Harrogate district unemployment figures remain low

Just 2.2% of all adults in the Harrogate district are claiming out-of-work benefits, latest figures show.

Monthly figures published today by the Office for National Statistics show 1,755 people were claiming the benefits on May 12, which was similar to April’s figure of 1,779.

The figures appear to have stabilised after falling by around 150 people a month since the start of the year.

However, they are still above pre-pandemic levels. In January 2020, 1,410 people claimed the benefits that includes Universal Credit.

Universal Credit can also be claimed by people who are in work but on low incomes.

Many of the district’s key sectors including hospitality and social care have reported difficulties hiring staff since the end of covid restrictions.

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Shortlist revealed for Harrogate’s crime writing festival

The shortlist for the UK’s most prestigious crime writing award, hosted in Harrogate, has been announced today.

The Theakston Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year 2022 is hosted by Harrogate International Festivals. As well as the famous award there is a four-day festival welcoming household names to Harrogate.

The award, now in its 18th year, celebrates crime fictions at its best. This year’s shortlisted authors take readers from the streets of newly independent India to a remote Fenlands cottage, from a missing persons investigation in Manchester to a body discovery in Norfolk and from a murder in Georgian London to the murky world of espionage.

The public have until July 8 to vote for their winner with the final result announced on the festival’s opening night on July 21.

The six nominees are:

This is Ms Griffiths’ fourth time on the shortlist. The Night Hawks is the 13th instalment in her Ruth Galloway series. This novel sees forensic archaeologist Ruth Galloway embroiled in a mystery involving Bronze age treasure, a series of murders and a local legend of a ghost dog.

This novel is a Sunday Times bestseller and the first standalone novel from Mr Knox. Blending fact and fiction, the book transports the reader to Manchester and encases them in a web of mystery surrounding a 19-year-old student who leaves a party to never be seen again.

The historical crime writer is back with her second novel, Daughters of Night, two years after her debut Blood & Sugar which was longlisted in 2020. This novel centres on the murder of a prostitute and brings to life the darkest corners of Georgian high society.

In the tenth instalment oh his series, Mr Herron returns with the Slough House which marks the fifth time in five years he has been on the shortlist. The series has recently been adapted by Apple TV as a spy drama called Slow Horses starting Gary Oldman and Kristin Scott Thomas.

The first in a series narrating the investigations of India’s first female police detective finds her tasked with solving the murder of an English diplomat as the country prepares to become the world’s biggest republic.

Will Dean is known for his Tuva Moodyson series but in his newest novel he has changed the setting to the derelict British fenlands. The claustrophobic tale depicts a woman’s determination to escape captivity by an unknown man in a remote cottage. This is Mr Dean’s first appearance on the shortlist.

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The crime writing festival is set to take over Harrogate and include multiple events between July 21 to July 24.

Simon Theakston, executive director of Theakston, said:

“What a fantastic shortlist, six thrilling tales which deliver shocking twists and unforgettable characters! We look forward to revealing the winner in July as we kick off the Theakston Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival.”

Sharon Canavar, chief executive of Harrogate International Festivals, said:

“We are delighted to announce this year’s Theakston Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year shortlist, featuring six novels by some of the most exciting crime writers working today. Whisking readers around the world and through time, this shortlist is a fantastic demonstration of the variety to be found in crime fiction.”

The winner will receive a £3,000 prize, as well as a handmade, engraved beer barrel provided by T&R Theakston Ltd.

Business Breakfast: how to make the most of TikTok

Business Breakfast is sponsored by Harrogate law firm Truth Legal. 

Secrets of TikTok success to be shared at Harrogate networking event

A business owner who uses TikTok for recruitment will be the guest speaker at a networking event next month.

Sally Bendtson, who runs Limelight HR, became a social media sensation with her entertaining videos during the first covid lockdown.

She has used them to raise the profile of her business and, most recently, even as part of her own recruitment.

She will be sharing the secrets of her TikTok success with Business Ladies around Harrogate (BLaH) on Friday, July 1.

