Harrogate restaurant offers free meals for homeless people

An independent Harrogate restaurant is stepping up to the plate once again and offering free meals for homeless people on Christmas Day.

Portofino Ristorante will open from 2pm to 4pm to serve a full turkey dinner for anyone without a roof over their head.

As well as the food, those in need will also come away with a Christmas gift in the form of gloves, hats, scarves or sleeping bags.

Ozgur Babat, owner of the Italian restaurant Portofino, told the Stray Ferret:

“Many businesses are struggling right now but we are lucky enough to be in a position to help others.

“The response has been incredible, so many people have shared it online so hopefully we can reach those people in need.”

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With the help of charitable people locally the restaurant is already at full capacity for winter clothes and sleeping bags.

The restaurant will serve turkey with pigs in blankets, stuffing, seasonal vegetables, roast potatoes and gravy from its new Christmas menu.

The restaurant has been inundated with donations.

Coronavirus guidelines means that everyone will have to sit on a seperate table, so there will be room for around 25 people.

Since sharing the news on the Portofino Ristorante page, people have shared the post more than 1,000 times.

Council rejects Harrogate Blues Bar’s road closure bid

North Yorkshire County Council has rejected a Harrogate bar’s bid to close the road outside for outdoor tables and chairs.

The Blues Bar, on Montpellier Parade, was forced to remove the tables and chairs from the Stray earlier this year and thought this could be the solution.

However, the county council said the closure of Montpellier Parade would cause issues for emergency vehicles, Montpellier Square car park and deliveries.

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Although Montpellier Parade is a highway it still forms part of the Stray, which is covered by a 1985 Act of Parliament.  In September when the issue of closing the road was raised the Stray Defence Association reminded those involved that using any part of the Stray for commercial gain may contravene the act.

However Melisa Burnham, the highways area manager at the county council, said it had been rejected because of access:

“Following site visits and consultation with the emergency services and adjoining businesses we could not recommend the closure of Montpellier Parade.

“However, the Blues Bar does have additional space on the pavement outside for tables and chairs. We have provided support by suspending parking bays so they can be used by pedestrians.

“We are doing all we can to support hospitality and retail businesses in these difficult times, and all measures are under constant review.

“The site visits confirmed that there would not be enough space to accommodate additional tables and chairs whilst allowing space for emergency vehicles to pass.

“The road is one-way from Parliament Street to Montpellier Hill. A closure would prevent access to Montpellier Square car park, delivery areas and the well-used loading bays.”

The Blues Bar is still able to use the parking bays immediately outside and hopes to be able to use the Stray again when the weather improves next year.

Knaresborough mum: ‘Funding cuts will harm my son’s education’

A mother from Knaresborough fears children’s education at a special needs school will suffer after eight teachers were made redundant.

Kay Heffron’s son Anthony has been at Springwell Harrogate, formerly known as The Grove Academy, for almost two years.

Anthony’s behavioural issues mean he works better in smaller class sizes with more one-to-one attention.

But eight members of staff are leaving at Christmas in the wake of budget cuts and class sizes will increase. It brings the total number of staff lost to 14 in the last two years.

Ms Heffron is worried about the impact of this on the education of her son and other pupils.

She said:

“It will have a long-term impact. He doesn’t want to go back because his favourite teachers are leaving. He will fall back again and his behaviour will likely deteriorate. They will miss out on the education they deserve.

“The teachers were fantastic and always went above and beyond. But now it just isn’t the same because there aren’t as many staff. I’m quite sad that it can’t continue as it was — their education will be affected.”

Ms Heffron’s daughter, Abbie, who has autism, also attended Springwell Harrogate for two years but now goes to another specialist school.

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The school came under the management of Wellspring Academy Trust in April 2020.

The trust has said changes to funding occurred before it took over and it has been restructuring. It added:

“All the changes that have been implemented at Springwell Harrogate are in line with Wellspring’s standard delivery model across the trust and have been proven highly effective in our seven successful alternative academies.

“This includes the adult – pupil ratios that are benchmarked against Department for Education best practice. The ratios at Springwell Harrogate meet the DfE’s recommendations.

