At more than 14 feet, is this Harrogate’s tallest sunflower?

A seven-year-old Harrogate girl has grown what could be the town’s tallest sunflower.

Eirwen Phoenix started nurturing the 14-foot plant when it was only a few inches tall, as part of a school project with the Kumon Centre in Harrogate.

She kept it on a sunny windowsill at first, tending to the plant every day. Soon it was strong enough to go outside.

After around two months the sunflower shot up and is now in full bloom with multiple heads.

It has grown so tall that Eirwen’s parents are concerned it might become a health and safety hazard.

It just kept growing and growing!

Harrogate experienced quite high winds last night and throughout today. So much so that the sunflower has started to lean quite considerably.

So there may just be a couple of days left to see the sunflower spectacle on East Parade near The Hearing Suite.

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An excited and proud Eirwen told the Stray Ferret:

“This sunflower is big, big, big! So maybe the seeds it will produce might be just as tall, maybe even bigger than this one.

“Maybe if there is less wind next time we can keep it up forever. I am not going to go for double, I want to try to reach 100 feet next time.”

Eirwen had to go upstairs to pose for the photo.

Sarah Phoenix, Eirwen’s mother, added:

“At the end of the summer holidays when Eirwen had to submit the final height to her school we had to get the stepladders out.

“Even then we couldn’t reach the top of it. At that point it was just short of 14 feet and it has grown even more since then as it has flowered.”

New food director as Crimple Hall nears completion of £4m refurb

Crimple Hall in Harrogate has appointed a director of food and drink to oversee a new restaurant as part of a £4 million refurbishment.

The family-owned business run by Graham and Tori Watson is expected to re-open in November.

The 19,525 sq ft food hall, restaurant, bistro and event space will seat over 160 people and offer indoor and outdoor event spaces for weddings, parties and corporate events.

Zak Jones, the former owner of The Chancery and The Clerkenwell Dining Room in London, has been hired to head up the restaurant.

As well as experience of running his own restaurant, Mr Jones has also worked alongside Marco Pierre White as general manager at L’Escargot in Greek Street Soho.

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Alongside the restaurant will be a 7,500 square feet food hall and the existing garden centre. The investment has lead to the creation of 60 jobs.

Mr Jones said:

“This is an incredible opportunity to build a first class restaurant with access to the best produce in the region and beyond.

“We have some really exciting plans for this remarkable venue and, as such, I am now looking for excellent restaurant team members to join me.”

The food hall will be open from 8am to 7pm. The restaurant and garden centre will open between 8am and 5pm – with the bar open until 7pm.

Police: no rise in far right activity in Harrogate district

North Yorkshire Police has said there is nothing to suggest an increase in far right activity in the Harrogate district despite several shocking incidents this year.

The Stray Ferret has reported three instances of swastikas and anti-semitic slogans appearing in Harrogate and Knaresborough in 2021, including one last weekend.

In addition, racist stickers appeared on the window of a disused shop on James Street in September.

A Freedom of Information request to the police revealed it had logged just five incidents of anti-Jewish hate crime in total in 2017, 2018 and 2019.

So far this year swastikas have appeared on Trefoil Drive and Bilton Lane in January, on the iron bridge in Bilton in August and on Knaresborough castle last weekend.

A North Yorkshire Police spokesperson said:

“These incidents are clearly abhorrent and disturbing. We can assure the local community that the police take such matters extremely seriously.

“It is unclear what the motivation was behind the recent incidents in Knaresborough, and it is not yet known if they are linked or have any connection with the previous incidents of this nature at Harrogate.

“However, there is nothing to suggest an increase in extreme right-wing ideologies or activity in the local area.”

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The constabulary urged residents to report hate-related incidents, such as graffiti and criminal damage, by dialling 101.

The Stray Ferret approached the Harrogate Hebrew congregation to ask if it had noticed any increase in ant-semitic activity but it declined to comment.

The swastikas and a vile anti-semitic message sprayed on Knaresborough castle last weekend have now been removed.

Police said a 49-year-old man was arrested in connection with the attacks in January and remains under investigation.

Harrogate district care homes fear job crisis over mandatory jabs

Care homes in the Harrogate district have sounded the alarm over a looming recruitment crisis over mandatory coronavirus vaccinations for staff.

Government legislation requiring all care home staff and volunteers to have had both jabs comes into force on November 11.

With the date approaching, the health watchdog Healthwatch North Yorkshire conducted a survey of 16 care homes in North Yorkshire and York about the impact of the legislation.

