Betty’s staff taking on three million step challenge for colleague with brain tumour

Ten friends who met whilst working at the Betty’s bakery in Harrogate are taking on a challenge of walking three million steps in September after being inspired by a colleague who was diagnosed with a brain tumour.

David Smith, 55, was diagnosed with a grade 4 glioblastoma tumour in March this year.

The challenge is part of the Yorkshire Brain Tumour Charity’s Step into September campaign, where supporters ‘walk, jog, dance or climb’ to raise funds for research and patient support.

Throughout the month, the colleagues and ex-colleagues will aim to walk as many steps as possible in an attempt to raise £2,000.

They hope to do most of the steps on Saturday, September 17, when they will walk 20km around Roundhay Park in Leeds.

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Crimple Valley where Betty's staff have been walking for the brain tumour charity step challenge

The walkers have been getting their steps across the local area, including in the Crimple Valley (photos: Yorkshire Brain Tumour Charity)

Gemma Pickup, Mr Smith’s manager at Betty’s, said the group wanted to continue raising funds after the challenge.

The group’s ‘Do it for Dave, do it for Yorkshire’ idea is for the three million steps to be just the first challenge out of 20, with baking, fishing and swimming all on the agenda.

Ms Pickup said:

“I came up with ‘Do it for Dave, Do it for Yorkshire’ because Dave has been lacking motivation recently.

“Dave will have worked at Bettys for 20 years in September and we have all known him that long, so I came up with the idea of 20 challenges in 12 months to try and give him something to aim for and also a chance for people to reconnect with him and make some fun memories.”

The Yorkshire Brain Tumour Charity works to support brain tumour patients of all ages and their families across Yorkshire.

The charity has funded research at the Leeds Teaching Hospitals Trust and at the Universities of Hull and Sheffield.

Over 1,000 people are diagnosed with brain tumours across the Yorkshire and the Humber region each year. Around 10% of those diagnosed are under 18 years old.

Harrogate and Knaresborough MP Andrew Jones joins Instagram

Constituents can now find out what Harrogate and Knaresborough MP Andrew Jones has been up to through his new Instagram account.

Many politicians use the photo friendly Instagram network to show a gentler side, away from the often brutal battlegrounds of Twitter and Facebook.

In 2018, Conservative MPs were even given training to improve their Instagram skills with polling suggesting the platform could help show they are “real people”.

New Prime Minister Liz Truss, who has 92,000 followers, has used Instagram to cultivate her image. She’s posed with cats, showed off her baking skills and met celebrities like Taylor Swift.

Time will tell if Mr Jones decides to show us what he’s had for breakfast. He’s so far posted a video of him meeting constituents at Knaresborough Market and a photo from outside the House of Commons.

So far, his account has 12 followers and it follows the accounts of Liz Truss, Rishi Sunak, the Conservative Party and 10 Downing Street.

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Mr Jones would probably admit that other politicians are more natural performers on social media.

After the murder of David Amess MP last year, he spoke out about the “personal and toxic narrative” against MPs online. A search of his Twitter mentions reveals almost daily insults.

A couple of years ago, he set his Twitter account to retweets only and stopped directly engaging with people through the platform.

However, with a general election possibly just 18 months away, his renewed presence on social media could signal an attempt to connect to younger voters in Harrogate and Knaresborough.

But although Mr Jones has opened up new lines of communication, others appear to remain shut. The Stray Ferret asked Mr Jones why he set up the account but, as usual, we did not receive a response.

Bilton garages set to be demolished for housing

Harrogate Borough Council‘s plan to demolish 10 garages at Woodfield Close in Bilton and build two social homes has been recommended for approval.

The council owns and rents out garages across the district and has increasingly looked at the pockets of land as a way to build social housing.

Harrogate is one of the most unaffordable places to live in England, with average house prices around 11 times the median annual income of people who work in the district.

There are currently 1,867 households on the social housing waiting list.

In planning documents, the council said the development would help to provide “much needed affordable homes”.

The council earmarked the site for housing in August 2021. In total, it has 26 garages.

In November last year, the council was awarded £50,000 of government cash to bring forward housing on the garage site at Woodfield as well as at Park Row in Knaresborough.

The council’s planning committee will meet on Tuesday to decide whether or not to approve the Woodfield proposal.

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The report to councillors says:

“The provision of two affordable dwellings is a modest addition to the district’s housing land supply.

“The design of the dwellings would respect local distinctiveness and there would be no significant harm to local residential amenity, or highway safety.

“The housing development would provide off-street parking and be a more efficient use of the site.

“The proposal would comply with the provisions of the development plan and national planning policies and guidance, and should be supported.”

Council explores move to protect Harrogate Convention Centre with limited company status

Harrogate Convention Centre could come under the control of a limited company as part of a potential bid by the borough council to protect its most prized asset.

With the abolition of Harrogate Borough Council fast approaching, the convention centre is set to be handed over to the new North Yorkshire Council next April as the venue also pushes ahead with plans for a £49 million redevelopment in the face of growing competition.

