Harrogate Business Improvement District appoints new manager

Harrogate Business Improvement District has appointed Matthew Chapman as its new manager.

Harrogate is one of more than 300 places in the UK to have a BID, which aim to attract inward investment in town and city centres and boost footfall.

Mr Chapman, who will begin the £45,000 role on May 1, was appointed Leeds BID operations manager in 2016 before becoming Huddersfield’s BID manager in November 2019.

The job advert for his new role said the successful candidate would be responsible for a budget of £3m over five years, managing staff and partners, leading projects and delivering key performance indicators.

Harrogate BID chair Sara Ferguson said:

“Matthew was the standout candidate in our recent recruitment drive for a new manager. He brings with him experience of working with two major Yorkshire BIDS.

“We are very much looking forward to working with Matthew as Harrogate comes back to life from covid lockdown number three. He has some fantastic ideas for promoting Harrogate as a must-visit destination.”

Read more:

Mr Chapman said:

“Harrogate is a fantastic town with so much to offer, and coming here as a regular visitor since my childhood, I know it well.

“Thanks to my roles with both Leeds BID and Huddersfield BID, I’ve gained a great deal of experience working with businesses, councils, tourism bodies and the police. Building teams and working with wider teams is a core strength of mine.

“I’m really looking forward to starting my new job helping to promote Harrogate as a wonderful destination to shop, eat and drink, and to ensure the town centre is clean, safe and welcoming to all.”

Live: Harrogate district traffic and travel

Good morning and welcome back to our live updates on traffic and travel in the Harrogate district.

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

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.

9am – Full Update 

Another morning of live traffic has come to a close. We hope you find this service helpful. Do let us know if you have any updates we may have missed and see you again bright and early from 6.30am tomorrow.

Roads

Congestion is heavy in these areas:

Be aware of a continuing road closure on Dishforth Road, near Ripon, going both ways from New Road to Strait Lane.

Temporary traffic lights in place:

There are also continuing road closures in the Old Barber and Franklin Road areas of Harrogate for carriageway repairs.

Trains

Buses

8.45am – Full Update 

Roads

Congestion is heavy in these areas:

Be aware of a continuing road closure on Dishforth Road, near Ripon, going both ways from New Road to Strait Lane.

Temporary traffic lights in place:

There are also continuing road closures in the Old Barber and Franklin Road areas of Harrogate for carriageway repairs.

Trains

Buses

8.30am – Full Update 

Roads

Congestion is building in these areas:

Be aware of a continuing road closure on Dishforth Road, near Ripon, going both ways from New Road to Strait Lane.

Temporary traffic lights in place:

There are also continuing road closures in the Old Barber and Franklin Road areas of Harrogate for carriageway repairs.

Trains

Buses

8.15am – Full Update 

Roads

Congestion is building in these areas:

Be aware of a continuing road closure on Dishforth Road, near Ripon, going both ways from New Road to Strait Lane.

Temporary traffic lights in place:

There are also continuing road closures in the Old Barber and Franklin Road areas of Harrogate for carriageway repairs.

Trains

Buses

8am – Full Update 

Roads

Traffic is building in these areas:

Be aware of a continuing road closure on Dishforth Road, near Ripon, going both ways from New Road to Strait Lane.

Temporary traffic lights in place:

There are also continuing road closures in the Old Barber and Franklin Road areas of Harrogate for carriageway repairs.

Trains

Buses

7.45am – Full Update 

Roads

Traffic is building in these areas:

Be aware of a continuing road closure on Dishforth Road, near Ripon, going both ways from New Road to Strait Lane.

Temporary traffic lights in place:

There are also continuing road closures in the Old Barber and Franklin Road areas of Harrogate for carriageway repairs.

Trains

Buses

7.30am – Full Update 

Roads

Traffic is building in these areas:

Be aware of a continuing road closure on Dishforth Road, near Ripon, going both ways from New Road to Strait Lane.

