Harrogate care home resident: ‘We are still being treated poorly’

A Harrogate care home resident has spoken of his relief at today’s relaxation in restrictions but said more needs to be done to address inequalities facing disabled people.

Government guidelines now permit care home residents to see a family member or friend outdoors without having to isolate for 14 days.

But they are still unable to meet in groups of up to six, as non-care home residents can.

Nick Moxon, 32, who has cerebral palsy and is a resident at Disability Action Yorkshire‘s care home on Claro Road, spoke out when previous guidance said residents must isolate for 14 days if they went outdoors for non-emergency purposes.

He said today he was pleased about today’s change but said more needed to be done.

Mr Moxon described himself as an “independent adult with mental capacity” and questioned why he was subject to restrictions that do not apply to others.

He said:

“We are still being treated poorly. If people feel comfortable meeting six people outdoors they should be able to, it’s freedom of choice.

“The government think we are stupid but we aren’t. I want to see change on a national level. It’s about time we were treated the same.”

Care home residents have faced 14 months of isolation and the new guidance states they must be with a care worker or a nominated visitor if they leave their homes.

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Residents still can’t meet in groups, and can only go indoors for the use of toilets, or to cast a vote in the upcoming local elections.

Jackie Snape, chief executive of Disability Action Yorkshire, the Rt Revd Dr Helen-Ann Hartley, Bishop of Ripon, and Richard Webb, director of health and adult services at North Yorkshire County Council have all criticised the guidance.

Bilton by-election: What issues matter most to voters?

The people of Bilton head to the ballot box on Thursday to elect a new county councillor for the Bilton and Nidd Gorge division.

The election is being held following the death of Liberal Democrat councillor Geoff Webber.

We spoke to different Biltonians to find out what are the issues that matter to most them.

We will ask each candidate standing in the by-election what they will do to tackle the issues raised and publish their responses tomorrow. Read more about each candidate here.

Debbie Dilasser moved to Bilton with her family in 2006.

She said she “loves living here” but that anti-social behaviour is an increasing problem. She thinks community wardens could be employed to talk to young people who might be mixed up in bad behaviour.

She said:

“Anti-social behaviour is definitely on the increase. There are a lot of suspected drug deals happening on back streets.”

Ms Dilasser said she wants to see councillors active in the local community.

“Councillors should be representative of their constituency and unsettle the status quo.”

She said due to the proliferation of new housing in Harrogate, Bilton gets “short-changed” when it comes to infrastructure. She also thinks councillors can do more to improve other things such as street lighting.

“There’s not a lot of space. Schools and doctor’s surgeries are all full.”

“Street lighting around here is quite bad. If I come back home late at night they are not very good at all”.

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Steve Pepper is a retired businessman and ran the Bilton community and police group until 2010.

He said safety is an important issue to him and praised the late Geoff Webber for his contributions on the issue.

 

He said:

“Geoff Webber always supported the group and turned up at every meeting.

“We got some good advice from him. He was a typical local councillor and if we can find someone like that who can represent our community on the council then I’ll be happy.”

Mr Pepper said national issues such as the government lobbying scandal won’t be playing on his mind when he votes. He said the national political parties “are all as bad as each other”.

He is proud of the Nidderdale Greenway but said dog fouling is an increasing problem and more action needs to be taken to clean the popular cycling and walking route up from discarded poo bags and mess.

“If horses eat dog poo it can cause them problems. Why people don’t take their bags home, God only knows”.

 

Andrew Castelow lives in Bilton with his family and said environmental issues are important when he votes in local elections.

He said he was proud of the local efforts to create Long Lands Common and the fight to protect Nidd Gorge from a new “relief road”.

North Yorkshire County Council rejected the relief road proposal in 2019 and Mr Castelow said he hopes the controversial issue doesn’t come back on the table in the future.

“I can’t see the relief road idea coming back as an issue in the next year or two, but in another five years it depends on how rapidly things change with people working from home.”

He said anti-social behaviour and crime is not an issue in the part of Bilton where his family lives, “and long may that continue.”

Congestion on Skipton Road is a long-standing problem and he would like to see more bus services to help encourage car drivers off the road.

“Congestion is an issue. It would be more helpful to see more local bus services”

“The town has done a commendable job getting electric buses, but we have to walk further than we’d like to our nearest stop.”