The group meets at William and Victoria Restaurant on Cold Bath Road, Harrogate, at 11.50am on the first Friday of each month. The speaker’s presentation is followed by informal networking over a two-course lunch, finishing at 2.30pm.

Tickets are £30 per person. For more information, visit the BLaH website.

Harrogate colleagues climb Snowdon at sunrise for Yorkshire Cancer Research

A group of Harrogate colleagues have climbed Snowdon at sunrise to help raise funds for Yorkshire Cancer Research.

The employees from Belzona hiked up the highest mountain in Wales as part of their year-long fundraising for the charity.

Lily Alexander-Pike from the company said:

“We first suggested the idea to the team after one of our colleagues had done it and said how amazing it was.

“We had so much interest and everyone really got behind it, either taking part or donating. We were amazed to raise over £3,000 for Yorkshire Cancer Research in sponsorship.”

Belzona Snowdon charity walk

The team, which consisted of 28 people from design and manufacturing firm Belzona and two employees from Yorkshire Cancer Research, began their climb at 1am to reach the 1,085-metre peak for sunrise.

Lily added:

“It was surreal walking up in complete darkness, but when the sun rose the views were just incredible. The journey back down was like a completely different walk when you could see everything around you.”

Yorkshire Cancer Research was nominated as one of this year’s charities by Sarah Furber, a member of the finance department, because she has family members who have been affected by cancer.

The team has also organised a chocolate raffle, a cutest pet competition and more to add to its fundraising.

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Luke Armstrong signs long term contract with Harrogate Town

Luke Armstrong has extended his contract at Harrogate Town until the end of the 2024/25 season.

Armstrong finished his first season at the club as top goalscorer, netting 14 times since arriving from Salford City in June 2021.

The 25-year-old forward opened the scoring against Rochdale in August in the first five minutes of the game, leading to a nomination for Football League World EFL2 Player of the Month.

He went on to score six in his first eight appearances, earning further League Two Player of the Month nominations in September from the PFA and SkyBet League Two.

Armstrong was instrumental in Town’s historic run to the Third Round of the Emirates FA Cup too, scoring a memorable goal at Fratton Park in the second round.

He said today:

“When I first signed here last year I knew it was somewhere I wanted to tie myself down to for a long time so I’m over the moon that the Gaffer has shown his faith in me and offered me a long term contract.

“We want to show what we can do again like we did at the start of last season, we want to be up there challenging and trying and get out of this league and into League One which we are capable of doing.

“Personally I want to do better than last season and get back to the form I showed in the first half of the season.

“Myself and the team had started off really well and I had never felt more at home at a club.

“Even through the tough times we had towards the end of last season I still really enjoyed playing which is a rarity, the lads here are great and the Gaffer believed in me throughout so it was a no brainer to sign again.”

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Rags to riches: stray dog from Harrogate stars in Legally Blonde musical

From the streets to the stage, Coco the Chihuahua went from wandering the streets of Harrogate as a stray to starring in Legally Blonde: The Musical.

In June 2019, Coco was found abandoned in Harrogate. She was handed into Dogs Trust Leeds and after just a week at the centre was adopted by husbands Andrew Fretwell and Andrew Ashley.

The pair said they “fell in love” with five-year-old Coco and she has lived with them ever since.

In April, Coco took on the role as Bruiser Woods in the hugely popular film turned musical, Legally Blonde. She was part of the cast performing at the Theatre Royal in Wakefield.

Bruiser Woods is the iconic handbag best friend of Elle Woods who after heartbreak goes from sorority sister to successful lawyer.

Dogs Trust was chosen as the charity beneficiary of the Legally Blonde production and £800 was raised.

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Andrew Fretwell said:

“In 2019 after losing our two Labradors my husband and I were heartbroken, so we decided to rescue a dog from Dogs Trust Leeds.

“When we arrived, we looked around and fell in love with this tiny little Chihuahua. We don’t know what life she led before, but we have made sure she lives like a queen now.”

