Local Harrogate News & Views around the district - Page 985 of 1069

Exclusive: Harrogate MP aide and councillor at centre of £1 million Porsche investigation

The Stray Ferret can reveal that a councillor in the Harrogate district and case worker for Andrew Jones MP is at the centre of a police investigation into missing Porsches where victims lost out on a total of more than £1 million.

Gmund Cars Ltd, which was based at the Nidd Valley Business Park, has since gone into dissolution. Andrew Mearns was the owner. Conservative Cllr Samantha Mearns had “significant control” which she gave up in December 2018.

The company started in 2006 and built up a strong reputation as a place which bought and sold classic Porsche cars. The six alleged victims the Stray Ferret spoke to said it started to unravel in 2018.

Andrew Jones MP endorsed the shop as an “amazing business” on December 1, 2018 at the time when Gmund Cars Ltd allegedly started to transfer ownership of cars without the owners’ permission. There is no suggestion that Andrew Jones MP was aware of the allegations when the above picture was taken. Mrs Mearns remains as his case officer.

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The administrator’s report from June 2020 found more than £1 million in claims stacked up against the business with only £15,000 in assets.

North Yorkshire Police is investigating the allegations and arrested a man in his fifties in July last year. He has not been charged and the force released him under investigation.

The Stray Ferret has spoken to six alleged Gmund Cars Ltd victims. Some said they lost out on medical treatment, time away from work to see terminally ill parents or their entire pension pot as a result of not receiving money from the sale of their cars.

Six alleged Gmund Cars Ltd victims speak out

Matt Saphier believes that he is the earliest victim. He took his Porsche 911 valued at more than £80,000 to Gmund Cars Ltd back in May 2017.

After many months of waiting, Mr Saphier received a DVLA notice to say that his car had changed ownership in November 2018. He claims he did not give permission for the sale and Gmund Cars Ltd never sent him the money. Mrs Mearns still held her position of “significant control” in the company in that period.

Anthony Place also claims he lost out on more than £52,000. He took his Porsche 924 Carrera GT to Gmund Cars in August 2018 to be sold on a ‘Sale Or Return’ basis.

Anthony Place’s simple message: Where’s my money?

The DVLA sent Mr Place a notice in March 2019 to say his car had changed ownership but he also never received any money from the sale. After a couple months of pestering Mr Place lost his patience.

Mr Place decided to head down to Gmund Cars Ltd for an open day where more than 200 people were in attendance. He printed t-shirts, painted on the side of one of his other cars and even paid for a plane to carry a banner. The message was simple: “Where’s my £52,495 Gmund?”

He told the Stray Ferret:

“I personally feel quite battered and bruised by this. I may be able to bounce back from this loss and some of the other victims were left devastated. This car sale was supposed to fund my time off work. My plan was to go part time so I could spend some time with my terminally ill parents.”

All alleged six victims were critical of the police’s handling of the case and urged the force not to drop its investigation.

The Stray Ferret has approached both Samantha Mearns and Andrew Jones MP for a comment. Andrew Jones MP did not reply by the time of publication.

Samantha Mearns told the Stray Ferret:

“I was a shareholder in my husband’s business until December 2018. When the business was put into administration in June 2019, allegations were made which resulted in a police investigation. As far as I am aware the investigation has concluded with no further action being taken. I was never interviewed in relation to any of the allegations.”

Russell Crowe backs Harrogate student’s drama school fundraiser

A Hollywood superstar has given his backing to a crowdfunder campaign to help an aspiring Harrogate actor take up his place at drama school.

Harry Pritchard needs to raise £13,799 in order to pay the fees for LAMDA (London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art), where he won a place earlier this month for a year-long course.

Now, the former Harrogate Grammar School student’s cause has been given an incredible boost by actor Russell Crowe. The Oscar-winning actor not only shared Harry’s fundraiser, but donated £2,741 – almost enough to pay the deposit for the course by this Thursday’s deadline.