Harrogate care home to be demolished for new 90-bed facility

A care home on Harrogate’s Wetherby Road will be demolished and replaced with a larger facility.

Harrogate Borough Council has approved plans for Tate House to be flattened and a 90-bed care home built in its place.

Plans for the new facility were submitted to the council last November.

The three-storey building will include resident’s lounges, dining rooms and activity spaces, as well as a car park with 27 spaces.

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Sight-loss charity the Royal National Institute of Blind People sold the existing building for £1,650,000 in June last year.

It is now run as a joint venture by private care home providers Angela Swift Developments, which is based in Harrogate, and Burlington Care, which operates 31 care comes in Lincolnshire and northern England.

The current Tate House care home on Wetherby Road.

The current Tate House care home on Wetherby Road.

Tate House, opposite Harrogate Town’s football stadium, was built in 1930 and has had several extensions.

The planning application claims the proposed development will bring up to 70 new jobs to the local community, including nurses, support workers, management and admin staff.

Harrogate Town captain on ‘incredible feeling’ of Wembley winner

Harrogate Town’s Josh Falkingham came with a real captain’s contribution to win the FA Trophy in what was a tough game at times.

The skipper was alive to the opportunity when Jack Muldoon’s effort came off the post and managed to tap the ball in from close range.

At 75 minutes it was the only goal of the game against non-league Concord Rangers. It means that town brings home more silverware in the FA Trophy.

Fresh from the high of scoring the winning goal, Josh Falkingham told the Stray Ferret:

“I can’t put into words how I am feeling. It’s a special time for a special club and it will live for a long time in the memory of the players and staff.

“We are obviously gutted that the fans couldn’t be here with us. But we have been here before and we have managed to get another win at Wembley.

“This is an incredible feeling, we are delighted. Goals are not really my forte. I get a lot of stick for not scoring as many as I should.

“But it is about the whole team who have worked really hard to achieve this.”

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The first half was quite frustrating at times for Harrogate Town, who struggled to break down a fresh team in Rangers.

Town manager Simon Weaver said after the game that he “let rip” on the players at half time. That talk clearly had an affect on the team that came out for the second half.

Josh conceded that the team was not good enough in the first half and said:

“It was simply not good enough. We were nowhere near where we should have been. The gaffer came in and told us how it was.

“We were much more on the front foot and took the game to Concord Rangers. We were able to finish strong and get the goal at a key time.

“So happy days. We have another trophy to take home to Harrogate. I am sure we will have a fair few beers tonight and a few sore heads in the morning.”

Harrogate Town win at Wembley as fans celebrate at home

Fans may have missed out on another Harrogate Town trip to Wembley but they certainly enjoyed the win.

Harrogate Town’s 1-0 win over Concord Rangers means that the side will be bringing back more silverware in the form of the FA Trophy.

It was not the walk in the park that some had expected and a few lucky fans who managed to grab a place in the tipi at Cedar Court Hotel were certainly nervous at times.

Those nerves were blown away by captain Josh Falkingham’s goal 15 minutes from time to leave a carnival atmosphere despite the wet and windy weather.

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Memorial bench vandalism devastates Harrogate families

Vandals who have destroyed two memorial benches in the Nidd Gorge have left the Harrogate families behind them devastated.

A group set up to protect the area found the benches in a sorry state yesterday and posted pictures of the remnants on the “Keeping Nidd Gorge Gorgeous” Facebook page.

The sight of the broken bench is too much to bear for Sylvia James, who bought it to keep the memory of her husband Colin James alive.

Colin died when he was 55-years-old from cancer in 2015. He was born in Manchester but moved to Harrogate to be with Sylvia and loved to go on dog walks in the Nidd Gorge.

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For that reason Sylvia bought the bench and she often goes to sit on the bench to be with her husband. She told the Stray Ferret that she will replace it as soon as possible:

“What a way to find out. I haven’t been up to see the bench and I can’t go there because I think it would tear me apart.

“It’s just such mindless devastation. This is a memorial, it is there for a reason. When I go up there and sit there I am with him.

“The bench has been there since 2016 and it has been fine. I didn’t know that people would even do a thing like this.”

