Refurbishment of a former Chinese takeaway on Leeds Road, Harrogate, has unveiled a “ghost sign” of a tiny library that closed around 50 years ago.
Liberty Library was a subscription library where readers paid a nominal fee to rent books. It’s believed it was there from the 1930s until the early 1970s.
Subscription libraries were popular alternatives to larger public libraries in the 19th and 20th centuries.
Harrogate’s Boots chemist also offered a subscription library service in the town at the time.
Pannal and Harrogate historian, Anne Smith, said she remembers visiting Liberty Library in the early 1960s.
She said the books were not “highfalutin” and catered mainly to the female reader. It also sold toys, sweets, stationery, stamps and newspapers.
Ms Smith said:
“It was very useful. There was a big table the back with all different books on it. The books were tremendous.”
The sign was made by a business called Wilson Signs
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Leeds Road
Liberty Library also sold annuals for children such as School Friend, Dandy, Beano, Knock Out and Film Fun. Children would save up their pocket money throughout the year and come before Christmas to pick up the end-of-year editions.
Ms Smith said the section of Leeds Road looked different in those days. Some of the buildings that are shops today were houses and had gardens where there are now usually parked cars.
Other notable Leeds Road businesses at the time included Paul’s Bakery, Padgett’s greengrocers and Scott’s.
Leeds Road in 1955, with Liberty Library on the left. Photo credit: unknown.
Liberty Library closed in the early 1970s as subscription libraries went out of fashion.
Two people on social media shared their memories of Liberty Library with the Stray Ferret.
Brian Skinner said:
“I remember visiting it and borrowing books before I joined the children’s library in town. It must have been in the late 40s. We also ordered our Christmas annuals, paying for them over a period before Christmas. Happy days.”
John Carr said:
“I remember the Liberty Library from growing up in the area in the 50s & 60s. I used to buy my matchbox cars and other toys from it.”
Mr Carr has a directory of businesses from 1948 that lists Mrs E Worfolk as the proprietress of Liberty Library.
He added:
“I recall an elderly (weren’t they all when we were little?) man who ran it but didn’t know his name.”
The sign was spotted by Ghost Signs, a website and social media account that is dedicated to the fading remains of hand-painted advertising.
Anyone else spotted this find from @speccy2?
Would love to know more about the library, and what the tiny lettering bottom right is, likely a signwriter's signature…#ghostsigns #ghostsign #libertylibrary #harrogate #shopfront https://t.co/9ixNCusoLv
— Ghostsigns (Sam Roberts) (@ghostsigns) March 8, 2022
350 tractors set to take to Harrogate district streets tomorrow
About 350 tractors are expected to take to the Harrogate district streets tomorrow when Knaresborough Young Farmers Club’s tractor run returns.
The event, which was cancelled last year, raises funds for Yorkshire Air Ambulance.
Tractors will converge at the Great Yorkshire Showground for a 9am start and then pass through Knaresborough and Birstwith before stopping for lunch at Pateley Bridge at about noon.
The route passes through Pateley Bridge
They will then continue along country roads to Markington before finishing in Knaresborough at about 3.30pm.
The tractor run started as a private club event in 2012 but was opened to the public in 2018.
This year’s route.
Club member Mike Spink was a great supporter of the air ambulance before his death and the organisation continues to fundraise for it.
Steven Brown, chairman of the tractor run, said:
“Air ambulance is a cause close to the heart of farmers and anyone in rural communities.
“We work in solitary areas and they are always there when we need them.”
About 360 vehicles participated in the last tractor run, which was completed a week before lockdown in 2020. It is one of the largest tractor runs in England.
Anyone can turn up at the showground with a tractor and take part.
Although the event causes some traffic disruption, the route includes many minor and private roads to minimise disruption.
You can support the event by pledging a donation to the air ambulance here.
Baby and toddler groups back on after the pandemicBeing a new parent can be a lonely time under normal circumstances, so for many these feelings were compounded during the pandemic.
Thankfully the majority of these are now fully back in action across the district.
And this week a new parent and baby group has launched at Ashville College in Harrogate.
The independent school is hosting the free sessions between 10am and 11am every Friday morning during term-time for children up to the age of two and their parents or grandparents.
The Baby Acorns group is meeting in Ashville’s Little Acorns cabin, located off Yew Tree Lane.
