Dates and locations for new Harrogate Christmas market revealed

The new Harrogate Christmas market is to be held on various streets in the town centre across 10 days in December.

New organisers Market Place Europe will stage its version of the seasonal market from Friday, December 3 until Sunday, December 12.

Stalls will be located on Cambridge Street, Market Place, Station Square and Cambridge Crescent.

Harrogate Borough Council revealed the details in a statement today, which also said that due to coronavirus, there will be around 50 traders with stalls spaced wider than usual.

The original Harrogate Christmas Market had around 170 traders and 55 coaches booked to attend and was expected to attract around 90,000 visitors over four days.

The council is working with Market Place Europe, Harrogate BID and North Yorkshire County Council on the new event, which will take the place of the one traditionally held on Montpellier Hill.

The organisers plan to have a larger number of stalls next year, subject to an improved public health situation.

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However, the Harrogate Christmas Fayre, as the new event is known, still needs to wait to get an approved event management plan.

According to today’s statement, the new event will feature “a number of local traders” as well as those from across Europe. Arts and crafts as well as food and drink will all be on offer.

Cllr Richard Cooper, leader of Harrogate Borough Council, said:

“As operators of award-winning markets in cities such as Belfast and Glasgow, I’m sure Market Place Europe will bring a first-class offering that truly gets people in the festive mood.

“It’s been a difficult 18 months for everyone and I am confident that by working with them, local partners and stakeholders we will be able to deliver a safe, vibrant and attractive Christmas fayre.

“It will drive visitors to our district’s shops, restaurants, visitor attractions, hotels and B&Bs this festive season.”

Nick Rhodes, chief executive of Market Place Europe, said:

“Extensive research has demonstrated that our events provide additional support to town centre economies.

“As Harrogate emerges from a challenging number of months we are looking forward to bringing a quality family friendly yuletide offering to the town centre.

“We have already had several expressions of interest from a number of coach companies who are keen to bring visitors to Harrogate this Christmas.”

Cllr Don Mackenzie, North Yorkshire County Council’s executive member for access and member for Harrogate Saltergate, said:

“As always, our priority will be to ensure that the highways arrangements will be safe, with minimal disruption to local businesses and to residents.

“I am sure that the fayre will provide a welcome boost for the town’s businesses and residents after a difficult couple of years.”

What happened to Harrogate Christmas Market?

Harrogate Borough Council refused a licence for the former Harrogate Christmas Market due to concerns about coronavirus, overcrowding and terrorism.

After three weeks of wrangling with the council, co-organiser Brian Dunsby admitted defeat in his battle to hold the event on Montpellier Hill.

It later emerged the council had been engaged in talks with Manchester-based organisers Market Place Europe since March and has now ramped up those discussions about staging an alternative Christmas market in December.

Brian Dunsby, who co-founded the original Harrogate Christmas Market with former mayor John Fox, said:

“We are determined to organise another traditional Harrogate Christmas Market in November 2022 – hopefully in the usual location.

“We also ploughed back over £90,000 into local good causes over the past five years. It will be interesting to see how much the new venture will donate to similar local good causes.”

Micah Richards tackled by Harrogate council in bid to go green

Ex-England footballer Micah Richards has claimed Harrogate Borough Council thwarted his bid to install an electric vehicle charging point at his Harrogate home.

Richards is a regular pundit on Sky Sports alongside Roy Keane and Graeme Souness. During Sunday’s coverage, the trio discussed what steps they had taken to tackle climate change and improve the environment.

Richards said he had an electric car and hoped to install a charging point at his home.

However, the former England player claimed he was held back by the council’s planning department. He said:

“I had an electric car for a while. Harrogate council though didn’t allow me to have a charger. So I had to stop that for about six months.”

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Richards’ comments received support on Twitter, with one person saying councils and government should do more to install charging points and encourage electric vehicle use:

“Good of Micah Richards to mention Harrogate council. The government and councils don’t help on the expense involved of electric cars and charging points to make it practical. You either want to do this as a country for people or not.”

Another person tweeted:

“Micah Richards calling out Harrogate planning department for refusing an electric charging point was not the content I was expecting when turning on Sky Sports today!”

A council spokesman said:

“Planning permission is not normally required for the installation of wall-mounted electric vehicle charging points so we’d welcome Mr Richards getting in touch with us as we’d be happy to help.