Steven Worrell-Shaw, Sylvia and Colin’s son in law, set up a fundraising page with a £300 target to replace the broken bench

Within a day generous people have beaten that target and have donated £450. Sylvia says any money not needed will go to St Michael’s Hospice, a charity which cared for Colin before he died.

Malcolm Neesam History: Harrogate’s once lively street theatre scene

This history is written for The Stray Ferret by celebrated Harrogate historian, Malcolm Neesam. 

Do you remember the Cone Heads? The street entertainers who a few years ago appeared in the town at the invitation of Harrogate International Festivals? Their sudden appearance was part of a centuries-old tradition of such entertainment, which has included musicians, street theatre, Punch and Judy shows and the travelling waits.

Punch and Judy

To the best of my knowledge, the first known appearance of Punch and Judy in Harrogate was in June 1865, when Professor Bailey was said to have replaced an earlier but unknown Punch and Judy showman. Professor Bailey’s “pitch” appears to have been somewhere at the foot of Montpellier Hill, on the Stray outside the White Hart, and he worked with a young man named Candler, who succeeded Bailey, who was eventually decorated by King Edward VII.

Professor Candler [1869-1922] became one of Victorian Harrogate’s most well-known entertainers, and celebrated as a leading practitioner of his art, so much so that he was chosen to make the Punch and Judy show that accompanied the Prince of Wales’ tour of India. He was also called up to London to perform before George V when the king attended a private party given by Lady Stoner at her South Audsley Street mansion.

Edmund Candler’s Punch and Judy, Swan Hotel, 1910

Professor Candler may also have performed at Pier Head, which was a favourite pitch used by Otto Schwarz and his German Band. I suspect – and if any reader can contradict me, please do so – that Professor Candler was succeeded by Professor Valvo, who had begun his career in Bradford. Professor Valvo was often called to perform before royalty, and had command performances at the London Palladium, and in 1919 he gave a special performance at Crystal Palace for the royal children.

Like Professor Candler, Professor Valvo made his base in Harrogate and appeared several times in the Opera House [today, the Theatre] as part of variety shows. On one occasion, he gave a Punch and Judy show in the Winter Gardens before 600 children, including the sons of the Princess Royal and Lord Lascelles. In 1936, Professor Valvo was described by the Harrogate Herald as “an ex-serviceman, he has been a Punch and Judy man for twelve years, and for forty years previously was a theatre ventriloquist…”

I do not know whether Professor Valvo had any children who kept his act alive, but Professor Candler had two sons. Described by the press on July 13 1957 as “a wonderful showman, yet of a kindly, quiet nature, and his skill with the Punch voice, and the Pandean pipes was that of an expert”. He gained the affection of generations of children and the esteem of adults, including Princess Victoria, who, when in Harrogate, would sometimes stop to listen to the old, old story…

A Noisy Street Scene

The Punch and Judy men were only a small part of the many entertainers who swarmed through Harrogate during those long ago seasons. There were the black-faced minstrels, which were popular at the time, the earliest of which seem to have been Walter Mapping’s, who put on song and dance routines in Valley Gardens. The “Major’s Group” also provided a lively street entertainment show, the “Major” getting his name from his theme song “My friend the Major”. The chair stage prop used by the Major was said to be required because of the Major’s fondness for “the flowing bowl”.

I must not forget to mention the “Black Star Minstrels” who contained several performers who “blacked-up” in such hostelries as the Ship Inn, the Victoria Inn, or the “Borough Vaults” – now the Drum and Monkey. One of them, Joe Morrison, specialised in laughing songs, which could reduce a crowd to hysteria, and who was consequently disliked by more sober shop-keepers. There was Albert Freer, who specialised in sentimental songs about happy slaves on the “old plantations”, and a rival group called the “Mysterious Musicians”, who set up their portable stage near the Royal Pump Room, sometimes in direct competition with other performers. The resulting racket caused great annoyance to the hotels and lodging housekeepers.

Many acts were of course solos, such as The African who performed at Pier Head before the lavatories were built. The African’s ingenious act was to swallow a red hot poker. According to the Herald: “to show that there was no deception a poker was heated in front of the wondering throng, who were even more surprised at the way he used to relish a concoction that he cooked in his own fashion, and transferred to his capacious mouth with a fork whilst it was blazing.”

