Local Harrogate News & Views around the district - Page 971 of 1200

Historic Harrogate naturist club holds first open day since covid

An historic naturist club in Harrogate is to hold its first open day since covid.

Valley Sun Club, which dates back to 1937, has a caravan site in a secluded spot on the outskirts of Harrogate.

The club, which is situated on five acres of land, is looking to reach new people in the area during its open day, which takes from 10am on Sunday, July 18.

It hopes that those who have missed the secluded naturist beaches in Europe will try out their Harrogate club as part of the staycation boom.

To protect privacy, the precise location of the club has not been divulged, other than it is on the outskirts of Harrogate.

Those involved also requested to only use their first names.

Anne, who is in charge of membership at Valley Sun Club, told the Stray Ferret:

“Naturism is growing in popularity around the UK but it is probably not as popular as we would like it to be around Harrogate.

“We are just trying to reach out to anyone who might be interested, it might not be for everyone but I think there are lots of benefits to getting involved.”

To book your place, or for more information, contact richardatvalley@gmail.com or call 07340 177142.

As well as sunbathing, the club has boules, miniten, a nine-hole pitch and putt golf course and a bar at weekends with a pool table, darts and karaoke.

Many members have a caravan on site during the summer season, which allows them to stay as often as they wish but caravans are also available for rental.

Businesses and councils in Harrogate need to communicate better, says retail expert

Businesses and local authorities in Harrogate need to communicate better on the future of the town centre, a retail expert said today.

Harrogate District Chamber of Commerce invited Andrew Goodacre, chief executive of the British Independent Retailers Association, to talk at a zoom meeting about the challenges facing Harrogate high street.

Mr Goodacre, who lived in Harrogate for 15 years until 2013, said engagement with local authorities, congestion around the town centre and the need for a combined vision were the key challenges facing the town. He said:

“Independent retail is so important for town centres. I would call out to all local authorities to work with local businesses on their vision.”

Harrogate business owners William Woods and Lucy Gardiner both expressed anger at what they described as a lack of communication between businesses and the county and borough councils.

Mr Goodacre said he “shared their frustration”, adding:

“It’s about engagement: are businesses being engaged by the local authorities? Do they share a vision? I don’t understand the lack of communication because all the practices out there are very clear that it can’t be done in isolation. There has to be collaboration.

“It’s wrong, you’ve got to engage with businesses. Business just want to be involved and listened to.”

Some businesses are particularly concerned that their views haven’t been heard by local authorities promoting the Station Gateway project, which aims to improve cycling and pedestrian access to the town centre.

Future of the high street

The need for a diverse high street was also discussed at the meeting.

Mr Goodacre said Harrogate’s range of retailers would help it stand out and encourage tourists to return after lockdown.

Looking further ahead, Mr Goodacre said trends towards online shopping, working from home and more leisure facilities on high streets mean Harrogate town centre will look very different in 10 years time.

He said:

“Harrogate has pockets of place like Cold Bath Road and Kings Road with their own identities. That diversity really works.

Eighteen chamber members attended the meeting, which was chaired by David Simister, chief executive of the chamber.

Harrogate primary school wins £260,000 to improve safeguarding

A primary school in Harrogate has won £260,000 of government funding to improve safeguarding measures.

Bilton Grange Primary School applied last year to the Condition Improvement Fund, which awards grants to schools for capital projects.

A school spokesperson said it was “brilliant news” it had been chosen and more detailed plans on how the funding will be spent would be discussed next week.

Bilton Grange is one of five North Yorkshire primary schools that belong to Yorkshire Collaborative Academy Trust, which together received £1 million. The other four schools are all outside the Harrogate district.

The CIF fund is designed to keep schools safe and in good working order. This includes health and safety issues, building compliance and poor building conditions.

Aspin Park Academy in Knaresborough got a new roof and fire safety system after it received £500,000 from the fund in December 2019.

The Bilton and Knaresborough schools both worked with Leeds property consultants Eddisons to secure funding.

Since 2016, Eddisons has raised more than £100 million in successful CIF bids on behalf of schools and colleges.

Ian Harrington, building and project consultancy head at Eddisons, said:

“The CIF projects really are essential to creating a better learning and work environment for both students and staff at schools and colleges across the UK.”

RSPCA dashes hopes of Peter the Peacock returning to Bilton

The rumours are true — Peter the Peacock will spend the rest of his days away from Harrogate and will not be returning to Bilton.

