The organisers of Saturday’s Stray bonfire and fireworks have announced they have raised a minimum of £4,061 for Harrogate Homeless Project.

An estimated 10,000 people attended the event, which included a bonfire after Harrogate and District Round Table initially decided against the idea.

Andy Rickard, one of the volunteers at the Round Table, said the event had exceeded expectations by generating around £20,000.

He said when the costs of staging the event were deducted it left £4,061.

Picture by Mark Dimmock

Donations are still open, with the Round Table pledging to match fund up to £1,000.

The volunteer-run event, which is now in its 51st year, is funded entirely by donations and sponsorship.

Mr Rickard said he was concerned before the night that the gofundme appeal had only raised about half as much as last year.

But better-than-expected cash and card payments on the night, along with sponsorship funds and percentage takings from the food, bar and face painting stalls boosted the total. He said

“We do try to develop the event every year and are pleased with the addition of a licensed bar which proved very popular, we also hope that the provision of toilets was appreciated.

“We’ve already started reviewing what we could improve and welcome feedback. We did look at replacing the bonfire with a funfair based on the feedback survey from last year so would encourage people to give us their thoughts as we start planning next year.”

Picture by Mark Dimmock

Francis McAllister, chief executive of Harrogate Homeless Project, said the Round Table’s support would “make a huge difference to our clients”, adding:

“It was a fantastic event, well organised and everyone seemed to enjoy it.”

A survey to gather people’s views on the event can be completed here.

Donations can still be pledged here.

Harrogate and Knaresborough Conservative Association “failed to comply” with data protection laws after distributing election leaflets which included a Liberal Democrat candidate’s personal details.

The Information Commissioner’s Office found the local Conservative branch published the name and address of Knaresborough councillor Matt Walker during May’s local elections while promoting its own candidate.

In a letter to Cllr Walker following his complaint, the ICO said it found the matter was done without his consent and that it could not constitute a “legitimate or lawful” use of personal data.

It said:

“H&KCA published details of your name and address, without your consent, for the purpose of promoting an alternative candidate in local elections.

“The ICO do not consider this could constitute a legitimate or lawful use of your personal data, and their purpose for publishing and circulating this personal data would not override your individual rights.

“The ICO will now write to H&KCA to advise them of the ICO’s view in this matter.”

Read more:

• Conservative council leader reports Lib Dems to Information Commissioner
• More detail needed on Harrogate district parish council devolved powers, says councillor

The commissioner’s office added it would provide the Conservative association with advice and guidance on “improving their data processing in the future”.

It also said it would take no further action at this time, but would keep a record of complaints against Harrogate and Knaresborough Conservatives and “take these into account if more are received”.

In a tweet, Cllr Walker said he was “absolutely disgusted” that his personal data was used.

https://twitter.com/MattWalkerLD/status/1588817092744478720

Mr Walker told the Stray Ferret he was at heightened risk of being targeted by anti-vaxxers and conspiracy theorists because he works for the NHS and helped with vaccination technology.

He added:

“Like many people in my profession, I’ve been warned not to advertise my address. Two MPs have been murdered in the last five years by fanatics. I am disgusted that the Conservatives decided to advertise where I live to thousands of Knaresborough residents.

“Harrogate and Knaresborough Conservatives have shown a real lack of judgement in misusing personal data and those in charge of their election campaign clearly need additional training.”

Mr Walker added he “looked forward to receiving an apology”.

The Stray Ferret has approached Harrogate and Knaresborough Conservatives for a response.

In 2020, Conservative Harrogate Borough Council leader, Richard Cooper, sent a letter to the ICO asking for the local Lib Dems’ petitions to be investigated for “data harvesting”.

Cllr Cooper said none of the four petitions were submitted to relevant bodies and were instead an exercise to build a database of contact information. 

The Liberal Democrats described the accusations as a ploy to put people off signing petitions but an ICO spokesperson provided the Lib Dems with advice to improve their data protection policies following the complaint.