Contemporary criticism of many of these acts judged that some of the best shows on the Stray before the Great War were those of Adler and Sutton. Max Adler and his companions performed on the Victoria Avenue bandstand, opposite Baptist Church, during mild summer’s evenings. Their comedian was Olly Oakley, who did imitations, and whose saucy songs sometimes upset the local magistrates. Other “Stray” performers included the “Jubilee Singers”, who in the language of the time were described as “a group of real negroes”.  There was also Mr. I. C. Rich, who specialised in Jewish “deliniations”, who shared the bill with another comedian, whose name escapes me, and whose catch-phrase was “My hair’s down again”.

One of Harrogate’s rarer evening acts, who may have performed in Crescent Gardens, were the “Brothers Egerton”, who specialised in songs about drunks and drinking, which were known by the name of “Corney Grain” songs. Eventually, they left Harrogate for St Kilda’s Beach, Melbourne.

The Ongars

I do not have space to describe the many operators of the street piano, who played their raucous jangling instruments outside Hale’s Bar, and – to the intense annoyance of Alderman Fortune – along the rows of decorous hotels and lodging houses on Prospect Place and West Park, grinding out such tunes as “I’ve got a lovely bunch of coconuts”;  “He had to get out and get under”, “The man who broke the bank at Monte Carlo” and “My old Dutch”.

Town ‘mascots’

I must not leave the subject of the Stray entertainers without mentioning the “Mascots”, who first appeared in 1902, who drew enormous crowds for their acts, which were often held on the Stray near the junction of Beech Grove and Victoria Avenue. Their numbers included Karr and Kooney, who later became famous pantominists, and Tom Johnstone, a singer of chorus songs who later returned to Harrogate to play in the Empire Theatre.

The last known Stray Troupe before the Great War was the “Sparks”, whose boss, Will Driscoll, rode around Harrogate in a high-wheeled dog cart before the show. The Library Gardens, then known as the Town Hall site, was a further venue for street entertainment, where groups of “dancing minstrels” entertained the public. Harlow Hill, too, had its regular street acts, but I will try the editor’s patience if I go on any more.

Much of Harrogate’s street entertainment vanished during the Great War, although Tom Coleman and his Pierrots (featured main image) did sterling service entertaining wounded soldiers in the four military hospitals set up by that wonderful lady the Grand Duchess George of Russia.

My thanks to Geoff Felix and Janet Nijholt [nee Candler] for information about, and photographs of, Professor Candler.

Did you know? 

The Stray Ferret and the Harrogate Business Improvement District (BID) have worked with Malcolm Neesam to produce two fantastic history audio tours of Harrogate.  Both last about an hour and are easy to do. The first will take you back to the golden age of Harrogate’s Victorian Spa days, the second will take you through the heart of the shopping district, stopping to learn about historic buildings as you go.  To take a look click here. 

Stray Views: has Marilyn Stowe heard of climate change?

Stray Views is a weekly column giving you the chance to have your say on issues affecting the Harrogate district. It is an opinion column and does not reflect the views of the Stray Ferret. See below for details on how to contribute.

Does Marilyn not know about climate change?

Does Marilyn Stowe really not understand? The growth in cycling provision in Leeds or Harrogate is not to provide for the few people that already cycle.

The intention is to persuade a lot more people to cycle. Does she not know about climate change and melting polar ice?

Her article on Stray Ferret is just so incredible.

Andrew Willoughby, Knaresborough

Why prioritise cyclists when Harrogate needs parking?

I wrote to North Yorkshire County Council twice last year about the experiences of towns that have installed harmful, counter-productive cycling lanes and low-traffic neighbourhoods.

I wrote that the planners of those towns might be forgiven for not anticipating how damaging the reality of their schemes was going to be – because there were no precedents. Our councils here have no such excuse, not with the evidence from other towns writ large since 2017.

Throughout five different journeys by car, in and out of town, Monday to Friday last week, I counted 12 cyclists — in mild and sunny weather. We really don’t have many homegrown cyclists – for good reason.

The hills on Harrogate’s town-centre access routes, together with wet and windy weather, discourage cycling for local residents. Dedicated cycling lanes will never change that.