“Leaders at the school are always happy to talk with parents and carers who have any concerns and will always consider the individual learning, social and emotional needs of Springwell Harrogate pupils.”

Harrogate district vaccine sites shrouded in secrecy

Health bosses in North Yorkshire have refused to reveal the locations of new vaccination centres that are due to open in the next week.

The vaccine programme is rolling out nationally and it was revealed today that eight more sites are due to go live in North Yorkshire in the next week.

The Stray Ferret reported this week the Great Yorkshire Showground in Harrogate will be one of the vaccine centres.

However, that information was released on social media by GP practices who are involved in the operation and were seeking volunteers to help direct visitors in the car park.

The people in overall charge of public health in the county are steadfastly refusing to reveal the sites, even though they are due to open in days and people are keen to know where they will have to go, partly so they can plan transport.

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Amanda Bloor, the accountable officer for the North Yorkshire CCG, said at a coronavirus press briefing this morning:

“I do know that a number of you have been asking for confirmation for the locations of the sites but we have been strongly discouraged from sharing this information.

“It is really important that these sites are able to operate smoothly and that we protect patient and staff confidentiality.”

This stance may raise some eyebrows, particularly as the locations of the coronavirus testing sites have never been kept secret and have been widely promoted.

The Stray Ferret understands fears over anti-vaccine protesters may be partly behind the decision to keep the sites out of the public eye.

Picture credit: Marco Verch/Flickr.

Police search for Bilton flasher

Police are searching for a man who exposed himself to members of the public in Bilton yesterday.

The incident, which occurred near a pond close to the sandy banks of the River Nidd, off Bilton Lane, was reported to the police at 2.42pm.

Police have stepped-up patrols in the area to try to find the man, who it is believed has indecently exposed himself previously this year.

North Yorkshire Police is asking people to come forward with possible sightings of the man – either clothed or unclothed – or with details of any suspicious behaviour along the riverbank or in nearby woodland between 2pm and 4pm yesterday or recently.

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The man is described as white with a short dark-brown beard, aged in his 30s or 40s, about 6ft tall with a muscular build. He was wearing a mid-blue baseball cap.

Inspector Alex Langley, of the Harrogate neighbourhood policing team, said:

“This is clearly very worrying and disturbing behaviour and we are doing all we can to locate the suspect.

“If anyone has information that could assist the investigation, please get in touch immediately so we can take action.

“It is always best to make a report straight away and to provide as much detail as possible about the location so we can target our searches. Ideally, this will include accurate data from smartphone maps or apps such as What3Words.”

Anyone with information can contact North Yorkshire Police on 101, select option 1, and speak to the force control room.

Alternatively, contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111 or via www.crimestoppers-uk.org.

Quote reference number 12200232879.

Five arrests after thieves hit Harrogate building sites

Police have arrested five people after thieves targeted building sites in the Harrogate district.

Officers travelled to South Yorkshire to make the arrests and seize property this morning after a string of thefts between March and November.

The thieves stole newly-installed boilers as well as machinery and tools.

In North Yorkshire alone, criminals struck at abound 40 housing developments when the homes were close to completion. A number of the developments were in the Harrogate district although precise details are not known.

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Detective Inspector Chris Stone, of North Yorkshire Police, said:

“These incidents clearly involved high-value, organised crime, and had a significant impact.

“Not only businesses within North Yorkshire, but house buyers due to move in to their new properties.

“Significant resources have been deployed into this investigation, leading to today’s arrests.

“We are actively pursuing further lines of enquiry, and will continue to robustly investigate these offences.”

The police arrested a man in his 40s from Doncaster and three men in their 30s from Barnsley on suspicion of conspiracy to commit burglary and transferring criminal property.

Officers also arrested a woman in her 20s from Barnsley on suspicion of conspiracy to commit burglary

All remain in custody at this time while the police conduct the investigation.

Plans for pet crematorium in Harrogate district

There are new plans to build a pet crematorium in the Harrogate district.

Harrogate Borough Council is behind the proposal, which are currently in the “development stages”.

It came to light in a council meeting on parks and environmental service fees and charges yesterday.

