Harrogate’s food and drink festival returned to the Stray today to become the town’s first major event since the coronavirus pandemic.
The event dodged the bad weather of the last week, as the sun shone on the Oatlands Drive part of the Stray that hosted the event.
The festival will be open again tomorrow to offer people the chance to enjoy international cuisine, independent bars, artisan stalls, live music and a fun fair.
The organisers have once again partnered with the mental health charity Mind, with the Harrogate district team stationed on the exit.
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Mike Gibbs, chair of Harrogate district Mind, told the Stray Ferret:
“It’s fantastic. We are so grateful to the event organisers who have helped over the years to raise money for Mind.
“Like other charities we are having a tough time with coronavirus. Events like this are going to help save lives.”
Amy Griffin, who is working on the Doe Harrogate stall, told the Stray Ferret:
“It feels amazing, Harrogate is such a great place to be. It feels a bit more normal doesn’t it? Everyone is here.
“We’ve got party rings, rainbows, Victoria sponge cake, the crowd favourite Biscoff and plenty more.”
Adele Wrightson, on the Fire and Dough stall, told the Stray Ferret:
“This is the first time we have been down here, we are from Northumberland. It’s great weather so lovely to have it outdoors.
“It’s odd to have so many people in one place. This is the biggest event we have done in recent times, they have gradually been getting more busy over the summer.”
If you miss the Stray event, it will be back at Ripley Castle on August 28 to 30.
More pictures:
Coronavirus cases continue to climb in the Harrogate district with another day where nearly 50 cases have been reported.
The seven day average for the district has risen suddenly from 103 two days ago to 133 today.
Elsewhere, the North Yorkshire rate is 111 and the England average is 128.
According to Public Health England figures, it takes the total number of infections since last March to 8,253.
However, no covid-related deaths have been confirmed at Harrogate District Hospital since April 11.
Harrogate District Hospital also has a low number of coronavirus patients. The total number, as of June 24 is three.
The death toll at the hospital since the pandemic started remains at 179.
Read more:
- Wetherby Road expected to reopen on Tuesday
- Harewood House takes the lead with Big Dog Walk tomorrow
Wetherby Road expected to reopen on Tuesday
Wetherby Road in Harrogate is expected to reopen on Tuesday after a water pipe burst yesterday.
The part closure of such a busy road caused long delays yesterday as drivers sought alternative routes. This looks set to continue all weekend and Monday.
Wetherby Road remains closed from Masham Close to the junction with Hookstone Road.
Yorkshire Water has confirmed that its engineers have now fixed the broken pipe.
North Yorkshire County Council previously said the aim was to reopen the road this weekend.
However, that has been pushed back. The road has suffered “significant damage” so workers need more time to fix it.
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It’s unclear at this time whether Wetherby Road will be open for the morning commute on Tuesday at this time.
A Yorkshire Water spokesperson said:
“The burst pipe on Wetherby Road has now been repaired. It caused significant damage to the road surface in the area and our teams will be working throughout the weekend to reinstate the road and reduce disruption to a minimum.”
An eyewitness told the Stray Ferret:
Tockwith man goes from Knaresborough schoolboy to retail entrepreneur“They were working on it on Friday morning and they said they might have to close the road, I think they left it as late as they could.
“But it was the worst timing really, on a Friday afternoon.”
Tom Walker from Tockwith has built up his vintage clothing business from a few pieces on eBay to a huge website hosting pop-up sales every week.
Mr Walker started Headlock Vintage at the age of 18 after leaving King James’ School, Knaresborough. He’d found his passion and wanted to see how far he could take it.
He said the business grew over the years but really took off around six years ago. The 30-year-old now travels around the UK hosting vintage sales and pop-ups at university campuses.
As his products are aimed at young people, most items are under £40 and fit current fashion trends.
Styles similar to these will be on sale in Harrogate tomorrow. Photograph: Headlock Vintage, Facebook
With more than 3,000 items on the site Mr Walker said the boom in online shopping over lockdown has made a big impact on his business.
As restrictions ease he said he’s excited to get out again and sell to customers face-to-face. He is hosting a vintage sale in Harrogate tomorrow in the Wesley Centre.
He said:
“It’ll be great to go somewhere local and sell face-to-face again. Last year was difficult, we missed out on a lot of big events. Festivals bring in a lot of money for us but of course all were cancelled.”
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He’s expecting around 400 people to come through the doors tomorrow. Social distancing and mask-wearing is expected and the number of people inside will be monitored.
He said the items will be priced at less than £25 and range from floral dresses to England shirts.
The event is from 10am to 5pm and entry is free.