It is being run by Ashville Acorns Pre-Prep staff, and tea, coffee, and biscuits will be provided. Looking ahead to the summer months, the school also aims to hold some outdoor events.
Charlotte Cryer, head of Ashville Acorns Pre-Prep, said:
“In the last two years the pandemic has severely affected opportunities for both parents and young children to socialise, with many baby groups being cancelled or restricted.
“The impact this has had on parents’ mental health should not be underestimated, and we hope that our Baby Acorns group can ease that anxiety for parents.
“It is a safe, comfortable space in which children can interact and play alongside our highly-experienced early years staff.”
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We have put together a list of five other baby and toddler groups across the Harrogate district:
Harrogate and Knaresborough Toy Library – Knaresborough
Play sessions at the Harrogate and Knaresborough Toy Library.
A firm favourite in the district, the toy library’s play sessions currently run on Wednesdays and Fridays at St Mary’s Church, Knaresborough, from 10am until 11.30am.
Toys are set-up for children to access, while grown-ups can enjoy playing along and socialising with others. Sessions are £3.50, plus 50p per additional child.
The charity also offers a toy library where parents can pick toys via the online library to take home for two weeks before returning them.
The shelves are stacked high with doll houses, dinosaurs and board games
Stay and Play – Harrogate
Stay and Play is an fun parent and toddler group for pre-school children hosted at the Jennyfield Styan Community Centre.
There are lots of activities to entertain little ones, including toys, bikes, bouncy castle and games from 9.30am until 11.30am during term-time only.
Sessions are £2.50 per child and £1 for each additional child, including a snack and drink.
Tea and Tots – Boroughbridge
Ride-ons, slides, toys, colouring and refreshments feature at this baby and toddler group at St James’ Church.
Sessions take place from 1.30pm until 2.30pm every Wednesday during term-time for children up to age five.
Prices are £1 and 50p for additional children.
Little Fishes Tots Group – Nidderdale
This friendly group, based in Christ Church Community Centre, Darley, is run by members of Nidderdale Community Church.
Activities include play stations, a baby corner and a craft table. There is also snack time, nursery rhyme time and a bible story.
Sessions are £2 per family from 9.15am and 11.15am on Tuesdays.
Soft Play Toddler Fun – Ripon
A group for pre-schoolers and their grown-ups, held in the hall of Allhallowgate Methodist Church every Friday from 9.15am until 12.30pm.
There is soft play equipment for the little ones and coffee, tea and snacks for the adults.
‘Limited funding’ for traffic calming on Cold Bath Road, says councilNorth Yorkshire County Council officials have said there is “limited funding available” to implement traffic calming measures on Harrogate’s Cold Bath Road.
A call was made to introduce speed cameras or CCTV to the road following a three-car collision in the early hours of Sunday morning.
One resident said that the road becomes a racetrack after 10.30pm and called on the authorities to do more to tackle the issue.
However, an email to the resident from the county council, seen by the Stray Ferret, says that measures for the road would be costly and there is limited funding.
Paul Ryan, project engineer at the county council, said:
“Our collision data shows that in the last three years there have been four collisions resulting in personal injury along Cold Bath Road — two slight and two serious. One slight involved a low speed shunt when in queuing traffic, the other slight involved a pedestrian stepping off a controlled crossing when green light was for vehicular traffic.
“The first serious involved a motorist pulling over towards the kerb edge to avoid oncoming traffic and has collided with a pedestrian, the second serious involved a motorists driving away from a parking space and colliding with a passing cyclist.
“It is therefore unlikely that further traffic calming measures would have reduced the likelihood of these types of collisions and personal injury.”
Mr Ryan added:
“The situation on Cold Bath Road will continue to be monitored, alongside all other roads across the county to highlight where the limited funding available for improvement schemes is targeted towards.”
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North Yorkshire Police continues to investigate the Cold Bath Road crash and has appealed for witnesses and CCTV footage.
It involved a Volkswagen Golf heading towards Otley Road which crashed into two parked cars at the junction with West Cliffe Road at 3.10am on Sunday morning, leaving one passenger unconscious. No other injuries were reported.
No arrests have been made in connection with the incident.