Harry said:

“My mum told me to check the Go Fund Me page. I saw Russell Crowe’s name and I saw his incredibly amazing, generous donation and I was speechless for about 20 minutes.

“I couldn’t believe it. I was just in total shock and amazement and so many feelings. I grew up watching Russell Crowe – I never thought he would interact in some capacity with me and to think he is helping out and donating is just unimaginable. It’s insane.”

There’s a lot of plans and dreams being shattered these days … Will Harry succeed?

He comes from Harrogate home of @YorkshireTea and I’m hoping he’s @LUFC.
Thoughts ⁦@TerryGeorge⁩ ?
Fundraiser by Harry Pritchard : Get Harry to LAMDA Drama School https://t.co/oiSvb0ydxi

— Russell Crowe (@russellcrowe) August 24, 2020

The fundraiser has also been supported by Leeds entrepreneur Terry George, who told the Stray Ferret he wanted to be an actor himself as a child growing up in a poor family. He used to interview celebrities for a hobby and was given £30 by actor Dick Emery to fund elocution lessons to get him started.

Though the lessons never happened, Mr George said he always remembered how the contribution to his future made him feel and tries to do the same for others when he can. He said:

“I’m friends with Russell Crowe and he tagged me in the post. I’m a Yorkshire boy myself and had a read of what Harry was doing and thought, ‘Wow, what an inspiration, putting himself out there to get funding’.

“If Russell has done it to get worldwide appeal, I’m a Yorkshire lad and I thought, if I can put something towards it, it might help other people do that too.”

Mr George said he hopes Yorkshire Tea and Leeds United – tagged on Twitter by Mr Crowe, who is a fan of both – will also do something to support Harry’s cause. The aspiring young actor said he was very grateful to both supporters, not just for their donations but for helping to spread the word.

Since Mr Crowe and Mr George donated to Harry’s fundraiser, the total has risen steadily and now sits at almost £7,500. Mr George said the Hollywood superstar’s donation could help in other ways, too.

“I know Russell really well and if he sees a part that would fit Harry, he would try to get him cast. That’s the type of man he is.”

In response, Harry added:

“That would be amazing. I hate to get ahead of myself, but that would be a huge, exciting, fantastic opportunity.

“It’s hugely encouraging and makes me feel like I’m not alone and I’m on a good path and people want to help me up. For something like this to be the launch into it, it doesn’t mean it’s going to shoot off on the right trajectory, but it says to me there are people who will help you – you just have to find them and put in the work.”

James Street pedestrianisation ‘timely and appropriate’, says council

County council bosses have said a move to temporarily pedestrianise James Street in Harrogate is “timely and appropriate”.

It comes as the county council lent its support for a temporary pedestrianisation of the street, which could be in place as early as next month, but has faced opposition from some businesses and landlords.

Harrogate Borough Council requested the measure for “social distancing and safety purposes”. The move was then backed by Don Mackenzie, executive county councillor for access.

But business owners and landlords on the street, including ex-Leeds United star Danny Mills, have since opposed the decision and described it as “damaging”.

Now, Cllr Mackenzie has defended the decision and said that the move is an experiment after the borough council requested a full closure.

He said:

“NYCC is aware of the views expressed by some owners of James Street businesses who are opposed to plans to pedestrianise James Street.

“We wish to remind all business owners that, in response to the request from Harrogate Borough Council for full closure of James Street, the county council has indicated that it is willing to introduce as an experiment a temporary closure of a section of the street between 10am and 4.30pm each day.

“Such closures are being supported by the Department of Transport and are proving popular in various parts of the country both with residents and with local businesses. We believe, therefore, that our proposed trial closure is both timely and appropriate.”

Harrogate Borough Council has also been approached for comment, but had not responded at the time of publication.

It comes as Mr Mills wrote to both county council leader, Carl Les, and borough council leader, Richard Cooper, calling for an urgent rethink of the decision.

Mr Mills, who has lived in Harrogate for 20 years and owns four properties on James Street, described the move as “very damaging” and said businesses needed all the help they can get.