Wetherby Road in Harrogate closed in both directionsWetherby Road in Harrogate has been closed in both directions just as the evening rush hour begins, due to a broken water pipe.
Heavy traffic is already starting to build up around the area.
The busy commuter route could be closed for more than a day between Masham Close and the junction with Hookstone Road, according to North Yorkshire County Council.
The council said on Yorkshire Water‘s engineers “were on scene and aim to reinstate the road over the weekend”. It apologised for any inconvenience.
Wetherby Road in #Harrogate is closed in both directions from Masham Close to the junction with Hookstone Road.
This is due to a collapsed @YorkshireWater pipe.
Their engineers are on scene & aim to reinstate the road over the weekend.
Apologies for any inconvenience. pic.twitter.com/3LzLPmoFeI
— North Yorkshire Council (@northyorksc) June 25, 2021
A Yorkshire Water spokesperson said:
“Due to a burst water pipe, we’ve had to close Wetherby Road from Masham Close to the junction with Hookstone Road.
“Our contractors are on with fixing the pipe and assessing the work that needs to be done to get the road open safely again. We’re sorry about any disruption this causes.”
Read more:
Police take man into custody after rooftop standoff in Harrogate
Police have taken a man into custody after a two-hour rooftop standoff in Harrogate this afternoon.
The incident forced police to close off Belmont Road and nearby Belmont Close and Cold Bath Road while a negotiator talked the man down.
Residents reported a heavy prescence from the emergency services just before 1pm. There were multiple fire engines, police cars and ambulances in the area.
It was around 3pm when officers handcuffed the suspect and took him away in a police van. All three roads are now open again.
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A police spokesperson said:
“The incident in Belmont Road has now been brought to a safe conclusion and the roads have reopened.
“Thank you for your patience and understanding. The man has been taken into police custody.”
An eyewitness on Cold Bath Road told the Stray Ferret:
“I came to pick up my child from school and saw lots of police cars, a few fire engines and ambulances.
“Just then I saw a man being taken into the back of a police van in handcuffs. He was up on the roof.
“So the incident seems to be over now and Cold Bath Road is open to traffic, nice and busy again.”
The incident in pictures:
Contractors have been invited to bid to take on the works for the £60 million A59 Kex Gill scheme.
The North Yorkshire County Council highways project will see a section of the road between Harrogate and Skipton realigned.
The new road, which is expected to take a year to complete, will divert traffic away from the landslip-prone part of the A59 route.
This section has a history of causing unsafe driving conditions and delayed journeys, as well as high maintenance costs
Work on the project could start as early as this autumn. Earlier this year, the government declined to have a final say on the scheme, clearing the way for it to begin.
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Now, contractors have been invited to tender for the works.
Cllr Don Mackenzie, executive member for access at the county council said:
“We are pushing forward with this scheme to provide a safe, reliable route for residents, businesses and visitors.
“This stretch of road has experienced closures in recent years because of land slips. These have disrupted travel, enforced long diversions and been costly. The realignment of the route will provide much better connectivity for all road users.”
Cllr Stanley Lumley, member for Pateley Bridge division, said:
Harrogate Hospital Radio wins three-year fight for FM licence“This is another step towards the delivery of this long-anticipated scheme. Locals, commuters and visitors will all benefit from enhanced safety and reliability of the road. We look forward to work beginning.”
Harrogate Hospital Radio is preparing to go on to the FM airwaves after earning a licence on its third attempt in three years.
It will be a major step for the station when it starts to broadcast for the first time on 95.3FM from 9am on September 1.
The charity radio station, which has been keeping hospital staff and patients entertained since October 1977, has had a long journey to get to this point.
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Mark Oldfield, Harrogate Hospital Radio’s chairman, was knocked back by regulator Ofcom twice, but took the loss of Stray FM as a reason to take up the fight again.
He started a petition to drum up support, which was signed by nearly 400 people, and said:
“I can’t begin to tell you what this means to Harrogate Hospital Radio. An awful lot of hard work has gone into our submission.
“I’d like to thank MP Andrew Jones and Harrogate Hospital Radio NHS Trust chair Angela Schofield, and its chief executive, Steve Russell, for their support.
“Early this year, I was invited to resubmit my application and, finally, at the end of May, I got a call from Ofcom to inform me my application had been successful.
Harrogate District Hospital now has 300 FM radios so even more patients will be able to listen to Harrogate Hospital Radio.
The chairman hopes that it will become the dedicated radio station for not only the hospital, but the surrounding area as well.
Date set for Knaresborough Scriven Park by-electionThe 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.
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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.
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.
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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.”