Woman died at Harrogate hospital after receiving Oxford-AstraZeneca jab

It has emerged that a woman died at Harrogate District Hospital after receiving the Oxford-AstraZeneca covid vaccine.

Deaths from the vaccine are exceptionally rare but the Financial Times revealed a 59-year-old woman called Julia began having headaches in mid-March, nine days after receiving her first jab.

She initially thought she was suffering migraines but on March 29 her husband, a retired doctor called Peter, came home to find her in a coma.

According to the FT, doctors at the Harrogate hospital said she had a “catastrophic brain injury” resulting from cerebral venous sinus thrombosis and a very low platelet count — the rare blood condition linked to the AstraZeneca jab. Two days later she died.

According to the government, just over 10 people develop adverse drug reactions for every million doses of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine given.

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A UK Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency spokesperson said:

“We are saddened to hear about this death and our thoughts are with the family.

“As with any serious suspected adverse drug reaction, reports with a fatal outcome are fully evaluated by the MHRA, including an assessment of post-mortem details if available.

“Vaccines are the best way to protect people from covid and have already saved thousands of lives. Everyone should continue to get their vaccination when asked to do so unless specifically advised otherwise.

“Our detailed and rigorous review into reports of blood clots occurring together with thrombocytopenia is ongoing.”

A Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust spokesman declined to comment.

Three covid vaccines have been authorised for supply in the UK by the MHRA.

Besides Oxford-AstraZeneca, the Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna vaccines have been approved for use following reviews of safety, quality and efficacy information from clinical trials.

Further information on vaccines is available here.

Manchester Furniture Show to be held in Harrogate this year

The Manchester Furniture Show is set to be held in Harrogate this year as more events are lined up for after lockdown.

The annual show is normally hosted at Manchester Central, but a post on the events website says the show will now be held at the Harrogate Convention Centre.

It is unclear why the event has been moved, but it is due to be held alongside the Home and Gift Buyers Festival.

The show will take place from July 18-21.

It becomes the latest event to be held at the town’s convention centre and the Royal Hall after lockdown.

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Comedians Jimmy Carr, Jon Richardson and Katherine Ryan are lined up for September and October.

The Harrogate Bridal Show is also due to be held in September after being postponed last year.

Meanwhile, the 10-day International Gilbert & Sullivan Festival is returning to Harrogate this year, in a major boost for the town’s economy.

Harrogate hosted the event annually from 2014 until last year, when it was cancelled due to covid.

The festival, which will take place from August 8 to August 18 at the Royal Hall, attracts thousands of visitors from around the world.

Following the announcement, Janet Smith, festival director, said:

“After the horrible year we have all endured, we cannot wait to get back into the theatre.

“Our seating plan in the theatre is socially distanced, and only 40% of the usual Royal Hall seats are available, so we expect tickets to sell out quickly.

“We will have to wait to hear the government announcements about easing restrictions on June 21, when hopefully we will be allowed to open up more seats.”

LibDems, Labour and Greens in Harrogate district consider collaboration

Informal discussions could take place between the local Liberal Democrat, Labour and Green parties about working together.

The move follows Conservative Matt Scott’s victory in last week’s Bilton and Nidd Gorge by-election.

Arnold Warneken, who represented Harrogate and District Green Party, told the Stray Ferret he had approached the Liberal Democrats and Labour about setting up a meeting.

Mr Warneken said co-operation “made sense” and he hoped some form of progressive alliance would emerge.

Pat Marsh, leader of the Liberal Democrats on Harrogate Borough Council, said collaboration with other parties was “a discussion that needs to be had” and she was open-minded on the subject.

Cllr Marsh described the loss of the seat on North Yorkshire County Council formally held by the Liberal Democrat Geoff Webber as “a huge shock and disappointment”.

Asked why she felt voters had turned against the Liberal Democrats, she said:

“I have no idea. With all the sleaze and cronyism taking place and I am at a total loss to understand why anyone still votes for the Conservatives.”

Asked if she would consider her position as leader following the by-election defeat, she said she had been re-elected two weeks ago and intended to carry on.

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Margaret Smith, chair of Harrogate and Knaresborough Labour Party, said it was not averse to discussions but its ability to enter into any formal arrangement with other parties would be determined by the national Labour Party. She said:

“It’s about building a progressive alternative and when we agree on issues we would like to work with anyone, irrespective of party membership or support.

“It is a matter of building coalitions, issue by issue, where we agree.”

The Stray Ferret asked Cllr Scott, who won 43 per cent of the vote in Bilton and Nidd Gorge, why he felt voters had switched to the Conservatives and what was top of his agenda but he declined to answer.

