Vandals target Bilton primary school

Police are appealing for information after vandals damaged Richard Taylor Church of England Primary School in Bilton yesterday.

A classroom window was smashed and the roof of a wooden pavilion damaged.

North Yorkshire Police is appealing for anyone who may have seen people on the school premises since it closed last week to come forward.

The force said in a statement:

“The school has recently suffered a number of incidents of anti-social behaviour, all of which has caused alarm to the school community.”

A member of staff at the school told the Stray Ferret it had found empty vodka bottles on the premises.

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Anyone with information can contact North Yorkshire Police on 101, select option 2, and ask for Geeta Maharjan. You can also email geeta.maharjan2@northyorkshire.pnn.police.uk

Alternatively, contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

Quote reference number 12200241866.

Skipton Road misery continues with return of gas works

The dreaded Skipton Road gas works will return next month bringing more misery for motorists in Harrogate.

Northern Gas Networks started work in July to replace just under a kilometre of decades old metal gas pipes with plastic.

Many months on with no end in sight North Yorkshire County Council told the gas distributor to pause the works in October.

However, the works will restart on January 4 and are due to finish on March 5. It will cover the stretch of road from the fire station to the junction with Regent Avenue.

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A diversion will be in place but previously there has been a lot of traffic in the area with a four-way traffic system.

That four-way system will be replaced by a two-way system when it returns next month.

Most of the work will be done in the street and engineers will follow safe distance working rules of at least two metres where possible.

Russ Kaye, the business operations lead for Northern Gas Networks, said:

“We would like to apologise in advance for any inconvenience caused during these essential works.

“It is vital we now complete this postponed project as soon as possible in order to continue to maintain a safe and reliable gas supply.

“We want to assure residents and road users that we will be working hard to complete this scheme as safely and as quickly as possible.”

It was painful for drivers in the area who had been forced to sit in traffic but it was worse for Bilton Working Men’s Club.

The club even filed a claim against Northern Gas Networks for loss of earnings caused by the long-running roadworks.

Harrogate pub landlord calls £1,000 grant process an ‘absolute farce’

A pub landlord in Harrogate says the council should speed up paying a £1,000 grant to pubs that don’t serve food, calling the application process an “absolute farce”.

On December 1 prime minister Boris Johnson announced a £1,000 grant for “wet-led” pubs that do not serve substantial meals and have closed due to lockdown restrictions.

But almost three weeks later, pubs in Harrogate are still waiting for Harrogate Borough Council to accept applications for the fund.

Marik Scatchard, landlord of Christies Bar on King’s Road, told the Stray Ferret that despite being a relatively small amount the grant is “really needed at the moment”.

According to HBC’s website, applications for the grant will open “by the end of this month”, which Mr Scatchard says is not good enough:

“It’s an absolute farce that HBC is treating businesses like this, even with the grant being so little it’s still needed. Other councils have paid out or are paying out.”

Jack Woodruff runs the Disappearing Chin on Beulah Street with his wife Hannah. He said the council “really needs to speed up” the payment.

“We’ll be OK for a bit longer but there will be businesses that are desperate for the grant.”

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After being forced to close for over a month, Christies Bar is now open every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday and is selling pie and peas as a substantial meal. The Disappearing Chin has decided to remain closed until restrictions are eased.

A spokesperson for Harrogate Borough Council said:

“We anticipate applications will open before the end of December. We know that this is a difficult time for many businesses in the district and we are working hard to pay grants to eligible businesses as soon as possible.”

Harrogate sisters’ literary lunches go global in lockdown

Two Harrogate sisters who were initially hit hard by lockdown say their literary lunches business has bloomed in the last year.

Sibh Megson and Beth Hocking set up Gliterary Lunches in 2006 out of a love for good books, food and company.

The pair took their unique events to cities across the country to work with authors like Lionel Shriver, Jodi Picoult and Tony Parsons.

Coronavirus hit the events industry hard this year but Gliterary Lunches moved online to lift peoples’ spirits.

