18-carat gold ring stolen from Harrogate home

Police are investigating a burglary in which an 18-carat gold, sapphire, emerald and diamond ring along with World War Two medals were stolen from a Harrogate home.

North Yorkshire Police said the valuables, as well as a silver hip flask, a gold locket and silver fern earrings were taken from a house on Woodlands Drive on May 29 this year.

Almost two months on, it is now appealing to the public to come forward if they have been offered the ring for sale.

Read more:

Officers are also appealing for information on a man seen leaving the house.

A police statement said:

“Officers also want to trace a man seen leaving the house who is described as young, white, approximately 5ft 7in and wearing a high-visibility jacket with a grey hood.

“Anyone who has information about the ring or has any other information is asked to contact North Yorkshire Police by email 000740@northyorkshire.police.uk

“If you wish to remain anonymous, you can pass information to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

Please quote the North Yorkshire Police reference number 12210127985.”

Get set for a month of roadworks on Jenny Field Drive

More roadworks are coming to Harrogate after Yorkshire Water announced it will carry out essential work on Jenny Field Drive next month.

The work will begin on August 2 and last until the 29th — the day before the August bank holiday Monday.

Delays are likely as the company carries out work to construct new pipework.

A short diversion will be in place on the area of Jenny Field Drive, close to the playground, to allow engineers to complete the project.

The full extent of the road closures isn’t yet known.

A Yorkshire Water spokesperson said:

“We are making investments in the local water network to ensure that we can continue to provide high quality drinking water to our customers.

“In order to carry out the work, we will need to temporarily close part of Jenny Field Drive to ensure that our contractors can work safely.”

Read more:

 

Horses, hats and a marriage proposal on day two at Great Yorkshire Show

The Stray Ferret is running a live blog of the Great Yorkshire Show brought to you by Lister Haigh. We will keep updating this page with stories from the showground throughout the event. 

 

The second day of the Great Yorkshire Show saw another day of glorious weather. Here’s a look at the highlights.

George Eustice MP arrived this morning as secretary of state for environment, food and rural affairs to answer your questions. Read what he had to say below.

This year’s show will run for an extended period until Friday. It will mean that the maximum capacity of 26,000 a day can spread out for social distancing.

Visitors are encouraged to take a lateral flow test before they arrive to prevent the spread of the virus.

4.45pm – A proposal to remember

It was a special day for Ben Atkinson and Georgia Jackson today in the main ring as Ben proposed to his girlfriend.

Ben popped the question following today’s performance by Atkinson Action Horses.

🎉 🎉 🎉 Huge congratulations to Ben Atkinson who proposed to his girlfriend Georgie Jackson today in the Main Ring at the Great Yorkshire Show following today's performance by @TheActionHorses ❤️ ❤️ 💍 💍 pic.twitter.com/StCKwbNnKv

— Great Yorkshire Show (@greatyorkshow) July 14, 2021

4.22pm – Plenty of horsing around at this year’s show

This afternoon saw show jumping horses presented for visitors at this year’s show.

4pm – The people trying to keep a 2,000-year-old tradition alive

The Dry Stone Walling Association was at the Show today. The wallers passion for the skill was clear to see.

Watch our interview with waller Brian Hartley.

1.40pm – George Eustice MP answers your questions

George Eustice MP visited the Great Yorkshire Show today and took out time to answer questions at a press briefing. The secretary of state for environment, food and rural affairs said:

“I do think the government is doing enough on climate change. We are working on some plans about how we can achieve net zero and obviously agriculture has a role to play in that.

“There are a number of interesting technologies such as new feed additives that can cut methane gases from livestock by about 30%.

“We were the first country to set a legally binding target of achieving net zero by 2050 and a number of other countries are following us.

We asked local farmers what they would like to ask the cabinet minister earlier today. Their main concern was the impact of setting aside land for eco-friendly projects on those with a small amount of land. He said:

“The key thing is, while farmers have always been the recipients of the so-called area-based subsidy, they have not been the only beneficiary or even the main beneficiary.

“Once we start to unravel that we will see a number of those things come back into order. What we want to do alongside that is make sure there is a profit margin in what we pay farmers to do for the environment.

