Harrogate and Knaresborough artisan markets cancelled this weekend

Forecasted strong winds and rain have prompted the organisers of artisan markets in Harrogate and Knaresborough to cancel this weekend’s events.

Little Bird Artisan Markets was due to stage its monthly Knaresborough market on Saturday.

The organisers were also planning to hold their first regular monthly market in Harrogate’s Valley Gardens on Sunday after a successful Christmas market trial at the same location in December.

Both markets were fully booked by stallholders.

Winds are predicted to reach up to 44mph in the afternoon on both Saturday and Sunday. Storm Malik brought similarly strong winds seven days ago.

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Organisers say they had little choice but to cancel due to concerns over the safety of stallholders and visitors.

Jackie Crozier, managing director of Little Bird Markets, said:

“We are sad about cancelling. The decision was not made lightly but we really do have to put health and safety first.

“We were expecting a busy weekend, our marketing has been strong and the online buzz about the events has been amazing.

“We hoped the weather was going to improve, but we have just had to cancel, and we are devastated.”

Little Bird Markets will be back in Knaresborough on March 5 and Harrogate Valley Gardens on March 6.

Wanted: entertainment with ‘wow factor’ for Harrogate town centre

Harrogate Business Improvement District is offering grants to entertainers that can liven up Harrogate town centre’s streets.

The BID issued a plea today for events and installations that will drive footfall into the town centre.

It is offering the grants in order to cover any costs incurred as long as the idea satisfies funding criteria.

Matthew Chapman, Harrogate BID manager, said:

“We are really keen to bring something new and exciting to Harrogate town centre each weekend, and we are calling on individuals and groups to help us achieve this.

“We are particularly looking for something that is unique, exciting and has the wow factor. Harrogate is a standout town, and we want anything that we help deliver to also stand out.”

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Mr Chapman added that grants weren’t just available for performers, but for individuals, groups and organisations who want to play a part in benefitting the BID levy area.

art on the Stray

Last year’s art on the Stray.

He said:

“Last year, we commissioned the incredible mural that adorns the side of Monsoon, on Cross James Street. We also commissioned Artizan UK to create nine mosaic letters spelling Harrogate to cover the bricked up windows on the side of Boots building, along Cambridge Place.

“I’m really pleased to say these will be in situ next month, adding a much-needed splash of colour to this drab street linking Oxford Street and Cambridge Street. We also provided a colourful banner for Commercial Street to help promote the independent businesses it’s home to.

“We have five key project areas; marketing, promotions and events, access and car parking, safe, clean and welcoming, business plus, and evening and night time economy, and if an idea fits in with one of these, then we are interested and a grant may well be available.”

More information on the grant can be found on the Harrogate BID website.

Harrogate man to compete at Winter Olympics for Trinidad & Tobago bobsleigh team

Harrogate man Axel Brown will compete for the Trinidad & Tobago bobsleigh team in the Beijing Winter Olympics, which kicks off today.

If you ask someone about bobsleigh, most people will recall the 1993 smash hit film Cool Runnings. It featured the trials and tribulations of the Jamaica team as it battled to compete in the Winter Olympics.

Brown was born and raised in Harrogate. He attended Harrogate Grammar School from 2003 to 2011 and excelled at American football and taekwondo before discovering bobsleigh in 2014.

He previously competed for Great Britain but qualified to switch to Trinidad & Tobago because his mum is from Pointe-a-Pierre in the country.

For the uninitiated, bobsleigh is a winter sport where teams barrel down an iced track in an aerodynamic sleigh while racing against the clock.

Brown has a crucial role as the pilot of the team, and sits in the sleigh to steer it along so it can produce the greatest speed.

The Caribbean country hasn’t competed in the games for 20 years, and Brown is hoping their efforts can inspire a new generation.

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Speaking to Trinidad & Tobago Newsday in December, Brown said:

“It is exciting that now all of a sudden the Trinidad & Tobago population is kind of embracing us and what we are able to do.

“Hopefully there are other Trinidad & Tobago teams that are inspired by what we are doing. I think we certainly have the athletic pool from which to choose great athletes from but also the four that we’ve got at the moment are doing incredibly well and I am really excited to see what they can do.”

The Beijing Winter Olympics 2022 opening ceremony takes place today, where Brown will be cheered on from back home.

Brown is a supporter of Harrogate horticulture charity Horticap, which showed its support for him when some of its students held the Trinidad & Tobago flag.