Harrogate District Hospital has urged people to wear face masks on inpatient wards and practice social distancing amid fears of more covid cases during the winter.

Officials at Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust have reiterated the advice for those visiting wards for the protection of staff and patients.

In a statement, the trust said visitors should follow the guidance in order to prevent the spread of the virus within the hospital.

It said:

“Covid has not gone away and it is important that we protect everyone who enters our hospitals.

“As such, anyone entering inpatient areas, such as wards must wear a mask, ensure they sanitise their hands and maintain social distancing.

“Following these protocols will help us to protect our patients, but also our staff, as reducing the risk of our staff catching covid will ensure our patients’ care is not disrupted.”

Read more:

• Staffing problems still affecting mental health services for Harrogate district residents
• Plans submitted to add more bedrooms to Harrogate mental health hospital
• Harrogate hospital well below urgent cancer referral target

The move comes as health bosses are urging those eligible to book a covid booster vaccine ahead of winter.

In Harrogate, vaccinations are available at the Great Yorkshire Showground site.

This week, walk-in appointments are available every day until Thursday from 8.15am until 5.30pm.

The site will be carrying out vaccinations until November 23 when it closes.

People aged 50 and over, pregnant women, carers, frontline health and care workers, care home residents and people of all ages who are vulnerable are eligible for a covid booster jab now.

Those who are able to book their vaccinations can do so via the NHS website.

The Harrogate district covid infection rate is currently 61 cases per 10,000 people.

A popular village pond that has turned into a mud bath should begin to improve over the coming weeks.

Pannal duck pond has been in an increasingly poor state over many months amid confusion over its ownership and who has responsibility for its upkeep.

The neighbouring households even received an anonymous, accusatory letter about the pond, signed off “lots of love, the people of Pannal”. It said:

“You and your neighbours have an obligation, indeed, a duty, to remedy this frightful carbuncle and provide a rejuvenated habitat for the boundless wildlife that exits [sic] on and in the surrounding area.

“You need to collaborate with each other and devise an action plan before there is no wildlife left at all – come on!! Start talking to each other and do something about it. Don’t be fat and lazy – put your backs into it and you’ll soon have it looking like it used to!

“Put on your wellies and clean-up for heaven’s sake – remove the traffic cones, the endless plastic bottles, the drinks cans – it’s an utter disgrace and should be thoroughly ashamed of yourselves.”

However, one of the neighbours, Clare Waligora, posted the letter on Facebook and gave the community an update on the pond, explaining its ownership and upkeep are not as straightforward as the letter writer appeared to believe.

Her husband Brian told the Stray Ferret a solicitor had looked into the situation and even he could not establish the pond’s ownership. While the neighbouring households pay an annual fee for an indemnity policy, it was not clear what their obligations were for long-term maintenance.

Read more:

• Campaign launched to achieve bathing water status on River Nidd
• Consultation on bid to join bridleways in Harrogate’s Crimple Valley

Mr Waligora said there was an old water wheel with a sluice that used to help with drainage, but it had not been in use for many years. Silt has since built up in the pond, leading to preventing natural drainage and reducing the pond’s capacity.

The nearby households opened a sluice gate to try to allow some of the accumulated debris to clear slowly. Then, last week, heavy rain washed it away in one day and left the pond almost completely drained.

Mr Waligora, who has lived next to the pond for almost 16 years, said:

“Now is the time to do something, but lot of companies wouldn’t even quote because of the access to the pond being so difficult.

“We managed to get one quote of £20,000, but they said it could go up if they were to encounter any issues.”

Mr Waligora said while there was willingness among the neighbouring houses to try to make improvements, that quote was more than they were able to spend.

However, he said they had since received an email from the Environment Agency concerned about the condition of the pond. Mr Waligora is now hopeful the homeowners can work with the agency to find a solution.

He said although it had been unpleasant to receive the anonymous letter through the door, the response from the community had been very supportive.