“We have increased the payment rates by about 30% on what the old EU payments were. For the work we want farmers to do for the environment, we are going to pay to more generously than anyone before.”

1.20pm – Pigeons show off their good side for the camera

It’s not just farm animals at the Great Yorkshire Show, over 350 colourful and distinctive pigeons are on display. These include …

Modena pigeon

Indian faint tail pigeon

Old Dutch Capuchine pigeon

12.40pm – Hats for a hot day at the show

For £10 you can pick up a proper Yorkshire hat. There are lots of visitors looking very dapper wearing them across the site.

Yorkshire Show Hats

Do you fancy trying on a Yorkshire Show Hat?

10.15am – What is the weather going to be like for the rest of the show?

After a couple of weeks of unsettled weather the sun is set to shine down on the rest of the Great Yorkshire Show.

The Met Office has predicted both today and tomorrow will be partly cloudy with temperatures reaching highs of 23 degrees and 20 degrees respectively.

Friday is set to be the hottest day of the show. Forecasters have predicted clear skies with the temperature hitting a high of 25 degrees.

The pollen count is also set to be very high in Harrogate today and on Friday and high on Thursday.

9.30am – Photo gallery from morning of day two at Great Yorkshire Show

8.40am – Send in your questions for cabinet minister George Eustice

George Eustice MP is expected to visit the Great Yorkshire Show today. The Stray Ferret will send down a reporter to ask him your questions.

Are you a farmer from the Harrogate district? Then send in your questions for the cabinet minister by clicking or tapping here.

George Eustice MP, Secretary of State for Environment.

George Eustice MP, Secretary of State for Environment.

Harrogate weightlifter in pole position for Commonwealth Games

Harrogate weightlifter Jack Dobson has become British champion and put himself in pole position for a place at next year’s Commonwealth Games.

Jack, 27, who went to Starbeck Primary Academy and Harrogate High School, achieved a 310kg total at the British Weightlifting Championships in Twickenham, London — 15 kg more than the runner-up.

It means he is currently British Weightlifting’s top pick for the England men’s 96 kg class at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham but there are two more qualifying events at which rival lifters will have the opportunity to better his total and win selection.

In his first competition for two years because of covid, Jack hoisted 138 kg in the snatch and 172 kg in the clean and jerk, which are both slightly below his personal bests.

Jack Dobson weightlifter

Jack Dobson (centre) winning the British Championships.

He said:

“I wasn’t happy with my performance. Because it was my first competition back, me and my coach decided to be a bit conservative with the totals we aimed for.”

Jack’s ambition is to represent his country internationally. He missed the chance to do so in Georgia in 2018 because of lack of funding. UK Sport does not currently fund weightlifting, which means Jack has to pay for his trips.

To make ends meet, he works as a coach at Black Wolf Fitness in Knaresborough and also works as a personal trainer, sports masseuse and as a staff member of the parks an environmental services department at Harrogate Borough Council. He says:

“It hasn’t been an easy road but you have to take it on the chin and drive on. I just love Olympic weightlifting.”

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Jack sometimes trains with fellow Starbuck man Luke Richardson, who has twice competed at the World’s Strongest Man.

Many people mistake weightlifting for strongman, powerlifting or bodybuilding.

Weightlifting consists of two lifts: snatch and clean and jerk, with the winner achieving the highest overall total. It’s an Olympic sport but only three British athletes — Zoe Smith, Emily Campbell and Sarah Davies — achieved the qualifying standard for this month’s Tokyo Olympics.

Jack invested in some weights at home a few years ago so when gyms closed during covid he was able to improvise at home by adapting some wooden planks into a lifting platform.

Now he hopes the years of hard work will pay off with a place among the sporting elite at Birmingham 2022.

 

 

Harrogate ‘Walter Mitty’ character jailed for stealing thousands from 94-year-old father

A ‘Walter Mitty’ character who posed as an ex-SAS soldier and stole from his 94-year-old war veteran father has been jailed for eight months.

Edward Stewart, 53, from Harrogate, set up a fake online profile in 2016, masquerading as a former member of the elite special forces unit “to impress women”.

He claimed he had once been on SAS missions in Syria and Afghanistan and provided personal protection for Prince William and the Duchess of Cambridge, as well as Princess Diana and Hollywood star Brad Pitt.    

