Harrogate is to get its own chocolate factory cafe this summer staffed by people promised to be more talented than Willy Wonka.

The Harrogate Chocolate Factory cafe is due to open at the end of May in the former Big Red Bike Company building, near the Odeon cinema.

Learning disability charity Harrogate Skills 4 Living Centre (HS4LC), which is behind the initiative, has spent £100,000 renovating the building.

The charity, which was set up in 2010, helps adults with learning disabilities and autism.

Many of the people it supports have been unable to get work experience during the pandemic.

As a result, HS4LC set up its own business making chocolate in the kitchen of its offices on North Park Road, Harrogate.

Demand grew quickly and the charity sold 500 chocolate hampers before Christmas.

This encouraged it to set up a cafe as a social enterprise, selling chocolate made in the chocolate ‘factory’ beneath its offices.

Currently the Harrogate Chocolate Factory only sells a 70% dark chocolate bar made from Peruvian cocoa beans but a vegan milk chocolate bar is in the works.

Michael Horn, enterprise manager for the chocolate project, told the Stray Ferret:

“There are a few reasons why you can feel good if you buy this chocolate. It supports charity, it’s sustainable and it doesn’t have any nasty allergens.

“Coronavirus has made it a tough year for everyone. We are still here to help young adults with learning difficulties.

“Our charity is there to be like the final step to help our clients get into the world of work. It gives them another choice.”

Read more:

• Harrogate sight loss charity celebrates 100 years
• Pinewoods Conservation – more than just a pressure group

Hadyn Moorby-Davies, chief executive of HS4LC, said:

“It will be fantastic to see the cafe when it opens, I am really chuffed with how it has been working so far.

“The students are also really excited about it. The Harrogate Chocolate Factory has been in planning for a couple of years.

“We know that York has a strong connection to chocolate but why can’t Harrogate have that as well? Maybe this could be the start.”

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.

Full update – 9am

Thanks for checking in with our traffic and travel live blog this morning. It’s been Connor keeping an eye out for any disruption and I will be back tomorrow morning from 6.30am.

Roads

• Fog is making travel difficult in the Harrogate district this morning. The Met Office has a yellow warning for fog until 10.30am.
• The roads are starting to become busy today, particularly on Wetherby Road heading into Harrogate and from Ripley into Killinghall. There are some construction sites likely to cause delays:
• Skipton Road, Harrogate. Delays of five minutes.
• Ripon Road, at the junction with Jennyfield Drive.
• Knaresborough Road, near to the Empress Roundabout. Delays of six minutes from Starbeck to Harrogate.
• High Street in Knaresborough.
• Old Barber area of Bilton. Major road repair scheme starts today.

Trains

• Services on the Harrogate to Leeds, Knaresborough and York routes look to be on time this morning.

Buses

• Buses appear to be running well in the Harrogate district with no delays or cancellations.

Full update – 8.45am

Roads

• Fog is making travel difficult in the Harrogate district this morning. The Met Office has a yellow warning for fog until 10.30am.
• The roads are starting to become busy today, particularly on Wetherby Road heading into Harrogate and from Ripley into Killinghall. There are some construction sites likely to cause delays:
• Skipton Road, Harrogate. Delays of five minutes.
• Ripon Road, at the junction with Jennyfield Drive.
• Knaresborough Road, near to the Empress Roundabout. Delays of six minutes from Starbeck to Harrogate.
• High Street in Knaresborough.
• Old Barber area of Bilton. Major road repair scheme starts today.

Trains

• Services on the Harrogate to Knaresborough and York routes look to be on time this morning.
• The 8.05am Harrogate to Leeds service is now due at 8.41am.
• The 8.44am Harrogate to Knaresborough service is now due at 8.47am.

Buses

• Buses appear to be running well in the Harrogate district with no delays or cancellations.

Full update – 8.30am

Roads

• Fog is making travel difficult in the Harrogate district this morning. The Met Office has a yellow warning for fog until 10.30am.
• The roads are starting to become busy today, particularly on Wetherby Road heading into Harrogate and from Ripley into Killinghall. There are some construction sites likely to cause delays:
• Skipton Road, Harrogate. Delays of five minutes.
• Ripon Road, at the junction with Jennyfield Drive.
• Knaresborough Road, near to the Empress Roundabout.
• High Street in Knaresborough.
• Old Barber area of Bilton. Major road repair scheme starts today.