Nick Hubbert is the general manager at Hoopers.

Meanwhile, the general manager at Hoopers, Nick Hubbert, also wrote to the borough council regarding pedestrianisation.

Mr Hubbert told the Stray Ferret that he does not believe that the temporary pedestrianisation of James Street will help businesses and said he based that on years of experience.

He added that he is not against pedestrianisation long term, but he does not think that the middle of a pandemic is the right time to change things.

County council to take over Henshaws home service

North Yorkshire County Council will take over the running of Henshaws’ supported living service from October.

Senior county councillors voted at a meeting of the authority’s executive today to take over the service, which currently has 10 properties in Harrogate with a capacity for 26 people in total.

It comes as county council bosses said they were not confident that handing over the service to another provider would not result in the loss of services and that taking over would “ensure full continuation of services”.

Cllr Michael Harrison, executive member for health and adult services at the county council, said it was important for the authority to remember those people who use the service when deciding to take it over.

He said:

“A key thing here is not to lose sight of the fact that we have got individuals living independent lives and in order to do that they receive support funded by ourselves.

“It is absolutely critical that we do not lose sight of the benefits of a contract like this. Ultimately, on the one hand you could look at pounds and pence but on the other hand this is people being facilitated and supported to live independently.

“It is really important from a council perspective that we make sure that is possible. I think this is a good decision from a continuity of service perspective.

“I think we can also look at what we are providing and the efficiency of doing that so we can deliver service continuity, efficient use of resources and positive recruitment opportunities in the Harrogate area.”

Richard Webb, director of health and adult services, added that transfer of staff over to the county council was subject to approval. If approved, the authority would then begin a recruitment process.

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In a report, the county council said it is not confident that handing over the service to another company would not result in the loss of services and that taking over would “ensure full continuation of services”.

It comes as Henshaws announced back in June that it would close the service.

The charity’s CEO, Nick Marr, told the Stray Ferret that the charity has been on a “knife-edge financially”. Latest financial accounts from August 2018 show it to be spending £12.3 million – £1 million more than its income.

The county council said it became aware of the charity’s financial situation in November 2019.

It added that it was now “determined” to get the best outcome for families by taking over the running of the supported living service.

Harrogate restaurants fully booked for final week of government scheme

As the eat out to help out scheme enters its fourth week, restaurants in Harrogate have said its been “massively helpful”.

The scheme has ran throughout August offering diners an incentive to support local restaurants Monday to Wednesday.

Several of the local restaurants have reported huge increases in bookings, many getting booked up quickly. The scheme is also said to have this has encouraged new visitors who may otherwise have never come out.

Lydia Hewitt-Craft, supervisor at So! Bar and eats Harrogate, said:

“We’ve been really busy, before the eat out to help out it wasn’t too busy during the week but now we are fully booked Monday to Wednesday. It’s the new weekend. The restaurants in Knaresborough and Ripon are just as busy and fully booked too. It’s been massively helpful and it’s a relief because it was hard at the start when everyone was worried about coming out but this has been great for us.”

Nertil Xhallo, manager at Sarando on Station Bridge, said:

“It has been really busy, we’ve had a lot of bookings. Most people have returned which is good. The offer has been helpful for the business. We’ve had a really busy week, we are always busy at the weekend but now it is at the beginning of the week too. We’re very grateful.”

Restaurants and cafes throughout the district have taken part in the initiative to boost trade after lockdown.

The scheme will continue this week and into next week’s bank holiday morning.

The hope is that customers will continue to support these restaurants after the offer is removed.

Sara Ferguson, acting chair of Harrogate BID and owner of two Harrogate restaurants, said:

“I think it’s been a massive help, everyone I have spoken to says it’s been worth doing. I think with the uncertainty going forward its given all those places a boost, it also gives diners the chance to try new restaurants. Everyone wants to participate which is great and knowing we won’t be out of pocket has been great for us.

“It means for retail as well more people have come into the town centre and during the day who may not have done otherwise. They may have saved money on lunch so go and spend it elsewhere in the town.”

