The Rising Star Under 30 Award is sponsored by Thompson’s Chartered Accountants.

Thompsons in Harrogate provides key accountancy and taxation solutions to small and medium-sized businesses across England.

Thompsons has offered specialist advice across a range of sectors specific to business, growth plans, exit strategies and targets, for over 30 years.

The Rising Star under 30 Award is designed to highlight young business talent across the Harrogate who will be making waves in the years to come.

Finalists

Tiffany Snowden, Blue Willow Heritage:

Tiffany Snowden has excelled in what has traditionally been a male dominated profession.

She is Lead Heritage Consultant and Director of Harrogate environmental consultancy, Blue Willow Heritage.

Tiffany is just one of 500 women in the UK to be granted Membership of the Chartered Institute for Archaeologists (CifA), the highest level of accreditation that the most senior archaeology body in the UK offers.

Tiffany was also invited to join the Association for Studies in the Conservation of Historic Buildings (ASCHB), the UK’s premier body for the study of architectural preservation.

In just two years, Tiffany has led Blue Willow Heritage to become one of the top small heritage consultancies in Britain. The company is a preferred consultant for several respected planning and architectural firms within the UK, for North Yorkshire County Council and the Gotwick Manor Estate in Surrey.

Tiffany Snowden said:

“It’s an absolute honour to be shortlisted as a rising star, especially as a woman working in a male-dominated field.

“Being recognised in this way is not only a huge personal achievement, but also invaluable to help raise the profile of women in construction-related industries.”

Joe Andrew, Cocoa Joe’s:

Joe Andrew has literally brought the world of chocolate to Pateley Bridge as the Founder of Cocoa Joe’s, a retailer selling premium chocolate drinks.

Joe launched Cocoa Joe’s in 2019 after moving home from university. Four years later, the Pateley Bridge shop boasts the highest average customer review of any business in the UK, with the York branch ranking second.

Cocoa Joe’s uses luxury solid chocolate from all around the world. Customers are able to choose a chocolate, learn a little about the country of origin and see their bespoke drink form before their eyes.

Joe Andrew said:

“I’m absolutely over the moon to have made the shortlist, there has been a lot of very impressive applicants this year, so it still feels slightly surreal!

“This has been a great way to begin 2023 and will certainly be spurring me on as we begin to expand both our menu and range of products over the course of the coming year.”

Laura Mounsey, Harrogate Family Law:

Laura Mounsey only qualified as a solicitor with Harrogate Family Law four years ago and is already a director of the company.  An equity stake in a law firm usually takes at least 10 years to achieve.

Laura is the Chair of the Advisory Board to the Independent Domestic Abuse Service (IDAS). This includes implementing the Domestic Abuse Act and shaping their policies on perpetrator schemes.

Laura is also the youngest ever president of the Harrogate & District Law Society. She has organised advocacy training via the local Judge, networking training and wellbeing sessions to support those struggling with working from home post-pandemic.

Laura’s clients describe her as “extraordinarily approachable and knowledgeable”.

Laura Mounsey said:

“I was honoured to find out that my team had submitted me for this award. I was even more surprised and overjoyed when I found out that I am shortlisted, especially in what I expect is a very competitive category.

“I feel very lucky to be where I am.”

James Owen Thomas, JOT’s Gallery:

James Owen Thomas is an environmental artist and owner of JOT’s Gallery.

James was diagnosed with autism aged three and has since used this, as well as his love for the environment, as a means of inspiration for his art.  James uses recycled materials to create his artwork.

James is an ambassador the Tree Council, supporting their ‘Force For Nature’ campaign. He was nominated by the Tree Council for COP26 and then selected as a One Step Greener Ambassador for the UN Climate Change Conference 2021: “Together For Our Planet.”

In 2022,  James’s artwork helped raise funds for The Alzheimer’s Society, Autism Trust, Disability Action Yorkshire, Horticap, Shelter, National Autistic Society, Harrogate Homeless Project and The Caudwell Children’s Charity.

James Owen Thomas said:

“It’s an honour to be shortlisted as a rising star. I’ve been working hard to create a sustainable practice by creating art using discarded materials, running workshops in the community, taking on commissions and opening my own gallery.