Trains

• Services on the Harrogate to Knaresborough and York routes look to be on time this morning.
• The 8.05am Harrogate to Leeds service is now due at 8.41am.

Buses

• Buses appear to be running well in the Harrogate district with no delays or cancellations.

Full update – 8.15am

Roads

• Fog is making travel difficult in the Harrogate district this morning. The Met Office has a yellow warning for fog until 10.30am.
• The roads are starting to become busy today. There are some construction sites likely to cause delays:
• Skipton Road, Harrogate. Delays of five minutes.
• Ripon Road, at the junction with Jennyfield Drive.
• Knaresborough Road, near to the Empress Roundabout.
• High Street in Knaresborough.
• Old Barber area of Bilton. Major road repair scheme starts today.

Trains

• Services on the Harrogate to Knaresborough and York routes look to be on time this morning.
• The 8.05am Harrogate to Leeds service is now due at 8.41am.

Buses

• Buses appear to be running well in the Harrogate district with no delays or cancellations.

Full update – 8am

Roads

• Fog is making travel difficult in the Harrogate district this morning. The Met Office has a yellow warning for fog until 10.30am.
• The roads are starting to become busy today. There are some construction sites likely to cause delays:
• Skipton Road, Harrogate. Delays of five minutes.
• Ripon Road, at the junction with Jennyfield Drive.
• Knaresborough Road, near to the Empress Roundabout.
• High Street in Knaresborough.
• Old Barber area of Bilton. Major road repair scheme starts today.

Trains

• Services on the Harrogate to Knaresborough, York and Leeds routes look to be on time this morning.

Buses

• Buses appear to be running well in the Harrogate district with no delays or cancellations.

Full update – 7.45am

Roads

• Fog is making travel difficult in the Harrogate district this morning. The Met Office has a yellow warning for fog until 10.30am.
• The roads are starting to become busy today. There are some construction sites likely to cause delays:
• Skipton Road, Harrogate.
• Ripon Road, at the junction with Jennyfield Drive.
• Knaresborough Road, near to the Empress Roundabout.
• High Street in Knaresborough.
• Old Barber area of Bilton. Major road repair scheme starts today.

Trains

• Services on the Harrogate to Knaresborough, York and Leeds routes look to be on time this morning.

Buses

• Buses appear to be running well in the Harrogate district with no delays or cancellations.

Full update – 7.30am

Roads

• Fog is making travel difficult in the Harrogate district this morning. The Met Office has a yellow warning for fog until 10.30am.
• The roads are starting to become busy today. There are some construction sites likely to cause delays:
• Skipton Road, Harrogate.
• Ripon Road, at the junction with Jennyfield Drive.
• Knaresborough Road, near to the Empress Roundabout.
• High Street in Knaresborough.
• Old Barber area of Bilton. Major road repair scheme starts today.

Trains

• Services on the Harrogate to Knaresborough, York and Leeds routes look to be on time this morning.

Buses

• Buses appear to be running well in the Harrogate district with no delays or cancellations.

Full update – 7.15am

Roads

• Fog is making travel difficult in the Harrogate district this morning. The Met Office has a yellow warning for fog until 10.30am.
• The roads are looking clear so far today. There are some construction sites likely to cause delays:
• Skipton Road, Harrogate.
• Ripon Road, at the junction with Jennyfield Drive.
• Knaresborough Road, near to the Empress Roundabout.
• High Street in Knaresborough.
• Old Barber area of Bilton. Major road repair scheme starts today.

Trains

• Services on the Harrogate to Knaresborough, York and Leeds routes look to be on time this morning.
• The 7.23am Harrogate to Leeds service is currently running two minutes late.

Buses

• Buses appear to be running well in the Harrogate district with no delays or cancellations.

Full update – 7am

Roads

• Fog is making travel difficult in the Harrogate district this morning. The Met Office has a yellow warning for fog until 10.30am.
• The roads are looking clear so far today. There are some construction sites likely to cause delays:
• Skipton Road, Harrogate.
• Ripon Road, at the junction with Jennyfield Drive.
• Knaresborough Road, near to the Empress Roundabout.
• High Street in Knaresborough.
• Old Barber area of Bilton. Major road repair scheme starts today.

