Date set for Knaresborough Scriven Park by-election

The date for a by-election has been set following the resignation of Harrogate district councillor Samantha Mearns.

Cllr Mearns announced at the weekend that she was stepping away from her Knaresborough Scriven Park ward due to family reasons after holding the seat as a member of the Conservative party since 2018.

A by-election has now been officially called by Harrogate Borough Council which, if contested, will be held on July 29.

The by-election is being run by the council and nomination papers are available during normal office hours from the Returning Officer at the Harrogate Civic Centre on St Lukes Avenue.

Completed nomination papers must be delivered by hand to the same address between 10am to 4pm, Monday to Friday, before July 2.

Announcing her resignation in a letter to residents, Cllr Mearns said she was moving to Wales to be closer to her family after her younger brother died and her mother was diagnosed with cancer.

She said it had been a “great honour” to serve the area where she had lived for more than 18 years.

Read more:

Cllr Mearns said:

“In many people’s lives things happen that change the direction of their lives. This is the same with me. Not too long before the pandemic struck, my younger brother – my only sibling – died after a relatively short but terrible illness.

“Shortly after, and during the pandemic, my mother was diagnosed with cancer.

“Having lost my brother and faced with potentially losing my mother in a short time made me look at what I needed to do with my life to do the right thing by my family.”

The by-election will be the second held in Harrogate this year after Conservative councillor Matt Scott last month won the Bilton and Nidd Gorge seat on North Yorkshire County Council following the death of Liberal Democrat councillor Geoff Webber.

New footbridge for RHS Harlow Carr given go-ahead

A new footbridge at RHS Harlow Carr has been given council approval.

Harrogate Borough Council gave the go-ahead to the proposal, which will see the wooden bridge cross over Queen Mother’s Lake.

It forms part of proposals to improve the visitor experience at the attraction.

Liz Thwaite, head of site, said:

“The new bridge is part of our overall masterplan for the RHS Harlow Carr site, and will improve the flow of people and the overall visitor experience.”

Meanwhile, RHS Harlow Carr has partnered with illustrator and children’s author, Chris Riddell, to transform the gardens with an Alice in Wonderland theme this summer.

Read more:

It will offer families the chance to view the gardens through the eyes of Alice, encountering topsy-turvy installations along the way.

The event, which is being held in partnership with charity Macmillian Publishers, celebrates 150 years of the classic Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass and What Alice Found There stories by Lewis Carroll.

RHS Harlow Carr is also set to open a sculpture exhibition at the gardens this summer.

The Four Seasons, a collection of busts by contemporary American artist and filmmaker Philip Haas, will go on display from July 7 until summer 2022.

The 15ft tall fibreglass heads are three-dimensional interpretations of Renaissance paintings created by Italian artist Giuseppe Arcimboldo in the late 16th century.

Paul Cook ,RHS Garden Harlow Carr Curator,  said:

“These sculptures feel as though they’re made for garden lovers, and we’re looking forward to hearing what our visitors think as they encounter them around the garden. 

“The locations of the Four Seasons have been carefully chosen with the artist to interact with the planting schemes.

“Summer is set in a woodland glade surrounded by meadow flowers, whilst Winter in the woodland echoes the mature trees around the sculpture. 

“Autumn will be a talking point as the real-life fruit and vegetables in our kitchen garden mature through the growing season and the spotlight will be on Spring, also in the woodland, next year, as new foliage emerges once again.”

Live: Harrogate traffic and travel

Good morning and welcome back, it’s Leah with you this morning with updates every 15 minutes on the road and rail links.

Temporary traffic lights, train delays and traffic hotspots are all included in our blogs, brought to you by The HACS Group.

If you are experiencing delays, and it is safe to do so, please let us know or social media or call 01423 276197.

9am – Full Update

That is it from me today, Suzannah will be back with you on Monday morning from 06:30 with updates every 15 minutes. Have a lovely weekend.

Roads

Traffic is starting to build in the Harrogate and Knaresborough centres this morning, keep checking back for today’s traffic hotpots.

Traffic Hotspots:

Traffic is building in these areas:

Temporary traffic lights are in place here:

A charity cycle ride covering 50 miles of North Yorkshire will cause numerous road closures in Nidderdale on Today.

The race, called On Yer Bike, will snake from Kettlewell to Pool-in-Wharfedale and will mean rolling road closures throughout the day.

