Harrogate firm posts turnover of £300m in ‘year of unprecedented challenges’

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.

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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.”

 

Continuing the best-known name in the Harrogate district

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.”

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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.”

Burglars jailed for 23 years after targeting Harrogate district homes

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.

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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.

Harrogate district residents recognised in Queen’s Birthday Honours

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.”

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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 charity Horticap to open cafe built with former student’s legacy

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.”

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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.”

First Damn Yankee owner reflects on ‘phenomenal’ early years in 1970s

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.

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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.”

Andrew Jones MP ‘very sad’ to lose villages in boundary shake-up plan

Harrogate and Knaresborough MP Andrew Jones says he will be “very sad” to lose just under 1,500 constituents under proposals for a major shake-up of parliamentary boundaries.

The Boundary Commission this week announced proposed changes to constituencies across the country as part of a review that aims to make Parliament fairer by giving each MP a roughly similar number of voters.

If approved, the changes could mean Harrogate and Knaresborough, which has been held by Conservative MP Andrew Jones since 2010, would lose 1,469 constituents with several villages north east of the towns falling under a new Wetherby and Easingwold parliamentary area.

Speaking to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, Mr Jones said: 

“The proposed boundaries are the subject of consultation now. Many MPs will see changes to the makeup of the constituencies they represent – some will see those constituencies abolished altogether.

“Whatever the outcome I will be very sad to no longer represent some parts of the Harrogate and Knaresborough constituency should they be moved into another constituency.

“By the time these changes come into force MPs will have represented constituencies on the current boundaries for 15 years. That’s a long time and many great partnerships between individuals and community groups have been formed.”

The Boundary Commission carries out a review every five years and has put its proposals out for public consultation with a formal report to government expected by June 2023.

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If the proposed changes go through, they will only come into effect in late 2023, which could be too late for the next election if Prime Minister Boris Johnson decides to call it early.

Some MPs could find themselves with safer seats, while others will be more closely contested and some will disappear altogether.

A map of the new constituency and reduced Harrogate and Knaresborough seat under the Boundary Commission plans. Picture: Boundary Commission.

A map of the new constituency and reduced Harrogate and Knaresborough seat under the Boundary Commission plans. Picture: Boundary Commission.

To put the potential loss of 1,469 constituents in Harrogate and Knaresborough into some context, Mr Jones won the 2019 general election by a margin of 9,675 votes, beating his closest rival Liberal Democrat Judith Rogerson.

Mr Jones added:

“The boundary commission always has a difficult job too but they do it independently of the politicians and that is entirely appropriate.

“The most important thing, whatever the new boundaries, is that those close ties between the community and their MP endure. I will do all I can to facilitate that strong working relationship between any part of the current Harrogate and Knaresborough constituency and their new MP should the final boundary changes bring about such a change.”

Elsewhere, Conservative MP Julian Smith’s Skipton and Ripon constituency would engulf Ripley but lose other villages including Bishop Monkton and Burton Leonard under the initial proposals.

Selby and Ainsty, which is held by Conservative MP Nigel Adams and includes areas south of Harrogate, would also be reduced in size to only include Selby and its surrounding villages.

The initial proposals will now be subject to revisions and consultations, with the first set to run for eight weeks before closing on 2 August.

A second consultation with public hearings will then get under way in spring 2022, followed by a final four-week consultation on revised plans in autumn 2022.

Harrogate and Knaresborough constituency (proposed new electorate 72,850)

Council wards to be included:

Skipton and Ripon constituency (proposed new electorate 74,270)

Council wards to be included:

To view the current and proposed constituency boundaries in full go to bcereviews.org.uk

Stroke survival figures ‘skewed by Covid,’ says NHS official

The pandemic has “significantly skewed” figures on how a major revamp of stroke services has impacted on survival rates in Harrogate, an NHS official has said.

Simon Cox, director of acute commissioning at North Yorkshire Clinical Commissioning Groups, told a meeting today that disruptions during Covid have meant the NHS is not yet able to give a full picture on the impact of changes to where critically ill stroke patients are sent for treatment.

Under the changes introduced in 2019, ambulances began taking patients to specialist units at Leeds or York hospitals rather than Harrogate after evidence showed they had a better chance of survival and not needing long-term care, even if travel times were increased.

It has meant around two thirds of the on-average 300 people who fall seriously ill with a stroke in Harrogate each year are sent to Leeds, with the other third taken to York.

Mr Cox told the Harrogate and Knaresborough Area Constituency Committee that while he would provide the full figures at a later date, he was confident the changes were taking their intended effect.

He said:

“Just as the changes were started to be embedded we had the emergence of the Covid pandemic. Nationally the numbers of patients presenting with strokes has significantly reduced – and that is potentially quite worrying.

“We absolutely can provide additional data – it just needs to be very heavily caveated as it is very difficult with the smaller numbers to make too many judgements.”

The changes follow a national review, which found larger, more specialist stroke units were better equipped to increase survival rates and improve recovery times.