Trains

• Services on the Harrogate to Knaresborough, York and Leeds routes look to be on time this morning.

Buses

• Buses appear to be running well in the Harrogate district with no delays or cancellations.

Full update – 6.45am

Roads

• Fog is making travel difficult in the Harrogate district this morning. The Met Office has a yellow warning for fog until 10.30am.
• The roads are looking clear so far today. There are some construction sites likely to cause delays:
• Skipton Road, Harrogate.
• Ripon Road, at the junction with Jennyfield Drive.
• Knaresborough Road, near to the Empress Roundabout.
• High Street in Knaresborough.
• Old Barber area of Bilton. Major road repair scheme starts today.

Trains

• Services on the Harrogate to Knaresborough and Leeds routes look to be on time this morning.
• The 6.42am service from Harrogate to York is currently running seven minutes late.

Buses

• Buses appear to be running well in the Harrogate district with no delays or cancellations.

Full update – 6.30am

Roads

• Fog is making travel difficult in the Harrogate district this morning. The Met Office has a yellow warning for fog until 10.30am.
• The roads are looking clear so far today. There are some construction sites likely to cause delays:
• Skipton Road, Harrogate.
• Ripon Road, at the junction with Jennyfield Drive.
• Knaresborough Road, near to the Empress Roundabout.
• High Street in Knaresborough.

Trains

• Services on the Harrogate to Knaresborough and Leeds routes look to be on time this morning.
• The 6.42am service from Harrogate to York is currently running six minutes late.

Buses

• Buses also appear to be running well in the Harrogate district with no delays or cancellations.

Every month the Stray Ferret tries to find out what our local MPs have been up to in their constituencies and in the House of Commons.

In February the vaccination programme galloped ahead and prime minister Boris Johnson announced the UK’s roadmap out of lockdown.

We asked the district’s Conservative MPs- Harrogate & Knaresborough’s Andrew Jones, Ripon’s Julian Smith, and Selby and Ainsty’s Nigel Adams if they would like to highlight anything in particular that they have been doing this month, but we did not receive a response from any of them.

Here is what we know after analysing their online presence.

Andrew Jones, Conservative Harrogate and Knaresborough MP.

In Harrogate and Knaresborough, here is what we found on Mr Jones:

• The MP published his annual report for 2020 which included facts and figures related to his last year in office. He wrote on his website that many copies had been emailed rather than posted as he “does not believe volunteer political leaflet delivery is an essential journey”.
• On February 2 Andrew Jones called for a debate in parliament about the conference industry after seeing the “real hardship” his constituents have faced.
• On February 12 Mr Jones wrote on his website that by that point 175,000 vaccinations had been delivered in North Yorkshire and York.
• Mr Jones chaired a Parliamentary Export Programme webinar, which included a talk from Greg Hatton from Harrogate Spring Water. ‘Exporting is fun!’, the MP told participants.
• On February 24, The MP voted down an amendment to the Fire Safety Bill which would have banned leaseholders from being forced to pay for cladding remediation works.
• Writing on his website on February 22, Mr Jones praised the government for the vaccination rollout. He wrote: “Although locked down with our everyday lives much restricted there is a palpable sense of relief in the air.”

Read more:

• Harrogate district MPs claim £536,000 in expenses last year
• MPs watch 2020: the year of coronavirus, Brexit and free school meals

Conservative Julian Smith, MP for Ripon and Skipton.

In Ripon, here is what we found on Mr Smith:

• At PMQs on February 10, Mr Smith asked prime minister Boris Johnson how the UK’s vaccine supply chain will cope if the virus mutates. In his response, Mr Johnson said the UK is going to have to get used to the idea of vaccinating and then revaccinating in the autumn as it faces new variants.
• 7 of Mr Smith’s 11 tweets in February were related to Northern Ireland. February 13 marks a year since he was sacked by the prime minister as Northern Ireland secretary.
• Mr Smith announced on Twitter that his father-in-law has gifted him and his wife an ‘aphrodisiac themed’ take away meal to be delivered on Valentine’s Day.
• The MP asked people in Ripon to contribute to a consultation on flood defences following Storm Cristophe.
• On his Facebook page, he said the £60m scheme to improve the Kex Gill section of the A59 was “brilliant news” for Skipton and Ripon.

