Former Harrogate editor given freedom of the borough

The former editor of the Harrogate Advertiser has been made an honorary freeman of the borough after 41 years in local journalism.

Harrogate Borough Council bestowed the honour on Jean MacQuarrie, who stepped down from her role this year, at an extraordinary council meeting on Wednesday.

Ms MacQuarrie was editor for 33 years and also served as editor-in-chief of JPIMedia’s Yorkshire weeklies.

She was also involved in many local organisations including Saint Michael’s Hospice, the Army Foundation College independent advisory board, Harrogate Business Luncheon Club, Harrogate BID and the Yorkshire Agricultural Society.

Ms MacQuarrie said: 

“For my work in Harrogate and the wider district to be recognised in this way is amazing, and I am very grateful to all the councillors for granting me this, their highest honour.

“I supported many organisations throughout the district, whether that was to help them raise funds, or raise the profile of their work by shining a light on what they were trying to achieve.

“But to be honest, it was easy, because the Harrogate district is full of inspiring, enthusiastic and generous people who are committed to supporting others.”

She added: 

“Local newspapers are all about being a champion for your town and district, highlighting the positives and also challenging and campaigning when you and your readers see something that is wrong.

“I have worked with some great people over the years, and always been lucky to have a good team around me. I had some exceptional editorial leaders too, who gave me free rein to edit the newspapers in the way I wanted to.

“I particularly enjoyed mentoring and encouraging talented young journalists and watching their careers flourish.”

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The title of honorary freeman is the highest honour the borough can bestow and was last awarded in 2012 to Jonathan Wild, former chairman and chief executive of Bettys and Taylors of Harrogate.

Speaking at the meeting, Cllr Richard Cooper, leader of Harrogate Borough Council, said: 

“Jean has been an unstinting champion for all things in the Harrogate district for decades.

“She ensured that our area’s song was sung, that local events were supported week in, week out, that campaigns to make our area better enjoyed a high profile and that our businesses were enthusiastically promoted.

“Jean has also made an outstanding contribution to the development of young and upcoming journalists.

“Over the decades I have been involved in local politics, I have seen many young journalists working on the local paper. I have seen them grow and move on to bigger things.

“This doesn’t happen by accident. It happens because there is an exceptional person nurturing them. And that person is Jean MacQuarrie.”

Harrogate Town hit Scunthorpe for six

Harrogate Town had one of their best days ever today when they destroyed Scunthorpe United 6-1.

In front of a record home league crowd of 3,180, Town were 5-0 up by half time as the visitors from Lincolnshire were cut apart time and again.

Scunthorpe pulled one back in the 79th minute but had a man sent off two minutes later and then conceded a sixth when Danilo Orsi fired home an 83rd minute penalty.

The result puts Town second in League Two, just a point behind leaders Forest Green, who lost today.

Two goals each from Jack Muldoon and Alex Pattison, plus one from Jack Diamond, put Harrogate fans in dreamland by half-time.

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Young man dies in North Stainley after falling from ride-on mower

A young man died suddenly in North Stainley yesterday after reportedly falling from a ride-on mower.

Police, fire and ambulance crews were called to the scene during the afternoon.

The man, in his 20s, from Northallerton, was certified dead at the scene.

A statement from North Yorkshire Police said:

“It is believed the man had fallen from a ride-on mower, and suffered serious injuries.

“Enquiries are ongoing, but there are not believed to be any suspicious circumstances surrounding the incident.”

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Man sentenced for possessing knife in Harrogate church

A man has been given a suspended sentence for possessing a knife in a Harrogate church.

Christopher Earle, 46, was charged under the Criminal Justice Act 1988 with having a yellow kitchen knife without good reason or lawful authority in St John’s Church, Bilton Lane, on September 17.

Earle, of Dragon Avenue, appeared before Harrogate Magistrates Court for sentencing on Thursday.

He was sentenced to four months in prison suspended for 18 months.

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He was also ordered to pay a victims’ surcharge of £128 and £40 costs to the Crown Prosecution Service.

