A vegan restaurant chain with three sites in Manchester is set to open a fourth site in Harrogate.

Vertigo, which describes itself as a plant-based eatery, has started to fit out the former Stevie’s Bar unit under the Everyman Cinema on Station Parade.

It is unclear exactly when the restaurant will open but the company has said it will be “very soon”.

Although many restaurants have vegan options in Harrogate, it is believed this will be the only dedicated vegan restaurant in town.

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The new venue will have 55 seats and be open for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Other Vertigo restaurants serve burgers, bao buns, jackfruit and blackbeen chilli, sweet potato dhal, falafel bowls and more.

The Harrogate menu will also include coffee, cakes and natural wines.

A Harrogate children’s clothing shop may be forced to remove its iconic bears after they became the target of vandals.

Milk and Honey of Harrogate, on Cheltenham Parade, has displayed the bears outside for five years but in the last couple of months they have suffered a lot of damage.

Sarah Elizabeth Wood, the shop manager, takes in the smaller bears overnight and locks the largest bear with a chain locked but even this is not enough to deter troublemakers.

Following the latest attack, which happened just after 3am on Sunday morning, Mrs Wood is considering whether the bears should remain.

CCTV footage from the night showed three people, believed to be teenage boys, attack the bear with a stick before pulling it to the floor and jumping on it.

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Mrs Wood told the Stray Ferret:

“I do think the red carpet and the bears help us get customers because it makes us stand out.

“Everyone who walks past at least comments on the bears or takes a photo with them. So it would just be really sad if we have to take them away.

“I don’t think the bears can take anymore. One more weekend of them being ravaged like that and they will have to go.”

Mrs Wood has tried to repair the broken feet and ears of the bears but she fears that if they are damaged again they may become unstable and fall on people.

She put out a post on Facebook yesterday evening warning that the bears days may be numbered.

The post has had hundreds of reactions, with many people sharing stories of their time with the bears.

Ripon’s Jack Laugher goes for gold at the Olympics tomorrow — but the diving boards at the Harrogate Hydro pool where he used to train have been out of use for eight months.

Laugher began his career with Harrogate District Diving Club, as did Oliver Dingley, who represents Ireland in the Olympic diving tomorrow.

The top club has seen an increase in the number of young people interested in taking up the sport since the Tokyo games began.

But the diving boards at the Hydro, which is owed by Harrogate Borough Council, have been out of action since November last year after cracks were found in the concrete supports.

It means local young divers who aspire to be the next Jack Laugher are having to make do with a mobile one-metre board or travel to another pool in West Yorkshire.

Families have expressed frustration at the apparent lack of urgency to resolve the matter.

Today Richard Cooper, the Conservative leader of Harrogate Borough Council, which owns the Hydro, described the situation as “concerning” and called for a report to be produced within weeks.

In an article on the Community News website run by Andrew Jones, the Conservative MP for Harrogate and Knaresborough, Cllr Cooper said:

“This is very concerning and I am hoping to see a further detailed report within the next few weeks with recommendations as to how we can move forward.

“Clearly the safety of customers is paramount and the boards cannot be opened until they are made safe.”

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The Stray Ferret asked the council for an update on when the boards will be repaired.

A council spokesperson said there had been no update since its previous statement this month, which said:

“Unfortunately, during a routine inspection of the diving board platform at The Hydro in Harrogate, cracks in the concrete were discovered.

“A further independent survey was carried out to establish the stability, integrity and durability of the diving structure.

“Results show that the diving platform should not be used until work has been carried out.

“We are exploring possible options and will have an update in due course.”

A plan to open Harrogate’s first Lidl supermarket looks set to be given the green light.

Harrogate Borough Council officers have recommended the proposal for Knaresborough Road is approved at a planning committee meeting on Tuesday next week.

If councillors ratify this, it would pave the way for the store to be built on the former Lookers car dealership site.

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

It would open from 8am to 10pm Monday to Saturday and 10am to 4pm on Sunday.

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Lidl has also submitted plans for a new store in Ripon.

The German supermarket chain has lodged proposals for a store at St Michael’s Retail Park in the city.

Earlier this month, the application won the support of Ripon City Council.

Cllr Andrew Williams, leader of the city council, said:

“It will bring 40 new jobs, increase choice for Ripon’s residents and also serve our growing population, with the new homes that we have coming on stream.”

Harrogate Cricket Club overcame Wetherby Carr Manor to win the Addison Cup in Knaresborough last night.

The Addison Cup, which is contested by the top 16 teams in the Harrogate and District Amateur Evening Cricket League, is one of the oldest cricket competitions in the world, dating back to 1922.

Harrogate scored 131 for 7 in their 20 overs then limited Wetherby Carr Manor to 99 all out.

Harrogate’s hero was captain Will Bates, who was named man of the match for scoring 59 in a game in which runs were hard to come by.

Will Bates collects his man of the match award.

Skilful, accurate bowling by Harrogate’s opening bowlers led to early wickets and the match was effectively over by the halfway stage of Wetherby Carr Manor’s innings.

Clive Addison, grandson of Harry Addison, who the cup is named after, presented the trophy at Knaresborough Cricket Club on Aspin Lane.

Next year the event will celebrate its 100th year.

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Harrogate Clothes Bank will be without a permanent home at the end of this week, meaning services will be cut.

The charity provides free clothing for local people in need but its lease on a unit at McCarthy’s Storage World on Ripon Road, Harrogate is coming to an end.