Temporary traffic lights in place:

There are also continuing road closures in the Old Barber and Franklin Road areas of Harrogate for carriageway repairs.

Trains

Buses

7.15am – Full Update 

Roads

Traffic is building in these areas:

Be aware of a continuing road closure on Dishforth Road, near Ripon, going both ways from New Road to Strait Lane.

Temporary traffic lights in place:

There are also continuing road closures in the Old Barber and Franklin Road areas of Harrogate for carriageway repairs.

Trains

Buses

7am – Full Update 

Roads

The roads look clear so far this morning but there are some areas likely to cause delays later on.

Be aware of a continuing road closure on Dishforth Road, near Ripon, going both ways from New Road to Strait Lane.

Temporary traffic lights in place:

There are also continuing road closures in the Old Barber and Franklin Road areas of Harrogate.

Trains

Buses

6.45am – Full Update 

Roads

The roads look clear so far this morning but there are some areas likely to cause delays later on.

Be aware of a continuing road closure on Dishforth Road, near Ripon, going both ways from New Road to Strait Lane.

Temporary traffic lights in place:

There are also continuing road closures in the Old Barber and Franklin Road areas of Harrogate.

Trains

Buses

6.30am – Full Update 

Roads

The roads look clear so far this morning but there are some areas likely to cause delays later on.

Be aware of a continuing road closure on Dishforth Road, near Ripon, going both ways from New Road to Strait Lane.

Temporary traffic lights in place:

There are also continuing road closures in the Old Barber and Franklin Road areas of Harrogate.

Trains

Buses

Police appeal after watches stolen from Kearby home

North Yorkshire Police has appealed for information after an unspecified number of watches were stolen from a house in Kearby, near Harrogate.

The incident happened between 7pm and 11.30pm on Saturday, March 13.

According to police, suspects entered a secure window and stole the watches from a bedroom.

Kearby is a small village in the south of the Harrogate district, near Kirkby Overblow.

Police hope the public can help establish the full circumstances surrounding the incident.

They are particularly interested to hear from anyone who saw anything suspicious in the area at the time.

Anyone with information can call North Yorkshire Police on 101, select option two and ask for Elizabeth Estensen. Or they can email the officer via elizabeth.estensen@northyorkshire.pnn.police.uk.

To remain anonymous call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 and quote reference number 12210077196.

Read more:

 

Skipton Road roadwork misery set to end next month

Northern Gas Networks has pledged to finish its long-running Skipton Road roadworks next month after more misery for motorists over the weekend.

The company apologised today after temporary traffic lights failed on Friday night, causing delays.

Highways chief Don Mackenzie, executive member for access at North Yorkshire County Council, tweeted that Northern Gas Networks should respond “much more promptly” to traffic light failures.

Yes, these are @NGNgas works under @northyorkscc licence. The utility company and its contractor should respond much more promptly to failure of temp lights at this very busy location. https://t.co/wKE2M2qAAl pic.twitter.com/EFhUXmFmZJ

— Don Mackenzie (@Mac1Don) March 13, 2021

Scott Kitchingman, site manager for Northern Gas Networks, said:

“We apologise to road users in Harrogate for the problems with the temporary traffic lights on Skipton Road last Friday.

“The issue was reported to us and a team was sent out to the site as quickly as possible.

“While this has been a complicated project, it is now in its final stages, and we expect all works on Skipton Road to be completed in April.”

Skipton Road is one of the busiest roads in Harrogate.

Northern Gas Networks began work replacing metal pipes with plastic ones in July last year.

Four-way traffic lights caused tailbacks not only on Skipton Road but also on adjoining King’s Road and Woodfield Road.

Work was due to end in November but was eventually paused in October and recommenced in January.

Read more:

Bilton Working Men’s Club submitted a claim for loss of earnings last year because the roadworks made it more difficult for people to get to the building, and led some people to think it was shut.

