Local Harrogate News & Views around the district - Page 497 of 1044

Will Harrogate cycling schemes ever get out of first gear?

A cycling group has expressed frustration amid ongoing uncertainty over the timetable to increase active travel in the Harrogate district.

The council previously said designs to create better cycling routes on Victoria Avenue and the A59 were “likely” to be revealed this summer. It also said a consultation on Oatlands Drive cycling improvements was “likely to start soon after” Queen Elizabeth II’s platinum jubilee bank holiday weekend in June.

But a fortnight ago Councillor Keane Duncan, executive member for highways and transport at North Yorkshire County Council, said an Oatlands consultation was now likely to start in October and a consultation on Victoria Avenue and the A59 were due in the New Year.

The Stray Ferret asked the council why the consultations had been delayed.

Melisa Burnham, North Yorkshire County Council’s area highways manager, said in a statement:

“We want to ensure that all road users fully understand the strategic links between all the proposed projects in Harrogate to enable them to comment with a clear voice.

“To ensure this, we have taken the time necessary to draft detailed engagement papers. Details of the consultation will be announced soon. We have explained this situation to interested parties.”

Victoria Avenue is one of the routes designated for cycling improvements.

Councillors frequently talk about creating a joined-up, off-road cycle route from Harrogate train station to Cardale Park, which would require completion of the Station Gateway scheme and the Otley Road and Victoria Avenue cycle routes, as well as the prohibition of traffic on Beech Grove. None of these projects is making noticeable progress.

Kevin Douglas, chairman of Harrogate District Cycle Action, said the speed of change was particularly disappointing because funding for projects was in place. He said:

“We have been waiting so long for this. It’s frustrating that every time we seem to be making progress, the dates slip back.

“We need to see resources dedicated to carrying out the work as soon as possible.”

Still no word about the Beech Grove & Otley Road consultation promised in September 2022.
Countdown: 6 days late https://t.co/tvpBidDlsF

— Harrogate Cycle Action (@cycle_harrogate) October 7, 2022

Mr Douglas also highlighted how, in contrast to delays on cycling schemes, work was due to start on the £68m scheme to realign Kex Gill for motorists. He added:

“All we can do is keep pressing for change and hope things start to move more quickly.”

Harrogate school pupil’s flower bed design for Queen’s Jubilee wins trophy

A pupil of Ashville College in Harrogate has won the Harrogate in Bloom award for his flowerbed design to celebrate The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee.

Children from schools across the town took part in the competition to design the flowerbed in Valley Gardens.

Jack Baier’s winning entry of more than 3,300 plants won the top award.

At the ceremony, year 7 Jack was presented with the Hammond Mann Trophy by former Yorkshire Agricultural Society chief executive Nigel Pulling.

The evening was attended by more than 60 guests, including the mayor of Harrogate, Cllr Victoria Oldham, and was the culmination of Harrogate BID’s Floral Summer of Celebration.

Jack’s colourful, winning design

Other winners on the night included Helen James Flowers, Horticap, the White Hart Hotel, and Vivido.

To create the flowerbed, Harrogate Borough Council’s park and gardens team planted 800 Super Olympia Pink Begonias, 1,100 Super Olympia Red Begonias, 650 Non-Stop Yellow Begonias and 800 Mambo Mid Blue Petunias.

Pam Grant, Harrogate in Bloom President, said:

“We were delighted with the response to this particular competition category, and congratulate Jack on his winning design.

“Once translated from paper to flowerbed, it looked absolutely stunning, and was a fitting floral tribute to honour our dearly departed Queen’s Platinum Jubilee.”

Column: Our future has never looked brighter..

This opinion column is written for the Stray Ferret by Mark Oldfield, chairman of Harrogate Hospital Radio. It follows a recent decision by the broadcasting regulator, Ofcom, to grant the charity radio station a 5 year licence on 95.3FM.

Being granted a five-year FM is the end of a very long personal journey. One that began with the near demise of Harrogate Hospital Radio.

For those not in the know, Harrogate Hospital Radio is the town’s longest running radio station. Based in Harrogate District Hospital, our first broadcast was in October 1977. In those days we were located in a small room next to the mortuary and our equipment consisted of one turntable, one microphone and one reel-to-reel tape recorder.

I joined the station, which is a registered charity and run entirely by volunteers, as a rookie broadcaster in 2013. The next March I put myself forward as secretary, and the following year I was asked if I would take on the role of chairman. And I did.