“I have faced several challenges during my life, but I see my autism as a gift – it gives me the strength to be different”.

The Stray Ferret Business Award event sponsor is Prosperis. To find more and to purchase tickets for the big night, click here.

Pressure is mounting for action to be taken to improve road safety around schools in Harrogate.

Harrogate and Knaresborough MP Andrew Jones has added his voice to calls for reduced speed limits and other measures.

It follows a collision on Thursday, February 2 outside Ashville College which saw two 15-year-old boys from Rossett School left with serious injuries.

Writing on his website, Community News, Mr Jones said he had written to the chief constable of North Yorkshire Police, Lisa Winward, to request immediate action.

He said he had called for mobile speed cameras to be deployed on Yew Tree Lane and Green Lane “as precautionary measures while the police investigate the cause of the accident”.

He has also asked Ms Winward to support traffic-calming measures around the area, including the introduction of 20mph zones outside the entrances to Rossett School and Ashville College.

He added:

“I have been supporting residents in the area for some time in their requests for the county council to work with the police to reduce speeds.

“While we do not yet know if speed was the cause of this incident, we do know that it is a real problem on the long straight roads near Rosset School (sic) and Ashville College.

“There is already a 20mph limit outside the Pannal Ash Road entrance to Rosset School (sic) but no obvious speed signage on Green Lane nor outside the entrance to Ashville on Yew Tree Lane. This seems odd and is something I would like the county council – who are the highways authority – to look at immediately.

“As a precaution too I have asked if police speed checks can be increased in the area while we await the outcome of the investigation. As soon as the investigation is completed any lessons must be identified and actions taken. Road safety around schools, all schools, is a priority.”

Meanwhile, a meeting last week saw 10 headteachers express their concerns to representatives of North Yorkshire County Council and North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service.

The meeting was chaired by Red Kite Learning Trust CEO Richard Sheriff and attended by the heads of Harrogate Grammar, Rossett, Rossett Acre, Ashville, Western, St Aidan’s, St John Fisher, Oatlands Infant and Oatlands Junior schools.

NYCC’s corporate director of business and environmental services, Karl Battersby, and highways area manager Melissa Burnham were also taken on a walking tour of the Oatlands area to see the problems and solutions proposed by local campaigners.

They also offered to do the same on Harlow Hill, and said they would report back with some proposals before Easter.

Dr Jenny Marks, who has spearheaded the campaign for changes for more than two years, told the Stray Ferret:

“It was very powerful that all the headteachers were there, and our councillors.

“The council representatives told us it was a difficult town to get changes in, but they definitely want to work with us on it.”

Read more:

• Accident reignites calls for safe routes to Harrogate schools
• Fundraiser for injured Rossett students passes £5,000 target

Councillors around the area have also been supporting the campaign, with two present at Wednesday’s meeting to back the schools’ concerns.

Cllr Mike Schofield, the Liberal Democrat representative for the Harlow and St George’s division of North Yorkshire County Council, said he has been backing the parents’ plans since the day he was elected.

He told the Stray Ferret:

“The tragic events of last week surely go to highlight the issues with the amount of traffic on our roads that are in very close proximity to four schools, one nursery and nursing homes. I know one of the two young men who were involved and get daily updates on their progress, which unfortunately could well be long and slow.

“If we really wish to promote active travel we need to ensure safer roads, safer crossings and safer footpaths. Council need to listen to local residents and have more meaningful and in-depth consultations and use local businesses when it comes to drawing up plans as they have greater knowledge and understanding of local issues.”

In the Oatlands area, parents have also been looking at measures including park-and-stride schemes using local car parks.

Parent Hazel Peacock, whose children attend Oatlands Infant and Junior schools, said they had had support from Cllr John Mann, the Conservative representative of the Oatlands division, who also attended the meeting.

Both he and Cllr Pat Marsh, the Lib Dem for Stray, Woodlands and Hookstone, had used some of their locality budgets to support the planned improvements.

Ms Peacock said she was hopeful NYCC would carry out improvements the footpath between Hookstone Road and Fulwith Mill Lane, to make it more usable even during winter months.

The Stray Ferret contacted Cllr Mann for his views, but had not received a response by the time of publication.

