A Starbeck community group has made a renewed call to bring Harrogate’s “little temple” to the area.

An application was tabled by North Yorkshire County Council in November last year to remove the tempietto in Station Square to make way for the £11.2 million Station Gateway scheme.

The proposal was approved by Harrogate Borough Council prior to its abolition on Friday.

The new North Yorkshire Council has said no work on the tempietto will take place until a decision has been made on the gateway project.

However, Andrew Hart, a postmaster, has reiterated a call to bring the structure to Starbeck in order to “rejuvenate” the area.

Mr Hart, who also founded the Starbeck Community Group,  wrote to the borough council in November last year requesting that the tempietto be moved to Belmont Field.

He told the Stray Ferret that any move to demolish the structure would be “shameful”.

Mr Hart said:

“When I formally contacted HBC last November I was assured in writing that the Starbeck Community Groups request for the tempietto to be moved to Belmont Field, Starbeck would be taken seriously and discussed with the councillors.

“To demolish it would be shameful. To dismantle and rebuild it in Starbeck would give the community a focal point of pride. The cost would be negligible against the budget for the Harrogate Gateway.

“It would also add to the rejuvenation of Starbeck and reward the whole community for the fantastic effort it makes in carrying out its own projects such as flowers, Christmas lights, street cleaning, and street decorations.”

Read more:

• Transport chief faces Harrogate businesses on Station Gateway
• Local Liberal Democrats could determine fate of £11.2m Harrogate Station Gateway
• Plan to demolish Harrogate tempietto approved

The tempietto, which is inside Harrogate Conservation Area, was built between 1988 and 1992 as part of the redevelopment of the area to create the Victoria Shopping Centre.

Made of Jedburgh sandstone, its classical design was based on the work of 16th-century architect Andrea Palladio’s basilica at Vicenza in Italy.

The government-funded gateway scheme would see major changes to the public realm opposite the train station to make the gateway to Harrogate more attractive to visitors and more accessible to cyclists and pedestrians.

It would also see part of Station Parade reduced to single lane traffic to accommodate cycle routes and James Street partly pedestrianised. Business groups and residents have voiced concerns about the impact on trade and traffic.

In an email seen by the Stray Ferret, North Yorkshire Council officials said the relocation of the tempietto had been raised with council contractors. However, the move would need to be costed and require planning permission.

Cllr Keane Duncan, executive councillor for highways at North Yorkshire Council, said the authority was aware of requests to move the tempietto.

He said:

“We are aware that there is some interest from other organisations in relocating the tempietto and we are looking to understand if this could be achieved should the decision be taken to implement the Harrogate Station Gateway project.”

A Harrogate district amateur dramatic group who bared all in a production of Calendar Girls raised £12,000 for three cancer charities.

The Kirkby Overblow Dramatic Society performed its own version of the Tim Firth film late last year.

All proceeds from the play have been donated to the Sir Robert Ogden Macmillan Centre at Harrogate District Hospital, Maggie’s Yorkshire and Blood Cancer UK – each of which received £4,000.

The sell-out show was “the most successful charitable performance we have produced”, according to the chairman.

The 1999 film is based on a true story of how Rylstone and District Women’s Institute, near Skipton, posed for a nude calendar to raise money for leukaemia cancer.

The cast also took part in their very own nude photoshoot – posing strategically at local landmarks in the village.

Photo: Annette Fishburn Photography

Claire Mackenzie, director of the production, said:

“When I was asked to choose a play which we could put on, I was thinking more about what we could take off, this way it would be an attention grabber…and it worked, thanks to the commitment and bravado of all the cast and crew”.

Cast and crew of Calendar Girls handing over the cheque donations to three cancer charities.

Regional fundraising members for the charities were on hand to accept the money raised by the dramatic society.

Fiona Gavaghan, of Macmillan Cancer Support, said:

“Huge thanks and congratulations go to the KODS team for raising this astounding amount.

“What they have done will change the lives of hundreds of cancer sufferers and their families throughout Yorkshire”.

Read more:

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• Harrogate BID to launch campaign for second term

Harrogate teenager Greg Marshall is set to compete in the British Junior Supersport Championships at Silverstone today.

The event is a national motorcycling race and will see entrants from all over the UK compete.

