Secret Shopper: Run out of gift ideas? There’s plenty of choice in Harrogate…

A bit about me: I’m not a Stray Ferret staffer, I’m a consumer journalist who loves shopping and loves Harrogate. I’m really spoilt for choice here – but these are some of my favourites for the festive season

The items I have picked are my personal choices – I haven’t been paid to feature them.  

      PYJAMA SET, The Luxe Company, West Park.  £348

What?  £348?  What?  Yes.  It is a lot of money.  But they’re fabulous.  There’s a kimono jacket and there’s silk, lace and some transparency going on.  The pyjama bottoms are wide legged with a deep hem that gives them a good strong line and they hang well.   They’re flattering.  They’re made in Italy and inspired by renaissance Florence.  I would be delighted if someone bought them for me.  The Luxe Company have a great collection of classy lounge and sleep wear, and the shop stocks homewares too.  Highly recommended if you’re stuck for ideas.

LANTERN, Oxfam, Montpelier Parade. £8.99

Charity shops are great for ethically sourced and often unusual gifts.  I found this lovely lantern which just needs a tea light to add a bit of seasonal sparkle. It’s part of the ‘Sourced by Oxfam’ range – independent businesses, social enterprises or co-operatives that share the charity’s values.  This comes from Asha Handicrafts, who support artisans in India. You can get your fair trade Divine chocolate Christmas coins (obligatory in a Christmas stocking I believe) here too.

SHEEPSKIN LADIES SLIPPER, Westmorland Sheepskins, Montpelier Parade.  £69

Sheepskin slipper with a metallic gold trim anyone?  Yes I thought so.  These are from the Swedish (read very tasteful) Shepherd range.  There are plenty of other styles, and men’s slippers as well.  Nothing wrong with a pair of slippers, especially if they’re really good quality, super-tasteful ones, for Christmas.

 

 BAROQUE PEARL EARRINGS, India Mahon Jewellery, Montpelier Mews £396.

Wow.  These are just gorgeous. Baroque pearls – the ones which are irregular, non spherical and I think the most attractive – are very fashionable. These earrings are some of the best I’ve spotted on my shopping adventures.  They’ll look good with day or evening wear, whether you’re in jeans or a posh frock.  The store also carries jewellery in gold and silver with diamonds, emeralds, rubies and sapphires.  It also offers a custom design service using fairtrade gold.

Plus there’s a beautiful – fully colour co-ordinated –  golden retriever in the shop sometimes too, so its all-round well worth a visit.

VINTAGE CRAVATS AND SCARVES, Space Vintage, The Ginnel, £10

Don’t say you’ve never been tempted to a cravat.  Or, when all other options have been exhausted when you’re looking for something for a male loved one, to buy a cravat for someone else. Ironic or not, fancy dress or not, if you’re running out of Christmas gift ideas, I would have a rummage through.  It takes a certain amount of panache to carry one off, but maybe you, or a  a man in your life, can rise to the occasion.

 

CAP, Hats on Top, Station Parade. £19.50

A well dressed man, particularly of a certain age, often benefits from a cap.  This shop with its hundreds of hats for men and women, to suit all occasions, surely has ‘the one’.   This flat cap has nice country ‘Harrogate-y ‘ feel, but you could equally well go for one in corduroy, or even a Peaky Blinder, a Fedora or a Trilby.  Hats on Top also do bespoke.

 

MENS TRENCH COAT, Jaeger at Marks and Spencer, Cambridge Street, £279

Hurrah Jaeger have a concession in M & S. How Jaeger has been missed in Harrogate since it closed its doors in Cambridge Crescent earlier this year. Judging by a steady stream of quite excited fellow browsers I chatted to, this new strategy, of teaming up with established brands, might just help the troubled national treasure department store pull through.  I hope so.  There’s a good selection of women’s clothes, and I particularly liked this men’s trench coat.  It’s water resistant with a detachable gilet.  But its main attraction is its clean, simple, elegant lines.

THONG, Rigby and Peller, Station Bridge, £56

I’ve been a Rigby and Peller devotee ever since they sorted out my friend’s cleavage (madame was very ‘close set’ apparently). Equipped with a new top of the range bra she launched into a passionate affair, which turned into 20 plus happy years and several dogs together. Underwear might be a cliché for Christmas – but when it’s nice who cares?