Separate roadworks are likely to cause delays in Knaresborough this week.

Temporary traffic lights are in place on Manor Road and the B6163, adding to congestion on Thistle Hill.
Both sets of works are expected to be finished by the end of the week.
The work on Manor Road is being carried out by Yorkshire Water and the work on the B6163 is by North Yorkshire County Council.

 

Changes at top of Harrogate law firm after FA appointment

Harrogate law firm McCormicks has named a new managing partner after its founder took on the role of chairman at the Football Association.

Stephen Hopwood, a specialist in family law, has succeeded Peter McCormick, who will remain as a senior partner.

The FA named Peter McCormick as its interim chairman after Greg Clarke, who described black players as “coloured”, stepped down from the role.

McCormicks, which is based on East Parade, describes itself as a ‘fearless law firm with a fearless reputation’.

Peter McCormick

Mr McCormick said:

“As a result of both the covid lockdown and of my increased commitments since I was appointed interim chairman of the FA in November, Stephen has taken a lot of responsibility for the day-to-day management of the business so this is a logical transition of duties for the future.

“I remain senior partner and will continue to play a very active role in the business of the firm, alongside my commitments to the Premier League and the FA.”

Read more:

Mr Hopwood, who joined the practice in 2013, said:

“I am delighted to be expanding my role with the practice and look forward to working even more closely with the great team we have here to ensure we continue to offer the best possible service to our clients.”

‘Create low emission zone in Harrogate’

A bus company has called for Harrogate to introduce a low emission zone as part of the debate about the proposed £7.9 million Station Gateway project.

If adopted, only low polluting hybrid and electric vehicles would have access to Lower Station Parade, which runs alongside the town’s bus station.

The Station Gateway project is a government-funded scheme to regenerate the town centre and promote sustainable travel.

Consultation is ongoing, and Alex Hornby, chief executive of the Harrogate Bus Company, a subsidiary of Transdev, said a low emission zone should be created covering the town’s bus station and Lower Station Parade alongside it.

Currently, Lower Station Parade is a one-way street with two lanes of traffic, both of which are open to all road users.

He said:

“While we see the Station Gateway proposals as a positive step towards our shared aim of a low emission town, we must go further for Harrogate’s future by making the most of this tremendous opportunity.

“The creation of a low emission zone, covering the current bus station, plus Lower Station Parade which currently divides the bus and rail stations from the main shopping area, is vital if we are serious about improving Harrogate’s air quality.”

Mr Hornby said the company’s electric buses had improved air quality but more needed to be done:

“The proposed bus priority measures at Lower Station Parade and Cheltenham Parade – the first such measures to be put forward in the town’s history – are a positive start, and are to be welcomed, but by themselves are unlikely to go far enough to achieve Harrogate Borough Council’s stated aim of creating a net-zero carbon economy by 2038.”

Read more:

Mr Hornby added previous consultations had shown a majority of the public supported non-car solutions to traffic problems and “now is the time for bold thinking”.

A partnership of North Yorkshire local authorities has secured £31 million from the Department for Transport’s Transforming Cities fund for three separate projects in Harrogate, Skipton and Selby.

The aim is to finalise designs and start construction work by summer 2022, with completion in 2023.

An online consultation into the Station Gateway proposals runs until Wednesday 24 March 2021. You can take part here:

Live: Harrogate district traffic and travel

Good morning and welcome to the start of a new week and to our live updates on traffic and travel in the Harrogate district.

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

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.

9am – Full Update 

Thanks again everyone for checking out our live traffic and travel blog. Enjoy the rest of your day. I will be back again tomorrow from 6.30am.

Roads

Traffic hotspots:

Traffic is building in these areas:

Be aware of a continuing road closure on Dishforth Road, near Ripon, going both ways from New Road to Strait Lane.

Temporary traffic lights in place:

There are also continuing road closures in the Old Barber and Franklin Road areas of Harrogate.