Most care homes supported the sentiment but expressed concerns about its impact.

The social care sector was experiencing staff shortages pre-pandemic and there are concerns that after a tough couple of years, mandatory vaccines will create another recruitment barrier.

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One care home told Healthwatch it expected to lose staff; another said it had been forced to turn down candidates and a third said it had created a bureaucratic burden on already overstretched staff.

The Coach House Nursing Home in Ripon said in the report:

“I do not agree with making vaccinations mandatory just for those working in a care home, while leaving it entirely open to any friend or relative of a resident to visit without vaccinations.

“This is yet another recruitment hurdle for providers to try to overcome along with the additional administrative burden in policing, enforcing and maintaining records of compliance.

“The impact of this legislation could be huge and widely felt, restricting agreed contractors, maintenance and servicing personnel, along with the effect on the hospitality side of care homes.”

Ashley Green, chief executive of Healthwatch North Yorkshire and Siân Balsom, Healthwatch York manager said in a joint statement:

“The concerns we’ve heard from care home managers aren’t a surprise, but some are very stark in their warnings of the impact of mandatory vaccinations.

“Care homes we spoke to question the decision where all healthcare staff and care home visitors don’t have to be vaccinated. There was strong sentiment that this is being seen as further unfair treatment of an undervalued sector.

“There is an irony that while almost all the care homes we spoke to recognise the importance of the vaccinations to protect vulnerable people, the new rules might put residents at risk due to staff shortages and low morale.”

Most acute recruitment crisis ever

The National Care Forum, which is the membership organisation for not-for-profit organisations in the care sector, has today written an open later to the government asking for support with what is describes as the worst job crisis in the sector’s history.

MHA, the UK’s largest charity care provider which has two care homes in Harrogate, is among the signatories of the letter.

The letter said:

“This is the most acute recruitment and retention crisis that we are aware of historically.

“It is the result of many years of underfunding in the sector, compounded by a number of other factors.

“That is including some staff exhausted from the pandemic and others moving to the NHS due to different approaches on mandatory vaccine regulations.”

The NCF called on the government to offer a retention bonus to care staff, welcome staff from overseas and launch a national recruitment campaign.

Harrogate and Knaresborough would be most underrepresented under unitary council proposals

Harrogate and Knaresborough residents would be the most underrepresented in North Yorkshire under proposals to change councillor boundaries for the county’s new unitary authority.

The proposal, which will be submitted to the government by the leader of North Yorkshire County Council, would see the number of councillors in Harrogate and Knaresborough reduced to 13 with each representing an average of 6,194 residents.

This would be higher than all other constituency areas in the county.

There would be an average of 5,546 residents per councillor in Skipton and Ripon, 5,472 in Selby and Ainsty, 5,169 in Richmondshire, 5,099 in Thirsk and Malton, and 5,005 in Scarborough and Whitby.

It would also mean one councillor in Cayton, Scarborough would represent 3,680 residents, while another in Knaresborough Castle and Aspin would serve almost double that with 6,690.

The boundary changes were agreed for submission to the government by county council leader Carl Les at a meeting on Tuesday when concerns were raised that residents’ voices would be diluted and councillors’ workloads increased.

‘Unfair on people of Harrogate and Knaresborough’

Liberal Democrat Cllr Philip Broadbank, who represents the Starbeck area on both Harrogate Borough Council and North Yorkshire County Council, said the proposals were “particularly unfair on the people of Harrogate and Knaresborough”.

He said: 

“It just doesn’t seem right that one particular area, for some unknown reason, should be at a disadvantage to the rest of them.

“I do accept that when we tell voters we are going to reduce the number of councillors, most of them will say ‘oh good’.

“But I get angry about this because it is such an important issue. Electoral balance is absolutely vital if we want this new council to work and people to accept it is going to be fair and balanced.

“I just don’t understand why such a large area of people should be underrepresented.”

Cllr Broadbank also put forward separate proposals to increase the number of Harrogate and Knaresborough members on the new authority to 14, which would reduce the average residents per councillor to below 6,000.

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However, this was shut down by Cllr John Weighell, who led a cross-party working which came up with the plans to be submitted to the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government for a decision.

Cllr Weighell said while he accepted some residents would be underrepresented, it would be “completely wrong” to break up town centre boundaries in Harrogate and Knaresborough.

‘Only way to maintain identity’

He also argued many currently serving councillors who sit on both Harrogate Borough Council and North Yorkshire County Council already manage their workloads for a similar amount of residents.

He said:

“I do accept underrepresentation, I always have, but I think this is absolutely the only way to maintain community identity.