Fifteen year old, Greg, began motorcycle racing aged 9 and has progressed through the classes of Mini Motos and MiniGP bikes — he now rides a Kawasaki Ninja 400.

The Harrogate Grammar School pupil only began riding full-sized bikes in 2022, when he raced with Bemsee – the oldest motorcycle racing club in the word – and found his bike on pole position twice in one weekend.

Greg at Brands Hatch earlier in the year.

Greg said:

“I’m very excited to begin my first season with BSB in the Junior Supersport class.

“I’m feeling comfortable with my new bike and I can’t wait to see what this season brings for me”.

Greg has several sponsors supporting his 2023 season, including Knaresborough’s Redline Specialist Cars.

His father Paul said they are “always open to hearing from local businesses” that would wish to support him and have their names on his bike.

Mr Marshall said his son is making excellent progress:

“I’m very proud to see Greg taking the next step in his racing career and am looking forward to supporting him in his 2023 season with British Superbikes.”

The Silverstone race will be televised on Eurosport, with some rounds free to air on Quest TV.

More information about the race can be found here.

Read more:

• 850 scooter riders take part in Knaresborough rally
• Harrogate road to be closed until November

As another cricket season gets underway, a team from Harrogate is set to begin its 24th consecutive season with a virtually unchanged line-up.

The players are only about a foot tall and have been in a few scrapes but they remain undefeated.

Thousands of people see them each year in the garden of Kenneth and Lesley Simpson on Knaresborough Road, opposite the One Stop shop.

The statues of eight players, two batsmen, an umpire, a sight screen and a pavilion are often admired by passers-by and have become such a landmark some bus passengers ask for tickets to ‘the cricket pitch garden’ as it’s more memorable than the name of the bus stops.

Kenneth, however, has a confession to make — he’s not a big cricket fan. He’s more of a football man, who supports Leeds United and is a former referee.

He is, however, a canny Yorkshireman who created the design as an easy way to maintain his garden. He said:

“We were going to put a football pitch in but because all the statues of players we could find had balls underneath their arms, it wouldn’t have looked right.”

The view from behind the bowler’s arm

Lesley noticed some statues of cricketers at the Harrogate Flower Show and when she spotted some more on holiday in Skegness they had enough for a display.

Over the years two have been vandalised — one was repaired but the other was too badly damaged and had to be replaced. Kenneth, who has lived in the house for 54 years, said:

“Someone took them down Knaresborough Road and didn’t realise how heavy they are.”

All the statues are now fixed into the concrete. Kenneth paints them every other year but the hardest job is cleaning the green grass that passes as the pitch.

One day a member of Marylebone Cricket Club passed by and was so taken by what he saw that he returned days later with the sight screen, which he made. Many have stopped to take photos and compliment the couple.

Lesley said:

“It’s surprising how many people stop and say ‘what a lovely garden you have’.”

Read more:

• Harrogate Cricket Club launches £75,000 nets appeal
• Famous Nidderdale cricket club in danger of folding

Harrogate-born striker Rachel Daly scored in the penalty shootout as England beat Brazil to win the Finalissima last night.

The match, in front of 83,000 fans at Wembley and broadcast live in ITV, saw Euro 22 champions England take on Copa America winners Brazil.

England led 1-0 at half-time but Brazil pounced on a goalkeeping error in injury time to take the match to penalties.

With the score at 1-1, Daly — who came on as a substitute in the 73rd minute — put England ahead with a powerful drive and the Lionesses went on to win 4-2.

They are now unbeaten in 30 matches.

Read more:

• Harrogate’s Rachel Daly fires Aston Villa Women into FA Cup semi-final
• Harrogate Town appoints women’s director of football

A starting date for a £1 million scheme to replace Oak Beck Bridge in Harrogate has still to be set.

North Yorkshire County Council planned to begin work in January last year after saying the current bridge on Skipton Road was in poor condition.

But in June last year, council bridges manager Philip Richardson said the scheme had been delayed due to “unforeseen circumstances” and it was still in talks with Yorkshire Water.

Ten months on, the Stray Ferret asked North Yorkshire Council, which has replaced the county council, for an update.

