Knaresborough vaccine centre welcomes first 12 to 15-year-olds

Knaresborough’s vaccination site today welcomed the first 12 to 15 year olds through its doors amid concern about high coronavirus cases in the Harrogate district.

The government initially said that all children in that age group would be offered jabs on school premises by half-term.

However, the roll-out in schools locally has been delayed due to staffing issues at Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust.

So the NHS has asked Homecare Pharmacy Services, which recently moved to the Chain Lane Community Hub in Knaresborough, to help out with the roll-out.

William Kean, 12, from Harrogate, was among the first of his cohort to get vaccinated today. He told the Stray Ferret:

“I was a little bit nervous but it was fine, it didn’t hurt very much. I thought it was going to be worse. Hopefully it means I don’t miss as much school now.”

The Homecare team at the launch of the new clinic today.

Local public health officials have linked the high rate of infection in the Harrogate district to children returning to school in September.

The director of public health for North Yorkshire, Louise Wallace, revealed last week that she had urged schools to bring back face masks and reduce after-school activities as a result.

Read more:

Jason Baskind, managing director of Homecare Pharmacy Services, told the Stray Ferret:

“Obviously the school teams have been struggling to get the children all done. The initial offer has got to be through schools.

“But the NHS has asked us and other vaccination centres to put on these clinics for children because it’s half-term and because of the situation in Harrogate.”

Sue Vasey, interim director at the Chain Lane Community Hub, added:

“It was really important for us to be able to offer this facility for such an important programme, particularly now when infection levels are so high in our area.

“We are always in need of volunteers but it’s a great atmosphere and a really good team. Everyone has really pulled together to make this work.”

Conservatives select Harrogate councillor as police commissioner candidate

Harrogate councillor Zoe Metcalfe has been chosen as the Conservative candidate for next month’s election to replace Philip Allott as North Yorkshire Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner.

Mr Allott resigned earlier this month after comments he made on the murder of Sarah Everard led to hundreds of complaints to his office and a vote of no confidence by the county’s police and crime panel.

Mr Allott – who was elected in May – said Ms Everard should not have “submitted” to arrest by the police officer who murdered her and that women needed to be more “streetwise” about powers of arrest.

His resignation means an election to find a replacement will now take place on November 25.

Read more:

Conservative candidate Zoe Metcalfe is a councillor on Harrogate Borough Council and North Yorkshire County Council, and also works as project manager for a property company.

She said her campaign “will focus on improving safety for women and girls across North Yorkshire, supporting victims of crime and tackling serious and organised crime”.

Ms Metcalfe said:

“I am delighted to be selected as the Conservative Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner candidate for North Yorkshire.

“I am passionate about making our communities and societies safe, especially for women and girls, on the streets and at home, day and night.

“People living and working across North Yorkshire want to feel safe and have full confidence in their police and fire services.

“I can assure people I will stop at nothing to ensure both services are the best they can possibly be for the benefit of everyone across the county.”

Call to remove damaged Valley Garden statues

The chair of Harrogate International Partnerships has called for damaged statues in the town’s Valley Gardens to be removed.

Vandals ripped out chunks of wood from the Kiwi bird and the carved Maori bench in the New Zealand garden section of Valley Gardens last year.

Dennis Richards, chair of the HIP, a charity that supports twinning groups, told the Stray Ferret the sculptures needed to be removed in order for the charity to come up with proposals to replace them.

The section of Valley Gardens commemorates Harrogate’s twinning with Wellington and the country’s airmen being stationed in the town during World War Two.

However, Mr Richards said the council needed to remove the statues. It follows concern about the condition of them ahead of a visit to Wellington by the HIP.

He said:

“All we are asking for is the wooden statues to be removed forthwith. That is what is causing this disconnect.”

Mr Richard added that once the structures are removed, the HIP will put forward proposals with what could replace them.

Read more:

Last week, Kate Spencer, the HIP’s representative who has travelled to New Zealand as part of the twinning arrangement, raised concern that the conditions “dishonoured” the airmen commemorated in the gardens.

Valley Gardens development plan

Harrogate Borough Council said in a statement previously that the sculptures had “already started to rot independent of any vandalism that has taken place”.

It added:

“We would welcome any support or fundraising ideas from Harrogate International Partnership for the replacement of these with something more sustainable and robust for the location.

“Equally if there is anyone who would like to help with maintenance of the space we would be happy to arrange volunteering sessions in conjunctions with our own team or the Friends of Valley Gardens who provide fantastic support in maintaining this space.

“More widely we are in the process of agreeing a Valley Gardens development plan to continue to improve these spaces over the coming years.”

The garden dates back to 1954 and chainsaw sculptor Mick Burns carved the Marlin, Kiwi, and bench in 2010.

