More than 100 Eat Out to Help Out businesses in Harrogate district

From next week people will be able to ‘Eat Out to Help Out’ by taking advantage of a 50% discount on food and non-alcoholic drinks in the Harrogate district.

More than 100 restaurants, cafes, bars, and pubs in the district have signed up to the new government scheme to boost hospitality.

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It is valid all day Monday to Wednesday from August 3 to 31, as long the town or city is not in lockdown.

Customers can get a maximum of £10 off food and drink when they eat or drink in. There’s no minimum spend and it can be used in conjunction with other offers.

The government has released a list of establishments registered for the scheme, which we have compiled by area. If your business is not on the list then get in touch.

Harrogate – 66

Knaresborough – 14

Ripon – 9

Boroughbridge – 6

Nidderdale – 6

Masham – 4

Boroughbridge junior football club calls for girl players

Boroughbridge junior football club is calling for more girls and disabled players to join its teams training resumes  next month.

The club has several successful teams but hopes to increase numbers in the girls and ability for all teams. The girls team need more members aged 7-13 years.

The ability for all team includes children with various disabilities. The club aims to support each child’s needs and give them the opportunity to play a sport that they may see as unattainable.

Each team plays in local junior leagues but children are welcome to train for fun if they don’t feel confident to play in a league straight away.

Boroughbridge all abilities team mid game

The club’s ability for all team are encouraged to enjoy the game regardless of disability.

Christopher Fahey, chairman and coach at the club, said:

“We’re currently looking to build our girls and disabled teams. For the girls teams we need girls aged 7-13 years to join and train with us. In time they could join our competing teams in the Harrogate League. If they don’t think they are ready for the league they can just come along and then train for fun.

“Our all abilities team usually trains together. The children have various disabilities and are all aged between 6-15 years. We tell everyone to just come down to train and we will support them.

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The club is hosting a free girls-only session to attract new players on August 1.

The ability for all group will resume training fortnightly on Sunday 9th August. A date for the boys teams is yet to be set as they train on Boroughbridge High School pitches, which are currently not available.

The club can be contacted via its facebook page or website.

Boroughbridge’s size makes customers “feel more than safe”

Boroughbridge was busy this afternoon as the hospitality sector reopened its doors, many of those returning to the town’s pubs and hotels felt safer in the town due to its small size.

Customers enjoyed the sun this afternoon, with pubs seeing groups of people sat outside to have a meal or a drink. All complying with the safety measures, many of the customers were able to regain a little normality as pubs and hotels reopened their doors.

Hospitality workers in the town watched as their new safety measures were complied with by customers. Several customers at the Grantham Arms commented on how safe they felt within the small town compared to how they would feel if they visited a busier area in the district.

Kirsty Lodge told The Stray Ferret:

“I think if you were inside somewhere with a lot of strangers it would be a bit uncomfortable. We know the place so it feels easier there’s lot of things in place but it doesn’t stop you enjoying a drink. I think because its one of those places where you know everyone it’s great.

Sam Stoddart agreed:

“I feel more than safe here. I can think of places I’ve worked before where I know social distancing would be different, but here its good. I’m happy to be back and feel very safe here.”

June Glasper owns a static caravan in the town and was eager to return today, she said:

“I’m feeling apprehensive, we have a static caravan site and that reopened today too. I don’t know if I’d have gone into a pub at home in Sunderland but here I feel safe. Being in a little place like this it makes me feel comfortable.”

The Crown Hotel Boroughbridge with screens at its reception desk.

The Crown Hotel also reopened today with staff and guests happy to be back.

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Tourism is also a big contributor to the town, Tracey Campbell is the duty manager for The Crown Hotel. She was happy with the numbers of people booking rooms eager to return to the town:

“I was nervous and excited I just wanted to reopen The Crown’s doors again to re-establish its place in the community. We’ve put all the measures in but we just want to get the balance right between welcoming the guest and being a little bit clinical, which we don’t want. The guests are more than happy to be back too so it’s just absolutely fantastic.”

Simon Wade owner of Grantham Arms said:

“I was relieved to be opening today because we’ve all been working hard to get it ready. I think it could be a bit confusing for our regular customers because it has changed with the one way system but everyone is complying. It’s going to take a couple of weeks for people to see the reactions to us all reopening, but it shouldn’t take too long for then to find the confidence to return.”

Report of police impersonator targeting Boroughbridge shoppers

Police are investigating after an individual who claimed to be a police officer approached motorists in Boroughbridge, instructing them to pay thousands of pounds in overdue vehicle tax.

The incident took place in the Morrisons car park in Boroughbridge, when the individual is reported to have taken personal contact details from motorists and repeatedly called them the following day. They were told they owed thousands of pounds in unpaid fines and would be arrested if the amount wasn’t paid immediately.

North Yorkshire Police has warned residents to be vigilant in case they’re approached by the same individual. A police spokesperson said:

“If you are approached by someone claiming to be a police officer, they should be happy to show you their identification if asked and you can also confirm their identity by asking their name and ‘collar number’ and calling 101 to verify these details.