But borough council bosses have this week revealed they are working with consultants on new models for how the venue could be run.

This includes the possibility of creating a limited company which would be run by a board of directors, including senior staff and councillors, although it would still be owned and funded by the new North Yorkshire Council.

Paula Lorimer, director of Harrogate Convention Centre, told a meeting on Monday that events venues in Manchester, Liverpool and Glasgow operate in this way and that this “would be my recommendation”.

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Wallace Sampson, chief executive of the borough council, also said the convention centre could follow the “success” of the district’s leisure centres which were brought under the control of the council’s new leisure company Brimhams Active last year. He said:

“Clearly our view is that Brimhams has been a success in terms of creating a local authority controlled company – it has got a very clear focus and strategic vision.

“There is now a model in place which gives it a degree of freedom to operate, notwithstanding the fact that there is a board with representation from the borough council.”

Mr Sampson also stressed that the council was looking into a variety of different business models for the convention centre and that this work with consultants KPMG “hasn’t concluded yet”.

As well as Brimhams Active, the council’s tourism company Destination Harrogate is also set to be handed over to the new North Yorkshire Council.

But what will happen to the companies after this major change for local government in seven months’ time remains unclear as council staff continue to plan how all services across North Yorkshire should be run in the future.

Councillor Pat Marsh, leader of the opposition Liberal Democrat group, said she was worried that decisions about the convention centre “won’t be in our hands” without a limited company and that she had seen the benefits that such a move could bring as a board member on Brimhams Active. She said:

“We need to have that business as most councillors think the convention centre underpins the economy of this town.

“Without it, I wouldn’t like to think how Harrogate would be.”

The proposed £49 million redevelopment of the convention centre recently moved to the next design stage – although a final decision on the major plans is still just under a year away.

It will be in July or August next year when that decision is made and because of local government reorganisation, it will be taken by the new North Yorkshire Council.

The proposals come after warnings that the venue “may fail to survive” and suffer losses of up to £250 million over the next 40 years unless the redevelopment is carried out.

Harrogate district remains the county’s cannabis farm hotspot

The Harrogate district is still the place in North Yorkshire with the highest number of cannabis farms, data from North Yorkshire Police has revealed.

A Freedom of Information (FOI) request showed that between 2016 and 2021, nine major farms with more than 25 plants were discovered in the Harrogate district.

That was almost double the amount found in the Selby district, which was the next highest with five.

This marked a continuation of a trend highlighted two years when an FOI request from the Stray Ferret found that the Harrogate district also had the highest number of cannabis farms then.

Between 2017 and 2020, officers made 22 arrests of people involved with cannabis farms in North Yorkshire.

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Countywide issue

In total over the five-year period between 2016 and 2021, Police recorded 25 crimes relating to cannabis farms across North Yorkshire.

Only two crimes were recorded in 2016/17 and there were three each in 2018/19 and 2019/20.

However, there were nine in 2017/18 and eight in 2020/21.

On average, 323 plants were seized from farms. The largest number recorded was 2,797.

Since the available data ended in 2021, North Yorkshire Police has continued to deal with the issue of large-scale cannabis production in the Harrogate area.

Earlier this year, seven people were jailed for a combined 22 years after Police discovered £450,000-worth of cannabis spread across farms at three properties.

In February, two men were stopped on the A1(M) with 14 kilos of cannabis in their car. They were jailed for two years.

North Yorkshire Police was approached for comment about the latest statistics and why the Harrogate district is so popular with cannabis growers but did not respond.

North Yorkshire County Council hits back at ‘dilution of democracy’ criticisms

A council overseeing sweeping changes to local government in North Yorkshire has hit back at criticism of the proposed overhaul, saying it would represent the biggest strengthening of democracy in generations.

Leading members of North Yorkshire County Council’s executive dismissed claims that hundreds of elected community representatives on district and borough councils are set to be replaced by just two councillors on a mayoral combined authority, saying the two levels of local government were not comparable.

Concerns were initially raised by the county’s borough and district councils over residents’ representation ahead of proposals for a single unitary authority being agreed.

Recent weeks have seen opposition members repeatedly highlight how proposals to create a new tier of local government in a mayoral combined authority for North Yorkshire and York include plans to have two decision-making members from the county and two from the city, alongside an elected mayor.

The proposals being consulted on this autumn would make the county, with a population of more than 600,000, and York, which has more than 200,000 residents, equally represented on the mayoral combined authority.

Speaking ahead of a public consultation over the proposed devolution deal as part of the changes, a number of councillors have stated the overhaul would erode residents’ ability to shape key decisions.

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Earlier this month Independent councillor John McCartney, who represents Osgoldcross, said many residents engaged in local democracy felt “irked and discombobulated” as their local councils were being swapped for a remote one in what he described as “a power grab” by County Hall in Northallerton.

However, it is understood senior North Yorkshire figures are comfortable with the disparity in representation as they are keen to foster a partnership with their York counterparts, and believe a fair balance will be struck by the elected mayor.