 

VINTAGE CHRISTMAS DECORATIONS, Antique Market, Montpelier Mews. £10 each

For a 50s/60s kitch vibe (Christmas isn’t supposed to be tasteful so I think its okay) these are perfect.  My favourite is the bird, which still has its fibre tail intact.  I have one at home that belonged to my parents.  But minus the tail, so might be snapping this oe up myself.

Get down there quick and Happy Christmas Stray Ferreters.

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Green Shoots: What it’s like to own an electric car in Harrogate

Harrogate residents Ralph Armsby and his partner Judy Carrivick ditched their petrol car for an electric Kia e-Niro earlier this year.

They got the car on a four-year lease and pay around £450 a month plus £460 a year in insurance.

Because it’s a low emission vehicle they pay zero car tax, and when they charge it at home it ends up costing just over 1p a mile to drive.

Mr Armsby said switching to an EV was “a no-brainer” due to the environmental cost of driving a petrol car.

“We’re very aware of air pollution, not just from the car but it starts when they take the oil out of ground, to tankers driving around the UK.

“You should get something that is powered down a wire rather than being pumped out at stations all over the place.”

Mr Amsby said it’s important to check with Northern Powergrid that your home is able to install a charging point because there was a lack of fast public charging points in Harrogate.

It cost the couple around £600 to install one, which they plug into the car overnight whilst they sleep so they can wake up with a full charge.

If they decide to charge the car throughout the day, it works out at around 3p a mile.

Range anxiety

Mr Armsby said he sometimes suffers from “range anxiety”, the phenomenon where EV drivers are worried their car will run out of charge before they find somewhere to power it up. But on a full charge, their car can manage over 280 miles, depending on driving style.

They use an app called ZapMap to find public charging points. During a recent trip to Wales, they found towns much smaller than Harrogate were better equipped for EV drivers with more places to charge.

Harrogate has several public charging points, with 7kw, 24kw and 50kw connections.

The only fast 50kw charging points are at Harrogate Borough Council’s civic centre at Knapping Mount, where it costs more to charge than at home. There are also three fast charging points outside Lidl in Knaresborough.

If you charge your car at the civic centre it takes around half an hour to get a full charge.

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Mr Armsby said the council charging points were welcome, but Harrogate needed more and was poorly equipped for business travellers who might be using the convention centre.

He said:

“If you come here on a conference, you’ll be fighting for a space there.

“We desperately need more fast charging points.”

There are other slower charging 7kw charging points around the district, which are able to give an EV a short boost.

There are even now charging points at the almost 1,000-year-old Fountains Abbey. Mr Armsby said he has visited twice because he could charge his car outside the ruin.

In total, the Harrogate district has 53 EV charging points in 30 different locations, but some can only be used by Teslas.

Mr Armsby plugging in

Mr Armbsy said many more on-street charging facilities were needed in Harrogate so people can plug in whilst they shop.

He added:

“Other countries have had on-street charging and had it for years, we’re not world beating in the UK, we’re miles behind European countries.”

Joy to drive

The couple are retired and use their car mainly for leisure and shopping. 

Mr Armsby said:

“It’s a joy to drive, we’re fighting each other on who’s going to drive!”

Whilst electric vehicles still produce emissions through their tyres — and there are concerns over the mining of minerals to make the batteries — Mr Armbsy said he would never go back to driving a petrol car.

He said:

“Harrogate is quite polluted. Cold Bath Road, for example, is a rat run in the mornings with kids being dropped off in Range Rovers. It would be so much nicer on these roads if everyone was driving electric.”

Do you have an interesting project or passion that improves the environment and could feature in Green Shoots? Contact thomas@thestrayferret.co.uk

Harrogate vaccine walk-ins: go in afternoon tomorrow to avoid queues

Staff giving vaccines at the Great Yorkshire Showground in Harrogate have advised anyone planning a walk-in booster jab tomorrow to go in the afternoon.

The decision to allow over-18s to just turn up and get boosters prompted a wave of visitors to the showground today. Some people queued for an hour to get jabbed.

Tim Yarrow, operations manager for Yorkshire Health Network, which is a federation of the 17 GP practices in the Harrogate district, said the site had a lot of booked appointments tomorrow morning but the afternoon was quieter.

Anyone arriving for morning walk-ins would receive a booster, said Mr Yarrow, but they might have to wait for up to an hour.

He said it was likely to be quieter after 12.30pm.

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Another 102 covid infections were reported today in the Harrogate district.