Initially free to attend, the Gliterary Lunch Hour raised £3,600 for the charity MIND.

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Authors and customers have gotten involved from around the world including New York, Sydney Singapore and Stockholm.

Sibh said the attendance has grown rapidly since the first online events:

“Having to cancel our spring programme of events meant we needed to find new ways to keep the business buoyant and our customer base close.

“Our first paid-for event in September was for 100 people, and we are now hosting over 300 which is a rapid growth in numbers.

“Authors are delighted with the opportunity to talk to readers as they can’t attend the usual round of promotional events.”

Beth added that the events are no longer limited in any way:

“We have been pushed to be more creative and think outside the box, and get to grips with the technology.

“We are no longer limited by geography or capacity, and our corporates are now able to entertain their clients from all over Europe.

“We’re very aware how the situation is hitting businesses hard and we’re mindful just how lucky we are.”

Tickets cost £10 per person to attend the Gliterary Lunches or £35 per person, which includes a bottle of Prosecco, chocolates and a signed copy of the book.

Find out more by clicking or tapping here.

Harrogate Samaritans ‘here for everyone this Christmas’

Harrogate Samaritans is reminding people across the district that it is here to help anyone feeling lonely or struggling over the festive season.

Last Christmas, between December 24 and January 1, Harrogate volunteers spoke to 452 people across the district.

After a difficult year for many, volunteers in Harrogate will be back on the phones around the clock to help anyone in need.

On Christmas Day alone there will be 20 volunteers in the Harrogate centre.

Throughout the pandemic Harrogate Samaritans has worked tirelessly to offer its services to local people. All the volunteers are specially trained and can offer support over the phone or via email.

A survey held by the charity has found 27% of people it spoke to were worried about their wellbeing over the festive period. The main concerns were feelings of uncertainty around changing restrictions.

Liz Wilson, director from Harrogate branch, said:

“We know that Christmas can be difficult for many people. Regardless of what happens with Covid restrictions, we want people to know that confidential support is available 24/7, and that we are there for everyone this Christmas.”

Samaritans are available 24/7 for free via phone on 116 123 or by email on jo@samaritans.org

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Strayside Sunday: We are treating the homeless as human cargo, fit only for containment

Strayside Sunday is our weekly political opinion column. It is written by Paul Baverstock, former Director of Communications for the Conservative Party. 

The housing and homelessness charity Shelter has been in the news this week.  They have gathered data that shows that 253,000 people in the UK will pass this Christmas season without secure housing.

During the first lockdown, swift and decisive government action virtually eradicated homelessness in our country by housing people in utilising otherwise deserted hotels, boarding houses and vacant rental properties.  As a result of the “Everyone In” initiative, many of the most vulnerable in our society could at least face the threat presented by Covid-19 certain in the knowledge that they could do so with a roof over their heads and have beds on which to sleep.  An issue that has taxed and stumped policymakers for years was solved with an alacrity that betrayed the repugnant and rank inaction of successive and previous governments of all political persuasions.

Last week, the Stray Ferret reported that Harrogate Borough Council has provided emergency accommodation for local homeless people for the ‘festive’ season.  This under the Severe Weather Emergency Protocol (SWEP) that obligates councils to provide cover and shelter during the inclement weather conditions of the winter months.  So they should.

However, in their infinite wisdom Harrogate Borough Council has installed 3 bright yellow (“look everybody, homeless people!”) shipping containers in the Tower Street Carpark.  They are chain-link fenced in and, unless alterations are to be made to them, are windowless and appear ill-ventilated.  This is truly shameful.  The idea that in a wealthy, albeit resource constrained, Covid-stymied civilised society, that we should think shipping containers provide appropriate shelter for anyone at any time of the year passes understanding.

