Leeds United legends reminisce with Harrogate dementia residents

Leeds United legends Eddie Gray, Tony Dorigo and Paul Reaney have visited a care home in Harrogate to reminisce about their playing days with residents who have dementia.

The ex-players were at Vida Healthcare’s new facility Vida Court on Beckwith Head Road.

The trio spoke about highlights from Leeds games over the past few decades and major career moments.

Staff also set up goals in the garden for residents to have a kickabout with the players.

It’s 50 years since Eddie Gray and Paul Reaney won the FA Cup as part of Don Revie’s famous side, and 30 years since Tony Dorigo won the First Division title under Howard Wilkinson.

Several players in the Don Revie team have suffered from dementia in recent years, including Jack Charlton and Gordon McQueen.

Sharon Oldfield, home manager at Vida Court, said:

“Activities like this are so important for our residents and they had a fantastic time meeting Tony, Eddie and Paul and sharing a pie and pint with them.

“Wellbeing and life enrichment is crucial to the lives of our residents. This special day was all about reminiscence and nostalgia, and it brought back special memories for everyone in attendance.

“Events and visits like this are crucial for encouraging residents to remember moments in their lives, and building strong bonds with staff.”

Read more:

A resident with Paul Reaney

Two teenagers arrested following police appeal into Harrogate robberies

North Yorkshire Police has arrested two teenage males after it published an appeal yesterday about a robbery on Harrogate’s Hookstone Chase.

The two males are also being questioned about a further alleged robbery that took place on Wentworth Drive in Harrogate on the same night.

The first alleged incident, on Hookstone Chase, is said to have happened at around 6pm on Tuesday, May 17. The Wentworth Drive incident followed at 10.30pm.

The two males are in custody. Police said they are assisting officers with their enquiries.

Yesterday, police published an appeal for two teenage white males wearing grey tracksuits.

Read more:

 

Siblings, 11 and 7, get creative to protest against new Knox Lane houses

Two creative siblings have put up posters and written poems to protest against a housing development on Harrogate’s Knox Lane.

North-east property developer Jomast wants to build 53 homes on a field off Knox Lane in a green corner of Bilton that residents cherish.

Jasmine Stoyles, 7, and her brother Francis, 11, both go to Richard Taylor Church of England Primary School in Bilton.

They live close to where the homes could be built and enjoy admiring the deer, birds and other wildlife in the green fields.

But they fear the idyllic scene won’t be there when they grow up.

Mum Caroline said the threat of development inspired the kids to get their pens out and protest. Over the weekend they put up posters and poems on trees and a notice board nearby.

Jasmine’s poem says it’s a “horrible sight looking at concrete and cement” and Francis’ poem pleads “see the trees that grew up there, soon it will be all bare”.

Ms Stoyles said:

“We just appreciated all through lockdown how many people come here. It’s a lovely place to be. 

“To lose that connection to the countryside would totally change the nature of the area.”

Jasmine’s poem is below:

“Spring is a lovely time, but not when people are killing nature,

“People do not care about nature anymore because they are looking at their toes,

“Wrens and other birds are going to lose their homes because they are cutting down the trees,

“It is a horrible sight looking at concrete and cement,

“Nothing can replace Harrogate’s space.”

Read more:

 

Harrogate Grammar hopes to light up sports pitch until 8pm

Harrogate Grammar School has submitted plans to light up its games pitch until 8pm in a bid to boost youth sport in the wake of the pandemic.

An original application in 2015 restricts the use of floodlighting after 6pm.

However, the school said this year several youth teams had struggled to play, particularly during the winter months when ground conditions in town were poor.

In a letter to neighbouring residents asking for their support, business and operations manager, Tom Stephen, wrote:

“The last two years of the pandemic have been challenging for us all, not least in the impact of school closures and restrictions on team sports for young people.

“We want to support the growth of youth sport and one way in which we hope to achieve this is by increasing the access of our facilities.”

