Little Bird spreads its wings with markets across the Harrogate district and further afield

This story is sponsored by Little Bird Made.

Jackie Crozier’s ambition is to make the Harrogate district and neighbouring areas a Mecca for artisan markets, where local traders can showcase and sell their hand-crafted goods and customers can find those extra special and unique items.

In the four years since she hatched a plan to hold an inaugural market in her home city of Ripon, Jackie’s Little Bird Made venture has spread its wings and now has more than ten venues in North and West Yorkshire where its events are regularly held.

Harrogate Christmas market

Pictures above and below, from the bustling artisan markets held by Little Bird in Harrogate’s Valley Gardens last Christmas

The latest exciting addition to a fast-growing list of attractive and historic locations is Harewood House, where the talented and hard-working Little Bird team will curate a four-day Artisan Winter Market from Thursday November 3 until Sunday November 6.

Little Bird founder and managing director Jackie, said:

“This will be the largest event that we have ever staged, with more than 100 stalls each day located on the North Park Walk facing onto the magnificent 18th century country house.”

She added:

“It’s a fabulous setting for a pre-Christmas market and there will be a wonderful atmosphere for visitors and our community of traders.

“In addition to the wide-range of handmade goods and food and drink items on sale, there will be demonstrations of artisan crafts and a special letterbox where children can post a letter to Santa.”

Entry to the winter market is £5 and includes access to the grounds, but there will be no charge for Harewood members. Tickets can be booked by clicking here.

The market will be open daily from 10am until 4pm.

Chese stall

Jackie, who was born and bred in Ripon, launched Little Bird after being away from the city for more than 20 years, working as the Director of the Manchester Pride Festival and later as an events manager working on a number of high-profile events including the London 2012 Olympics.

The expertise that she gained in working with stakeholders including local councils, community groups, performers and suppliers, has been put to good use in developing the Little Bird business and ethos.

She said:

“Our aim is to create added value events that bring increased footfall to the marvellous market towns that we have in the Harrogate district and further afield.

“Visitors who come to our markets often stay to look around local attractions and spend money in shops, cafes, restaurants and pubs, before they go home.”

Jackie, added:

“We are planning to add to our list of locations next year and believe that there will be further economic, and community benefits all round if we can make this area a Mecca for artisan markets.

“We are also always looking for local artisans who would like to join us and share in the Little Bird experience.”

Upcoming Little Bird Christmas markets

Following the Winter Market at Harewood House, Little Bird will, for the second year running, be holding Christmas Markets with 75 stalls in the Sun Colonnade at Harrogate’s Valley Gardens on December 3,4,10 and 11.

Between November 12 and December 18, one day markets with up to 60 artisan traders present, will be held in Easingwold, Boroughbridge, Wetherby, Richmond, Thirsk, Leyburn, Harrogate Horticultural Nursery, Ripon, Driffield and Northallerton.

Click here to see the full list of Little Bird Made events coming soon.

Harrogate’s Christmas ice rink opens for bookings

Harrogate’s Christmas ice rink has opened for bookings.

The rink, at Crescent Gardens, will be open every day except Christmas Day from December 1 to January 2.

One-hour sessions can be booked throughout each day, with the final session at 8pm. A website has been set up for bookings.

Tickets cost £14 for adults and £13 for children aged five to 16. Family tickets costing £37.50, £50 and £62.50 are available.

Parent and toddler sessions and relaxed sessions, catering for parents and carers and children with additional support needs, are also on offer.

The ice rink is among the highlights of this year’s Harrogate Christmas Fayre, which will also include a Ferris wheel, carousel and other fairground rides, Candy Cane Express road train, town centre stalls and an artisan market in Valley Gardens.

The fayre is a joint venture between Harrogate Borough Council, Harrogate Business Improvement District and Market Place Europe, which took over the town’s seasonal activities last year after the council refused to grant a licence to Harrogate Christmas Market, a locally-run organisation behind the previous event on Montpellier Hill.

The bookings website says:

“Harrogate ice rink is magical for all ages, great for families, date nights, catch ups with pals, Christmas parties with a twist, skaters, non-skaters, those who want to learn to skate at our skate school or just enjoy one of the most fascinating spectator sports with a drink and bite to eat.”

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Staffing a ‘significant challenge’ for Harrogate district food hygiene checks

Harrogate Borough Council has said staffing is a “significant challenge” for food hygiene inspections, which face long backlogs after covid.

During the pandemic, the Food Standards Agency advised all councils to prioritise “high risk” food businesses as inspections resumed last July.

Since then the council said it has visited all establishments in this category during the first year of its food service recovery plan.

