Councillors approve ‘much-needed’ Harrogate pet crematorium

Harrogate Borough Council‘s planning committee has unanimously backed plans to build the district’s first pet crematorium.

The crematorium will be built inside a converted shipping container at Stonefall Cemetery on Wetherby Road, Harrogate.

There will also be a ‘goodbye room’ in a converted garage where owners can say final farewells to their pets.

The council, which approved its own plans for the crematorium yesterday, currently charges £36 to collect dead pets from people’s homes. The closest pet crematoriums are in Leeds, Thirsk and Skipton.

John Club, the council’s commercial and community development manager, told the meeting there are around 47,000 pets in the Harrogate district and that owners increasingly want to give them a dignified send-off after they die.

The move follows the lead of councils in north east Lincolnshire and Barnsley, which have already opened or started work on pet crematoriums.

This storage building will be converted into a ‘goodbye room’.

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Stephen Hemsworth, bereavement services manager at the council, took questions from councillors about the project.

Mr Hemsworth said it would cost around £50 for a rabbit to be cremated whereas a dog would cost over £200. He said revenue would be invested back into the council.

He added the facility would be used by the general public as well as local vets.

Good news for pet owners

Conservative councillor for Washburn ward, Victoria Oldham, who is also a farmer, said she fully supported the proposals.

She said:

“It’s much needed in the area. I’m jolly glad that it’s coming forward now. I am sure it will be well used. Having a goodbye room will mean an awful lot to pet owners.”

Harrogate marketing agency to oversee fashion week 

Harrogate marketing agency to oversee fashion week 

The team from Marketing Adventures.

A Harrogate marketing agency has been chosen to head-up Northern Fashion Week.

Marketing Adventures will oversee the marketing for the event, which takes place from July 7-9.

It is aimed at championing northern talent and will place a spotlight on the “vast opportunities” in the north.

Brogan Huntington, creative director of Marketing Adventures, said:

“We will be supporting all of the fashion powerhouses, influencers and designers in showcasing diversity, culture and the importance of Northern fashion.

“The fashion week is set to be the biggest and most exclusive event that has ever hit the North and we delighted to have the opportunity to be heading up the marketing.

“It is bringing a huge opportunity to Harrogate and the local areas for influencers, fashion designers and brands.”

Marketing Adventures is set to hold exclusive events in restaurants and bars in Manchester, Leeds and Liverpool prior to the launch in June.

Solicitor Rachel Baul joins LCF Law

Rachel Baul

A family and matrimonial law solicitor from Harrogate with two decades of experience in the town has joined LCF Law.

Rachel Baul advises clients on divorce, judicial separation, the dissolution of civil partnerships and cohabitation law. She also specialises in drafting cohabitation, pre-nuptial and post-nuptial agreements for people who have assets they want to protect.

Ms Baul has knowledge of agricultural valuations, subsidies, inheritance considerations, and how the courts approach these matters, means she regularly represents farming clients.

She also has a great deal of experience dealing with cases involving significant and complex financial assets on and offshore, and she also regularly represents sportspeople and medical professionals.

Ms Baul said:

“I wanted to move to LCF Law because I was keen to work at a progressive firm that values its team.

“Since expanding into Harrogate in 2015 with the acquisition of Barber Titleys, LCF Law has made a big impact in the town, and I have admired the firm’s drive to exceed client expectations, all whilst supporting its staff and the local community.”

Harrogate Spring Water and Yorkshire Tea suspend trade with Russia

Harrogate Spring Water and Yorkshire Tea said today they will cease trade with Russia with immediate effect.

The two Harrogate-based companies issued statements in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which has so far claimed about 13,000 lives and forced two million people to flee their homes.

A Harrogate Spring Water spokesperson said:

“Harrogate Spring Water has made the decision to stop all exports to Russia with immediate effect.”

Russia has been one of Harrogate Spring Water’s biggest export markets in the past, according to multiple articles published in 2013.

An article in The Business Desk, published in 2013, said water sales in Russia has increased by 40% year-on-year.

The company itself tweeted an image of Russian President Vladimir Putin drinking a bottle of its water in 2013.

https://twitter.com/HarrogateSpring/status/375589127275560960?s=20&t=DQo5_CMsbRdj8AltJnys1g

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Yorkshire Tea is owned by Taylors of Harrogate, a 130-year-old company founded in Harrogate. It has a distributer in Moscow.

A spokesperson for Taylors of Harrogate said today:

“Like everyone, we’ve been deeply shocked and saddened by the invasion and our thoughts are with all those impacted.