What of compassion?  What of humanity?  What of simple human decency?  As the occupants exit their steel, aluminium or fibre-reinforced polymer (which are the materials from which shipping containers are apparently made) billet, they will look across the street at the local Travelodge; now open for business, as our national government seeks balance the need to keep the economy moving, with the possible health risks posed by Covid.  I doubt very much that it, or indeed any hotel in Harrogate is currently operating at full occupancy.  But surely it is not beyond the wit of man or woman to manage occupancy across the borough to meet both private demand and the needs of those living on the streets.  Especially in circumstances in which private enterprise has benefitted hugely this year from the wonton largesse of (taxpayer, our children and our grandchildren) funded loans, grants, furlough schemes

All housing developments these days come with a requirement for an element of social housing.  Or they should – it turns out the North Yorkshire County Council’s housebuilding company Brierley Homes is under criticism for avoiding having to build affordable dwellings at their developments in Bilton and Pateley Bridge.  None the less, perhaps we could ask the same of larger hotels; that they provide a small number of rooms for the socially disadvantaged?

The uncomfortable truth of course is that business does not want to co-mingle the homeless with paying guests.  The even more uncomfortable truth is that you and I would think more than once about patronising a hotel in which we might bump into the homeless in the corridor.  We’re alright jack and anyway our consciences, pricked as they are by this and other injustices, don’t tend to compensate for any compromise of our own comfort or hotel “experience.”  Our fear-fuelled prejudices of the smelly, drunk and drug addled dispossessed don’t add to the ambience of a stay away.

Harrogate is often named as one of the most desirable places to live in Britain.  It’s a reputation of which our council is rightly proud.  If an appeal to HBC on the merits won’t make them do better by the homeless then how about this?  Harrogate risks damaging it’s reputation.  It will become known as the kind of affluent and selfish place that wants to hide the fact that it has the same knotty and mucky problems and challenges that inner cities face.  It is in danger of becoming known for hiding its homeless in plain sight, for thinking so little of its least fortunate charges that it seeks to make them human cargo, fit only for containment.  It doesn’t make me proud to live in a borough whose council would do this.

At our holidays and high-days visits to church in the days to come we will bask in the warm and sentimental candle-lit glow of self-satisfaction that follows.  They tell us that this is the time of year for peace and goodwill for ALL men (and women and children).  We will all agree with that and likely walk swiftly by the Tower Street Carpark on the way home, heads down.  Let’s demand better of each other, of our local authority and of national government.

Bottom line, we should get our homeless inside, in real accommodation, for Christmas – and make sure they can stay there

That’s my Strayside Sunday.  I wish you all a very Happy Christmas.

Paul is taking a break over the Christmas period. Strayside Sunday will be back on January 3 2021.

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WATCH: Charity raises spirits with 12 Days of Covid Christmas video

A Harrogate charity is raising a smile with a humorous 2020 take on the 12 Days of Christmas.

Time Together, which supports people with additional needs, has continued its one-to-one support for clients throughout the pandemic.

But its social activities have either moved online or been called off – so staff, volunteers and clients decided to use technology to come together one final time before Christmas.

The lyrics – written by service manager Louise Terzza – make fun references to things which have marked everyone’s years, from social distancing to the hazards of meeting online. Louise said:

“We wanted something to put out to everybody. My daughter is a film maker so she cut it together, I have friends who do amateur dramatics so they sang, and a lot of the staff and clients wanted to get involved. It has been a collaboration.

“People are just very disconnected from each other. We just want people to feel connected a little bit and feel part of it, even though they can’t come into the building.”

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Staff and clients from Time Together

Staff, volunteers and clients are not able to celebrate in person this Christmas, as they have done in previous years

While one-to-one support for clients has continued, the charity’s fundraising came to a standstill in March and has barely restarted. Louise said:

“It has been wiped out. We haven’t been able to do any of our events – we normally do quite a lot in our building, but also go to other events. It has been quite devastating.

“We have been able to apply for some funding and grants, and had some donations from supporters.”