Trains

Buses

8.45am – Full Update

Roads

Traffic is starting to build in the Harrogate and Knaresborough centres this morning, keep checking back for today’s traffic hotpots.

Traffic Hotspots:

Traffic is building in these areas:

Temporary traffic lights are in place here:

A charity cycle ride covering 50 miles of North Yorkshire will cause numerous road closures in Nidderdale on Today.

The race, called On Yer Bike, will snake from Kettlewell to Pool-in-Wharfedale and will mean rolling road closures throughout the day.

Trains

Buses

 

8.30am – Full Update

Roads

Traffic is starting to build in the Harrogate and Knaresborough centres this morning, keep checking back for today’s traffic hotpots.

Traffic Hotspots:

Traffic is building in these areas:

Temporary traffic lights are in place here:

A charity cycle ride covering 50 miles of North Yorkshire will cause numerous road closures in Nidderdale on Today.

The race, called On Yer Bike, will snake from Kettlewell to Pool-in-Wharfedale and will mean rolling road closures throughout the day.

Trains

Buses

 

8.15am – Full Update

Roads

Traffic is starting to build in the Harrogate and Knaresborough centres this morning, keep checking back for today’s traffic hotpots.

Traffic Hotspots:

Traffic is building in these areas:

Temporary traffic lights are in place here:

A charity cycle ride covering 50 miles of North Yorkshire will cause numerous road closures in Nidderdale on Today.

The race, called On Yer Bike, will snake from Kettlewell to Pool-in-Wharfedale and will mean rolling road closures throughout the day.

Trains

Buses

 

8am – Full Update

Roads

Traffic is starting to build in the Harrogate and Knaresborough centres this morning, keep checking back for today’s traffic hotpots.

Traffic Hotspots:

Traffic is building in these areas:

Temporary traffic lights are in place here:

A charity cycle ride covering 50 miles of North Yorkshire will cause numerous road closures in Nidderdale on Today.

The race, called On Yer Bike, will snake from Kettlewell to Pool-in-Wharfedale and will mean rolling road closures throughout the day.

Trains

Buses

 

7.45am – Full Update

Roads

Traffic is starting to build in the Harrogate and Knaresborough centres this morning, keep checking back for today’s traffic hotpots.

Traffic is building in these areas:

Temporary traffic lights are in place here:

A charity cycle ride covering 50 miles of North Yorkshire will cause numerous road closures in Nidderdale on Today.

The race, called On Yer Bike, will snake from Kettlewell to Pool-in-Wharfedale and will mean rolling road closures throughout the day.

Trains

Buses

 

7.30am – Full Update

Roads

Traffic is starting to build in the Harrogate and Knaresborough centres this morning, keep checking back for today’s traffic hotpots.

Traffic is building in these areas:

Temporary traffic lights are in place here:

A charity cycle ride covering 50 miles of North Yorkshire will cause numerous road closures in Nidderdale on Today.

The race, called On Yer Bike, will snake from Kettlewell to Pool-in-Wharfedale and will mean rolling road closures throughout the day.

Trains

Buses

 

7.15am – Full Update

Roads

The roads are looking clear so far this morning, keep checking back for today’s traffic hotpots.

Temporary traffic lights are in place here:

A charity cycle ride covering 50 miles of North Yorkshire will cause numerous road closures in Nidderdale on Today.

The race, called On Yer Bike, will snake from Kettlewell to Pool-in-Wharfedale and will mean rolling road closures throughout the day.

Trains

Buses

 

7am – Full Update

Roads

The roads are looking clear so far this morning, keep checking back for today’s traffic hotpots.

Temporary traffic lights are in place here:

A charity cycle ride covering 50 miles of North Yorkshire will cause numerous road closures in Nidderdale on Today.

The race, called On Yer Bike, will snake from Kettlewell to Pool-in-Wharfedale and will mean rolling road closures throughout the day.

Trains

Buses

 

6.45am – Full Update

Roads

The roads are looking clear so far this morning, keep checking back for today’s traffic hotpots.

Temporary traffic lights are in place here:

A charity cycle ride covering 50 miles of North Yorkshire will cause numerous road closures in Nidderdale on Today.

The race, called On Yer Bike, will snake from Kettlewell to Pool-in-Wharfedale and will mean rolling road closures throughout the day.