But there are now almost 1,100 “low risk” businesses which are due an inspection from officers – and that figure is more than double the 415 pending inspections in 2019.

The council said in a report that staffing has become a “significant challenge” in the last year as it deals with difficulties in recruiting and also prepares to hand over services to the new North Yorkshire Council.

It also said that another wave of covid infections this winter could mean staff once again have to shift their focus to other enforcement work.

The council said.

“There is a risk that the winter period may see an increase in covid.

“Should further local or national controls be put in place, team resource may need to be dedicated to advice, enforcement and infection control again.”

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Food businesses are given ratings between zero and five, and there are currently 549 pending inspections due at businesses in the lowest risk category E, while 531 are due in category D.

The council said in a statement that inspections at these firms would be carried out “when resources allow”.

It comes after the authority warned that food safety standards at some Harrogate businesses had “deteriorated significantly” during the covid lockdowns when full inspections were postponed.

And since restrictions were lifted last year, the council said large events have increased “in number and complexity every year” with extra pressure on staff.

These events have included the Great Yorkshire Show, Knaresborough Bed Race, Deer Shed Festival near Ripon, Harrogate’s Autumn Flower Show and new regular food markets, the council said.

It added:

“Events are attracting traders from out of district with a huge variance in compliance.”

Around 200 new food businesses register in the Harrogate district each year and the council is currently responsible for enforcement at 2,073 establishments – roughly the same amount as York.

Harrogate council sees increase in complaints in last five years, says study

Harrogate Borough Council has seen a rise in complaints over the last five years, according to an analysis of local government data.

A study by legal firm claims.co.uk shows that the authority has seen an 18.97% increase in complaints since 2017.

The analysis used figures from the Local Government Ombudsman and showed the most improved council’s across the Yorkshire and Humber region.

According to the study, Harrogate came 19th, below Kirklees Borough Council and City of York Council, out of 19 council where full data was available.

The figures show that the council received on average 3.6 complaints per 10,000 people across the district between 2017 and 2019.

This increased to 4.3 between 2019 and 2022.

Scarborough Borough Council was the most improved with a decrease in complaints of 38.95%, followed by North Lincolnshire Council with 34.62%.

George Patton from Claims.co.uk said:

“Council tax has increased by an average of £67 for Band D properties this year amid the cost of living squeeze.

“Along with the tax hike are residents’ rising expectations towards their local authorities to provide better services.

“Hence, although taking on your council might seem daunting, it’s vital to know your right as a resident and speak out if you feel that your council has failed to deliver a service.”

A Harrogate Borough Council spokesperson said:

“Harrogate Borough Council aims to provide an excellent service to our customers. If we get something wrong, we want to try to put it right quickly and learn from the mistake to help improve services in the future.

“We are generally able to resolve the complaints we receive but sometimes our customers are not satisfied with our response to their complaint and we signpost them to refer their complaint to the Local Government & Social Care Ombudsman (LGSCO).

“The data published by the LGSCO shows that it has received 103 enquiries or complaints relating to Harrogate Borough Council over the last 5 years and made 101 decisions on these referrals.

“Many of these cases were closed after initial enquiries (43), referred back for local resolution (29), or not upheld (11).

“In only nine cases was the complaint against the council upheld.”

In June, the Local Democracy Reporting Service revealed that in 2020/21 13 complaints were made against councillors alone.

There were 11 complaints where a monitoring officer and independent person ruled that investigations were not needed. This included allegations of bullying by a parish councillor.

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Business Breakfast: Raworths renews Harrogate Literature Festival sponsorship

Business Breakfast is sponsored by Harrogate law firm Truth Legal. 

Law firm Raworths has renewed its sponsorship of the Harrogate Literature Festival for the next five years.

This year marks a decade of Raworths association with the annual event, which is produced by Harrogate International Festivals.

Festivals Managing Partner, Simon Morris said:

“We are very proud to have supported the Harrogate Literature Festival since its inception a decade ago. Over that time it has grown from strength to strength, bringing a diverse array of speakers to Harrogate, enriching the community and promoting the region.

“We are delighted to be committing to the next five years and look forward to working alongside the festival team in continuing to develop this cultural keystone.”

Sharon Canavar, Harrogate International Festivals Chief Executive, said:

“This month sees us celebrating ten years of an amazing partnership with Raworths, and I’m thrilled it’s to continue for another five years.

“We are incredibly proud of our relationship, and delighted that the firm has put its faith in us to continue to produce an exciting programme of events as part of our literature festival.”

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The General Tarleton at Ferrensby has been awarded an AA Rosette for culinary excellence after a recent inspection.