It is different for hobby cyclists. They are mostly the ones to be seen on high days and holidays, often grouped on the roads, identifiable by their distinctive apparel and indifferent to bad weather. They are rarely spotted using our shops and cafes or services.

Are we really going to make changes that prioritise cyclists over our entire population, when our town is in dire need of footfall, residents and visitors to shop and pile goods into their cars, or to drive into town to enjoy cafes and restaurants again? Surely we should be welcoming all comers and that means providing plentiful parking if we are to support the prestigious services and the famous retail heart of Harrogate.

On account of working-from-home there are already fewer cars coming into town, and perhaps fewer cyclists – a trend that may progress. Changes are coming and I think we should wait and see.

Jacky Little, Harrogate

Ripon people have chips on both shoulders

The attitudes expressed by both Harrogate borough councillors Swift and McHardy are insulting to the Scottish Nationalist Party, which exists to promote and advance the people of Scotland, and have nothing at all to do with Harrogate or Ripon.

Councillor McHardy’s response is quite typical of the constant whinging from people in Ripon, which is completely unwilling to accept that in 1974 Ripon was absorbed into the Harrogate district. We fail to see any similar grouses from other towns in the district, such as Knaresborough, Boroughbridge or Pateley Bridge, who seem prepared to work with Harrogate Borough Council to get the best deal for their locality.

Ripon seems to live in the past and many Ripon city councillors, who incidentally are often Harrogate borough councillors and North Yorkshire county councillors too, seem to regularly be elected on the basis of their anti-Harrogate Borough Council attitudes.

It’s often said that Ripon people are well-balanced because they have a chip on both shoulders.

John Edmonstone, Ripon

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Do you have an opinion on the Harrogate district? Email us at letters@thestrayferret.co.uk. Please include your name and approximate location details. Limit your letters to 350 words. We reserve the right to edit letters.

 

Harrogate Hospital Radio takes to the air for 24-hour fundraising marathon

From noon today, Harrogate Hospital Radio’s team of presenters will broadcast non-stop for 24 hours to kickstart its fundraising activities.

Coronavirus has had a huge impact on the station’s finances and it is hoped this broadcast can start to raise some much-needed funds.

Normally, the station would be broadcasting live from major events across the district such as the Great Knaresborough Bed Race and the Great Yorkshire Show.

The annual running costs for Harrogate Hospital Radio, including insurance, public performance licence fees and broadband charges, are in the region of £5,000. On top of that, new music needs to be purchased and equipment updated or replaced.

Harrogate Hospital Radio chairman Mark Oldfield said:

“Covid has had a major impact on our finances, and the sponsored broadcast marks the start of a post-pandemic fundraising campaign.

“Now, with lockdown easing and the vaccine being rolled out, we are in a position to relaunch our fundraising, starting with our presenting team participating in this 24-hour broadcast.

“We have also launched a JustGiving page, making it easier for supporters to make a donation.”

The station is offering potential sponsors the chance to add their name to a show, for 12 months, for a reduced fee of £150.

It is all in aid of raising as much money as possible. You can donate here.

Mr Oldfield added:

“I’m incredibly grateful to our fantastic team of volunteers. Without them, there would be no Harrogate Hospital Radio.

“I’d also like to thank Harrogate District NHS Foundation Trust for their continued support of us, and our sponsors.”

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This is the running order for the marathon taking place from noon until 12pm tomorrow, bank holiday Monday.

1200-1300:    Launch & Welcome

1300-1400:    Live Lounge with local artist Stan Smith

1400-l5OO:   Dolly Mixtures and All Sorts

1500-1600:    Harrogate Hospital Radio’s Presenter Challenge

1600-1700:    The 60s Show

1700-1800:    G&T Name that Tune – Adele Vs George

1800-1900:    Head 2 Head – Wilson Vs Wright

1900-2000:    The School Disco Hour

2000-2100:    Club Classics

2100-2300:    HHR’s Pride Festival – Celebrating LGBTQ

2300-0000:    Kylie in Concert

Midnight:       Midnight Rock

0100-0200:    Soul Show

0200-0500:    HDFT Top 40 Feel Good Chart Show

0500-0600:    Night Shift Request Show

0600-0700:    The Early, Early Breakfast Show

0700-0900:    HHR Big Breakfast Show

0900-1000:    Woodlands Ward Hour

1000-1100:    Chart Show Rewind – 1977

1100-1200:    The 24th Hour

Harrogate man’s 40-year love affair with Leeds United

Harrogate-born Dave Rowson has seen it all at Leeds United.