Harrogate Borough Council has defended work to clear ground in a local nature reserve after local residents complained it was “brutal” and “excessive”.

The council cleared land and vegetation around the ponds in Rossett Nature Reserve in December – leaving the area looking rather ravaged.

The reserve is protected land because it is home to the great crested newt which breed in the ponds, along with frogs and toads. The work was carried out to support the newts’ habitat.

Local walkers have taken to social media to question the extent of the work.

Eighty-eight-year-old Shirley Rhodes walks her dogs in the reserve and was concerned at the way the work had been carried out. She told the Stray Ferret:

“It is desecration of the area – they’ve just destroyed the habitats for the rest of the animals there. They’ve gone too far.

“A lot of people I have met feel it was unnecessary to be quite so brutal with the equipment.

“There were lovely wild iris that were just chopped down and, I mean, do you really prune a tree like that?”

The reserve, though, has had a persistent problem with an invasive non-native weed, Crassula Helmsii, that grows in the ponds. Last year the Stray Ferret reported on a trial in the reserve to eradicate the weed by introducing mites that attack it.

The council has conceded that the work does appear rather destructive but, in a long statement, it said the newts’ habitat was being choked:

“Like all nature reserves, Rossett Nature Reserve is carefully managed to ensure habitats can continue to thrive.

“The ponds at Rossett Nature Reserve were being choked by Crassula Helmsii – an invasive pond weed – which forms dense mats across the ponds and causes oxygen levels to drop.

“Without removal of this invasive pondweed, the great crested newt – a protected species and the reason that the nature reserve exists – would struggle to breed as they are reliant on native plants, which are being overcome by his invasive weed.

“The great crested newt also require ponds with open water, minimal shading from overhanging trees and scrub, and less than 60% of pond vegetation cover. The ponds have also become silted up due to falling debris from the overhanging vegetation which reduces the water level over time, eventually causing them to dry up completely.

“All work at the nature reserve, carried out by the borough council thanks to funds raised by the Friends of Rossett Nature Reserve group, is done so in accordance with the site management plan and follows Natural England advice, to ensure a suitable and thriving habitat for the newts.

“Due to the scale of work required to remove Crassula Helmsii and the overhanging vegetation, this is carried out every few years as it requires machinery to do so. Further scrub removal was also completed on-site to help discourage anti-social behaviour and littering which had been reported in this area.

“And while it may appear quite destructive in the period following the initial work, especially in winter, the nature reserve will start to grow come the spring. Creating a flourishing environment for the great crested newt.

“Anyone wishing to volunteer or learn more about Rossett Local Nature is welcome to do so by emailing: community@harrogate.gov.uk.”

Read more:

• Wildflower planting programme launched at Ripon nature reserve
• Harewood bird garden to close in just nine days’ time

Harrogate Borough Council has revealed it spent £45,000 on outside help when it put together its failed bid for government Levelling Up money.

Last year the council bid for £20 million that would have gone towards a proposed £49 million redevelopment of Harrogate Convention Centre.

But the bid was refused by the government last month, throwing into doubt the future of the venue it has owned and run since opening in 1982.

Following a freedom of information request by the Local Democracy Reporting Service, the authority said it spent £45,000 on “legal, design and financial input and guidance” related to the bid proposal.

A council spokesperson said this was to “ensure the best possible chance” of it being successful.

Despite Harrogate being in the lowest priority area for Levelling Up funding, convention centre director Paula Lorimer told councillors at a meeting last week it would likely bid again when a third round of funding worth £1 billion opens.

Ms Lorimer warned Harrogate would “wither on the vine” if the facility closed because of its importance to the town’s business and leisure sectors.

The ownership of the venue will be handed over to the new North Yorkshire Council on April 1.

Read more:

• Government rejects £20m levelling up bid for Harrogate Convention Centre
• Harrogate council pays out almost £20,000 in compensation to tenants due to damp

Andrew Williams, North Yorkshire independent councillor for Ripon Minster and Moorside on North Yorkshire County Council, said he didn’t begrudge Harrogate Borough Council bidding for Levelling Up money but the refusal should show the council “that the government doesn’t think the redevelopment is worthwhile.”

Cllr Williams said:

“The conference centre is going to be a millstone around anybody’s neck.