“Our ethical trade and human rights policy states that our values guide how we work with suppliers, customers and distributors, including the provision that we will not trade with individuals, entities, regions or countries where UK sanctions have been applied.

“While Russia has been an export market for some of our teas for several years, as a result of the invasion and the subsequent sanctions we’ve suspended trade.”

All brands owned by Taylors of Harrogate, which also include coffee products, will no longer be exported to Russia.

Harrogate volunteers make second attempt to ship donations to Ukrainian refugees

Harrogate volunteers trying to ship donations to help Ukrainian refugees are to make a second attempt to send the goods this week.

Most of the donations were handed in by Harrogate residents to Sowa Polish Shop on Bower Road and Claro Court Business Centre.

Volunteers Joanna Papros, Adam Goldsmith and Kinga Goldsmith packed the donations last week. They were then taken in four vans to Halifax, where they were due to be moved on for shipping to refugees in Poland.

But the donations were turned away because the depot couldn’t cope with the volume of goods being moved on.

It meant the volunteers had to quickly come up with a Plan B. Over the weekend, they managed to find a new unit to store the donations and a Ukrainian man living in Harrogate who agreed to help with shipping.

Mr Goldsmith said:

“We thought it would be done and dusted, but when our drivers got there they said there were piles of donations outside and we just knew we couldn’t leave things out in the rain.

“I’m not even counting the hours we’ve spent organising this. It is what it is. I’m just grateful we’ve found another route for the donations.”

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Roman Kot, a local businessman with export experience, is the man helping with the shipping. He moved to the UK 10 years ago but still has family in Ukraine and some friends are fighting for the country.

Mr Kot said:

“They’re all still afraid — one of my cousins has said he’s going to get on a bus to try escape today. He’s got young kids so it’s just not safe.

“I’m Ukrainian. It’s in my blood, I can’t go over there and fight with them so hopefully this will still help them.

“Most people couldn’t see themselves in the military but so many are signing up, including friends. They want to fight for their freedom, they are determined not to live under Putin’s rule.”

Mr Kot has organised for 26 pallets worth of donations to be driven to Grimsby where they will then be shipped to Poland and distributed to Ukrainian refugees.

He added:

“There is a problem with bottleneck transport on the border because so many people are trying to send stuff out. We’re really hoping to get it shipped by the end of the week.”

Bride’s disappointment as Harrogate Register Office maintains covid guest limit

A bride-to-be has expressed disappointment after discovering Harrogate Register Office is still imposing covid restrictions on the number of wedding guests.

Deanna Contreras and Sean Wilkinson are due to tie the knot at the register office on May 27.

They have been told the maximum amount of guests permitted remains 32 rather than 55 — which was the number pre-covid.

Ms Contreras, who got engaged shortly before covid struck two years ago, said:

“We were supposed to get married last year but postponed it because we wanted all our family there.

“It never entered my head that the limit would still be 32 people.”

It means the couple have had to restrict family invitations as well as partners of guests.

Harrogate Register Office

The register office on Park Parade.

Ms Contreras, who lives in Starbeck, said:

“We thought ‘let’s wait and have a happy time in 2022’ — and it will be a happy time but this has put a dampener on it.

“I’m not going to get stressed about it. I’m 56 and have been married before but I do feel sorry for young brides.

“I think this is a bit over the top. We can’t keep putting everything on hold for covid.”

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Last month Ms Contreras wrote to Harrogate Borough Council leader Richard Cooper about the matter.

Cllr Cooper replied to say:

“From my point of view I cannot see what possible justification there can be for restrictions in numbers to be given when all national restrictions have been lifted and the event is three months away.”

He added he would contact the leader of North Yorkshire County Council, which is responsible for the register office, urging it to think again.

‘Reviewing arrangements’

Neil Irving, assistant director for policy, partnerships and communities at the county council, told the Stray Ferret:

“Until April 1 we are required by law explicitly to consider covid transmission risks around public events.

“Government continues to advise that space and ventilation are important factors in minimising covid transmission.

“We are currently reviewing all our arrangements for events such as weddings and to bring in changes from the beginning of April, but for the present we continue to take steps to minimise covid transmission as rates, though falling, continue to be relatively high.”

Harrogate council HQ ‘like the Mary Celeste’, says councillor

A councillor has compared Harrogate Borough Council‘s headquarters at Knapping Mount to the abandoned ghost ship the Mary Celeste, due to the number of staff still working from home.

