Ashville College pupils plant hundreds of trees to improve campus biodiversity
Pupils at Harrogate’s Ashville College have planted hundreds of trees in an effort to boost biodiversity on campus.
In partnership with the Woodlands Trust, pupils under the supervision of the independent school’s grounds team added 420 native British trees to the site.
The trees included a mixture of hazel, blackthorn, crab apple, dog rose and rowan and created a hedge running adjacent to one of its sports pitches and a public footpath.
Annual tree-plantings are among many initiatives led by the College’s dedicated Green Committee, which works hard to encourage pupils to think about how their actions can either harm or benefit the environment.
In the last two weeks of term, the Green Committee also ran a Fairtrade stall in the College’s Pre-Prep, Prep, and Senior Schools, where pupils were the vendors.
Cathy Price, Ashville College Green Committee lead, said:
“The latest round of tree planting and the Fairtrade stall have come at the end of an extremely busy term for Green Committee members.
“Climate change and the environment have been on everyone’s radar, and this is going to continue. By making even small changes to our daily routines, collectively we make a big difference to the environment in which we live, work and go to school.”
The trees planted are in addition to 500 native trees that were planted last November to enhance existing hedges or establish new ones to the southwest edge of the 64-acre campus.
The Woodland Trust has provided all the trees as part of its Big Climate Fightback campaign, which has so far seen more than 1.8 million trees planted by schools, community groups and businesses around the UK.
As the saplings grow, they will provide a habitat and movement corridors for wildlife and produce pollen, nectar, nuts, fruit and berries for insects, birds and small mammals.
Harrogate running club congratulates founder after she wins BBC award
A Harrogate running club is hoping to encourage more members to join them in the new year after its founder won the Unsung Hero award at Sunday night’s BBC Sports Personality of the Year Awards.
Sam Barlow won the award for her efforts to set up the Yorkshire based club Fitmums and friends four years ago. The group aims to give everyone, not just mums, the opportunity to run without feeling any pressure.
Fitmums and friends now has 13 branches across Yorkshire and Grimsby, one is in Harrogate.
The Harrogate branch has said they are “over the moon” for Ms Barlow adding that after she helped to set up the Harrogate group four years ago it has gone from strength to strength.
One of the volunteer leaders, Kathryn Morrison, said:
“Now Sam has won this award we’re expecting Fitmums to expand and we just want to encourage people around Harrogate to come join us.It’s really inclusive, it doesn’t matter if you don’t feel fit enough we can support you in so many ways.
“We’re all about encouraging community and communication, I can’t imagine any of us fancied coming out on a cold night last night but we did and we all felt better for it.”
The branch now has 43 members and 12 leaders and coaches all coming together each Monday night for a run.
The aim is to encourage anyone of any ability to run or walk with the group. The group has a strong focus on mental health, encouraging members to speak openly and make friends.
Ms Morrison joined the first run in January 2017 as a member, she said she was a new mum and “not particularly fit” but said the support spurred her on and a year later she became a volunteer leader for the group.
She can now take groups out on different routes, ranging from one to six miles. She added:
“You never have to worry about being the slowest because we always make a thing about starting and finishing together.”
The group meets at Harrogate Railways AFC in Starbeck every Monday at 7.15pm. People can have a free trial which includes three sessions or joing for £36 per year which includes all your sessions and allows you to join any Fitmums run across Yorkshire.
Mayfield Grove residents react to ‘absolutely shocking’ suspected murder
People who live and work on Mayfield Grove have reacted with shock after three men were arrested on suspicion of murdering a man in a flat on the street.
North Yorkshire Police received a report that a man had died in a flat above Mykonos Bar & Grill at about 11.30pm last night. The flat and restaurant are not connected.
Officers went to the scene and found the body of a man.
A police statement said three men, two in their 30s and one in his 20s, were arrested at the flat on suspicion of murder. They remain in custody at this time.
One resident of Mayfield Grove, who asked not to be named, said the suspected murder was “absolutely shocking”.
Meanwhile, Natalia Fischer, from Bocian Polish Shop, which is next door to where the incident took place, said there were around seven police cars and an ambulance on the street when she came into work this morning.
She said:
“It’s not good.
“But I never have a problem with customers. People are friendly.”
Harrogate man Daniel Ainsley was jailed in October for murdering Mark Wolsey, also on Mayfield Grove, earlier this year.
Police were at the scene all morning
Men suspected of murder after body found in Harrogate
Three men have been arrested on suspicion of murder after a body was found on Mayfield Grove in Harrogate.
North Yorkshire Police received a report that a man had died in a flat at about 11.30pm last night.
They went to the scene and found the body of a man.
A police statement said three men, two in their 30s and one in his 20s, were arrested at the flat on suspicion of murder. They remain in custody at this time.
Chief Inspector Andy Colbourne, county commander, said:
“I recognise that local residents will be extremely concerned by what has happened, but they can be reassured that an extensive investigation is underway.
“Officers will be conducting enquiries in the area, and the neighbourhood policing team are carrying out extra patrols to provide further reassurance.”