After following the club home and away since the 1970s, he’s travelled the length and breadth of the country and followed United to the capitals of Europe.

He came up with the idea to write his book “We’re Not Leeds, We Are Leeds” after 10 years of travelling with the club from 1992 until 2002.

Dave’s friends suggested he write the book to show what it’s really like as a fan to support the team abroad.

But, a decade of United playing in European competitions is only a snapshot of his dedication to the club.

What does it take to follow a football team around the country week in, week out and how did he do it?

‘Life revolved around watching Leeds’

After his dad took him to Elland Road in 1967, Dave was hooked on football and Leeds United.

Despite being just four years old, his first game was against West Bromwich Albion at a time when the club was on its way to success under manager Don Revie.

While his memories are fleeting of that time, Dave can still picks out the European cup nights against Celtic at Elland Road as the most memorable.

He said:

“I have fleeting memories of being in the ground and certain games, but the one I can absolutely remember is Celtic at home in the European Cup semi-final because it was awash with green and white outside the ground.

“I just remember a Scottish lad came up and wanted to swap scarfs with me. I had been about seven years old and I just said ‘no, b*****r off mate’ because it was a Leeds scarf.”

As a kid, Dave would catch the bus from the bottom of Montpellier to Elland Road with his Dad.

When his dad stopped going in 1977, Dave kept the tradition going despite the decline of the great Revie side.

“I was about 14 then and I started going everywhere even though they were not the team that they quite were, but I had grown up with them as my team.”

As an adult, he could have gone onto to university but decided to take up a job as clerical officer as part of a training course at the regional health authority in 1982.

Dave pictured away at Stoke City in the 1980s.

Dave pictured away at Stoke City in the 1980s.

Dave took the job deliberately as he wanted to follow Leeds home and away.

“I started earning so I could fund to go to Leeds away games, because that’s what I wanted to do.

“As daft as it sounds, life revolved around watching Leeds.”

The decision started a love affair with the club that has spanned decades.

From the club being at its most successful in the 1970s and 1990s, to the wilderness of lower division football in the 1980s, the doldrums of League One and recent rise under Marcelo Bielsa, Dave has been there.

When asked how he managed to balance his life supporting the club with work and family life, he said a lot of it came down to commitment.

As for the European nights, that required balancing leave from work and moving it to where he could fit it with games abroad.

“I just had to take it as I can and bring some leave forward.

“I don’t think I took any unpaid leave, but I would have done if I had to do.”

The highs and lows

Most of the trips across the country have come with the Harrogate and District Supporters Club.

Dave, who initially organised the bus trips under the then Knaresborough branch in the 1980s, said the days out with the supporters were one of the reasons for dedicating so much time to the club.

Harrogate and District Leeds United Supporters group.

Harrogate and District Leeds United Supporters group.

The camaraderie and joint experience of both low and high moments kept him coming back.

Among them was the chaotic game at Bramall Lane against Sheffield United in 1992, which clinched Leeds’ first title – and the last team to win it before the Premier League – since 1974.

But that year was not without its hiccups and Dave had to convince his fellow supporters that United had not blown it with five games to go.

After a surprise 4-0 defeat to Manchester City at Maine Road, Dave was convinced that the title was still within the club’s grasp.

He went as far as to write to then manager, Howard Wilkinson, outlining their final fixtures alongside Manchester United’s, who were also vying for the top spot, and explaining why the opposition would not get maximum points.

“I actually wrote to Wilkinson and said ‘have you seen their run in?’

“They had these four games and were playing Forest twice and I wrote to him and said ‘they are not going to get 12 points, I reckon they will get seven max’.”

Not content with waiting for the Lancashire side to slip up, Dave decided to go and see it for himself.

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Ahead of a meeting in Peterborough for work, he realised that he could make it to the City Ground for Man United’s clash with Nottingham Forest the night before.

Despite not having a ticket and the game being sold out, he managed to convince the ticket staff that they had misplaced his ticket and was handed one from a no-show for the game.

