A Ukrainian entrepreneur has moved to Harrogate and launched a vodka and sunflower oil import business.

Fedir Haidai undertook a 14-day journey across Europe with his wife Katya and three-year-old son Misha after finding a sponsor family in Harrogate through the Homes for Ukraine scheme.

He said:

“I was on a business trip to Kherson in February when we heard that Russia was assembling soldiers, tanks and military equipment around 100km away. I spoke to my wife in Kyiv and said we must go now.

“She left work, picked up our son from nursery and a few belongings from home. We crossed into Moldova where we were able to stay with friends. A few hours later we watched on TV as the invasion started.

“My parents are still in Ukraine and I am afraid for them.”

Mr Haidai was forced to abandon two businesses that employed 30 people in Kyiv.

His outdoor paving tile manufacturing company was destroyed by Russian attacks. A second company that imports central heating pipes became unsustainable because his main supplier was based in Russian ally Belarus.

He has now joined the North Yorkshire branch of the Institute of Directors to forge new connections and support as he restarts his business journey.

Read more:

• Knaresborough man appeals for help to bring Christmas cheer to Ukraine
• Temperatures to soar to 30 degrees – but no weather warning for Harrogate district

Three months after arriving in the UK, he has three new ventures.

Sunflower Ltd – named after the Ukrainian national flower – will import Ukrainian sunflower oil, which Mr Haidai will market under the Holla Oils brand.

He is also to import Hetman-branded vodka. Lviv-based Hetman is one of the largest producers of alcoholic drinks in Ukraine, with a history dating back to 1782.

He plans to sell the products through online, physical retail and the hospitality trade.

A third business will help to relocate IT experts from Ukraine to safe European locations.

Mr Haidai said:

“The main thing is that we are safe but we don’t have any savings so I need to set up in business here.

“I know how to organise a company and build relationships with suppliers and clients. My idea is to import products from the west of Ukraine, where it is safer. There is a need for sunflower oil here and significant demand for Ukranian vodka.”

Harrogate ‘like a Harry Potter film’

Mr Haidai has faced challenges in setting up his business – not least finding a bank prepared to open a business account for him – but doors are now beginning to open.

“I need a lot of money to import vodka due to alcohol duty but I have found some people who want to help me,” he said.

“I am surprised and happy that so many local people want to help us in different ways. People are so open and friendly. We have been introduced to so many new people.”

Mr Haidai has been joined in Harrogate by his sister and 17-year-old niece, who have also found a sponsor home in the town. He said:

“My first impression of Harrogate was it looked like a Harry Potter film, with all the old buildings.”

Temperatures are set to soar close to 30 degrees in the next few days — but today’s extreme heat warning does not include the Harrogate district.

The Met Office has issued a four-day amber extreme heat warning for much of southern and central England from Thursday.

The warning, which predicts temperatures of up to 35C, extends north as far as Leeds.

Although the Harrogate district is not included, it is still set to be very warm for the rest of the week.

The Met office is forecasting temperatures of 29 degrees centigrade in Boroughbridge tomorrow, with the rest of the district a degree or two cooler.

Temperatures are not expected to fall until Monday to Tuesday next week when there could be thunderstorms.

Many farmers are praying for rain.

Yorkshire Water said today average stocks in its reservoirs were 51% last week, which is around 20% less than usual for this time of year.

We have issued an Amber extreme heat warning for Thursday 0000 – Sunday 2359 🔶 🌡️☀️

This covers much of England & parts of Wales with impacts possible to health, transport and infrastructure.

Find out more in our latest press release 👇

— Met Office (@metoffice) August 9, 2022

Read more:

• Image gallery: 72 hours of wild weather in Harrogate district
• Harrogate climate change scientist warns of more extreme heatwaves

A developer has submitted plans to convert the upper floors of a Harrogate town centre building into an aparthotel.

Leeds-based Countrylarge has tabled the plans to create the 17-bedroom scheme on the floors above a new Oliver Bonas store on James Street.

The site was previously occupied by Harrogate Discount Store, which closed in January.

London-based operator, Beyond, has been brought in to run to the aparthotel, if plans are approved.

Antony Rosindale from Countrylarge, which owns the unit, said:

“This planning application will complete the transformation of the building and bring economic benefits to the town centre.

“It is a great way to fully utilise the whole building and we are very excited to have Beyond operating it for us.

“Our aim is to get started as soon as we can, and we already have a contractor lined up to complete the conversion.”

James Fry, founder of Beyond added: 

“Harrogate is a fantastic place and we are thrilled at bringing our sustainable, carbon neutral operating model to the town.

“This building is ideally placed so people can enjoy everything that Harrogate has to offer.”