The multi-million-pound Civic Centre opened in 2017 and can accommodate up to 500 council workers. However, the council is still encouraging many staff to work from home despite lockdown restrictions being removed.

Nick Brown, the Conservative councillor for Bishop Monkton and Newby, told the Stray Ferret yesterday that he was unsatisfied with the response of Conservative council leader Richard Cooper to a question he asked at a council meeting last week.

Cllr Cooper said decisions about working practices should be made by senior officers rather than councillors.

Cllr Brown told the Stray Ferret:

“We councillors agreed to spend £13m on a new Civic Centre, opened in 2017, for officers to work in. Yet the leader now tells us that it is not members’ business to require council officers to work there.

“Prior to the covid pandemic, the Civic Centre was a busy place where I as a councillor could find the officers that I wished to speak to. Now it is like the Mary Celeste!”.

Cllr Brown believes ending the work from home policy would “benefit the local economy”.

He added:

“Our Conservative Prime Minister has given a clear message to end working from home in the public sector, in order to boost the economy.

“As a Conservative-led council, I believe we should get officers back at their desks and using the Civic Centre.”

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The public sector workers union Unison said it “broadly supports” the council’s decision to allow staff to work from home.

David Houlgate, branch secretary for the Harrogate district, told the Stray Ferret council staff proved during the pandemic they can work from home effectively.

He added:

“We believe the government’s Living with Covid strategy to scrap all remaining covid rules in England was reckless.

“So we broadly support this cautious approach taken by Harrogate Borough Council about returning to the Civic Centre at this time.

“Staff have demonstrated over a two-year period that they can deliver vital public services whether or not they are in the office or working from home.

“We’re confident that that can continue, though poor pay does present an ever increasing risk.”

‘Agile working’

The Stray Ferret has asked the council for the number of staff currently working from home who would normally be in the Civic Centre.

A council spokesperson said:

“Following the updated guidance in relation to the end of Plan B measures, staff are permitted to work from the office should they wish to or are required to do so.

“The number of staff using said office(s) differs day-by-day so it would be difficult to provide a comprehensive figure. Staff also come and go from the office depending on their job role; housing and planning officers for example.

“And while covid has seen a significant increase in staff working from home – and rightly so – many staff were already doing so. The civic centre was designed in such a way that staff could hybrid work or ‘hot desk’ if they so wished.

“Agile working is something adopted by many local authorities and companies long before covid and is one of the many benefits of working for Harrogate Borough Council.”

 

Coming soon! New pothole machine to improve Harrogate district roads

North Yorkshire County Council has said it will use two new state-of-the-art machines to blitz potholes across the county this month.

The machines are able to fix the potholes through a technique called spray injection patching.

With this method, the machines clean and dry the holes then fill them with a cold bitumen compound to seal cracks. Finally, an aggregate is used to fill the hole.

The county council said in a press release yesterday that acquiring the machines would enable it to undertake “an extended programme of pothole repairs across many North Yorkshire neighbourhoods during March”.

It added “local communities will be informed of locations and anticipated dates for the work very shortly”.

The council was encouraged by a recent trial of the machines and believes they are a cheaper and quicker way to fill in potholes. It also said repairs can last longer.

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Conservative councillor Don Mackenzie, executive member for highways, said:

“The trials carried out were very successful and this is a great opportunity to repair more roads.

“This is good news for residents of North Yorkshire, spray injection patching is a much quicker process of repairing potholes and the repairs tend to last a lot longer.

“It offers a cost-effective way of repairing potholes whilst reducing the inconvenience to the travelling public. We have also secured the services of this specialist equipment later in the year.”

Salon North returns to Harrogate with TED-style talk on human brain

Berwins Salon North, a series of evenings featuring speakers on different topics, is returning to Harrogate this month after a two-year absence.

The events, run by Harrogate International Festivals, will return to the Crown Hotel on March 17.

Three evenings are arranged for the coming months, each exploring a different topic in a way that organisers said will “change lives for the better”.

The series will begin with ‘Out Of Your Head… Out Of Your Mind…’ in which a trio of award-winning speakers will explore the human brain.

Scientist and historian Professor Matthew Cobb will speak first on how to create artificial memories in mice and other artificial intelligence programmes.

Dr Pragya Agarwal will then open the audience’s eyes to their own unconscious bias and explains how it impacts their jobs, futures and even their romantic relationships.

Finally, David Robson will look at how expectations can shape experience — for example, those who believe that ageing brings wisdom may in fact live longer.