“I admit during the summer it looked awful and particularly since the heavy rain where it cleared out centuries of debris and created a bit of a stream through there.

“We’ve closed it back up and it should start filling up when we get a heavy rain. We’ve been pleased, despite the letter where the person seemed to represent the Pannal community, most people are appalled and made it clear they had nothing to do with it.

“Almost everyone has been much more helpful which is particularly reassuring for all of us. Since we’ve posted that, everyone I’ve spoken to has been positive and encouraging and willing to help.

“The ownership is a bit of a grey area, but we live around here and we want it to look good like everyone else. We’re willing to put a disproportionate amount of time and money in because we see it more than anyone else but it’s not straight forward.”

Harrogate Borough Council has approved £42,000 worth of funding in an effort to tackle a work backlog in its revenue department.

The council has faced an increase in workload and staffing shortages during covid and the energy crisis.

In a report to Cllr Graham Swift, cabinet member for economic development and resources, the authority said the response to the pandemic and the £150 energy rebate had increased pressure on “an already busy team”.

The authority now plans to appoint 2.5 full time equivalent staff until March 2023 to help tackle the backlog.

It comes as the government awarded the borough council funding to help cover costs associated with covid and the energy rebate.

A report presented to Cllr Swift by officers said:

“Revenues section has currently been using temporary staffing resources to provide experienced revenues staff with quality assurance checking for both council tax and business rates.

“The ability to extend this provision through to March 31, 2023 will provide resilience and continuation of consistent knowledge within the team to be able to effectively prioritise on clearing the backlog.”

Read more:

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• Working group set up to steer future of Harrogate Convention Centre

Business Breakfast is sponsored by Harrogate law firm Truth Legal. 

A Harrogate curry house has been named the best in the region at an annual awards ceremony hosted by Masterchef’s Greg Wallace. 

Starbeck Tandoori beat stiff competition from across Yorkshire and the Humber – including the other three finalists, all in York – to win the title.

It was awarded by the Bangladesh Caterers Association for innovation, presentation of food, hygiene standards and customer service. 

Owner Burhan Uddin Khan collected the award from hosts Greg Wallace and TV presenter Tasmin Lucia-Khan at the black-tie event at the Park Plaza London. 

Established in 1960, the BCA represents more than 12,000 UK curry houses, which employ over 100,000 people and turn over £4.2bn a year. 

Read more:

• Harrogate swimming club seeks sponsor to keep head above water 
• Library seeking volunteers to support Starbeck community this winter

Weetons sets date for Christmas evening

Luxury food hall Weetons will stage its annual Christmas evening on Thursday, November 17.

Independent suppliers will be showcasing products to try at the shop, on Harrogate’s West Park, from 6pm to 8pm.

There will also be live music, complimentary Prosecco, mulled wine and mince pies at the event, which is open to everyone.

Rob Coutts, managing director of Weetons, said:

“Christmas is a very special time of year and Weetons want to make sure that everyone in Harrogate and beyond kicks off the celebrations in style with us.”

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.

Where is green energy in Maltkiln plans?

I read with interest your article regarding consultations over the proposed Maltkiln development. I’m concerned about sustainability, green energy and insulation standards.

With this in mind I went on the council website to see what is planned. I wasn’t able to see any detail about the standards for insulation, provision of solar panels and heat pumps or anything about district heating schemes.

We have thousands of houses being built in this area and elsewhere with no solar panels and they have gas boilers. A new town is the ideal place to incorporate the latest green technology to make new homes more comfortable and affordable to keep warm.

I tried to find a comments section which is not easy so I left my comments in one text box hoping they will be read.

It is awash with jargon and very little explanation or simple key points to aid understanding of what is proposed. I did notice that there is some provision for ‘affordable’ homes which is what we really need and also self build which would be good for those wanting the ‘passive house’ standards of insulation and very low energy costs which should be available to all.

