Get set for melting ice creams, home-grown marrows, dog shows and death-defying display teams… the village show season is about to begin.

After two covid-ruined years, these quintessentially British events are returning to the Harrogate district.

The Masham Steam Engine and Fair Organ Rally, which includes a Lancaster bomber fly past and dancing differs, takes place today and tomorrow.

The action comes thick and fast then. Here’s what’s happening.

July 24: Aldborough and Boroughbridge Agricultural Show

The show at Newby Hall celebrates its 107th anniversary this year.

It will feature Yorkshire produce, crafts and livestock as well as attractions and events ranging from dog, cattle and sheep showing classes to horse, pony and donkey events and hay making demonstrations.

There will be crafts, cream teas, heavy horses, baking, handicrafts, horticulture, flower arranging, photography and farm produce.

Aldborough and Boroughbridge Show.

The grand ring will host children’s races, terrier racing always and a dog show.

Catherine Park Peyton, chair of the show:

“Our show is one of the biggest community events in the area and we are very pleased to work in partnership with Newby Hall where the parkland provides the perfect backdrop for a country show.”

Read more:

• Royal visit caps sell-out first day at Great Yorkshire Show
• Harrogate district prepares for heatwave as red weather warning issued

July 30: Birstwith Show

The village show in Nidderdale will be staged for the first time in three years.

The highlights include a bicycle display team, Pete White and his Suitcase Circus, dog agility classes, a pony show and a dog show.

First held in 1867, it is one of the mainstays of the show season.

July 31: Weeton Show

Weeton Show, which was created just after the Second World War, was one of the few to take place last year and was rewarded with a huge turnout.

This year’s event features Dangerous Steve in the main ring, terrier racing, vintage tractors and a farrier demonstration.

August 7: Tockwith Show

Tockwith Show will return for 2022 in August.

The show features plenty of agriculture and horticultural attractions. There is also a sheep show, a farmers market and working crafts.

Tockwith Show 2019 pic credit: Steve Ross

The show, which dates back to 1945, takes place on Cattal Moor Lane in Tockwith.

August 14: Ripley Show

The show, initially held in 1849, will be staged for the first time in three years.

Among this year’s attractions are Savage Skills, who are the UK’s leading freestyle mountain bike and BMX stunt team.

There are also jumping classes, fancy dress, vintage machines and dog classes which include dog agility, companion dog and friends show, terrier racing, gun dog retrieve and sheep dogs.

Ripley Show is traditionally held on the second Sunday in August at Ripley Castle Park.

It is organised by Ripley and District Agricultural and Horticultural Show Ltd, a member of the Yorkshire Federation of Show Societies.

September 19: Nidderdale Show

The Annual Nidderdale Show, held in the picturesque surrounds of Bewerley Park, Pateley Bridge, is one of the county’s foremost agricultural shows.

It regularly attracts crowds of 15,000 and traditionally marks the end of the agricultural show season.

The Met Office has upgraded its weather warnings to red for the Harrogate district on Monday and Tuesday next week.

Temperatures are set to rise as high as 38C in the early part of the week, before dropping rapidly from Wednesday onwards.

The warmer weather begins tomorrow, with highs of 24C, rising to 30C on Sunday. A previous amber weather warning has been upgraded to red, meaning there is a risk to health among the general population, not just the most vulnerable.

A spokesperson for the Met Office said:

“Exceptional, perhaps record-breaking, temperatures are likely on Monday, then again on Tuesday.

“Nights are also likely to be exceptionally warm for the UK, especially in urban areas. This is likely to lead to widespread impacts on people and infrastructure.”

Read more:

• Extra water to keep animals cool as Great Yorkshire Show prepares to open in heatwave
• Reassurances issued over ‘onerous’ social care revamp across Harrogate district

The forecast has prompted some event organisers across the Harrogate district to make changes to their plans.

At St Michael’s Hospice on Hornbeam Park, Harrogate, an open garden event on Sunday has been brought forward to the morning rather than later in the day as the heat increases, and organisers are reminding visitors to bring sun hats and sunscreen.

A spokesperson said:

“While the beautiful warm weather looks set to continue, there is plenty of shady areas, lots of water available and – while stocks last – free ice cream and ice lollies to cool you down, thanks to the charity’s corporate supporters Froneri.

“Drop in any time between 10am and 12 to see stunning views and garden areas, enjoy refreshments and a mindful moment. Entry is free, however do bring some cash as there will also be a raffle and a plant sale.”