Following his bogus revelations, he was welcomed back into his family and moved in with his elderly father David Brunton, who trusted him to manage his finances and make purchases for him, York Crown Court heard.

But instead of looking after his ailing father, Stewart systematically rifled through his account after being handed his bank card. The elderly widower was now a “broken man” and in poor health, the court heard.

Prosecutor Matthew Collins said it was alleged that Stewart stole tens of thousands from his father after his family carried out their own internal investigation into the crimes.

Read more:

There had been numerous withdrawals from Mr Brunton’s bank account, allegedly over several years, and Stewart was arrested after the police were called in

He was charged with one count of fraud and three counts of theft but denied all allegations apart from one count of stealing £1,666 from his father during a four-week spree between June and July 2019.

He was due to face trial on the other allegations, but the family made a last-minute decision not to pursue these charges and they were allowed to lie on court file.    

Father served in Grenadier Guards

Stewart, of Robert Street, appeared for sentence on Wednesday on the single count of theft he had admitted but Mr Collins said this did not mean the family accepted he was innocent of the other alleged thefts. The remaining alleged stolen amounts would be pursued through the civil courts.

He said that Mr Brunton, who served in the Grenadier Guards during the war, had recently been ill in hospital and his condition had considerably worsened since his son’s wicked betrayal.

He said Stewart had used his father’s bank card to make payments and withdrawals from cash machines.

His sister Francesca Brunton launched her own investigation and Stewart admitted to his family that he had stolen the £1,666 in the summer of 2019. 

Mr Collins said:

“Repayment was arranged by direct debit at £50 per month.”

However, full repayment had still not been made and had now stopped.

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The rest of the alleged stolen cash – said to be “tens of thousands of pounds” – had also allegedly been withdrawn from cash points. 

Mr Collins said Stewart had been trusted to do errands such as shopping for his father, but he “abused that trust for his own personal gain” after being welcomed back into the family following his fake revelations about his ‘military career’ – lies that were later exploded after he was unmasked by the ex-soldiers’ internet group The Walter Mitty Hunters Club HQ, which exposes impostors and people with fake military pretensions.

Stewart, a former hotel worker, hit national headlines in 2016 after he was named and shamed by the Facebook group.

Claimed to protect Brad Pitt

His boastful fake posts included one in which he claimed to have suffered a wound from a knife attack while protecting Brad Pitt. He also said that he had stayed with Prince William and Kate to protect their son Prince George from a terrorist attack soon after he was born. 

He also said he knew Bear Grylls and talked about a burn on his chest from a ‘flash-bang’ injury during his 30 years of ‘military service’. 

He said he had been on missions to Syria and claimed he had been made to kill a young Iraqi goat herder who had pointed an AK47 at him.

Read more:

His father had been “shocked and shamed” by his son’s mock military profile and “the blackening of his name in the press”.

Despite this, he forgave his son and put his trust in him once again after Stewart made an apology in the press.

The subsequent betrayal, through the cash withdrawals, had an “extreme” effect on the decorated war hero.

Francesca Brunton, the victim’s daughter, said her father had suffered “mentally and physically” since Stewart’s “treachery”. 

Her ailing father had received daily calls from his bank and bailiffs had become involved after Stewart allegedly “falsified” a standing order on his account.   

This had had a “devastating” effect on her father’s “already fragile health”, which had “steeply declined” and he was now a “broken man”.

No contact with dad again

Abbi Whelan, for Stewart, said he had made attempts to repay the money and had lost his old job following his arrest. He had found new work as a delivery driver but would lose that job and his home if he were jailed.

Ms Whelan added:

“He is aware that he will never have any contact with his father again.”

Judge Simon Hickey labelled Stewart a “complete Walter Mitty character” who had taken his father’s money for his “own selfish ends”.

He told Stewart: 

“Your elderly and now frail father is, in contrast to you, a man of impeccable character.

“He’s one of the few remaining veterans from the Second World War…who, as such, should have been cherished by you and not defrauded in the way you had.

“You are a complete Walter Mitty character who (posed) as a SAS forces soldier, something your father would find abhorrent. It was against that background that you came to live with your family who remain devastated to this day.”

