Business Breakfast is sponsored by Harrogate law firm Truth Legal.

A Harrogate-based hair and beauty brand has reached a £50,000 fundraiser target for The Little Princess Trust.

Cloud Nine started fundraising for the charity, which provides free, real hair wigs and support to children and their families through childhood hair loss, back in September.

The company launched a limited edition “Royal Blue” collection as part of its partnership with the charity to help raise funds.

Now, Cloud Nine has hit its target and raised £52,442.

In addition to raising £50,000, the company has also generated hair donations of over 74 inches of hair for the charity.

Martin Rae, CEO at Cloud Nine, said: 

“We have sold out of our Royal Blue Collection in the UK and Australia, which has been very popular. It is fantastic to know that we have raised this amount of money for such an important cause.

“The team are already arranging other events to raise more for The Little Princess Trust, including The Yorkshire Three Peaks Challenge.”

Phil Brace, CEO at The Little Princess Trust, said: 

“We are so grateful to Cloud Nine for their incredible support. The money raised will help the charity provide free wigs to children and young people that really need them.”

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Harrogate rental company reports improved interim results

A Harrogate-based equipment rental company has announced improved profits as part of its interim results.

In the six months up to September 2022, Vp reported revenues of £186.5 million compared with £176.1 million on the same period last year.

The company, which is based at Central House on Beckwith Knowle, also announced profit before tax, amortisation and exceptional items increased by 6% to £21.5 million.

Vp said the results reflected “a period of continued recovery” and was a result of “sustained demand across the group’s business units”.

Jeremy Pilkington, Chairman of Vp plc, said: 

“I am pleased to report a solid set of results that reflect a period of continuing recovery and which demonstrate the enduring strength of our business and the maintenance of our industry leading returns. 

“Our businesses have continued to make good progress in their engagement with customers and supply chain partners to deliver sustainable and innovative fleet solutions as we collectively strive to reduce emissions. 

“The period under review has seen continued inflationary pressure on fleet capital costs, transport, fuel, wages, utilities and interest costs, but we have largely mitigated these with agreed price increases combined with a diligent focus on efficiencies within our business. We expect these actions to remain a priority for the foreseeable future. 

“Notwithstanding these challenges, we remain alert to quality growth opportunities whether organic or via acquisitions and we remain confident of delivering a full year outcome in line with the Board’s expectations.”

Harrogate Borough Council is paying some of Harrogate’s larger town centre hotels to provide accommodation to homeless people.

The Stray Ferret approached the council a month ago after a well-placed source revealed the names of some of the town’s best-known hotels that are being paid to put up homeless people. We asked the council how many homeless people it was helping, why it was having to use town centre hotels and how much it was paying the hotels.

The council, which has duties to prevent and relieve homelessness, confirmed it used hotels “as a last resort” but declined to reveal costs.

A council spokesperson said:

“Should someone become homeless we have a number of options available to help them find somewhere safe to stay on a temporary basis. As well as helping them plan for the long term and secure permanent accommodation.

“We have hostels in Harrogate, Ripon and Knaresborough as well as Fern House in Starbeck, our purpose-built temporary accommodation with 19 self-contained bedrooms.

“Should someone be placed in a B&B or hotel, they are only ever done so on a temporary basis and as a last resort when no other suitable accommodation is available.

“Currently, 16 people are being temporarily accommodated in B&Bs and hotels, and 82 in hostels, until we find a more permanent solution.”

The spokesperson added the council worked with partners “to find more secure accommodation” while it provided temporary relief.

Fern House, which cost £2.3 million to build, opened 18 months ago to help provide more accommodation for homeless people.

We once again asked the council to provide details of how much taxpayers’ money it was paying the hotels. But despite subsequent requests, it has not revealed how much it spends on hotels.

The spokesman initially said he “didn’t have the costs to hand” and it “wasn’t a straightforward answer”.

Three weeks ago he said he had asked a colleague in finance to collate the information and they would “pull it together as soon as they can”.

But no further details have been provided.

The Stray Ferret has submitted a Freedom of information request.

People with disabilities in the Harrogate district have been invited to attend a debate tomorrow night about accessible housing.

Harrogate-based charity Disability Action Yorkshire has assembled a panel of four experts for the event, which will take place at the Cedar Court Hotel in Harrogate at 5pm.

Titled ‘Accessible Housing for Everyone in North Yorkshire’, the event gives disabled people the chance to have their say and influence decisions on assisted living.

Jackie Snape, chief executive of Disability Action Yorkshire, said:

“The aim of the evening is for disabled people to tell us, and more importantly our panellists, about their housing needs.

“Our hope is that their comments will help influence future assisted living decisions made by the new North Yorkshire Council, which in turn will deliver benefits to those disabled people looking to live in their own homes.”