Harrogate Borough Council is also considering changing the location of an event on Sunday evening. A spokesperson said:

“We are looking at the best location for the open air theatre in the Valley Gardens on Sunday to ensure there is shade available under trees.”

Meanwhile, care homes are being given advice by North Yorkshire County Council to keep their residents well during the high temperatures.

Cllr Michael Harrison, executive member for health and adult services, told the Stray Ferret:

“We have got regular communication with all of our care homes. We’ve about 225 care homes in North Yorkshire and we make sure from a public health perspective that we give various messages about keeping out of the sun, drinking lots of fluids and being more concerned about the welfare of people.

“That’s not only in care settings – it’s also for people to look out for their next door neighbours and other vulnerable people.”

Ofsted has praised Boroughbridge Primary School for the way it engages pupils with their learning as it awarded it a ‘good’ rating.

A two-day inspection in May found children were well-behaved and polite, showing “positive and attentive” attitudes.

In their report, the inspector said:

“Boroughbridge Primary School is a friendly and welcoming place. Pupils feel safe, happy and enjoy their learning.

“Relationships are a strength of the school. As one pupil put it, ‘We have kind teachers, kind children and lovely school cooks!’

“Pupils work hard to meet their teachers’ high expectations and do well.”

The inspector found teachers consistently checked pupils’ knowledge and what they could remember in lessons. However, she said more could be done to carry out assessments over time to look for and address gaps in knowledge.

She also found that teachers were not always clear on what pupils should know in each subject area, but said school leaders were already working towards addressing this.

Read more:

• Ofsted praises North Rigton primary school
• ‘Vibrant’ Knaresborough nursery rated ‘good’ by Ofsted

The report said the school had had a change of leadership recently, with an interim headteacher and deputy head appointed. The inspector added:

“Leaders have brought about many positive changes to the school in a short space of time. They are developing a broad and ambitious curriculum.

“Staff are well supported by school leaders and governors. Staff value this. They know that they can ask for help, particularly with workload. Staff appreciate the care and consideration given to their well-being.

“There is a positive culture of teamwork between leaders, staff and governors.”

Boroughbridge Primary School has 175 pupils aged between three and 11. Its previous inspections in 2017 and 2013 both also gave a ‘good’ rating.

Bus services in a county that failed to secure any money to improve services in the government’s high-profile Bus Back Better scheme are now facing “a potential cliff-edge”, North Yorkshire’s transport boss has warned.

In a statement to a meeting of North Yorkshire County Council next Wednesday, Cllr Keane Duncan said the authority was aware several of the county’s commercial routes were facing “significant pressures”, due to the loss of government subsidies in three months.

The warning from the Conservative-led council’s executive member for highways and transportation comes ahead of bus services across the country having to introduce a £2 price cap on local and regional journeys from October.

It also comes just three months after it emerged the authority’s £116 million Bus Back Better bid had been rejected in its entirety by the government, which claimed the bid had lacked “sufficient ambition”.

As winning the grant had been crucial for elements of the county’s Bus Service Improvement Plan, the authority expressed dismay at the decision.

Even ahead of the decision in March, members of the authority’s executive had underlined the need for bus services for the county’s rural communities, which dwindled following significant austerity cutbacks.

Cllr Duncan said the council had launched a review of the passenger service network across the county to understand which could become threatened in the coming months.

He said:

“The end of the Commercial Bus Services Support Grant provided by central government in October presents a potential cliff-edge in terms of the future profitability of routes our residents rely upon.”

Read more:

• Consultation announced for two new cycle routes

• Residents unconvinced about Harrogate Spring Water’s expansion

He said the review would enable him to assess potential support the council could provide “to keep as many of our vital services running as possible”.

The authority’s opposition leader, Councillor Bryn Griffiths, said concerns had been mounting for the viability of some bus services as they appeared to have reached a tipping point.

Coun Griffiths said by giving one-off grants for specific projects limited to certain places the government was failing to provide the resources needed to improve access to public transport across England’s largest county.

He said:

“It’s an appalling situation. We lose out in the north of England in rural areas because the government doesn’t recognise the issues.

“Places like Bilsdale have no bus services on Sundays because the county council cannot afford to subsidise them, so people can’t get to hospitals to visit their loved ones. Cutting services even further is just ridiculous.

“It’s a vicious circle. You get fewer services, so it gets less and less attractive for people to use.”

