The Old Spring Well in Killinghall will reopen as The Curious Cow of Harrogate on April 8 after undergoing a £650,000 refurbishment.
The Revere Pub Company, which is the premium arm of Marston’s, has promised a ‘brand-new premium pub, food and drink experience’, with the creation of 40 jobs.
The Stray Ferret revealed last month the pub, which was built on the site of the former Travellers Rest, was being taken up-market.
The owners have now provided an opening date and further details of the planned changes.
It said in a press release today:
“The venue will be newly reimagined with country chic inspired interiors and stripped back features, including oak flooring, open fires and contemporary finishes.
“Alongside a welcoming interior and cosy nooks, there is also an outside area to make the most of the warmer months.”
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Food will consist of “an assortment of contemporary dishes alongside a variety of pub classics”, plus pizzas, steaks and other options, including Sunday roasts.
Michael Baravelli, general manager at The Curious Cow of Harrogate, said:
Bridal Week signs four-year contract worth £1.2m to Harrogate economy“We can’t wait to throw open the doors and welcome guests in to explore what we’ve created here.
“Providing quality and premium experiences that keep people coming back time and time again is so important to us, and we are looking forward to creating a beautiful space where the community can escape, switch off and enjoy what we have to offer.”
The largest bridal trade show in the UK is set to return to Harrogate for the next four years, in a move that is estimated to be worth £1.2million to the local economy.
Bridal Week will take over Harrogate Convention Centre for three days in September every year, bringing more than 4,000 visitors to the town to browse 350 collections from designers across the world.
The show has been based in Harrogate for 35 years and has grown to be the biggest in the UK.
Wendy Adams, director of Bridal Week at Ocean Media, said:
“Harrogate truly is a market leader. The event combines business and pleasure, and each year the industry takes over the town presenting the largest collection of bridal gowns in northern Europe.
“I go to bridal shows all over the world in Chicago, New York, Milan, Barcelona, Dusseldorf – and they’ve all heard of Harrogate, because of the show.”
The announcement of the four-year contract is a huge boost for Harrogate bridal businesses still recouping losses from the pandemic. The event is estimated to bring an economic impact of around £1.2 million to the local economy over the next four years.
This year’s show will take place between September 11 and 13.
Ms Adams said the central town location set Harrogate apart from its competitors. She said clients could easily head into town in the evening whereas other venues were based on the fringes of cities.
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It’s set to be a bumper year for the wedding industry with many couples eager to tie the knot after delaying during the pandemic.
The convention centre redeployed as an NHS Nightingale Hospital for a year during the pandemic but didn’t treat a single covid patient.
Paula Lorimer, director of Harrogate Convention Centre, said:
‘Smart bins’ to be trialled in Harrogate from this month“It’s tremendous news that this stalwart exhibition is so firmly embedded with our venue for years to come, and that there’s such a strong bounce back for exhibitions and live events.
“The financial impact on our hotels, bars, restaurants and retail businesses is significant after the tourist season ends in summer.”
“Smart bins” which use sensors to send alerts when they need emptying are to be trialled in Harrogate from this month.
The joint project by Harrogate Borough Council and North Yorkshire County Council will see sensors fitted in up to 87 public bins on streets around the Valley Gardens area of the town.
The sensors will measure how full the bins are, as well as their temperature and whether they have become damaged.
Cllr Andy Paraskos, cabinet member for environment, waste reduction and recycling at Harrogate Borough Council, said the sensors will help make the best use of resources and staff time.
He said:
“Understanding when a bin needs emptying or whether it might need inspecting will enable us to make the most efficient use of our resources.
“These sensors will allow us to use the data and focus on those that need to be emptied more often.
“As a result, we’d expect to see a reduction in travel, meaning a saving on fuel costs and a reduction in carbon emissions.”
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Swimming club seeks further talks about use of Ripon’s new pool
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Video contradicts Harrogate council’s claim about wheelie bins and recycling
The sensors are being funded using cash from £3.6 million awarded to York and North Yorkshire Local Enterprise Partnership from the government’s Getting Building Fund.
North Yorkshire County Council said the trial is a first for the county as well as an early example of studies into how new technologies can be used in public areas for other purposes.
This will include sensors being used to capture live air quality data and monitoring traffic flow.
Sensors will also be used for people counting in town centres to identify busy times and locations to help businesses plan.
Cllr Greg White, executive member for customer engagement at North Yorkshire County Council, said:
Traffic and Travel Alert: Delays expected due to Army Foundation College parade“The smart bins pilot will enable us to assess the time and money saved and any other benefits.
“If it is successful, we will look to extend the scheme to other suitable locations.
“We are at an early stage of the ‘smart places’ project, working alongside borough and district colleagues, but the possibilities of the so-called Internet of Things – embedding sensors in everyday objects to enable them to send and receive data – are hugely exciting.
“These early studies with our partners will help to reveal the potential for systems that can improve the environment, support health and wellbeing and enable more effective delivery of public services.”
Motorists should expect delays around the Army Foundation College in Harrogate as it holds its annual passing out parade.