“He is also welcome to use the charging points at our civic centre on St Luke’s Avenue in Harrogate.”

 

World famous UFC fighter heading to Harrogate

A world famous UFC fighter who wrestled a bear as a child is heading to Harrogate for a charity event.

Khabib “The Eagle” Nurmagomedov, who has 30 million followers on Instagram, is attending just two events in the UK: one in London and the other in Harrogate.

The Harrogate event will take place at the Harrogate Convention Centre on Sunday, October 3.

Rather than stepping into a ring, the retired fighter will instead talk about his journey from a small village in the mountains of Russia to international fame.

Nurmagomedov is the longest reigning UFC lightweight champion, having held the title from April 2018 to March 2021.

With 29 wins and no losses in his mixed martial arts career, he retired undefeated after beating the likes of Conor McGregor, Justin Gaethje and Dustin Poirier

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All the money raised from the Harrogate event will go towards Muslim charity SKT Welfare to help orphans around the world.

Tickets for the event range from £25 for a standard ticket to £250 for the front row. However, front row seats have already sold out.

Anyone buying a ticket will be entered into a competition to attend a meet and greet with Nurmagomedov.

 

Police release teenager after knife incident in Harrogate

Police said today they are taking no further action against a teenager arrested following reports of a man brandishing a knife outside the Odeon in Harrogate.

Pub chef Chloe Horner told the Stray Ferret she saw a man holding a “huge” knife outside the cinema after she got home from work at about midnight on Saturday night.

She said the man walked off in the direction of Asda after another man, who walked by and was threatened, called the police.

A North Yorkshire Police spokesman said today:

“I can confirm a 19-year-old man was arrested in relation to this incident on Saturday night. The man has since been released from police custody and faces no further action.

“We have nothing further to add at this time.”

According to Ms Horner, armed officers attended the scene. She said:

“It’s crazy. You don’t expect to see that in Harrogate”.

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Vintage tractors on show in Ripon next weekend

A collection of around 30 vintage tractors and engines will take over a Ripon garden centre next weekend.

The event organised by the West Yorkshire Vintage Tractor and Engine Club, based in Harrogate, is to encourage its members and the public to enjoy outdoor events once more.

In previous years the club has hosted a wealth of events but coronavirus put a stop to that. Members have frequently put their tractors on display at Newby Hall’s Tractor Fest.

However, next weekend chairman Mark Nicholson said members are travelling from across the area with their machinery.

Tractors and stationary engines will be running throughout the day for people to take a look.

The entry is free and he is encouraging people with an interest to come down and have a look. He said:

“Some of our members have worked with the machinery for decades so have hug amounts of knowledge. We are running it so people can get out again and just have a chat.”

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The event is free and will be open fro 9am to 4pm next Saturday, September 25 at Tate’s garden centre.

The club has been going for 51 years with some of the founding members still involved. The group meets once a month to talk about their shared interest in vintage machinery.

Stray Ferret reveals high number of old and harmful school buses in Harrogate

A Stray Ferret investigation has found that children in Harrogate are being taken to school in diesel buses that are amongst the dirtiest and most polluting vehicles on our roads.

As our local councils push for sustainable transport, we have discovered that schoolchildren in Harrogate are being allowed to get to school on buses that are over 20 years old and pump out high levels of toxic fumes that can harm their growing lungs.

The Stray Ferret sent a freedom of information request to North Yorkshire County Council, which is in charge of school buses in the district, asking them for the registration number of every bus contracted to pick up and drop off children at Harrogate district secondary schools.

The council awards contracts to private bus providers to run routes.

We then used DVLA data to find out what year the vehicle was made and what type of fuel it used. We found that all 91 buses that were currently taxed and MOT’d are fuelled by diesel.

Almost 50% of these buses are over a decade old and almost 20% of these go back at least 20 years.

How old are Harrogate’s school buses?

“Not appropriate anymore”

These older buses pump out significantly higher levels of air pollution compared with newer models.

European Union emissions tests on buses made 20 years ago found they produce over 10 times as much nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions than buses made in the last five years. This figure halves for buses made around 2011.

The Stray Ferret also observed some school buses outside St Aidans, Rossett, and Harrogate Grammar school with their engines idle, effectively creating concentrated arenas of air pollution as children end the school day.

