Stonefall candlelit vigil remembers war dead at Christmas

About 60 people, including the Mayor and Mayoress of Harrogate, lit candles for more than 1,000 fallen soldiers at Harrogate’s Stonefall Cemetary yesterday.

Harrogate mum Benji Walker has been running Candles for Heroes every year since 2018 because she does not want the soldiers to be forgotten.

Yesterday’s vigil raised over £300, which will be shared between the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, which maintains the site, and armed forces charity Help for Heroes.

Ms Walker said:

“I have a son who serves in the Yorkshire Regiment. It’s important to me. They should always be remembered. Christmas is a special time anyway for family, so it’s a nice time to remember the sacrifice they gave.”

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Stonefall is one of the largest war grave sites in northern England.

The cemetery was created in 1914 but most burials are airmen who died during the Second World War when bomber command bases were established in Yorkshire. About two-thirds of the dead are Canadian.

Air pollution risks from Harrogate’s wood-burning stoves ‘cannot be ignored’

A campaigner from Harrogate says more should be done to highlight how wood-burning stoves damage the environment.

A study published on Friday found the stoves contribute to almost half of the cancer-causing air pollution particles in towns and cities.

Government data found that wood-burning stoves are the single biggest source of PM2.5 particles in the UK, three times more than transport. Breathing in the particles is known to exacerbate lung conditions, such as asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

The stoves have seen a boom in popularity over the past decade, with many people seeing them as cosy and rustic additions to their homes.

Some Harrogate district residents in older houses also find stoves and open fires an important source of heat during winter, but Harrogate man Brian McHugh believes over 90% of them are not really needed.

He said air pollution from wood-burners “can no longer be a taboo subject”.

“People have not been responding to the fact that there is a real danger here.”

Mr McHugh, who has written articles on the subject, said some people get defensive when they are told that stoves contribute to air pollution and take it as a personal affront.

He said:

“They feel it is an attack on their identity.”

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Mr McHugh said wood-burning stoves should be seen as a public health risk, similar to smoking or excessive drinking. He’d like to see Harrogate Borough Council launch a public information campaign to inform people of the risks.

He added:

“We have also restricted all sorts of consumer products in the past.

“I think the winter months are an especially good time to talk about air pollution as a while, as both outdoor and indoor air pollution tend to be worse in winter in the UK.

“Harrogate Borough Council has a range of resources and tools at their disposal to disseminate information, whether that is through email, flyers or signage.

“There are local organisations that promote a reduction in local ambient air pollution through Walk to School days and people are being informed about pollution through this direct action. A campaign to start a No Burn Day as a starting point, could be a huge breakthrough.”

Omicron: Harrogate district covid rate up by a quarter in three days

Harrogate’s Covid infection rate has jumped by more than 25% in just three days amid the rapid spread of the Omicron variant.

The weekly rate per 100,000 people currently stands at 476 – up sharply from 376.

This equates to around 110 new cases per day and comes as people are being urged to think carefully about social events this Christmas as a further rise in infections is expected.

Richard Webb, director of health and adult services at North Yorkshire County Council, said the area was now facing a “race against time” to prepare for a similar surge in cases seen in other areas of the country.

“If we follow previous patterns, and what’s happening in London, it won’t be long before we are seeing high numbers of Omicron cases here in North Yorkshire.

“Even the most optimistic Government modelling is now projecting many more cases in January and February and we face the possibility of many more hospital admissions and sadly many more deaths.

“Living with Covid means responding quickly to deal with a new variant. We need to act now to buy time”.

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Mr Webb also said people should take a lateral flow test before mixing socially and that getting a booster vaccine remained the best line of defence.

The vaccination programme has been rapidly accelerated in recent weeks with firefighters now being drafted in to deliver doses at sites across North Yorkshire.

James Manning, North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue group manager, said:

“This is an urgent situation and the time involved is substantial in getting these vaccines where they need to be.

“For this reason the key agencies have come together to provide the best possible service to people”.