Trains

Buses

 

6.30am – Full Update

Roads

The roads are looking clear so far this morning, keep checking back for today’s traffic hotpots.

Temporary traffic lights are in place here:

A charity cycle ride covering 50 miles of North Yorkshire will cause numerous road closures in Nidderdale on Today.

The race, called On Yer Bike, will snake from Kettlewell to Pool-in-Wharfedale and will mean rolling road closures throughout the day.

Trains

Buses

 

Thieves who stole NHS workers’ bikes at Harrogate hospital jailed

Two prolific thieves who stole thousands of pounds worth of bikes from NHS workers in Harrogate at the height of the covid pandemic have been jailed for a combined eight years.

John Roddy and his partner-in-crime, who cannot be named for legal reasons at this stage, stole the bicycles from outside hospitals in Harrogate and York between May and October last year.

Just under £7,000 of bikes were stolen from 11 victims, many of whom were working flat out for the NHS during the covid crisis, York Crown Court heard.

Most of the thefts occurred outside Harrogate District Hospital when staff were having to deal with huge workloads due to the pandemic, said prosecutor Chris Moran.

Mr Moran said one NHS worker in Harrogate had been so “damaged” by the theft of her £400 bike that she no longer cycled to work.

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Other hospital workers had been left “extremely distressed” by the incidents at a time of national emergency. 

Two of the thefts occurred outside York District Hospital, when Roddy and his sidekick, both drug addicts, stole bikes worth over £1,000.

Some of the bikes stolen from Harrogate were worth over £1,000 and had been locked, but the thieves are thought to have used cutting equipment. One of the bikes was valued at £2,000.

Mr Moran said:

“These victims were extremely distressed given that they were NHS workers.

“One woman said she didn’t even cycle to work anymore. This was targeting of NHS staff at the height of the pandemic.”

12-hour shifts

The Harrogate woman had been working 12-hour shifts and was “emotionally and physically drained” after working flat out for half a day when she found her bike had been stolen from outside the hospital.  

Roddy, 24, and his cohort, a 33-year-old man from Leeds, appeared for sentence on Thursday after each pleaded guilty to 11 counts of theft.  

Roddy’s co-accused was also sentenced for handling thousands of pounds worth of stolen goods in a separate incident in 2018 and another theft in April 2020.

All but nine of the bike thefts occurred at hospitals. Two other bicycles were stolen outside a supermarket and a bakery. 

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The court heard that Roddy, from Headingley, Leeds, had nine previous convictions for offences including vehicle and bike thefts and was subject to a court order at the time he targeted the hospitals in Harrogate and York. His partner-in-crime had a worse criminal record, which included “numerous” thefts and burglaries. 

Kristian Kavanagh, for Roddy, said his client had battled drug addiction.

Sarah Barlow, for Roddy’s co-defendant, said her client also had a long-standing drug habit. 

Judge Simon Hickey said: 

“This was targeted criminality of high-value items that were particularly cared for by NHS workers in the main (when they) were working their shifts.

“Both of you were stealing over a period of five months (and) the victims lost just short of £7,000 of goods.”

He said that “numerous victims” had been highly distressed by the thefts and the woman who had been working 12-hour shifts was now “damaged”.

Roddy, who skipped bail following the offences, was jailed for three years and one month. His co-defendant was jailed for five years.

The Harrogate man who has visited a Canadian airman’s grave for 74 years

For the past 74 years, a Harrogate man has looked after the grave of Canadian airman at Stonefall Cemetery

John Charlesworth’s grandmother signed up for a Royal British Legion adoption scheme after the Second World War whereby local families agreed to lay wreaths on the graves of the fallen from across the Commonwealth. John was just four years old at the time.

His grandmother was allocated the grave of Flight Sergeant Maurice Durling, who was killed aged 22 in an air crash on his return from a bombing raid. He is buried alongside four Canadian comrades who died in the same crash.

More than half of Stonefall’s 1,000 graves are Canadian and the majority were airmen.

John Charlesworth, Stonefall

John visits the grave at least once a month and places his hand to say “hello”.

The Commonwealth War Graves Commission, which maintains the cemetery, believes John’s grandmother was one of 700 Harrogate residents who took part in the scheme but after so much time the details are hazy.