The panel includes:

• Richard Webb, North Yorkshire County Council corporate director for health and adult services
• Sarah Roxby, Wakefield Clinical Commissioning Group‘s associate director of health.
• Cllr Mike Chambers, Harrogate Borough Council cabinet member for housing and safer communities
• Christina McGill, Habinteg Housing Association‘s director of social impact and external affairs

Disability Action Yorkshire chair, Neil Revely, will head the panel.

New 36-bed home

This year, Disability Action Yorkshire, in partnership with Highstone Housing Association, was granted approval by Harrogate Borough Council to replace its 20-bed care home on Claro Road, Harrogate with a new 36-bed care home.

The £7.5 million complex will also include a base for Disability Action Yorkshire staff, who will be on site 24-hours a day.

Read more:

• 34 Claro Road to be demolished under plans to build more homes for disabled
• Harrogate disability charity explains why some crossings don’t beep

Ms Snape said:

“Our assisted living scheme, which will be completed by this time next year, is one of the most significant developments in our 85-year history. It fulfils one of our key ambitions, to give disabled people the independence they crave.

“Whilst our panellists have a wealth of expertise in this area, we believe it’s vital that they hear from the district’s disabled community. These are the people who more often than not need some form of assistance to live independently, and we need to ensure these needs are properly met.”

If you would like to participate in the debate, contact Jackie Snape via email or telephone at: 01423855410.

The breaking ground ceremony at Claro Road with, from left to right, Disability Action Yorkshire chair Neil Revely, The Mayor of the Borough of Harrogate Cllr Victoria Oldham, Harrogate & Knaresborough MP Andrew Jones, and Highstone Housing Association executive director Joanne Hawley.

This year’s Stray Ferret Christmas Appeal is for Resurrected Bites in Harrogate and Knaresborough.  Please read Vicky’s story about the charity below and give generously to support local people who are struggling this Christmas.  They need your help. 

This Christmas, there are local people – colleagues, neighbours, friends – young, elderly and working age people — who will not be able to put food on their tables. 

There is help at hand from local organisation Resurrected Bites – but it’s facing a tough time too. 

Just weeks ago, it warned it faced an uncertain future: its own costs are rising, the amount being donated had dropped, and more and more people are looking for help. 

That’s why, from now until Christmas, the Stray Ferret is calling on everyone to give their support to this vital local organisation to help us secure its future. 

All donations go directly to Resurrected Bites and will be generously match-funded by Harrogate firm Techbuyer, up to the value of £5,000. 

Over the next four weeks, I’ll bring you stories that show just how important the work of Resurrected Bites is. Please read them, share them, and donate whatever you can.

The story of Resurrected Bites

“Harrogate is a really difficult place to be poor.

“There’s this perception that it’s all rosy, but that’s not the case for a lot of people.”

It was this realisation that prompted Michelle Hayes to do something to make a difference across the Harrogate district. 

The former research scientist founded a food waste café as part of her role as mission and outreach worker, employed by St Mark’s Church but covering the whole of Harrogate. 

Resurrected Bites began life in 2018 in the foyer of the church on Leeds Road, using food from supermarkets and some local hospitality businesses which would otherwise be thrown away. There was nothing wrong with the food, other than perhaps passing its ‘best before’ guidance date – but it would have ended up in a bin. 

She was inspired by the Real Junk Food Project in Leeds, founded by Adam Smith. Not only was it reducing food waste, it was making a significant difference to people. Michelle said: 

“It literally saved a guy’s life. He had lost his job and had no money, and he couldn’t see a way forward. He was contemplating ending his own life. 

“He walked past the café, went in and got a meal, and ended up becoming a volunteer. It saved his life.” 

The Harrogate café proved to be a success. Not only did it reduce food waste across the Harrogate area, it provided hot meals on a pay-as-you-feel basis to local people, and offered an opportunity to soclialise too. 

Michelle turned it into a community interest company, meaning it is run for the benefit of the community and its income is used to continue this work. 

Expansion

In 2020, Resurrected Bites began to expand, with a second café at Gracious Street Methodist Church in Knaresborough launching in January, followed by a third at West Park United Reformed Church, in early March. 

Then, of course, everything changed. 

The arrival of covid meant the cafes all had to close immediately, but Michelle and the small team of volunteers knew there was still a role for them. They began distributing food parcels to the many local people who suddenly found themselves out of work and short on money. 

Just a fraction of the food donated to Resurrected Bites every week during covid lockdowns

At the height of covid, they were intercepting three tonnes of food waste every week and ensuring it reached people who would otherwise not have enough to eat. 

Michelle said: 

“I realised the scale of food poverty in the area. It was shocking. 

“I knew then that once we stopped doing the deliveries, we still had to have a mechanism to get things to people who really needed it.” 

Community groceries

While restrictions were still in place, Michelle began working on the next stage of the project: community groceries. 