“The police will never contact you over the phone, text or email to request payment or to ask you to transfer money to them so if anyone claiming to be the police does so, hang up immediately.”

The police are asking people to call 101 if they believe they have experienced a similar scam.

https://twitter.com/KnaresPolice/status/1277206489971728389

 

Masks and visors for staff serving in restaurants to be new normal

Toilet traffic light systems and pre-booking an arrival time are to become the new normal as pubs and restaurants set to reopen from 4 July.

Hospitality businesses in the district are anxiously waiting to hear the reduced one metre distance to be announced during todays’s coronavirus briefing. Even with the new distance in place, the experience previously offered for customers is likely to be different when they reopen.

Jack Woodruff who owns The Disappearing Chin in Harrogate, said the distancing rule has made planning problematic:

“We are offering pre-booked slots for maybe two or three hours but due to our size the distancing is problematic when it comes to the toilets. For example, we couldn’t have one person walking to the toilet and another sat at the bar as they would be too close together so we’ve had to introduce a one-way system to the toilets.

“For the sake of the size of our bar we have also had to order perspex screens to use and we will have to limit contact between staff and customers.”

Simon Wade is the owner of the Grantham Arms in Boroughbridge, like many others he will have to introduce new safety systems once he can reopen:

“We’re now taking orders from tables, those orders will then be placed on large barrels, that are dotted around, for the customers to collect.

“We also have a one way system for the toilets. It’s like a traffic light system, so a person will press a button with their elbow to indicate they’re inside and will press it again as they leave another way to let the next person waiting to go in know they can. We will also have staff constantly sanitising areas and we just hope customers are happy to follow our rules.”

Outdoor spaces are invaluable for pub owners who may be limited to indoor space.

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David Straker, is the co-owner of the William and Victoria restaurant in Harrogate, believes the new dining experience may not be as enjoyable for guests:

‘It will be a lot quieter. The width of the room is about two metres. We could fit four tables in downstairs, then the same in each room upstairs”.

“My biggest reservation is do people want to be served by people wearing masks and visors? It doesn’t lend itself to a nice experience. It’s not going to be forever but we’re going to have to. We have a responsibility to our members of staff and you have to give them the right stuff.”

Nick Rahmen, owner of Cardamom Black in Harrogate, said:

“There will be no toilets open and people won’t be allowed to congregate at the bar. We’ll have thermometers to test if somebody is visibly under the weather. But we cant go too far to offend people.”

Column: Travel agents had unfair bad press in pandemic
This column is written by Peter Cookson, Managing Director of Spear Travels. Spear Travels is a group of twelve independent travel agencies based in Boroughbridge extending from North Yorkshire to Dorset:
The travel industry, like practically every other business in the UK, has been going through hell the past three or so months. But in the travel industry we have had the added intensity of being scrutinised and put in the stocks and pilloried on a daily basis by the press and media regarding refunds. This is for the most part fair in the case of tour operators and airlines, but mostly unfair, in the case of travel agencies like mine.
The general consensus of public opinion is that we, as travel agents, are just holding on to clients’ monies and refusing to pay them back for the sake of our personal cashflow. This is very far from the truth. We cannot pay back what the tour operators or airlines have not given back to us first. 
We started to feel the impact of C-19 on both existing bookings and new enquiries in mid-February and I was in Singapore at the time visiting family. In that country even then, they were well ahead of the game with regards to tracing outbreaks back to the source. 
As soon as C-19 started to bite in the UK in March, understandably staying safe became far more important than holidays. We had numerous people who were trapped abroad all round the world and who took weeks to return in some cases. Some elected to stay put as it was safer where they were. Some are still there now!
We have spent all of our time in the past three months either trying to repatriate clients or sort out their refunds. This is hugely time-consuming which meant that, unlike other industries, we could not furlough all of our staff (currently about 60% are furloughed). So no income coming in but still having to bear a fair proportion of our overhead costs. 
Thanks to furlough pay, CBILS (Government’s Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme), business grants and free rents from most of our understanding landlords for the June quarter, we have kept going. We will come out the other side. After nearly 30 years in this industry, we are not giving up!
Bookings for later this year and 2021 and 2022 are starting to come back, which is great.  This is mostly long haul and cruise, with Canada doing especially well. Our range of holidays includes everything you can imagine from tailor-made travel to family beach holidays and holidays, in the UK are proving popular too. 
Our market research shows that once things return to the new ‘normal’, hopefully by mid-July, there will be a huge upsurge of people wanting a summer break, me included! Our Yorkshire branches will reopen in the next few weeks. The appetite for travel is back!

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Police find car carrying £10,000 cash in Boroughbridge

North Yorkshire Police has reported it stopped two suspicious cars near Boroughbridge, one carried £10,000 in cash.