The document said there were plans for a new service in 2021/22:

“The fee for removal of deceased domestic pets is proposed for withdrawal, pending introduction of a new Pet Crematorium Service.”

Currently, the closest pet crematoriums are in either Thirsk or Skipton.

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Harrogate’s council currently charges £36 to collect dead pets from people’s homes.

This follows the lead of councils in North East Lincolnshire and Barnsley, which have already opened or started work on pet crematoriums.

The Stray Ferret asked Harrogate Borough Council about its plans and were told:

“It is still in the development stages, we’ll have further information in the coming months.”

Council fee rises in Harrogate district

The meeting also covered some other fee rises that Harrogate Borough Council is planning to bring in for the financial year 2021/22.

It will now cost £25 for the council to clear bulky household items after an increase of £6.75.

The tennis hourly rate will increase from £8.90 to £10 to “reflect investment” in the facilities. The fee for bowls will also increase to £4 per hour.

Market traders will not see an increase in their fees and charges next year  “in recognition of the difficult trading conditions” caused by coronavirus.

It comes after some traders have been unhappy with increased rent charges this year and asked for reductions.

Upgrades for three Harrogate district schools

A major extension to Harrogate secondary school has been built, whilst two primary schools have been granted planning permission this week to expand.

Harrogate Grammar School has completed work on a £1.75m extension to connect its 1930s old building to a 1960s design block. It includes three classrooms on the first floor and a large atrium below, which forms a new student entrance.

The secondary school exceeded its planned student admission number of 260 to 285 over the past five years so needed the extra classroom space.

The expansion means the school can increase the number of places available to 290.

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Spofforth C of E Primary School will build a 227 square metre classroom extension, after being granted planning by North Yorkshire County Council yesterday.

A “dilapidated” 180 square metre prefabricated building which the school has used since the 1970s will be demolished to make way for the new building. It will include classrooms for reception and key stage one, as well as two glazed canopies.

Rossett Acre Primary School has been given the green light this week by Harrogate Borough Council to build a new hard court multi-use sports pitch.

Children will be able to play five-a-side football, basketball and netball on the court, and offer opportunities for sport when the school’s playing field is unusable due to bad weather

Free courses for furloughed and unemployed in Harrogate

Harrogate College is offering 50 free courses to people who have been made redundant, are unemployed or on furlough.

The college, which is based at Hornbeam Park, announced the move yesterday to help the district’s economic recovery.

Topics include media marketing, accounting, interior design and counselling. Courses begin in January.

The college said the courses had been chosen in line with local employer demands and would boost job prospects.

Figures published yesterday showed the number of people claiming out of work benefits in the Harrogate district in November was 3,625. This was a slight rise on the previous month’s figure of 3,595.

Danny Wild, principal at Harrogate College, said:

“We appreciate how challenging this year has been for many. We’re dedicated to supporting people to up-skill and re-skill, enabling them to progress in current jobs or return to work following the increase in furlough job losses across the district.

“We hope to give those who have been most affected an opportunity to take control of their future and work towards something to be proud of.”

The courses will be held online and face-to-face with some of the students going into college to use its facilities. The college has said all sessions will be run in line with covid guidelines.

To find out more about the courses on offer, click here.

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Lonely this Christmas? Harrogate group urges older people to join

A Harrogate community group has issued a plea to older people who are feeling lonely to get involved with its activities.

The Harrogate University of the Third Age, which has about 1,000 members, helps people over 50 pursue activities and develop new interests.

Anyone over the age of 50 and no longer in full-time work is able to join.

Although covid has prevented its usual monthly meetings taking place face-to-face, members are still meeting online.

They hope to do so twice a month from January before actual coffee mornings and summer outings, like the one pictured above, return as soon as possible.

Christmas can be an isolating time for some people, especially older people, so the group is urging people not to hesitate to get in touch.

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Alison Harris, the publicity officer at Harrogate U3A, said:

“Many people, especially older people, can feel very lonely at Christmas, but loneliness is not just for Christmas.

“If you are feeling socially isolated maybe Harrrogate U3A has something to offer you. We are a self-help charitable organisation run by and for its members.”

The subscription price is £12 per year. More details are available on the Harrogate U3A website.