The conversion the upper floors into the aparthotel will start as soon as possible, if planning permission is granted.

Harrogate Borough Council will make a decision on the plan at a later date.

Read more:

• Oliver Bonas to open in Harrogate in September
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Plans have been approved to convert part of the former 53 Bo Grove antiques boutique and cafe into two flats.

The bohemian business on Grove Road in Harrogate closed in December 2021 after more than two years of business.

It became a hub for residents during the early coronavirus lockdowns by remaining open to sell food at a time when many supermarkets were struggling for stock.

Now, a plan to convert part of the building into two flats has been given the go-ahead.

The proposal has been lodged by Architecture One Eight Ltd on behalf of David Birtles.

A planning statement tabled to Harrogate Borough Council from the developers said the proposal would help to bring the building back into use.

It said:

“The existing buildings have fallen into disrepair and are having a negative impact on the adjacent conservation area.”

A separate proposal to convert another part of the building into three flats was refused over concerns that the scheme “would not provide adequate natural light” into rooms in the flats.

Read more:

• Key planning document delayed for west Harrogate residents facing 4,000 new homes
• Under-fire infrastructure plans for west Harrogate will cost taxpayers £25,000

Business Breakfast is sponsored by Harrogate law firm Truth Legal. 

A long-serving employee has been appointed to the board of directors of a Harrogate firm.

Phil Robinson has become the application and training director at Belzona, a designer and manufacturer of polymer repair and protection systems.

Mr Robinson, pictured, joined the firm as a trainee project manager in 2007 and will now be responsible for identifying opportunities to expand Belzona’s work in engineering industries including wind power, hydro power and waste-to-energy.

He said:

“Belzona is a fantastic place to work; it has provided me with an incredible number of opportunities over the years and I’m delighted to be occupying this new role.

“Belzona is incredibly well placed to help resolve so many of the issues faced in industry worldwide and I”m looking forward to doing my part in ensuring that potential is realised.”

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• Business Breakfast: New Head of Early Years at Harrogate Ladies’ College
• Business Breakfast: New Harrogate Town sponsorship deal

Pitches bring pet and prisoner experience client wins to Harrogate agency

A digital marketing firm in Harrogate is celebrating two new client wins after competitive pitches.

Extreme will deliver paid and organic social media for Alcotraz, described as a “prison-style cocktail experience” which sees guests smuggling “moonshine” past guards.

Meanwhile, the team has also been commissioned to rebrand the pet arm of P Dot Wolf and deliver a new website.

The company, based in Harrogate’s Windsor House on Cornwall Road, was established 20 years ago and already works with a number of national and international B2B and B2C brands.

James Brunyard, client services director at Extreme, said:

“These wins are a great representation of the diverse work we do at Extreme. We’re really excited to help both businesses meet their varied aims with our social media and brand expertise and early results for Alcotraz show we’re able to do that.”

Two girls aged 13 and 14 have admitted setting commercial bins on fire in Harrogate town centre.

The girls, who are both from Harrogate, cannot be named for legal reasons.

They pleaded guilty to arson on a Biffa bin worth £600 belonging to Primark on Oxford Place on May 23.

They also admitted the same charge relating to a bin worth £600 belonging to Harrogate Borough Council on May 26.

The 13-year-old is the same girl who admitted in June being drunk in Ripon and attacking three police officers.

They appeared before North Yorkshire Youth Court in Harrogate on Friday, where they were referred to a youth offender panel for 12 months.

They were also ordered to pay £50 compensation.

The older girl also pleaded guilty to separate charges of causing actual bodily harm on June 19 and assaulting a police officer three days later.

She was ordered to pay £200 compensation plus £85 court costs and a £26 surcharge to fund victim services.

Read more:

• Harrogate girl, 13, admits drunken attack on police officers
• Business group calls for more Harrogate town centre police

The owners of The Dale Stores in Birstwith have pledged to continue serving the village after suffering a “sickening” burglary.

Andrea and Matthew Walwyn were sleeping next door when thieves smashed two panes of glass on the front door to gain entry to their shop and post office at nine minutes past midnight on Friday.

They took stamps worth £3,000 and a quantity of cash.

The couple, who have run the Nidderdale business for 17 years, told the Stray Ferret the incident had shaken them and the community but they had been overwhelmed by messages of support.

Read more:

• Thieves steal cash and stamps from Birstwith post office
• Firefighters called to blaze at factory in Birstwith

The shop has reopened and although the post office is currently closed Ms Walwyn said they would be back at full capacity as soon as possible.

She said:

“We are really shaken. It’s just sickening. We live next door and think of the shop as part of our home.

“People have come in saying they have never locked their doors but they are now.

“But we want to fully re-open as soon as possible.”

