Local Harrogate News & Views around the district - Page 927 of 1073

Two coronavirus deaths as infections stay high in Harrogate district

Harrogate District Hospital has recorded a further two coronavirus deaths as cases stay high in the district.

The two deaths happened yesterday and take the hospital up to 113 coronavirus deaths since the start of the pandemic.

Meanwhile, the Harrogate district recorded a further 110 daily coronavirus cases today.

The number takes the total number of coronavirus cases since the start of the pandemic to 5,346, according to Public Health England figures.

Cases have been consistently high across the country since the Christmas break. The Harrogate district has seen rapid growth and the seven-day rate is now 474 people per 100,000.

It does, however, remain below the England average of 603 cases per 100,000.

Harrogate District Hospital is currently treating 24 patients who tested positive for coronavirus.

The number is an increase on the 16 which the trust reported last week.

Lottery funding helps Harrogate’s older adults stay active at home

A Harrogate organisation that encourages older adults to become more active has received £100,000 in funding to go towards its at home exercise classes.

North Yorkshire Sport is based in Harrogate but offers support to those over 65 across the county. Its main aim is to encourage local people to become active and improve their mental and physical wellbeing.

The funding comes from The National Lottery Community Fund and will be used to offer local adults tailored exercise sessions at their homes.

The organisation discovered that many older adults don’t have access to online resources so were missing out on exercise classes due to the pandemic.

Its new home exercise programme will allow participants to receive two face to face visits each week, for four weeks, from a qualified therapeutic exercise instructor.

This new funding means the sessions, sgarting this month, can be offered to 230 people locally.

David Watson, Chief Executive at North Yorkshire Sport says:

“We’re delighted that The National Lottery Community Fund has recognised our work in this way.

“This is important because it helps these adults to have a connection, in person, with other people whilst simultaneously supporting them to become more physically active and supporting their mental wellbeing.”

Man jailed for breaking police officer’s leg and threatening ex-partner

A Harrogate man has been jailed for breaking a police officer’s leg and terrorising his ex-partner.

Shane Povey, 38, started berating officers when he turned up at an incident in Boroughbridge.

As officers were breaking up a fight between two men, Povey – who knew one of the warring parties – turned up in a friend’s car, got out and started shouting and swearing at police, York Crown Court heard yesterday.

Prosecutor Stephen Littlewood said:

“Mr Povey was remonstrating with police, asking who had reported the incident.”

Police told him to leave the scene, whereupon Povey, who was drunk, walked back to the vehicle, hurling a volley of abuse as he did so.

When police tried to arrest him, Povey grabbed two of the officers by the arm and shoved them away. One of the officers lost his balance, fell to the ground and felt his ankle crack.

Povey was restrained by other officers using pepper spray. The injured officer, who was lying “in agony” on the ground, suffered a broken ankle, fractures to his shin bone and ligament damage.

He needed two operations for his broken leg and was left with severe mobility problems and relying on crutches.

The incident had left deep psychological scars and the officer suffered lost earnings due to absence from work and restricted duties thereafter. He had been receiving ongoing orthopaedic treatment and was still unable to run.

Making threats

Povey, of Dene Park, Harrogate, was released on bail following the incident on August 1, 2019, but on January 17 last year he decided to seek out his ex-partner.

The victim, a mother-of-one who was named in court, had ended the relationship a few weeks before, but Povey bombarded her “throughout the day” with unanswered phone calls and a flurry of text messages “demanding money from her”.

In the evening, he turned up at her home in Boroughbridge and started banging at her door and windows, shouting dire threats and threatening to “do her car in”.

The victim – who had ended the relationship with Povey “because of concerns over his behaviour and the way he was treating her” – was in the living room “shaking” and refused to answer the door. She called police but then heard a “smash” and the car alarm going off.

Povey eventually left, but when she went outside, she found that all four tyres on her three-day-old Audi A1, a special mobility vehicle, had been slashed and were completely flat. Her front door had also been damaged.

The victim found a kitchen knife on the ground near her vehicle. Subsequent police analysis showed that the knife bore Povey’s DNA.

He was charged with criminal damage, putting his partner in fear of violence, causing serious injury to the officer, albeit without intent, and possessing a knife.

Previous convictions

After his initial denials, Povey ultimately admitted three counts including the attack on the officer and possessing a knife. One other charge was allowed to lie on file.

The court heard that Povey had six previous convictions, mainly for drug offences including production of a Class B drug.

Ian Cook, for Povey, said his client had only taken the knife to the scene to slash the tyres and not to use against the victim. He said his life had been marred by drug and alcohol abuse which had exacerbated mental health issues.

Povey had been “greatly distressed” following the break-up of his relationship with the victim, but he had never been violent to her nor any other women previously, added Mr Cook.

