Harrogate independent school offers free places for Ukrainian refugees

A Harrogate independent school is offering free places to Ukrainian children displaced by war in their home country.

Brackenfield School, on Duchy Road, has already welcomed one child and another is set to join in September.

Staff are giving them extra support to make sure they feel safe and comfortable in their learning environment and “have a fair opportunity to thrive”.

Joe Masterson, headteacher at Brackenfield, said:

“We are privileged to welcome these extremely brave and resilient children into our school community and are doing all we can to ensure our new pupils are as much a part of school life as every other child.

“Everyone deserves an education in a safe and caring space and we’re proud to be hosting Ukrainian children in our school and making them part of the Brackenfield family.”

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Mr Masterson said it was also a valuable learning opportunity for other students.

He added:

“They can learn and ask first-hand about Ukrainian culture, gain a better understanding of the world around us and see with their own eyes that giving a helping hand makes everyone stronger.”

It’s believed that 2.5 million children have fled Ukraine since the start of the war, many leaving everything behind and being displaced for months before arriving in a safe country.

Paul Jenkins, deputy head at brackenfield-min (1)

Deputy head Paul Jenkins with pupils.

Brackenfield is one of seven independent schools owned by Forfar Education to welcome Ukrainian refugees.

John Forsyth, chief executive of the Forfar Group, said its schools had a moral duty to support Ukrainian families as they settle into UK life.

He said:

“Forfar had taken the decision to offer free places to Ukrainian children fleeing conflict at the time the war broke out, so we’re proud to be leading the way for other independent schools considering doing the same.

“It’s important to show solidarity in times of crisis. We believe everyone has the right to a good and safe education, which is why we have opened our doors to those who need it most exactly when they need our help.”

Forfar has offered places in all of its schools, with no limit of the number of spaces available.

Three teens in court on Harrogate robbery charge

Three teenagers have appeared before York Magistrates Court charged with a robbery and possessing offensive weapons in Harrogate.

Dillan Bahia, 18, and Jamie Richardson, 18, both of Leeds, indicated a guilty plea to carrying a zombie knife on The Ginnel, off Parliament Street, on Saturday, July 23.

Mr Bahia, of Mexborough Avenue, Chapeltown, also indicated a guilty plea to being found carrying a homemade cosh when arrested by police.

However, both entered no plea to the charge of robbing a man of a mobile phone, cash and cards near to the Stray on Knaresborough Road on the same day.

Mr Richardson lives at Grange View in Chapeltown.

A 17-year-old boy from Sheffield, who cannot be named for legal reasons, pleaded guilty to robbing a man of a mobile phone, cash and cards on Knaresborough Road on July 23 and carrying a zombie knife on The Ginnel.

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But, he denied assaulting a police officer on The Ginnel on the same day.

Both Mr Bahia and Mr Richardson will appear before York Crown Court for sentencing for carrying weapons in a public place on August 22, 2022.

They will also appear for trial on the robbery charge on the same date.

The 17-year-old boy will appear before youth court in Harrogate on August 5 to determine a “suitable method of determining the case”.

Striking RMT union pickets Harrogate train station

Members of the RMT union organised a picket line outside Harrogate train station this morning.

No trains are expected to operate today from Harrogate and Knaresborough due to a national strike called by the RMT.

Some 40,000 members of the union are taking part in the industrial action.

Four of them arrived on Station Parade at Harrogate at about 7am this morning.

Speaking to the Stray Ferret at about 9am, they said they had received a lot of support from passers-by, with motorists tooting their horns and passers-by giving them drinks.

They said they didn’t want to be on strike and regretted the disruption but felt it was necessary because of concerns about pay, conditions and job security.

Trains are expected to resume tomorrow in Harrogate and Knaresborough.

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Free activities to do with the kids this summer in the Harrogate district

As the cost of living continues to rise, the thought of six weeks of trying to keep the children entertained on a tight budget can be daunting.

Fortunately you don’t always have to spend a fortune to have a fun day out.

We have put together a selection of free activities to enjoy with your family across the Harrogate district.

Pop-up parties – Harrogate, Knaresborough and Ripon

The Jubilee activities in Harrogate and Ripon were hugely enjoyed, so the summer programme organised by Harrogate Borough Council is sure to be popular.

There will be a chance for young people to enjoy juggling and circus shows, magicians, character meet and greets, and mini discos at three of the district’s picturesque parks and gardens.