Trains

Buses

8.45am – Full Update 

Roads

Traffic hotspots:

Traffic is building in these areas:

Be aware of a continuing road closure on Dishforth Road, near Ripon, going both ways from New Road to Strait Lane.

Temporary traffic lights in place:

There are also continuing road closures in the Old Barber and Franklin Road areas of Harrogate.

Trains

Buses

8.30am – Full Update 

Roads

Traffic hotspots:

Traffic is building in these areas:

Be aware of a continuing road closure on Dishforth Road, near Ripon, going both ways from New Road to Strait Lane.

Temporary traffic lights in place:

There are also continuing road closures in the Old Barber and Franklin Road areas of Harrogate.

Trains

Buses

8.15am – Full Update 

Roads

Traffic hotspots:

Traffic is building in these areas:

Be aware of a continuing road closure on Dishforth Road, near Ripon, going both ways from New Road to Strait Lane.

Temporary traffic lights in place:

There are also continuing road closures in the Old Barber and Franklin Road areas of Harrogate.

Trains

Buses

8am – Full Update 

Roads

Traffic hotspots:

Traffic is building in these areas:

Be aware of a continuing road closure on Dishforth Road, near Ripon, going both ways from New Road to Strait Lane.

Temporary traffic lights in place:

There are also continuing road closures in the Old Barber and Franklin Road areas of Harrogate.

Trains

Buses

7.45am – Full Update 

Roads

Traffic is building in these areas:

Be aware of a continuing road closure on Dishforth Road, near Ripon, going both ways from New Road to Strait Lane.

Temporary traffic lights in place:

There are also continuing road closures in the Old Barber and Franklin Road areas of Harrogate.

Trains

Buses

7.30am – Full Update 

Roads

Traffic is building in these areas:

Be aware of a continuing road closure on Dishforth Road, near Ripon, going both ways from New Road to Strait Lane.

Temporary traffic lights in place:

There are also continuing road closures in the Old Barber and Franklin Road areas of Harrogate.

Trains

Buses

7.15am – Full Update 

Roads

Traffic is building in these areas:

Be aware of a continuing road closure on Dishforth Road, near Ripon, going both ways from New Road to Strait Lane.

Temporary traffic lights in place:

There are also continuing road closures in the Old Barber and Franklin Road areas of Harrogate.

Trains

Buses

7am – Full Update 

Roads

Traffic is building in these areas:

Be aware of a continuing road closure on Dishforth Road, near Ripon, going both ways from New Road to Strait Lane.

Temporary traffic lights in place:

There are also continuing road closures in the Old Barber and Franklin Road areas of Harrogate.

Trains

Buses

6.45am – Full Update 

Roads

The roads look clear so far this morning but there are some areas likely to cause delays later on.

Be aware of a continuing road closure on Dishforth Road, near Ripon, going both ways from New Road to Strait Lane.

Temporary traffic lights in place:

There are also continuing road closures in the Old Barber and Franklin Road areas of Harrogate.

Trains

Buses

6.30am – Full Update 

Roads

The roads look clear so far this morning but there are some areas likely to cause delays later on.

Be aware of a continuing road closure on Dishforth Road, near Ripon, going both ways from New Road to Strait Lane.

Temporary traffic lights in place:

There are also continuing road closures in the Old Barber and Franklin Road areas of Harrogate.

Trains

Buses

 

Obituary: Geoff Webber’s life was dedicated to helping others

A long-serving councillor and community champion, Geoff Webber has died at the age of 75 after a short illness.

Tributes have come from across the political spectrum, as well as the community groups he worked with and supported over the years.

His family described him as a “loving husband, father and grandfather” who was dedicated to helping others.

Born in 1945, Cllr Webber had a 32-year career in the RAF before moving to Harrogate with his wife, Pat, and their three sons, Samuel, Simon and Matthew.

