Harrogate Borough Council is set to upgrade its 20-year-old booking system as part of an overhaul of leisure facilities in the district.

The authority is set to award a contract for its leisure management system (LMS), which is used for booking lessons, memberships and operating the tills at facilities.

It would be used by the the council’s new company, Brimhams Active, which was set up as part of an overhaul of leisure in the district.

Brimhams Active is set to take over the running of Harrogate Hydro, Knaresborough Leisure Centre and other facilities in August.

Read more:

• Revealed: Somerset company’s Harrogate leisure contract worth £2 million
• Harrogate council approves leisure services overhaul

According to a report due before Cllr Stan Lumley, cabinet member for culture, tourism and sport, on Thursday, the current system used by the council is outdated and ageing.

It said:

“The council’s current LMS has been in use for almost 20 years. 

“Its age means that it lacks functionality which would be regarded as “standard” for operators in today’s market, leaving HBC at a competitive disadvantage.”

The council is recommended to hand the contract to an unnamed company after a competitive tender process.

The value of the contract was not revealed in the report.

If approved, the contract would last for two years with an option to extend for two further periods of 12 months.

The borough council overhauled the district’s leisure facilities last year and decided to hand them over to an arms-length company owned by the authority.

The council also announced a £26 million investment in the Harrogate Hydro and the new leisure centre at Knaresborough, which was expected to be borrowed from the government.

At the time, Cllr Lumley said the two “came hand in hand” and would help the authority save money.

The company has since been incorporated and appointed seven directors, which includes local councillors, council officers and Mark Tweedie, who has been appointed managing director of Brimhams Active.

According to Companies House, Zoe Appleton-Metcalfe, Wallace Sampson, Samuel Gibbs, Stan Lumley, Trevor Watson and Pat Marsh have been appointed directors.

Pride In Diversity is a Harrogate-based charity doing all it can to give everyone from all sexualities, genders and races a safe space to talk and feel supported.

During Pride Month the Stray Ferret wanted to feature a charity doing all it can to celebrate the diversity in Harrogate.

The charity was set up by founder Leonora Wassall following the Orlando shooting in 2016 to accept and include everyone across all groups.

Leonora said as a lesbian she was “fed up of not feeling accepted” and wanted to set up a charity to raise awareness of issues concerning identity and diversity.

The charity’s tagline is ‘dignity, respect and inclusion’.

Leonora is a Methodist minister in Pool-in-Wharfed-ale.

She said:

“I kept my identity quiet for 25 years but now I want to offer a safe space for anyone that needs it in Harrogate. We want to do lots more as we come out of covid, we have lots of ideas but it’s just about waiting until it is safe.”

The charity’s pride parade in 2019.

Prior to the pandemic the charity would host a pride parade setting off from the top of Montpellier Parade to Valley Gardens. Hundreds of people would walk together with representatives from various schools, groups and emergency services.

The trustees are currently working on a local campaign to coincide with Hate Crime Awareness Week in October. For two days of that month the charity will be based in Victoria Shopping Centre as well as holding other events in the town across the month.

Read more:

• Harrogate charity, Horticap, opens cafe with former student’s legacy 
• A Harrogate man is on his way to reaching his 850mile walking target for charity 

It also works with Harrogate library to increase its accessibility and offer events suited to children of all abilities.

She said:

“Our pride is not just an event on the day we work through the year to support the community.”

People of all genders, sexualities, ages and races came together for the celebration in 2019.

The charity is setting up monthly socials to begin in August. They will be based in a Harrogate bar and give people the space to chat and share experiences.

Leonora and the other trustees are looking forward to events later this year and the pride parade on June 19, 2022.

To find out more about the charity, click here.

Stray Views is a weekly column giving you the chance to have your say on issues affecting the Harrogate district. It is an opinion column and does not reflect the views of the Stray Ferret. See below for details on how to contribute.

Police speed clampdown is a joke

Boy racers are a daily occurrence

Prior to the recent crash on Mayfield Grove, we have for many years suffered from boy racers tearing up and down our road. Most seem to have removed the baffles from the exhaust.

Every day we have about six cars speeding up and down Mayfield Grove and going up Franklin Road. You can also hear them racing up King’s Road.