Nigel Adams, Conservative MP for Selby and Ainsty which includes rural Harrogate.

In rural south Harrogate, he is what we found on Mr Adams:

• The Minister for Asia twice summoned the Myanmar ambassador Kyaw Zwar Minn to his office following the country’s military coup earlier this month. On February 23 he tweeted: “The increasing use of violence & force against protesters by the security forces is completely reprehensible & must stop”.
• Mr Adams paid tribute to Captain Tom Moore following his death at the age of 100. He wrote: “RIP. A true British hero”.
• The MP praised the BBC for showing a film of the rock band Muse. “Fantastic”, he tweeted.
• In written ministerial answers, Mr Adams discussed foreign powers and fake news. He wrote: “We know that certain states routinely use disinformation as a foreign policy tool and we all have our doubts about the objectivity of the reporting of RT, including through their UK television channel, which remains a tool of propaganda for the Russian State.”

Your Harrogate is set to launch its online radio service tomorrow with familiar faces from Stray FM.

The show on Monday at 8am and promises to offer the “best of life in Harrogate.”

Currently Your Harrogate is only available online and people can listen on their phones through an app or through a smart speaker.

Your Harrogate will launch with an all-male lineup who are all former DJs on Stray FM, which closed last year.

Read more:

• How local is Stray FM’s replacement station?
• Stray FM broadcasts its final shows before national take-over

Nick Hancock will be on breakfast duty and promises to set listeners up for their day with local weather, travel and school news.

Pete Egerton will be on daytimes, Ricky Durkin on weekday afternoons, Alex Cann on weeknights, Will Smith on weekends and David Whittle on weekend afternoons.

Stray FM broadcast its final show at the end of August ahead of a merger with national station Greatest Hits Radio.

Bauer Media, the owners of Greatest Hits Radio, promised to keep the show as local but there have been complaints on social media that it has not delivered.

The full line up is as below:

Weekdays
6am Early Breakfast
7am Nick Hancock
10am Pete Egerton
2pm Ricky Durkin
6pm Alex Cann

Saturdays
7am Ricky Durkin
10am Will Smith
1pm David Whittle

Sundays
7am Alex Cann
10am Nick Hancock
1pm David Whittle

Residents are being urged to engage with a consultation to help shape the future of Harrogate town centre.

The Station Gateway project could see funding of £7.8m spent transforming the bus and rail interchange and the public space around them.

Proposals also include reducing Station Parade to just one lane for cars, allowing more space for cycling lanes, to encourage more people to use public transport or to walk or cycle.

The plans have been put forward by North Yorkshire County and Harrogate Borough Councils, in partnership with West Yorkshire Combined Authority and Craven and Selby district councils, as part of a £31m grant awarded through the Transforming Cities Fund (TCF). As well as the Harrogate proposals, the project includes changes for Selby and Skipton’s stations.

North Yorkshire County Councillor Don Mackenzie, executive member for access, said:

“Improving the gateways to these towns will not only make them more attractive, but will also provide infrastructure for sustainable travel. We have looked at barriers to people accessing public transport, cycling and walking and devised schemes to address these.

“I hope people will have their say through the consultation and take advantage of the online events to learn more and to ask questions.”

Read more:

• James Street pedestrianisation back on the cards in major town centre scheme
• Row breaks out on first day of ‘Station Gateway’ consultation

Public events are being held online for residents to hear more about the plans and to ask questions about them. The Harrogate events take place on Wednesday, March 3 and Wednesday, March 10, both at 6pm.

The consultation runs until Wednesday, March 24, and anyone planning to take part is encouraged to engage with one of the online sessions beforehand. To find out more, click here.

Councillor Phil Ireland, Harrogate Borough Council’s cabinet member for carbon reduction and sustainability, said:

“Through the Harrogate Congestion Study, it was clear the community wanted to see improvements to walking, cycling and public transport prioritised. The TCF project is the first step to delivering this and I’m pleased that the hard work and determination of council officers has paid off, and helped secure around £8million for the Harrogate bid.”