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The event is sponsored by Harrogate law firm, Berwins and organised by Harrogate International Festivals.

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

“After two years away, we are thrilled that Berwins Salon North is back – and back in style.

“Before covid, these evenings of TED-style talks – where the speakers really do make the audience sit up, take notice and even question their own lifestyles – were a staple of the northern cultural scene.

“We are once again able to stage these fantastic evenings, ones that firmly establish Harrogate’s position on the cultural map, and ones that often change lives for the better.”

The next two Berwins Salon North events will be held on April 21 and May 19.

Business park near Flaxby that could support 2,000 jobs approved

Ilkley-based property developer Opus North and Bridges Fund Management have been granted planning permission from Harrogate Borough Council to build a 600,000 square feet business park near Flaxby.

The business park will be called ‘Harrogate 47’ as it will be built close to junction 47 of the A1 (M). The developer believes it could support 2,000 jobs.

It’s allocated as the main strategic employment site in the council’s Harrogate district Local Plan and already has existing planning permission for more than half a million square feet of employment space.

The new plans include up to 130,000 sq ft of office accommodation, about 75,000 sq ft of tech starter units and approximately 430,000 sq ft for logistics and warehouses.

Ryan Unsworth, development director of Opus North, said:

“This development is key for the Harrogate and wider North Yorkshire economy due to its capacity to transform vacant land into office and industrial space for local, regional and national occupiers, and the vast job-creating potential it has.

“The delivery of Harrogate 47 will allow local companies to expand and grow within the region in addition to attracting inward investment into the district and we are delighted that its potential has been recognised through the positive planning outcome.”

Electric vehicle show comes to Harrogate

A global event that promotes clean energy and electric vehicles will come to Harrogate’s Yorkshire Event Centre in May 2023.

The event is called Fully Charged, the World’s no.1 Electric Vehicle and Clean Energy Show, and is expected to attract 10,000 visitors from May 19 to May 21.

The event will be hosted by Red Dwarf actor and YouTuber Robert Llewellyn.

There will be 120 exhibitors and visitors will be able to test drive some of the latest electric vehicles on sale in the UK.

Dan Caesar, joint chief executive of Fully Charged Live, said:

“Fully Charged Live has been a huge global success, and we are delighted to be bringing the show to the north of England at last. Harrogate is a great location, and the Yorkshire Event Centre, with its indoor and outdoor space, and its sustainability credentials, is a natural partner.”

(L to R) presenter Robert Llewellyn, Richard Moorhouse operations manager at the YEC, Dan Caesar, joint CEO of Fully Charged Live and Ben Chatburn sales manager at the YEC.

Grants of up to £100,000 available for Yorkshire social enterprises

The Social Enterprise Support Fund is now open for the second round of funding and will provide grants of between £10,000 and £100,000 for social enterprises that have been impacted by covid.

This follows the first round of applications in December that saw over 800 applications from enterprises across England, requesting grants worth over £37m.

The fund is available to social enterprises if most of their beneficiaries are in England, and their annual income has been between £20,000 and £1.8m in either of the last two financial years.

Sheffield-based Key Fund supports social enterprises across Yorkshire. Its chief executive, Matt Smith, said:

“The UK’s social enterprises have been at the heart of community survival and recovery during the pandemic. In a post-covid world, where the inequalities within society are even starker, the work of these organisations will be needed more than ever.

“This grant funding has already proven to be a lifeline to many social enterprises and the communities they work in, and so we welcome this second round of financial support.”

Matt Smith, CEO of Key Fund

Harrogate firefighter Bruce Reid forced to abort Ukraine mission

Retired Harrogate firefighter Bruce Reid has aborted his mercy mission to help the people in Ukraine.

Mr Reid decided to put his skills, learned over 30 years as a firefighter, to use as part of the humanitarian response.

He booked his own flights to Poland and got to the Ukraine border last night.

But after reassuring his family he would only carry out his duty as a firefighter, he decided the situation was too dangerous to proceed this morning.

He said on social media:

“Bit of an anti climax following all of the furore getting here.

“I eventually got to the rendezvous point on the border late last night, and after spending the night on an hotel foyer floor i was this told this afternoon i would have to sign a disclaimer and make my own way 30 miles into Ukraine to Yavoriv military base were i would be taught to fight.

“That was never what I came for. On the flip side, my family are very relieved especially my 10-year-old granddaughter that I will be coming back in one piece

“I’m looking at other things I could help with but will back sooner than I thought. Thanks to everyone for all your messages of support I’ve been humbled by them.”

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