 

 

Harrogate Christmas Market organisers ‘confident’ of November date

Organisers of the Harrogate Christmas Market have said they are confident this year’s event in November will go ahead.

They have confirmed their plans to hold the market on the Montpellier Hill area from Thursday, November 18 to Sunday, November 21.

Many large public events this year have been cancelled due to ongoing covid uncertainty, especially over insurance but the Christmas market organisers said they expected to have adequate cover.

A one-way system to control the flow of people will be put in place.

However, the organisers said it wasn’t possible to control the number of visitors in an area as big as the Stray but this should not be a barrier with all social distancing rules set to go on June 21.

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Officials pulled the plug in August on last year’s Christmas market amid concerns over the spread of coronavirus.

It was the first time that the four-day event, which has been running annually since 2012, did not go ahead.

Brian Dunsby, who runs the Christmas market, told the Stray Ferret:

“We feel quite confident. We do not know what the government requirements will be but we will observe them.

“There’s already big demand. We have 140 traders booked in and 15 coach loads already.”

New chief executive for Harrogate District Chamber of Commerce

A Harrogate PR director has been named as the new chief executive of Harrogate District Chamber of Commerce.

David Simister, who founded Different PR in 2006, will take over the role from outgoing chief executive Sandra Doherty.

Ms Doherty, who took on the role in May 2016, is set to move to Northumberland and retire after selling her Alexa guest house on Ripon Road.

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Mr Simister, who is a former journalist and Harrogate borough councillor, said he was honoured to be taking on the role, adding:

“This organisation is one that represents not only the businesses of Harrogate, but those of the wider district. Its job is to give them a strong voice and one that will be heard, loudly and clearly, where it matters.

“Harrogate is home to a thriving and diverse business community, and I’m proud to say it’s where my business has been located for the last 15 years.

“My initial task is to plan the next 12 months, securing keynote speakers for our meetings who will share their experiences, on a wide range of issues, that will be of interest, and benefit, to members.

“I won’t deny that covid has not had an impact on the chamber, and another crucial task is to grow our membership. With the lifting of restrictions next month, we can once again meet in person, and it is the networking opportunities we offer that appeal to so many businesses.”

Martin Gerrard, president of the chamber of commerce, said:

“For the last 12 months, David has been our PR coordinator, and in that time he has grasped a thorough understanding of the chamber.

“When Sandra announced her imminent retirement, I asked David if he would consider taking on the role. He is incredibly passionate about Harrogate, his business is based here, he’s very well connected and knows the political landscape well.

“I’m delighted he agreed, and look forward to working with him as Harrogate district chamber begins another chapter in its long history.”

Mr Gerrard paid tribute to Ms Doherty, describing her as “a fantastic ambassador for the organisation”. He added:

“We wish her well in her retirement as she makes a new life for herself in Northumberland.”

Harrogate dad shares last messages with son who killed himself

A Harrogate dad has shared the last messages he exchanged with his son shortly before he took his life to mark the start of Mental Health Awareness Week.

Steve Phillip founded The Jordan Legacy in his son’s name to improve people’s wellbeing and support available to them.

Jordan was 34 when he took his life on December 4 2019. The day before, Steve and Jordan had been texting each other and talking about meeting up.

But the meeting never happened. Mr Phillip has spoken previously to the Stray Ferret of his anguish.

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Now transcripts of his final message has been made available to encourage others to come forward.

Mr Phillip has also revealed details of the call he received from his son’s girlfriend Charlotte revealing the news.

She broke into the house with the help of a neighbour and found Jordan:

Jordan Phillip

Jordan Phillip.

The call lasted two minutes but Steve does not know what he or Charlotte said for the remaining one minute and 45 seconds. He said:

“Jordan was the kind of person who would stop and chat to homeless people and to local strangers.

“He loved his family and his friends so much that he would often protect them from the ultimate depths of his despair.

“But he was always there for them, no matter how difficult his day was. There was nothing selfish about Jordan, not even at the moment he chose to end his pain.

“He took the time to write notes to his girlfriend Charlotte and his family to let us know that he loved us.

“If I could give any advice to anyone it would be look after those around you, listen to them more, be there, don’t be scared to question the signs you see and ask the difficult questions.”

Mental Health Awareness Week starts today and finishes on Sunday.

The Mental Health Foundation started the event 21 years ago and the annual event has grown to become one of the biggest awareness raising weeks in the UK and globally.

To mark the start of the week, North Yorkshire Police has also revealed how the number of mental health calls it has taken over the last year has grown to 32,117.

That is an increase of 6,512 calls compared to the previous April to March period.

Do you need help or know someone who does? Get help from a mental health charity helpline by tapping here.

No open top bus celebration for Harrogate’s Wembley heroes

Harrogate Town have decided not to hold an open top bus parade to celebrate the club’s FA Trophy success.