Starbeck residents raise anti-social behaviour concerns

Starbeck residents have raised concerns about the level of anti-social behaviour, particularly around the level crossing.

Local councillors and community leaders have received reports of various activities, ranging from late night gatherings to illegal parking.

They are keen for North Yorkshire Police to send more officers to patrol the area to combat the issue.

However, Cllr Tim Myatt, the Conservative representative for High Harrogate, urged anyone with concerns to report them to the police so officers are aware of the scale of the problem. He said:

“Cllr Nigel Middlemass and I are aware of residents’ concerns and we would encourage residents to contact the local police team to log incidents.

“We would like to see an increased police presence in the area to deter unwelcome activity.

“So we encourage residents to report any concerns to the police on the 101 number or via the police website.”

Read more:

Charlotte Barker, vice-chair of the Starbeck Residents’ Association, said:

“The Starbeck Residents’ Association recognises that local people are rightly concerned about anti-social behaviour in our area.

“That’s why we have shared residents’ concerns with relevant local organisations and are regularly in touch with the police about these issues on behalf of local people.”

Andrew Hart, who owns the Red Box Post Office on Starbeck High Street, added:

“Policing is a major issue as the local team clock-off at 7pm and are rarely seen during the day. Starbeck continues to be used as a dumping ground.

“Left alone, the homeless hostel residents would be fine but they are not left alone. Improved policing in other parts of the region now means that Starbeck is seen as a soft touch.

“We need some action.”

Live: Harrogate district traffic and travel

Good morning, welcome to the start of a new week! It’s Leah with you this morning to help make your journey as smooth as possible.

Keep checking our blog every 30 minutes for full updates on the roads and public transport. I’ll let you know about any delays, traffic hotspots or roadworks.

You can get in touch if you spot anything, and it’s safe, on 01423 276197.

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

9am – Full Update 

That is it from me this morning, Connor will be back with you tomorrow.

Roads

The roads are still looking quiet this morning, with no hotspots just yet. Are you stuck in traffic or spotted something? Give me a call.

Traffic is building here:

Road closures:

Temporary lights:

Trains

Buses

8.30am – Full Update 

Roads

The roads are still looking quiet this morning, with no hotspots just yet. Are you stuck in traffic or spotted something? Give me a call.

Traffic is building here:

Road closures:

Temporary lights:

Trains

Buses

 

8am – Full Update 

Roads

The roads are still looking quiet this morning, with no hotspots just yet. Are you stuck in traffic or spotted something? Give me a call.

Traffic is building here:

Road closures:

Temporary lights:

Trains

Buses

 

7.30am – Full Update 

Roads

The roads are looking quiet so far this morning, with no hotspots just yet. Are you stuck in traffic or spotted something? Give me a call.

Traffic is building here:

Road closures:

Temporary lights:

Trains

Buses

 

7am – Full Update 

Roads

The roads are looking quiet so far this morning, with no hotspots just yet. Are you stuck in traffic or spotted something? Give me a call.

Road closures:

Temporary lights:

Trains

Buses

 

6.30am – Full Update 

Roads

The roads are looking quiet so far this morning, with no hotspots just yet. Are you stuck in traffic or spotted something? Give me a call.

Road closures:

Temporary lights:

Trains

Buses

 

Harrogate primary school starts air pollution fight on Cold Bath Road

A Harrogate primary school that sits in the middle of Cold Bath Road is trying to find a solution to its air pollution problem.

Tim Broad, the headteacher at Western Primary School, was monitoring the children as they left school during the first lockdown when he noticed the scale of the issue.

He was concerned about the sheer volume of traffic but most shocked when, as larger vehicles passed by, he tasted diesel in his mouth.

So the school installed an Airly air pollution monitor and was the first in the Harrogate district to do so.

Western School hopes that it can use the results to encourage North Yorkshire County Council to take action.

Read more:

While Mr Broad hopes that people will change their behaviour in the near future, whether that is by walking their children to school or by switching to electric vehicles.

However, he has also considered lobbying for more drastic action to try and move traffic away from Cold Bath Road. Mr Broad told the Stray Ferret:

“I have already expressed my concerns about the volume of traffic from a road safety view but that obviously goes hand in hand with pollution.

“We could try to make Cold Bath Road one way, we could pedestrianise it, we could close it to traffic at certain times of day.

“The problem is, it’s such a thoroughfare. If we block it off then would we just move all of that traffic to another place? There isn’t an easy solution.”

Harrogate giant pumpkin to raise money for charity

A Harrogate couple who have grown an absolutely gigantic pumpkin have invited people to guess its weight to raise money for charity.

Ian and Natalie Hutton have raised £300 for St Michael’s Hospice so far but hope as they travel around with the pumpkin that they can raise even more.