“There needs to be serious thought put into what commercial uses it can become so that it will not be a drain on the public purse. I don’t support spending £50 million on a business that’s still losing money. Enough is enough when resources is tight.”

A Harrogate Borough Council spokesperson said:

“The costs associated with our bid for the government’s Levelling Up Fund included significant legal, design and financial input and guidance.

“This was required to ensure the best possible chance of the Harrogate Convention Centre’s £20m submission being considered.

“We were disappointed not to be award a grant in this round of funding. But we remain hopeful and have everything we need to submit a bid for any future rounds or other opportunities for government funding.

“We have not yet received any feedback from the Department of Levelling Up, Housing and Communities as to why we were unsuccessful.”

The Stray Ferret Business Awards, sponsored by Prosperis, will be held on March 9 at the Pavilions of Harrogate. The event will celebrate success and business excellence across the Harrogate district. It’s a night not to be missed! There’ll be a fabulous prize draw for all attending and Richard Flinton, the incoming Chief Executive of North Yorkshire Council, is guest speaker. You can purchase tickets here.

Harrogate-based environmental services firm Adler and Allan has acquired a West Yorkshire consultancy company.

Aqua Consultants, based in Bradford, provides consultative asset management, engineering, and commercial services to its clients.

The firm has been acquired by Adler and Allan, which has offices on Station Parade in Harrogate.

The company said the acquisition would allow it to become a “turnkey strategic partner” to the utilities and environment sectors.

Henrik Pedersen, chief executive officer at Adler and Allan, said:

“This is our third acquisition in the utilities sector, and fifth in the last 18 months.

“It is a further step in the Group’s ambitious growth plans to support customers with more of their environmental challenges.

“With this latest acquisition, we are cementing our position as a strategic partner to expertly support water companies to maintain their assets through the full lifecycle.”

Ben Shearer, managing director at Aqua Consultants, said:

“We are excited to be joining the Adler and Allan Group.

“The services Adler and Allan offers, and their established position in the utilities and environmental markets, allows us to offer our expert strategic services into more companies, providing a full turnkey package of asset maintenance consultancy and solutions.”

The acquisition follows the previous announcement that drainage solutions specialists Jet Aire Services joined the Adler and Allan Group in November 2021.

Harrogate law firm hires experienced commercial lawyer

A Harrogate law firm has hired an experienced commercial lawyer to its practice.

LCF Law has appointed Anthea Nelson in an effort to strengthen its corporate department.

Anthea Nelson, commercial lawyer at LCF Law.

Ms Nelson has more than 20 years’ experience and most recently worked as an in-house legal director. 

LCF Law partner, Susan Clark, who heads the firm’s corporate and commercial department, said:

“Anthea is an astute lawyer with widespread commercial experience, having worked for several Leeds based law firms and as in-house legal director in industry.

“With a solid understanding of all business matters, she’s an excellent advisor who can take any business through a range of complex contract and commercial negotiations. She is a welcome addition to our team.”

Anthea will predominantly work from LCF Law’s Harrogate office providing legal advice to clients across the whole of the UK.

Read more:

• Business Breakfast: Ripon engineering firm partners with The British Heart Foundation
• Business Breakfast: New café opens on Harrogate’s Cardale Park
• Business Breakfast: Harrogate business owner donates book proceeds to charity

The Inclusivity Award is sponsored by Kempston-Parkes.

Kempston-Parkes Chartered Surveyors is highly experienced in valuing and inspecting residential properties.

Kempston-Parkes has an unrivalled knowledge of the local property market.

This award is designed to give recognition to a company that has made employees and customers feel welcome, safe and free to be themselves, regardless of nationality, gender, race or sexual orientation.

Finalists

Artizan Café and Creative Space

Artizan Café and Creative Space is a Harrogate café and workshop staffed entirely by differently-able people.

The café provides creative training, work experience and employment opportunities to adults with learning disabilities.

The staff are trained in food preparation, customer service, handling money, food hygiene and much more.

A parent of one staff member said “no one has believed in them like this before. The café has given them an opportunity to succeed, rather than just activities to keep them busy”.