Using the same principle as the cafés of taking food that was still perfectly edible but would not be sold commercially, they were designed to help households who could not afford enough food. 

The community groceries allow people to choose their own food from the shelves. Members pay a small fee – £3 for a household up to three, £6 for four or more people – and for that can select a set number of fresh, frozen and packaged goods, as well as toiletries and household products. 

Two groceries opened in autumn 2021, at Gracious Street and New Park Community Hub. Demand has grown enormously in the year since, as their reputation has spread. 

The number of customers at the cafés has also risen and there are plans in place to open a third, in Killinghall, in the new year. Michelle said:

“When I set up the cafes, the community groceries weren’t even on my radar.

“Resurrected Bites has been a lot more successful than I had anticipated. It is meeting a lot of need in our community.”

It’s clear the cafés and groceries are badly needed. With the cost of living crisis hitting and recession looming, that need is only likely to grow. 

It already costs £7,500 every month to deliver those vital services. Please donate to the Stray Ferret’s Christmas appeal to ensure Resurrected Bites can continue supporting people who badly need it in 2023 and beyond.

Nobody in the Harrogate district should go hungry this Christmas. 

Whatever you can donate will help local people to feed themselves – and prevent food waste too. 

Just £10 can pay for a family’s weekly shopping in the community grocery. Click here to contribute now. 

Read more:

• Food waste organisation Resurrected Bites warns it could close
• Volunteer sets up artisan market in Knaresborough to support food waste charity

Scandinavian-inspired eatery Grön Kafe has announced that it has made the “difficult decision” to close its Harrogate branch after two years.

Launched by Masterchef finalist Matt Healy in December 2020, the café on Royal Parade has been shut for a number of weeks.

A sign on the door said it was closed due to electrical issues.

However, today the café announced on social media it would not be reopening.

The post says:

“Multiple factors outside of our control have made it increasingly more difficult to deliver the level of food and service that we expect from Grön and so sadly we are saying goodbye to this location for the foreseeable future.

“We have loved being a part of the wonderful community in Harrogate and it is with a heavy heart that we make this announcement. We wanted to say a huge thank you to our lovely friends and customers in Harrogate and we are sad to be saying goodbye.”

It goes on to remind customers that Grön can still be found at its flagship location in Oakwood, Leeds, as well as at Green Room in Leeds city centre.

Grön Kafe took over the site of Quantro restaurant on Royal Parade on December 4, 2020.

The café served up pescatarian, vegetarian and vegan-friendly dishes.

Read more:

• Masterchef finalist to open healthy cafe in Harrogate
• Masterchef finalist to open new cafe in Harrogate

It launched as the nation came out of full lockdown and the Harrogate district moved into tier two restrictions.

Mr Healey had opened a pop-up at the Cold Bath Clubhouse in June earlier that year.

Following the success of that trial, Grön Kafe then opened its own dedicated site on Royal Parade.

Harrogate and Ripon have been spared its HSBC banks shutting after the company announced a raft of closures today.

The bank said it will close 114 branches from April 2023.

HSBC UK said the closures were down to a change in customer habits and that it would invest “tens of millions of pounds” in its remaining banks.

Among the closures include branches in nearby Wetherby and Skipton.

However, Ripon’s branch on Westgate and Harrogate’s on Prospect Crescent have been spared closure.

The HSBC – which has no external cash machine – is Ripon’s sole remaining bank branch after Halifax closed on November 14.

The Halifax closed less than three months after the long-established Barclays branch closed its doors for good on August 25.

Jackie Uhi, HSBC UK’s managing director of UK distribution, said: 

“People are changing the way they bank and footfall in many branches is at an all-time low, with no signs of it returning. 

“Banking remotely is becoming the norm for the vast majority of us. 

“Not only can we do it anywhere at any time of day or night, many more things can be done at the customers’ convenience and don’t rely on a branch visit.”

Read more:

• Halifax closure leaves Ripon with one remaining bank
• Harrogate’s Windsor House gets new co-working space and cafe

This story has been sponsored by the Provenance Collection.

A former Masterchef contestant has been appointed as the new head chef at the Coach & Horses in Harrogate.

Formerly executive chef at Harewood Estate and a semi-finalist of the 2016 MasterChef: The Professionals, Josh Whitehead will head up the kitchen at the pub on the corner of West Park and Tower Street.

His new menu will see seasonal produce sourced from the Provenance’s own kitchen garden, or from carefully selected partners across the region.

Pizza butter chicken kieve with polenta fries and dressed leaves. Photo: Claire McClean Photography

Josh, who will work alongside his best friend, Andy Castle, who was head chef at the Ox Club in Leeds, said:

“I am really excited about the Coach & Horses, with a great place in the history of Harrogate and a promising future, myself and Andy look forward to cooking up delicious British classics using the best possible produce with love and respect.

