Harrogate Philharmonic Orchestra will perform the first of a new series of concerts celebrating female composers this weekend.

The orchestra will give the UK premiere performance of the first symphony by Emilie Mayer – a mid-nineteenth century composer whose music, in her day, was renowned throughout her native Germany and beyond.

The concert, at St Mark’s Church on Leeds Road in Harrogate will also include Tchaikovsky’s Variations on a Rococo Theme, featuring cello soloist Dr George Kennaway.

Mendelssohn’s The Fair Melusina is also on the programme.

HPO, which was founded in 1981, focuses on smaller and lesser known orchestral works and puts on three concerts a year at St Mark’s.

HPO committee member Claire Golightly said:

“Our music by women composers were explored through some repertoire sessions during covid restrictions.

“We explored works by Emilie Mayer, Mel Bonis and Cecile Chaminade and a symphony by Alice Mary Smith.

“The Mayer will be played on Saturday and the others will feature in future programmes.”

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After her death in 1883, Mayer’s music faded into obscurity.

Ms Golightly described it as “bold and confident”, adding:

“If you like the music of Mendelssohn, Schumann and some of the other Romantic greats, you’ll love Mayer!”

Tickets cost £11 for adults and £5 for students with cards and are available in advance only here, Entry is free for under 16s and carers assisting wheelchair users.

The Living Room cafe in Starbeck recently reopened for the first time since the covid pandemic began almost two years ago.

The family-friendly café is run by Sarah Khanye and is situated inside the Life Destiny Church at 93b High Street.

It opens from Tuesday to Friday from 9am until 3pm and hosts a variety of events that aim to bring the community together with drinks, food and snacks available.

Events include a mum’s coffee morning on Mondays, a meeting for crafters on Wednesdays and a get-together for parents and carers of disabled children on Thursdays.

The Living Room Café also plans to host a Clothes Swap event on March 11 at 6.30pm.

Visit their Facebook page to find out more.

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Cafe M, opposite Harrogate train station, has closed due to circumstances “beyond our control”.

The cafe has been a part of Harrogate town centre for many years but the unit has already been stripped out and all that remains is the sign.

It is not yet known what will take over the unit but, according to a recent Cafe M Facebook post, the business “will be back soon”. The post says:

“Due to circumstances beyond our control Cafe M is having to relocate. We will be back soon. We will keep this page updated as to our new whereabouts. Thank you to each and everyone of you for your custom and support during the pandemic. We will be back.”

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The Stray Ferret approached the Victoria Shopping Centre for details on what will happen to the vacant unit. Centre manager James White said he had nothing to report at this time.

Cafe M was owned by Milligan’s, a bakery business based in Gateshead.

Louise Milligan, former director of Milligan’s, said the business went into liquidation at the beginning of the pandemic and its assets were sold to another company.

A Harrogate woman has spoken of her distress when a visit to her five-year-old daughter’s grave was interrupted by a dog let off its lead to defecate among the headstones.

Joanne Bolton’s daughter Charlotte died of meningitis 25 years ago and is buried in Grove Road cemetery. Ms Bolton’s mother is also buried there.

She was visiting on Sunday when a woman entered the cemetery, closed the gates and let her dog off its lead to exercise. The large cemetery is surrounded by a wall so dogs are unable to escape when the gates are closed.

The dog owner then sat on the bench and let her Terrier defecate freely around the cemetery, which includes the graves of 37 former soldiers. Ms Bolton said:

“I’m disappointed that society has sunk to this level to have no respect for loved ones’ final resting places.”

Grove Road cemetery

Guide dogs are the only dogs permitted in Harrogate Borough Council cemeteries.

Ms Bolton, who owns a dog herself, said she would have no problem with people walking their pets on leads around the perimeter path but said it was completely unacceptable to allow animals to roam freely.

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She contacted the council about the incident and received a prompt reply confirming dogs weren’t allowed inside cemeteries and that ‘no dogs’ signs had been erected.

The email added the council’s dog wardens had patrolled the area but it was unable to use CCTV to capture culprits because it would encroach on the privacy of visitors.

‘Always the same disrespectful people’

A post by Ms Bolton on a Harrogate Facebook group attracted many sympathetic comments.

One woman said there were five dogs in the cemetery when she went to pay her respects. Another said the incident gave dog owners a bad name and a third person, who lives next door to the graveyard, said they see about 25 dogs daily in the cemetery. They added:

“It’s always the same disrespectful people daily. I have complained to the council but nothing gets done.

But one woman said the presence of dogs and dog walkers had deterred drug dealers from using the site.

A councillor who has long campaigned for action on a burned-out Starbeck shop has welcomed approval of plans to demolish the building widely considered to be the area’s biggest eyesore.

Liberal Democrat Cllr Philip Broadbank said the approval was a big boost for Starbeck High Street, which has been “blighted” by the former McColl’s convenience store ever since it was gutted and left roofless during a fire more than three years ago.

Cllr Broadbank said: 

“As a resident of Starbeck myself I am pleased that at long last the site owner has now got permission to demolish this semi-derelict building.

“We need to see progress now and work towards getting a prestigious new development on the site that will help to enhance the High Street.

“It is time for some positive thinking and positive action now that the demolition issue has been decided.”

The former McColl’s store has been described as an “eyesore” and “ramshackle” by locals who have become increasingly frustrated with its unsightly appearance on the High Street.