Stewart was jailed for eight months. 

Harrogate man jailed 15 years for child sex offences

Harrogate man Ricky Clench has been sentenced to 15 years in jail for child sex offences, including the rape of a child under 13.

Clench was sentenced following a series of offences starting in August 2017 until September 2018 when one of his victims came forward to the police.

At the time Clench was living in Northallerton.

On Tuesday he appeared at Teesside Crown Court and was found guilty of raping a child under 13, assaulting a child under 13 by penetration and of inciting a child to engage in sexual activity.

Clench denied all offences throughout the police investigation and court hearings.

As well as the 15-year sentence he was issued with an indefinite sexual harm prevention order and was placed on the sex offenders register for life.

Detective Constable Jason Roper, of Northallerton CID, said:

“The significant sentence handed to Ricky Clench reflects the gravity of the offences he has committed. He is a predatory and manipulative paedophile who has shown no consideration for his victim throughout the investigation and the court proceedings.

“Thankfully he is now behind bars for a very long time and has been made subject to two lifetime protection orders, preventing him from inflicting harm on any other innocent victims.

“I’d like to take this opportunity to thank the victim for their bravery and courage in coming forward to report such a harrowing experience, and also to their family for the support they have shown throughout the investigation.”

Read more:

 

Live: Harrogate traffic and travel

Good morning, the Great Yorkshire Show continues today so long delays are likely. We will be running this blog longer than usual to keep you up-to-date on the district’s roads.

The blog, brought to you by the HACS group, will show you where the traffic hotspots and temporary traffic lights are and tell you of any train and bus delays.

Give me a call on 01423 276197 if you get stuck in any traffic.

11am – Full Update 

Roads

Traffic Hotspots:

Traffic is building:

Temporary traffic lights are in place here:

Trains

Buses

10.45am – Full Update 

Roads

Traffic Hotspots:

Traffic is building:

Temporary traffic lights are in place here:

Trains

Buses

10.30am – Full Update 

Roads

Traffic Hotspots:

Traffic is building:

Temporary traffic lights are in place here:

Trains

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10.15am – Full Update 

Roads

Traffic Hotspots:

Traffic is building:

Temporary traffic lights are in place here:

Trains

Buses

10am – Full Update 

Roads

Traffic Hotspots:

Traffic is building:

Temporary traffic lights are in place here:

Trains

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9.45am – Full Update 

Roads

Traffic Hotspots:

Traffic is building:

Temporary traffic lights are in place here:

Trains

Buses

9.30am – Full Update 

Roads

Traffic Hotspots:

Traffic is building:

Temporary traffic lights are in place here:

Trains

Buses

9.15am – Full Update 

Roads

The roads are starting to look busier this morning but make sure to keep checking in as traffic grows due to the Show.

Traffic Hotspots:

Traffic is building:

If you’re heading to the Show today, be aware that traffic approaching on the northbound A1M must use J46 for Wetherby. If travelling south on the A1M, please use J47.

Temporary traffic lights are in place here:

Trains

Buses

9am – Full Update 

Roads

The roads are starting to look busier this morning but make sure to keep checking in as traffic grows due to the Show.

Traffic Hotspots:

Traffic is building:

If you’re heading to the Show today, be aware that traffic approaching on the northbound A1M must use J46 for Wetherby. If travelling south on the A1M, please use J47.

Temporary traffic lights are in place here:

Trains

Buses

 

8.45am – Full Update 

Roads

The roads are starting to look busier this morning but make sure to keep checking in as traffic grows due to the Show.

Traffic Hotspots:

Traffic is building:

If you’re heading to the Show today, be aware that traffic approaching on the northbound A1M must use J46 for Wetherby. If travelling south on the A1M, please use J47.

Temporary traffic lights are in place here:

Trains

Buses

 

8.30am – Full Update 

Roads

The roads are starting to look busier this morning but make sure to keep checking in as traffic grows due to the Show.

Traffic Hotspots:

Traffic is building:

If you’re heading to the Show today, be aware that traffic approaching on the northbound A1M must use J46 for Wetherby. If travelling south on the A1M, please use J47.