I will shortly be setting up a Mayfield Grove and Mayfield Terrace residents association with other neighbours who are concerned about the speeding cars, cars being damaged and drug dealing in the area.

Paul Ivison, Mayfield Grove, Harrogate

If anyone would like to join this association email us at contact@thestrayferret.co.uk and we will pass on your details to Mr Ivison.

Rewilding is great – but plastic flowers are awful

I was heartened by the positive responses to the rewilding of the Stray, which I certainly welcome.

Those who feel that the horticultural prestige of the town is threatened by borders of wild flowers would be far better focusing their ire on the proliferation of plastic garlands, which appear to be the latest ‘must-have’ outdoor decorations at bars and shops around the town.

Not only are they no match for the real thing in terms of attractiveness, they also produce yet more plastic pollution at a time of increasing environmental awareness.

Yes, hanging baskets and tubs take time and energy to maintain but are well worth the effort and I know which most visitors would prefer to see. For a town that’s been a Britain in Bloom gold medal winner, it’s a disappointing new trend.

Gillian Parkin, Harrogate

Great to see wildflowers on the Stray

Don’t let Harrogate become a dead town

I was shocked to find all parking both sides of James Street blocked with boxes full of plants.

Only three places were available for blue badge holders. Thankfully, I have a blue badge and parked. Ironically there were some signs saying SHOP LOCAL. Well, people would if they could park.

I know several who go to Northallerton now: easy parking and free in many places. The shops are having a bad time and have been for 14 months. Some have closed and gone.

Please don’t subject us to being a dead town. It’s so sad to see Harrogate’s style and variety taking a hard knock.

Christine Hill, Burton Leonard

Read more:

• Harrogate’s controversial James Street planters could go after June 21
• Big thumbs-up for Harrogate district’s new wild look

Harrogate residents are divided on whether the government will release all lockdown restrictions on June 21.

With just over a week to go, speculation is growing about the final step of the coronavirus road map in the UK.

So we went out to ask the people of Harrogate what they think will happen on June 21.

Read more:

• No covid deaths at Harrogate hospital for two months
• LNER plans significant changes to Harrogate to London rail schedule

Harrogate building equipment rental company Vp has reported a turnover of £308 million and profits of £23.3 million, down from £48.1 million in the previous year.

Vp, which has its headquarters at Central House on Otley Road, said following the pandemic it took steps to reduce costs and save cash including closing or merging 25 of its locations.

The company said trading in the current financial year has started strongly, with the infrastructure sector expected to grow and the housebuilding and construction sectors showing signs of sustained improvement.

Read more:

• Whixley plant nursery celebrates 100 years of business
• Harrogate taxi firm begins insolvency proceedings

Jeremy Pilkington, chairman of Vp plc, said:

“I am pleased to be reporting a set of results that are ahead of our expectations in a year that has seen unprecedented challenges for the business and its customers. The past twelve months saw a focus on cash management which delivered a significant reduction in net debt.

“We have exited the year at nearly pre-Covid levels which is a better recovery than we anticipated at the beginning of the pandemic.”

There are few better known names in the Harrogate district than Theakston.

Robert Theakston started brewing beer in Masham in 1827 and his great-great grandson Simon continues the tradition today.

Simon is joint managing director of T & R Theakston, one of two major breweries in the picturesque market town. His cousin, Paul, is in charge of the other one — Black Sheep Brewery.

Despite his strong Masham connections, Mr Theakston is well placed to appraise recent developments in the wider Harrogate district: he lives near Boroughbridge, went to school in Harrogate and represented the Conservatives on Harrogate Borough Council for four terms. He was also chairman of Yorkshire Agricultural Society, the agricultural charity that organises the Great Yorkshire Show, from 2008 to 2016.

But nothing in his long career prepared him for the potentially ruinous overnight impact of covid when the first lockdown began in March. He says;

“We had cellars full of beer that people couldn’t buy and ended up pouring it away.

“Overnight we lost 80% of business. That required us to rethink our business model, baton down the hatches and put ourselves in a position where we could survive as long as possible.”

