Harrogate teen guilty of stealing four Canada Goose coats

An 18-year-old man from Harrogate has been fined for stealing four Canada Goose coats, worth £2,040.  

William Davey, who appeared at Harrogate Magistrates Court, denied the theft.  

But at Monday’s hearing he was found guilty of stealing the coats from a flat on Swan Road in Harrogate on September 4 last year.

Davey, of Malden Road was sentenced to 125 hours of community service.

Read more:

He will also ordered to pay £680 compensation, a surcharge of £95 to fund victim services and costs of £620 to the Crown Prosecution Service. 

Davey was also charged with driving an uninsured vehicle that he was not authorised to drive on Leyland Road, Harrogate, on February 1 last year.

He pleaded not guilty to these charges, and the cases were adjourned until September 5.

Cuts to Harrogate fire crews would ‘put money before lives’, says ex-firefighter

A former firefighter and now councillor has hit out at proposals to cut the number of night-time fire engines in Harrogate to just one.

Independent councillor Sid Hawke, who worked as a retained firefighter for North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service in Ripon, said the plans would “put money before lives”.

Harrogate fire station currently has two fire engines operating 24 hours a day, but this could be reduced to just one at night under the proposals out to consultation.

Last night both appliances were summoned to fires in commercial bins in Harrogate town centre — this will not be possible if the proposals go ahead.

North Yorkshire Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner Zoë Metcalfe is asking residents for their views on the plans as part of county-wide proposals, which she said would save over £1.5 million a year – yet she insisted they are not cost-cutting measures.

Cllr Hawke, an Independent member of Harrogate Borough Council and newly-elected mayor of Ripon, said:

“You can’t put money before lives.

“It’s a big town is Harrogate. If there were two shouts at one go, what would the fire station do?

“They could call in support, but that would be from Boroughbridge, Thirsk or anywhere, and somebody could lose their life in that time.”

Read more:

Cllr Hawke left the fire service around 10 years ago and said it does not receive the financial support it needs to respond to emergencies quickly. He has called on Ms Metcalfe, a Conservative, to scrap the proposals and instead increase the number of fire engines and staff.

Cllr Hawke said: 

“I don’t care how much could be saved – there is money in budgets elsewhere to be dug into without putting lives at risk.

“I think we need more firefighters – I really do.”

Fire service ‘has changed’

The proposals are detailed within a document which sets out how the fire service will deploy staff and equipment over the next three years.

The Risk and Resource Model has been drawn up based on “extensive risk assessments” looking at the likelihood and severity of emergencies including fires, road traffic collisions and water related incidents.

The document is out to consultation until August 14 and Ms Metcalfe said it reflected a changing role for the fire service.

Ms Metcalfe, who is also a Harrogate borough councillor, said there is higher demand for services during daytime hours in Harrogate and that fire-related incidents now make up a small proportion of what the fire service does.

She said: 

“The role of a fire and rescue service has changed and continues to change, with only 26% of our incidents last year relating to a fire emergency.

“We want to ensure we are addressing our current and future challenges and that we have the capacity to prevent and protect to stop incidents happening in the first place and prevent harm before it can take place, while also having the capacity to respond to emergencies when they do take place.

“We are confident these proposals would do that.”

Harrogate district given toilet twinning status by national charity

Harrogate has become the first district in the UK to achieve toilet twinning status thanks to a group of campaigners.

Soroptimist International of Harrogate and District arranged for the title to be given by national charity Tearfund’s Toilet Twinning project.

It aims to provide safe toilet facilities, along with education about sanitation, for people in developing countries by encouraging people in the UK to sponsor a toilet in Asia, Africa or the Americas.

The Harrogate district has now twinned with 36 individual toilets and a block of four toilets in low income countries, equating to £2,400 donated by local schools and businesses, Harrogate Borough Council and the Soroptimists themselves.

The certificate was presented by the group’s president, Val Hills, and Toilet Twinning project leader Sue Williams, to outgoing Mayor and Mayoress of the Harrogate district, Cllr Trevor Chapman and his wife Jen.

Ms Hills said:

“We are delighted to achieve toilet twinning status for the Harrogate district which, we believe, is the first district to be given the award in the country.”

Read more:

 

Two teenagers arrested after six deliberate bin fires in Harrogate

Two teenagers have been arrested following six deliberate bin fires in Harrogate town centre last night.

Fire crews were called to multiple blazes involving commercial bins behind retail units, which tied up the service for two hours.

Both fire engines attended — something that won’t be possible if proposed cuts to overnight services go ahead.

Crews were called at 8.17pm last night to reports of a fire on Cambridge Street in the town centre.