In Harrogate, vaccines are being made available by appointments and walk-ins at several pharmacy sites as well as Harrogate’s Great Yorkshire Showground and Ripon Racecourse.

Harrogate adventurer completes dangerous mission to reach ‘African pole’

A Harrogate adventurer has claimed to be the first person ever to reach the African pole of inaccessibility, which is the continent’s furthest point from the ocean in any direction.

On December 6, Chris Brown and his team completed a dangerous mission through a politically unstable region to get there, which is in the middle of a dense jungle.

The pole is over 1,100 miles from the nearest coast and is near the town of Obo in the Central African Republic (CAR). It’s close to the borders of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and South Sudan.

Mr Brown said he faced threats from “poachers, rebels and mercenaries” to reach the point, which took years of planning.

He said:

“[I was] not put off too easily by the various warnings and danger signals, I spent nearly three years planning on how to get there.”

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Mr Brown’s team included two security advisors from the United States, four soldiers from the CAR army and a photographer.

Army protection: Arnoux, Eric, Gustav and Frederic

The journey began in London on a flight to reach Bangui, which is the capital of CAR, via Brussels, Kigali and Duala.

They then chartered a flight from Bangui to an airfield at Obo to then get on a helicopter, which took them to the jungle.

Mr Brown said:

“After that we had to resort to picking our way through fairly dense jungle with the heli hovering above our position, out of small arms fire range, in case of emergency.

“The helicopter hovered over our position in the jungle as a deterrent and in case of emergency evacuation – keeping an altitude above small arms fire!”

“I took a couple of minutes to look around and thought wow, I’m in the middle of Africa. I was looking around at the jungle, it’s very oppressive. I’m a ginger northerner and I was dripping in sweat, taking it all in. It was fairly surreal.”

There are seven different poles of inaccessibility in the various continents and Mr Brown hopes to visit them all. He’s heading to Antarctica later this month.

Most of his friends and family all say the same thing about his adventurous hobby.

“They all think I’m mad!”

Live: Harrogate district traffic and travel

Good morning everyone and welcome to the start of a new week with the Stray Ferret’s traffic and travel service.

Make sure to keep an eye on this blog throughout the morning.

If you spot anything, let me know on 01423 276197. Let’s help everyone have a smooth journey today.

These blogs are brought to you by The HACS Group.

9am – Full Update 

Roads

That is all from me this morning, I will be back from 6.30am tomorrow. The roads are getting more busy this morning as more people head out to work for the last week before Christmas. Here are the hot spots to look out for:

Road closures:

Temporary lights:

Trains

Buses

8.30am – Full Update 

Roads

The roads are getting more busy this morning as more people head out to work for the last week before Christmas. Here are the hot spots to look out for:

Road closures:

Temporary lights:

Trains

Buses

8am – Full Update 

Roads

The roads are getting more busy this morning as more people head out to work for the last week before Christmas.

Road closures:

Temporary lights:

Trains

Buses

7.30am – Full Update 

Roads

The roads are running smoothly so far this morning, but keep checking back as things will likely get busier as the morning goes on.

Road closures:

Temporary lights:

Trains

Buses

7am – Full Update 

Roads

The roads are running smoothly so far this morning, but keep checking back as things will likely get busier as the morning goes on.

Road closures:

Temporary lights:

Trains

Buses

6.30am – Full Update 

Roads

The roads are running smoothly so far this morning, but keep checking back as things will likely get busier as the morning goes on.

Road closures:

Temporary lights:

Trains

Buses

Covid rate surges in Harrogate district as jab clinics open for children

The covid rate increased significantly in the Harrogate district today in another sign that the Omicron variant is beginning to have an impact.

The seven-day rate leapt from 419 per 100,000 people to 476. It was 383 two days ago. It comes after another 144 daily infections were reported by NHS England.

The rate remains considerably lower than the England average of 783 but slightly above the North Yorkshire average of 444.

Harrogate West and Pannal Ash, which has had 57 confirmed cases in the last seven days, is the district’s current covid hotspot.