Ralph Armsby, Harrogate

Read more:

• Parish councils fear new Harrogate district town will be rushed and poor quality
• Majority support Harrogate fire station changes, consultation reveals

One fire appliance is ‘useless’ at night

This proposal is sheer stupidity. If there is a nighttime fire to the local Harrogate area and then one breaks out in outlying areas how is one appliance going to cope. Even if an appliance comes from Knaresborough the journey time element means it’s useless.

The fire last night at a caravan storage site and a vechicle had to come from Malton a journey tine of well over one hour, useless.

Nighttime fires are not usually detected as soon as daytime ones so total loss and possible deaths can occur.

I never saw anything about this proposal as I live six miles to the west of Harrogate near Menwith Hill and the distance means that we are at greater risk anyway.

Allan Campbell, Nidderdale

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.

Two films made by a local history group in a village near Ripon about jubilee celebrations during the late Queen’s reign are now available to view online. 

The first film, called The Village Likes To Party, is a record of the many celebrations held in Bishop Monkton near Ripon during the reign of the late Queen, including the coronation in 1953, the jubilees of 1977, 2002, 2012 and this year’s platinum jubilee.

It contains archive film and interviews with people about their memories. It can be viewed here. 

The second film, called Bishop Monkton Platinum Party Celebrations 2022, is a more detailed record of this year’s platinum jubilee celebrations, including both professionally shot film as well as videos and photos taken by people on their phones during the jubilee weekend. It can be viewed here. 

Both films were funded in part with money from Harrogate Borough Council’s platinum jubilee community grants fund.

They were screened in the village hall in Bishop Monkton this year but the producers wanted to make them available for people everywhere.  

 Colin Philpott, co-producer of the films, said:

“Bishop Monkton Local History Group is delighted to make these films available for anyone, anywhere to enjoy forever.

“They may be about one small village but we believe they are a special record of royal celebrations in a Yorkshire community which will interest people everywhere and provide valuable historical material for future generations.” 

The Great Yorkshire Showground in Harrogate has been chosen to host the UK’s biggest trade show for holiday homes, caravans and motorhomes next year. 

The Great Holiday Home Show will see major manufacturers launch their latest models to the public as well as to parks, dealers and distributors from across the country. 

The show will be held from Friday, September 8 to Sunday, September 10 for the public, followed by a trade-only show from Tuesday, September 12 to Thursday, September 14. 

The event, which was first held as The Lawns Show in 1976, is organised by the Hull and East Riding of Yorkshire Caravan Manufacturers’ Association. 

The show is moving from Hull, which is the epicentre of the UK caravan industry, to the 250-acre Great Yorkshire Showground to allow more manufacturers to attend than in previous years.  

Richard Jones, chairman of HERCMA, said:

“This is an exciting time for the industry as we bring everyone together to put on a comprehensive show, in a central location for an industry that is constantly evolving. The show will be managed for us by the organisers of the Great Yorkshire Show, one of the UK’s biggest events.”  

Heather Parry, managing director of the Great Yorkshire Showground, said:

“We are delighted to be hosting and managing The Great Holiday Home Show, this is a significant event for the industry, set in the heart of the UK at a venue that boasts acres of outdoor space along quality indoor space too. Happily, David Ritchie, who has managed the event for over 20 years, will continue to work with us as the show adviser as the show moves to its new venue.”  

Event manager David Ritchie said:

“This show is in my blood and it is wonderful to see it develop at a new venue and work with a new team as it continues to expand”. 

According to the National Caravan Council, there are more than a million caravan and motor homes in the UK, and around 50 million nights are spent in them each year. The caravan industry contributes more than £6 billion a year to the UK economy.

The Stray Ferret has launched our new Photo of the Week feature to highlight the beauty of the Harrogate district captured by talented local photographers.

Send your photos to letters@thestrayferret.co.uk for a chance to feature here. We are interested in amateur and professional pictures.

This week we feature a beautiful image taken by Bill Shaw who has perfectly captured a fiery sunset over Harrogate.