He added that in the context of increased demand and in an effort create opportunities for young people to recover from the pandemic, the school felt it was the right time to apply for the extension.

It would see the pitch open from 9am until 8pm Monday to Friday.

He said:

“We will only allow the astro to be used by youth coached teams in order to support our aim of the growth of youth sport.”

Read more:

Harrogate Borough Council environmental health officer, Gemma Demaline, said she had no objections to the plans.

She said:

“As the lights are likely to be required during the darker months when surrounding noise sensitive residents are likely to be inside their properties, the impact from noise from the proposed use of the site will be limited.”

Earlier this month St Aidan’s Church of England High School revealed its new floodlit artificial sports pitch was set to open from 6pm to 8pm for community clubs to use.

A spokesperson for Harrogate Grammar School said:

“We want to support the growth of youth sport after the restrictions the pandemic put on team sports and we hope to achieve this by increasing the access of our facilities.”

Harrogate Borough Council’s planning committee will make a decision on the application at a later date.

Harrogate estate agent wins gold award

Local estate agent Feather Smailes Scales (FSS) has won the British Property Award in Harrogate for its sales department.  

The team was congratulated for its outstanding performance throughout the judging period, which looked at customer service levels.  

Partner Richard Smailes said:  

“I am delighted that we have been recognised by an independent adjudicator as “best in class” and winning the gold award.

“It is testament to my wonderful team who show dedication, hard work and a caring nature at all times and a true depth of knowledge with regard to the housing transaction process. I couldn’t be more proud.” 

The awards were created by a team of former estate agency owners who hope to change the way estate agents are perceived by the public. 

They consider a set of 25 criteria that consumers often overlook, and aim to highlight excellence in different towns across the country. 

Robert McLean, from The British Property Awards, said:  

“Winning agents should be proud that their customer service levels provide a benchmark for their local, regional and national competition”.  

FSS has now been nominated for a number of other national awards. 

Three Harrogate spas nominated for good spa awards 

Rudding Park, Three Graces Spa at Grantley Hall and The Swinton Country Club have all received nominations for the good spa awards 2022.  

Rudding Park is nominated for the best destination spa, whilst Swinton Country Club and Grantley Hall are nominated for two awards each. Swinton is hoping to win awards for sustainability and wellness, and Grantley Hall is in the running for wellness and best destination.  

Swinton Estate said it was “delighted” to be nominated for both awards, adding:  

“Wellness and wellbeing, both physical and mental, sit at the heart of our commitment to all guests.” 

The hotel was also the first in the UK to install a biomass boiler, a sustainable alternative for heating water at the spa.  

Last year, Three Graces Spa at Grantley Hall won the best spa for fitness and wellbeing, and Rudding Park won in 2020 for the best outdoor facilities.  

Voting is open until 5th June, and the winners will be announced on 20th June at the spa life convention in Gloucestershire.  

Read More: 

 

Police identify man after Harrogate Asda CCTV appeal

Police have identified a man they wanted to speak to after money was removed from a cash machine at Asda in Harrogate.

North Yorkshire Police issued CCTV images of the man after £150 that was left on the cash machine from a previous transaction was taken.

Police were not aware of any attempt that had been made to return the cash to its owner.

The incident happened at Asda on Bower Street at 10.23am on Sunday, May 1.

In an update on May 27, police said they had identified the man and we have therefore removed the images of him from this post.

Read more:

 

Starbeck dad says ‘unreliable’ buses are making daughter late for school

Starbeck dad Gordon Schallmo has criticised Transdev‘s “unreliable” Number 1 bus service, which he said is regularly making his daughter late for school.

Mr Schallmo’s 14-year-old daughter is a pupil at King James’s School in Knaresborough.

Each morning she gets the number 1 from Starbeck, which is one of the company’s busiest bus routes in the Harrogate district, running up to seven times an hour.

But well-documented staffing issues have forced the company to cancel services, sometimes at short notice.