A total of 91,569 people in the district have received either booster or third doses of the covid vaccine.

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The Great Yorkshire Showground in Harrogate will accept walk-in patients and booked patients for booster jabs tomorrow this week.

Children aged 12 to 17 will also be able to turn-up for walk-in boosters at the showground from 1.30pm to 4.30pm tomorrow and from 9am to 12.30pm on Tuesday.

Ripon racecourse, which was not open today. is due to administer more jabs tomorrow.

Stray Views: Beech Grove LTN is ‘expensive folly’

Stray Views is a weekly column giving you the chance to have your say on issues affecting the Harrogate district. It is an opinion column and does not reflect the views of the Stray Ferret. Send your views to letters@thestrayferret.co.uk.

Low Traffic Neighbourhood is expensive folly

As someone who lives adjacent to the Beech Grove LTN, I must say I have rarely seen such expensive folly. The council seem intent on installing ever more restrictive road barriers simply to, as effectively as possible, funnel more and more traffic onto Lancaster and Queens Road. 

All of this to give around 60 cyclists a day the most cossetted and relaxing trip into town. Seemingly, by the council’s own admission, there is no evidence that cycling traffic will meaningfully replace motorists on local roads. Especially so, in the depths of winter, as they face icy cold, driven rain.

As a leisure cyclist I am inherently supportive, like most people I suspect, of reducing the use of cars where it makes sense to do so. As far as I can see though this is not that. This appears to be virtue signalling with no meaningful impact on future car use and with material detriment for residents.

The principal achievement of the LTN, as far as I can see, is to make it more hazardous for the large numbers of children walking to and from Western Primary and Harrogate Grammar School each day. They are put at risk as they try to cross tentatively between often inappropriately fast-moving cars, rat running from south of town to Otley or Leeds Road.

If we want to get people out of cars and using alternate forms of transport, we need to look more closely at who those car drivers are, why they are driving and how we make it easier for them to do otherwise. Shoehorning additional, random, road furniture onto small roads to deliver ineffective trophy projects is not the answer.

I would simply ask the council to stop, stand back, think and reflect, and then look for genuinely considered ways of improving all forms of transport around Harrogate. Until that happens all they are doing is robbing Peter to pay Paul. As a concerned parent I would be more than happy to contribute to the thinking on the best way forward into 2022.

Carl Howard, Queens Road

Harrogate apply for city status?

Instead of complaining about the previous Housing Minister’s decision, why don’t the Harrogate councillors get a grip and apply for city status in view of the massive expansion of our “town”?

John Holder, Harrogate

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Do you have an opinion on the Harrogate district? Email us at letters@thestrayferret.co.uk. Please include your name and approximate location details. Limit your letters to 350 words. We reserve the right to edit letters.

Handling Christmas after divorce: A Harrogate dad’s story

This article is sponsored by Berwins

Family breakdown is never easy, but Christmas can be a particularly distressing time for separated parents and their children.

There is an unrealistic expectation that the festive period should be be perfect, not helped by increasing pressure caused by social media.

This often leads to feelings of anger, frustration and upset when that “perfect” family Christmas can’t be made into a reality.

Arguments can start over where the children will be on Christmas Day. There can also be disagreements about whether new partners should be spending time with the children at Christmas, as well as issues with money.

But it doesn’t always have to be difficult.

Harrogate dad Alex separated from his wife in 2010, when his daughter was three-years-old.

Tough

He described how the first two Christmases apart were a struggle, but then gradually improved in future years thanks to good communication.

He said:

“In that first year it was all quite recent and a little raw. Christmas morning was spent separately at our respective parents, and my daughter was with her mum.

“We then met in a neutral venue, a pub in a rural village, and had a drink and I got to spend some time with my daughter.

“That first year was incredibly tough and getting in the car and driving away from her later in the afternoon was particularly hard.

“The following year my daughter spent the morning with my ex-wife, and then came to my house. It was a little too upsetting for all parties, particularly for my daughter as she just wanted to play with her new things.”