The funds raised from the show will go towards helping other dogs find their ‘furry-tail’ endings.

Are you looking to adopt a furry friend? Take a look at our monthly Stray Pets Rescue Club showcasing animals up for adoption in and around the Harrogate district. 

Long Lands Common organisers aim to create food forest on Harrogate green belt

The team behind Long Lands Common is set to unveil plans to create a food forest on Harrogate’s green belt.

Long Lands Common is Harrogate and Knaresborough’s first community owned woodland and nature reserve.

It was established after around 3,000 people bought shares in Long Lands Common Ltd and raised almost £400,000 to purchase 30 acres of land near Nidderdale Greenway at the end of 2020.

Now organisers want to spend the small amount of surplus money they raised to buy an extra four acres of Harrogate green belt and plant a forest that would be a source of local food.

The company, which is a community benefits society, is to hold its AGM on Saturday, June 25, when the proposal will be put to shareholders for approval.

Secretary of Long Lands Common Ltd, Chris Kitson, told the Stray Ferret :

“The aim is to expand Long Lands Common, bring more green belt into local ownership and produce food for the local community.

We need a more sustainable world and a more localised, resilient economy.

Never in my life have I seen so much insecurity. We need to return to a more sustainable way of producing local food for local people.”

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What is a food forest? 

Kate Wilkinson is a horticulturalist who specialises in permaculture design and is advising the Long Lands Common team.

She says at one point the ancient forest of Knaresborough would have been a food forest — local people would have had the right to forage for naturally grown food such as mushrooms and blackberries.

She said the concept is the same when you create a modern food forest:

” A food forest is based on observing natural ecosystems. Trees are planted with scrubs underneath that copy natural systems . The plants are perennials and stay there for years enabling invertebrates, animals and birds to thrive.

“It’s aim is to be a social project too – the forest is accessible to everyone. People can forage with permission and feel that they belong there. The forest is owned by the people”.

The Annual General Meeting will start at 11am at Long Lands Common where the committee is also organising a picnic day.

Man arrested on suspicion of indecent exposure in Valley Gardens

Police have arrested a man on suspicion of indecent exposure in Harrogate’s Valley Gardens.

Officers were alerted to the incident, which happened in the gardens on Sunday (June 12).

A 67-year-old man from Bradford was arrested on suspicion of outraging public decency and breaching a sexual harm prevention order.

North Yorkshire Police added in a statement:

“Officers would like to thank the quick-thinking members of the public who alerted us to the man and helped detain him.

“He remains in police custody whilst enquiries continue.”

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Ghostbuster wish granted for Harrogate boy with half a heart

Ghostbusters super fan George Hinkins, who lives with half a working heart, can now live out his dream of being one of his heroes for the day.

George lives with a rare congenital heart defect called Ebstein’s Anomaly and had his first open-heart surgery at just 36 hours old.

The defect means his heart can’t pump blood to his lungs as well as other people and he struggles with oxygen levels.

In April, the Stray Ferret published an appeal for funds from Make-A-Wish UK to grant the wishes of 62 children living with a critical condition in the North East.

For eight-year-old George, it was a success. Leeds City Council will be helping to grant his wish to be a Ghostbuster for the day by transforming Leeds Central Library into a ghoul-infested haunted house.

The Yorkshire Room, in particular, will be decorated to fit the spooky theme and ghosts will be projected onto the walls. Members of fan group East Midlands Ghostbusters will also be there, dressed up to add to the adventure.

George will also travel from Harrogate to Leeds in the Ghostbusters’ iconic car, Ecto-1.

George Hutchins dressed as a ghostbuster

George said:

“When I’m in hospital, it’s a bit scary. But just like the Ghostbusters, I try to face my fears. I try to be brave.”

George’s love for the Ghostbusters franchise started when he was six years old. He took his Ghostbuster figurines into his third surgery in March 2020.

Rhian Isaac, senior librarian for Leeds City Council, said:

“It has been a pleasure to work with Make-A-Wish to bring George’s wish to life. George’s story touched the hearts of the Leeds Libraries team from the moment we heard it, and we hope that we can help create a memory that George and his family will remember forever.”