The family visited Flt Sgt Durling’s grave every month and, as a child, John would lay his hand on top of the headstone to let him know he was there. Almost three-quarters of a century later, he still does the same thing when he arrives.

Sgt Durling's grave

Flight Sergeant Maurice Durling’s grave

Sgt Durling’s mother would send money each year for John and his family to lay flowers on her son’s grave.

He continues to visit the grave after all this time to continue the tradition his grandmother started all those years ago.

John doesn’t have any children and his family live far away so he will be the last of his family to attend the grave. He says he feels a sense of duty to keep alive the memory of those who served and hopes more people visit Stonefall.

“I wouldn’t want to think I had relatives buried thousands of miles away and no one visited them. It’s important for me to be here.

“I do feel very strongly that the graves are visited even if you haven’t adopted one, just to walk up and down them and look at their names and ages.

“Now I realise the sacrifices they made and how high the death rate was I feel even more strongly.”

Read more:

A Cross of Sacrifice at Stonefall was unveiled on July 8, 1951 once all the headstones were in place.

To commemorate the 70th anniversary of its unveiling, the Commonwealth War Graves Commission is hosting free guided tours at Stonefall between July 8-11.

You can book to attend here.

First events at Harrogate Convention Centre to be government pilot

The first events in over a year at Harrogate Convention Centre will have no social distancing after being selected for a government pilot.

Organisers of The Home and Gift Buyers’ Festival and the Manchester Furniture Show 2021 confirmed the news after discussions with the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport.

Restrictions on the number of visitors will be lifted and social distancing requirements scrapped at the events, which are being held from July 18 to July 21.

However, visitors will be required to show proof of two vaccinations at least two weeks prior to attending or a negative NHS lateral flow test at least 48 hours before the event.

Read more:

The event comes as part of a limited number of pilots being held in the third phase of the government’s Events Research Programme, which examines the risk of covid transmission at events

Russell Rule, director of The Home and Gift Buyers’ Festival , said:

“With the backing of the government, public health bodies, and our key customers we can see that the appetite and enthusiasm are there for an in-person buying and selling event. 

“There is great excitement from both exhibitors and visitors to reconnect in Harrogate to celebrate our 60th anniversary.”

The convention centre is still waiting to get back to normality following the delay in lifting the final covid restrictions.

The pilot will be used to gather data and research how small and large scale events could be permitted in line with the government’s roadmap out of lockdown.

Nigel Huddleston, tourism minister, said the business and events industry was worth around £40 billion annually to the UK economy and he was delighted the events would be held at full capacity. He added:

“This will continue to trial the use of the NHS app as a means to show you’re covid safe.”

Who was in today’s police VIP escort in Harrogate?

The sight of two Range Rovers escorted by four police motorbikes racing around Harrogate today had tongues wagging about who was in town.

Such VIP treatment is usually reserved for the likes of politicians, Hollywood celebrities and royalty. So who could it be?

Lots of readers spotted the escort around Ripley this morning and then in Harrogate this afternoon.

The above picture, sent by a reader, was taken at about noon when the escort left the Mercer Art Gallery and headed towards the nearby Royal Pump Room Museum.

Sadly, though, it appears there were no VIPs in the district. Staff at the Mercer gallery told the Stray Ferret:

“The police escort was not for a celebrity or anything like that. It is part of a police training exercise for when they need to escort people safely.”

We contacted North Yorkshire Police to confirm the information and get more details of the exercise but did not receive a response.

Jennyfields assault: police arrest third man

North Yorkshire Police has arrested a third man in connection with a late night assault on two men in the Jennyfields area of Harrogate.

The 47-year-old from Harrogate was arrested yesterday evening and has since been released on bail.

Officers were called to the Grantley Drive area by the ambulance service at 11.20pm on Tuesday after two men were found with head injuries and cuts to their bodies.

Two other men were arrested on suspicion of wounding in the early hours of the following morning and have been released while under investigation.

A police helicopter was used to search the area to find the two men.

Read more:

 

120 marathons in 120 days: Harrogate man set for Herculean challenge

A retired Harrogate police officer is set to take on the Herculean feat of completing 120 marathons in 120 days.

Graham Wilson, 54, intends to walk and run 26.5 miles a day every day for four months, starting in his hometown of Harrogate on Saturday.