Harrogate council responds to calls for recycling wheelie bins

Harrogate Borough Council has responded to calls to introduce recycling wheelie bins, which were backed by 200 residents.

The Stray Ferret asked readers whether they would welcome the change after last weekend’s storms blew recycling left out for collection across streets throughout the district.

We received an overwhelming response to the question on our Facebook and Twitter pages. Of 200 comments, the vast majority were supportive of the proposal.

Currently residents in the Harrogate district use blue bags to recycle paper and card and a black box for tins, plastic and glass.

In some other areas of the country run, people use large wheelie bins for recycling.

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Given the level of support for the change, we asked Harrogate Borough Council if it would be possible to roll out recycling wheelie bins. A spokesperson for the council said:

“Using wheelie bins for recycling can in some instances lead to higher contamination rates (items presented that can’t be recycled). So any changes would need to be carefully considered.

“Another challenge we would need to overcome is the wagons used for collection. At the moment they cater for black boxes so any change would require adaptation of the fleet.”

“Recycling rates have increased significantly across the Harrogate district year-on-year and the current contamination rates are less than one per cent. This community effort ensures our recycling is high-quality and easily accepted at the processing sites so we’d like to say a massive thank you to the residents for always going above and beyond to help us and our crews.”

Scandinavian-inspired coffee shop opens on Harlow Hill

A Scandinavian-inspired coffee shop opened today on Harlow Hill.

Nord Coffee House has moved to a unit at 135 Otley Road that was previously home to cafe, The Kitchen, for five years before it closed last year.

Nord sells artisan coffee, sandwiches, pastries and donuts. A pop-up Nord opened in Knaresborough in December.

Craig Buchan, who is involved with Nord, also co-founded FI:k, which is a Swedish-style cafe in Harrogate and Knaresborough.

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Nord manager Iain Walker said:
“We’re really proud of what we have created at our new coffee house on Otley Road. Everything starts with the quality of the coffee for us and our whole menu in turn reflects that. We have chosen Dark Woods Coffee from Huddersfield as our coffee provider not only because of the quality of their product, but because of the sustainability story that they have.”
“We have taken as our inspiration the beautiful area that we are situated in and we’ve tried to bring the Pine Woods into the interior.”
In another boost for the area, Wharfedale Fruiterers, which is next door to Nord on Otley Road, will reopen with a new name and new owners this month.
Harrogate district church leaders back mosque

Church leaders in the Harrogate district have shown their support for a planned mosque in the town.

Twenty-two leaders have signed a joint statement backing the plans, saying the “time is right” for a place of worship for Muslims.

Signatories include the Bishop of Ripon, the Rt Revd Dr Helen-Ann Hartley.

Harrogate Islamic Association has lodged plans to Harrogate Borough Council to convert the former Home Guard Club into a place of worship.

The joint statement from church leaders says:

“As church leaders in Harrogate, we the undersigned wish to express our support for our Muslim friends and neighbours as they seek a suitable site for a dedicated place of worship.

“We believe that everyone deserves the opportunity to worship and, without wishing to prejudge the specific suitability of the site currently under consideration, we believe that the time is right for the creation of a permanent mosque to serve the needs of Muslims who live and work in our community.”

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So far, the application has received 135 public comments – 72 in support and 59 objecting.

Traffic and parking concerns

The objections highlight concerns about traffic, parking and the fact that the building is a non-designated heritage asset.

Households across Harrogate have reported receiving anonymous leaflets through their doors encouraging them to oppose the plans with a guide on how to word the objection.

Supporters dispute the concerns. They say there is enough parking nearby, particularly as there is a multi-storey car park on Tower Street, and that it would be good to see the building brought back into use.

HIA was established in 2011 and has been looking for a permanent place to convert into a mosque for years. Other attempts to find a home have fallen through.

Around 100 worshippers currently meet in the Quakers’ Friends Meeting House on Queen Parade.

Harrogate Borough Council will make a decision on the proposal at a later date.

Church leaders who have signed the statement are:

Harrogate firm Yorkshire Resin Coatings goes into liquidation

Harrogate firm Yorkshire Resin Coatings Ltd has ceased trading and gone into liquidation.

A resolution for winding-up the company was posted on the public record website The Gazette today.

The company specialised in resin-bound driveways and patios. Its trading address was Hartwill House, Hookstone Avenue.

Founded in 2005, its customers included Grantley Hall, a luxury hotel near Ripon. Former Harrogate Grammar School student Mark Kennedy was its managing director.

The company’s last accounts posted on Companies House, for the financial year ending July 27, 2020, said it had 12 employees.