Firefighters said the blaze was started deliberately by youths.

The fire was put out using hose reel jets and crews left the incident with North Yorkshire Police.

A statement from Harrogate fire station on its Facebook page said:

“Both Harrogate fire appliances were tied up for two hours last night in Harrogate.

“Crews dealt with six separate large commercial bin fires at the back of retail premises which potentially could have spread to buildings.

“Police were notified and multiple arrests took place. These unnecessary fires tie up our resources taking us away from us other incidents.”

North Yorkshire Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner, Zoe Metcalfe, is currently considering plans to reduce the number of appliances at Harrogate Fire Station to one at night.

This morning, North Yorkshire Police confirmed two boys, aged 17 and 14, were arrested on suspicion of arson. They have since been released under investigation.

A statement from the force added:

“Police are requesting the public’s assistance to help establish the full circumstances surrounding the incident.

“Anyone with information that could assist the investigation should contact North Yorkshire Police on 101 and quote reference number 12220090536.”

Harrogate firefighters have dealt with a spate of bin fires in Harrogate town centre this week.

On Wednesday, they responded to reports of a bin fire on Bower Street under the railway track at 8.11pm. The cause is unknown.

Read more:

Crews responded to deliberate blazes on both Cambridge Street and Oxford Street on Monday evening.

The fire on Oxford Street was started in a bin close to commercial buildings.

A spokesman for Harrogate fire station said they believed the fires were deliberately started by the same people and have informed the police.

Fire ravages former dairy in Harrogate district

A log burning stove is believed to have caused a fire at a former dairy building in the Harrogate district.

Firefighters from Harrogate and Knaresborough were called to the building at North Rigton at 4.45pm yesterday.

Harrogate fire station said in a social media post last night:

“Crews extinguished the fire using breathing apparatus, hose reel jets, thermal imaging camera, Harrogate’s aerial ladder platform and Tadcaster’s Water Bowser.

“Fire was believed to be caused by a log burning stove.”

More pictures from the scene taken by Harrogate firefighters

North Rigton fire

Read more:

North Rigton fireNorth Rigton fire

Rural property firm opens office in Boroughbridge

Rural property firm GSC Grays has opened a new office in Boroughbridge.

The High Street branch, which opened on Monday, is the company’s ninth office to open in the past 10 years.

It now employs over 100 people, mainly in the north of England. Twenty-three are based at the Boroughbridge branch, five of whom have been newly recruited. 

A number of the farm and land management consultants are from the local area, and some members of staff grew up or live on farms.  

Managing director Guy Coggrave said:  

“This gives us exceptional expertise at a time when the farming industry is dealing with the impact of the Agricultural Transition Plan, the biggest change in agricultural policy in half a century.”

GSC Grays specialises in land and farming, estate agency, planning and development, and environment and sustainability.  

HSBC and Harrogate BID install third contactless donation point for Street Aid

A third contactless donation point for Street Aid has been installed by HSBC and Harrogate Business Improvement District in Harrogate town centre.  

The ‘tap terminal’ encourages people to make donations to Street Aid, which supports people in Harrogate who have experienced homelessness.  

The most recent donation point is in the Cambridge Street branch of HSBC, where donations from £3 to £20 can be made via a contactless payment.  

The new donation point in HSBC

Linda Lewis, senior network manager at HSBC, said:  

“It’s our pleasure to be part of this scheme and house the third Street Aid terminal.  

“Since its installation, I’ve seen a number of customers tapping it with either a card or a phone to make a donation.” 

The scheme was launched in October 2019, after research was conducted by Harrogate Borough Council, North Yorkshire Police, Harrogate Homeless Project and North Yorkshire Horizons.  

Since then, the charity has raised over £20,000 through online donations and the three donation points. 

The two other stations are in the Oxford Street M&S window and in Victoria shopping centre. 

Harrogate BID manager Matthew Chapman said:  

“We are delighted to throw our weight behind the Street Aid scheme, which helps those who are genuinely in need get back on their feet. 

“We want Harrogate to be known as a friendly, caring, welcoming town.” 

Money raised has been administered by Two Ridings Community Foundation to fund items for 28 individuals, ranging from fishing equipment, furniture, a gym membership, bikes and clothing.  

Pret a Manger set to open in Harrogate tomorrow

A new branch of Pret a Manger is set to open its doors in Harrogate tomorrow morning.

The sandwich and coffee shop on James Street will welcome customers from 7.30am, signs in the window reveal.

Rumours of the chain’s arrival began to circulate at the beginning of the year, as reported by the Stray Ferret.