The district’s seven-day infection rate has fallen slightly to 422 cases per 100,000. The North Yorkshire average is 380 and the England average is 505.

No further covid-related deaths have been reported at Harrogate District Hospital, meaning the overall total remains at 200.

Andrew Jones MP tells constituent that clarity is needed on No 10 party

Conservative MP for Harrogate & Knaresborough Andrew Jones says the findings of an investigation into an alleged Christmas party at 10 Downing Street last year should be published as soon as possible.

Harrogate resident Patrick Milne sent Mr Jones an email this week asking him to “speak out” against the party or “gathering” as the government phrases it, which has dominated headlines and TV news reports all week.

Mr Milne shared the response he received from the MP with the Stray Ferret.

Mr Jones wrote:

“Some gatherings were permissible of course but if the reports of cheese and wine, crowding, secret santas and so on are true it is very difficult to see how on earth such a gathering can have been within the rules.”

“There are two sides though to every story and I am willing to hear both. At the moment though, and the story evolves hour-by-hour, we are only hearing one side. That is why I think a clear statement of what happened needs to be released by Number 10 detailing what the gathering was, who was there, what refreshments were served, how this complied with the rules at the time and so on.”

The government has since ordered an investigation into three alleged parties at 10 Downing Street and the Department for Education. The Labour Party has called for prime minister Boris Johnson to resign if he is found to have misled MPs.

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Mr Jones said he hopes the findings of the investigation will be published “in days”.

“I hope therefore to see the full report in days and, by that, I mean before Christmas.”

The MP said he cancelled plans to comply with rules last Christmas and that he expects leaders to set an example to others.

He added:

“Like many others I spent the Christmas period following the rules, cancelling plans to comply with rule changes, sitting outside talking to elderly relatives, dropping off shopping on the doorstep and video calling.

“I know too that some people broke the rules, inadvertently or otherwise, and so I have taken the view that I will be accountable for my own actions and others need to be accountable for theirs.
I recognise that there is a huge chasm between minor and inadvertent infringements at Christmas and a party among those whom we want and expect to take a lead, where an example must be shown.

“That is why the investigation and a final statement from Number 10 are needed. As with the Cummings affair and the standards issue, I will not offer my support if that statement points to wrongdoing.”

Mr Jones has not made any public comments about the recent scandal facing his government. Instead today he used his party’s Harrogate Community News website to publish an article about the winner of a competition for his electronic Christmas card.

 

 

Harrogate High closes year group due to illness and teacher shortage

Harrogate High School told all Year 10 students not to attend school yesterday because it was unable to find enough teachers to cover classes.

The school tweeted to say a combination of staff illness and difficulty recruiting supply had prompted it to make the decision to close to Year 10 students.

The Stray Ferret contacted the school today it said it didn’t want to comment further but agreed recruiting supply staff was a problem.

Year group closure Thursday 9th Dec
Unfortunately, due to high levels of staff absence as a result of illness and a widespread issue with recruiting supply teachers, we have taken the decision to close to Year 10 students (Thursday 9th).
Please check your email for full details.

— HarrogateHighSchool (@HarrogateHigh) December 9, 2021

It also said no more days such as these were planned for any year group.

The independent academy school caters for about 600 students aged 11-19 and is based on Ainsty Road.

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Arrests made after 2am crash near Harrogate Asda

North Yorkshire Police has arrested two teenagers after a stolen car crashed into several parked vehicles on Dragon Parade in Harrogate.

The Stray Ferret reported on the crash on November 17 after a bystander sent us photos of the aftermath.

Police said today the occupants abandoned the vehicle, which was later found to be stolen.

They added a 17-year-old male had been arrested on suspicion of aggravated vehicle taking and property damage. He was interviewed and released on bail.

A 16-year-old male voluntarily handed himself into the police and was also interviewed on suspicion of aggravated vehicle taking and property damage. He has been released under investigation.

Enquiries are ongoing.

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Blubberhouses to host Christmas Tree Festival this weekend

Blubberhouses will host its annual Christmas Tree Festival this weekend at St Andrew’s Church.

The event is free to attend from 11am to 4pm both days this weekend.

This year, trees have been decorated by Crafters, Fewston Bellringers, The People’s Dispensary for Sick Animals, Friends of Blubberhouses Church and Farnley Estate Young Farmers. 

Hot drinks, mulled wine and mince pies will be available to add to the festive atmosphere.