The furlough scheme saved jobs and the company rapidly converted its visitor centre at the brewery into a fulfilment centre for online orders — something a company that prides itself on tradition had not overly pursued until then. He says:

“Online orders have gone up by a factor of 100, albeit from a modest base.”

Family tradition

The visitor centre is due to reopen on June 21 if the lingering restrictions on pubs are lifted. Monday’s decision will be critical for the industry. Mr Theakston, who is married with two grown-up children, says:

“It’s nice having people going into gardens and seated at tables but it’s much better when people can move freely in pubs.”

Nevertheless, so far the company has survived covid with its 35 staff still intact. It seems a surprisingly low number of employees for an organisation that sells into 20 countries but the business model involves collaborating with other firms, such as Heineken, which handles distribution.

Mr Theakston describes the company as “a medium-sized traditional family brewing company.” And, for all the difficulties of the past year, he remains optimistic.

“Our industry has been through difficulties in the past. We’ve come through two world wars, revolution in Europe, the great crash of the 1930s and all sorts of issues since the Second World War and it just goes to show the robustness of what we do.

“As long as individuals want to meet other people, the role of the pub will continue to be the centre of society.”

Local politics

The future for Harrogate Borough Council, however, is less secure. The local authority, on which he represented Harlow Moor until 2018, is set to be abolished as part of the national government’s devolution agenda. Mr Theakston supports the single council model for North Yorkshire championed by North Yorkshire County Council rather than the east-west split favoured by his former council colleagues in Harrogate. He explains:

“North Yorkshire County Council currently provides about 80% of our services so it wouldn’t be a massive change for it to pick up the pieces. I’m not a fan of lots of layers of bureaucracy.”

Read more:

• £2 billion devolution negotiations kickstart as councils submit proposals
• Tickets go on sale for extended Great Yorkshire Show

Harrogate Borough Council is pursuing numerous active travel plans, such as the £7.9m Station Gateway project and the pedestrianisation of James Street, to reduce traffic and encourage people to walk and cycle. The plans have proved controversial — does he support them?

“I don’t want to see Harrogate being completely pedestrianised because it will end up like any other town in the country. The idea of being able to pop into town is appealing to people like the elderly. Let’s have a bit of pedestrianisation but not lose the ability to drive into town.

“Harrogate’s such a special town and everything we did during my time on the council was to maintain it as special.”

It has been a difficult year for another organisation close to Mr Theakston’s heart — Yorkshire Agricultural Society — which decided to proceed with the Great Yorkshire Show next month when many other events have been cancelled. Was he surprised?

“The Yorkshire Agricultural Society is nothing if not pragmatic. They will be responding to the demands of exhibitions and members of the public who want to go. It’s more than an agricultural show — it’s our county show.”

Crime and cricket

The Theakston name has also become synonymous with the annual crime writing festival organised by the arts charity Harrogate International Festivals. Under its sponsorship, the festival brings many of the leading names of the genre to the town each year.

Arts and brewing may seem an unlikely match but Mr Theakston talks of beer “providing the social lubricant that lets people enjoy being with other people” and the ventures the company supports also encourage people to mingle convivially.

Recently it has also sponsored poet Ben Taylor, also known as Yorkshire Prose, to wax lyrical about the a pint being a metaphor for social interaction.

Mr Theakston is a huge cricket lover so it’s perhaps no coincidence his company sponsors the Nidderdale Amateur Cricket League and the annual National Village Cup in which some 340 villages compete for the chance to play in the final at Lord’s.

It’s little wonder the name Theakston perhaps vies with Bettys as the most well known in the district — and at least we know for certain the Theakstons exist.

There was a time when its familiarity may have faded. The family relinquished control of the business in the 1990s before buying it back in 2003, and Mr Theakston pledges it will remain in the family, in the heart of Masham.

Can he foresee the day when the business no longer consumes his professional life?

“I haven’t thought too much about when I retire. It’s still a huge passion.”

A gang of four professional criminals have been jailed or a total of 23 years after travelling to Harrogate to break into two houses in 2019.

York Crown Court heard how the four Bradford men armed themselves with balaclavas, gloves and screwdrivers on May 10, 2019 before travelling to Harrogate.