A police statement added:
Harrogate man accused of causing cyclist’s death by dangerous driving“It is only by sheer luck that the collision didn’t result in a fatality.
“As part of the investigation we would like to appeal to local residents and businesses to check their CCTV systems and ring doorbells around the time of the collision as it may have captured the vehicle, the collision, and anyone making off from the scene shortly afterwards.
“Additionally, if anyone has any other information about the incident which may assist our enquiries please contact us quoting reference 12220038835.”
A Harrogate man has appeared in court charged with causing the death of a cyclist by dangerous driving.
James Bryan, 36, of St Mary’s Avenue, was driving a Porsche Carrera when the incident occurred on the A168 northbound between Allerton Park and Boroughbridge on May 10, 2020. The A168 runs alongside the A1.
He is accused of causing the death of Andrew Jackson, 36, a husband and father-of-two from Hunsingore, near Wetherby.
Mr Jackson died at the scene.
Mr Bryan appeared at Harrogate Magistrates Court yesterday, where the case was sent for trial at York Crown Court.
It is due to be heard on April 4.
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Ukrainian couple in Harrogate speak of fears for family under Russian fire
A Ukrainian couple have spoken about their fears for close family members who are encircled by Russian forces in Ukraine and unable to flee.
Taras and Viktoriia Jakubiak live in Harrogate with their two children Isabella, 6, and Eve, 12, who goes to St Robert’s Catholic Primary School and St John Fisher Catholic High School.
Viktoriia’s mum and sister are currently in Chernhiv, a city less than 100 miles north of Kyiv. It has faced heavy shelling and airstrikes from Russian forces since the invasion began.
The couple last spoke to them this morning.
Taras said:
“We’re really worried, the Russians are shelling indiscriminately”.
Acute danger each day
Their family members in Chernhiv face acute danger each day. Russian tanks shot at a church when Viktoriia’s mum was inside and they are spending nights in a pitch black basement to not draw attention.
Taras added:
“The Russians are trying to submit the local population. They want to subjugate the nation and eliminate democracy”.
Viktoriia’s mum works in the local city hospital. However she is continuing to go to work, despite the threat from Russian forces who have bombed hospitals in Mariupol and Zhytomyr.
Taras said:
“Even the hospitals aren’t aren’t safe these days.
“It is indiscriminate and very dangerous.”
Below is a video that was recently taken in Chernihiv where Viktoriia and Taras’ family live.
Chernihiv. https://t.co/zoLaujZolr pic.twitter.com/W4hoaSrefd
— Rob Lee (@RALee85) March 6, 2022
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The family moved to Harrogate two years ago from West Yorkshire. Taras said he was touched to see the Ukrainian flag flying at the war memorial in Harrogate.
He was born in the UK and also has cousins in Kyiv. Taras said the response in Harrogate, which has involved fundraisers and donations, has made him proud to be both British and Ukrainian.
“Family members in Ukraine are aware of the support and encouragement. They don’t feel alone”.
Things will get better
Heartbreakingly, the family got Viktoriia’s mum and sister UK visas to escape the war zone and join them in Harrogate. However, they did not have enough time to leave Chernhiv before the Russian advance and were trapped.
“There was no way out. They were encircled”.
Taras said it has been difficult to explain the situation to his children, who ask how their relatives are doing in Ukraine.
Harrogate Golf Club submits plan for driving range“It’s difficult to reassure them.”
“We tell them they are going through a dark time but things will get better.”
Harrogate Golf Club on Knaresborough Road has submitted plans to build a covered driving range.
The club, which was formed in 1892 and is the oldest golf club in Harrogate, says it will allow members to practice during poor weather.
The proposals include six practice bays as well as a dedicated training bay for the club professionals.
There would also be a golf ball cleaner and dispenser housed in a small attached building.
Planning documents state the building would be similar to other driving ranges found throughout the country. The driving range would be on a part of the course that is currently used for members to practice longer shots.
Harrogate Borough Council will decide on the plans at a later date.
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Harrogate hospital bed occupancy high as winter pressures bite
Hospital bosses in Harrogate have warned that the number of patients requiring treatment for winter infections remain high.
Dr Matt Shepherd, Deputy Chief Operating Officer and consultant in emergency medicine at Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust said bed occupancy at the hospital remains high at 90%.