He spent the final years of his service at the St George’s base in the town, including a four-month tour of the Falkland Islands, followed by a spell as a civil servant back in Harrogate. Having left school with few qualifications, he gained a degree in the late 1980s through the Open University.

When St George’s was closed in 1994, Cllr Webber decided to open a music shop specialising in classical and jazz. Pomp and Circumstance began its life in Wetherby before moving to Commercial Street in the centre of Harrogate.

Cllr Webber became heavily involved in his community in the late 1980s and early 1990s, when plans were being put forward to build a supermarket around the Jennyfield area. He helped to establish a community group and fought the plans for the junction of Jenny Field Drive with Ripon Road, which instead became the site of the Hydro swimming pool with open green space for locals to enjoy.

Matthew said his desire to help people drove him to get involved in local politics, as well as community issues.

Supporting homeless people

One of his passions was access to affordable and social housing, so it was natural that he became a volunteer and supporter of Harrogate Homeless Project.

Its chairman, John Harris, told the Stray Ferret:

“It is so sad to hear of the death of Geoff: he was a great supporter of Harrogate Homeless Project. As well as being a trustee he was deputy chair and chair as well – and importantly he was a volunteer with Pat, preparing meals at the day centre each week for years.

“The day centre was a priority for him as HHP needed to focus on fundraising for it and it is the key place for the trust to be established, leading to encouraging homeless individuals to a life off the streets. As a member of the Wesley Chapel he was thrilled when HHP were able to transfer to the Lower Hall which will be transformational for what HHP can provide in the future, post Covid.

“We are so grateful to Geoff for his wonderful commitment over very many years to the homeless – and this included personal help. It was unstinting and committed support from someone who was determined to help others in desperate need.

“Our condolences to Pat and his family.”

Geoff Webber, pictured far left on the middle row, was a keen supporter of Bilton and Woodfield Library. Greta Knight received an award on behalf of the library from NYCC chairman Jim Clark last year.

Bilton and Woodfield Community Library also received extensive support from Cllr Webber over the years. Chairman Greta Knight said:

“Geoff Webber was a staunch supporter of Bilton & Woodfield Community Library from the very beginning, in fact it was he who identified our current premises on Woodfield Road as a suitable home for us when we moved out of the old vicarage.

“He always attended any events that we held, and along with his wife Pat was a regular at our Saturday coffee mornings. He voiced any concerns we had with NYCC on our behalf and was always prepared to help us whenever he could.

“We will miss his support and enthusiasm for what we have achieved in the library.”

Cllr Webber supported the Richard Taylor Foundation, which helps families struggling to meet the costs of education, including school trips and uniforms. He was also a governor at Woodfield Community Primary School, which paid tribute to him:

“We were incredibly saddened to hear of Geoff’s passing; he served our school as a Governor for a number of years and will be truly missed in the community. Our thoughts are with his family.”

Local politics

Cllr Webber was first elected to North Yorkshire County Council in 1993, representing the Bilton and Nidd Gorge division for the next eight years. He was re-elected in 2009 for four years, after which he said he would not stand again – but he was re-elected in 2017.

Tributes have already been paid by Cllr Webber’s colleagues at NYCC, who praised his dedication to the role and his willingness to engage in productive debate.

Cllr Webber also sat on Harrogate Borough Council for 17 years, first representing the Duchy ward from 1994 to 2002 and then the Saltergate ward from 2002 to 2011.

During that time, he was Mayor of the Borough of Harrogate for a year in 2006. He also served as council leader and chaired the planning committee.

Royal Hall

It was a time of significant change for the district in many ways, and one of his proudest achievements was helping to save the Royal Hall.

By 2000, the building had fallen into disrepair and faced being mothballed because of the huge repair bill for major structural problems. However, Cllr Webber called for a meeting of the council to find a way forward.

As a result, £8m of funding was found from the Heritage Lottery Fund and Harrogate Borough Council to save the building, along with a massive community effort to raise £2.7m. The Royal Hall was reopened in 2008 and returned to active use.

