Harrogate butchers named best in the north

A Harrogate butchers shop at the Great Yorkshire Showground has scooped an award for being the best in the north of England.

Fodder was named North of England Butcher’s Shop of the Year at the Butcher’s Shop of the Year Awards 2020 on Monday.

The shop, which opened in 2009 and is run by the Yorkshire Agriculture Society, was described by judges as “an excellent business, showing innovation and community as well as charitable support”.

Fodder opened in response to the foot and mouth crisis that devastated farming. The shop now works with 430 local farmers and producers.


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Heather Parry, managing director of Fodder, said:

“We are thrilled that our butchery has been recognised as the North of England’s finest and one of the very best in the whole of the UK.

“This award is a great endorsement of the quality of our meat, which has been reared to perfection on the very best local farms, as well as the skills of our talented and knowledgeable butchery team who are able to advise customers on how best to cook our products when they get home. 

“Our team works incredibly hard to create a beautiful counter every day and offer outstanding service too.”

The Butcher’s Shop of the Year Awards, which is organised by Meat Trades Journal, includes 12 categories and is judged by a panel of butchery experts, including a “mystery shopper” visit to the 35 finalists.

Among the other awards include Butcher’s Shop of the Year, Online Butchery Business of the Year and Farm Shop of the Year.

The awards ceremony was held online amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Smarties nursery in Ripley to close next month

Smarties Day Nursery and Pre-School in Ripley is to close next month after operating for more than 30 years.

The nursery currently looks after children aged up to four and also works alongside Ripley Endowed Church of England Primary School to offer a before and after-school club.

The nursery, next to Ripley Store, opened in 1987 and can cater for up to 52 children. It has been under the current management since 2004.

The building itself is part of the Ripley estate and is owned by Sir Thomas and Lady Emma Ingilby.

The nursery has said it is having to close after the owners decided not to renew the lease and use the building for another purpose instead.

Ripley school is in the early stages of planning to provide alternative provision. It has asked parents for their opinions, and hopes to have something in place after the Easter holidays.

Head teacher Ms Lisa Jackson-Ward said:

“Ripley Endowed was devastated to hear the news from Smarties; they have supported school and our parents for many years. Quite clearly, school now needs to work hard to fill the gap Smarties has left.

“It is possible for school to consider a teacher-led nursery provision. This would require some careful consultation with parents and the local authority but is being actively pursued in order to best support our families, the village and future families.”

The nursery has remained open during the current lockdown but will close for good on March 31.


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Police issue fine for 200-mile Scotland to Harrogate trip

A person has been fined for driving 200 miles from Glasgow to Harrogate to meet a friend in a motorhome.

The unnamed person was one of seven who received fixed penalty notices in the Harrogate district in the past week for lockdown breaches.

The friend, from Wakefield, was also fined.

A total of 186 fixed penalty notices have been issued for lockdown breaches in North Yorkshire over the last seven days — the most in any week during the third lockdown.

Seven were issued in the Harrogate district — all for visitors to the district.

Since January 6, 55 lockdown fixed penalty notices have been issued in the district, with 39 of them going to visitors.


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North Yorkshire Police Superintendent Mike Walker told a press briefing of the North Yorkshire Local Resilience Forum today the police will continue to target “the reckless minority”.

He said:

“To the public who want to breach regulations and travel into North Yorkshire, we are putting more resources out there to respond to public concerns and reports of breaches.

“Our message to people who think North Yorkshire is the place to come and offer various different unacceptable excuses — expect to be encountered by a police officer.”

£3,000 worth of tools stolen from Harrogate garage

Police are appealing for witnesses after £3,000 worth of tools were stolen from a garage in Harrogate.

North Yorkshire Police said the garage, on St Catherine’s Road in Harrogate, was burgled on February 3 between 10am and 7.30pm.

Power tools and garden equipment were among the items taken.

North Yorkshire Police is asking anyone who saw any suspicious behaviour or unusual vehicle movements on the street that day to get in touch.

Officers are also appealing for anyone with private CCTV to come forward.

You can contact North Yorkshire Police on 101, select option 2, and ask for Chloe Kinnear. Or email chloe.kinnear@northyorkshire.pnn.police.uk.

To remain anonymous, call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 and quote reference number 12210052754.


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Live: Harrogate district traffic and travel updates

Good morning everyone and welcome back to our traffic and travel service for the Harrogate district.

Whether you travel by car, bus or train we will keep an eye out for any possible disruption to your journey.

It’s Connor again back on the travel desk from 6.30am. Spotted an accident or a road closure? Send your updates to contact@thestrayferret.co.uk.

If traffic is moving well or it’s at a standstill then we will let you know with our updates every 15 minutes.


Full update – 9am

Thanks to everyone who has been getting involved with this new traffic and travel service. Good to read that people are finding it helpful. I am moving over to the news desk now but will be back with renewed vigour tomorrow morning at 6.30am. Connor.

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Harrogate chamber seeks new leader as CEO stands down

The CEO of Harrogate and District Chamber of Commerce is to stand down in spring after five years in the post.

Sandra Doherty took on the role in May 2016, but has decided to step down after selling her guest house on Ripon Road and making plans to retire to Northumberland.

The chamber is now asking anyone interested in taking on the role, which comes with a small remuneration package, to email Ms Doherty on ceo@harrogatechamber.co.uk.

The chamber says those interested need to care about the Harrogate district and the businesses within it, and be able to comment on issues facing them.

Ms Doherty spoke highly of her time in the role, thanking the people she has worked with during the five years. She said:

“I’ve thoroughly enjoyed my time as Harrogate and District Chamber of Commerce’s CEO, and when I depart, I will miss all that this position brings.