Anyone with information that could assist the investigation is asked to contact North Yorkshire Police on 101, select option 2 and ask for the major investigation team.
Alternatively you can call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111. Please quote reference number 12210264785 when passing information.
Harrogate man Daniel Ainsley, 24, was jailed in October for murdering Mark Wolsey, 48, on Mayfield Grove.
Harrogate’s first Mosque could open at former Home Guard club
Harrogate’s first-ever Mosque could open at the former Home Guard club on Tower Street.
Plans have been submitted by the Harrogate Islamic Association (HIA) to convert the building, which was also a Victorian hospital, into a place of worship for Muslims.
The 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.
Zahed Amanullah, from the HIA, told the Stray Ferret that they hope to run religious, community and charitable events at the building. It would also support Syrian and Afghan refugees who have moved to the area.
Harrogate Islamic Association
The building had been on the market for £500,000 and Mr Amanullah said the HIA will have to raise funds to complete the purchase, which is subject to planning permission.
He said:
“We thought this is our best chance to have somewhere in the town centre. The location is fantastic.
“We recognise its historical value and we want to be mindful of that when we restore the building. We will retain its period features. We’re not going to put a minaret up or anything like that, it’s needed as a space. Nothing will be added.
“We see ourselves as part of the fabric of the town. We’re all in Harrogate because we love Harrogate. We have a very diverse community of Muslims from Asia, Africa and England, but the nearest mosque is more than 15 miles away.
“It’s a rare vacant spot where there are no facilities for the community and it will easily handle our weekly needs.”
Harrogate historian Malcolm Neesam told the Stray Ferret that the building has historical importance to Harrogate. It was originally the town’s second hospital from 1873 until 1883 before being used as Harrogate’s first custom-built Masonic Hall.
It was also where Harrogate’s Crimean War hero Sgt Major Robert Johnston died.
With the advent of the Second World War in 1939, the local Home Guard began using the building as a social club to relax with a drink and play snooker.
Since 1987, the ground floor has been used by various businesses including Sweet Tooth Munchies.
According to a letter from a former Home Guard club member that is contained within planning documents, the club was forced to disband and close the venue in 2015 because it did not have enough money to repair a leaking roof.
There have been two planning applications in recent years to demolish the building and build four flats in its place, but they were both withdrawn.
Harrogate Borough Council will make a decision on the latest planning application at a later date.
Royal Baths Chinese Restaurant reveals plans to re-open
A Chinese restaurant set in the main hall of the Royal Baths in Harrogate plans to reopen next year after months of repairs.
Royal Baths Chinese Restaurant has been closed for most of the last two years due to coronavirus lockdowns and an extensive refurbishment that began in May this year.
Because the restaurant is based in a Grade II listed building, the work has been more complicated than expected.
The building, which is owned by North Yorkshire County Council, underwent a series of roof repairs before work started on the internal central hall in September.
Now the Royal Baths Chinese Restaurant has revealed that the works are almost complete. It said on its Facebook page:
“We are almost finished with the renovations. However we will not be open until after the New Year.
“Royal Baths Chinese Restaurant wish you all a very merry Christmas and happy New Year. We look forward to seeing everyone in 2022.”
Although the Royal Baths Chinese Restaurant has been closed, the owners have continued operating at their other site, Haks Little Royal Baths Chinese Restaurant, on Station Parade.
Harrogate’s former registry office demolished ahead of rebuild
A Victorian villa in Harrogate that was formerly a registry office and a Citizens Advice Bureau has been demolished.
Hornbeam Park Developments has planning permission to build new grade A offices on the site of Victoria Park House on Victoria Avenue.
The developer will rebuild the facade and some walls as part of the new building, which will include a two-storey extension.
It was previously owned by Harrogate Borough Council, which sold it for £1m in 2016 to help fund its move to new headquarters at Knapping Mount.
A report in 2017 said the building suffered from extensive subsidence, mould and was no longer fit-for-purpose.
Computer generated images of how the building will look.
A plan to demolish the villa and replace it with a modern-looking office block, submitted later that year, received an objection from Historic England.
The public body said the building, which was built in 1864, “epitomises the special character and identity” of Harrogate. It said plans to demolish it would “strike at the heart” of what makes the town unique.
Plans to build this modern office block on the site were scrapped after objections.
Following this, the council said it would no longer support the application and the developer withdrew it.
New proposals, which retained the facade of the existing building, were approved in November 2018 by the council’s planning committee.
Disabled Harrogate woman threatened with Christmas eviction from care home
The mother of a disabled woman who faces eviction from her Harrogate care home and being moved into a Premier Inn has accused the local authority of treating her daughter like a “slab of meat”.
Catherine Bradwell, 49, who was left partially paralysed and mildly brain damaged from a fall down stairs five years ago, has been staying at Southlands Care Home on Ripon Road since June last year.
North Yorkshire County Council, which provides social care, has been trying to find more suitable long-term accommodation and considered moving Catherine into a homeless unit in Starbeck before deciding she should go to a disabled access room at the Premier Inn hotel on Springfield Avenue in Harrogate.