The proportion of affordable homes to be built at Harrogate’s biggest development in decades could be just 20 per cent.

Maltkiln is a 3,000-home settlement planned for the Hammerton and Cattal area.

It aims to play a major role in addressing the district’s housing need by providing “much-needed homes and jobs in a sustainable location”.

But a newly-published development plan document from Harrogate Borough Council states that the number of homes to be classed as affordable is “anticipated to be within a range of 20 to 40 per cent”.

The council’s target for affordable homes at all new housing sites is 40 per cent.

It said achieving this figure at Maltkiln will be “challenging” as the development needs to be financially viable.

Yet the council also admits the affordability of homes is a “key issue” that needs to be addressed as Harrogate remains as one of the most unaffordable places to live in England.

High house prices

Average house prices in the district are around 11 times average incomes, forcing many people out of the area.

The Maltkiln document states:

“Whilst we want to strive to deliver as much affordable housing as possible, an element of flexibility will also be required.

“This is explicitly acknowledged in the justification to the affordable housing policy where delivery is anticipated to be within a range of 20% to 40%.”

The document also said this range is “not out of step” with other large housing settlements elsewhere in the UK “where figures of 15 per cent, 25 per cent and 35 per cent have been set”.

Read more:

• New 3,000 home settlement in Harrogate district to be called Maltkiln
• Two primary schools planned for new 3,000-home Harrogate district settlement

But councillor Pat Marsh, leader of the opposition Liberal Democrat group on the council, said the authority should be aiming for at least its own 40 per cent target in order to provide homes for those most in need.

She also said that during the creation of the Harrogate district Local Plan 2014-35, her party’s vision for Maltkiln was an “eco-village” which is not car dependent and has many community facilities.

Cllr Marsh said:

“That eco-village had to be in a sustainable place and therefore the area around the Hammertons with two rail halts seemed an ideal place.

“Once taken up and accepted as the new settlement site, there has been a need to ensure all the right infrastructure is in place to serve the existing and new community.

“This includes schools including a secondary school, shops, open spaces and sports pitches. Also, that the houses built would be carbon neutral.

“Added to that the requirement of 40 per cent affordable homes which is very important and we should not consider the delivery of less.”

Flaxby rejected

The Hammerton and Cattal area was chosen as the location for the huge housing plans after rival proposals for 2,750 homes on the former Flaxby Golf Course were rejected by the council in a decision which led to a legal challenge from the developers.

The proposals for Maltkiln include two primary schools and land for a secondary school, as well as shops, employment space and a GP surgery which will be centred around the train station.

The council said it chose this location due to its transport links with the York-Harrogate-Leeds railway line and the A59.

It also said this location will “steer development away” from nearby residents who previously warned the housing plans will be “utterly devastating” for surrounding villages.

A six-week consultation on the development plan document is planned for October when residents will be asked to share their views on areas including roads and public transport.

After this, the document will then be submitted to the government for public examination.

The number of patients at Harrogate District Hospital who tested positive for covid has more than doubled in three weeks.

Latest figures supplied by Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust show 35 covid-positive patients are currently in hospital — a rise from 14 on June 25.

Of that number, six are primarily receiving treatment for covid.

The figure peaked at 42 positive patients on July 5, but has since declined.

Harrogate hospital officials have put the rise in cases down to the spread of the more transmissible Omicron variant.

Health officials have warned that hospitals are under extreme pressure due to a rise in cases.

West Yorkshire Association of Acute Trusts, which includes Harrogate hospital, said that the increase in cases has meant the availability of beds has been impacted.

Read more:

• New covid advice after Harrogate district rate triples in June
• Carers recognised for covid efforts in Harrogate and Ripon at team celebration
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This combined with covid-related staff sickness means patients are also facing delays for planned treatment, officials said.

Dr Phil Wood, chief medical officer at Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, said: 

“The significant upsurge in covid-19 cases in West Yorkshire and Harrogate means that our hospitals are facing extreme pressures. Our teams are doing everything they can to make sure that services are safe and, in some cases, planned treatment may need to be postponed.

“We are aware that some people have been waiting for planned operations for a very long time and, wherever possible, we will ensure these go ahead as planned.

“Thankfully, the number of very seriously ill people needing treatment in intensive care for covid-19 is very small and accounts for less than two per cent of total inpatient cases. 

“The covid-19 vaccine is very effective at preventing severe disease in those who have been immunised and I’d encourage anyone who has not yet had their vaccine to book an appointment through the NHS.uk website.”