In a statement that was identical in parts to the one issued last year, Mr Richardson said:

“We realise the importance of replacing Oak BeckBridge. Unfortunately, we have not been able to progress the scheme as quickly as we would have liked due to unforeseen circumstances.

“We are currently in discussions with Yorkshire Water about diverting a sewer to make way for the project. Please be assured that we will begin work as soon as we are able.”

The volume of traffic using Skipton Road is expected to increase after Tesco was granted planning permission to build a supermarket at the nearby junction of Skipton Road and Ripon Road.

When it was awarded the £1.1 million contract to demolish the bridge and build a new one, Leeds-based Howard Civil Engineering said the project would take 24 weeks.

Read more:

• ‘Unforeseen circumstances’ delays start of Oak Beck Bridge scheme
• Harrogate Oak Beck Bridge project to cost £1m

The range of support the York and North Yorkshire Growth Hub offers came as something of a surprise to many members of the Stray Ferret Business Club at its first lunch meeting.

From accessing government grants, achieving carbon neutral or digital marketing support, Andrew Raby from the Hub outlined the broad range of help available for any business whether established or a start-up.

Mr Raby encouraged businesses to contact them with any queries — no matter how specific.  There was a lively discussion at the Stray Ferret Business Club following his talk with questions about the value of social media, to HR support and the end of European grants following Brexit.

When asked about evidence of impact the Growth Hub has on a business, Mr Raby discussed the results of a national evaluation of all Growth Hubs that took place from 2015 – 2020.  It reported “evident sustained growth” and found an impressive 17% increase in turnover for those companies who used Growth Hubs.

The Business Club lunch invited a range of discussion

As well as providing specialist business advice, Mr Raby also highlighted the number of resources the Growth Hub has on offer to businesses.

The organisation can direct businesses to relevant funding sources, research institutions and local support schemes.

So, if it’s accessing grants or apprenticeships, the Growth Hub can help you.

The discussion at the Business Club Lunch established the benefits all sectors can reap from the working with the Growth Hub.

Find out more:

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.

The company rolling out fibre broadband infrastructure across Harrogate has reassured residents that replacement pavement markings are only temporary.

CityFibre said the bicycle signs on Otley Road should be replaced within the next two weeks with a more permanent finish.

The paths were dug up last month to install fibre optic broadband cables as part of a district-wide project.

The trench was filled with tarmac, which partially removed the markings for the shared cycle path. A can of white spray paint was reportedly used by workers to mark up what was previously in place.

Kim Johnston, regional partnership director at CityFibre, said:

“The restoration works are ongoing, with the current cycle marking a temporary measure. We expect work to be completed on or around April 18, dependant on permit approval.

“We would like to thank residents for their patience and reassure them of our commitment to leaving the area in the same way we found it. Works on Otley Road are part of our £46m full fibre rollout in Harrogate, Knaresborough and Ripon, which is set to future-proof the area’s digital infrastructure for decades to come.”

According to the North Yorkshire Council roadworks map, CityFibre is expected to return to the area from April 11 to 18 for the work, with temporary traffic lights to be used around the junctions of Harlow Moor Road and Pannal Ash Road.

Read more:

• Otley Road to be closed for cycle route improvements
• Confirmed: second phase of Harrogate’s Otley Road cycle route scrapped

Separately, North Yorkshire Council had previously said the road would be closed between 7pm and 3am from April 24 to 28 for remedial works to the cycle route.

It has now confirmed that daytime work is also expected to take place between Monday, April 24, and Wednesday, May 3, from 7.30am to 5pm.

The work had been due to take place last year, but was delayed until after the CityFibre project was complete.

Melisa Burnham, North Yorkshire Council’s highways area manager for Harrogate, said:

“CityFibre have agreed to reinstate the cycle route and any associated lining back to appropriate standards. Officers are in discussion with CityFibre to ensure this is addressed.

“After phase one of the cycle path was completed, the need for some remedial work was identified. That included resurfacing junctions between Otley Road and side roads, to the tactile paving and grass verges. It was also recognised that additional signs and street furniture were needed.”

A sexual predator has been jailed again for sexually assaulting a very young girl at a property in Harrogate.

Steven Anthony Jennings, 52, was already serving a 15-year jail sentence for similar offences against two other girls.