“Of the 18 Harrogate and Knaresborough members currently in the borough council area, 16 are twin-hatted and that says everything really.

“Some people are saying ‘we can’t represent that number of residents’ – but they are doing it already.”

If approved by the government, the boundary changes would come into force when a shadow authority is elected to the new unitary council in March 2022.

The new arrangements would then stay in place until 2027 when the Boundary Commission will carry out a full review.

Across North Yorkshire, there would be 89 councillors serving the county’s 600,000 population.

This would be a higher proportion of representatives than the 99 that serve Leeds’ 800,000 residents, but a lower proportion than the 126 councillors who serve County Durham’s 425,000 population.

Harrogate’s Geek Retreat to create autism-friendly space

Local not-for-profit organisation Pride in Diversity has teamed up with Harrogate shop Geek Retreat to create an inclusive space for people with autism.

Geek Retreat describes itself as a ‘geek culture’ venue that specialises in items such as comics, trading card games, board games and video games.

It recently opened a branch on Oxford Street in the unit that housed the Early Learning Centre for years.

Pride in Diversity, which promotes diversity, will train Geek Retreat staff about how to ensure autistic people have a positive time whilst visiting.

It will also build a stim kit to help relieve tension for autistic people and an autism-inclusive activity time will take place on Sundays along with LGBTQIA evenings on Tuesdays.

Geek Retreat will host art from Pride in Diversity’s Speaking Out campaign, which includes oral history recordings, objects and photographs from Harrogate’s LGBTQIA community.

Laura Hellfield, a director at Pride in Diversity, said:

“The partnership between us at Pride in Diversity and Geek Retreat was a quick decision as we share a vision of creating inclusive and accepting spaces. Soon we will be launching an Autism Inclusive session on Sundays. Inclusive sessions let those in the Autistic community know that they matter and deserve a place to enjoy and that has been adjusted to meet their needs.

“These sessions will be incredibly valuable for those coming to make like-minded friendships and to simply have fun while crafting and playing board games together.”

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Live: Harrogate district traffic and travel

Good morning and welcome back to the traffic and travel blog. It’s Leah with you this morning, hoping to help you avoid any problems by road or rail.

Give me a call on 01423 276197 or get in touch on social media if you spot anything on the roads or are waiting for a delayed bus or train.

The morning blogs are brought to you by The HACS Group.

9am – Full Update 

That is it from me this morning. I will be back with you tomorrow with regular updates from 06:30.

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Traffic is starting to get busier in the Harrogate and Ripon centres, stay updated here.

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Traffic is building here:

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8.30am – Full Update 

Roads

Traffic is starting to get busier in the Harrogate and Ripon centres, stay updated here.

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Traffic is building here:

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8am – Full Update 

Roads

Traffic is starting to get busier in the Harrogate and Ripon centres, stay updated here.

Traffic is building here:

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7.30am – Full Update 

Roads

Traffic is starting to get busier in the Harrogate and Ripon centres, stay updated here.

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7am – Full Update 

Roads

Otley Road is likely to be particularly busy as work has started on a new cycle route near Harlow Moor Road.

Road closures:

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6:30am – Full Update 

Roads

Otley Road is likely to be particularly busy as work has started on a new cycle route near Harlow Moor Road.

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Closure of Starbeck footpath prompts accessibility fears

A Starbeck resident has expressed concerns about the impact of a footpath closure on wheelchair users and people with pushchairs.

The opening of homeless hostel Fern House this year led to the loss of a much-used footpath next to the bowling club on Spa Lane.

People used to head down from Forest Avenue through Belmont Grove and over what was a car park towards Starbeck Baths.

But since the footpath closed, people coming from Forest Avenue must use Belmont Terrace to access the footpath on the other side of the bowling green and walk down a flight of stairs. Alternatively they have to walk the length of Forest Avenue to High Street and turn down Spa Lane.

Resident Stephen Hunt said the loss of the footpath had been more keenly felt since lockdown ended.

He said his main concern was accessibility problems caused by the steps and the extra length of the journey for wheelchair users and people with pushchairs, such as himself, who used the baths.

He said:

“It’s really limiting for someone with a wheelchair or a pushchair like me.

“We visited once a week before lockdown for swimming lessons and now it’s a much longer walk. It just makes the baths less viable or accessible.”

The loss of the footpath was a key concern among Starbeck people during the planning stages for Fern House in May 2018.