Prosecutor Chloe Hudson told the court how Jordan Faulding 23, used a stolen car to drive Brandon Gaughan, Omar Khalid Powell, both 22, and 24-year-old Andrew Joseph Maguire.

The group broke into a house on Halton Gill Grove in Harrogate before targeting a second home in Ilton, near Masham.

Over £12,000 of jewellery was taken from the cottage in Ilton. The gang opened every drawer and cupboard and removed mattresses in search for valuables.

The Harrogate homeowner told police that his elderly mother came home to found their home in chaos. Hundreds of pounds in cash was taken along with a diamond necklace and Louis Vuitton bag.

The gang were caught after an off duty police officer reported a VW Golf driving erratically on the Ripon Road.

Another officer spotted the car on the A61 in Harrogate just after 3pm that day. The gang was finally stopped when police punctured the car’s tyres with a stinger forcing it to crash into a field near Otley.

Read more:

• Drug driver jailed after reaching speeds of 130mph whilst escaping police
• Harrogate sex offender jailed for grooming young girl on social media

At court on Friday, Maguire, the eldest, pleaded guilty to the two burglaries. He received two years and ten months

Gaughan, the driver, pleaded guilty to the two burglaries and also to aggravated vehicle theft. He was on parole at the time of the burglary for a previous burglary carried out with Powell.

He was jailed for five years nine months and banned from driving for 5 years 10 months

Powell is currently serving a two year sentence for handling a stolen car last autumn. He was jailed for four years and four months.

Judge Sean Morris told three of the gang:

“You travelled from Bradford in a stolen vehicle with false [number] plates on and you drove from West Riding to the North Riding because you knew police are spread far and wide and thinly in one of the largest police areas in the country.

You targeted prosperous houses for jewellery and other valuables.”

The fourth member of the gang, Jordan Faulding was sentenced at Bradford Crown Court and was handed a ten year and six month sentence.

Three Harrogate district residents have been recognised for their work locally in this year’s Birthday Honours.

MBE – Member of the British Empire

Frances Helen Elliott, from Harrogate, has been made an MBE for services to the Harrogate community during the pandemic in her roles as head of practical support services of Harrogate Easier Living Project (HELP), and chief executive of Harrogate and District Community Action (HADCA).

Louise Sarah Hodgson, from Pateley Bridge, has been made an MBE for her services to policing and recruitment during the pandemic in her role as head of workforce development at the College of Policing.

Ms Hodgson has worked for the College of Policing for 20 years after moving into the district. Previously a teacher, she has worked within several recruitment and training departments.

In six weeks, she helped develop and roll out an online assessment centre to ensure constable recruitment continued during the pandemic.

This system is now being used by all 43 forces.

She said:

“It was a massive surprise when I was told about the award, I was taken aback and shocked. Now having had time to let in sink in I’m incredibly proud and honoured to receive it. Of course it’s not just me, it’s my team too, who have worked so hard.”

BEM – British Empire Medal

Lauren Amy Doherty, from Knaresborough, has been awarded a BEM for her services to education as the founder of the charity Road Safety Talks.

Ms Doherty has dedicated her life to speaking to young people and the emergency services about road safety after a road accident left her completely paralysed.

She tells schoolchildren across the country about her accident in 2008, when she was 20 years old, in hopes of encouraging them to be sensible and aware on the roads.

She has worked with North Yorkshire Police and the Fire Service on campaigns against drink driving and driving while using a phone.

She said:

“I was overwhelmed and excited when I found out. It’s such an honour to be recognised by the Queen. Over the years I’ve spoken to 8,000 children in schools and many more over Zoom calls and in the media.

“After seeing the impact it had on my family and others around me I didn’t want anyone else to go through it. If I can prevent it happening to one person that’s all that matters.”

Read more:

• Suzanne Bowyer wins her diamond prize after her work in the Ripon community was recognised
• Double organ transplant patient walks 850 miles for charity

QFSM – Queen’s Fire Service Medal

Rose Elizabeth Fearnley, watch manager at North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service, has been awarded the Queen’s Fire Service Medal for distinguished service.

Harrogate gardening charity Horticap is preparing to throw open the doors and welcome customers to its new cafe in a building built with the legacy of a former student.