The beloved bird had not been spotted at his usual haunts around Tennyson Avenue over the past week.

Bilton resident Claire Hamer said on Monday an RSPCA inspector told her Peter had injured his foot and the charity had taken him to an animal sanctuary to recuperate.

Responding to questions by the Stray Ferret, An RSPCA spokesperson confirmed Peter was taken in after members of the public alerted it to the bird’s injury.

After taking Peter to a vet for immediate care, the charity then took him to a “specialist boarding establishment”, believed to be across the Pennines in Lancashire.

The spokesperson added that Peter will soon be placed in a new permanent location where there are other birds, including peacocks, to keep him company.

An RSPCA spokesperson said:

“We were called to reports from concerned members of the public about a peacock in Tennyson Avenue, Harrogate, earlier this month.

“It was reported to us that he was injured and unable to bear weight on his right foot and because of this he was also unable to roost in his usual tree.

“The RSPCA sent an animal rescuer to the area and the peacock was taken for immediate veterinary care.

“Peter lived for many years on his own but he has now been taken on by a specialist boarding establishment and he will be found a new home on an estate with many other birds, including peacocks, for company where he will be able to spend the rest of his days.”

However, Peter may not be flying off into the sunset just yet.

Bilton residents who have cherished Peter’s presence over the past 12 years are mobilising and could launch a campaign to persuade the RSPCA to bring Peter back to where they consider to be his rightful home.

Andrew Hart, who owns the local post office, said the plight of Peter has been the talk of Bilton over the past week and he might start a petition for his return.

He said:

“He’s an attraction. He belongs to Bilton and we want him back”

Speaking to the Stray Ferret, the RSPCA spokesperson said it would be illegal under the Wildlife and Countryside Act to release back into Bilton because peacocks are classed as a non-native species.

The spokesperson did give residents’ some hope, though, by suggesting that Peter may be able to return if someone with the correct accommodation to house a peacock offered to adopt him.

Two men taken to hospital after Starbeck car crash

Two men have been taken to hospital after a crash involving two cars in Starbeck.

It happened at about midday today at the junction of High Street and The Avenue.

A police officer at the scene told the Stray Ferret the crash occurred when a car on The Avenue pulled out onto High Street.

The officer added the male driver of one of the vehicles, and his male passenger, had been taken to hospital. Their injuries are not thought to be serious.

A female driver of the other car did not require hospital, the officer said.

Traffic was heavy shortly after the incident but by 1pm it had returned to normal, with the damaged cars moved to the side of the road.

Programme revealed for Harrogate’s crime writing festival

The full programme for the world’s largest crime writing festival, which will bring household names to Harrogate next month, has been revealed.

Theakstons Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival will be held at the town’s Old Swan Hotel from July 22 to 25.

The hotel is synonymous with the genre because it is where Agatha Christie disappeared to in 1926.

This year’s lineup Pointless star Richard Osman, espionage expert Mick Herron, mystery maestro Elly Griffiths and fan favourite Ann Cleeves.

The winner of the crime novel of the year award will be revealed on July 22.

Panel discussions will take place on the following days on historical crime fiction, the rise of science and tech and the genius of Agatha Christie.

The programme has been curated by festival programming chair Ian Rankin, who said:

“After nearly a year-and-a-half of successive lockdowns and restrictions, it is going to be absolutely marvellous to be able to safely gather together and celebrate the genre that we all love so dearly.”

The past 18 months have been full of ups and downs for the festival industry. Sharon Canavar, chief executive of Harrogate International Festivals, said:

“It has been a real journey to bring this year’s festival to life – working in festivals during covid is not for the faint-hearted! Ian Rankin has brought together a killer line-up.

“We are so grateful and proud that – after so many challenges – we are at long last able to share this programme with the public.”

Full Festival Programme:

Thursday, July 22

8pm – THEAKSTON OLD PECULIER CRIME NOVEL OF THE YEAR 2021 AWARD CEREMONY

The shortlist includes Chris Whitaker with We Begin at The End, Rosamund Lupton with Three Hours, Elly Griffiths with The Lantern Men, Abir Mukherjee with Death in the East, Brian McGilloway with The Last Crossing and Trevor Wood with The Man on the Street.

Friday, July 23

9am – SPECIAL GUEST MICK HERRON INTERVIEWED BY N.J. COOPER

10.30am – GUNG-HO ACTION HERO

Join A.A. Dhand, Holly Watt, Simon Kernick, Steph Broadribb and Charles Cumming as they discuss the rise and fall of the gung-ho action man hero (and heroine). What is next for this well-worn and much beloved crime character?