The hospital is currently dealing with patients suffering from winter infections, such as flu and coronavirus. Health officials in Harrogate recently urged people to dial 101 if their illness or injury was not serious.
According to the NHS England figures, the hospital is also treating 25 covid patients.
This comes as the district’s seven-day covid rate stands at 417 per 100,000 people, with a total of 880 covid cases in the last seven days.
Dr Shepherd said historically, pressures tended to ease during the spring. But this was now uncertain due to coronavirus and the lack of national restrictions.
He said:
“Historically, as we approach spring, the pressures have tended to reduce, however, as we are still dealing with the covid-19 pandemic this is not certain.
“Currently bed occupancy at our hospitals remain high at around 90 percent, a similar figure to February.”
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Dr Shepherd added that the pandemic was also having an effect on waiting lists. He said:
“The covid-19 pandemic certainly impacted on waiting lists for operations and one of our major priorities has been to cut the backlog.
“The increased number of planned operations that are being performed has meant we have more patients occupying beds following their surgery.”
Dr Shepherd said the hospital also had 40 patients who no longer required care, but cannot be discharged because they do not have a suitable place to return to in order to recover.
Despite the continued pressures from covid, the hospital has since relaxed its visiting restrictions.
However, those visiting the hospital will still be required to wear a mask, sanitise their hands and abide by social distancing.
Dr Shepherd said:
Harrogate hospital staff to join Parkrun to commemorate national lockdown anniversary“We are pleased to have recently been able to relax visiting restrictions, but anyone entering our hospitals will still need to wear a mask, ensure they sanitise their hands and maintain social distancing.
“Following these protocols will help us to protect our patients, but also our staff. Reducing the risk of our staff catching covid-19 will help us to maintain appropriate staffing levels so our patients’ care is not disrupted.”
Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust staff are set to join runners on the Harrogate Parkrun to commemorate the anniversary of the first national lockdown.
Staff will join volunteers on the Stray on Saturday, March 19, to help set up the course and help participants achieve their personal best.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson implemented the national lockdown on March 23, 2020, in an effort to protect the NHS from being overwhelmed by covid.
William Greenwood, HDFT adult community service manager and volunteer at Parkrun, said:
“Parkrun was founded on a principle of improving mental wellbeing, the physical side of it was almost secondary.
“It is all about starting the weekend on a positive note, meeting new people, taking part in a walk or run and finishing with a slice of cake and a coffee.
“Within the event itself there are lots of micro communities who all support each other.
“It is an event that is open to absolutely everyone. Every week you will likely see people walking or running with their dogs, pushing prams, supporting visually impaired people.
“Some will complete in the run in under 20 mins and others will finish in over an hour, but thanks to the tail walker no one ever finishes last and the volunteers stay to cheer everyone to the end.”
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The NHS and Parkrun already have close ties, many members of staff taking part weekly as volunteers or runners and some GP practices prescribing attendance to Parkrun events for its health and social benefits.
Next Saturday, the first 300 runners through the finish line will be gifted a sustainable Harrogate Hospital & Community Charity tote bag full of healthy goodies.
For more information on the Harrogate Parkrun, visit the event website.
Masked thieves attempt to take cash machine from Harrogate shopFour masked men broke into a Harrogate shop and attempted to remove a cash machine in the early hours of this morning.
The Co-op store at the junction of Skipton Road and Bilton Lane was targeted at around 2.35am.
The Stray Ferret reported the break-in this morning. Now North Yorkshire Police has released further details.
It said thieves broke through the front door and attempted to remove the ATM. When this failed, they stole cash from inside the shop.
Police were alerted by store security and sent officers to the scene, supported by a National Police Air Service helicopter.
Eyewitnesses said the men left in a small, dark car — possibly a Volkswagen Golf — and made off towards New Park roundabout. Despite attempts to trace the thieves, there were no further sightings of the car.
Now, detectives are appealing for more witnesses and CCTV footage to help their investigations. They have asked anyone living near the Co-op or along Skipton Road who has CCTV or a doorbell camera to check for footage of a small dark car leaving the area around that time. Drivers with dash cams are also asked to check their footage.
Anyone with information should call North Yorkshire Police on 101, selection option one and speak to the force control room, or email tom.baker@northyorkshire.police.uk, quoting reference 12220041651. Alternatively, call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
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