Quick-thinking traffic management staff averted a highly dangerous situation on a main road outside Harrogate’s Great Yorkshire Show this morning.

Staff at SEP Events, which is based in Boroughbridge, discovered 450 cones and 25 signs were missing when they arrived for work shortly before 6am this morning.

The items, worth thousands of pounds, are believed to have been stolen either by another firm or by thieves looking to sell them on. Several sources have confirmed the details to the Stray Ferret.

The cones and signs were taken at the Kestrel roundabout, which has been the busiest point for traffic during the show, and at the nearby junction of Wetherby Road and Rudding Lane.

An SEP van at the Kestrel roundabout.

The stretch of Wetherby Road between the two locations usually accommodates two-way traffic but a one-way system has been operating from 6am until 8pm each day of the show to improve traffic flow.

The cones and signs have played a key part in enforcing this.

But with the items missing, and 6.30am approaching, there could have been chaos with traffic heading towards the show from the Kestrel roundabout in both lanes meeting head-on vehicles travelling in the other direction that should have been diverted off Wetherby Road.

SEP employees had to stand in the road in high visibility jackets and use their vehicles to direct traffic while colleagues went back to Boroughbridge to get replacement cones and signs.

Shortly after 7am traffic measures were back in place and no accidents had occurred.

Traffic cones cost several pounds each and weigh about 6kg so whoever was responsible is believed to have had a trailer with a high load-bearing capacity.

North Yorkshire Police has issued an appeal for information. It said in a statement:

“The cones and signage were installed as part of traffic management for the Great Yorkshire Show and the theft led to significant disruption for motorists and showgoers.

“It is believed the items were taken between 9pm on Tuesday 12 July and 4am on Wednesday 13 July so police are appealing for anyone who might have seen anything which could help the investigation.”

The Stray Ferret has contacted SEP Events about the incident.

This story is sponsored by Halls of Ripon.

It has been a sparkling first year for the 20 plus independent retailers at Halls of Ripon.

At Red Buttons – one of the jewels in the department store’s crown – the celebrations continue for owners Mike and Liz Cooper as they will soon reach a golden milestone, having married in August 1972.

The couple, along with Hedley Hall, Ben Butler and Lloyd Sheard, were instrumental in the re-birth and re-invention of the unique retail destination on Fishergate, under the famous Halls name, so fondly remembered in Ripon and across the Harrogate district, for the quality of its goods and the excellence of its service.

In their own golden wedding anniversary year, Mike and Liz have launched a sale of select rings and other jewellery items, offered at discounted prices that customers can purchase to mark their own special occasions, from silver to gold, diamond and platinum.

The special anniversary sale of select jewellery items is now on at Red Buttons

Mike, who worked for more than 40 years in senior management at some of the best-known jewellers on the UK high street, said:

“Jewellery is a personal, emotional and sentimental gift that carries deep meaning and lifelong memories.

“Over the years it has been a pleasure to share in everything from marriages and the earliest wedding anniversaries, to the birth of a child, by helping people to find the appropriate piece or pieces of jewellery.”

Mike pointed out:

“For some customers, diamonds have been selected as the mile-stones that tell the story of their lives.

“The sentimental value goes on when single items or entire collections are left to loved ones and become treasured heirlooms that will be passed on to future generations.”

Creating customised Jewellery

Red Buttons takes pride in providing a personalised service and experience for customers, supported by designers and craftsman jewellers who can create customised pieces, often involving the recycling of a family’s redundant and damaged items.

Mike explains:

“A lady brought gold rings inherited from her parents, that she was unable to wear and within a matter of days we transformed them into a simple, but stylish cross that can be worn every day.

The gold heart with diamonds, created from wedding rings and an engagement ring

“For another customer, the wedding ring of her late mother and grandmother’s diamond engagement and wedding rings, were united in a single gold and diamond heart, whose sentimental value is beyond price.”

Red Buttons’ services include free jewellery cleaning and inspection, re-sizing, stone replacement, claw re-tipping and replacement. Part exchange is also available for customers with items that they wish to trade.

A community of independent retailers 

Liz Cooper, said:

“Our independent retailers cover all ages, from clothes for babies and children to hand-made furniture and a newly-introduced repair shop where classic sofas and chairs are re-upholstered and returned to use.