Hopkins at Horticap is named in honour of Peter Hopkins, who was a student for more than 20 years and left his house in Bilton to the charity after he and his mother Marjorie died.

It has been a long time in the making. The charity has wanted to expand with a new building for a long time, but it was only made possible when the Hopkins family left their legacy to Horticap.

Peter Hopkins has made a big difference.

Phil Airey, operations manager at Horticap, told the Stray Ferret:

“Peter was a proper gentleman, a lovely guy. He had a great personality and used to do everything.

“It came as a bolt from the blue, the whole estate came to us. Peter’s mum Marjorie felt like we were his extended family, she wanted us to be able to continue to look after others.

“This is why we have built this. This is quite literally the house that Peter built. It was always on the plans, we had been putting some money aside but the legacy made all the difference.

“Not only is this going to be a great revenue stream for the charity but it is going to be a fabulous resource for our students to learn more skills.”

Read more:

• First Damn Yankee owner reflects on ‘phenomenal’ early years in 1970s
• Artisan market launches in Harrogate next weekend

Work started more than three years ago and the cafe would have likely opened much earlier this year or even last year, but coronavirus delayed the construction.

But the cafe opens for the first time on Monday and will start by serving hot drinks and cakes. It will soon expand the range to include sandwiches and more.

Chris Walsh, head chef for Hopkins at Horticap, also told the Stray Ferret:

“I’m a little bit nervous but I am excited to open and get the reputation we want for good quality food, drinks and local ingredients.

“The students will be involved as soon as possible. They will be in the kitchen preparing food, serving customers. They are all looking forward to it.

“It might sound simple but it can be a big achievement to our students to be able to make a barista coffee, that’s what it’s all about.”

The original owner of the Damn Yankee restaurant in 1972 has reflected on the “phenomenal” early years of the Harrogate institution, as it prepares to reopen with new owners.

It was first opened by Denise Wiand and her American husband, Mike, who worked at Menwith Hill.

Ms Wiand read the Stray Ferret’s article from last month that interviewed the new owners, Thanos Xhanos and Natasha Farmer, and remembered having exactly the same photo taken with her husband almost 50 years earlier.

She said the restaurant was a huge success when it first opened with queues of excited people down Station Parade looking forward to the classic American fare and lively atmosphere that it became famous for.

“We opened the door and everyone flew in. It was a moment for the town.”

Something new

Whereas Harrogate today is spoilt for eating establishments, the 1970’s was a different world.

“It was so different. At that time it was either silver service or downmarket places.

“The Damn Yankee was the first time quality food was served in a fun atmosphere. It was a phenomenal time.”

When Ms Wiand visits Harrogate today she said she is always recognised by people in the street who remember her and the happy times at the restaurant.

An original Damn Yankee business card and Denise and Mike.

Read More: 

• ‘Disappointment’ as Stray dining and drinking hopes dashed
• Stray Foodie: In search of the perfect loaf….

Despite being a fixture on Station Parade for almost 50 years, it almost didn’t happen after a prudish landlord took exception to the name, which they took from a beach towel they owned.

She said:

“When we signed the lease, the landlord didn’t want the name because they thought it was a swear word!”

In the early days, the restaurant’s motto was “the more you give, the more you get back” and they wanted to offer generous portions with some typically American hospitality.

“In Yorkshire at the time you could give someone a cheese sandwich and there’d be a tiny piece of cheese, so everything at the Damn Yankee looked amazing.”

The Damn Yankee drag car that Mike raced during the 1970s

A family affair

Denise and Mike ran the restaurant for five years and she described it as a “real family affair” with characters including their faithful dog Winston who enjoyed sitting at the bar as well as one local lad who would help out preparing the food.

“Meat came from a local butcher. A local boy was a football hooligan and he’d come and stamp the meat by hand. His weekend hobby was causing trouble at Leeds United!”

Denise in the restaurant with Winston and his younger brother Trampus.

After selling the Damn Yankee to American Bob Clark, Denise and Mike went on to open the Warehouse nightclub in Leeds which is still open today.

Ms Wiand wished the new owners Thanos and Natasha luck and gave them a couple of words of advice:

“Just give the customers quality food and fun.”