Catherine’s mother, Gaye Bradwell, 81, was told the move would take place over Christmas but since contacting the Stray Ferret has discovered it has been put back to an unconfirmed date.
Nevertheless, her daughter’s long-term accommodation remains uncertain and Gaye believes the case highlights how “shoddily” disabled people with specialist housing needs are treated.
Gaye, whose late husband was an eminent surgeon at Harrogate District Hospital, wonders how many other families are in a similar situation. She said:
“My daughter is being treated like a slab of meat that’s being pushed around. They have no idea what stress it’s causing. It’s simply unbelievable.”
Gaye Bradwell
Catherine needs help showering, getting dressed and preparing food. She can walk unassisted indoors but due to balance problems and the risk of falling on uneven surfaces, uses a wheelchair outside. Gaye said:
“The ideal solution would be that she is found sheltered accommodation with access to help and a warden that can check if she’s OK.
“But social services will not agree that she needs to be in sheltered accommodation, which she jolly well does.”
Southlands, which offers long-term residential and nursing care, was never considered to be a permanent option for Catherine, who is much younger than other residents and does not require round-the-clock care.
Gaye said Southlands staff had been wonderful but agreed a more suitable long-term option had to be found for her daughter, who wants to live as independently as possible.
She said social services had suggested three retirement homes, as well as Fern House, Harrogate Borough Council‘s 19-bed homeless unit on Spa Lane in Starbeck, and now the hotel.
No continuity of care
She said Catherine’s age made retirement homes, which cater for over-55s, unsuitable and the other options highlighted how woeful provision was for disabled people who want to live independently.
When threatened with the move to the homeless unit, Gaye paid for an independent occupational therapy assessment, which concluded “that retirement housing or a hostel for homelessness people would be suitable for her vulnerable physical, cognitive and psychological difficulties”.
The assessment added:
“She needs to live somewhere with adequate support where she can remain as independent as possible within safe limits but where she can be assisted promptly in the event of a fall, a seizure or being unable to complete essential activities of daily living.”
The council assessor eventually agreed the homeless unit would be unsuitable but then said Catherine would be moved to the Premier Inn, where she would be supported by a care package, on December 27.
Gaye said five different social workers had been allocated to help her daughter over the last one, which made continuity of care difficult.
Richard Webb, director of health and adult social services at the county council, said:
“Whilst we cannot comment on individual cases, in situations like this one, the county council will undertake assessments and look at all options.
“Sometimes we provide people with accommodation for a limited period to help their discharge from hospital while reviewing their ability to live independently.
“However, we will only fund and provide permanent 24-hour care where that is required: wherever possible, we will provide home care and try and help individuals to stay in their own home and/or work with them and housing services, to find alternative accommodation.”
Jackie Snape, chief executive of Disability Action Yorkshire, which runs a residential care home for adults with physical disabilities on Claro Road, Harrogate, declined to comment.
Harrogate Town’s Boxing Day clash with Bradford postponed
Harrogate Town‘s game away at Bradford City on Boxing Day has been postponed due to a covid outbreak in the Bradford squad.
Bradford City told the English Football League that it would be unable to field a full team for the fixture due to the number of covid cases in their squad.
The Yorkshire derby was one of the most eagerly awaited matches of the year for Town fans, with a large crowd and a festive atmosphere expected at Bradford. It will now be rearranged.
A host of games in the Premier League and the English Football League were postponed over the weekend due to covid outbreaks.
Harrogate Town are due to travel to Tranmere tomorrow in the second round of the Football League Trophy.
Police appeal after ‘violent robbery’ in Harrogate
Police are appealing for information after a 17-year-old boy had his trainers stolen in a “violent robbery” in Harrogate.
The incident happened at Bilton Grange Close, near to the junction with Skipton Road, at about 11pm on Saturday, December 11.
According to North Yorkshire Police, two males thought to be aged between 16 and 18 years of age chased the victim from the Majestic Wine shop on Skipton Road to Bilton Grange Close.
They then assaulted and threatened him and stole his footwear – a distinctive pair of black and orange Nike Air Max 90, which are sold for about £125.
Police want help identifying the two suspects, who are described as slim, wearing face coverings and dressed all in black.
A police statement said:
“They were seen in the vicinity of the Texaco Petrol station on Skipton Road shortly before the robbery took place.
“One of them was riding a black mountain bike and the other on foot.
“Officers are particularly keen to identify a man who was in the area at the time of the assault, who was wearing a distinctive black EA7 baseball cap as they believe he may be able to assist their enquiries.
Anyone with information can contact North Yorkshire Police on 101, select option 2, and ask for PC 1484 Dave Foyston . You can also email david.foyston@northyorkshire.police.uk
If you wish to remain anonymous, you can pass information to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111. Please quote the North Yorkshire Police reference number 12210260693.
Two boys in their late teens have been arrested in connection with the incident. Both have been released on conditional bail.