Delays are expected around the college today from 8.30am to 10am and 1pm to 2pm on Rough Road and Penny Pot Lane.
The Stray Ferret has changed the way it offers Traffic and Travel alerts.
We will now notify you instantly through app notifications and flash tweets when there is an urgent alert. This could include heavy traffic, dangerous weather and long delays or cancellations of public transport.
The alerts are sponsored by The HACS Group.
Harrogate’s Valley Gardens to host spectacular fire and light showHarrogate’s Valley Gardens will host a spectacular series of displays next month that celebrate fire, light and water.
Harrogate International Festivals has teamed up with outdoor events company Culture Creative for the event, which is being billed as ‘The Fire and Light Experience – a trail of blaze and brilliance through the Valley Gardens’.
Taking place from dusk until 10pm on the nights of Thursday, March 24 to Saturday, March 26, it will be HIF’s first event of 2022 and is being part-funded by Harrogate Borough Council and Harrogate Business Improvement District.
Culture Creative specialises in creating shows in heritage and landscape settings. Its clients include Kew Gardens, Blenheim Palace, The National Trust and English Heritage.
Sharon Canavar, Harrogate International Festivals’ chief executive, said:
“The town is famed for its waters, and this arts installation will bring all the elements of nature alive – earth, air, water and fire – in a spectacle of brilliance and blaze.
“With covid having cast a dark shadow for almost two years, we wanted to create a magical experience for the whole family to marvel at. And those who venture into the Valley Gardens will find themselves immersed in a trail of discovery, and one where they will be able to reimagine the natural world around them.
“They will lose themselves in the magic of nature, as each twist and turn reveals a new picture of tranquillity and wonder.”
Tickets for the event, priced at £12 for adults, £6 for 5-16-year-olds, and under-fives go free. You can buy tickets from the Harrogate International Festival website.
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Harrogate man fined for damaging train
A man from Harrogate has been fined for causing £1,093 worth of damage to a stationary train at Harrogate Station last year.
Michael Anthony Burke, 56, pleaded guilty at York Magistrates Court on Monday to causing criminal damage to a LNER train.
The incident occurred on June 11 last year.
Burke, of Nydd Vale Terrace, was fined £120, ordered to pay a victim’s surcharge of £85 and to pay £85 in costs to the Crown Prosecution Service.
He also pleaded guilty to trespassing on the railway lines.
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Burke also pleaded guilty to attempting to enter Crampton Moore Electronics on Commercial Street, as a trespasser with intent to steal.
The court issued a further community order to Burke for the final two offences.
Video contradicts Harrogate council’s claim about wheelie bins and recyclingA video sent to the Stray Ferret appears to contradict Harrogate Borough Council‘s claim that its fleet of bin wagons can not accept wheelie bins for recycling.
Currently, residents in the Harrogate district use blue bags to recycle paper and card and lidless black boxes for tins, plastic and glass.
In some other areas of the country, people use large wheelie bins for recycling.
Today’s storm has once again see recycling left out for collection blown across streets, prompting some residents on social media to call on the council to introduce wheelie bins.
A spokesperson for the council said this month this was not possible. They said:
“Another challenge we would need to overcome is the wagons used for collection. At the moment they cater for black boxes so any change would require adaptation of the fleet.”
However, the video, which was taken in Harrogate this week and sent to us by a resident, shows council workers emptying recycling from black boxes into garden waste wheelie bins and then into the refuse trucks.
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There is no suggestion of any wrongdoing by the bin workers, who are clearly carrying out their jobs efficiently.
After showing the footage to the council, a spokesperson said it operated 10 bin lorries and only two could operate wheelie bins.
Writing today on the Bilton Community Group Facebook page, Matt Scott, the Conservative councillor for Harrogate Bilton Woodfield, explained why the council prefers to use black boxes over wheelie bins.
He wrote:
Harrogate charity chief executive Frances Elliot receives MBE“When recycling is processed the clean plastic etc. is sold on with the money raised going into council services. Dirty recycling has to go to landfill as it can not be processed. In Harrogate less than one per cent of our plastic goes to landfill. Much of this is down to us all cleaning the recycling before it goes into the box.
“Councils that use wheelie bins have much higher landfill rates often of around 15%. Recycling wheelie bins are often treated simply as bins with the contents not cleaned before being put in. This means higher costs for the council and more landfill waste. I do not want to see either of that happening locally.
“The issue is not as straightforward as it may seem. Any changes would require significant expense for the bins themselves though also changes to how it is collected. This may mean new vehicles, changing routes and working patterns for existing refuse collectors. Any change to bins I would expect to be trialled first in certain areas to see if our excellent plastic purity rates are maintained. If they are not we would be spending money to lose even more money and send more to landfill.”
A Harrogate charity chief executive has been awarded the MBE at Windsor Palace.
Frances Elliot, who leads Harrogate and District Community Action, received the accolade yesterday from Princess Anne.
It was awarded in the 2021 Queen’s birthday honours for services to the community in Harrogate during the pandemic.
