Harrogate library will host an activities fair from 10.30am to 2pm on September 23.
The fair will feature activities such as arts and crafts, dancing and photography. Anyone can drop in.
Cllr Greg White, executive member for libraries at North Yorkshire County Council, said:
“Getting out, taking part in activities and meeting people is a really good way to boost your mood and combat loneliness.”
Groups taking part include Harrogate Chess Club, St Paul’s Art Group and Harrogate Photographic Society.
Read More:
- Summer reading challenge set to return to Harrogate district libraries
- Harrogate library turns back time on town landmarks
Groups that are unable attend on the day will still have information available for those attending to see.
The library, on Victoria Avenue, hopes the activities fair will be an opportunity for Harrogate district residents, especially retired people, to meet new people and learn new skills.
For more information see the Harrogate Library Facebook page.
‘Mindless idiots’ vandalise planters in HarrogateA Harrogate business organisation has criticised “mindless idiots” for vandalising planters on the town’s Beulah Street.
Business owners on the street arrived this morning to find the planters had been damaged overnight and they had to clear the mess up themselves.
The planters were put in place last year by Harrogate Business Improvement District in an effort to improve the look of the town centre.
Around 20 businesses were given floral displays as part of the project in October. The BID also installed 120 hanging baskets across the town, including Beulah Street.
Read more:
- ‘New normal’ will be good for Harrogate, says new BID manager
- Harrogate BID launches new town centre app to help businesses
- Business group: New housing means Harrogate Tesco could be needed
A spokesperson for Harrogate BID told the Stray Ferret that it was now in the process of replacing the planters and working with Harrogate Borough Council to look at CCTV from the street.
They added:
Secret Shopper: 8 cute reasons to shop for kids in Harrogate“We are very disappointed by this. This was some mindless idiots who do not care for the town centre. Our remit is to make the town centre good.
“We are not going to be put off by some idiots.”
A bit about me: I’m not a Stray Ferret staffer, I’m a consumer journalist who loves shopping and loves Harrogate. This month, I’ve been looking at all the lovely things you can buy for children.
The items I have picked are my personal choices – I haven’t been paid to feature them.
BRIDESMAIDS DRESS, Monsoon, St James St. From £55.
This is understated and elegant, as these frocks go, in ivory with accents of pink in the waist sash and corsage. And great value, especially if you have a whole bevvy of bridesmaids to kit out.
If you know a little girl who loves all things sparkly, she’ll find shoes, bags, party dresses, hair accessories and everything else in pastels, sequins and jewels here. Plus Monsoon does a couple of really smart non-sparkly ‘Sunday best’ coats which take me back. I believe it’s compulsory to complete that look with some patent shoes, which Monsoon can also supply you with.
QUILTED JACKET, JoJo Maman Bebe, Oxford Street. £32
Speaking of Sunday best, a young chap could do worse than sport this navy smart-casual number. Sized from 6 months to 6 years – never a scruffy moment for the very young man about Harrogate. Wouldn’t look out of place on a small royal, surely? In fact, I think heir-but-three to the throne (and 49 on GQ’s list of ’50 Best Dressed Men in Britain’) Prince George of Cambridge might have worn this look, if not the garment itself.
You don’t need me to tell you that JoJo Maman Bebe is an upmarket, French-inspired chain.
Great swimming accessories and bathtime ranges too.
HAMISH HIGHLAND COWS, The White Company, St James St. £22
There’s a really strong selection of gifts for children to be had here – and the range is particularly good for babies and infants. Plus, it being The White Company, they’re excellent quality.
Everything feels super soft, smells lovely and is very tasteful. So if there’s a newborn to be celebrated or a little one to spoil, this is a good place to start. Real cows, particularly ones with horns can be quite scary, especially to us city folk, but these are adorable.
PIRATE SHIP IN A TIN, Jespers, Oxford St. Around £12
There are loads of crafts, games, puzzles and art materials in Jespers to keep children creative – and happy. The ‘gift in a tin’ range is fantastic: you can build a pirate ship or a fighter plane, press some flowers, sew a lama, or start your first garden. Great for gifts, or just for a long journey.
Plus, adults who have a ‘thing’ for stationary (eg me) can indulge their inner geek by browsing Jespers superb collection in the impressively refurbished store.
It’s been in Harrogate since 1901 and still has the feel of a lovely, loved, family firm.
VINTAGE BIRTHDAY CARDS, Space Vintage, The Ginnel. £2 each
I love the 50s/60s vibe of these cards, and the simpler, more innocent times they take you back to. So what if the adults appreciate that more than the kids on the receiving end? Buying vintage is much better for the planet – a consumerist version of recycling – so is a good thing.