Temporary traffic lights are in place here:

Trains

Buses

 

8.15am – Full Update 

Roads

The roads are starting to look busier this morning but make sure to keep checking in as traffic grows due to the Show.

Traffic Hotspots:

Traffic is building:

If you’re heading to the Show today, be aware that traffic approaching on the northbound A1M must use J46 for Wetherby. If travelling south on the A1M, please use J47.

Temporary traffic lights are in place here:

Trains

Buses

 

8am – Full Update 

Roads

The roads are starting to look busier this morning but make sure to keep checking in as traffic grows due to the Show.

Traffic Hotspots:

Traffic is building:

If you’re heading to the Show today, be aware that traffic approaching on the northbound A1M must use J46 for Wetherby. If travelling south on the A1M, please use J47.

Temporary traffic lights are in place here:

Trains

Buses

 

7.45am – Full Update 

Roads

The roads are starting to look busier this morning but make sure to keep checking in as traffic grows due to the Show.

Traffic Hotspots:

Traffic is building:

Temporary traffic lights are in place here:

Trains

Buses

 

7.30am – Full Update 

Roads

The roads are starting to look busier this morning but make sure to keep checking in as traffic grows due to the Show.

Traffic is building:

Temporary traffic lights are in place here:

Trains

Buses

 

7.15am – Full Update 

Roads

The roads are starting to look busier this morning but make sure to keep checking in as traffic grows due to the Show.

Traffic is building:

Temporary traffic lights are in place here:

Trains

Buses

 

7am – Full Update 

Roads

The roads are looking pretty clear so far this morning but make sure to keep checking in as traffic grows due to the Show.

Temporary traffic lights are in place here:

Trains

Buses

 

6.45am – Full Update 

Roads

The roads are looking pretty clear so far this morning but make sure to keep checking in as traffic grows due to the Show.

Temporary traffic lights are in place here:

Trains

Buses

 

6.30am – Full Update 

Roads

The roads are looking pretty clear so far this morning but make sure to keep checking in as traffic grows due to the Show.

Temporary traffic lights are in place here:

Trains

Buses

 

Glorious sunshine greets day one of Great Yorkshire Show

The Stray Ferret is running a live blog of the Great Yorkshire Show brought to you by Lister Haigh. We will keep updating this page with stories from the showground throughout the event. 

Day one of the Great Yorkshire Show has opened to fabulous weather and a sell-out crowd.

This year’s show run for an extended period from today until Friday. It will mean that the maximum capacity of 26,000 a day can spread out for social distancing.

Visitors are encouraged to take a lateral flow test before they arrive to prevent the spread of the virus.

Are you a local stall holder? Send an email by clicking or tapping here.

4pm – Harrogate farrier competes on world stage at Great Yorkshire Show

Harrogate’s Toby Pedley has been making horse shoes alongside the best in the world at the Great Yorkshire Show.

The local farrier competed at the forge today near the white gate and will be there for the rest of the week.

2.30pm – ‘World first’ virtual skydive raises funds for Yorkshire Cancer Research

Bethany from the Stray Ferret tried out Yorkshire Cancer Research’s ‘world first’ virtual sky dive at the Great Yorkshire Show today.

The charity has a stall in the Welcome to Yorkshire section of the show. People can donate £10 to try out the virtual experience over Whitby Abbey.

Dr Kathryn Scott, chief executive of Harrogate-based Yorkshire Cancer Research, told the Stray Ferret:

“It’s great to be out here fundraising again. We are really proud to be here and it is amazing to be able to see people again.

“Even the sun has come out, we are very pleased. Cancer research is not cheap. Something key for us is that we help people get their cancer diagnosis early.

“We also need to treat cancer better but it is all expensive and that is why fundraising events like this are so important for us.”

Dr Kathryn Scott with Welcome to Yorkshire chief executive James Mason and a Yorkshire Cancer Research volunteer.

1pm – Meet the Great Yorkshire Show coronavirus marshals

If you have been at the Great Yorkshire Show today then you may have seen the coronavirus marshals, who are new this year.

Coronavirus restrictions are in place as the show dates falle just ahead of the expected lifting of all lockdown measures next week.