It was not until April the company confirmed it would be opening in the unit formerly occupied by Messums Gallery.

Read more:

Meanwhile, Skipton Building Society has confirmed its new Cambridge Street branch will open tomorrow as well.

The company has moved from Princes Street to part of the building previously occupied by Topshop and Topman, which has been split into smaller units.

Part of it is now a Sainsbury’s Local, and the remaining section of the building on the ground floor is still unoccupied, but an application has been made by Cosy Club for a licence to open a bar there.

Harrogate’s Old Courthouse could become townhouses

Plans have been lodged to convert the Old Courthouse in Harrogate town centre into three townhouses.

The building on Raglan Street was previously occupied by Stowe Family Law, which vacated the property for another site in town in February this year.

Proposals have now been tabled by Park Design Architects to convert the site from offices into two three-bedroom and one two-bedroom townhouse.

Six car parking spaces are also included in the plans.

The developer said in documents submitted to the council that the site was a “sustainable location” for new homes.

It said:

“Overall, the site is located within a highly sustainable area and will utilise existing car parking provision to serve the proposed use, with easy access to alternative means of transport other than the private car to support sustainable travel.”

Harrogate Borough Council will make a decision on the proposal at a later date.

Read more:

The original building was built in 1857 and was initially a police house for the town.

This was later demolished and replaced with a courthouse, which was used by justices of the borough until 1991.

Stowe Family Law moved into the property as tenants in 2004.

Special Harrogate cat helps Jessica, 16, with seizures

A special cat from Harrogate is in the running for a national award for helping her companion Jessica Swift cope with various health conditions.

Jessica, who is 16, has a chromosome disorder known as 15q11.2 deletion, as well as autism, epilepsy, learning disabilities and disordered eating.

Her best friend is Max, a male seven-year-old tabby.

During the night Jessica sometimes has seizures and Max will run to her parents to let them know that she needs help. After she’s had a seizure, the devoted mog will cuddle up and comfort her.

Sometimes Jessica has to spend time in hospital and mum Zoe Curtis said that at such times Max is not himself, and that he paces around and jumps into her arms as soon as she gets home.

Ms Curtis said:

“Max and Jessica are inseparable, and they get so much enjoyment from each other’s company.

“Jessica can sometimes have seizures in the night, and we have an alarm to let us know when this is happening. But Max is often already on the case, running to us to let us know we need to come and help Jessica. After she’s had a seizure, he’ll cuddle up close to her, which is such a comfort for her.

“Max has his own health problems, as he has a heart condition which needs daily medication. Jessica will hold him while I give him his tablet – there’s no one else he’ll allow to do that.

“Jessica will have little tea parties for her toys, and Max always joins in. The love they have for each other is clear for everyone to see. In Max, Jessica has a best friend and a constant companion.”

Read more:

Max has been named as a finalist in Cats Protection’s National Cat Awards 2022.

He beat hundreds of other entries and is one of three contenders in the Furr-ever Friends category, which celebrates the bond between children and cats.

Cats Protection’s awards organiser Kate Bunting said:

“It’s truly heartwarming to hear of the incredible bond Jessica and Max share, and how they care for each other. Their story really highlights what an amazing effect cats can have on the lives of people of all ages.”

If Max wins his category, he will also be in with a chance of being crowned National Cat of the Year.

Bird flu forces cancellation of poultry classes at Great Yorkshire Show

All poultry classes at this year’s Great Yorkshire Show have been cancelled because of government attempts to prevent the spread of bird flu.

National restrictions remain in place and, with a confirmed outbreak in Nottinghamshire last weekend, the ban on bird gatherings will not be lifted in time for the show, which takes place from Tuesday, July 12 to Friday, July 15.

Organisers the Yorkshire Agricultural Society had been working closely with the Animal and Plant Health Agency to try to make the poultry classes possible, but said they now have “no other option” but to cancel.

Show director Charles Mills said:

“We are so sorry to disappoint our poultry exhibitors and really want to extend our support in these difficult times.

“Unfortunately, we have no other option than to cancel the poultry classes this year due to the restrictions, but we will be staging an egg show for any interested exhibitors.”

The decision will not affect pigeon competitions or bird of prey demonstrations, which will go ahead as planned.

Read more:

The show has previously had to cancel classes for other animals because of concerns about the spread of disease.

In 2019, pig classes were called off after an animal at another event showed signs of illness.

During the foot and mouth outbreak of 2001, the entire show was cancelled for the first time since the second world war.

This year’s event runs for four days – only the second time in its history to do so, after being extended in 2021 to spread crowds over a longer period.

Among the special guests will be Princess Anne, who will attend on the Tuesday.