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Before they came into effect, members of the Harrogate and Knaresborough Area Constituency Committee signalled their support for the move, although there were questions over the impact of increased travel times to hospital.

Speaking at today’s meeting, councillor David Goode said he was “disappointed” that the data was not provided for this and that he hoped the committee would be given a fuller picture soon.

He said:

“I fully appreciate the difficulties of operating and creating stats during the period of covid, but I am a little disappointed with the lack of evidence.

“There was general consensus that this was the right direction of travel but there were concerns around the potential impact on travel distances.

“At the time, my wife had just had a stroke and she was transferred to Leeds – the experience in the ambulance there was that there was certainly delay due to traffic volumes.”

In response, Mr Cox said there was now greater priority on getting patients to the better-equipped stroke units rather than the nearest.

He also said the main reason for the figures being skewed was because of a lower number of patients presenting with stroke symptoms – something he added was “concerning”.

He said:

“Stroke is unfortunately a relatively common and devastating condition. It is a sudden attack on the brain, either a bleed or a clot. There are an awful lot of them happening all the time across the UK.

“One of the things that has been concerning in 2020 was the lower presentations of patients.

“That was a much more significant issue in the first wave of the pandemic and it has been less so fortunately through the latter part of the year.”

Artisan market launches in Harrogate next weekend

Little Bird Artisan Markets is launching its first market in Harrogate next weekend.

The company already has several well-established monthly markets in Yorkshire, including Boroughbridge, Ripon and Pateley Bridge.

Founder Jackie Crozier, who grew up in Ripon, said her aim was to help local businesses to sell their goods and meet customers in person.

Many small firms have flourished during the pandemic by selling products online.

The Harrogate artisan market will open from 10am until 3pm on Saturday June 19 at St Wilfrid’s Church and will return every month.

More than 50 stallholders will be selling items such as homeware, food and plants.

Jackie Crozier said:

“This will be my first artisan market in Harrogate, and I’m really looking forward to welcoming an exciting range of different local stallholders, who will be showcasing the fantastic local produce.

“I hope the community will get behind the event and come along and meet the makers.”

Her first market opened in Ripon in 2018.

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One of the sellers coming to the new event is Ami Hunter, who hand makes lightweight clay jewellery for her business Make_Harrogate. She said:

“I’m so excited to be part of Little Birds’ first market at the beautiful St Wilfrid’s Church, you will find lots of market exclusive designs and offers, hope to see you all there.”

Live: Harrogate traffic and travel

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

Our live blog, brought to you by The HACS Group, will give you up-to-date information on traffic hotspots or where it may be building and the temporary lights in place. We also keep an eye on any bus or train delays.

If it is safe, please get in touch on our social media channels if you experience any delays.

9am – Full Update 

That is it from me to day, I will be back with you on Monday morning with updates every 15 minutes from 06.30. Have a lovely weekend!

Roads

The district’s roads are starting to get busier this morning, keep checking for today’s traffic hotspots.

Traffic is building in these areas:

Temporary traffic lights are in place here:

Trains

There are several significant delays on the trains this morning:

Buses

8.45am – Full Update 

Roads

The district’s roads are starting to get busier this morning, keep checking for today’s traffic hotspots.

Traffic is building in these areas:

Temporary traffic lights are in place here:

Trains

There are several significant delays on the trains this morning:

Buses

 

8.30am – Full Update 

Roads

The district’s roads are starting to get busier this morning, keep checking for today’s traffic hotspots.

Traffic is building in these areas:

Temporary traffic lights are in place here:

Trains

There are several significant delays on the trains this morning:

Buses

 

8.15am – Full Update 

Roads

The district’s roads are starting to get busier this morning, keep checking for today’s traffic hotspots.

Traffic is building in these areas:

Temporary traffic lights are in place here:

Trains

There are several significant delays on the trains this morning:

Buses

 

8am – Full Update 

Roads

The district’s roads are starting to get busier this morning, keep checking for today’s traffic hotspots.

Traffic is building in these areas:

Temporary traffic lights are in place here:

Trains

There are several significant delays on the trains this morning:

Buses

 

7.45am – Full Update 

Roads

The district’s roads are starting to get busier this morning, keep checking for today’s traffic hotspots.

Traffic is building in these areas:

Temporary traffic lights are in place here:

Trains

Buses

 

7.30am – Full Update 

Roads

The district’s roads are starting to get busier this morning, keep checking for today’s traffic hotspots.

Traffic is building in these areas:

Temporary traffic lights are in place here:

Trains

Buses

 

7.15am – Full Update 

Roads

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

Temporary traffic lights are in place here:

Trains

Buses

 

7am – Full Update 

Roads

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

Temporary traffic lights are in place here:

Trains

Buses

 

6.45am – Full Update 

Roads

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

Temporary traffic lights are in place here:

Trains

Buses

 

6.30am – Full Update 

Roads

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

Temporary traffic lights are in place here:

Trains

Buses