The authorities involved have promised that public feedback will be used to help shape the next stage of the plans.

They have already come under fire from business groups, including Harrogate BID, Harrogate District Chamber of Commerce and Independent Harrogate, who said they money could be better spent improving other areas such as Cambridge Street. However, the TCF can only be used for projects relating to transport.

Retailers on Albert Row, which runs along Station Parade, have also raised concerns about how the proposals will affect the area nearest their businesses, saying they could not fairly comment without more information.

What’s your view of the Station Gateway proposal? Email letters@thestrayferret.co.uk with your thoughts and we may include it on our letters page, Stray Views, published each Sunday.

Harrogate District Hospital has recorded another coronavirus death but the case rates have dropped even further in the Harrogate district.

The latest death, which happened on Wednesday but was reported today, takes the hospital to 159 coronavirus deaths.

A further 18 people tested positive for the virus in the Harrogate district today. The total number of cases in the district is now up to 7,280.

Cases in the Harrogate district have remained around the 20 mark for much of the last month and even lower in the last week.

Read more:

• Knaresborough vaccine centre opens at former supermarket
• 48,000 people have covid vaccine in Harrogate district

Those dropping numbers of cases has meant that the district’s seven-day case rate is now at 75 per 100,000 people.

That is below the England average of 102 per 100,000 but just above the North Yorkshire average of 72 per 100,000.

It comes as Knaresborough’s vaccine centre opened today. Depending on supply, it can give out 1,200 jabs in a day.

The Prime Minister has thanked the Harrogate family behind the global Christmas Eve Jingle in a letter.

Boris Johnson had promised to join in but he was too busy with Brexit to step out on the doorstep of Number 10 Downing Street.

So he has penned a letter to the Mary Beggs-Reid’s son Dexter to show his support. It reads:

“Dear Dexter, I am writing to thank you and your wonderful family for starting the Christmas Eve Jingle campaign.

“This heart-warming campaign gave us all a way to come together at a time when we were unable to do so in person. It captured the true meaning of Christmas and gave a sense of hope to so many.

“I would like to thank your marvellous mother Mary for her fantastic efforts to keep spirits up and make sure nobody was lonely over Christmas. I hope you are all keeping well and that you are looking forward to going back to school soon. I am sure all of your friends and teachers at St Joseph’s Catholic Primary School in Harrogate are very proud of you.”

Read more:

• Boris backs Harrogate Christmas Eve doorstep jingle
• Doorstep jingle founder Mary leads the ringing in Harrogate

Mary Beggs-Reid, the founder of the Christmas Eve Jingle, told the Stray Ferret that it was exciting to receive the letter out of the blue:

“Mr Johnson was busy on the day with Brexit but it was really nice of him to write this letter for us. Dexter hasn’t seen it yet but I am sure he will be very proud.

“The Christmas Eve Jingle went very well and we still have a lot of people in our Facebook group. It would have been mean to close it down when so many connect there.

“It may be a little early now but we are already thinking about the next Christmas Eve Jingle. There’s real demand for it to come back.

“And who knows? If it goes well this December it could then become a yearly tradition. It could be a positive way to mark 2020.”

A Hampsthwaite cafe set on the edge of Nidderdale, where the owner takes pride in making all of the food from scratch, is a hidden gem for walkers and cyclists.

Ten years ago this week Sophie Jacob, flanked by her husband Steve and three teenagers took on a derilict building in the picturesque village with a lot of ambition.

Alot has changed since then. On a sunny weekend like this, in normal times, Sophie’s Coffee Shop is buzzing with lots of people passing through the village.

Sophie had only ever cooked and baked for friends and family before the cafe started. While it may take a lot of time in the day, she was determined to make all the food fresh.

Read more:

• ‘Hidden gem’ Harrogate shop more than a greengrocer
• Harrogate cafe a ‘hidden gem’ for locals and hospital staff
• Bespoke Harrogate jeweller is a ‘hidden gem’

She has so much pride in her food that she once dreamed of earning a Michelin Star. It may not be something Sophie is still chasing but she is still open to the possibility.