The authority’s deputy leader, councillor Gareth Dadd, told a meeting of the executive yesterday claims that the devolution deal would lead to “a dilution of democracy and that the world as we know would cease to exist” were far from reality.

He said:

“In my view it is an absolute strengthening of democracy.

“I suspect a mayoral election will take place in 2024 and the 800,000 good folk of York and North Yorkshire will have the ability to make a choice about who is actually heading up the spending of that extra money that was decided its course in Westminster, County Hall and the Guildhall.

“It will be the biggest strengthening in democracy, in my view, that we have seen in generations for this part of the world.”

Executive member for climate change and customer engagement Councillor Greg White added while the extra funding and greater discretion over the spending of public money from devolution in North Yorkshire and York was to be welcomed, the real prize would be in having an elected mayor who could deal directly with government.

Boy, 13, arrested for affray and carrying weapon in Harrogate

North Yorkshire Police has arrested a 13-year-old boy on suspicion of carrying an offensive weapon and affray following an incident on Monday evening.

It took place at around 8.15pm in Thruscross Close, off Skipton Road. 

A number of young people were involved after they were seen entering the garden of a property in the street.

As of yesterday evening, the boy was in police custody.

Officers are working to establish what took place and are appealing to anyone who witnessed the incident, saw a group of young people, or saw any suspicious activity in the area at the time, to come forward.

If you have any information call 101, press 2 and ask to speak to PS Colin Steele or PC Phil Dawes. Alternatively, you can email colin.steele@northyorkshire.police.uk or phil.dawes@northyorkshire.police.uk

The reference number is 12220159336

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Traffic and Travel Alert: Harrogate district traffic roundup

All children at Harrogate district secondary schools return for the new term today so expect the roads to be busier than what we’ve been used to over the summer.

Here is your Stray Ferret traffic update.

Roads

Northern Gas Networks is undertaking some emergency works on Leadhall Lane in Harrogate. Delays are expected until the end of this week.

Roadworks are also taking place on Yew Tree Lane near Ashville College until tomorrow.

On Rossett Drive, engineers at Yorkshire Water are doing works with works set to finish at the end of the week.

Trains and buses

Northern services between Harrogate and Knaresborough going to York and Leeds are scheduled to run as normal this morning.

A couple of of 36 buses this morning have been cancelled by Transdev. The affected routes are below:

Harrogate to Leeds 7.20am
Leeds to Harrogate 7.40am, 8.40am

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Test Match Special coming to Harrogate for Ashes

The Test Match Special show is coming to Harrogate next year just weeks before the Ashes.

Harrogate’s Royal Hall is one of 17 venues in the country selected for the cricket-themed show.

It will see Voice of Cricket Jonathan ‘Aggers’ Agnew joined by Aussie bowling legend Glenn McGrath and other special guests to relive Ashes anecdotes and discuss the forthcoming series.

The Harrogate event will take place on April 22, about two months before the 73rd Ashes series gets underway.

Since its inception in 1957, TMS has followed thousands of matches through iconic voices that include John Arlott, Brian Johnston, Aggers and Sir Geoffrey Boycott.

TMS’ debut live theatre tour took place this year. Guests included the likes of Stuart Broad, Chris Woakes, Steven Finn, Ebony Rainford-Brent and TMS super-fan Stephen Fry.

Agnew said:

“We had such a fantastic time on our debut tour that the TMS team has decided to do it all again – and this time with an Ashes twist!

“The shows will be the perfect appetiser ahead of a fascinating Ashes summer.”

McGrath said:

“Next summer is shaping up to be another intriguing series and I am really looking forward to touring the UK with Aggers to talk all things Ashes, share some of my experiences and look ahead to the summer’s Test action.”

Tickets go on general sale at 10am on Friday September 9 here.

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Business Breakfast: New partner for Knaresborough accountancy firm

Business Breakfast is sponsored by Harrogate law firm Truth Legal. 

A new partner has been appointed at Knaresborough-based HPH Chartered Accountants.

Alice Di Domenico joins Adrian Rodaway and Sarah Wearing at the helm of the firm, which has offices at Conyngham Hall as well as in York.

A spokesperson for the company said:

“Alice is the latest to join a succession of partners who have provided accountancy services since the firm’s founding in 1898 and her appointment ensures our ability to look after clients going forward.

“Alice joined HPH in 2016, bringing to the firm a wealth of practical and technical experience, while strengthening our relationship with the next generation of clients; her colleagues within the team value her sunny disposition.”

The company said Alice was bringing a fresh look at its services and a desire to drive it “forward into the 21st century”.

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Harrogate firms vie for digital awards

Two Harrogate firms have been shortlisted in the Leeds Digital Festival Awards.

Co-Lab Harrogate, based at Harrogate Convention Centre, is nominated in the facilitator of the year category, against NorthInvest, Propel@YH and Sarah Tulip.

And FinancialForce EMEA, on Cardale Park, is competing for the international award against Scaled Insights, Glean, Abstract Tech and COVVI Hand.

The awards will be handed out on Thursday, September 29 at Belgrave Music Hall in Leeds.