The pair have been outside St Michael’s shop on Ripon Road. Today and tomorrow they’re at the Wellington Inn in Darley and will be at Kendalls Farm Butchers on Skipton Road next Friday.

If you cannot visit the pumpkin in person but want to donate then you can do so on JustGiving by clicking or tapping here.

Not your average pumpkin!

For £1 people can guess the weight. Whoever is closest will win a surprise first prize. The second prize is a £30 pork pie voucher from Kendalls and third will take home a scarf from Shine on King’s Road.

Read more:

A very proud Mr Hutton, who has been perfecting his pumpkins for the last six years, told the Stray Ferret:

“It’s about choosing the right seeds, getting them in the ground at the right time. Then it takes a lot of luck and a lot of water. I have been giving it about five gallons a day.

“A lot of people ask if we have pumped steroids into it but everything we grow is natural.

“We have lost a couple of friends who were looked after by St Michael’s Hospice so we wanted to give back. Now is the right time to donate, especially after coronavirus curtailed fundraising.”

When the fundraising is over Mr Hutton is going to attempt to carve it for Halloween and take the seeds to try and grow an even bigger pumpkin next year.

Just to give you an idea of the weight of gigantic pumpkins -the current Guiness World Record for heaviest pumpkin is 2,624 pounds and 9.6 ounces, which was grown by Mathias Willemijns in Belgium.

Stray Views: Station Gateway project a ‘haphazard whim’

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. Send your views to letters@thestrayferret.co.uk.

£11 million Station Gateway a ‘haphazard whim’

Despite all the consultations undertaken by North Yorkshire County Council and others, it seems as though Councillor Don Mackenzie’s scheme is to be implemented whether we like it, or not.

Buoyed by the cycling fraternity that requires cycle lanes everywhere, we are to spend £11million on what is essentially resurfacing of two streets. Oh and a hundred yards of cycle lane that links up to nothing and finishes nowhere.

NYCC spent big in Ripon city centre 20 years ago, it was an utter disaster from the start and still looks dreadful. The poor people of Ripon will, I’m sure testify as to what an ungodly mess NYCC has perpetrated upon them so the chances of getting an impressive out turn in Harrogate isn’t that promising.

But wait, if we are serious about cycling provision the thinking and implementation needs to be joined up, not just a haphazard whim of our local councillor and a couple of cycling pressure groups.

The Stray Act is outdated and needs reform to meet the modern world, the act needs amending to allow cycling on the Stray. We need to stop replacing every square inch of grass with a similar area near the Woodlands pub

Then install a cycleway from Knaresborough Road at the back of the hospital over Wetherby Road, Oatlands Drive, Stray Rein, the railway, and Leeds Road terminating at the Otley Road cycleway that is about to start.

Provide raised plateaus at each road crossing to give cyclists priority.

This arrangement will provide mega cycle route infrastructure through town from east to west and north to south, much safer than on road schemes, cause very little disruption during construction and will give a lasting legacy.

But do we have the bottle to even consider it?

David Howarth, Harrogate

Traffic evidence based on ‘flawed modelling’

Having watched and listened to the Station Gateway presentation on Thursday evening, the reason for the loss of the major A61 route through Harrogate is now clear.

It seems that all the modelling for this project was made using flow numbers taken during lockdown. No wonder pedestrian and vehicle numbers were so low and unrealistic, and the road had been made so narrow!

Before all this costly and wide-ranging change is passed and thrust upon us, please can we have a re-run using typical A61 working day traffic?

Living on this north/south A61 national highway, we are fully aware of the normal use of this main road, which became unusually quiet during pandemic restrictions and road renovations.

There is often heavy traffic in both directions and a real need for the central crossing bollards erected at needful places between the wide traffic lanes.

Half of this traffic will pass down Parliament Street, but the equivalent southbound traffic has to join the shoppers and bus/train users in Station Parade. The video seemed not to show any of this.

The question raised about access to the A61 from the conference centre car-park was scarcely addressed, except to infer that there was no need to cater for it.

It will certainly be a dangerous place for cyclists on either side of the road, let alone pedestrians.

So serious re-run, please, with realism. There is so much new building going on in and around our town that all numbers will surely soon outgrow this dream.

Beryl Dunsby, Harrogate

Read more:

Packed school buses explain Harrogate’s soaring covid rate

I’m not surprised the covid rate is rising. I accompanied my grandson on the school bus Harrogate to Knaresborough a few days ago and it was rammed. Children about 11-15/16 stood and sat shoulder to shoulder. Not one more person could have got on.

No windows were open and not one person except me had a mask on, not even the driver.

My friend in Brighton is suffering a bad dose of covid following an informal singing session. Out of the 70 there at least 30 have tested positive. They had ventilation and and all are double vaccinated.