The restaurant was recognised for culinary excellence and also achieved a five-star Inn rating for accommodation.

General Manager, Silviu Hasna, said:

“We are delighted to have been awarded two such important awards.

“It’s been a difficult journey out of the pandemic and to be recognised by the AA is an incredible achievement indeed.

“Whilst the hospitality market is constantly evolving, what remains a constant for me is the need and desire to provide the best possible overall guest experience… Whilst quality is key we also recognise customers demand value at the same time.

“I know it’s cliché but as a team we work really hard to source the very best quality ingredients Yorkshire has to offer. Even the toiletries are from H2K in Harrogate.”

The General Tarleton 

Levelling up council tax charges over two years is ‘best compromise’

A move to harmonise council tax payments across North Yorkshire “provokes a whole host of issues around fairness”, a meeting has heard.

A meeting of North Yorkshire County Council’s executive was told residents in Hambleton district were facing having to pay significantly higher bills to bring their charges into line with those being levied by second tier authorities elsewhere in the county.

However, leading members highlighted that many Hambleton residents were also facing significant council tax charges from parish councils for services such as public toilets that in other places were being charged for by district councils.

In addition, concerns have been raised that under proposals to level up council tax charges across the county, residents in districts such as Harrogate, Scarborough and Richmondshire would end up paying more for the same services from the unitary council for the next two years.

Councillors were told while Selby and Craven district residents faced paying relatively modest increases in their council tax to bring their payments up to the average, Hambleton district residents were currently paying £89 less than the average district council charge across the county.

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The meeting heard a cross-party group of councillors representing all seven districts had agreed while it was necessary to bring council tax charges into line across the county as part of devolution, the authority would not seek to increase the funds it generated from the levelling up exercise.

Corporate director Gary Fielding told the meeting that councillors had achieved a consensus that levelling up the charges over two years would be the best compromise.

He added:

“The group did recognise that this does provoke a whole host of issues around fairness. Fairness is perhaps in the eye of the beholder, but this was recognised as an appropriate way forward.”

The authority’s executive member for finance, Councillor Gareth Dadd, said there was no easy way for the council to harmonise council tax charges and that there would be “winners and losers”.

He said while Hambleton residents paid less council tax to the district council than other areas, they paid council tax charges to town and parish councils that residents of other areas did not.

Coun Dadd said:

“In some of the ‘winning’ areas there currently isn’t a town council that picks up some of the services.”

After receiving the approval of the authority’s executive, residents will be consulted over the proposal, which will also be considered at a full meeting of the council next month.

Harrogate district MPs backing clear favourite as new PM set to be confirmed

Two Harrogate district MPs look to have backed the right candidate with the announcement of the next Prime Minister set to be made later today.

Rishi Sunak is on course to win the Conservative leadership contest after Boris Johnson withdrew from the race last night.

Andrew Jones, Harrogate and Knaresborough MP, and Julian Smith, Skipton and Ripon MP, are among the 155 MPs who have declared their support for the former chancellor.

Penny Mordaunt, who is also running for the leadership, currently has the support of 25 MPs.

Writing on his Community News website, Mr Jones said on Friday:

“I’m backing Rishi because he has the experience, ability and energy to tackle the problems facing our country.

“He instinctively reaches for the right solutions and now, more than ever, we need someone who will bring those qualities to our national politics. He has demonstrated proven, economic judgement in unprecedented times.”

Nigel Adams, Selby and Ainsty MP which includes rural Harrogate, had backed Johnson for the leadership before the former Prime Minister withdrew from the race.

General Election calls

It comes as opposition parties, including Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer, have called for a General Election to be held.

The Stray Ferret asked the Harrogate and Knaresborough Conservative party what it made of the current situation in Parliament and whether it supported the suggestion of an election being held.

A spokesperson for the local party said:

“Harrogate and Knaresborough Conservative Association is here to serve its members who hold a wide range of views and opinions.

“We strongly support democracy and believe general elections should take place when called through the appropriate channels.

“It is our understanding that the election timetable is already published unless the government of the day makes alternative arrangements.”

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New high tech gritters to operate on major routes in Yorkshire

National Highways has said new high-tech gritters will be in operation across major routes in Yorkshire this winter.

Thirty-seven new vehicles have joined National Highways’ winter fleet this year as part of a national £44m investment.

Motorways and trunk roads in the county are gritted by government-owned National Highways, which was formerly Highways England.

North Yorkshire County Council, which has a winter maintenance service budget of £7.5 million, is responsible for gritting other local routes.

Earlier this year NYCC rejected a call to expand the network of Harrogate district routes it grits each winter.