The court took into account Earle’s guilty plea when imposing the sentence.

Rev Simon Dowson, rector of the church, told the Stray Ferret he wasn’t aware of anyone having a knife in the church but the incident may have happened in the church grounds.

Steakhouse set to open at empty Harrogate restaurant

A steakhouse is set to open early next year on the site of a restaurant that became one of the earliest business victims of coronavirus in Harrogate.

Tomahawk Steakhouse currently has restaurants in London, York and Newcastle and the owner expects it to make its Harrogate debut in January.

The new eatery will take the place of Bistrot Pierre on Cheltenham Parade, which was directly above Sukhothai.

Co-founder Howard Eggleston has been planning to bring his steakhouse brand to Harrogate for four years and feels this location presents the ideal opportunity.

It will create 25 jobs.

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Mr Eggleston told the Stray Ferret:

“We are quite far down the line on this one. We have the furniture already and we are keen to get started.

“Harrogate is a nice place which I know well, I visit quite regularly. There’s some competition in town but we are bringing something different.

“We are all about the food, not the bells and whistles for decorations. We serve the finest Himalayan salt dry-aged steaks and a lot more.”

The Tomahawk Group has expanded significantly during covid and now has 18 sites, with a further seven, including Harrogate, opening soon.

Birstwith Duck Race returns tomorrow

Birstwith Duck Race returns tomorrow after a five-year absence with around 1,000 toy ducks set to race to the finish line in this wacky village tradition.

The ducks will be dropped off Packhorse bridge, a village beauty spot, into the River Nidd and race downstream towards the finish line just before the weir.

The village tradition was first held in 2013 in conjunction with neighbouring Hampsthwaite but the course took over three hours to complete so the villages decided to do it independently instead.

But this will be the first one in Birstwith for five years.

The event starts at midday with tea, coffee and cake available in the show field, next to Kerry’s mill, and the ducks are due to be dropped at 2pm.

Organisers from Birstwith Horticultural Society and Birstwith in Bloom have said the ducks normally take about an hour to get to the finish line.

They added lots of tickets have been sold so they are expecting a few hundred people to visit.

Amy Howard, who sits on both committees, said:

“People have gone mad for the ducks, we haven’t had any village events for five years so I think everyone is excited to get out there again.

“It’ll be nice to welcome people back into the area.”

After the event, people are invited to The Station Hotel for food outside.

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Highways boss: No ‘exact date’ for completion of Otley Road cycle path

The transport boss for Harrogate has said there is still no completion date for the Otley Road cycle path, despite construction finally starting after nearly three years of delays.

Cllr Don Mackenzie, executive member for access at North Yorkshire County Council, said he was unable to give any “exact dates” for the completion of the project, which started last month with work on a first phase between Harlow Moor Road and Arthur’s Avenue.

This phase will be completed in late November but covers only a small section of the entire route, which is designed to connect the town centre with Cardale Park.

Cllr Mackenzie said the uncertainties over the end date were due to negotiations with the government and the Duchy of Lancaster – the landowners of the Stray – over the use of grass verges protected by law.

There are also ongoing talks with housebuilders that have promised to contribute cash – and the outcomes will depend on the publication of the West Harrogate Parameters Plan, a major planning document that has also been long delayed.

Cllr Don Mackenzie, executive councillor for highways at North Yorkshire County Council.

Cllr Don Mackenzie, executive member for access at North Yorkshire County Council.

Cllr Mackenzie said: 

“The bylaws required to complete phase one and two have been submitted to the Secretary of State for confirmation, who has agreed the new bylaws in principle.

“Phase three – from Harlow Moor Road to Cardale Park – relies on developer funding from the west of Harrogate urban extension. Plans are currently being worked on which will then lead to more detailed planning, including a feasibility study.

“Since the timescale for the construction of the western end of the cycle path between Harlow Moor Road and Cardale Park depends on developer funding and further work on the parameters plan for the west of Harrogate, we cannot yet provide exact dates.”