Space Vintage also stock old Ladybird books and toys from times gone by.
DONKEYS, Maturi Bag and Baggage, Parliament Street. prices vary, from about £18
Editor’s pick: “I love a donkey. My sister and I had very similar ones, with the dark eyes and cute noses. We loved them so much they went bald from excess handling in the end.”
What an interesting, old fashioned store. Besides bags and baggage, Maturi also sells hundreds, maybe thousands of ‘collectable’ soft toys for children. All the big names in teddies are here: Hermann, Aurora world, Jellycat plus many, many more.
But beware: an animal soft toy collecting habit is potentially very expensive as there are no end of them. In this store alone, two full walls of the things.
DOLLS, Tiger Fifty7, Cold Bath Road. £35 each
Just gorgeous and highly original, these are dolls to be kept, treasured and passed down the generations. From ‘RosieGirl London’, Rosie also makes a RuPaul Drag Race doll, Frida Kahlo, David Bowie, Vivienne Westwood, NHS workers, and Dolly Parton dolls (a one-off in the collection – she’s got boobs) that you can buy online. So perhaps RosieGirl is also on her way to becoming collectable. She deserves to be.
Tiger Fifty7 is a fantastic independent shop if you’re looking for toys, clothes, gifts, for newborns to teens. They will also sell your ‘pre-loved’ designer children’s wear for you.
BABY VEST, Sophie likes… Beulah Street. £15
Sophie (I presume) sells ‘quirky girly gifts’, including a nice selection for babies and children, including personalised jewellery.
My personal favourite though – what every baby needs – is a vest or bib celebrating their birthright and good luck at hailing from ‘god’s own country’. (Warning – disputed title of course. See also: New Zealand, parts of the US and Zimbabwe, and the rest)
There’s also an ‘ey up’ and an ‘ow do’ vest and bib combo which would cover you if you’re generically northern, not exclusively Yorkshire.
That’s all from your secret shopping champion for now, but I’ll be back in December with a Christmas special.
£20m Transforming Cities contract advertised to push projects forward
A contract worth up to £20 million is being advertised to progress major transport schemes in Yorkshire, including the Harrogate Station Gateway.
The West Yorkshire Combined Authority, which works in partnership with local authorities to improve transport and stimulate economic development, wants to bring in a strategic development partner for its Transforming Cities projects.
The projects include the £10.9 million Station Gateway scheme in Harrogate, which could see the town’s James Street pedestrianised and Station Parade reduced to one lane.
The contract seeks to commission a company to provide technical details for all the schemes that are part of the Transforming Cities programme and move them to a full business case stage.
According to the government procurement site, the contract is worth between £5 million and £20 million and would last until October 2023.
Read more:
- Work on £10.9m Harrogate Station Gateway could start in February
- Harrogate business organisations launch Station Gateway survey
However, the Stray Ferret understands that, while North Yorkshire councils would have access to the service provided by the contractor, county council officials do not anticipate using it.
The Harrogate Station Gateway project is currently at the design stage and will be subject to further public consultation.
It is one of numerous schemes being funded by a £2.45 billion central government fund to boost cycling and walking in towns and cities.
The Stray Ferret reported in July that work could start on the Harrogate scheme in February 2022.
According to a county council report, construction would start when final approval is received from West Yorkshire Combined Authority.
Business group: New housing means Harrogate Tesco could be neededHarrogate District Chamber of Commerce has said a new Tesco on Skipton Road could be needed due to the “unprecedented” amount of new housing on that side of Harrogate.
The Stray Ferret reported this week that Tesco had revived plans to build a supermarket on the old gasworks close to the New Park roundabout. Multiple sources told us a formal planning application is expected before the end of the year.
David Simister, chief executive of the chamber, told the Stray Ferret the housing landscape around Skipton Road and Killinghall had changed since Tesco first submitted plans to build on the site over a decade ago.
Mr Simister said:
“Since Tesco first put in an application more than a decade ago, that side of Harrogate has seen an unprecedented amount of house building.
“At the moment, the only large supermarkets serving this area are Aldi, on Oak Beck Road, and the Co-Op on Jennyfield Drive, and having another big name may well cut down on car journeys across town.
“Until we see the planning application, it’s impossible to know if there are any other employment or retail opportunities for the site.”
Tesco received planning permission to build a supermarket there in 2011 but pulled out in 2016, citing market conditions. At the time it faced opposition from business groups, including the chamber, which represents many businesses in the district.
In 2014, the chamber’s then-vice president Peter Jesper called on the supermarket chain to pull out due to safety fears related to the old gasworks and its impact on local businesses.
He said:
“We still strongly believe that this is not a suitable place for a new superstore.”