Cllr Webber was made an honorary alderman of Harrogate in 2011, in recognition of his long service. A spokesman for Harrogate Borough Council said:

“It is with great sadness to hear that Honorary Alderman Webber has passed away. Our thoughts and condolences go his family and friends.”

Read more:

Cllr Webber was still active in local politics until the beginning of this year. He spoke passionately about devolution at a meeting of NYCC in November, and put forward the motion that led to the council writing to local hospital bosses to call for free parking for NHS staff.

After being diagnosed with cancer six weeks ago, Cllr Webber spent time on the Littondale Ward at Harrogate District Hospital before moving to St Michael’s Hospice, where he died on Thursday morning.

His family said they were grateful to all those who provided outstanding care for him in his final weeks, and that they were able to be with him throughout his illness at both the hospital and the hospice.

He leaves wife Pat and sons Simon and Matthew, who still live locally, and Samuel, who lives in Florida, along with four grandchildren to whom he was devoted. Matthew said:

“He was a loving husband, father and grandfather. For me, he was also a wise counsel in my role in local politics, for advice and support.”

A small family funeral will be held in line with covid restrictions, and led by Lord Willis, according to Cllr Webber’s wishes. Later in the year, the family hope to be able to hold a more formal service at the Wesley Chapel to celebrate his life.

Strayside Sunday: Putin, porn and the dirty world of fake news..

Strayside Sunday is our weekly political opinion column. It is written by Paul Baverstock, former Director of Communications for the Conservative Party.

Fake news reaches Harrogate!

No, Mother Russia has not sought to widen her sphere of influence beyond the first Trump election and the Brexit referendum and intervened in the bubbling Harrogate controversy over the proposed railway Station Gateway development.  Instead, it seems that local activists have taken a leaf from Vladimir Putin’s book and hijacked social media for means nefarious.  Keen-eyed observers of the medium have discovered several fake Facebook accounts whipping up anti-cycling and active travel scheme sentiment in the town.

One of the accounts is in the nom de guerre of one Tara Gunne.  Our anti-cycling heroine was the most prolific of the imaginary campaigners, even corresponding through the letters pages of the Harrogate Advertiser.  This until suspicious resident James Smith followed his nose and uncovered a calumny; it turns out there is no Tara Gunne.  Further inspection reveals that the photograph used on Ms. Gunne’s account is, in fact, one Hazel May, of Liverpool.  Ms. May’s profession, one of the oldest and most storied, is what we euphemistically call “adult entertainer.”  Basic internet research take one directly to pictures of Ms. May that leave little to the imagination.  Not the wealthy, romantic and stylised eroticism of 50 Shades of Grey these, but rather the cheap, cold and grainy; Readers Wives, photographed in poor light.

The picture of Ms. May used by this publication offers our lady in repose, clothed but with a large knee in the foreground, raised suspiciously close to her ears.  It turns out that in order for the Stray Ferret to use the photo it had to be carefully cropped, lest we be treated to a vision worthy of the Georgia O’Keefe treatment.  The nuda veritas, as it were.  I came away from my research traumatised, with a new blemish on my internet browsing history, now a target for unwanted pop-up videos of a certain sort and of a chatbot question to make one’s blood run cold and chill one’s bones; “wanna chat big boy?”

Ok, now that I’ve had my fun let’s get serious.  I’ve written here before about my views on social media and its negative impacts on contemporary society.  Once more unto the breach.  The thing about social media is that it can and often does drive news coverage.  And, as the Tara Gunne episode aptly demonstrates, using social media to reflect false sentiment and to influence debate is no longer the sole bailiwick of intelligence agencies, big business and their digital communication advisors.  Anyone can open a fake Facebook or Twitter account in moments and crack on with creating misinformation, distortion and outright lie.  The social media companies argue, broadly speaking, that they are information platforms rather than publishers.  This can’t be right.  As news makers and curators they must be made to take responsibility for the veracity of the information they publish and the authenticity of their sources.