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Frustration among cyclists

The cycle path is part of a package of sustainable transport measures for the west of Harrogate, which were first announced in 2018 and will cost £4.6m once completed.

But three years on – and after the delays caused by consultations and utility works – campaigners who have supported the project have now expressed frustration at still not knowing any kind of target completion date.

Kevin Douglas, chairman of Harrogate District Cycle Action, said it was “great news” that the works were finally underway, but added he was “disappointed” that the public could not be told when they will be finished.

He said: 

“The worry is that only a small part of the project will be completed and people will look at it and think it is not doing the job we wanted.

“The idea was that the cycle path will link Cardale Park with the town centre.

“That is the council’s ambition, but it needs to be done in one go to make it effective and so people can use it, rather than it looking like it is not going to be of any benefit.

“I am pleased it has started and hopefully it is going to run smoothly, but not being able to say when it is all going to be finished is disappointing.

“There is going to be a huge number of houses on Otley Road and having a complete cycle lane when these new residents move in would be a big plus.

“Whereas now, it may be that the cycle lane comes sometime later.”

Man jailed for murder of 22-year-old Harrogate woman

A man has been jailed for the murder of Harrogate woman Anna Reed.

Ms Reed, 22, a former Ashville College student, was found strangled in her bed in a hotel in Switzerland in 2019.

Marc Shatzle, 32, was jailed for 18 years at a court in Lugano.

Schatzle, a German traveller, denied murdering Ms Reed.

Judge Mauro Ermani rejected Schätzle’s claim that Reed died during a sex game that went wrong, The Times reported.

It is believed Mr Schatzle met Ms Reed when she was travelling around the world as a 21st birthday present from her father, Clive, a Harrogate racehorse breeder.

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Harrogate town centre to be ‘lit up with literature’

A pair of bicycles are to ride around Harrogate town centre projecting images and handing out free books to promote the forthcoming Raworths Harrogate Literature Festival.

The bikes will set off at around twilight on Friday, October 15 as part of the build-up to the festival, which takes place from October 21 to 24.

The three-wheeled cargo bikes are attached to projectors and stereo systems. Riders will hand out a selection of novels by inviting people they pass to ‘stop me and book one’.

Harrogate International Festivals chief executive Sharon Canavar said:

“Last year, we lit up the Raworths office on Station Parade. This year, we are taking our message to the streets.

“Two special bikes will be riding around the town projecting animations onto buildings and pavements. And for those who stop them, they will not be presented with ices or lollies, but free books.

“These mini mobile cinemas are great fun and a terrific excuse for families to bring out their torches, head into Harrogate, and be part of an entertaining and illuminating experience.”

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This year’s festival speakers include Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York, former Labour Party leader Ed Miliband, comedian and broadcaster Robin Ince, ‘Dogfather’ Graeme Hall, 2020 Costa Book of the Year winner Monique Roffey and former chief prosecutor, Nazir Afzal

Harrogate’s Great Yorkshire Show to remain four-day event

The Great Yorkshire Show in Harrogate is to remain a four-day event next year.

Event organisers Yorkshire Agricultural Society confirmed today next year’s show will be held from July 12 to July 15.

The event was first held over four days for the first time ever this year in order to comply with covid regulations.

It meant a significantly reduced capacity each day but the format proved popular with tickets selling out. Prince Charles paid a surprise visit in glorious sunshine.

Next year’s show will follow the same measures, including limits on attendance and tickets being purchased in advance.

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The daily programme of events will be finalised early next year.

Nigel Pulling, chief executive of the society said: 

“The pandemic forced us to change the way we did things at the show and there was not one section of the Great Yorkshire Show that was unchanged. This pressed a reset button on our whole operations and some of these changes were so successful, they are here to stay.

“Spreading the event over four days was met with an overwhelmingly positive response from our exhibitors, visitors and staff. Visitors felt that more space to navigate the showground made their whole show experience more enjoyable, while for exhibitors, four days and shorter hours meant they felt less pressurised.”

Tickets will be on sale from November 1.