In an effort to bring in some final funds before the end of the year, the charity’s Christmas raffle has been moved online and is proving popular. Prizes including a skincare hamper, vouchers for afternoon tea, goodies from Fodder and a Fitbit are on offer, with tickets being sold online until midnight on Saturday, December 19.

Teen’s sentence for drug dealing reduced ‘in part due to covid in prisons’

A crack-cocaine dealer has been jailed for more than two years for peddling the potentially lethal drug in Harrogate.

Michael Balog, 19, was still on prison licence for previous offences when he was caught with what turned out to be a relatively small amount of the Class A drug in the town.

But prosecutor Lewis Allan Kerr told York Crown Court that the teenager had been street dealing, ostensibly to pay back a debt.

Recorder Tahir Khan QC, who jailed Balog for two years and four months, told him:

“We are talking about the supply at street level of Class A drugs.

“It’s general knowledge that Class A drugs, and the supply of them, cause misery and the courts have to take a hard line on people who involve themselves in this type of conduct, even at the level that you were at.”

York Crown Court

Appearing via video link yesterday, Balog, of Kennion Road, Harrogate, admitted possessing a Class A drug with intent to supply. He was caught with the drugs at Cheltenham Mount on October 2.

Jeremy Barton, for Balog, said the teenager had been using drugs himself after being released from his last prison sentence and started dealing to pay off debts. Although Balog had previous convictions, he had none for drug dealing.

Mr Khan QC told Balog:

“You’ve been in trouble before and (the dealing offence) was about six to seven months after you were released from your last (prison) sentence.”

Jailing Balog for 28 months, Mr Khan said he had reduced the sentence that he originally had in mind due to the “powerful” mitigation, the teenager’s timely guilty plea and the Covid crisis, which was prevalent in prisons.

Just 11 coronavirus cases in Harrogate district

The Harrogate district has recorded just 11 more coronavirus cases in the daily figures today.

It is one of the lowest daily increases since the second wave of the pandemic but remains above the cases reported in tier one areas.

So far, the Public Health England figures for the district total 3,939 since early March.

Harrogate District Hospital has not reported any further coronavirus deaths since December 12. On that day the hospital reached 106 deaths.

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The seven-day average rate of cases for the district is at 93 per 100,000. For North Yorkshire, the number is 116. Scarborough has the highest rates in the county at 214.

The Harrogate district learned this week that it will remain in tier two after the first government review of the national tier rules.

Tier rules are based on factors such as infection rates, particularly in the over 60s, and pressure on hospitals.

Case rates in the Harrogate district remain more than double those in tier one areas.

Harrogate gallery ‘Giraffle’ raises £1,000 for food bank

A Harrogate gallery has raised £1,000 for the town’s Trussell Trust food bank with a “Giraffle.”

Watermark Gallery, on Royal Parade, sold 200 tickets at £5 each and pulled the name of the winner today.

A six-year-old boy called Dominic, and whose parents own Westmorland Sheepskins just up the road, won the top prize created by illustrator Jane Ray.

Jane created the five-feet tall paper mache giraffe based on the main character of a book called “Zeraffa Girraffa.”

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Just as the character of that book travelled far to her new home in Paris, Zeraffa toured the Harrogate district in past few months.

The giraffe took pride of place in the windows of Catherine Smith Vintage, Bespoke Eyewear, Westmorland Sheepskins and the Little Ripon Bookshop.

When Dominic found out that he had won Zeraffa he jumped for joy out in the town centre. Anna Martola, of the Watermark Gallery, told the Stray Ferret:

“It is a real treat that it is going to someone who is going to love it, and a little boy just like in the story of Zeraffa.

“I mean it took Jane three weeks to paint and her original art pieces go for between £1,000 and £7,000 so it’s definitely a little investment.”

Liz Hawkes, owner of the Watermark Gallery, previously said:

“Zeraffa was a real talking point in the window of our gallery, and we had countless enquiries about buying her.

“I think people saw her as a ray of sunshine during a somewhat challenging time.”