Valley Gardens, Harrogate on Thursday, August 11 and Friday, August 12 between 11am and 4pm

Knaresborough Castle on Friday, August 26 between 11am and 4pm

Ripon Spa Gardens on Saturday, August 27 between 11am and 3pm

The venues are also all worth visiting for a free day out, even if you are unable to make the parties.

You could enjoy a picnic and play in the Valley Gardens, plus a walk up to the Pinewoods. You could grab an ice cream and head to Knaresborough Castle, before wandering down the steps to the riverside. Or you could play a game of crazy golf in Ripon Spa Gardens.

 

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A day out at Brimham Rocks, Nidderdale

If you live in the district, chances are you have already visited the unusual moorland rock formations at Brimham Rocks.

However, the summer holidays are the perfect excuse to head up there again with a picnic.

If you haven’t been, you’re in for a treat as it really is nature’s playground for the whole family. Just make sure the kids are wearing decent shoes so they can climb the rocks. Also taking a photo of your children pretending to either push a huge boulder over or hold one up is essential.

The views over Nidderdale are stunning too.

There’s no admission charge at Brimham Rocks. Parking is free for National Trust members.

For non-National Trust members, car parking charges are  £6 for up to four hours and £8 thereafter.

Library events – district wide

On a rainy day, nothing beats a free trip to the library, where you can lose yourself in all the amazing children’s books on offer.

A Summer Reading Challenge is taking place to encourage your children to pick up a book, which isn’t always easy in the holidays.

Children aged four to 11 years just need to call in at their local library to sign up.

The challenge is free to take part in and children get to collect rewards for the reading that they do over the summer holidays. To complete the challenge they have to read six library books between now and September 10.
There are also lots of free activities on offer over the school holidays, including workshops, Lego building and family board games days.
Traffic and Travel Alert: No trains from Harrogate and Knaresborough amid rail staff strike

Temporary lights remain in place on Harrogate’s Wetherby Road and Knaresborough Road following a burst water main.

Meanwhile, no trains will run from Harrogate and Knaresborough stations amid nationwide industrial action.

Here is your Stray Ferret traffic update.

Roads

Temporary traffic lights are still in place on Wetherby Road in Harrogate near to Harrogate Town Football Club and Knaresborough Road following a burst water main.

Yorkshire Water is carrying out work, which it says is expected to continue until tomorrow.

Drivers should expect the usual traffic on Wetherby Road and Skipton Road this morning during the rush hour.

Temporary lights on Ripon’s Clotherholme Road are now in place as Northern Gas Networks carries out replacement work to gas pipes in the area.

The lights will remain in place for seven weeks.

Meanwhile, long term roadworks are in place on Station Road in Goldsborough. The road will be closed until September 19, 2022, as Stonebridge Homes installs a foul water and surface water pipes to connect to the sewer system.

A diversion route is in place in the village.

Trains and buses

No trains will be running from Harrogate and Knaresborough to York and Leeds as rail staff go on strike.

The RMT Union confirmed that 40,000 works nationwide will walk out today in a dispute over pay, jobs and conditions.

Services are expected to run as normal tomorrow.

Meanwhile, the Harrogate Bus Company is reporting no cancellations on its services this morning.

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Hospital ‘under greater pressure than winter’ as staff struggle to free up beds

The chief executive of Harrogate hospital has warned it is under greater pressure than in winter as staff struggle to free up beds occupied by covid patients and those waiting for social care.

Jonathan Coulter said the recent rise in covid cases and a lack of available care services meant patients were staying in hospital longer than they should.

He added this was having an impact on A&E waiting times which “remain below the standard we would want”, with over a quarter of patients waiting more than four hours to be seen.

Mr Coulter said in a report:

“We are now in mid-July, and the acute pressures, the bed occupancy, the community services workload are all greater than you would often experience in mid-January.

“During the month of June and into July, we have experienced a significant spike in people in hospital who are covid positive.

“We have currently over 35 people in hospital with covid, and whilst the severity of the illness is reduced due to vaccine uptake, the infection control measures that we have had in place result in flow through the hospital being more difficult.”

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Mr Coulter said covid was also having an impact on staffing levels, with around 80 staff currently off work after absences climbed above 130 in June.

He described the pressures on the wider health and care system as “enormous” and said the problem of bed blocking – where patients are medically fit to be discharged from hospital but have no care packages available – needed to be addressed.

He said: 

“We continue to have a significant number of patients who are medically fit within hospital, our length of stay has increased, and we have many times more patients in hospital over 14 days and 21 days than we ever had before the pandemic.