University of Leeds climate scientist and Harrogate resident Professor Piers Forster told the Stray Ferret that the old school buses will be having a damaging impact on children’s lungs in Harrogate.

He said:

“That is the time when your lungs are developing. It’s not just kids on buses, either, but those who walk or cycle have to stand by these buses that are belting out diesel. It’s not really appropriate anymore.”

What damage can diesel fumes cause?

A 14-year-old Abbotts of Leeming school bus on the Prince of Wales roundabout

Knowledge about the harm diesel fumes can cause to children’s growing lungs has been known for decades.

Diesel buses pump out nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions through their exhausts. Multiple studies have found it can cause reduced lung function in children, trigger asthma attacks and hospital admissions.

Diesel also produces particulate matter (PM2.5) particles which when breathed in can penetrate deep into the lungs and be absorbed into the bloodstream. It’s been linked with a myriad of health impacts for children, including asthma.

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In a landmark case in December 2020, a coroner said air pollution from diesel vehicles contributed to the death of nine-year-old Londoner Ella Kissi-Debrah due to her exposure to toxic exhaust fumes near her home by a busy road.

Sarah Hart is a parent of a child at Harrogate Grammar School who previously went to Western Primary School on Cold Bath Road. She told the Stray Ferret that her daughter suffers from a lung condition that she believes is exacerbated by air pollution from Harrogate’s school buses.

Buses outside St Aidan’s

She said:

“She found the experience of walking to Western really uncomfortable as she has issues with her lungs.

“The buses are really, really old. When they are stationary you can physically see the fumes.

“They should try and get cleaner buses.”

Jemima Hartshorn created a campaign group to tackle air pollution called Mums for Lungs. She told the Stray Ferret that it was “worrying” that so many of Harrogate’s buses are “very old” and use “very polluting diesel”.

She added:

“We really urge schools, authorities and bus companies to work together and electrify this bus fleet to ensure pollution levels across Yorkshire drop and health levels increase.”

“We need electric buses”

A 16-year-old Transdev bus on Hookstone Drive

Not only does air pollution have a potentially deadly impact on children’s lungs, but a 2019 US study also found it affects cognitive performance too.

It reported that children who went to school on diesel buses that had been retrofitted to make them cleaner achieved 10% better exam results at the end of the school year, particularly in English.

It also found that the children saw improvements in cardiovascular health, meaning cleaning up Harrogate’s school buses would have widespread benefits.

Prof Forster added:

“We certainly need a bus fleet that is ideally electric and kids biking and walking to school as much as possible, this is better than anything for both their health and their social development.”

Tomorrow we ask the council, schools and bus companies what they are doing to tackle air pollution on school buses.

Construction starts today on Otley Road cycle route

Construction on Harrogate’s long-delayed Otley Road cycle route is set to get underway today.

Work on the North Yorkshire County Council scheme will be carried out from 7am to 5pm every weekday for 10 weeks.

Temporary traffic lights will also be used and there will be overnight road closures for resurfacing,

The Stray Ferret reported this month that Hull-based PBS Constructed Ltd has been commissioned to construct the first phase of the route as part of a £827,100 contract.

Contracts for the final two phases of the scheme would also be awarded via open tender.

Cllr Don Mackenzie, executive county councillor for access, previously apologised for any disruption caused by the construction of the scheme.

He said:

“The work has been timed to start after the busy summer holiday period, but we realise there will be some disruption, so we apologise for that and thank people in anticipation for their patience.

“Most of the work will be carried out during the day, to minimise noise for residents at night, though some work, such as resurfacing, can be carried out only at night under a full road closure.”

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Work will include widening Otley Road on the approach to Harlow Moor Road as well as the creation of a designated left turn lane on the western approach to Harlow Moor Road and designated right turn lane on the eastern approach.

An off-road cycle route will also be created between Harlow Moor Road and Cold Bath Road as part of the first phase.

Work on the route has been beset by delays due to negotiations with the Duchy of Lancaster over the exchange of Stray land.

Harrogate Borough Council agreed in March to designate a plot of land on Wetherby Road as Stray land in exchange for the loss of grass verges on Otley Road for the new cycle path.

Harrogate ‘dry off-licence’ hopes to tackle non-alcoholic beer stigma

A Harrogate pop-up shop is hoping to “tackle the stigma” of non-alcoholic beer with a pop up shop.