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Pat Anderson, who organises the event, praised the Young Farmers’ effort.

She said:

“Many local young people enjoy the thriving activities of the Young Farmers – they are an essential part of the local community”.

 

The Young Farmers’ tree

Queues in Harrogate as demand for booster jabs soars

Queues formed at the Great Yorkshire Showground in Harrogate this morning as people took up the offer of walk-in booster jabs for over-18s.

The vaccination centre at the Yorkshire Event Centre is currently offering walk-ins for anyone over 18 until Sunday. Walk-ins will then be reviewed.

People were so keen to get the jab that they were willing to queue outdoors in the cold for about an hour.

While staff at the centre were too busy to talk, those outside were upbeat about the prospect of receiving boosters.

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Donna Jones told the Stray Ferret:

“I do have an appointment booked for Knaresborough but I would rather get it done sooner rather than later.

“The walk-ins are brilliant. It’s much easier because I live in Harrogate. Everyone should have their booster, it’s great to see so many people here so we can move forward.”

Alex Lewis Jones, 21, said:

“I was at work yesterday when my mum told me about the opportunity for a walk-in appointment. We are planning to go away at Christmas so it’s best to get it done before that.

“It’s good that people have shown up and it’s good that the centre has put walk-ins on. Yes you might have to queue a bit but it’s much better in the long run.”

Chloe Scott added:

“I brought my mother who is clinically extremely vulnerable. I am delighted that there is the opportunity for me to get the booster too.

“It’s great that so many people are keen to get their boosters, especially with omicron on the rise and before Christmas when people want to mix.”

Harrogate’s Rossett School celebrates GCSE students’ success

Harrogate’s Rossett School has held its annual presentation evening in-person after covid forced it to take place online last year.

The event celebrates the achievements of last summer’s GCSE students in a range of academic subjects and other disciplines.

The guest speaker was Joe Joyce, a former chief executive in the manufacturing and construction sector, a director of finance in education and now the owner of his own local family brewing company,

Mr Joyce shared his personal philosophy on the importance of aiming high in life, before presenting GCSE and BTEC certificates, along with the awards and trophies.

Headteacher Helen Woodcock said it was wonderful to be able to hold the event in-person again.

“We are very proud of this year group. They were an excellent year in many different respects, not least in their management of the strangest of times — learning remotely and at school over the last two years — in order to be awarded their TAGs (teacher-assessed grades).

“Their achievements have allowed them to progress on to their chosen pathways, and we were thrilled to celebrate their many successes at the presentation evening.”

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Consultation launched for 480 homes on Harrogate’s Otley Road

Homes England has begun a public consultation on plans to build 480 homes at Bluecoat Wood, opposite Cardale Park and Harrogate police station.

The government housing agency bought the site this year after previous plans to develop it stalled. It plans to call the development Bluecoat Park.

The site covers 28 hectares of largely green fields and homes would wrap around Horticap.

The scheme would include a new pitch for Pannal Ash Cricket Club, a sports hub and a children’s play area. Homes England said 40% of the homes would be “affordable”.

A new community woodland would also be planted.

The consultation, which will end on January 10, will inform the submission of a full planning application to Harrogate Borough Council. A website has been created for people to submit their thoughts on the scheme.

Harrogate Borough Council‘s Harrogate district Local Plan 2014-35, the council’s plan for development in the district until 2035, says 450 homes can be built on the site.

Traffic concerns

Separate plans for 780 homes and a new primary school have been proposed by Taylor Wimpey and Redrow at nearby Bluecoat Wood on Otley Road.

Local residents group Harlow and Pannal Ash Residents Association has raised concerns about congestion on Otley Road as well as extra traffic through nearby villages such as Beckwithshaw, North Rigton and Burn Bridge.

Homes England said its Bluecoat Park development would help inform the West Harrogate Parameters Plan, a document that will assess transport and infrastructure needs associated with wider plans to build up to 4,000 homes on the western side of Harrogate.

The plan was expected last year but has been delayed until February 2022.

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The site’s history

Housing has been mooted at Bluecoat Wood for many years.

In February 2016, HBC granted planning permission to a partnership of developers called HTH Harrogate LLP to build 450 homes.

It followed an earlier refusal of permission on the grounds of road safety and traffic flow problems.

However, Homes England bought the site in February after the developer pulled out.

In the summer, Homes England submitted an environmental impact assessment for 530 homes on the site. The number has now been reduced.