Now he’s been handed a further two years’ prison time for the new offences which pre-dated the old ones, but only came to light relatively recently when the victim went to police more than a decade after they occurred.

Daniel Penman, prosecuting at York Crown Court, said that Jennings, who was in his early 30s at the time, sexually assaulted the girl twice between 2005 and 2007.

The girl said she “froze” but such was her young age she didn’t think anything wrong had occurred at the time. She didn’t report the matters at the time and Jennings “got on with life as normal”.

Mr Penman added:

“It took her until 2019 until she felt able to [tell] her partner about these offences and, through that, felt able to report this to police.”

Jennings, who was living in Harrogate before he was given the 15-year sentence at Teesside Crown Court in 2017, was questioned about the offences at Moorlands Prison in Doncaster in May last year when he was coming to the end of his existing jail term.

He initially denied the allegations but ultimately admitted two counts of sexually assaulting a child under 13 years of age. A third allegation was dropped by the prosecution and allowed to lie on court file.

He appeared for sentence today knowing a consecutive jail sentence was all but inevitable.

‘Lost all innocence’

In a statement read out in court, the victim said Jennings’s “cruel” offences had affected her “mentally, physically and emotionally for years”.

She said her self-esteem and mental health were so badly affected that by her mid-teens she was “ready to die”.

She said she used to “cry myself to sleep every night” following the abuse and that she had “lost all innocence”.

Jennings was jailed in October 2017 for the offences against the two other girls, which occurred between about 2008 and 2011. 

Read more:

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The sentence was imposed after Jennings admitting rape and sexual activity with a child in relation to one of the victims, and one count of indecent assault against the other girl. 

The victims were two pre-teenage girls, who were abused by Jennings when he was in his mid-to-late 30s.

He sexually assaulted one of the girls outdoors while he was in a relationship with a woman, said Mr Penman.

Jennings plied the other victim with alcopops and played games “like truth or dare” with her. He ultimately raped the girl, who was too young to consent to sex, on “numerous occasions”.

Defence barrister Hussain Rukhshanda said Jennings was remorseful for his actions.

Judge Simon Hickey said the sexual abuse of the new victim had had a “horrendous” effect on her and that her impact statement made for “sobering reading”.

He told Jennings: 

“She said that’s a burden she carried from a young age due to your selfish actions.”

Jennings was jailed for two years and placed on the sex-offenders’ register for a further 10 years. 

He was also made subject to a sexual harm prevention order, which will run for an indefinite period, to limit his contact with under-age girls. It also bans him from contacting any of the three victims. 

A new pub is set to open in Starbeck tomorrow with the aim of bringing back a “community feel” to the area.

The Office Ale House, which is based on High Street, will be open from midday to 9pm, seven days a week.

Kevin Jones, owner, told the Stray Ferret that he came up with the idea for the pub after finding he had nowhere to go for a pint after working from home in Starbeck during covid.

He said:

“I wanted somewhere to go for a pint and a chat after work and there was just nowhere that suited me.

“I wanted something with a community feel.”

He added that part of the reason for the name was to create that “after work pint” place that he wanted.

Mr Jones, who now lives in Knaresborough, secured planning permission and licensing for the vacant unit on the High Street in the last year.

Inside the Office Ale House in Starbeck.

With the help of Pete Valentine, owner of Yorkshire Bespoke Renovations, the project was complete within four-and-a-half weeks.

It includes an array of seating and tables, bar stools, USB charging points and speaker system.

Read more:

• Sneak Peek: Cheers! New Harrogate craft beer bar opens
• Sneak Peek: Starling shows off new spacious bar after major renovation

Part of the inspiration was also to create somewhere that both Mr Jones and his partner would feel comfortable going in for a drink.

Mr Jones said:

“It is a comfortable place. It’s somewhere where you feel comfortable walking in. You don’t want to feel intimidated walking in.

“It makes no difference if you are having a pint or a coke.”

The bar area inside the new Starbeck pub.

The pub, which is dog friendly, will offer drinks from a range of local breweries including Roosters, Daleside and Turning Point.

There will also be musicians performing, starting with Christopher Taylor playing an acoustic set this weekend.

The Office Ale House in Starbeck will open tomorrow, Friday, April 7, at midday.