Business Breakfast: Knaresborough company to build solar farm

Business Breakfast is sponsored by Harrogate law firm Truth Legal. 

A Knaresborough-based energy company has been given the green light to develop New Zealand’s largest solar farm in Waikato.

Harmony Energy will create the development, which will generate enough electricity to power 30,000 homes.

The country’s Environmental Protection Authority has approved Harmony’s proposal for the 147-megawatt solar farm to be installed on 182 hectares of a 260-hectare site at Te Aroha West, 140 kilometres south of Auckland.

Harmony Energy director, Pete Grogan, who is based in New Zealand, said: 

“We are thrilled this important renewable development can now proceed. Renewable energy is critical to mitigate the negative impact of climate change and help support New Zealand’s net zero ambition.

“One of the great advantages of solar power is that it accommodates dual use of land, allowing for energy generation alongside continued farming production, as will happen at Tauhei.

“This proposal creates opportunities for local businesses and employment and creates significant biodiversity gains. We will deliver an exceptional project that Waikato can be proud of.”

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Yorkshire estate agent introduces online auction

Patrick McCutcheon, head of residential at Dacre, Son & Hartley.

Patrick McCutcheon, head of residential at Dacre, Son & Hartley.

Harrogate district estate agents Dacre, Son & Hartley has introduced a new online auction service.

The service allows people to buy and sell land and property online 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

The company, which has offices in Harrogate, Knaresborough, Ripon and Pateley Bridge, partnered with Bamboo Auctions to launch the service.

Patrick McCutcheon, head of residential at Dacre, Son & Hartley, said:

“This new service is specifically designed to make it quick, easy and straightforward to list and sell properties and vendors don’t have to wait to join other sellers in a collective auction catalogue.

“Buying and selling a property through this method provides each party with an additional degree of certainty, because once the auction ends, both the buyer and seller are legally bound to proceed with the transaction, in accordance with the published terms and conditions.”

Council launches pilot scheme as escalating numbers of children are overweight

North Yorkshire County Council has reported an escalating number of overweight youngsters since axing a well-regarded scheme to help children and their families make positive changes to their diet.

A council report has revealed since Healthy Choices was abandoned due to government cuts in 2020, the county has had no weight management service for children and has seen annual rises in children with excess weight that have been “much higher than in previous years”.

After completing Healthy Choices, 80% of youngsters saw marked weight reductions.

In 2016, 21% of five-year-olds and about 30% of 11-year-olds in the county, significantly lower than the national average, were found to be living with excess weight.

However, a public health report has revealed these figures have since overtaken or moved close to the national average, with 29% of reception pupils and 38% of primary school leavers classed as overweight.

Although child weight statistics for different local authority areas for last year will not be published by the government until December, last year it was reported  obesity rates in both reception-aged and Year 6 children increased by around 4.5 percentage points between 2019-20 and 2020-21.

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Concerning the sharp rise in children with excess weight, the council report said: 

“There is a real need for families across the county to receive compassionate support to manage weight, eat well and move more.”

Such is the concern over the rise in children with excess weight since its Healthy Choices programme was abandoned two years ago that senior councillors and officers have agreed to pump up to £106,000 from its reserves to kick start a family weight management service.

The 18-month pilot service will utilise the county’s current successful service for adults to support adults who have dependents that need a holistic support for the whole family. It will also take referrals for children and young people through the National Child Measurement Programme and other health professional referral routes.

However, unlike Healthy Choices, which was delivered in children’s homes or at a local venue, the new service will be remote, with up to 12 phone or video calls.

The officer’s report states the service will be “more cost effective” than Healthy Choices, which cost £300,000 annually.

The authority’s executive member for health, Councillor Michael Harrison said since 2020, both locally and nationally there had been the largest rise in obese primary schoolchildren on record.

He said: 

“We have a good record on our adult weight management initiatives, with five per cent body weight reductions for those completing programme we offer, and that weight loss is sustained 24 weeks later.

“If these figures are going up there is an increasing number of people who are having their lives impacted by complications to their health in later years. As public health professionals it is right that we should try and something about it in a practical but compassionate way.”

Harrogate district pays final respects to the Queen

Many organisations across the Harrogate district closed today as people paid their final respects to Her Late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.