Discussions had been taking place about a parade after Town beat Concord Rangers 1-0 last week to take home the silverware at Wembley.

Despite support from the bus company Transdev, the club said today released a statement saying it would not happen. It said:

“Due to lockdowns in 2020 the players only had a two week break before embarking on pre-season training in preparation for our first English Football League campaign.

“In effect they have played back-to-back seasons. After the match against Cheltenham they will be going their various ways for well-earned planned family breaks.

“Despite our socially distanced and covid-compliant parade after the promotion final last August, the club came under unwarranted criticism from some elements of the media.

“We are guarded against similar criticism as we all emerge from the latest lockdown.”

The club added “we sincerely hope our loyal supporters understand and appreciate our decision not to hold a parade”.

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Body found in search for ex-Harrogate Town player

A body has been found in the search for former Harrogate Town player James Dean, 35.

Mr Dean, who was with the club in 2008-09, was last seen in Oswaldtwistle in Lancashire at about midnight on Wednesday.

Lancashire Police issued a statement last night saying a body was found in the Moscow Mill Street area of Oswaldtwistle at about 2.25pm yesterday. It added:

“While the body has yet to be formally identified, it is believed to be Mr Dean. His family have been informed and our thoughts are with them at this time.

“The death is not being treated as suspicious and a post-mortem examination will take place in due course.”

Centre forward Mr Dean, who was born in Blackburn, signed for almost 20 clubs, including Bury and FC Halifax Town, as well as Harrogate, in a career lasting more than 15 years.

Harrogate Town said in a statement:

“Our thoughts are with the family and friends of former Town player James Dean at this incredibly sad time.”

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Harrogate companies face recruitment ‘nightmare’

A Harrogate recruitment agency has said it is struggling to fill positions with new workers following the recent ease in covid restrictions.

Travail Employment Group in Harrogate said it has plenty of jobs available but is unable to find the people to fill them.

It has seen a change in employment trends post-pandemic, going from some of the busiest months ever for recruitment to having more vacancies than they can fill.

Lisa Headford, branch manager at Harrogate Travail Employment Group, said:

“We’ve found that now we could grow further if we had more candidates. We have a lot of vacancies we are struggling to fill.

“I think the pandemic has definitely shaken things up for recruitment. We have plenty of jobs available so no one should be out of work.

“There are lots of reasons why, but everyone is struggling to recruit.”

Two Harrogate companies have also said they have experienced similar difficulties in finding new staff.

The companies have both advertised for a number of jobs but only received a small number of applicants.

Cleaning company It’s Clean received a huge increase in applicants during lockdown, with many people on furlough eager to pick up hours elsewhere.

Recruitment manager Louise Brear said now she was struggling to fill positions:

“Over the last couple of weeks I’ve advertised lots of jobs and had nothing. I’m not sure if it’s because people came to us from hospitality over lockdown and are now heading back.

“We had so many applicants during furlough and now it’s completely stopped. We have more customers now too so we need more cleaners.”

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It was a similar story for The Wild Plum in Harrogate, which has been looking for a new supervisor and chef for around a month.

The chef role has now been filled and interviews organised for the supervisor position, but the cafe’s general manager Rachel Atkinson said it had been a “struggle”.

She said:

“We did struggle, it was a bit of a nightmare actually. I know of other people who also struggled to fill jobs. We have someone coming in to be interviewed so hopefully it is successful.”

Ms Atkinson thought the reason for their difficulties may have been due to people changing careers during lockdown.

Both businesses were hopeful they would find recruits, but said they had not experienced issues like this before.

Live: Harrogate traffic and travel

Good morning and happy Monday! I am back this morning with updates every 15 minutes and a list of all the temporary traffic lights that could delay you today.

It’s Leah here today. If you see anything, and it is safe to do so, please give me a call on 01423 276197 or get in touch on social media.

These blogs, brought to you by The HACS Group, are keeping you updated as the district’s roads get busier.

9am – Full Update 

That’s it from me today! Connor will be back with you tomorrow from 6:30am with updates every 15 minutes.

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8.45am – Full Update 

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8.30am – Full Update 

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8.15am – Full Update 

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8am – Full Update 

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7.45am – Full Update 

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7.30am – Full Update 

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The roads are starting to get busier this morning, no traffic hotspots to report.

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7.15am – Full Update 

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The roads are looking ok so far this morning, no traffic hotspots to report.

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7am – Full Update 

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The roads are looking ok so far this morning, no traffic hotspots to report.

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6.45am – Full Update 

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The roads are looking ok so far this morning, no traffic hotspots to report.

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6.30am – Full Update 

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The roads are looking ok so far this morning, no traffic hotspots to report.

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