The 120 marathons challenge, which is the equivalent of 3,180 miles, is back on track after a 15-month delay caused by the coronavirus pandemic.

His wife Marion and dog Tilly will support him from the sidelines for the next four months and will also join in at times.

After starting in Harrogate, Graham will complete three marathons in North Yorkshire before heading off in a van across 48 counties in England.

Read more:

He also plans to cover the marathon distance in parts of Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and parts of the Republic of Ireland, if covid travel rules permit.

The last marathon will be in Harrogate on October 23. So far, Graham has raised more than £40,000 for 15 charities. He said:

“I’ve always been into long-distance hiking. Now that I’ve retired from the police I want to do something to raise money for charities which I’ve come across.

“This includes the British Heart Foundation, which I’ve got a personal connection to after my dad experienced a heart attack when he was just 39.

“He sadly later passed away from a cardiac arrest, and I’ve also lost grandparents to heart disease too.

“I know the devastating impact these conditions can have and how important the BHF’s research is in finding better treatments and preventions to save more lives.”

The marathon challenge will also support Macmillan Cancer Support, Tiny Life, Saint Michael’s Hospice, Yorkshire Air Ambulance, Living with CAH, Harrogate Homeless Project, Disability Sports Yorkshire, and numerous art groups.

You can donate here.

Harrogate council staff review highlights bullying and harassment claims

Staff have made allegations of bullying, harassment and undermining at Harrogate Borough Council.

As part of an ongoing review into pay at the authority, some staff responded to a survey with claims that their bosses “work together to threaten” and “get what they want” from more junior colleagues.

One member of staff said in a report that the council “bullies and harasses its staff regularly,” adding:

“I have been on the receiving end of this – the lies, being made to feel incompetent, being bullied and harassed on returning to work.

“Harrogate Borough Council needs to take a long hard look at itself.”

Reacting to the allegations, David Houlgate, secretary of the trade union Unison Harrogate, which represents council workers, said the claims were “not a surprise”. But he added he did not believe there was a “culture” of bullying at the authority:

“The council is a large employer with over 1,000 staff. It is sadly inevitable that bullying behaviour will and does occur.

“The council has policies and procedures to deal with these. When our members come to us with complaints we fully expect the council to engage with us and fully respond and resolve the issues being raised.

“If we feel this is not happening, then we do involve our legal representatives but this does not happen very often.”

A spokesperson for the council said there had been two complaints of inappropriate behaviour and one grievance regarding bullying and harassment raised in 2021. These are currently under investigation.

In 2020, one grievance was raised regarding bullying and harassment with no further action taken at either stages one or two of the grievance procedure.

And in 2019, one complaint of bullying and harassment was investigated and an appropriate level of warning issued.

The spokesperson said: “Sadly, at some time or another, all employers will have to deal with bullying and/or harassment in their workplace.

“It is something we will not stand for and any incident is dealt with in accordance our behaviour policy. Thankfully, these reports are very few and far between.

“It is encouraging to see that the Local Government Association agree that our new pay and grading structure is consistent with the national position.”

Read more:

The allegations were made as part of a review into pay, which could see 17 of the council’s most senior staff next month get pay rises totalling around £133,000 between them.

Meanwhile, mainstream workers, who had their pay structure reviewed more recently two years ago, are currently in negotiations for a further rise.

This is after a study concluded the recruitment and retention of staff was challenging and that pay was a factor.

Out of the 553 employees who responded to the survey held in August, over 80% gave pay as one of the main reasons why they would consider quitting their jobs.

Mr Houlgate said staff have been offered a “derisory” 1.5% pay rise this year – an increase which he believes does not go far enough to recognise them as the “unsung heroes” of the coronavirus pandemic.

“Unison has been clear for a long time that levels of pay for council staff has been a major contributory factor in relation to recruitment and retention issues.

“We have seen a decade of staff being overworked and undervalued whilst enduring significant real term pay cuts, redundancies and increased workloads.

“The council now seems to be waking up to this and says it is putting things in place to tackle these issues but we have real concerns about the timeframe it has set and whether it will deliver on these.

“This needs to happen now otherwise people will leave.”

As well as the bullying and harassment allegations, and complaints over pay, several staff also responded to the survey with positive comments about working at the council.

Positive comments from the survey

Negative comments from the survey

Do you have experience of bullying at the council? Write to us at contact@thestrayferret.co.uk