Three years into the job and we faced a massive threat to our very existence. Up to then, the only way patients could listen to us was via a bedside console, In 2018, these were removed, meaning patients were unable to listen to us.

We knew this was on the cards, but it still came as a huge shock. Some hospital radio stations who had found themselves in a similar situation had actually called it a day. I was determined we wouldn’t go the same way.

Thanks to the brilliant team we have at Harrogate Hospital Radio, we quickly launched an app. We purchased 55 WiFi radios and, with the full cooperation of the Hospital Trust, we placed them in various locations around the hospital, including reception and waiting rooms. We were back on air. And more importantly, the opportunity to listen to us had grown significantly.

I then decided to apply to Ofcom for an FM licence which would allow us to broadcast to a wider ‘local’ audience. However, it was turned down because according to Ofcom, ‘there was no frequency available for us to broadcast’!

In 2019, Harrogate lost its only local FM radio station to a national franchise, which, in my opinion, left a hole without any local contact and local approach. Because of this, and having researched availability of FM frequencies, I decided to apply again to Ofcom, and again it was rejected.

Disappointed yes. Defeated no. My response was to set up a petition. I also had a Zoom meeting with MP Andrew Jones, who told me he would help as much as possible to gain us a licence.

Early last year, I was invited to resubmit my application and, finally, at the end of May 2021, I got a call from Ofcom who informed me my application had been successful. We had been given a 12-month licence and I was ecstatic. A five year licence was now in our grasp.

And since our launch on 95.FM back on September 1, 2021, I provided Ofcom with regular updates on our transmission, and happily reported no issues.

Twelve months ago, MP Andrew Jones pressed the button to launch us on FM and the last year of broadcasting on FM was a great success, so much so Ofcom has now granted us the extension.

This is fantastic news for the team at Harrogate Hospital Radio, and more importantly for our listeners.

Our future has never looked brighter!

Top local football clubs ponder earlier kick-offs to save floodlight costs

Leading football clubs in Harrogate and Knaresborough are considering whether to kick-off earlier on Saturday afternoons over winter to save money on floodlights.

Rising energy bills mean the cost of lighting up matches is expected to soar this season, especially after the clocks go back on October 30.

Bringing forward the traditional 3pm Saturday afternoon kick-off could save those clubs in the district with floodlights — Harrogate Town, Harrogate Railway Athletic and Knaresborough Town — thousands of pounds over the season.

For the district’s only professional club, Harrogate Town, any change seems unlikely. A club spokesman said:

“We have no plans to move our kick-offs at this stage.

“It was discussed at an English Football League meeting with all clubs last week and the overriding feeling was that it would be detrimental to attendances.”

But the issue is less clearcut for semi-professional teams, which attract smaller attendances.

Michael Edwards, chairman of Harrogate Railway, who play in the Northern Counties East League Division One, said it was one of many teams in the league pursuing the idea. He said:

“It could save hundreds if not thousands of pounds over a season and every little bit counts.”

He said Harrogate Railway were looking to start some matches at 1.30pm or 2pm from November onwards — but any change has to be agreed by both teams three weeks in advance.

Clare Rudzinski, secretary of Knaresborough Town, who play in the Northern Counties East League Premier Division, one tier above Harrogate Railway, said the issue would be raised at a committee meeting next week.

Floodlights will continue to be used at midweek matches, when the evening kickoff times make floodlights essential.

New music festival celebrates remarkable composer buried in Hampsthwaite

An ambitious new two-day music festival in a small Harrogate village began last night.

The Amy Woodforde-Finden Music Festival was created to promote a female composer who is buried in Hampsthwaite.

About 70 people attended a recital of her songs at St Thomas a Becket Church, featuring London mezzo-soprano Patricia Hammond.

A guided tour of Amy’s Hampsthwaite this morning will be followed by a concluding concert this evening featuring two baritones and talented local musicians at St Thomas a Becket.

It is hoped the festival will become an annual event, promoting the work of Amy and other female composers, as well as engaging local artists and schools.

Amy’s music was much sought-after at the turn of the last century but her reputation fell into obscurity following her death in 1919.

Amy Woodforde-Finden’s tomb

Her tomb in St Thomas a Becket Church attracted little attention for a century until the German composer and pianist Thomas Flessenkaemper was appointed director of music for the benefice of Hampsthwaite, Killinghall and Birstwith.

Mr Flessenkaemper noticed the tomb during his interview for the role and when he took up the position he became curious. He said:

“I set out to track down this extraordinary artistic personality. I quickly realised that I had struck gold and read everything I could find about Amy Woodforde-Finden.”