Judge Simon Hickey said although he recognised that Povey wasn’t habitually violent and was remorseful for his actions, he had no option but to send him straight to prison due to the seriousness of the offences against his ex-partner and the attack on the police officer which had had an “extreme” effect upon him.

The judge also noted the “significant damage” caused to the woman’s Audi and the fact she was “terrified” during the incident.

Povey was given a two-and-a-half year jail sentence but will only serve a tiny fraction of that because of the time he had already spent on remand in Hull Prison. He was also slapped with a 10-year restraining order banning him from contacting his ex-partner or entering the road where she lives.

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Police arrest suspected cocaine dealers after chase in Harrogate

Police have arrested two suspected cocaine dealers after a chase in Harrogate.

North Yorkshire Police said officers on patrol followed a car on Leeds Road travelling towards Harrogate last night.

When the vehicle stopped the passenger ran off, discarding a large amount of suspected cocaine and a mobile phone.

Following a short chase on foot he was found to be in possession of £700.

The pair from Leeds, aged 28 and 44 were both arrested on suspicion of possessing class A drugs with intent to supply.

The driver was also arrested on suspicion of drug driving after a roadside drugs test showed a positive result.

Both men have since been released while under investigation to allow for further enquiries.

Detective Sergeant Marcus Dawson, of Harrogate police’s Operation Expedite team, which deals with county lines drug dealers, said:

“We are sending a clear message to the drug peddling fraternity that despite lockdown, it’s business as usual when it comes to disrupting drug dealing and the misery it causes.

“We urge members of the public to keep on reporting suspicious activity to us, we are still here and still need you to report information to us.

“If you prefer not to talk to us, remember you can report information to Crimestoppers anonymously.”

The police urged people to report signs of drug dealing, including ‘cuckooing’ – where drug dealers take over a vulnerable person’s house.

The signs to look out for include an increase callers at a property, an increase in cars pulling up for short periods of time, different accents at a property and windows covered or curtains closed for long periods.

Anyone with information can call North Yorkshire Police on 101. If you wish to remain anonymous, you call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

Gallery: Full day of heavy snow hits Harrogate district hard

Heavy snow has hit Harrogate hard today. Some will have cursed the weather, but others have certainly embraced it.

Some drivers were forced to abandon their vehicles today on their way to work. Schools closed, even to the children of key workers.

As the snow fell, though, there were some who looked to take advantage and headed out for snow ball fights and sledging.

We sent out our photographer to capture the day and received photos from readers too. Here are just some of the highlights:

“Everyone recognises a good read when they see one!” Photo: Reed and Townsend

“Snowy view from Sharow, Ripon across the fields to Ripon Cathedral, lost in the mist!” Photo: Jill Warwick

Harrogate dog groomer to judge on primetime BBC show tonight

An award-winning dog groomer from Harrogate will be one of two judges on a new BBC One show tonight.

Pooch Perfect, which aims to find the nation’s best dog groomer, will broadcast its first episode at 8pm.

Verity Hardcastle, who has lived in Harrogate all her life, is one half of the judging team tasked with finding a winner.

Ms Hardcastle discovered her love of dogs at the age of 19 when she got a Doberman called Angel, who won numerous awards including second in class at Crufts in 2009.

She has showed dogs at various competitions and also competed as a groomer and says that after working in the industry for 11 years she’s familiar with what it takes to find a winner.

Perfect Pooches was filmed in August and took about a month to film.

Verity Hardcastle on a local walk with her three poodles Lily, Olive and Alice.

Ms Hardcastle said:

“I really wanted to be a part of it. It is the biggest thing to happen in the industry ever. I’m very excited but also a little nervous, months of preparation and now it’s going to be out there.”

Sixteen professional dog groomers take part and each week they will be set a new challenge.

The show is hosted by actress and dog lover Sheridan Smith. Ms Hardcastle’s fellow judge is Colin Taylor, who has been in the grooming industry for 35 years.

She said:

“Dog grooming is essential for dogs but owners may not understand the skill that goes into grooming. This show presents it perfectly. It’s a perfect warm entertainment show for the whole family and we had a great time making it.

“I’ve got a bottle chilling in the fridge ready for 8pm tonight.”

Ms Hardcastle continues to operate her business Verity Hardcastle Grooming and Training in Harrogate and also competes at shows with her three miniature poodles Lily, Olive and Alice.

Harrogate council to spend £165,000 on tourism website

Harrogate Borough Council has said it will spend £165,000 revamping its tourism website Visit Harrogate — after previously refusing to reveal the sum.

The council awarded the contract two months ago to a company from Ipswich in a private meeting without undertaking a competitive tender process.

It told the Stray Ferret at the time that coronavirus had created an “economic crisis” that forced it to bypass competitive tendering.

A report prepared for the meeting said it would take six months for a “full procurement process” and the site needed to be ready for the 2021 tourist season.