12pm – HISTORICAL CRIME FICTION

Abir Mukherjee, Antonia Hodgson, Laura Shepherd-Robinson, S.G. MacLean and S.J. Parris join forces to discuss the future of historical crime fiction, taking Philip Kerr’s (alternative) history novels as a starting point.

2pm – PLANNERS VERSUS PANTSERS

Readers are often incredulous when certain crime writers say they do hardly any planning, preferring to see where a story and its characters takes them. Other authors absolutely need to know every twist and turn before starting to write. There are no hard and fast rules of course and this playful panel of Erin Kelly, Helen FitzGerald, Mark Edwards, Sarah Pinborough and Luca Veste will explore the merits and pitfalls of both routes.

3.30pm – WHO KILLED THE POLICE PROCEDURAL?

A panel of Mari Hannah, Olivia Kiernan, Parker Bilal, Will Dean and James Oswald will ask can the police procedural as we’ve known and loved it survive?

5pm – SPECIAL GUEST ANN CLEEVES INTERVIEWED BY STEPH MCGOVERN

8.30pm – SPECIAL GUESTS: CL TAYLOR AND CLARE MACKINTOSH IN CONVERSATION

10pm – TOP OF THE COPS

Elly Griffiths, Ian Rankin OBE, Mark Billingham, Martyn Waites and Abir Mukherjee to debate who’s ‘Top of the Cops’. Once they decide on a shortlist – the audience will crown the winner by show of hands. Who will it be? Marple or Columbo? Morse or Tennyson?

Saturday, July 24

9.00am – SPECIAL GUEST ELLY GRIFFITHS INTERVIEWED BY JOE HADDOW

10.30am – NAPOLEONS OF CRIME

Join C.J. Tudor, Craig Robertson, Liz Nugent, Luca Veste and Barry Forshaw as they consider what makes a great villain.

12.00pm – NEW BLOOD

Val McDermid’s sought-after New Blood panel returns on Saturday 24 July, with this year’s hotly-tipped debut authors including Anna Bailey, Greg Buchanan, Patricia Marques and Lara Thompson.

2.00pm – THE WRITING LIFE SCIENTIFIC

Panellists Fiona Erskine, Lin Anderson, Sarah Vaughan, Lesley Kelly and Professor Niamh Nic Daeid together explore the science behind a good crime novel, forensics to pathology.

3.30pm – WATCHING ME, WATCHING YOU, AHH HA

Join Chris Brookmyre, Denise Mina, Louise Candlish, Matt Wesolowski and Mark Lawson as they explore the impact of new and rapidly evolving technology on the fiction we read.

5.00pm – PLEASURES AND PITFALLS OF THE SHORT STORY

We ask our panellists Cath Staincliff, Jane Casey, Stuart Neville, Susi Holliday and Ian Rankin to share their perspectives of the pleasures and pitfalls of the short story.

8.30pm – SPECIAL GUEST MARK BILLINGHAM INTERVIEWED BY IAN RANKIN

10.00pm – LATE QUIZ NIGHT: VAL MCDERMID AND MARK BILLINGHAM

Sunday, July 25

9.30am – CHRISTIE’S ENDURING ALLURE

We ask Ragnar Jonasson, Ruth Ware, Sarah Phelps, Stuart Turton and Elly Griffiths to discuss the highs and lows of the crime genre’s Grand Dame: Agatha Christie, who famously disappeared from the festival’s home, the Old Swan Hotel.

11.00am – THE POLITICS OF CRIME

Join Brian McGilloway, Doug Johnstone, George Alagiah, Sarah Vaughan and Alan Johnson as they explore the rise and rise of the political drama, asking if uncertain political landscapes increase the desire for Machiavellian novels?

12.30pm – SPECIAL GUEST RICHARD OSMAN INTERVIEWED BY MARK BILLINGHAM

Harrogate TV shop window smashed by bricks and boulders

Just a week after reopening due to a flood, a Harrogate shop has had its windows smashed by bricks and boulders.

The electrical goods store, Crampton & Moore, on Commercial Street is boarded up following the incident in the early hours of Saturday morning.

Store manager Chris Johnson said he received a call at 2.15am on Saturday to say the glass had be smashed.

He said North Yorkshire Police called within 15 minutes about the incident.