However, as a result, they both agreed that they would then take it in turns each year, which he says has worked out better for everyone ever since.

He said:

“When she is not with us, we have a separate faux Christmas Day and meal on another day as near to the big day as we can, but there is no substitute to having her with you on the day itself.”

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Alex continues to have a good relationship with his ex-wife and says this makes it easier when it comes to Christmas festivities.

He said:

“I think when you have children, the focus of the day itself changes anyway, and you realise that the enjoyment comes from experiencing it through their eyes.

“Once both parties accept that, it’s easy to keep it amicable as you will do everything you can to make it special for the children involved.

“As with every aspect of co-parenting, communication is the key, and if you can keep in touch and keep it friendly (sometimes through gritted teeth), then it makes everything so much better for you and your children.

“I genuinely think my daughter has a wonderful time at Christmas. She gets spoiled by both sides of her family and gets to have two Christmas Days every year.”

Advice

Stephen Root, director of Berwins Solicitors, based in Harrogate, has shared his advice on arrangements for children over the Christmas period.

He said:

Sainsbury’s sets opening date for Harrogate town centre store

Sainsbury’s has confirmed that its new store in Harrogate town centre will finally open next month.

The Sainsbury’s Local on Cambridge Street will welcome customers on January 13. The supermarket chain had hoped to open in the summer but only received planning permission in July.

The store will create about 25 jobs and some roles are still available.

Surplus food from the store will go to Harrogate District Foodbank, which has partnered with Sainsbury’s to help those who need it most.

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New store manager Simon Wilton said:

“I’m delighted to confirm the opening date for our new store and we’re really looking forward to welcoming customers from next month. My colleagues and I are working hard to get everything ready for opening.

“It’s been a fantastic team effort so far and we can’t wait to bring our passion for food and brilliant customer service to Cambridge Street.”

The development will bring the former Topshop unit at 33-37 Cambridge Street back into use after four years.

The developer plans to split the building into three separate units. Sainsbury’s occupies the largest on the left side.

Skipton Building Society is also planning to move in but it is unclear at this stage which business will take on the third unit.

The new sport taking the Harrogate district by storm

A relatively new sport that is a cross between tennis and squash is taking the Harrogate district by storm.

Padel is played between four players on reduced sized tennis courts. Competitors use paddle racquets and can bounce the ball off walls.

Nicky Horn, a Harrogate coach who has played the sport for 10 years, said she has seen a remarkable amount of interest in the sport in recent months.

She pointed to courts being built at Hornbeam Park in Harrogate, which is expected to see six new dedicated courts, and planned new courts at Ripon Tennis Club as an example of its booming demand.

Since the first covid lockdown, Harrogate Sports and Fitness Centre has also seen high demand for its padel courts on Hookstone Wood Road.

A game of padel tennis in Harrogate.

A game of padel tennis in Harrogate.

Nicky said she expects to see padel’s popularity increase further over the next five years now that the Lawn Tennis Association oversees the sport.

She said:

“It’s really taking off.

“It’s a reasonably accessible sport because the players can hit the ball easier.”

‘Largest female padel tennis match’

Nicky played padel in Spain before returning to Harrogate to take up two teams. She currently coaches Harrogate and Rawdon on a Monday and Saturday.

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Last weekend, the two teams got together to play a game which Nicky believes was the largest female padel match in the UK.

Despite the cold conditions, 32 players, who ranged from eight-years-old to 80, turned up to take part as Harrogate Sports and Fitness Centre.

Nicky said:

“Everyone had lots of fun.

“Some of our players were squash players and some were tennis players, but everybody loved it.”

6,000 players in the UK

The local boom has been reflected across the country.

With more than 6.000 padel players in the UK, according to the LTA, the sport is one of the fastest growing in the country.

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp and Ballon D’or winning footballer, Lionel Messi, are also reported to be players of the sport.

Here are 10 facts you might not know about padel, from the LTA: