Santa set to visit Harrogate next month

Santa Claus will be visiting Harrogate next month as part of a Christmas experience for children held at the Great Yorkshire Showground.

This event is one of few the showground has been able to hold this year due to covid restrictions.

Santa’s grotto will be manned by his elves and has been set up in a covid-secure manner.

On the weekend of the 5 and 6 December families can visit the grotto in groups of up to six people.

The Yorkshire Agricultural Society which manages the showground, forecasted a £2 million loss this year due to the number of cancelled events.

Its chief executive, Nigel Pulling, warned of the ongoing impact of covid which has left the society running at “well below 10 per cent” of capacity at the moment.

Graham Thompson, general manager, said:

“This has been a challenging year for all of us and it gives us great pleasure to provide some fun for the youngsters and welcome Santa on several dates throughout December.”

Other dates will be included, but tickets must be booked prior to the event. They can be bought here.

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Harrogate district lit up in Christmas lights displays

While the pandemic means the festive season will be different this year, it has not stopped the traditional Christmas lights switch on in the Harrogate district.

Although there was no host or crowds to mark the occasion and the shops are closed, Harrogate and Ripon were still lit up ahead of Christmas.

In Harrogate, custom lights have been strung between buildings, around lampposts and in trees, including those in front of the war memorial at the top of Parliament Street.

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Ripon Christmas lights were switched on last night.

Ripon Christmas lights were switched on last night.

Meanwhile, Ripon has spent £65,000 on its decorations and lights which has been dubbed the city’s largest ever display.

Despite the lack of a traditional switch on with celebrity guests, we have been out filming so you can enjoy them.

If you want to support Harrogate retailers and buy your Xmas gifts locally go to our new Shop Local section

Stray Pets Rescue Club: Ginger, Bongo, Badger and a rat all need loving homes

The Stray Pets Rescue Club is our monthly pet profile of animals in desperate need of a loving home. This month’s selected pooches are Ginger and Badger with the addition of some very intelligent rats, and Bongo the Bosc Monitor… 

Greyhound, Ginger 

Age: 3
Ginger’s story: Ginger has just retired from his career as a racing greyhound. He is shy with new people at first, but if you give him some space, Ginger soon comes out of his shell.
Temperament: Ginger is sweet-natured, affectionate and adores his food! Ginger absolutely loves being around dogs as they really boost his confidence.
Ideal home: He has never lived in a house before, so he needs patient owners who will help ease him into the next chapter of his life as a family pet and teach him basic training, including housetraining. While he gets used to life with his paws up, Ginger’s new owners will need to be around all the time. Once he’s settled, he should be ok to be built up to being left for a few hours. Ginger can live with children over 16 years old and will happily share his home with another similar dog. Like all ex-racers he has a high prey drive so he cannot live with cats or other small furry pets.

To find out more about Ginger and the adoption process, visit Dogs Trust Leeds.


Bosc Monitor, Bongo

Age: You never ask a lizard its age…  
Bongo’s story: Bongo has been at Knaresborough Exotic Rescue for about 5 months, arriving due to a change in circumstance. 
Temperament: Bongo was nervous at first but over time and with the correct care and handling, he’s coming around to being a lovely calm lizard. 
Ideal home: Bongo will need a home with experience and a large enclosure. He is currently about 2 feet in length, but Bosc Monitors can grow to over 4 feet long so will eventually need an enclosure at least 6-8 feet in length, providing about 32 degrees at the warm end and approximately 20 degrees at the cooler end. Bosc Monitors can make great house lizards providing they have a heat source in the house. They have a diet mainly consisting of defrosted chicks and rodents but can also eat locusts, eggs and some raw meat.

To find out more about Bongo and the adoption process, you can visit K’rescue Knaresborough’s Facebook page or give them a call on 07837 445352.


Lurcher, Badger

Age: 4
Badger’s story: Badger was living as a stray and handed to SYD Rescue by a local dog warden.
Temperament: Badger is lovely and friendly but is very energetic and can be boisterous. He loves going for walks, but needs to be kept on a lead or he will chase other small animals. He is very clever and is currently doing clicker training.
Ideal home: Badger is looking for new family who have had dogs before and who can take him for walks and to secure fields where he can run around and play lots of games. He likes to chase small furry animals, so cannot live with cats or other small pets. Because he is so energetic and bouncy, Badger cannot be homed with children under the age of 12.

 

To find out more about Badger and the adoption process, you can visit the Saving Yorkshire Dogs website or call them on 07562 986101.

Rats

Age: babies from 8 weeks old, adults between 6 months to 1 year
Temperament: Rats make fantastic pets for people of all ages. They are very intelligent and bond to people well – and love nothing more than snuggling in jumpers and hoods! As rats get older, they are happy to be taken out on harnesses, and the possibilities are endless when it comes to learning tricks.
Ideal home: Rats can be kept on wood based cat litter, and need a larger cage than mice and hamsters. They eat rat nuggets and a mixture of fruit and vegetables, and don’t smell as much as people think!

 

To find out more about adopting a rat, you can visit K’rescue Knaresborough’s Facebook page or call them on 07837 445352.

The Stray Pets Rescue Club works with animal rescues around the area on its monthly profiles. 

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James Street social distancing cones to be replaced with planters

Cones used for social distancing on James Street in Harrogate will be replaced with planters in an effort to make the street more attractive.

Harrogate Borough Council and North Yorkshire County Council will introduce the planters as part of funding from both the European Regional Development Fund and government.

They will also replace the social distancing cones on parts of Albert Street.

It comes as a trial pedestrianisation of James Street was proposed in September, but county council bosses later postponed after pressure from local business owners.  It’s unlikely the planters will be welcomed by some shop owners on the street who have opposed the cones and want the return of on-street parking.

Cllr Graham Swift, deputy leader of the borough council and cabinet member for resources, enterprise and economic development, said: 

“We recognise the majority of businesses and stores in Harrogate are currently closed. 

“But we hope in the run-up to Christmas, and the anticipation that the current lockdown will be lifted, people will be able to return to the high street and do so safely with the addition of these new eye-catching social distancing measures.”

As well as the planters, additional signs will be put up to reassure shoppers that it is safe to shop on the streets in the run up to Christmas.

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Parking suspensions will remain in place until the end of January to support social distancing measures, but the county council will continue to monitor and review the situation.

However, suspensions that are currently on Albert Street, between Princes Square and West Park, will be removed and parking will be available

Cllr Don Mackenzie, executive county councillor for access, said: 

“Our local highways team is working with Harrogate Borough Council’s parks team to install these planters alongside signage that will reinforce the message that it is safe to shop local.

“We are confident that the introduction of more attractive social distancing measures will offer reassurance to the public that they can shop safely and at the same time give much needed support to our local businesses.”

The county council will temporarily close both roads on November 18 and 19 to implement the planters.

It comes as the county council had initially planned a temporary pedestrianisation of James Street.

The measures were criticised by local business owners and landlords, including former Leeds United and England footballer Danny Mills.

After a meeting with local businesses in October, county council bosses decided to postpone the trial until after Christmas.

Harrogate BID launches online shopping directory with the Stray Ferret

Harrogate BID and the Stray Ferret have joined forces to launch a new online shopping directory to support local businesses in the run-up to Christmas.

The Shop Harrogate Online site will provide customers with a one-stop-shop to buy from local retailers forced to move online by the coronavirus lockdown restrictions.

People will be able to find and buy from fashion, homeware, food and drink, and beauty retailers, as well as finding services such as accountants, lawyers and other local professionals.

Sara Ferguson, Harrogate BID acting chair, said:

“We are delighted that Harrogate BID is partnering with The Stray Ferret to power this special page to encourage people to ‘Shop Harrogate Online’.

There are so many businesses that are continuing to trade during this second lockdown, and the directory will help them promote their services. For those looking to make purchases locally, it is a single point of reference.

Remember, when you Shop Harrogate Online, you are helping support the Harrogate economy and safeguard local livelihoods and jobs.

And don’t forget you can also purchase the Harrogate Gift Card, which is accepted by more than 100 local shops, restaurants, bars and cafes. Every £1 loaded on to a card means £1 kept within the local economy.”

Businesses across the Harrogate district can list their website for free at thestrayferret.co.uk/shoplocal

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New Harrogate lockdown shops say ‘fortune favours the brave’

Some people decided to decorate their house or get into a new hobby but some took it further by starting a new business in lockdown.

This has been a tough time for everyone. For those like Josh and Ellie at Paradise Tap and Taco or Ben at The Travel Journal it has presented unique challenges.

Both have set up new businesses in one of the toughest financial climates the Harrogate district has ever known.

With people told to stay home and “non-essential” shops told to close, it is tough for those starting out and making a name for themselves.

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Paradise Tap and Taco, which has just set up shop in the Coldbath Clubhouse, is one of those young businesses.

The couple used to run Major Tom’s Social and even had a couple of weeks of sold-out nights at Rooster’s Taproom with their tacos.

Ellie Stott and Josh Molloy are the couple behind the taco-based business, which wants to be a place for everyone. Josh said:

“We have been really blessed. Most Friday and Saturday nights before the lockdown we have had to turn people away.

“It has been difficult timing but we were able to get a government start-up loan. We sat on it for a little while before we found the perfect place.”

Ben Poole, owner of The Travel Journal

Ben Poole, the man behind The Travel Journal in Harrogate’s Montpellier Quarter, is facing a particularly tough climate for his business.

He opened his doors in September trading mainly on last-minute travel as quarantine rules make it difficult for people to plan ahead.

It may be a tough time for the travel industry but Ben remains buoyant about his prospects as he is one of the few travel agents with a prescence in town. He said:

“It is set up to work okay from home but I miss that face to face with customers. I think if you can sit it out then it will pay off in the end.

“Some people thought I was crazy when I opened but I saw a good opportunty to establish myself in Harrogate. So many come in to say it’s brave.”

Taxi fares set to increase in December

Taxi fares for hackney carriages in the Harrogate district are set to increase for the first time in two years.

Under Harrogate Borough Council proposals, the flag fall, or starting charge, will increase from £3.30 to £3.40 during the day and from £4.95 to £5.10 at night.

Also, 3% will be added to the fare for running miles and waiting time.

Rates will also increase for Christmas and New Year from £6.60 to £6.80.

The proposed increase will come into force on December 1.

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The last fare increase was in December 2018.

A council decision notice said:

“The setting of fares is a statutory duty placed upon the council and it is the council’s responsibility to strike a balance between setting a fare that is acceptable to the customer and to the taxi driver.”

Taxi drivers called for the increase and said many drivers had lost work due to coronavirus.

In a letter to Cllr Mike Chambers, cabinet member for safer communities, one firm, whose name was not disclosed, said:

“The taxi trade has suffered immensely during the coronavirus lockdown, with many experiencing little or no work whatsoever and certainly at present things are still far from being normal for the trade as far as income is concerned.”

Objections must be made by letter or e-mail to the council by November 19.

Yvette Cooper MP: ‘no spare staff for Harrogate Nightingale’

A senior Yorkshire MP has fuelled fears the Harrogate Nightingale hospital does not have the staff to open for covid patients.

Yvette Cooper, Labour MP for Normanton, Pontefract and Castleford, told a covid debate in Parliament on Wednesday that Mid Yorkshire Hospitals NHS Trust currently has over 280 covid patients — 70% more than in April.

Ms Cooper said the trust had to cope with fewer staff than in April, adding:

“It cannot use the Harrogate Nightingale, because there are no spare staff to send there.”

She added she was worried about the pressure on NHS staff and urged Health Secretary Matt Hancock to “work urgently with Yorkshire hospitals to get them more support and more staff in place over the next couple of weeks, when the pressure is likely to be greatest”.

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Mr Hancock responded:

“We are working with hospitals across Yorkshire and across the whole country to try to make sure that we have the most capacity available.

“It is true that the numbers going into hospitals across Yorkshire continue to be far too high, and there is an awful lot of work we need to do, but the most important thing is that we get this virus under control in order to bring that number of admissions down.”

Last month Lord Newby, the Ripon-based Liberal Democrat leader in the House of Lords, expressed similar concerns to Ms Cooper when he said the Harrogate Nightingale “simply does not have the staff available to allow it to operate safely”.

No patients so far

The Harrogate Nightingale has not treated a single covid patient so far.

The Stray Ferret asked NHS England whether Ms Cooper’s claim was correct and, with covid rates in the region soaring, whether there were any plans to finally open the hospital.

A spokesperson for NHS Nightingale Hospital Yorkshire and the Humber, which is the full title of the Harrogate Nightingale, replied:

“The NHS Nightingale Hospital Yorkshire and the Humber is a valuable resource to support the local area and remains on standby, ready to quickly step up based on expert clinical advice, if needed.

“As part of comprehensive activation plans, a model that can be scaled up as and when additional capacity is required in the region has been developed. This ensures that the right skill mix of staff will be available from NHS trusts in the region.”

‘Do not be afraid’: Harrogate woman’s testing centre experience

A Harrogate woman has opened up about her coronavirus testing experience to alleviate fears about the process.

Susan Bowers Scarre, a social media marketing professional, went to the testing centre in the car park on Dragon Road, Harrogate yesterday.

She did not have the usual covid symptoms but was asked to get a test as part of a covid research study.

The Stray Ferret has previously reported people having difficulty booking tests but Susan said the entire experience lasted about five minutes and was straightforward.

“I was a little apprehensive because I didn’t know what to expect. I heard before that it was hard to make an appointment but I could have booked anytime in the day.

“The centre was extremely efficient. There were staff at the door who show you to a private room and make sure you know what to do.”

It wasn’t the most pleasant experience: Susan had to swab her tonsils and nostrils but it was soon over.

Once finished, she put the swab into a vial, which then went into a bag and the bag went into a box on the way out.

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So far Susan has not received her results, which she believes to be negative, but she expects them in the next couple of days.

The full-time testing centre in Harrogate replaced the mobile testing centre site in October.

It has the capacity to do 320 tests a day but is currently averaging 200 a day. The centre is made up of a series of floodlit modular buildings.

Harrogate care homes install visiting pods

Care homes in the Harrogate district have installed visiting pods so residents can meet relatives safely.

Vida Healthcare has opened three ‘together again’ pods to enable visits to continue over winter. One is at Vida Hall in Starbeck and two are at Vida Grange in Pannal.

Current guidance allows for one designated visitor per pod. But if one relative cannot attend another person can visit instead using the pod.

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The pod enables Anne Thompson to see her husband, who has been at Vida Hall since 2015. She said:

“The staff at Vida have been wonderful in allowing us to keep up with the daily lives of our loved ones, however it’s been stressful not being able to visit in person.

“Seeing our loved ones is really important to us and it’s comforting to know that you’ve set up these pods to give us safe opportunities to come and visit.”

One of the pods at Vida Grange.

Bernadette Mossman, the healthcare director at Vida Healthcare, said:

“Visiting relatives in care homes is a fundamental need for families and residents. The pandemic has reduced our ability to be able to facilitate this much needed interaction.

“Our brand new ‘together again’ visiting pods are one example of innovations we’re implementing to ensure our residents can safely connect with their loved ones.”

Guidance on care home visits

Care home visits will continue in North Yorkshire despite the country entering a second national lockdown.

The county council restricted visits during October but advised homes they could relax the rules in November to allow one designated visitor for each resident.

Officials have said the measure will continue through lockdown, but homes that report an outbreak will have to restrict visits.