Mr Schallmo said his daughter is currently late for school at least once a week after buses failed to turn up.

He said:

“Its hit and miss when they arrive. She’s often been left standing there.”

Can’t all fit on

The number 1 route is served by single-decker buses.

But with schoolchildren sharing the bus with rush-hour commuters, it means if a bus doesn’t turn up they can’t always all fit on the next one.

Mr Schallmo added:

“It’s not good when I have to run her in and call the school to say she will be late again because the bus hasn’t turned up.”

Read more:

Transdev has had difficulties hiring new bus drivers since the covid pandemic.

The company recently launched a campaign offering qualified drivers a £1,000 bonus if they joined.

Mr Schallmo said he was also frustrated to see the company recently increased the cost of a weekly ticket on the number 1 from £4.30 to £6 whilst offering a service his daughter can’t rely on.

He said:

“It’s getting beyond a joke. I know they have bus driver shortages but they don’t seem to be doing anything about it.

“What frustrates me is they don’t have an answer. It’s been terrible.”

Transdev’s response

Steve Ottley, general manager at The Harrogate Bus Company, which is a division of French firm Transdev, said:

“Firstly, it’s disappointing and we apologise that Mr Schallmo believes we haven’t given him an answer he would like but we would invite him and anyone else who may wish to, to engage with us via email to customer.services@transdevbus.co.uk or via many other contact points as found at harrogatebus.co.uk.

“We fully realise how frustrating it is for our customers on the occasions when we are unable to provide the high standard of service expected. We are doing a lot behind the scenes to respond to current industry-wide challenges around recruitment and retention of drivers — including by offering increased salaries to new and existing drivers, and by promoting opportunities to join us on the front of all our buses, on billboard advertising and via social media.

“This approach is already delivering positive results – we currently have 15 new colleagues preparing for new driving jobs in Harrogate at The Academy, our own in-house training facility in Starbeck.”

Mr Ottley also explained why the company has increased its prices:

“Everyone will be aware that the price of almost everything is rising at the moment, especially fuel and energy, and unfortunately, we are also not immune to these increased costs — price changes are a common factor across many businesses at the moment. Along with many other transport operators across the country, we have now reached a point where we need to ask our customers to share some of this with us.

“We have held prices down for a while now. This will be our first fares change since September 2019 – and our tickets are still good value, especially compared with other forms of transport, including the car.

“These changes will allow us to continue recovering from covid, increasing timetables back to pre-pandemic levels, investing and improving wage rates — all after almost three years of holding down fares. We’ve also taken this opportunity to simplify our ticket range where we can to make travel easier, while still offering flexibility to our regular customers.”

Tractor stolen from farm in Weeton

North Yorkshire Police is appealing for witnesses after a tractor theft in Weeton.

The tractor was stole from Weeton Lane at 2.10am on May 12. According to police, a vehicle entered a farm and stole the orange Kubota Compact b7100 tractor.

Officers are asking for the public to come forward with information, particularly sightings of vehicles on Weeton Lane at the time of the incident.

You can contact the police on 101, select option 2 and ask for Chloe Kinnear. Or email chloe.kinnear@northyorkshire.police.uk.

The crime reference number is 12220081066.

Read more:

 

Police appeal after man robbed in Harrogate

Police are appealing for information following a robbery on Hookstone Chase in Harrogate.

The incident happened yesterday close to the double mini roundabouts at 6pm and involved two teenage boys threatening violence to steal a man’s bag and wallet.

The suspects are described as teenage white males and were both wearing a grey tracksuits. Officers say one of the boys may have had dark coloured hair

A North Yorkshire Police statement added:

“We are requesting the public’s assistance to help establish the full circumstances surrounding the incident.

“In particular, we are appealing for anyone who may have witnessed this incident to come forward. We are asking that local residents check any CCTV or dashcam footage that may have captured the suspects around the time of the incident.”