“I got to the ticket office and I said ‘I’m a Forest fan from Harrogate’. I had bought from a stand a little Forest lapel badge and I said I had ordered some tickets.

“I gave her a name and she was looking through and she said ‘they’re not here’ and I said ‘what? I’ve ordered the tickets. I guess I’ll just go to the pub then’. Anyway, she said ‘actually I’ve got this envelope here, I don’t think these people are going to turn up’.”

Nigel Clough got the winner for Forest that night and Dave’s prediction came to fruition.

But, the forty years supporting the club has not been without its lows.

Dave pictured with friends in Edinburgh for Leeds' pre-season in 1983.

Dave pictured with friends in Edinburgh for Leeds’ pre-season in 1983.

Dave recalls the 1987 season when Leeds reached the FA Cup Semi Final and a play off final replay against Charlton Athletic at St Andrews in Birmingham.

The game went to extra time and Leeds took the lead through John Sheridan, but conceded twice in the last seven minutes to confine themselves to another season in the second division.

Dave said he had never heard a supporters’ bus so silent after a game.

“To go from seven minutes from promotion, there is only Leeds that can let two in to Peter Shirtliff.

“I don’t think I’ve ever been on a bus where not one person spoke after the game.

“We got all the way from Birmingham to Harrogate, got off and six of us went to the Blue Pot which was the drinking place at the time. We ordered the drinks and stood around the table and nobody had spoke.

“All of a sudden, someone who had not been to game came and asked if we had been to the game and it was like someone had click their fingers and we could suddenly talk again.”

‘We’re not Leeds, We are Leeds’

The European nights bring further focus into what it takes to follow the club as a fan.

From Italy to Ukraine, Dave juggled his personal life to fit in those games and to be there among the travelling Leeds support.

In his book, We’re Not Leeds We Are Leeds, Dave aimed to tell the stories of what it was like being there when United mixed it with the elite of European football.

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Rather than a review of what happened on the pitch, the book highlights the people, the situations and the “daft things that happen” following your team abroad.

As part of his book, Dave has also donated £500 to Alzheimers Research UK – which the Harrogate District Supporters Branch continues to fundraise for.

Some of the journeys in Europe were memorable, such as the trip to CSKA Moscow in 1999 and the famous Champions League run in 2000/2001.

Others were memorable for things other than football.

In April 2000, Leeds travelled to play Galatasaray in Istanbul in the UEFA Cup semi final. 

The game would come second to what happened before the match when two supporters, Chris Loftus and Kevin Speight, were murdered.

Dave was in Istanbul and remembers the aftermath:

“We didn’t know what had gone on until probably the next morning.

“The next day we were not allowed out of our hotel, the police were like ‘you’re a bunch of Leeds fans, you’re not allowed out of your hotel’. We didn’t know if the game was going to go ahead.

“In the end, they said the game was going ahead and we’re going to bus you to the ground. They bussed us to the ground and there was tanks there, it was surreal.”

‘It gets in your blood, it gets in your system’

Forty years later, Dave still follows his club home and away and says he will continue to do so when fans are allowed back into stadiums.

Last season was bittersweet for Leeds fans, who witnessed a return to the top flight after 16 years from home due to the covid pandemic.

Much like the rest of the fanbase, Dave was at home when promotion was sealed following Huddersfield Town’s defeat of West Brom and supporters flocked to Elland Road in their thousands.

“I’m just hoping that it will be like clicking your fingers and you’re back at it again.”

Until then, Dave awaits like all football fans for the moment when the government signals the long awaited return to stadiums and live games.

He will return to his habits of meeting up with lifelong friends, having a drink and taking the well-trodden journey to Elland Road week in week out.

But, why and how does he do it?

“I grew up doing it and it is what I do. It gets in your blood, it gets in your system.

“I can almost imagine never not doing it. A lot of my best mates I have met through the football and it’s like a community and a family.

“You have some right laughs and it takes you away from everything. Whatever troubles people have had, they go to the football and it gets it out of their system.

“I’ve known some people for 50 years watching football. There’s nothing better than it for me, a day out with the lads and a laugh.”

You can donate to the Harrogate Leeds United Supporters’ Branch fundraiser for Alzheimers Research UK here. Dave Rowson’s book, We’re Not Leeds We Are Leeds, is available to buy here.