George’s family said more surgeries are inevitable and a transplant may be considered when George is older.

To find out more or donate to Make-A-Wish UK, click here.

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Harrogate Sainsbury’s set to replace some manned tills for self-service

Sainsbury’s supermarket on Harrogate’s Wetherby Road looks set to remove eight manned checkouts to make way for more self-service tills.

Over the past decade, self-service tills have become increasingly the norm for shoppers.

A survey published by The Grocer last year found that manned checkouts were still the most popular choice for both men (42%) and women (39%), but 31% of shoppers now prefer to pay using self-service.

The Stray Ferret understands from a source at the Wetherby Road store, which is the largest supermarket in Harrogate, that it plans to replace eight manned tills with self-service checkouts later this summer.

A Sainsbury’s spokesperson confirmed it plans to introduce more self-service checkouts, which it said would meet customer demand for the service.

She said:

“We regularly review the services available in our stores to make sure we offer the most convenient experience to our customers.

“This summer we will slightly increase the number of self-service checkouts at our Harrogate store so that we can meet customer demand for this service.

“Our colleagues are on hand to help anyone who may need support using them and we continue to offer manned checkouts for our customers who wish to use them.”

The spokesperson added that no jobs will be lost in the Harrogate store but staff that did work on the checkouts will be working “in a slightly different way”.

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Self-service checkouts are now ubiquitous in every major supermarket but they are not always popular, particular with older shoppers who like to have a chat with the person serving them.

This year a pensioner in London called Pat McCarthy launched a petition against Tesco, which is also replacing manned tills with self-service checkouts.

At the time of publication, it’s been signed by over 170,000 people.

Ms McCarthy, 69, wrote:

“What used to be a great shopping experience has now become physically difficult, overwhelming, and a ‘nightmare’.

“I love chatting with the staff, albeit briefly, especially as l live on my own. Talking with human staff is important to me. Now that experience has been taken away.”

Teens left in tears by Northern train guard’s ‘heavy-handed’ fine

The parents of three teenagers left “in tears” after being issued with a fine on a train journey have criticised the guard’s “heavy-handed” approach.

Freddie Fulford, 15, and his friends Evie and Oscar Bartle were travelling from Cattal to York on Saturday, June 3.

It was the first time the three had gone into York together and Freddie’s dad, Tony, said they were looking forward to a day out on their own.

“They jumped on the train with no tickets because it was in the station when they arrived.

“There is a ticket machine at the station, but they didn’t know you couldn’t pay on the train.”

Cattal Station

Once the guard realised the teens didn’t have tickets, he issued them with fines of £20 each. The teenagers said they were told in an “intimidating and frightening” way that the maximum penalty was three months in prison.

Upset by the fine and the threat of a criminal record, the teens called their parents from York station in tears.

Mr Fulford, who lives in Harrogate, said:

“They could have paid there and then or the guards could have said ‘buy at ticket on the app and we’ll come back in a minute’. It was just so heavy-handed.

“The obvious answer would have been to let them buy the tickets on the train and explain what they should do for next time.”

He said both families have submitted complaints and appealed against the fines. They had heard from other parents whose children had been fined for similar situations and had successfully appealed.

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Both sets of parents are in a position to pay the fines, he said, but he was concerned about other families who were not. He added:

“The main point is to stop it happening again.”

The Stray Ferret contacted Northern for a response to Mr Fulford’s concerns about their handling of the situation.

In response, Tony Baxter, regional director for Northern, said:

“Customers have a duty to buy a ticket for travel before they board a train.

“They can do so in advance via our app and website or, if they wish to purchase at an un-staffed station, they can do so from one of the more than 600 ticket machines we have installed across the network – one of which is at Cattal station.

“Customers should arrive at the station in time to purchase their ticket before they travel. Anyone issued with a penalty fare has the right to appeal the decision to an independent appeal service.”