Social media has had a material effect on the currency that is truth; it seems I have been operating under the false apprehension that the Enlightenment had settled how we determine what is accurate, credible, proven and solid.  Opinion now trumps fact; emotion trumps objectivity and we have created a culture that promotes “living our own truth.”  Harry and Megan are certainly living theirs (and endlessly talking about it) enabled by America’s Oprah Winfrey.  Call me old fashioned but I think we should live the truth.  Although it’s said that the twosome were not paid for their appearance, Oprah’s Harpo Productions reportedly banked $7m for bagging the interview.  Perhaps that explains why, by all accounts, she gave them such an easy ride; Paxman this was not.

I didn’t watch.  The writer and broadcaster Trevor Phillips did and has written a quite brilliant essay in The Times.  Read it, please.  Phillips is black and the father of two mixed race children, one of whom, now adult, still suffers from an eating disorder and mental illness so acute that she is regularly hospitalised to avoid self-harming or suicide.  Like Phillips I have two mixed race children; one of whom is as uninterestingly white as me and one of whom is dark like her Mother.  My younger daughter, the dark one, also battles her demons.  I was once called to collect her from the British Transport Police because she attempted to jump in front of a train at Worcester Park Station in London.  I had to section my daughter, twice.  The point is this, I’m sure that Harry and Megan found the Court of Windsor suffocating and anachronistic.  I don’t doubt that someone in the Royal Family wondered aloud about the likely skin tone of baby Sussex.  And I have no reason to doubt Megan’s claim that she contemplated killing herself.  But, as they sit in their $15m mansion in California and plot how to fulfil their $25m film, podcast and documentary deal with Netflix (providing “different stories” from “amazing people” to “build resilience”) you’ll forgive me if I’m not sympathetic.

Social media provides the means to curate one’s own life; or, in the case of Tara Gunne, to curate someone else’s life; to give an impressionistic account of one’s own fabulousness, rather than a figurative, faithful and prosaic rendering.  It is now so ubiquitous that its effects have moved beyond an assault on fact and is in danger of creating collective cultural hysteria.  The global fuss over Harry and Megan is both symptom and cause.

That’s my Strayside Sunday.

Read More: 

 

Harrogate Hospital Radio celebrates 200 combined years of service

Harrogate Hospital Radio is to celebrate a group of volunteers who have given more than 200 combined years of service to the station.

Eight members of the society, which first took to the air in October 1977, will be ‘presented’ with long service certificates at its AGM by Hospital Broadcasting Association President, June Snowden.

The broadcaster was Harrogate’s first dedicated radio station, and will recognise those volunteers who have been members of the charity for ten years and longer, including one for 40 years.

However, because of covid restrictions, the meeting will be held online.

The members who are being honoured are:

Steve Pexton, 40 years, John Manning 35 years, Nicola Pollard, 30 years, David Simister  30 years, Bill Caw 20 years, Mike Streeton 15 years, Ellie Jackson 15 years, Simon Berger 10 years, Martin Fretwell 10 years.

Read More:

Harrogate Hospital Radio Chairman Mark Oldfield said:

“Between them, these eight members have dedicated a magnificent 205 combined years’ service to Harrogate Hospital Radio.

“This is an incredible milestone, and I’d like to thank each and every one of them for their long and valued service to our great charity.

“All of our members give their time willingly and freely, and I’m grateful to them all for their individual contributions, which have helped us to be where we are today, one of the country’s most successful hospital radio stations.

He added:

“Without volunteers there would be no Harrogate Hospital Radio. Our members come from all ages and all backgrounds, and each one supports the charity in their own individual way, from presenting shows and collecting requests, to assisting in administrative duties and fundraising.”

Further information about Harrogate Hospital Radio is available at: http://www.harrogatehospitalradio.org.uk/