“This reflects the pressure in care services out of hospital, and we are discussing across the system how we can reduce this risk.

“We know that if people stay in hospital for a significant time that outcomes deteriorate, and we are currently at risk of worsening care for our population as a result of some of the urgent care pathway pressures being felt across all organisations.”

Mr Coulter added the hospital was continuing to take ambulance patients from outside the Harrogate district and that while this was creating added pressure, it was “absolutely the right response”.

He said: 

“Despite the pressures locally, we continue to offer significant support to colleagues in other parts of our system, in particular York Trust.

“During June, in line with previous months, we had numerous ambulances diverted to the Harrogate site, which resulted in on average around 15 additional beds occupied by patients admitted as a result.

“This is absolutely the right response to system support, but we need to recognise the impact upon our colleagues who have to organise and arrange this care.”

‘I had not seen a better footballer’: Rachel Daly’s former coach on her rise with England

Rachel Daly’s former football coach has said he’s never seen a better female footballer as the England international heads into tonight’s crunch Euro semi-final.

Daly, who went to Saltergate and Rossett schools in Harrogate, will be among the squad who will go head-to-head with Sweden for a place in the final at Wembley on Sunday.

She started at full-back in the Lionesses’ dramatic 2-1 quarter-final win over Spain last Wednesday to book the Linonesses in tonight’s game.

Mike Sweetman, who coached Daly at Rossett school, said he was not surprised at her success on the pitch.

He said:

“She was just head and shoulders above any other girl footballer at the time, she played with the boys and she wanted to play with the boys. The boys were very good with her and they just treated her as one of the lads, she was very popular and they basically just played football at any opportunity they had.

“I have so many memories and stories but I just always remember opposition players knowing how good she was and trying to mark her but she was just too good.

“We got to the north of England final at Turf Moor, she was outstanding, we played a team from Liverpool, they had three or four players who just followed her all around the pitch.”

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Mr Sweetman, who has since retired from Rossett’s PE department after 27 years, has coached a number of students who have gone onto do well in the sport, including gaining scholarships to US universities.

But for him, Daly is among the best he has coached and it does not surprise him to see her doing well for the international side.

He said:

“I’m not surprised she has had more than 50 caps for England.

“In all my years teaching I had not seen a better female player, saying that, she struggled with a bad knee at school and you definitely need a lot of luck along with talent to cement your place in an England team.”

@Rossett @RachelDaly3 Fantastic to see this kid returning to school, 16 caps for England later. Saying I feel proud is the understatement of the year!!#Rachel Daly pic.twitter.com/0BUbmucFWC

— michael sweetman (@Mike_Sweetman) December 19, 2018

As for Daly’s and the Lionesses’ chances of reaching the final, Mr Sweetman feels England have a good chance tonight.

He added that the record crowd at Bramall Lane in Sheffield will help them get over the line.

“I think she is doing amazingly well in the tournament, she is playing in defence and she usually plays up front for Houston Dash but that really does illustrate well just how good she is when she can play left centre back or left back when she is predominantly a striker. 

“I think they could win tonight. Sweden are a very good team though, I think the crowd will really help England.”

Harrogate Convention Centre will not bid to host Eurovision

Harrogate Convention Centre has confirmed it will not bid for the Eurovision Song Contest to return to the venue at next year’s UK event.

Several cities and towns have already expressed an interest in hosting the event which organisers yesterday confirmed would not be held in last year’s winning country Ukraine due to the ongoing war.

But Harrogate Convention Centre – which hosted Eurovision in 1982 – has announced it will not be making a submission as the contest has outgrown its capacity.

Organisers the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) say host venues should be able to accommodate at least 10,000 spectators and 1,500 journalists.

Yet the convention centre’s auditorium has a capacity of just under 2,000 which was enough 40 years ago, but now falls well short of today’s requirements.

A convention centre spokesperson said: 

“Eurovision 1982 put Harrogate on the world map.

“We are very proud of that history and are always delighted to host major events in our beautiful spa town.

“To put things into perspective, 18 countries participated in 1982, and in 2022, 40 countries competed for the awards.

“The scale of Eurovision has more than doubled over the years and understandably it will require a hosting city with the capacity and infrastructure to match.”

Included in the cities bidding to host the 2023 event is Leeds which has received the backing of Harrogate Convention Centre.

Also in Yorkshire, Sheffield was among the first to announce a bid for the song contest.