It is believed the supermarket, which would be built on land between Electric Avenue and Oak Beck, would be smaller than the one previously proposed.
Read more:
- Findings of UCI review to be published before end of the year
- Lidl supermarket in Ripon set for go-ahead
A 20-year history
Tesco has harboured ambitions to build on the site for almost 20 years.
Land Registry documents reveal the supermarket bought the site for £2.8m in 2003 and still owns it.
It submitted a proposal to build a supermarket there in 2009, which was approved by Harrogate Borough Council in 2011.
However, Tesco pulled out in 2016. An Aldi supermarket opened on the retail park just off Skipton Road in 2016.
A computer-generated image of the abandoned 2009 plans.
In a media statement in 2016, Matt Davies, Tesco’s UK chief executive at the time, said the site would be sold.
In 2018 Consolidated Property Group said it had agreed to buy the site from Tesco to develop a retail park but the plans never materialised, despite obtaining planning permission.
Woodfield school taking ‘effective action’ to improve, says OfstedHarrogate’s Woodfield Community Primary School is taking “effective action” to improve after being placed under special measures by Ofsted.
Ofsted inspectors rated the Bilton primary school as “inadequate” in January last year.
They found children were not attending school, lessons did not “follow a logical sequence” and there was no strategic plan to allocate funds for disadvantaged pupils.
Inspectors recommended that the school be put in special measures as it was “failing to give its pupils an acceptable standard of education” and added that those responsible for governing the school were not “demonstrating the capacity to secure the necessary improvement in the school”.
When a school is placed in special measures it is given an action plan to improve and is inspected regularly by Ofsted to ensure it is improving.
However, officials now say the school is taking action to improve.
Read more:
- Harrogate’s Ashville College reports battery thefts after travellers depart
- Rossett school bus ‘chaos’ and ‘shambles’ due to overcrowding
Ofsted visited the school in June and said staff were working well with management to systemically improve.
It added that parents were positive about the school. All those who responded to an Ofsted online questionnaire would recommend the school to other parents.

Woodfield Community Primary School
Mathew Atkinson, executive headteacher at Woodfield, said:
“There are many things to celebrate in the report: attendance, SEND, behaviour and the curriculum have all improved and we have clear areas to continue to develop.
“We are taking the right actions towards the removal of special measures and we are looking forward to another great year at Woodfield.”
Jo Marwood, head of school, said:
Elderly and disabled Harrogate district commuters face difficulties at Leeds“We are proud of the report from Her Majesty’s inspectors and it confirms all the hard work that our students, staff, parents and governors put in to making Woodfield such a great school for our community.
“We would like to say thank you for the dedication of staff, the children, parents and governors and the support we have received from the local community.”
Elderly and disabled commuters from the Harrogate district face ‘intolerable obstacles’ under proposed changes to Leeds train station.
Taxi ranks are due to be relocated much further from the station as part of a £39.5m revamp of the station’s main entrance and the adjoining area.
Trade union Unite said today commuters would have to travel 165 metres from the station entrance and use a lift as opposed to travel 45 metres now.
Unite regional officer Darren Rushworth, said:
“This proposal will put intolerable obstacles in the way of disabled people and the elderly who will have nearly four times the length to go to seek a taxi.
“Unite and a wide range of disability organisations want the status quo to continue and for people actually running this development to listen rather than dismissing our legitimate arguments, most of which have been outlined to the local council many times.”
Read more:
- ‘It’s working well’: Campaigner counts cyclists using Harrogate’s Beech Grove
- Rossett school bus ‘chaos’ and ‘shambles’ due to overcrowding
Many commuters use the line to Leeds from the Harrogate district.
Disability campaigners are staging a protest at Leeds Civic Hall at 11.30 on September 14 to lobby councillors to keep the rank where it is. This will be followed by a march from the Civic Hall to Millennium Square.
Leeds City Council, Network Rail and West Yorkshire Combined Authority, which are behind the planned changes, have said the redevelopment will make passenger movements easier.
Meeting next week to plan return of original Harrogate Christmas MarketOrganisers of the original Harrogate Christmas Market are holding a meeting next week to discuss moves to bring the event back as soon as possible.
Harrogate Borough Council refused a licence to Harrogate Christmas Market Ltd in July because of safety concerns about the site on Montpellier Hill.
The council subsequently revealed it was holding formal talks with Manchester firm Market Place Europe about hosting a smaller 10-day event in December. The location has yet to be revealed.
In an email sent to supporters, seen by the Stray Ferret, Harrogate Christmas Market Ltd said Harrogate’s White Hart Hotel would hold a meeting on Monday afternoon. It said:
“We have had many communications expressing a desire that this should resume as soon as possible as an annual event in Harrogate’s calendar.