The Gazette listing says Manchester insolvency specialists Begbies Traynor has been appointed liquidator.

The Stray Ferret contacted YRC’s public email address for a statement but we did not receive one at the time of publication.

Enquiries about the liquidation can be made to Jo Hudson at jo.hudson@btguk.com

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Major redevelopment of Harrogate Convention Centre could start in October

A major redevelopment of Harrogate Convention Centre could get underway in October after councillors backed spending £2.8 million of cash reserves to speed up the first phase of works.

Members of Harrogate Borough Council’s cabinet last night agreed to the spend after warnings that the local economy could miss out on up to £14.9 million through cancelled events unless the centre’s studio two gets an upgrade sooner than originally planned.

The works would see the creation of flexible events space for up to 1,200 people, which centre director Paula Lorimer said was the most crucial part of all the plans.

She told last night’s meeting: 

“The convention centre has an auditorium with a capacity of just under 2,000, but it only has breakout space for 560 delegates.

“This in my opinion is one of the biggest reasons why we have not been able to attract some of the larger conferences.

“The studio two package is a game changer for the convention centre – and it is also a crucial part of the redevelopment to rebuild confidence in our venue.”

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If approved by all councillors, a competitive tender process would be launched under the next stage of the studio two works, which could be completed by February 2023.

Overall, the full redevelopment plans could cost up to £47 million and involve three exhibition halls being demolished to make way for a new 5,000 square metre hall and a refurbished auditorium.

The proposals were first revealed last year when the council said the 40-year-old centre was in “critical need” of an upgrade to keep its national appeal and that without investment its maintenance costs could reach £19 million over the next two decades.

A decision on the whole project is expected from councillors in summer.

Centre unable to attract ‘large and lucrative’ events

The studio two works are being accelerated after Ms Lorimer said the centre had been unable to attract “large and lucrative” events due to competition from more modern conference venues elsewhere in the country.

She said events are planned at least 18 months in advance and that without an upgraded studio two, the centre could lose £1.1 million in lettings revenue in the coming years with businesses also missing out on an economic impact of £14.9 million from the venue.

Cllr Richard Cooper, leader of Harrogate Borough Council, said he supported the plans because of the wider economic impact.

He told last night’s meeting: 

“Nearly everybody in the Harrogate district knows somebody or have themselves worked in the hospitality and tourism industry.

“That to me always underlines the critical importance of the convention centre to our local economy.”

E-scooter rider in Harrogate arrested for suspected drug dealing

Police arrested a man on an e-scooter in Harrogate this week on suspicion of dealing cannabis and ketamine.

According to North Yorkshire Police, the man failed to stop when asked by officers on Monday night.

Two officers found drugs after catching up with the man, who was then arrested on suspicion of possession with intent to supply class A and class B drugs.

A police statement today added:

“Once in custody, tests showed him to be under the influence of drugs, so he was further arrested for a further offence of driving whilst under the influence.

“He’s now been released on conditional bail whilst enquiries continue.”

E-scooters are similar to regular scooters but have small, electric motors.

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Plan to demolish ‘eyesore’ Starbeck building finally approved

Harrogate Borough Council has given the green light to plans to demolish the former McColl’s supermarket in Starbeck, over three-and-a-half years since it was ravaged by fire.

Leeds-based developer Bates & Hemingborough submitted an application in November to demolish it under permitted development rules.

This permits the demolition of a building without the prior approval of the council if it is deemed a safety risk.

The owner hopes to build new retail and housing units on the site, although these plans are yet to be formally submitted.

The plans were put on hold in December after the council asked for safety documents, which have now been provided, addressing how the demolition would impact the adjacent St Andrew’s Church.

The council says the developer now has three years to demolish the building.

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Planning agent Pete Gleave from Zerum Consulting told the Stray Ferret the developer will submit a planning application for the new building “in the coming months”.

“There are currently no timescales for demolishing the building. Our client is however looking to progress the redevelopment of the site as quickly as possible and will be working up a planning application in the coming months.”

The fire-damaged building has frequently been described as an ‘eyesore’ blighting the centre of Starbeck.

Andrew Hart, founder of Starbeck Community Group and owner of Starbeck Post Office, said he hopes things can now finally move forward.

“Starbeck Community Group are pleased that demolition has been granted but we are hoping that the owners will expedite the work quickly, certainly the demolition.

“We also hope that the original stone frontage and the carved ‘Harpers’ stone can be saved and used.”