Golden wedding anniversary necklace stolen from 95-year-old in Harrogate

An elderly woman had a necklace of high sentimental value stolen in a distraction theft in the centre of Harrogate.

The necklace – which was given to her by her husband on their golden wedding anniversary – was taken when the 95-year-old victim was near the HSBC Bank in Cambridge Street.

The woman was with her husband near the HSBC Bank on Cambridge Street when she was approached by two women who attempted to engage the couple in conversation. After the women had left, the victim realised her necklace was gone.

The incident happened on Tuesday, August 11 at around 11.15am and police are now appealing for help to trace two suspects from CCTV images. A spokesman for North Yorkshire Police said:

“Officers are asking members of the public to get in touch if they recognise the people in the CCTV images as they believe they may have information which could help the investigation.”

Police want to speak to this woman following a distraction theft in Harrogate town centre.

Police are trying to trace this woman following a distraction theft in Harrogate town centre.

Anyone with any information is asked to contact North Yorkshire Police on 101, select option 2 and ask for Colin Steele or email Colin.Steele@northyorkshire.pnn.police.uk. To report information anonymously, call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

Quote reference number 12200139244 when passing on information.

Harrogate artist hopes for gallery showcase as lockdown eases

A Harrogate artist is hoping for further recognition for his work as galleries begin to reopen following lockdown.

Andrew Moodie was a lawyer for 30 years before he changed career paths to pursue his love for art.

During lockdown, he has enjoyed the additional free time to explore the local countryside and paint. He now hopes to build on his skills and find a gallery to work alongside.

Mr Moodie said:

“I was a lawyer for 30 years but never felt like the right thing to be doing. It paid the bills but it wasn’t what I wanted to do. I can now just head out into the sun instead of staring at it out of a window. I go out quite a lot to find somewhere to paint but it’s not as easy it sounds. You need local knowledge to find the best places.”

Andrew is often taking his easel around the district to paint.

Over lockdown, Andrew has been able to take part in online classes to improve his skills within different art forms. Now, he is hoping to take the next step in his new career. He said:

“I hope to get more recognition and improve my skills. You need that recognition to get a spot in a gallery but hopefully that will come with time. Being a lawyer, I had to be direct and precise but now I can just splash the paint on the canvas which is always fun.”

He also featured on the previous series of Sky Arts “Landscape Artist of the Year”. His work is currently sold through online platforms Artfinder, in the UK, and Singulart, based in Paris.

Residents ‘gobsmacked’ after Harcourt Drive incident

Residents said they were left “gobsmacked” after an incident on Harcourt Drive which left one man dead and another in hospital.

Police were called to a serious incident on the street at 7.15pm on Sunday evening. Multiple police cars attended and an air ambulance was called out.

Officers have since reassured residents in Harrogate that the incident was “tragic and isolated”.

Max Melville, who lives on Christ Church Oval behind the street where it happened, said he was left shocked and “gobsmacked”. He added the area is normally quiet.

Mr Melville said:

“I was having Sunday lunch when I heard someone screaming.

“It’s a really quiet area in town and there is nothing that goes on around there. They are all nice people there and never in a million years would I think that this would happen around here.”

Meanwhile, other residents at the scene were told by officers to move away from the scene and stay inside their homes.

One local resident told the Stray Ferret:

“Nothing like this happens around here.

“We came outside and were asked by an officer to move along. Another lady came out but was asked to go back into her house.”

This morning, DI Steve Menzies, senior investigating officer at North Yorkshire Police, reassured residents that officers were not looking for anyone in connection with the incident.

He said:

“I want to reassure the residents of Harrogate that this is a tragic and isolated incident and we are not looking for anyone else in connection with the incident.

“Our thoughts and sincere condolences go out to the family of the man who sadly lost his life.

“I would like to appeal again to anyone who witnessed, including recording, the incident or events leading up to it to get in touch by calling 101, quoting reference 12200147262.”

Police said investigations are ongoing and no arrests had been made.