Streets were quiet and there was a sombre mood as the nation watched the state funeral at Westminster Abbey in London.

Ripon Cathedral and Harrogate’s Royal Hall broadcast the event live on big screens, as did numerous pubs and churches.

Many other people watched the day’s events unfold live on BBC One.

Here are some photos taken during today’s funeral capturing local tributes and the unusually quiet state of the district.

Cambridge Street deserted during the funeral.

Bearer Party arrives at Westminster Abbey

Ripon Cathedral today

Flowers to the Queen at Harrogate’s war memorial.

Floral tributes in Knaresborough Market Place.

St Andrew’s Church in Starbeck broadcast the funeral live.

Starbeck High Street devoid of traffic.

A shop front tribute in Harrogate town centre.

News service suspended for Her Majesty’s funeral

The Stray Ferret will suspend publishing district news today until after the funeral service of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.

 

Ripon Cathedral congregation gives thanks for The Queen’s service

A congregation of 500 attended Ripon Cathedral this afternoon, to commemorate and give thanks for The Queen’s service to the nation.

The Anglican Bishop of Leeds, the Rt Revd. Nick Baines, gave a sermon from the pulpit, in which he said that Her Late Majesty:

“Held herself to the highest standards of accountability throughout her reign.”

He added:

“We give thanks for her disciplined and selfless service and faith and witness through all these years.”

Congregation at Ripon Cathedral

Ripon Cathedral was full for this afternoon’s service

The service, was led by the Dean of Ripon, the Very Revd. John Dobson and included a reading from The Deputy Lord Lieutenant of North Yorkshire, Richard Compton and prayers from the Bishop of Ripon, the Rt. Revd Dr Helen-Ann Hartley.

Bishops, Dean and Deputy Lord Lieutenant

The bishops of Leeds and Ripon are pictured with Dean John Dobson and Richard Compton, the Deputy Lord Lieutenant of North Yorkshire

The Ripon Cathedral Choir

Members of the Ripon Cathedral Choir who sang at this afternoon’s service

Dignitaries from across North Yorkshire, including the Mayor of Harrogate, Councillor Victoria Oldham, the Mayor and Mayoress of Ripon Councillor Sid and Mrs Linda Hawke and members of Ripon City Council, were present for the service.

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Stray Views: I met the new King at Bettys in Harrogate

Stray Views is a weekly column giving you the chance to have your say on issues affecting the Harrogate district. It is an opinion column and does not reflect the views of the Stray Ferret. Send your views to letters@thestrayferret.co.uk. This Sunday you sent us your thoughts on the death of Her Majesty the Queen.

I worked for Taylor’s and Betty’s and had been off work with a very bad shoulder but I was invited to a special day at the Parliament Street café to meet the Prince Charles, now the King.

I and all in attendance on that day felt and feel so privileged to have shaken his hand and have a chat. When asked what I did , saying I worked at the Taylor’s part of the business and that we try to make the best cup of tea, he gave me a big pat on my shoulder and I winced.

I still suffer with pain but that is not from the royal pat but now old age.

Long live my King.

Terence Mason, Harrogate

My husband, Richard, and I are on holiday in Alassio, Italy and were in a gin bar when we heard the dreaded news that the Queen had so very sadly died. We were both in tears.

Today we found a hand written letter from the manager of our hotel, The Grand Hotel Alassio, expressing his deepest condolences to the Royal Family, Governments and all citizens of the UK and Commonwealth countries.

He also said the profound dignity for which she held office for such a long period has been an increasing source of admiration for generations. We were so very touched that our lovely monarch meant much to people of other countries and cried again.

JoJo Haytet, Harrogate

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North Yorkshire gets less than half national average for special schools

Education bosses at North Yorkshire County Council have revealed the county only receives 46% of the national average funding to build and extend special schools.

The authority says it receives the country’s lowest level of funding per pupil for special schools despite data evidencing the county has significantly less specialist provision than is available in an average local authority.

As a result, North Yorkshire County Council says creating a school to support young people with significant SEMH needs in Hambleton and Richmondshire has become “an urgent priority” for the Government as it considers how to distribute its £2.6 billion programme for expanding special school provision.