Marshals Nirmala D’Cunha and Peter Butler told us about their role:

“Well it’s mostly going to areas where people are crowding together, just to remind them. People have been absolutely great.

“We are carrying around masks as well in case people need them. People should be able to enjoy the show but also be safe.

“It is still an infectious disease and we need to be careful. The restrictions may be going next week but we still need to be sensible from then.”

12pm – A photo gallery from the first morning back at the show

We have been taking some pictures around the Great Yorkshire Show this morning. Can you spot yourself in our gallery?

10.35am – Have you seen the dancing sheep Nobby, Dougal and Susie?

Did you catch the dancing sheep? Our reporter is down at the show today speaking to visitors as the first day of the Great Yorkshire Show gets underway.

10.20am – Everything you need to know about the Show’s covid restrictions

For the first time the Show will be held over four days and have a limit of 26,000 visitors each day.

Other covid-safe measures include:

8.40am – Gates open to first visitors

Visitors keen to get into the Great Yorkshire Show arrived early this morning as soon as the gates opened.

We spoke to one of the first people through the doors. Gillian is a dedicated visitor of the show and told the Stray Ferret:

“I am excited to be back. This is my 50th visit to the show. I have been every year since I was 12-years-old apart from the two that didn’t happen.

“Every year I go to about 22 different shows but there is only this one in Harrogate and another in Driffield going ahead this year.

“I am from Hovingham near Malton so I set off at 6.30am, I thought I would be at the front row of the car park but I am on the fifth.

“It seems everyone is excited to be back to do something normal again.”

Vaccine passports for nightclubs ‘impractical’, says Viper Rooms boss

The owner of Harrogate’s only nightclub The Viper Rooms has called the use of vaccine passports in nightclubs “impractical” ahead of reopening next Monday.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson told a Downing Street press conference yesterday that the government was now urging nightclubs to ask revellers to show the NHS covid pass app on entry, which shows proof of a vaccination or a recent negative test. However, it will be voluntary. 

Mr Kinsey told the Stray Ferret it was a “contradiction and hypocrisy” to add further requirements to nightclubs, especially after the scenes of football fans embracing each other at bars and pubs throughout the Euro 2020 tournament.

He said the Viper Rooms, on Parliament Street, will be following whatever guidance is suggested by the government but that many customers “can’t see the logic” of restrictions at nightclubs, particularly as some will have come from bars where all restrictions will have been lifted.

He said:

“We can’t enforce a law that doesn’t exist. It will be up to people to use their own judgement when visiting the club.

“The majority of 18-year-olds won’t have been double jabbed. Vaccine passports are impractical.”

Read more:

“Hospital cases may be rising but it’s overwhelmingly people who haven’t been double vaccinated, are older or who have refused vaccines.

“This virus will be present in society. All we can do is manage the game that’s in front of us.”

The Viper Rooms will reopen on Monday with a ‘Covid-19 leaving drinks’ party from 10pm.

It’s offering free entry and free table reservations to all restaurant, hotel and bar workers in Harrogate.

Great Yorkshire Show organisers ‘tired but excited’ for return

Organisers of the Great Yorkshire Show may be exhausted after they were forced to cram a year of planning into four months but they are excited for its return.

The Great Yorkshire Show, which was cancelled last year, starts at 8am on Tuesday and finish at 6pm on Friday.

Tickets will not be available on the gates this year and all tickets for this year’s show are now sold out.

It will be a very different event this year with visitors urged to test before they travel and follow social distancing measures.

Read more:

But the organisers hope that the Great Yorkshire Show 2021 will act as a signal that normality is returning after coronavirus.

Nigel Morgan, head of operations, told the Stray Ferret:

“We didn’t realise when we announced in March that the show would go ahead just how many challenges there would be.

“I have encountered more challenges in the last four months than in the last 15 years. I feel worn out but excited.

“It might feel slightly different but it will be a similar format to previous shows. We are ready to open the gates.

“When we first made the announcement the government was planning to lift the remaining restrictions in June but that was pushed back.

“That meant that we fell under the coronavirus restrictions which are set to lift on July 19. So we were put into a different ball game.

“In the last few days we have worked with public health officials who are happy that we have met their requirements.”

Mr Morgan added that he and his team are now “ready to rock and roll”.