He became “completely drunk on the colourfulness of her musical language” and set about establishing a festival to promote her work.

St Thomas a Becket Church last night

Mr Flessenkaemper accompanied Ms Hammond at last night’s recital, the highlight of which was Amy’s four-song Indian Love Lyrics.

The programme notes included a supportive quote from international pianist Stephen Hough, who said he “immediately fell in love with the alluring melodies, the exotic harmonies and the ultra-sentimental words” of Amy’s music.

A video set to Amy’s music featuring Hampsthwaite is available here.

Tickets for this evening’s concert are available here and at the church door tonight.

Harrogate blogger wins award decorating her home

When Ella Davis began posting pictures on Instagram of her work to jazz up a new build house in Killinghall last year, she had no idea where it would all lead.

Fast forward 18 months and @ellashausofcolour has twenty thousand followers and Ella has won a Yorkshire blogging award.

I just wanted to take pics of my journey and it grew from there. The idea was to document my journey. M job role at the time was in social media and I wanted combine that work with my journey with house.

“I opened up an Instagram account and started posted pictures — it has followed how my taste has developed and how the house grew with it.”

Ella describes her interior design style as “eclectic maximalism” — that means everything is bold, bright and colourful and there’s lots of it.

New builds are famous for being boxy and bland — Ella was simply “not down for it”.

“It was bland. I thought I would be more into dark and moody interiors and I soon realised I wasn’t — my sofa is bright orange. I have 3 gallery walls in my house.

“I have a big thing about buying decorative accessories from local businesses so everything is unique.”

One of Ella’s Instagram posts

Alongside her colourful design journey was another journey of discovery — that of becoming a serious blogger. She said it’s been a surprise that her following has grown so quickly:

“I literally just thought I was documenting it for myself.

“Last November I had one thousand followers and now, in less than a year, I have gained another nineteen thousand. There are now many different businesses (30 of them) that want to work with me. If you hit the criteria (that means a certain engagement rate and your posts fit their style) the interior design businesses find you and want to work with you.”

Ella doesn’t charge for her collaborations –she sees it as a hobby, not a job, and it can be stressful.

“There have been times when being an interior influencer is intense — you have to be constantly updating and it can be quite pressurising. I have worked with two different paint projects and next week I am working with another paint company.

“I love it but if you are sent 10 litres of paint there’s a lot involved!”

Last week Ella was rewarded for her hard work when she won the Most Creative Feed category in the People’s Choice Awards which celebrates bloggers, influencers and YouTubers in Yorkshire . How did she feel about the recognition?

“It was very surreal — just to be nominated. It was the Most Creative Feed category and people nominate you for your photo skills and how creative your home is and my name popped up which was bizarre. I sat there at the award ceremony last Friday and it was the last category to be called and suddenly my name was called!

“I do it because I love it, I love my house — it is something that reflects me and my personality. So when other people like and I win an award it’s surreal. I don’t do it for clout – I do it because I like it”.

Model boating must continue, says Friends of Valley Gardens

Model boating enhances Valley Gardens and should stay, says the charity that works to protect the park.

The comments from Friends of Valley Gardens (FOVG) come after a local model boating club told the Stray Ferret that plans for a fountain in the boating pool would end their hobby.

Claro Marine model boating club said water from the fountain would damage the expensive boats and members would have to go elsewhere if the fountain was installed.

The council had said that Friends of Valley Gardens supported the fountain, which is designed to improve water quality.

So the charity has found itself unwittingly in the middle of a watery controversy. In the past 24 hours, a large number of people have posted comments on its social media pages wanting the model boats to stay.

One of its four trustees, Andrew Jordan, told the Stray Ferret no one wants the model boaters to leave:

“Boating really enhances the Valley Gardens. The model boats are stunning – you can see the time and effort that goes into them. Going by the comments on our Facebook site today, there are a lot people who want it to stay.

“The whole purpose of the boating pond is model boating – I know Harrogate Borough Council wants to reduce costs but before the scheme goes ahead they’ll have to get the agreement from the boaters.”

He said when the council sent the charity a letter a month ago outlining a proposal for a fountain at one end of the pool, they assumed the model boaters would also be contacted and thought it was an early consultation – rather than a done deal.

They gave it approval but with lots of qualifications:

“We looked at it and we didn’t think the original plan would work. There wasn’t enough depth of water for the scheme they were proposing. We thought it was just an idea.