I’ve read of a new variant, highly contagious, which is suspected in a few cases including a friend’s wife who is currently very ill in hospital down south. It’s been reported in Japan, six cases last I read a few days ago, and Australia, one case, similarly a few days ago, maybe a week.

I’ve heard nothing apart from that. I don’t follow news closely, it’s too depressing.

Teresa Liddell Shepherd, Harrogate

Double standards by cyclists

The Stray Ferret reported Harrogate District Cycle Action group commenting on Tesco’s arguments concerning sustainability:  “That is greenwash, and based on nothing more than a far-fetched hope” and that there should be “segregated, protected cycle tracks on either side of Skipton Road”.

This is the organisation who is actively supporting the Otley Road cycle way also based on nothing more than a far-fetched hope. They have never provided any evidence that it will see motorists on Otley Road forsaking their cars. Or that those motorists are happy to have a narrow pavement, become a shared non-segregated cycle path for Otley Road residents and pedestrians to negotiate.

Double standards?

Chris Dicken, Harrogate

Do you have an opinion on the Harrogate district? Email us at letters@thestrayferret.co.uk. Please include your name and approximate location details. Limit your letters to 350 words. We reserve the right to edit letters.

 

120 marathons in 120 days: Harrogate man completes epic trek

A Harrogate man crossed the finish line today after completing a mammoth challenge of 120 marathons in 120 days.

Graham Wilson, a retired police constable, found well-earned relief at Harrogate sports bar The Den after 3,180 miles.

Before setting off, Graham had raised more than £40,000 for 15 charities, including Macmillan Cancer Support, British Heart Foundation, Saint Michael’s Hospice and Harrogate Homeless Project.

He hopes to reach his goal of £50,000.

Speaking after he crossed the line, he said:

“I’m emotional, it’s been three years of hard work and training and it’s just sort of come to an end suddenly. We’ve had a terrific journey all over the UK and the welcome in Harrogate was just amazing.”

Check out our Facebook live to see him crossing the line.

Graham Wilson and his wife Marion

Graham has walked 26 miles every day for four months, with his wife Marion and dog Tilly supporting him from the sidelines.

The pandemic delayed his challenge by 15 months and meant he couldn’t stick to his original plan of including marathons in Europe.

He added:

“I retired from the police and needed something to do. We’ve always been in to long-distance walking so we set a map of where we wanted to go.

“Initially we should have been going to Europe for 44 days and doing extra but we couldn’t. We made the best of a bad situation and came up with a plan.

“The first and last was always going to be in Harrogate.”

Read more:

Graham was a police officer for nearly 30 years and raised funds for charities before retiring.

Bex Moorhouse, a former colleague and Harrogate police officer, who was there to support him today, said:

“We all just feel super proud of him. He’s just so humble, to speak to him about what he’s done it’s just like he hasn’t done anything but it’s huge. This morning he was smiley Graham as usual and we are all just super proud of him for keeping going.

“He’s said some mornings Marion has had to kick him out of bed but he’s doing it for the charities and that’s keeping him going.”

To donate to the challenge click here.

Horticap holds open weekend as part of climate festival

Harrogate charity Horticap is holding open days today and tomorrow to encourage children and families to learn how to protect their local environment.

The open days are part of the Harrogate District Climate Change Coalition climate action festival, which is being held in the run up to the UN climate change festival COP26 in Glasgow.

Horticap, a charity-run nursery on Otley Road that provides horticulture training for people with disabilities, is hosting stands by charities and businesses.

The weekend aims to get people involved in environmental efforts and highlight the importance of recycling and protecting local green spaces.

The event is being staged by Horticap and Pinewoods Conservation Group.

Lucy Hind, from Pinewoods Conservation Group, organised rock painting for children and gave information to people on how they can use the green space around them.

She said:

“Horticap come into the Pinewoods a lot to do work for us so we wanted to make sure we were supporting this.

“This weekend is about getting children involved and educating them and getting children out and about.”

Read more:

Other exhibitors include Harrogate District Biodiversity Action Group, Essential Needs and Cone Exhange.

Donated scrap

Chris Powell, community champion at Cone Exchange, talked about the Bettys and Taylors community project in Starbeck, which turns donated scrap into usable products and crafts.

Chris Powell with the items made from business waste group’s workshop

“We reuse lots of different business waste and we work to repurpose that with adults with disabilities. We work with the students’ skills to create a product, it could be something as simple as craft items or decorative items out of plastic lids from local takeaways.

“The aim is to get everyone involved and reduce business waste.”

Mr Powell said he was at the event to make people aware of the project and to raise some money for charities with their products.

Phil Airey, operations manager at Horticap, said:

“I just want to promote everybody here and encourage people to get involved in projects locally. So come along!”

The stands will be back open tomorrow 10-4pm.

Horticap’s greenhouse