The council acquired the Visit Harrogate site last year.

The authority believes the site has suffered from “historic underinvestment” and “visually no longer meets the user requirements or expectations”.

Jacob Bailey Group won the four-year contract to create what the council called a new destination management system.

Yesterday the council revealed the £165,000 sum in response to a question on Twitter.

A council spokesperson told the Stray Ferret:

“This new destination management system will allow our destination management organisation to effectively attract new leisure and business visitors to the district through the work of Visit Harrogate and a new conference bureau. This is vital in order to support the recovery of the Harrogate district’s visitor economy.

“This destination management system is a comprehensive set of tourism management tools and functionality, including databases of marketing information for accommodation, businesses and visitor attractions; reporting and evaluation; event and booking services; news and blogging functions; visitor planning tools; integration with review sites such as Trip Advisor as well as integration with Visit Britain’s flagship tourism exchange.”

Hometown midfielder Jack Emmett leaves Harrogate Town due to illness

Jack Emmett, Harrogate Town’s longest-serving player, is to leave the club to focus on recovering from chronic fatigue.

The 27-year-old, who was born in Harrogate and has played 229 times for the club, has not closed the door on his football career and said he could return if he overcomes his illness. He said:

“It has been an incredible journey and I have loved every minute, but I know this is the right decision for my health moving forward. Hopefully one day I will be able to fully recover and return to the game.”

Emmett, who went to Harrogate Grammar School, spoke to the Stray Ferret ahead of the club’s historic Wembley play-off final last year when he spoke about his footballing upbringing and turning out for Knaresborough Celtic juniors.

His final performance for the club was in the Papa John’s Trophy this season against Leicester City under-23s.

In 2017/18 Emmett formed a midfield partnership with Josh Falkingham, with whom he was named joint Player’s Player of the Season. The duo helped Town into the National League for the first time.

According to the NHS, chronic fatigue syndrome is a long-term illness with a wide range of symptoms, the most common being extreme tiredness.

Manager Simon Weaver paid tribute to Emmet and said “the door is always open” for a return.

He said:

“It’s a sad loss for the club and the supporters, Jack has been thrilling to watch over the years, he has always played with a joy and desire to run at people and entertain.

“He was part of first under-17s set up under Mark Forster, who recommended we take a look at him and we would later send him on loan to Forster’s Wetherby side, he was getting kicked all over park but kept getting up, we were so impressed with attitude.

“We kept in touch when he went away to university and were delighted when he returned and would be training full time with us. I remember in pre-season at Thorpe Arch we put him in central midfield against Leeds United and he was waltzing past players, that was a big turning point for him and the club as he went on to play a massive part in us earning promotion from the National League North.

“His recent issue has saddened us all, but we respect his views and that his health is of paramount importance.
“He’s been with me for 11 years here and we have always shared a good bond, I’ll always think highly of Jack and the door is always open for him at Town, he is very much still a part of our family.”

Police to challenge rule breakers on Harrogate district roads and beauty spots

North Yorkshire Police has said it will challenge lockdown rule breakers on the Harrogate district’s roads and beauty spots.

Superintendent Mike Walker, the force’s lead for coronavirus, today set out the countywide policing strategy for the third national lockdown.

He said police presence and visibility would increase to “reassure” people, and anyone caught breaking the rules would be challenged and possibly fined up to £200.

Supt Walker said:

“Under these new regulations, if you are outside of your home without a reasonable excuse, or gathering indoors or outdoors with others, the police can take enforcement action against you and you can be fined up to £200.

“I would also stress that it is important to stay as close to home as possible. While exercise is permitted, this should be done in your local area, preferably from your doorstep.

“The new restrictions have been put in place to limit people’s movements in order to suppress the spread of a deadly virus. If you travel further than is essential, you are putting yourself and those communities you visit at risk of contracting this virus.

“Our health service is at a crucial point and as a nation we face a very serious situation, so it’s vital that we stick to the rules and stop the spread of the virus.”

Harrogate district to Clap for Heroes tonight

People in the Harrogate district will step onto their doorsteps tonight to bang pans and clap their hands to show support for the heroes of the pandemic.

The weekly Clap for Carers that took place during the first lockdown is being revived under the new name of Clap for Heroes at 8pm.

Annemarie Plas, who founded the initiative, said the new name not only celebrated the NHS, care workers and key workers but every hero who has played their part in tackling the pandemic.

Clap for Carers started as a one-off on March 26 but proved so popular it continued for 10 weeks.

In the Harrogate district, people not only stepped onto their doorsteps but many also turned up at care homes and hospitals to show their support directly.

This time around, with coronavirus infection rates rising rapidly, the organisers have reiterated a call to wear masks and keep a safe distance while clapping.

Will you join in Clap for Heroes tonight at 8pm? Send your videos to contact@thestrayferret.co.uk.