The country which wins usually stages the following year’s competition, but the EBU opened talks with the BBC last month after assessing the situation following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

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The BBC and EBU said they will consider all official approaches and publish a list of bidding cities and towns later this summer.

BBC director general Tim Davie said it was a “great privilege” to host the music competition, but regretful that Ukraine was not able to host.

He said the broadcaster would make the event “a true reflection of Ukrainian culture alongside showcasing the diversity of British music and creativity”.

Martin Österdahl, the Eurovision Song Contest’s executive supervisor, also said: 

“We know that next year’s contest will showcase the creativity and skill of one of Europe’s most experienced public broadcasters whilst ensuring this year’s winners, Ukraine, are celebrated and represented throughout the event.”

Remembering when Harrogate hosted Eurovision – and the future of the town’s convention centre 

The UK has hosted the Eurovision Song Contest more times than any other nation or country, with seven events in the cities of London, Edinburgh, Brighton and Birmingham since 1960.

But in 1982 it was a major coup for Harrogate which showcased the town’s newly-opened convention centre to millions across the world.

Eurovision 1982

Eurovision 1982 held in Harrogate.

It was Germany which was crowned the champion of Europe at the then state-of-the-art venue.

But 40 years on, there are now warnings that the convention centre is in “critical need” of an upgrade in order to keep its appeal.

Harrogate Borough Council has proposed a major redevelopment of the venue which in total could cost around £47 million. Yet there are questions over how it could be funded and the plans have yet to be approved by councillors.

Temporary lights in Harrogate due to burst water mains to be in place until Thursday

Temporary lights on Harrogate’s Wetherby road and Knaresborough road will remain in place until Thursday, Yorkshire Water said this afternoon.

Yorkshire Water is working to repair pipes near Harrogate Town AFC on Wetherby road and near Drake’s Fish and Chip Shop on Knaresborough Road.  Both have caused traffic delays.

The work comes as the problem was first identified by the company yesterday, when it said customers in the area could be experiencing low water pressure as a result.

The company issued a statement:

“Both bursts caused significant consequential damage to the road surfaces, which will need to be repaired before the roads can reopen.

“We are expecting both roads to reopen on Thursday.

“We apologise for the inconvenience and are working hard to keep the disruption to a minimum with manned operation of the lights throughout the day”.

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Work on the water main on Wetherby Road.

Work on the water main on Wetherby Road.

Knife surrender bin to be installed in Harrogate in first for county

North Yorkshire’s first permanent knife surrender bin is set to be installed in Harrogate as part of a drive to tackle rising crime and take deadly weapons off the streets.

The county saw an 80% rise in reported knife crimes from 2020 to 2021 – and police have linked the increase to peer pressure, gang culture and cross-border criminals moving into the area.

In the Harrogate district alone, there have been more than 2,700 knife-related incidents since the start of 2020.

This included two murders on Mayfield Grove, and a man being left with life changing injuries after an attack near the Victoria Shopping Centre.

Other incidents included a man being arrested with 10 knives and a sword on Skipton Road, and three young people pulling a knife on a milk man in Knaresborough.

The increasing trend is being mirrored across the country and knife surrender bins are used by police forces during week-long campaigns.

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But not every area has a permanent drop off point where people can discard knives or any other bladed weapons.

North Yorkshire Police and Harrogate Borough Council have proposed to install a permanent knife surrender bin at the Dragon Road car park as part of a 12-month pilot which if successful could see more bins rolled out across the county.

A joint report from the authorities said “early prevention is key” and that “every knife deposited in the bin is one less that could cause injury to others”.

The report said.

“There is an increasing need for an all year round facility to enable people to safely, and anonymously, discard any knives/weapons found, not just during police campaigns at police stations.

“The vast majority of police intelligence submissions are in relation to young people carrying knives for protection from other young people with whom they are ‘feuding’, to protect themselves from being attacked whilst carrying drugs and also to ‘tax’ known drug dealers or those in debt to drug dealers.

“North Yorkshire Police’s aim is to roll out the bins across the entire force area subject to their evaluation of the pilot project.”

Harrogate has been chosen for the pilot because it makes up for more than half of knife-related incidents in the local command area which also includes Craven, Hambleton and Richmondshire, the report added.

It also said the proposed knife bin was designed to prevent break-ins and that residents in the Dragon Road area had been contacted about the plans.

A decision to proceed with the pilot is due to be signed off by the council’s cabinet member for housing and safer communities, councillor Mike Chambers, at a meeting next Tuesday.