Cllr Broadbank said he would now hold talks with the building owners Bates and Hemingbrough over their plans to revive the site by building new retail and 15 housing units in place of the current building.

These plans have already been discussed with Harrogate Borough Council, although a planning application has yet to be submitted.

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The council had previously questioned whether the building next to St Andrew’s Church could be refurbished, before more recently putting the demolition plans on hold to allow for more safety documents to come forward.

‘I want to get things moving’

Cllr Broadbank had previously argued the building was beyond restoration and should be torn down.

The council’s decision to allow this finally came to the joy of residents in January and the Leeds-based site owners now have five years to complete their demolition and construction works.

Cllr Broadbank, who represents Starbeck on both Harrogate Borough Council and North Yorkshire County Council, said he was hopeful that progress on the site could be made at a much faster pace than has been done up until now.

He said: 

“Like many Starbeck residents I want to get things moving now that demolition has finally been approved.

“Clearly as there are more than 15 homes proposed in what they would like to see on the site there will be some discussions now with the borough council over financial contributions to support affordable housing in the district and other aspects that now need to be progressed.”

North Yorkshire Police seized a “substantial amount” of suspected class A and class B drugs in Jennyfields today.

The force said in a statement that officers executed a drug warrant at an unspecified address in the area and several people are currently in custody.

There has been an increased police presence in Jennyfields since this morning and NYP said officers will continue with patrols to offer reassurance to residents.

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The Electric Bike Shop opened in Harrogate today, hoping to capitalise on cycling’s increased popularity since lockdown.

The shop, situated in the former Fulton’s Food unit on Leeds Road, has about 50 electric bikes in store, with more coming soon. Brands include Raleigh, Cube and Moustache.

It also sells cycling accessories and has an in-store workshop that undertakes repairs for electric and non-electric bikes.

Some of the bikes for sale.

The bikes range in price from £1,600 to £8,000 and contain rechargeable batteries that can last for between 20 and 70 miles.

It is The Electric Bike Shop’s ninth shop in England. Five have opened in the last 18 months, highlighting the impact of covid and environmental concerns on cycling participation.

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Kurt Davison, who manages the Harrogate branch, has been working in the electric bike market for eight years. He said:

“I’ve seen the industry grow and grow and it is now at a stage where it is no longer pigeon-holed as something for older people or people who don’t usually ride. Electric bikes make hills and headwind enjoyable!”

Harrogate Electric Bikes already operates in Harrogate and some other bike shops also include a selection of electric bikes.

The shop is in the former Fulton’s Foods unit on Leeds Road.

Alan Fowler, retail director of the Electric Bike Shop, said the quality of electric bikes had improved significantly in the last five years.

He added the product was well suited to Harrogate because it contained commuters to York and Leeds as well as pleasure riders in the Yorkshire Dales. He said:

“Harrogate suits our demographic really well.”

The shop employs three staff and plans to recruit one more.

Workers have this week begun to demolish the old Lookers car dealership on Knaresborough Road, Harrogate, to make way for a new Lidl supermarket.

Councillors granted planning permission to the German chain in August to build the supermarket, and six months later work is finally underway.

It’s the first Lidl to open in Harrogate, although there is already one in Knaresborough.

The multi-million-pound proposal includes a 1,263 square metre sales area, an in-store bakery, customer toilets and 94 parking spaces.

A CGI image of how the supermarket will look.

The new store will be open from 8am to 10pm Monday to Saturday and 10am to 4pm on Sunday.

A public consultation for the store revealed 87% of more than 1,000 responses supported it.

The Stray Ferret asked Lidl for an expected opening date but we did not receive a response at the time of publication.

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Pupils from six Harrogate schools have said what they love about Harrogate in a new film that aims to pull more people into the town centre.

Children from St Peter’s, Coppice Valley, Birstwith and Admiral Long, Oatlands, Richard Taylor and Western primary schools took centre stage in the ‘I Love Harrogate’ film.

The film is being projected onto the window of an empty shop window on the side of Victoria Shopping Centre, across from Beulah Street, until February 23.

It aims to capture the imagination of some of Harrogate’s youngest residents and encourage more people town.

Paul Griffiths, head of St Peter’s Church of England Primary School said:

“We were delighted to be invited to contribute to this video, and our children really enjoyed saying why they love Harrogate.

“We are very fortunate to live in Harrogate, and even luckier that our school is in the middle of the town. On our doorstep we have The Stray, the library and its gardens, and of course all the great shops, restaurants and entertainment venues, all within a short walk.”

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The installation has been put on by Harrogate Business Improvement District. The BID is currently offering grants to entertainers with a “wow factor” to liven up Harrogate town centre’s streets.

It is hoping more events and installations will drive footfall into the town centre. It is offering the grants in order to cover any costs incurred as long as the idea satisfies funding criteria.

Matthew Chapman, Harrogate BID manager, said:

“The I love Harrogate video is the first in a series of films that we are making with those who live and work in the town. It is also a reminder that for many years Harrogate has been held up as one of the happiest places to live.

“I love Harrogate will be shown on a continuous loop in the window of the empty shop unit, and we hope those who star in it will encourage their family and friends to come into town to view it, and of course to take the opportunity to shop, eat and drink.”

Thieves threatened a resident then stole a white Ford Focus from the Fairways Drive area in Starbeck.

The man heard his car alarm go off at about 7.30pm on Monday and when he went to investigate he was threatened by suspects who then made off with his vehicle.

The car was a white Ford Focus RS with blue puddle and interior lights.

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