“If this is to be possible then we need a forward strategic plan which will include a succession plan for this limited by guarantee company.”
Read More:
Brian Dunsby, one of the volunteers who established the Christmas market in 2012, told the Stray Ferret that he didn’t know yet what his next steps will be. He said:
Hotel Chocolat to open cafe in Harrogate“I’m very disappointed that events had to be cancelled, when traders have given us a massive vote of support.
“I’m at my wits’ end. We are devastated. We can’t find a way forward.
“I can’t understand the council’s attitude. I think the town centre needs the Christmas market to continue, and there’s no better location than in Montpellier valley.”
A new Hotel Chocolat cafe is to open on Harrogate’s James Street next month.
The nationwide brand currently has a shop on James Street but is set to open a new store across the road for its for chocolate-loving customers.
The new store, in the former jewellers Swarovski, will replace the company’s other shop and include a cafe.
It is due to open on October 18. Builders are currently on site renovating the unit.
The new store is recruiting a full-time retail assistant as well as a temporary position for Christmas.
Read more:
- Tesco to revive controversial Skipton Road supermarket plans
- Lidl supermarket in Ripon set for go-ahead
In July last year Angus Thirlwell, co-founder and chief executive of Hotel Chocolat, listed Harrogate as one of its “high flying locations” alongside York Designer Outlet and Beverley.
The unit was occupied over summer by Ellie Warburtons pop-up shop, selling premium cakes and hot drinks.
Rossett school bus ‘chaos’ and ‘shambles’ due to overcrowdingHarrogate parents have spoken of “chaos” and “shambles” on a school bus to Rossett School following changes to the service for the new term.
Students on the S3 bus have been subject to overcrowding and reportedly told to leave the bus for an alternative service.
North Yorkshire County Council, which contracts school buses to private bus companies, announced last week that Harrogate Bus Company‘s 780H, 781H, 782H, 783H, 784H services had been cancelled.
The old routes began in the Jennyfields, Bilton and Woodlands areas of Harrogate. Children were instead advised to take the 6, 52, S3, 8A, 620H and 620H services.
However, parents have told the Stray Ferret that since the changes the number S3 service through Jennyfields has been overcrowded and chaotic.
Read more:
- Otley Road cycle route work confirmed to start in 12 days
- Around three cyclists an hour using Harrogate’s new low traffic neighbourhood
- Five school bus routes to Rossett replaced as autumn term begins
Ann Lambert, a grandparent of a child who attends Rossett, described the service as chaotic and raised concern that children on free bus passes were affected.
She said:
“There was chaos this morning on the bus from Jennyfields.
“The bus was full and children were told to get off by the time they reached the Co-op, so all other stops were driven past.
“Children were told they can also get a service bus, which not only adds time, but does not account for the children who get a free bus pass provided by North Yorkshire County Council, which is for a specified service only.”
‘Shambles this morning’
Harrogate parent Chris Wingate:
“It was a shambles this morning on the Jennyfields to Rossett bus with mass overcrowding and students turned away after only about half the route complete.
“On the way home the bus was also overcrowded with many students concerned and getting off early as they felt too cramped and unsafe.:
In response to the concerns over the S3 service, Michael Leah, assistant director for travel and the environment at North Yorkshire County Council, said:
“Service S3 is one of a number of commercial local bus services run by The Harrogate Bus Company and we do not financially support it.
“However, we do buy passes from the company for pupils entitled to free home-to-school transport so they can use the service. The bus company also sell seats to non-entitled pupils where they are available.
“We are aware that the service had an issue with overloading yesterday and we are talking to the bus company about passenger numbers in an effort to resolve the issue quickly.
“We are not aware that any of our children entitled to free home-to-school passes on the S3 were refused travel today, but we are investigating.”
The Stray Ferret has approached Transdev, which owns the Harrogate Bus Company, for comment but did not receive a response by the time of publication.
Council apologises over short notice
Concerns about overcrowding come after parents in Harrogate raised concerns on social media about the lack of notice about the change in service.
Some parents described the changes as confusing and said they should have been announced sooner.
An email seen by the Stray Ferret from the council’s Passenger Transport Department said the authority had experienced delays in the renewal of the contract for the service due to covid and additional work in the procurement process.
It said this left little time to publicise the changes. However, the council added that it had told schools to expect changes to services in September.
The authority said:
“Obviously we apologise for the short notice of these changes and for any inconvenience that it has caused parents and pupils but we are confident that the new service network is efficient and that pupils will soon get used to the changes.”
Has your child been affected by the changes to the school bus service? Email us at contact@thestrayferret.co.uk