“All traders have expanded over the past year and each has something special to offer that adds to the department store experience. The coffee, homemade cakes and sandwiches at The Hive cafe within the store are highly recommended.”

Two primary schools and land for a secondary school form part of proposals for a new 3,000-home village between Harrogate and York.

The settlement, to be named Maltkiln, will be built in the Hammerton and Cattal area. New details of the major scheme have been revealed this week.

A development plan document from Harrogate Borough Council shows there are proposals for two 420-place primary schools – one of which would be able to expand with room for 630 pupils.

The plan also said because the village is not large enough to “generate sufficient pupils” for a secondary school, around £10.5 million would be provided to fund an expansion of 11 new classrooms at Boroughbridge High School.

However, it added that land within Maltkiln has been designated for “future secondary provision should this be required in the future”.

The plan said: 

“The council has been working with the education authority, North Yorkshire County Council, in order to identify the educational infrastructure required to support the level of growth proposed in Maltkiln.

“NYCC have indicated that the development is not projected to generate sufficient numbers of pupils to warrant the need for a secondary school on-site.

“Nevertheless, for the proper and long-term planning of the area, the council consider a cautious approach should be taken and have safeguarded land for a secondary school if it is needed.”

Read more:

• Green Hammerton gets final approval for 3,000-home settlement
• Flaxby fails to stop Green Hammerton development at High Court
• New 3,000 home settlement in Harrogate district to be called Maltkiln

It is estimated that more than 8,000 residents will occupy the village, which may not be completed until at least 2038.

A six-week consultation on the development plan document is planned for October, when residents will be asked to share their views on areas including roads and public transport.

After this, the document will then be submitted to the government for public examination.

Maltkiln is centred around Cattal train station which links York, Harrogate and Leeds – and Harrogate Borough Council hopes this location will “steer development away” from residents living in surrounding villages who have objected to the proposals.

The council also said facilities including shops, employment space and a GP surgery should be built around this central location.

It said: 

“A new community of over 8,000 residents will generate a need for significant new local facilities and these should be located at the heart of the settlement directly adjacent to Cattal railway station.

“The mixed-use local centre will provide a diverse and vibrant space at the heart of Maltkiln.”

A meeting of the council’s cabinet will be held next Wednesday when senior councillors will be asked to agree to the launch of the consultation on the development plan document.

A report to the meeting said the publication of the plan is a “key milestone” and that once approved it will provide “a 30 year vision for Maltkiln”.

The report added: 

“The development plan document provides the starting point to guide the development and delivery of Maltkiln.

“Proposals will need to go through the planning application process and there will be further opportunities for communities and stakeholders to be involved in more detailed master-planning.

“The council is also exploring a range of governance and stewardship options to ensure that residents will have a say in how community facilities are run.”

Yorkshire Ambulance Service has urged people to only call 999 for serious or life threatening injuries because it is under “extreme pressure”.

YAS, which covers the Harrogate district, said in a statement it was operating on Resource Escalation Plan 4.

This is the equivalent to Black Alert for hospitals and is only declared when an ambulance service can no longer effectively deliver a service due, typically due to a major incident

All 10 ambulance trusts in the country have now declared a similar status.

Staff shortages and hot weather are among the reasons.

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YAS has asked people to consider contacting their GP, pharmacy or practise self-care as alternative options to the ambulance service.

A spokesperson for YAS said:

“An extremely high volume of calls is currently having a significant impact on both our 999 and NHS 111 operations.

“We have taken the decision to move to REAP Level 4, our highest level of escalation, and while the situation is being managed in line with the plans that we have in place to protect our core services, unfortunately there are patients who are facing delays and we are very sorry that we are unable to respond to them as quickly as we would like.

“All emergency calls are categorised according to the nature of a patient’s illness or injury and those in a life-threatening condition are always prioritised. It’s important that members of the public only call 999 for an ambulance when it is a serious or life-threatening emergency. This will help us to focus our efforts on our most poorly patients.

“You can also help us by not calling back to check where the ambulance is as we need those phone lines to be free for those in a life-threatening condition. However, if the condition of the patient changes or if you feel you no longer need an ambulance, it’s important that you let us know.

“For anyone with less serious illnesses and injuries, they should consider self-care, their local pharmacy, GP surgery, urgent care centre or making their own way to the emergency department. Our NHS 111 service is also available online at 111.nhs.uk or by calling 111.

“We will continue to monitor the situation closely and thank all our hard-working staff and volunteers for their efforts at this challenging time.”