In addition to the new gritters, National Highways has created two new winter maintenance depots, one just off the A64 at Malton in North Yorkshire and another off the A63 near Newport in the East Riding of Yorkshire.

From Newport, the gritters will salt more than 70 miles of the M62 and A63 from Hull docks to Ferrybridge in West Yorkshire.

Malton will treat 61 miles of the A64 from near the coast at Scarborough to York.

The highways agency says the new gritters:

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Senior Network Planner for Resilience Gordon Thackeray, who heads up National Highways’ winter operations in the region, said:

“We are delighted the rollout of our new state-of-the-art gritting vehicles is complete, with every machine in position and ready for the winter season ahead to help keep our road users safer on the roads, whatever weather conditions we face.

“National Highways always strives to explore and embrace innovation to benefit our road users. These vehicles are environmentally friendly, have cutting-edge technological features and can treat the roads at a higher speed than older models. 

“We now have a total of 58 vehicles ready to be deployed across Yorkshire and the North East and all of them will play their part in helping our autumn and winter operations team, including our drivers, to carry out their vital work over the next few months to treat the road surfaces whenever and wherever it is needed.”

True grit – key North Yorkshire facts 

Stray Views: Why would Starbeck need a ‘little temple’?

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.

Why would Starbeck need a ‘little temple’?

In response to a Starbeck community group’s offer to take on Harrogate’s ‘little temple’.

I’m not sure why Mr Hart thinks Starbeck needs this piece of concrete but I certainly don’t feel ‘neglected’. Nor do I think having it would make anyone feel less so. 

We have a library which provides an excellent service and doubles as a social hub. It is well supported by local people and businesses. 

We have proactive churches and excellent councillors. We have open space and easy access to rail and bus services. Added to which there is a great community spirit. 

We even have our own swimming baths. To ensure we continue to retain and keep control of these assets we need to make sure that Harrogate has a town council when everything goes to North Yorkshire.

Diane Stokes, Starbeck

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Few people using Harrogate village buses

In response to North Yorkshire County Council’s warning over bus services.

During this year I have had many days out using various bus routes though local villages just to enjoy the ride.

I have been amazed at how few people get on or off during these journeys but I bet if the bus company announced that they are stopping the service there would be an outcry from the people who live there.

Paul Smith, Knaresborough

Do you have an opinion on the Harrogate district? Email us at letters@thestrayferret.co.uk. Please include your name and approximate location details. Limit your letters to 350 words. We reserve the right to edit letters.

Local pilot wins national aerobatics competition aged 67

At the tender age of 67, Tom Cassells has become the oldest pilot to win at the top level of UK aerobatics.

Mr Cassells recently won the Neil Williams Aerobatics Championship trophy, the pinnacle of British aerobatics competitions.

Mr Cassells, who previously worked at Reed Boardall in Boroughbridge and is about to move to Upper Dunsforth, has been flying since 1983.

It isn’t the first time he has won the top title — he’s actually won it four times, firstly back in 2002.

The competition consists of two parts, a pre-programme of around 11 figures and then two unknown programmes.

He told the Stray Ferret that the aim is to demonstrate the pilots total control of the plane:

“The G spectrum to +9 to -6, so quite a lot of the flight is inverted.  The moves involve positive spins, inverted spins, snap rolls positive and negative and rolling loops.

“It also involves tail slides where the aircraft is going backwards”.

Mr Cassells, who is an aerobatics instructor and leads an aerobatics display team called the Starlings, flew solo in an Extra NG aircraft for the competition.

To compete and win at this level means looking after yourself:

“I run everyday, I watch what I eat, I’ve not drunk since 2013 and I quit smoking at the same time. You need to be fairly fit to do it.

“I’m 67 – the oldest person to win it. The guy who came second was in his 30s, young enough to be my son! ”

Mr Cassells said aerobatics is unrated for its ability to improve a pilot and make them safer . If you can control a plane in all directions, even upside down, he said, it’s an important way of making flying safer.

Asked if he finds it all an adrenalin rush, he says not:

“It’s not an adrenalin rush.  Because when you are flying in the competition, it’s a series of moves in the right direction.

“When you are doing a vertical roll it has to be perfect. You’ve got to thoroughly know the programme in great detail and you’ve got to deal with wind which is moving the plane sideways. You’ve got to also really master your nerves – there are various tricky moves where incorrect handling will make a 0 [no points].

“You’ve got to visualise where you are and really 85% is mental and 15% is muscle memory from practice.

“When you are training to do this you become in the zone and a good flight is quite surreal.

“It’s a very intense experience. There’s pressure and then the relief of completing and not making an error.. it’s euphoric.”

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