Andy Mee, who runs the Alcohol Free Drinks Company, is set to operate a “dry off-licence” on the town’s Cambridge Street.

He set up the business after quitting drinking following this year’s covid lockdown, during which he said he drank “far too much” in order to cope with the shutdown of the family business.

The idea for the drinks company came when he visited a restaurant and was offered soft drinks, but no non-alcoholic beer with his meal.

Andy hopes the pop-up shop at the Victoria Shopping Centre, which is being held as part of Harrogate Beer Week, will encourage people to reach for a non-alcoholic option instead of feeling the pressure to drink.

He said:

“I’m not intending it to be a soapbox, but people have to stop sober shaming.

“I hope this can break that stigma.”

Initially online, the company offers a range of non-alcoholic beers to buy and deliver to people.

The pop-up shop will be open from 10am until 6pm this week, but will also offer free taster sessions from 1pm until 2pm.

Harrogate Beer Week

The “dry off-licence” comes as part of Harrogate Beer Week, which will run until September 26.

It intends to celebrate the town’s growing brewing culture as well as the bars, pubs and restaurants which support the breweries.

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A programme of special events and initiatives will be hosted at bars, brewery taps, and eateries across Harrogate. The event will culminate in a big beer weekend in the town centre. 

Other features on the programme will include an ‘Indie Beer Trail’, live local music, and a home brewing competition, with some big names in UK beer heading to Harrogate to host a range of talks and tastings.

Report of man wielding knife outside Harrogate Odeon

A woman has described seeing a man brandishing a “huge” knife outside the Odeon in Harrogate last night.

Pub chef Chloe Horner had just got home from work when her partner alerted her to a man with a blade several inches long outside the cinema at about midnight.

Ms Horner said she saw the incident clearly from her kitchen window and observed the man standing motionless holding the knife.

She said another man, who walked by and was threatened, called the police.

By the time the police arrived, the person with the knife had walked off in the direction of Asda, she added.

“It was scary. You don’t expect to see that outside your own window. I feel for anyone else who might have walked by him. The knife was huge.”

Ms Horner said police, including armed officers and officers with dogs, were at the scene for about an hour but she does not know if any arrests were made.

By the time they arrived the man, who she said was wearing a dirty brown hoodie and joggers, had walked off.

“It’s crazy. You don’t expect to see that in Harrogate”.

The Stray Ferret has approached North Yorkshire Police for details.

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New unitary councillor proposals leave Harrogate ‘short changed’

New proposals outlining the number of Harrogate district councillors for the new super authority leave voters “short changed”, says a county councillor.

Liberal Democrat cllr Philip Broadbank, who represents Harrogate Starbeck on North Yorkshire County Council, is to submit an alternative proposal to government so the borough is “better represented”.

Under current proposals, 89 councillors would sit on the new authority – of which 20 would be in Harrogate district.

This means that each councillor in Harrogate would represent on average 6,194 voters, compared with 5,329 across the county.

Cllr Broadbank said the plan was “not right” and that he will be submitting an alternative which will reduce the average number of people per ward.

He said:

“I’m proposing a new arrangement for Harrogate and Knaresborough. It will affect nowhere else.

“It feels like Harrogate is getting short changed. I’m just trying to get better representation for Harrogate and Knaresborough.”

Some of the wards proposed by North Yorkshire County Council for the new unitary authority.

Some of the wards proposed by North Yorkshire County Council for the new unitary authority.

Under his proposal, the number of councillors in Harrogate and Knaresborough would increase by one but reduce the average people in a ward to below 6,000.

It would also bring the total number of members on the unitary authority to the government’s maximum of 90.

Cllr Broadbank will put his proposal to senior county councillors on the executive on Tuesday. However, he said he intends to submit it to the government as well.

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Ministers at the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government will have the final say on how many new councillors are elected to the new authority.

‘Tinkering too much’ with the proposal

Meanwhile, Conservative Cllr Gareth Dadd, executive county councillor for finance, agreed that the district was “slightly underrepresented”.

However, he warned against “tinkering too much” with the proposal.

Cllr Dadd told a meeting of the Harrogate and Knaresborough constituency committee that he had been lobbied by other “interested groups in the county” to also change the number of councillors.

He said:

“If we succumb to the other two or three ‘lobby groups’, we could end up with 92 or 93 councillors. Where do you stop?

“It’s a debate to be had.”