Liz Cluderay, the UK director of Artizan Café and Creative Space, said:

“Everyone at Artizan International is on a journey. For all our differently-able participants, it’s a journey from invisible to visible, from isolation to community, from the margins to the centre.

“For the local community visiting and supporting the café, it’s a journey towards a more inclusive society, where everyone is welcomed, respected and valued.”

Horticap

Horticap is a Harrogate charity providing adults with learning disabilities with training in various outdoor skills.

Established nearly 40 years ago, Horticap students receive practical training in garden maintenance, social skills, craft work and hospitality.

Horticap aims to immerse its students into society and provide them with skills that can be replicated at home and towards new career paths.

Phil Airey, assistant manager of Horticap, said:

“We are really excited to have been nominated for the inclusivity awards. Horticap was created to be an inclusive environment for all our students, staff and volunteers. We’re looking forward to the awards evening.”

The Stray Ferret Business Awards event sponsor is Prosperis. To find more and to purchase tickets for the big night, click here.

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.

The report compiled by the case officer for Harrogate Borough Council about the proposed Knox Lane housing development ignores many facts.

It appears the application submitted in April 2020 is a Stonewater Housing Association/Jomast joint venture.

In the application for 73 homes, only 10 were open market. Fifty homes, including 10 open market ,were proposed on the allocated site, 80% affordable, the remaining 23 affordable homes were on adjacent unallocated land. The number of affordable (86.3%) is more than double Harrogate Borough Council’s HS2 Policy, despite pre-application discussions having taken place with council officers in September 2019. The following statements were included in supporting documentation with the application:

It is important to note that it was the applicant’s aspiration to provide a full affordable housing scheme on the site. However, an element of market dwellings has been introduced at the request of the council based on their reasoning that it would provide a more balanced scheme.

Due to the uncertainty in respect to the length of any lockdown and the fact that the scheme has already been consulted upon and the site is now an allocation, it is considered appropriate to submit the application rather than delay until some form of meaningful consultant can be carried out at some undetermined point in the future. There is a clear and pressing need for the delivery of housing of all forms within Harrogate.

Despite the application not being compliant with Harrogate Borough Council Local Plan policies it remained on the planning portal with consultees being contacted.

The revised application submitted in December 2021 excluded the 23 affordable homes on the unallocated land but included 30 (56.6%) in the new plan, still in excess of Harrogate Borough Council affordable homes policy and contrary to NPPF 47.

Consultations with residents were held in February and March 2018 when the land agent advised a proposal for 100% affordable homes on behalf of Wakefield and District Housing Association. It is now almost five years since these consultations were held yet no further consultations have been.

The link to Knox Country Park was requested by the case officer. He apparently has not considered the impact this will have on the newly planted habitat for wildlife. The extract from the ecological report submitted on behalf of the developer suggests the increase in footfall would.

Knox Lane comprised a single-lane road and associated footpath. It was lined on both sides by tree lines (including that one the western site boundary) and grass verges, with managed agricultural land beyond to the west. The tree lines may offer some nesting habitat for birds and foraging and commuting habitat for bats, but Knox Lane itself offers negligible suitable habitat for wildlife, comprising impermeable, artificial surfaces that are disturbed by human activity on a regular basis. As such, this area was assessed to be of low ecological value.

Catherine Alderson, Harrogate

Pollution and the River Nidd

I have today received a newsletter from the Conservative Party promoting our local MP Andrew Jones. The lead story covering the front page concerns the River Nidd, highlighting the work he is doing to improve the quality of the water in the river.

More memories of Hotel St George

Further to Kathleen Mitchell’s letter last week. Bill Pritchard and Eddie  Jack were still working at the hotel when my husband John Abel and Peter Pointer bought the hotel in 1970.

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.

Pianist Jeneba Kanneh-Mason will make her Harrogate debut this month – three years after her cellist brother, Sheku, accompanied by sister Isata, performed in the town.

The 20-year-old will perform work by Shostakovich, Beethoven, Mendelssohn and Prokofiev as part of the Harrogate International Sunday Series on February 26. She will also give  an exclusive performance of Florence Price’s Fantasie Negre.

Hosted by Harrogate International Festivals and staged in the Old Swan Hotel, the Sunday Series coffee concerts have been an annual fixture on Harrogate’s classical music calendar since 1991.