Harrogate Borough Council said at the time:

“While the paths do appear to be used, comments were also made during the community engagement process that anti-social behaviour activities were occurring as a result of people being able to easily access the land from Belmont Grove. The paths are not designated public rights of way.

“As a result of comments received during the community and stakeholder engagement process it has been decided to close the site along its northern boundary so as to dissuade anti-social behaviour.”

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Starbeck councillor Philip Broadbank told the Stray Ferret:

“The path was closed for security at Fern House. Nobody has mentioned it to me recently, but I know there were concerned residents at the time.

“I did raise it with the council at the time but it was overruled and accepted.”

Harrogate councillor calls for new ‘no cycling’ signs on Stray

A Harrogate councillor has called for new ‘no cycling’ signs to be painted on footpaths on the Stray after local residents raised concerns.

Sam Gibbs, a Conservative who represents Harrogate Valley Gardens on Harrogate Borough Council, said calls from concerned residents had prompted him to act.

He told Harrogate and Knaresborough and Conservative MP Andrew Jones’ Community News website:

“Cyclists were using the footpaths and travelling at great speed.

“The Stray should be enjoyed by everyone but cycling should only be on the routes that are permitted.”

Cllr Gibbs said signs should be painted on footpaths around Byron Walk Mews, which backs onto the Montpellier stretch of the Stray.

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The 200 acres of Stray land includes some routes for cyclists but they are prohibited to use many areas.

Judy d’Arcy-Thompson, chair of the Stray Defence Association, said:

“One of the best things about the Stray is the freedom but if you’re walking along and a cyclist comes behind you when you aren’t expecting it, it can be distressing.

“If people are getting worried or feel unsafe we would agree with Cllr Gibbs that it was a good idea.”

Kevin Douglas, chair of Harrogate District Cycle Action, said more needed to be done to offer safe routes for cyclists so riders didn’t feel they had to use the Stray:

“Most responsible cyclists don’t use them. But until there is proper, safe cycling infrastructure people will use the Stray.”

Parents’ tribute to Harrogate girl on acne drug who took her life

The heartbroken parents of a Harrogate schoolgirl who was on an acne drug when she took her life paid tribute to her at an inquest today.

Annabel Wright, 15, was found dead in her room on the evening of May 1, 2019. Her parents discovered her body.

Harrogate District Hospital had prescribed the schoolgirl, who attended St Aidan’s Church of England High School in Harrogate, the drug Roaccutane, also known as isotretinoin, to treat her acne.

Giving evidence at an inquest in Northallerton today, Helen and Simon Wright said Annabel was a happy child with no history of depression.

Ms Wright said:

“Annabel was the brightest child. She was easy going, happy and she never had any issues. She enjoyed school and had a great set of friends there.

“I believe that Roaccutane led to her suicide. Normal, happy people like Annabel don’t just commit suicide without any signs or anything leading up to it.”

Concerns about drug’s link to suicide

The inquest heard that in January 2019 Annabel had self-harmed. Mr and Ms Wright discussed the incident with their daughter but did not mention it to the doctor, as they did not think it was linked to her medication.

When Annabel was first prescribed Roaccutane in October 2018, Ms Wright raised concerns about the drug after reading articles online linking it with suicide.

The doctor told Ms Wright she believed there was no causal link between the drug and increased risk of suicide.

Mr Wright said of his daughter:

“She was perfect. We adored Annabel and she adored us, we were a close-knit family.

“My wife and mother-in-law had taken our son out to a young farmers’ club on the day that Annabel died.

“I came home from work late at around 8pm and went to see Annabel in her room when we had a chat about the Spanish exam she took that morning.”

Mr Wright later went downstairs for dinner. When the rest of his family got back they went to check once again on Annabel.

Mr Wright found his daughter’s body and called for an ambulance, which took Annabel to hospital in Harrogate where she later died.

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Parents say risk should have been made clearer

Mr and Ms Wright both said they believed Roaccutane was the cause of Annabel’s suicide and blamed the hospital for not making the risks clearer.

The Stray Ferret asked Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust to respond to the Wrights’ claims.

Dr Jacqueline Andrews, executive medical director at the trust, said:

“We wish to offer our deepest sympathies to the family and friends of Annabel Wright.

“Following Annabel’s tragic death, the trust commenced an investigation and our findings have been shared with Annabel’s family and HM Coroner.

“Until the inquest has concluded we are unable to comment further.”

The inquest into Annabel Wright’s death continues.

Samaritans are available 365 days a year for people in need of support. You can call them free on 116 123, email them at jo@samaritans.org or visit www.samaritans.org to find your nearest branch.