Over the years Sophie has expanded the menu, released a cook book, built a pizza oven in the back garden, taken on the village shop and a holiday cottage.

Sophie, on the cafe’s ten year anniversary, told the Stray Ferret:

“We always bake a lot in the morning. Sometimes we get so busy that we start to run out but I can always make some more.

“There is nothing more rewarding than baking. It may not always go to plan but when it’s fresh from the oven, they love it and that’s just fab. That keeps me going.

“I have always liked baking, I feel lucky to have found it. My mum always used to tell me that I should be doing something with it, she inspired me.

“When we first opened she used to come here to work every morning. She would go home absolutely shattered but she loved it. I love it too.”

Sophie’s Coffee Shop is currently serving takeaway drinks, cakes and pizza on the weekends but she is looking forward to the day when she can reopen fully, hopefully in May.

This is part of the Stray Ferret’s ‘hidden gem’ series. We are trying to highlight small independent businesses. They need to be tucked away but growing in popularity with an eye-catching and unique product or approach. Send us an email with your nominations.

Plans are being made to ensure Harrogate Christmas Market can return to the town centre in 2021.

The market, which first took place in 2012, had to be cancelled last year as changing covid restrictions made it impossible for organisers to plan a safe event without risk of last-minute cancellation.

However, following the government’s ‘road map’ out of lockdown which could see all restrictions lifted in June, the committee of organisers is preparing to meet for the first time to put firm plans in place for this year.

Organiser Brian Dunsby said:

“The aim is to review the market plans and agree changes needed – depending on the precautions required during November – if any!

“In the meantime we hope to start inviting applications from our established market traders based on the same layout and prices that were agreed for 2020 before it got cancelled.”

Read more:

• Birstwith Show set to return in July
• Theakston’s Crime Writing Festival will return to Harrogate in July

The market has been held at the bottom of Montpellier Hill in Harrogate since it was founded. After growing rapidly, for the last few years it has reached what organisers say is capacity, with around 200 traders and a focus on Yorkshire produce and products.

In previous year, the market has drawn crowds of up to 60,000 people across its four days. As well as their own traders, organisers say one of the key aims of the market is to drive footfall into the town centre to support local businesses in the run-up to Christmas.

This year’s event will be held from Thursday, November 18 to Sunday, November 21.

It is the latest event in the Harrogate calendar to confirm plans to proceed this year. This week, Harrogate International Festivals announced its crime writing festival would open in July, while Birstwith Show is also planning to go ahead.

A major programme of road repairs is set to cause delays in Harrogate from next week.

The closures will allow roads to be patched up ahead of surface dressing later in the year.

North Yorkshire County Council has separated the road repairs into three phases.

The first phase covers the Old Barber area in Bilton, the second will be in the area surrounding Franklin Road and the third will be on Leeds Road.

The county council has so far only released details of the first phase, which is scheduled to take place during the first two weeks of March:

• Old Trough Way – March 1 and will last two days, there will be a road closure between the hours of 07.30am and 6pm.
• Over Nidd / Spencers Way / Spencers Holt / Pecketts Way / Pecketts Holt – March 3 and will last for one day, there will be road closures between the hours of 7.30am and 6pm.
• Knox Lane – March 4 and will last for two days, there will be a road closure between the hours of 7.30am and 6pm.
• Bachelor Gardens / Bachelor Way / Bachelor Drive / Wainfleet Road – March 8 and will last for two days, there will be road closures between the hours of 7.30am and 6pm.
• Bachelor Road / Knox Close / Knox Road – March 10 and will last for two days, there will be road closures between the hours of 7.30am and 6pm.
• Knox Mill Lane – March 12 and will last for one day, there will be a road closure between the hours of 7.30am and 6pm.

Read more:

• Sat nav failure sees Leeds man stuck in ‘god-forsaken’ Ripon
• New Beech Grove sign to stop cars driving on Stray

A spokesperson for the county council told the Stray Ferret:

“Please note the road closures above, but for access please consult with the staff on site who will be managing the access points, but it is recommended you find alternative parking during the period of the works.

“Advance warning signs are in place ahead of the start of these works.

“Details of phase two and three will be revealed in due course but if there any changes to dates or duration of road closures we will update the public.”