“From a maintenance and purification of water point of view, the fountain is a good idea but it has to be the right fountain for the site and for the other users of the boating lake.”

The charity is now urging the council to talk to Claro Marine model boating club and find a solution that works for all involved.

45 former CNG staff in £210,000 tribunal win against Harrogate firm

Forty-six former members of staff at Harrogate firm CNG have won an employment tribunal against the failed company worth about £210,000.

The ex-colleagues claimed CNG didn’t follow the correct redundancy procedures when the firm went into administration last year.

A tribunal in Leeds agreed with their claim, brought by solicitor Nuala Toner, and awarded them 90 days’ pay as compensation.

However, each claimant’s award was capped at eight weeks and a maximum of £571 a week. It means the total sum awarded to the group as a whole is about £210,000.

Any remaining sum owed can be claimed in the insolvency process, although whether any funds will be left when all creditors are paid remains to be seen.

The compensation will be paid by the government’s Redundancy Payment Service because CNG is in administration.

The claim, heard last month, was not contested by the administrators of CNG.

CNG ceased trading last year due to spiralling wholesale gas and electricity prices.

Nuala Toner

Ms Toner told the Stray Ferret:

“As early as August 2021, draft management accounts showed CNG had significant financial difficulties and by October 2021 it was accepted CNG was no longer sustainable. Despite this no steps were taken to commence consultation until November 2021, by which point any consultation was pointless.

“When mass redundancies are made, consultation must be meaningful and must be undertaken with a view to reducing the number of redundancies or mitigating the effects of the dismissals. By failing to undertake proper consultation in good time, the employees were denied the opportunity to mitigate the effects of the dismissals.”

Harrogate town centre restaurant not expected to reopen

A restaurant which opened in central Harrogate earlier this year is understood to have closed permanently.

Samsons began welcoming customers in mid-March, offering fine dining with seasonal Yorkshire produce from the former home of Le Bistrot Pierre in Town Centre House on Cheltenham Crescent.

However, it closed in the summer, when a spokesperson said the closure was temporary for “essential works”.

Now, the Stray Ferret understands, the restaurant will not reopen.

Its website is still taking table bookings, but there have been no new posts on its social media feeds since the end of July.

The company was incorporated in March 7 this year by Thomas Shotton, Duncan Bell and Mark Morris, who was its general manager. Mr Morris resigned as a director on March 23.

On the same date, he resigned as a director of Harrogate Industries Ltd, a company he co-founded last October with Mr Shotton. Mr Bell was then appointed director.

When the business launched, executive chef Josh Whitehead said it would offer “a taste of Harrogate”. He said, having begun his career in Harrogate, he was looking for a new challenge when he saw the Samsons role advertised and it “stuck out like a sore thumb”.

He was joined in the kitchen by his friend and former colleague Andy Castle, previously head chef at the Ox Club in Leeds.

The Stray Ferret approached Samsons for a comment but had not received a response by the time of publication.

Oatlands community artwork to be unveiled in Harrogate this weekend

A ceramic tree mural created as part of a community arts project will be unveiled this weekend in Harrogate.

Oatlands Community Centre was awarded funding from the Arts Council to run the project in June, marking the Queen’s platinum jubilee.

Local ceramic artist Anna Whitehouse ran free workshops at the centre, teaching people about the history of brickworks in the Oatlands area and how to process the locally-dug clay.

They then created pieces of art themselves, putting together a ceramic tree mural which will go on display outside the community centre. Anna said:

“The tree design was chosen for its symbolism, with Oatlands Community Centre being rooted firmly at the heart of the community.”

The centre and its volunteers are the supportive framework; the roots, trunk and branches, but can only grow leaves and flourish through the engagement of the community and their sense of ownership.”

Oatlands Community Centre was previously a Methodist chapel, located near the top of Mount Street, just off Leeds Road. The street used to be the access road to the Harrogate Red Brick Company, which operated from 1860 to 1936.

The church itself was built using bricks from the works, which were taken from the heavy clay which lies in the ground across the area.

Since the workshops were held in June, the ceramic pieces have been dried, fired in the kiln and assembled into a mural ready for the unveiling tomorrow between 10am and noon.

Anna will be on hand to talk about the project, and Oatlands Community Centre will be offering coffee and cake to visitors.

Funding was organised through Two Ridings Community Foundation. Its CEO Jan Garrill said:

“This was a great and very creative way to celebrate Her Majesty’s platinum jubilee. All credit to Oatlands for embracing both the spirit of the jubilee and the Let’s Create funding from Two Ridings.”

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