“Our aim to is cook dishes that are comforting and familiar whilst drawing inspiration from British pubs, exceptional ingredients and classic cookery, with a typical Josh and Andy flair.”

Starting his career washing pots in nearby Wetherby, Josh quickly shifted to front of house at Restaurant Bar & Grill, Harrogate, where he helped the head chef to prep shifts in the kitchen. Biding his time, he was promoted to commis, his first paid chef role.

Croissant and marmalade bread and butter pudding. Photo: Claire McClean Photography

However, it was during his training at Thomas Danby college, Leeds, he got a taste for working with fine dining restaurant Anthony’s.

Many subsequent roles, including Harvey Nichols, The Tetley, Northern Bloc Ice Cream and then the opening of House of Koko, all helped to prepare him for his role.

It was during this time that he also met his best friend, sous chef Andy, while working at the Ox Club.

While working as executive chef at The Harewood Food & Drink Project, he learnt about various aspects of livestock, wild game, vegetables and foraging.

To try the new menu, book a table at the Coach and Horses by calling 01423 789777 or visit www.coachandhorsesharrogate.com.

About 20 trees were planted on the Stray in Harrogate today as part of a scheme to create a new ‘pocket wood’.

The initiative, which took place during National Tree Week, aims to create a small woodland environment on the Stray, close to Skipton Road, that people can enjoy for generations.

Members of Harrogate branch of the union Unison joined staff from Harrogate Borough Council‘s parks and environmental services department to plant a variety of native trees, including elm and lime.

An avenue of 12 apple and maple trees was created on the Stray near Christchurch. Nearby, close to Regent Parade, another eight trees were planted.

Sam Perry, Unison branch environment officer, said the semi-mature trees planted today would, alongside the more mature trees nearby, would turn the area into a dense copse of trees. He added:

“The grass underneath will be allowed to grow uncut and, in the future, the canopy will also be under planted with smaller shrubs or wildflowers to create an even more diverse new ecosystem.

“Our new community pocket wood is a gift to our wider community in Harrogate and an invitation to all who see it to grow more green spaces in the world and more green thinking in their minds.’

Read more:

• New tree avenue to be planted on Harrogate’s Stray 
• Harrogate council chief executive set for £101,000 redundancy pay-out

North Yorkshire Police said today it was not treating the death of a Harrogate man in his 30s as suspicious.

Police put up a cordon after they were called by the ambulance service to a flat on East Parade last Thursday evening.

A nearby resident contacted the Stray Ferret today to say other people in the flat were evacuated and put up in hotels while crime scene investigators carried out work.

The person wanted to know why there had been so subsequent police information informing nearby residents about the incident and offering reassurance.

Police said in response to a request for information today:

“At the time of reporting, his death was treated as unexplained, therefore a cordon was put in place to protect the scene while officers carried out a full examination of the property where the death occurred.

“Following a post mortem examination, officers do not believe that there are any suspicious circumstances that led to the man’s death.

“A report will be prepared for the coroner to inform a future inquest into the man’s death.”

Read more:

• People waiting up to an hour for 101 calls to be answered, says North Yorkshire Police
• Man suffers serious head injuries on Harrogate’s Bower Street

No strikes will take place at Harrogate District Hospital next month when nurses stage a national walkout.

The Royal College of Nursing will carry out industrial action at hospitals across the UK over a dispute over pay with the government on December 15 and 20.

Locally, staff will strike at Leeds Teaching Hospitals and Leeds Community Healthcare Trust. However, no action will be taken at Harrogate in this round of strikes.

Members of the union will walkout at half of the locations in England where the legal mandate for strikes was secured in November.

However, the RCN has warned that more staff could take industrial action in January if negotiations with government are not held.

A spokesperson for the union told the Stray Ferret last week that the dates in December were the first phase of strikes and more could be carried out if an agreement is not reached.

They said:

“Not all members at employers where there is a mandate to strike will be called to strike on these first two dates.

“Phase one could be just the beginning of a longer period of strike action.”

Read more:

• Staffing problems still affecting mental health services for Harrogate district residents
• Women live 10 years longer in Harrogate than Knaresborough, report shows
• Harrogate hospital pledges ‘minimal disruption’ as nurses’ strike looms

Officials at Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust have pledged “minimal disruption” should any walkout take place at future strikes.

A spokesperson for HDFT said:

“While pay is a matter for government and the trade unions, we value our staff and want to see a resolution as soon as possible to ensure we can continue to focus on delivering world class patient care to all those who need it.

“We understand the importance of good pay and conditions for individuals and their families, as well as wider NHS staff retention and recruitment.

“We are working to ensure there is minimal disruption to patient care and that emergency services continue to operate as normal should any strike action take place, and have tried and tested plans in place to manage any disruption.”

A list of health trusts affected by strikes is available here.