The window pane needs replacing but thanks to metal grills behind it, nothing was stolen.

The extent of the damage at the electrical shop.

Mr Johnson said:

“The whole thing was caught on CCTV. Luckily they didn’t get anything so it’s just a case of waiting for the repair this week.”

The shop had only reopened on Monday last week after the eight-week flood closure.

The shop remains open, with the damaged section closed off to customers.

North Yorkshire Police said in a statement:

“A man in his 50s was promptly arrested on suspicion of attempted burglary following this incident. He’s been bailed while the investigation continues.”

Sneak Peek: Harrogate’s own chocolate factory

A new chocolate café will open on East Parade in Harrogate on Monday to help those with learning difficulties gain work experience.

Planning for the The Harrogate Chocolate Factory Café, which is run the by charity, Harrogate Skills 4 Learning Centre, has been underway since 2019 but opening was delayed due to covid.

The café has a barista bar and seating inside and outside. One of the first thing you’ll notice when entering the café is the colourful packaging design on the main pillar.

Fran Riley, the programme lead, told the Stray Ferret what the charity’s vision for the café is:

“The idea was that we would have a business where we could develop a process all of our young people could access. So making chocolate bars from bean to bar… while sourcing the beans as ethically as we could.”

The employees make a variety of handmade chocolate- all the chocolate is made with dairy alternatives so that “everyone can enjoy some”.

The chocolate is made from scratch in the charity’s main building nearby. It starts with roasting the cocoa beans in their kitchen and ends with pouring liquid chocolate in a moulding tray.

Kelsey Cuthbert, who works at the café, said it is a positive experience:

“I’ve grown from when I started trying to make coffees and stuff, and now I can do the job almost independently.”

A chocolate mixer in action at the café this week

The charity has described the café as a “social enterprise” giving its workers the skills for future employment.

Only 6% of people with learning disabilities have paid employment in the UK, according to the latest government figures.

The Harrogate Chocolate Factory Cafe also offers an outside seating area that is equipped to serve customers with disabilities.

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All details about the café’s opening can be found on their website here.

Harrogate hospital chief executive racially abused by England fan

The man in charge of Harrogate District Hospital has been racially abused by England fans on his way home tonight.

Steve Russell, chief executive of Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust, tweeted about the incident shortly after England’s 2-0 win over Germany.

He said that a woman shouted “I’m proud to be white and British because we’re better than people like you”.

Mr Russell is in charge of more than 2,000 staff who have been at the forefront of the fight against covid in the district over the past 15 months.

He has spoken about racism encountered in previous interviews, saying he had been told to “get back in my banana boat” while at school.

He has also said BAME colleagues deserve to be treated better.

Mr Russell’s tweet to his almost 4,500 followers prompted an avalanche of supportive responses.

One said the comment was “utterly vile”, another said “awful and just plain old barbaric” while another person said he hoped Mr Russell pointed out that most of England’s goals have been scored by Jamaican-born Raheem Sterling.

Nice. Just walked home in Harrogate. People celebrating the #EnglandvGermany win and a woman slurred ‘I’m proud to be white and British because we’re better than people like you’ at me.

Charming.

— #hellomynameis Steve (he/him) 💙 (@steve_r76) June 29, 2021

Harrogate’s Royal Hall to reopen to the public next week

The Royal Hall in Harrogate is to reopen to the public next week after being closed for more than a year.

The hall will hold an open day on Wednesday, July 7, which will allow visitors to look around the Grade II listed Edwardian building.

The hall, which was built in 1903 and reopened in 2008 following a £10.8 million restoration, held regular guided tours pre-covid. Because social distance rules have not been lifted, tours won’t be available next week but visitors will be able to make their own way round.

One-hour guided tours are due to recommence at 11am and 2pm on August 21.

But Gay Steel, open day coordinator for the Royal Hall Restoration Trust, said the situation would be reviewed after the government decides whether to lift all lockdown measures on July 21, and there was still a chance tours might be available on the second open day on July 27.

Ms Steel said:

“We are looking forward to the prospect of welcoming our visitors back to Harrogate’s glittering palace of gold and hope that you have an enjoyable experience.

“We are just being cautious in our approach as the safety of our visitors and volunteers is paramount.”

Live entertainment is due to return to the Royal Hall on July 31 with a performance from students at Knaresborough’s Freedom Performing Arts.

The 11-day Gilbert and Sullivan festival and a Fleetwood Mac tribute act are scheduled for August, as things gradually return to normal.

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