It means the organisation will no longer be able to offer in-person appointments or accept public donations. It will, however, provide home deliveries.

Mike Procter, the charity’s co-ordinator, said the charity was likely to move its stock to a number of temporary locations until it found a permanent solution.

The clothes bank has already called for new accommodation but with no success. It is in need of a 1,200 square foot unit at an affordable rent.

The space also needs to be in an easily accessible location, ideally on a main bus route.

A Harrogate Clothes Bank Facebook post today said:

“Changes are coming at the clothes bank: Saturday 31st July is our last day at McCarthy’s Storage World before we move into temporary premises. Please call in to see us between 10.30 and 12.30 if you need our service, it will be your last chance to visit in person for a few weeks.

“We are unable to accept donations at the moment.”

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The clothes bank, which is run entirely by volunteers, was set up in 2016. Families in financial difficulty in Harrogate can get in touch on Facebook and inform the charity of its needs.

Mr Procter previously told the Stray Ferret:

“There are many reasons why people may need our help, it could be due to long-term financial issues or a crisis situation causing critical need such as escaping an abusive relationship.

“We will continue to help as many people as we can.”

A Harrogate woman has spoken of her anger at Yorkshire Housing for having to endure “unbearably hot” conditions in her flat since 2011.

Angela Sansom is the leaseholder of a flat on Kings Road in Harrogate. Yorkshire Housing, which is based in Leeds and owns and manages about 20,000 homes in Yorkshire, has the freehold.

Ms Sansom said work carried out on behalf of Yorkshire Housing on the roof and windows of the property in 2011 made the flat unbearably hot, with the temperature often reaching up to 29 degrees centigrade.

She said the regular high temperatures and the time it has taken to resolve the issue has had a devastating impact on her mental health.

Fed up by how long the matter was taking to resolve, Ms Sansom opened an official complaint in June last year.

A surveyor’s report, commissioned by Yorkshire Housing in response to the complaint, recommended measures such as installing trickle vents and heat reflective solar films to reduce the impact of the sun.

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Now Yorkshire Housing has submitted a planning application to amend the initial works. It has admitted two roof vents should have been included in the original work 10 years ago and will now be installed alongside other measures.

Ms Sansom said:

“It has had a massive effect on my wellbeing. I’ve lived in this house for over 20 years so I know it’s the work that caused the problem. It became unbearable.

“It wasn’t getting any better so I knew I had to lodge the complaint.”

Ms Sansom said she was pleased the planning application has been submitted but disappointed by the way the matter has been handled. She said Yorkshire Housing should have done more to support her during the process.

A Yorkshire Housing spokesperson said:

“Work was carried out in 2011 to the roof and windows of one of our properties in Harrogate, this work was approved by planning and was undertaken in full accordance with building regulations.

“We have now submitted a planning application to make amendments to these works and to make sure the leaseholder has a comfortable home and we hope work will begin in the coming weeks.

“Yorkshire Housing is meeting the full cost of all the works undertaken to help support the customers wellbeing and we’re still in touch through a dedicated contact to keep them updated on progress.”

A Harrogate wood carver has expressed disappointment after vandals ripped off the face of one of his sculptures.

Jonathan Sherwood, who operates under the trading name Sherwood Carving, created the red kite sculpture for Harrogate Sports & Fitness Centre.

The artwork stood proud in the Crimple Valley area of Harrogate for just two months before vandals damaged it last Tuesday.

As the missing piece could not be found, Mr Sherwood is going to try and recarve the head this evening. He told the Stray Ferret:

“I always try to make my carvings quite sturdy but unfortunately if someone really wants to do some damage then they are able to.

“Obviously it is disappointing. I was quite surprised to see it like that. I am fully booked with work so I will have to go in the evening to have a look.

“Hopefully I will be able to recarve it by moving the position of the bird’s head slightly.”

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Local resident Mike Ulman found the damage last week and posted pictures of it on a community Facebook page.

The post prompted numerous comments from people sharing Mr Sherwood’s disappointment and questioning the motivations of whoever was responsible.

Six of the social distancing planters that were in Harrogate town centre during covid restrictions look set to be moved to Starbeck High Street.

The planters, which occupied town centre parking spaces to the annoyance of some traders, were removed from James Street and Albert Street last week.

Harrogate Borough Council subsequently put out a call to local business owners interested in loaning the wooden boxes.

Andrew Hart, who owns the post office in Starbeck, said the council had agreed this morning to loan him six planters, providing he can get a pavement licence from North Yorkshire County Council, which he hopes will be a formality.

Mr Hart plans to put the planters outside the former McColl’s supermarket building, which was destroyed by fire three years ago. He said it has been an “eyesore” ever since.

Mr Hart said there would be enough space on the pavement for wheelchairs and prams to pass.

He added:

“The planters will distract the eye [from the McColl’s building], especially for people driving through Starbeck.”

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The flowers have been wilting in the sun at the council’s nursery on Harlow Hill in Harrogate because the council said it did not have the resources to water them properly.

Mr Hart has agreed to pay the council £40 per planter to put fresh flowers in the boxes. Once they arrive in Starbeck, they will be watered and maintained by volunteers.

The council bought the planters after receiving £144,411 from the European Regional Development Fund to boost high streets during the covid pandemic.

However, as a condition of using the EU money, the planters cannot be placed on privately-owned land and must be branded with the ERDF and HMG logos before being returned to the council by March next year.