Last year The Dale Stores won an award in the Rural Oscars competition organised by the Countryside Alliance, receiving praise for its ‘great service and great produce’ and for maintaining a village post office.

Ms Walwyn said she had been taken aback by the kindness shown by villagers in recent days. One man arranged for builders to sort out the damaged door straight away.

A customer arranged to fix the door.

Mr Walwyn put a post on their Facebook page saying, “It’ll take more than a scumbag chancer to bring us down. Andrea and I are here this morning. Nice people are very welcome”.

It prompted nearly 300 likes and a barrage of supportive comments.

One said:

“After all you both went through yesterday to see you smiling today is what makes Birstwith village shop the best.”

Harrogate’s Rachel Daly received a hero’s welcome at Leeds United’s Elland Road stadium this past weekend.

Daly, who is a lifelong fan of Leeds United, was welcomed onto the pitch ahead of the club’s opening day Premier League clash against Wolves on Saturday.

She received a standing ovation and gave a pitch side interview before kick off.

She made the appearance off the back of being part of England’s Lionesses’ historic win at Euro 2022.

Daly and her teammates captured the heart of a nation after clinching the title with a 2-1 defeat of Germany last week.

Following her pitch-side appearance, Daly saw Leeds pick up all three points with a 2-1 win with goals from Rodrigo and an Aït-Nouri own goal.

In June, Daly lived out a childhood dream when she played at Elland Road in an international friendly against the Netherlands.

🦁 A lioness at Elland Road! @RachelDaly3 pic.twitter.com/AcReeldGiR

— Leeds United (@LUFC) August 6, 2022

She used to watch the men’s team play at the club’s famous old ground when she was a season ticket holder as a child.

Daly even has a line from the Leeds anthem Marching on Together tattooed on her forearm.

She said in an interview ahead of the Netherlands friendly:

“It’s a club that has held such a special place in my heart and my family’s heart and I’ve got so many memories of being at Leeds.”

Read more:

• Harrogate’s Rachel Daly ready for emotional Elland Road fixture

• Rachel Daly continues to support Killinghall team, coach reveals

Riverdale actress Camila Mendes is filming in Harrogate today.

Film production vehicles have been parked on Beech Grove alongside the Stray today.

The vehicles included an actor’s trailer and double decker bus.

Crew members told the Stray Ferret the production company was called Upgraded, which may also be the title of the film.

Camila filming on The Stray in Harrogate today.

They said Ms Mendes was one of the stars of the movie, which is being produced for Amazon Prime and is set in the modern day.

They added that it would be shot on the Stray at the top of Montpellier hill, as well as in the town centre.

They also said they would be filming at a hotel in the town tomorrow and the film was also being shot around Leeds and Bradford.

Filming on The Stray.

Camila Mendes is an American-Brazilian actress and singer. She made her debut portraying Veronica Lodge on the teen drama series Riverdale.

Her Instagram story shows the actress recently visiting Fountains Abbey, near Ripon.

Conservative leadership candidate Liz Truss will visit Harrogate tomorrow as she continues to tout for votes from the party’s membership.

The foreign secretary will speak to local members at an undisclosed venue at lunchtime in what is being described by organisers as “an informal gathering in a central Harrogate location”.

Tickets have been sold in advance by Harrogate and Knaresborough Conservative Party, with even those booked to attend not being told the location of the event until tomorrow morning. Organisers have cited “security reasons” for the secrecy.

Last month, Ms Truss’s opponent, Rishi Sunak, spoke to party members at an event at the Black Sheep Brewery in Masham.

Attendees included Julian Smith, MP for Skipton and Ripon, who has declared his support for Mr Sunak. Some of those present told the Stray Ferret there was a “warm” reception for the candidate, and that many present were already predisposed to him.

Great to welcome @RishiSunak to a packed @BlackSheepBeer in #masham today. Excellent feedback from @conservatives members across North Yorkshire #Ready4Rishi pic.twitter.com/aCY9s3gZy2

— Julian Smith MP (@JulianSmithUK) July 24, 2022

Harrogate and Knaresborough MP Andrew Jones has also given his backing to the former chancellor.

Nigel Adams, whose Selby and Ainsty constituency covers the Harrogate district’s southern and eastern rural areas, has not declared his allegiance. A close ally of outgoing Prime Minister Boris Johnson, he has said he will stand down at the next election.

Ms Truss and Mr Sunak are the final two left in a long-running race to lead the party and become the next Prime Minister.

Ballot papers have now been issued to party members, with the winner of the contest set to be announced on Monday, September 5.

Read more:

• Rishi Sunak ‘warmly received’ in Masham
• Second Harrogate district MP declares support in Conservative leadership battle
• Chancellor Rishi Sunak visits Harrogate