Ms Kanneh-Mason, the fifth of seven musically-gifted siblings and the third to establish herself as a soloist, is a former Classic FM rising star and a keyboard category finalist in BBC Young Musician 2018.

Read more:

• Harrogate district festival launches £7,000 search for classical singers
• New professional choir based in Ripon to give local concert

Discussing her Harrogate appearance, Ms Kanneh-Mason said:

“This programme has a large range of repertoire – from Prokofiev and Beethoven to Shostakovich.

“The individual pieces in the Romeo and Juliet and the Estampes show the importance of story-telling in music, which is something I am drawn to.”

Her brother and sister were the last performers to appear at Harrogate International Festivals in 2020 before lockdown devastated the arts world, and Jeneba admits it was not an easy time for her.

Jeneba’s programme comprises of Shostakovich’s Prelude and Fugue in D major; Prokofiev’s 10 Pieces from Romeo and Juliet, Op. 75; Mendelssohn’s Rondo Capriccioso, Op. 14 in E major; Beethoven’s Piano Sonata No. 7 in D major, and Florence Price’s Fantasie Negre No.1 in E minor.

Roadworks that have caused lengthy delays near Harrogate for the last month are due to end tomorrow.

Four-way traffic lights were installed at the roundabout near the Curious Cow at Oaker Bank, Killinghall to allow Express Utilities to put in utility infrastructure for a nearby housing development.

The roadworks were due to continue until Friday but Matthew Ross, operations director at Express Utilities, said today:

“I am able to confirm that Express Utilities have progressed with our planned work at this location ahead of schedule.

“We are now due to complete and remove all of our traffic management set up by Monday 13th February.”

Read more:

• Temporary traffic lights near Killinghall set to last another four weeks
• Free Saturday parking to return in Harrogate after ‘technical error’

Over the last three years Harrogate Borough Council paid out £18,690 in compensation to tenants living in damp or mouldy council homes.

People who live in the council’s properties can request repairs for issues that arise due to mould or damp through its website or over the phone.

If the tenant is not satisfied with the repairs they can then complain to the Housing Ombudsman, which will look at what action was taken and potentially suggest compensation is paid to the resident.

Figures obtained by the Local Democracy Reporting Service through a freedom of information request reveal Harrogate Borough Council paid out on seven compensation claims where damp or mould was a factor since the start of 2020.

The total amount for each year is below:

• 2020: £3,750.00.
• 2021: £8,000.00.
• 2022: £6,940.31

The issue has received national attention in recent months following the death of two-year-old Awaab Ishak who died from a respiratory condition caused by exposure to mould at his Rochdale home.

Read more:

• New settlement plans ‘paused’ after land withdrawn near Cattal
• Plans confirm football pitches will be lost in 200-home Harrogate scheme

Awaab Ishak’s father repeatedly raised the issue with Rochdale Boroughwide Housing (RBH) but no action was taken.

In November, housing secretary Michael Gove ordered councils and other social housing providers to step up action to tackle mould and damp in the wake of the death.

Polly Neate, chief executive of housing charity Shelter, said it was “wholly unacceptable” for any tenant to be “stuck in an unfit home with damp or mould”.

She added:

“Social housing is rented by lots of people who may be more vulnerable to poor housing conditions: older people, people with disabilities and long-term health problems and families with children. Reports of disrepair should be dealt with swiftly, so no-one’s health is harmed by their home.”

Harrogate Borough Council said it undertakes an annual maintenance programme in its properties and advises residents to report issues as soon as possible.

A Harrogate Borough Council spokesperson said:

“There are a number of reasons why damp and mould can occur in a property. These include everyday activities such as cooking, cleaning and bathing that, if satisfactory ventilation is not available or not used as intended, can add moisture to the inside of properties, resulting in the development of damp and mould in colder areas.

“Other potential reasons include rising damp, defects to a property or faulty plumbing, for example.

“To prevent our properties from experiencing these issues we have an annual maintenance programme, advise residents to report any issues as soon as possible and also share guidance on how damp can sometimes be prevented.

“Unfortunately, in some occasions, it can occur and where it has caused significant issues for our tenants then they have been eligible to claim compensation.”