Anyone with information that could assist the investigation should email Paul.Griffiths@northyorkshire.police.uk or call North Yorkshire Police on 101, select option 2, and ask for PC 741 Griffiths.

Read more:

 

Meet the team at Harrogate’s new hair salon

This advertorial is sponsored by Allertons

Allertons has built an incredible team of highly qualified stylists since opening in Harrogate just six weeks ago. The team is here to help people in Harrogate achieve their dream hair.

Allertons has just celebrated eight years in business and has two salons in Leeds, one in Nottingham and another in Harrogate.

The company’s owner Nicholas Nicola is hugely proud of everything his staff has achieved including being Leeds’ highest rated salon, with plenty of five star ratings on Google.

Nicholas lives in North Leeds and has always enjoyed visiting Harrogate. So when a unit became available on Montpellier Street he knew it would make the perfect addition to the Allertons family.

Following a £60,000 refurbishment the salon opened with a team of four and with further plans to transform the two upper floors the team is eager to continue building its reputation.

Lauren Wood, hair stylist

What is your speciality?

“I specialise in most things including colour, extensions and blow-drying. A bit of an all-rounder.”

How does Allertons enable you to give your best? 

“We get a lot of support from Nick and everyone in the team, there’s a lot of training opportunities too. We are also kept up-to-date on what is going on so there’s never any surprises.”

Who is your celebrity hair crush?

“Definitely Hailey Bieber, she’s just spot on every time and I love that sometimes she can surprise you.”

Jess Hewitt, hair stylist

What is your speciality?

“Definitely say I prefer colour, it’s a little bit more enjoyable transforming someone’s hair. I really like it when someone comes to me for a complete change in style.”

Why do you enjoy working for Allertons?

“It’s the team, we all get on really well. It just feels good coming to work and getting on with everyone. Plus the simple things like being paid on time just makes the experience that bit better. We just all really support each other.”

How does Allertons enable you to give your best? 

“It’s opened my eyes to new careers, so I’ve thought about going down the hair education route. All the courses we get sent on just help us develop into the stylist we want to be.”

How does a consultation work?

“Normally someone comes to us with a picture and we can talk through the process of getting to that point. Unfortunately there are times when the client’s hair type might not suit the hair they want but I’ll always give advice and other inspirations.

“I also want to make sure the client can maintain their hair, so if someone can’t make it to use every six weeks I wouldn’t suggest bleach blonde. It’s about making sure the client gets the hair they want without spending hours a day making it look fabulous.”

Francis Emechette, national educator

What is your speciality?

“Precision cutting and training.”

How does Allertons enable you to give your best? 

“My position at Allertons allows me to utilise my skills and work on my passion whilst passing my experience on to the rest of the team.”

What is your favourite hair era? 

“An Eaton Crop wonderfully modelled by Charlize Theron and Tilda Swindon also there’s a style called Wolf Cut which gives more volume at the root and front of the head. Then celebrities like Billie Eilish have brought the Japanese Anime style back into the mainstream.”

Robyn Mackin, apprentice

What is your speciality?

“I’m really enjoying the colouring aspects of hairdressing, learning techniques and developing my skills. Especially highlighting hair.”

Why do you enjoy working for Allertons?

“I love the area where Allertons is, I’m from Harrogate so it’s really nice to work where I’ve grown up. Our clientele are lovely and always come in with smiles on their faces so it makes my job even more positive.”

How does Allertons enable you to give your best? 

“Allertons are so supportive with my training with in house training every week and they send me on courses to develop my skills regularly which enables me to reach my goals of becoming a really good hairdresser.”

The salon is currently offering up to three free appointments as part of its eighth anniversary celebrations. To find out more click here.

Allertons Harrogate has plans to expand to 15 staff once all the refurbishments are complete. The renovations are set to get underway by summer and will include beauty rooms offering facials, massage, manicures and pedicures.

The salon is currently looking to hire a full time salon manager and hair stylist and two part time hair stylists.