental and physical health and building community.

“From shower soloists to music-reading experienced choristers, and from rock to classical music, there is a warm welcome for everyone at a choir in Harrogate.”

The choirs will be raising funds for Wellspring Therapy and Training, this year’s chosen charity of The Stray Notes Choir. Based in Starbeck, Wellspring provides affordable psychological support to people in distress and promotes good mental health through training and education.

The Harrogate Community Choir Festival will be held at Harrogate Theatre at 7pm on Saturday, March 18. Tickets for the event cost £10 (children: £5) and are available online from Harrogate Theatre.

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Harrogate man to skateboard 300 miles to support seriously ill mother

A Harrogate plasterer is set to skateboard to his former home in Barry Island to raise money to help his mother.

Daniel Katchi’s mum, who is 50, was diagnosed with motor neurone disease last October after experiencing speech problems and loss of mobility in her arm.

Her son hopes to raise money to fund a speech machine controlled by eye movement and a stair lift for his parents’ home in Barry Island, near Cardiff.

Daniel, 32, moved to Harrogate from Barry Island three years ago and plans to complete the 300-mile route with a fellow skateboarder who lost his mother to motor neurone disease.

As a young boy, Daniel was gifted a skateboard by his neighbour in South Wales and fell in love with the sport immediately. He has represented the UK nationally and internationally in skateboarding.

Daniel said:

“I am determined to complete this journey.

“It’s a case of me feeling helpless and all I want to do is help my mum.”

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Setting off on Wednesday, May 4, the pair aim to cover around 50 miles per day and anticipate the journey will take 5 days. They hope to cross the finish line on Sunday, May 7, and will be greeted by his family.

The two skateboarders will ride over to Leeds from Harrogate, where the journey will officially start. They aim to stop in Sheffield, Birmingham, Cheltenham and Bristol before completing their journey in Barry.

Daniel established a route that will predominantly follow bike paths and some pavements.

They have encouraged fellow skateboarders to join a leg of their journey and free merchandise will be given to those who do.

To follow Daniel’s progress, visit his GoFundMe page.

Harrogate pair offer to help parents become calm and confident

Two Harrogate parents are uniting to help children navigate the challenges of the modern world.

But rather than speak to the children themselves, Alison Stubbs and Andrea Edmondson are focusing their efforts on the parents.

They established ParentSmart Learning based on their belief that giving parents the tools to deal with their children’s behaviour would deliver the most benefit to families.

Both women have dealt with challenges in their own children, including dyslexia and autism, as well as being trained teachers.

Alison, who is a primary school teacher, said:

“I’ve got two children who are dyslexic.

“As a teacher, I felt the school system was trying to get children like mine to do things they can’t.

“I was thinking, ‘my child is going to school every day, failing, and then on sports day, when they could do well, they aren’t allowed to win because it’s not competitive.

“‘How can we empower these children to feel better about themselves, and the parents too?'”

Alison considered doing a cognitive behavioural therapy course to enable children to feel more empowered in dealing with challenges they faced. However, she said:

“I quickly realised you’ve got to empower the parent because they can empower the children.”

Meanwhile, fellow teacher Andrea experienced her own difficulties when raising her four children in the United States. She said:

“Even though I had all the training, things weren’t always easy. I felt lonely and confused and I didn’t know what to do.”

Andrea decided to undertake research and training in child development, focusing on how children deal with stress and how they can be helped to live with it more easily in the modern world, before moving back to the UK.

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A chance conversation between Andrea and Alison at a friend’s house in 2021 led the pair to realise they had similar views and aims.

After sharing their own experiences and ideas, they begin looking at ways to give parents more confidence in supporting their children.

They tested some of their theories with communities around the Harrogate district, running monthly workshops in a room they were given free at the Pickled Sprout restaurant in the Yorkshire Hotel.

After receiving “excellent” feedback from the participants, Alison and Andrea began working on pilot projects with schools.

However, with budgets already stretched, the pair found many schools were unable to commit to paying for help – even when it might reduce many of the challenges they faced in the classroom.

They said even “very intelligent, caring parents” often struggle to know how to handle their children’s behaviour at home, leading to more issues being brought into schools.

The covid pandemic exacerbated this, with many children missing out on key periods of social development and not having been supported to catch up since.

Andrea said:

“One of the biggest things is the people raising children now were raised in a very different time than we’re now in. The ways people were raised don’t align to the environment we now operate in: 24/7 media, screens, a lot of bad food, a lot of time inside.

“There’s a mismatch between the biology of kids and the environment, and then the skills and understanding of the parents.

“When you’re under stress, you revert to script and the script was developed when you were young.”

Outside perspective

The pair have developed a short online course, Confused to Confident, to help parents develop a better understanding of their children’s behaviour and its causes, as well as ways to respond that will restore calm.

They said the course is suitable for parents whose children are any age, from pre-school through to adult. The parents may be dealing with conflict with their children, concerned about their mental health or potential neurodiversity, preparing for school transitions or exams, or simply wanting to feel more confident in their parenting strategies.

ParentSmart Learning is also partnering with community organisations and businesses to deliver workshops and courses

Alison said modern, busy lives often leave people without opportunities to share their concerns and get advice from other parents. The course is designed to fill that gap, with expertise and distance.

She added:

“You get bogged down and dragged in with your own child and you’ve got to take a step back and not be reactive.

“Sometimes, you need someone to help you process something – that outside perspective to help us take a step back.”