“This is a wonderful opportunity for someone with a bit of time and an enjoyment of working with people in many walks of life. Like me, they will be supported by a superb management committee.”


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Harrogate District Chamber of Commerce president Martin Gerrard said:

“We will be very sorry to see Sandra not only depart from the chamber, but from Harrogate too.

“Being chamber CEO is by no means an easy job, and the last 11 months have proved to be incredibly challenging. It needs an understanding of Harrogate’s business scene, great organisational skills, and the ability to comment on a wide range of issues facing the town and the wider district.

“Above all, it needs someone who cares about the town and the businesses that make Harrogate such a popular place to live and work.”

Ms Doherty took on the role at the chamber after Brian Dunsby stepped down in 2016, after 14 years at the helm.

The chamber’s history in Harrogate dates back to 1896 and it was responsible for the creation of Yorkshire Business Market and Harrogate Christmas Market, now both run separately.

In normal times, Harrogate and District Chamber of Commerce offers a monthly meeting to all its members, including regular ‘speed networking’ sessions and topics to support business growth. It has been offering online meetings since mid-2020.

It is run by a management group of volunteers drawn from member businesses, led by the CEO, which meets quarterly.

Penny Pot Lane near Harrogate reopens after serious collision

Penny Pot Lane near Harrogate has reopened after a serious traffic accident this afternoon.

A woman in her 60s who was driving a car was taken to Leeds General Infirmary with serious injuries, although they are not thought to be life-threatening.

Emergency services were called to the scene near New Acre Farm shortly after 1pm.

Fire, ambulance and police vehicles were all in attendance.

North Yorkshire Police urged drivers to avoid the road in a tweet at 2.17pm this afternoon.

Harrogate traffic sergeant Paul Cording also used his Twitter account to alert people to the situation.

Penny Pot Lane in #Harrogate remains closed whilst we deal with a serious RTC. Please avoid the area whilst emergency services deal #JESIP pic.twitter.com/F6DhuMQV4I

— Sgt Paul Cording BEM (@OscarRomeo1268) February 16, 2021

Sgt Cording later alerted the Stray Ferret to the road reopening at about 3pm.

Penny Pot Lane is a popular route for people in Harrogate travelling to Fewston and Swinsty reservoirs.

It is also the location of the West Harrogate Household Waste Recycling Centre run by North Yorkshire County Council, and traffic queueing to enter the site frequently backs up.

Witnesses can contact North Yorkshire Police by dialling 101, pressing 1 and speaking to the force control room. Quote reference number 0148 of 16 February.


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Harrogate phone box transformed into community library

A disused red phone box on St Hilda’s Road in Harrogate has been saved from the scrapheap and turned into a community library.

Last year, BT Group announced plans to remove 32 inactive booths across the Harrogate district, 22 of which were built in the traditional red style.

BT encouraged communities to keep the red telephone kiosks under its “adopt-a-kiosk” scheme, which costs £1 and lets community organisations, including councils and charities, transform the kiosks into defibrillator sites, mini-libraries and more.

The Oatlands Community Group has successfully adopted the St Hilda’s phone box, which is now called The Saints Community Library and can be used to store up to 200 books for people to swap, free of charge.


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Jane Kennerley, a member of the group, told the Stray Ferret she believes similar community libraries have been set up inside former phone boxes in Pannal and North Rigton in the Harrogate district.

The new library on St Hilda’s Road will be adapted for themed events, such as Red Nose Day, World Book Day and Pride.

To kick this off, from Monday it will celebrate Fairtrade Fortnight by featuring books from countries that produce Fairtrade goods.

Hand sanitiser is available on entry and people are advised to quarantine all books for 72 hours prior to using them.

Ms Kennerley said the phone box has already generated a great response from the local community.

She said:

“People seem to love it and it’s been really busy, especially with the charity shops being closed in Harrogate.”

Businesses helped post-Brexit by new Harrogate training centre

A new training centre opened in Harrogate yesterday to help businesses and staff better equip themselves for the economy post-Brexit and post-covid.

The Yorkshire education provider, Luminate Education Group, set up The Yorkshire Centre for Training and Development to help businesses navigate the upcoming economic challenges.

Operating out of Harrogate College on Hornbeam Park, as well as at sites in Leeds and Keighley, the centre will work with businesses to offer bespoke training packages.

The team of teachers will offer a range of compliance, professional development and redundancy support courses.

Luminate Education Group includes, amongst others, Harrogate College , Leeds City College and Keighley College.


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The director, Lee Pryor, said:

“With the ever-changing economic climate, we recognise businesses’ need to adapt their employees’ skills, to ensure a successful post-Brexit and post-covid transition.

“Our service will start with a complimentary skills planning session to understand the business, so that we can effectively identify its training needs, and match these to a budget.

“We will be offering in-person as well as virtual sessions that fit around the organisation’s schedule. We will then develop a bespoke training solution that meets those needs.”

He added businesses from a range of sectors, including social care and hospitality, could come to the centre for support.

Live: Traffic and travel updates in the Harrogate district

Good morning everyone and thanks for getting involved in this new traffic and travel service for the Harrogate district.

It’s Connor again back on the travel desk from 6.30am. Spotted an accident or a road closure? Send your updates to contact@thestrayferret.co.uk.

We will keep across the roads and rail lines. If traffic is moving well or it’s at a standstill then we will let you know with our updates every 15 minutes.

Have a lovely day and keep on top of traffic and travel right here on the Stray Ferret.


Full update – 9am

Thanks for getting involved everyone. I am heading over to the news desk now but will be back again tomorrow morning.

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