Ms Elliot said:
“It was good to have the opportunity to be able to tell her about the crucial role our volunteers and staff have played in supporting our community here in Harrogate and Ripon.
“Whilst it was slightly nerve-wracking when I first got there, I was put at ease and made to feel very welcome by everyone at Windsor Castle.”
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Ms Elliot has been involved in the district’s voluntary sector for 10 years. For nine of these years, she led HADCA’s Harrogate Easier Living Project, which offers practical support services assisting people to live safe and well at home.
In May 2020, she took over as HADCA chief executive from Karen Weaver and spearheaded the charity’s response to covid.
Proud to have been awarded an MBE at Windsor, in recognition of what we have collectively achieved during the pandemic. I feel so lucky to lead a caring & resourceful staff team @hadcacharity @HELP_Harrogate & none of it possible without our kind & committed volunteers. pic.twitter.com/o5OpomNXn8
— Frances Elliot (@FrancesElliot) February 16, 2022
HADCA supports other charities in the district as well as providing services.
It coordinated more than 250 volunteers to help local people on over 8,000 occasions with practical and emotional support when they were shielding or self-isolating during the pandemic.
Strong winds set to hit Harrogate district todayStrong winds are set to hit the Harrogate district from early this morning and will continue for the rest of the day.
BBC Weather is reporting that gusts of between 40 mph and 45 mph are expected throughout Wednesday.
A weather warning for Storm Dudley has been issued from Wednesday until Friday evening.
Visitor attractions in the district including RHS Harlow Carr and Fountains Abbey have announced they will change their opening hours tomorrow due to the winds.
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Due to the forecast of high winds, the woodland (including play area) and glasshouses will be closed Weds to Fri this week.
We apologise for any inconvenience, but the safety of everyone is paramount. We will continue to monitor the situation, please check for further updates. pic.twitter.com/2CBsh0gMVT
— RHS Harlow Carr (@RHSHarlowCarr) February 15, 2022
North Yorkshire local government reorganisation called a ‘political move’It's likely we'll be opening the mains site & deer park later tomorrow (Wed 16 Feb) to allow the worst of Storm Dudley to pass and make the site safe.
Our team will make a decision on opening in the morning so please check in with our website for the most up to date information. pic.twitter.com/Rltps8lVCC— Fountains Abbey & Studley Royal, National Trust (@fountainsabbey) February 15, 2022
Local government reorganisation in North Yorkshire is “blatant gerrymandering” by the Tory government and will create Europe’s least democratic local authority, it has been claimed.
Some elected members serving on the county’s seven district and borough councils say it has become increasingly apparent the forthcoming North Yorkshire Council was being introduced by the government to consolidate power in the hands of the Conservative Party from April 2023.
While North Yorkshire’s 225 district and borough councillors represent the same residents as the 72 county councillors, the Conservative Party has 74% of county seats but just 51% of elected members on the district and borough councils.
The district and borough councils feature almost 29% of Independent and Green councillors, but less than 17% on the county council. Labour and Liberal Democrat groups on the county council have less than half the share of seats they have on district and borough authorities.
Although opposition councillors have alleged the new authority’s 89 divisions, many of which resemble the existing county council divisions, have been designed to favour the Conservatives, senior Tories leading the changes have dismissed suggestions the division boundaries were politically motivated.
The Green Party and Independent councillor for Catterick Leslie Rowe said a study by the District Council’s Network had found creating unitary authorities for counties would in North Yorkshire’s case lead to the least democratic local authority in Europe, with each of the 90 councillors representing around 7,000 people.
He said:
“Compare this to Barking and Dagenham Council, which is also undergoing reorganisation, with each councillor there representing 3,200 people.
“Clearly, the sole justification for this costly local government reorganisation is to consolidate power into the hands of the Conservative Party.”
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County council opposition leader Stuart Parsons said the creation of the new authority was “blatant political gerrymandering” by the government as the smaller neighbouring county of Cumbria was being split into two councils to ensure the Conservatives were in control of at least one local authority there.
He said:
“It’s fairly obvious this is Conservative Party politics and they are hoping they will be able to dominate the new local authority in the same way they have dominated the county council, but have had less success in some of the borough and district councils.
“They don’t like not being in control and get very upset when they lose control of a council. However, it could nicely backfire on them. The public are not over the moon about the Tories at the moment and there’s a great opportunity in May to have as few Tories re-elected as possible.”
However, the authority’s Liberal Democrat group leader Councillor Bryn Griffiths said while local government reorganisation was a political move, he believed the changes represented an opportunity for a more politically diverse council covering the county.
He said:
“If candidates listen to their communities and put their community’s views forward I think there is a better chance of a more representative county, but if you haven’t got proportional representation you get stuffed.”
County council leader Councillor Carl Les said claims that the new authority would be Europe’s least democratic were wrong as at least one unitary council, Leeds, had a smaller proportion of councillors to residents.
When asked if the reorganisation had been motivated by politics, Coun Les replied:
“No. It’s a move to make sure we get the benefits of negotiating devolution asks with the government.”