A meeting of the council’s executive on Tuesday looks set to see councillors approve a bid for a share of the funding to cover a new 120-place academy-run special school at former school site on Grammar School Lane, in Northallerton.

The same meeting will also see the leading councillors consider increasing day places at Brompton Hall School, Scarborough and add provision for Special Educational Needs pupils at Caedmon College, Whitby to add to the provision it offers at Forest Moor School, near Harrogate.

Since 2015 North Yorkshire has seen a 131% rise in pupils with Educational Health Care Plans compared to a national increase of 97%.

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An officers’ report to the executive states the relatively limited funding it has received to build or extend special schools has left the authority facing a challenging task in expanding provision for SEMH pupils.

It says the council’s two specialist schools for SEMH pupils, Brompton Hall and Forest Moor, are both “a considerable daily travelling distance” from the Northallerton and Richmond and that talking to parents about sending children is challenging as both the schools are currently rated inadequate by Ofsted.

The report states: 

“Consequently, we have been placing youngsters with SEMH needs in independent special schools with places in those provisions typically costing £60,000 to £70,000 per annum compared to an annual cost per place of £23,000 in the council’s special schools.”

The report states the new school in Northallerton for children aged eight to 16 would enable the authority to support more pupils in appropriate local specialist provision while reducing the ongoing financial pressure on the high needs revenue budget.

The authority says it is “well aware that there are sensitivities within the local community” about how the Grammar School Lane site is used and developed, and that “it is entirely appropriate that those views are factored into the future plans for the site”.

The report concludes: 

“Our site development work indicates that the scale of development we are proposing would not require the full site to be assigned to the school development, with this assessment taking into account the need to rectify the shortfall in outside space currently available to Mill Hill Primary School on the site.”

The Queen’s funeral: Harrogate district arrangements for Monday

Events across the Harrogate district are being cancelled or rearranged on Monday when the state funeral for Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II is held.

The service at Westminster Abbey will be broadcast at Ripon Cathedral and the day has been declared a national bank holiday.

Our list below, which is continually updated, details how the district is affected. If you have any news for inclusion, email us at contact@thestrayferret.co.uk.

Harrogate

Ripon

Transport

Supermarkets

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More Harrogate district covid booster clinics in coming weeks

People in the Harrogate district are urged to book their covid booster vaccines as more clinics are set to open.

Currently, appointments are being offered at the Yorkshire Events Centre and Chain Lane vaccination centre in Knaresborough as well as some local surgeries.

The autumn booster campaign began across most of the UK last week, with care home residents being vaccinated first.

Those aged 65 and over are now being invited to have their booster vaccine.

In Harrogate, some appointments will be available at the Great Yorkshire Showground’s Event Centre, although booking is advised via the NHS website or by calling 119.

A clinic was held from Monday to Thursday this week and another will take place in three weeks’ time.

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In Knaresborough, Homecare Pharmacy Services are offering a clinic at Chain Lane on Wednesday (September 21) and Saturday (September 24). Both clinics will be held from 9am until 4pm.

Other sites delivering autumn vaccinations in the Harrogate district include Ripon Spa Surgery, Kingswood Medical Centre and East Parade Surgery.

Appointments at the site must be booked through the NHS. Patients are urged not to call surgeries to book their vaccines.

Steve Russell, NHS director of vaccinations and screening, said: 

“There is no room for complacency in keeping covid-19 on the backfoot, and this autumn booster will help protect those most at risk.”

Changes to Harrogate district bin collections for Queen’s funeral

Changes to bin collections across the Harrogate district have been confirmed for the state funeral of Queen Elizabeth II.

Harrogate Borough Council has announced that all collections will take place a day later than usual from the day of the funeral which is being marked with a bank holiday on Monday 19 September.

This will affect garden waste, refuse and recycling collections, and all household waste recycling centres will also close on Monday.

The date changes for bin collections are as follows:

Normal collections will then resume on Monday 26 September.

Meanwhile, all council-run leisure centres in the Harrogate district will also close on Monday “to allow the team to pay their respects to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II,” the council said.

Customer services for both the borough council and North Yorkshire County Council will also be unavailable on this day when Harrogate’s Civic Centre will close.

Anyone who needs to get in touch with the borough council in an emergency should call 01423 556300.

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