The first car was found on the A1(M) southbound at junction 48, near Boroughbridge, on Saturday evening. The officers found the cash inside the Mercedes C200 and chose to carry out a roadside drug test on the driver.

The officers arrested the 60 year old driver on suspicion of drug driving and money laundering.

A further car, seen near the Mercedes, was stopped by the police at junction 46. The 26 year old driver was also arrested on suspicion of drug driving and money laundering as well as possession of cannabis.

Both men were charged with failing to produce a specimen of blood for analysis and were released as investigations continue. The second driver also received a warning for possessing cannabis.

The cars were seized for further examination.

Boroughbridge is a “small, safe bubble” say shop owners

The shops in Boroughbridge are now open, following lockdown. One shop owner called the town a “bubble” and suggested that was a reason shoppers felt comfortable to return.

The small market town did not see the long queues at stores other towns saw yesterday.

Shop owners were optimistic though for a positive return to trading. Sue Hufton who owns Issima, a gift shop in Boroughbridge, felt confident about the reopening:

“Nobody has questioned any of our safety measures, we’ve had customers waiting to come in for a while. Boroughbridge is a bubble its a small place, I think because its smaller people feel safer to come and visit us. Many are happy to come in and buy our products.”

Issima was one of many shops that opened today.

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Similarly, one shopper agreed the size of the town made her feel confident to shop. Honour Wearden told The Stray Ferret:

“Its only a small market town and they seem to be looking after people quite nicely, its well sign posted and you get gel when you come in. You feel quite happy because it seems normal, its well organised and there are measures out to help. I appreciate what they’re doing, I feel quite comfortable here as in the bigger shops I feel quite uncomfortable but here its more or less normal.”

Not all shoppers felt comfortable, Lynne Crane was still cautious of the shops reopening, she said:

“I think people are still going to be very wary of going into shops and I think it’ll take us a while to get back to normal. I feel bad for the shop owners as they’ve been desperate to open but there doesn’t seem to be crowds of people out. I’ve decided that I’m not going to just go in to browse I’ll only go in if I need something.”

Restaurant owner looks forward to reopening Valentino’s in Ripon

At the age of 15, Rick Jones was washing pots in Valentino’s and 22 years later he is its owner and looking forward to re-opening the newly-refurbished Italian restaurant in the heart of Ripon.

Rick (pictured) who was born and bred in the city, made a rapid rise from ‘washer up’ to chef, having studied at Harrogate College following his secondary education at Boroughbridge High School.

He has made his mark in the hospitality business at the Water Rat pub and restaurant, on the bank of the River Skell, overlooking Alma Weir and later this year, will be double-handed, when Valentino’s re-opens its doors following a £500,000 restoration that has seen the addition of five en suite rooms.

Valentino’s, located on the corner of Westgate and Blossomgate, was where Rick learnt the Roman style of Italian cooking and cuisine under brothers Fermino and Mario di Silvestro, who opened in Ripon in 1986 after selling the well-known No. 6 Restaurant in Harrogate.

He told The Stray Ferret:

“Fermino and Mario treated me like family and taught me so much. They were perfectionists and always required the very highest standards.”

Inspired by what he had learnt at Valentino’s, Rick took over the Water Rat in February 2007, but the premises were hit by flooding in June of that year.

The coronavirus crisis, has disrupted the latest stage in his hospitality career – as the original plan was to re-open the new-look Valentino’s with its hotel facilities on 30th April and now August is the target date.

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However, in spite of natural disaster and pandemic – with their financial consequences – Rick has remained positive, saying:

“It may appear dark at times, but I know that the sun will always shine again.”

Many of the Water Rat regulars, who he looks on as an extension of his own family, have been using the weekend takeaway pizza, pasta and dessert delivery and collection service that gives them a taste of the Valentino’s menu.

As well as bringing in welcome revenue while the pub remains closed, Rick pointed out that it has helped him and his team to keep in contact with each other and customers, ready for the day when both of his establishments are open again.

Independent Harrogate ‘very disappointed’ as parking charges restart

A group representing independent businesses in Harrogate has voiced its disappointment over the restarting of parking charges.

William Woods, on behalf of Independent Harrogate, said he had previously told the council to help retailers by delaying the reintroduction of charges.

He said that free parking would make a “huge difference” to businesses in Harrogate. Many of which are reopening for the first time on June 15, the same time charges come back into force.

“We wanted a grace period to help businesses to get back on their feet. We need to do all we can to get visitors back into the town centre. I thought that free parking would send a strong message.”

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Since the start of the lockdown enforcement officers have only targeted dangerous and obtrusive parking but that will change on June 15.

The measures will come into force for both on-street and off-street parking. North Yorkshire County Council is urging people to exercise social distancing when parking and paying to park.

Harrogate BID response to parking charges

Harrogate BID has been more welcoming to the reintroduction of parking charges but said that the change needed to be communicated well.

Sara Ferguson, acting chair, said: “I can see why the County Council is doing this, as it will ensure there is turnover in spaces when shops reopen, but it needs to be communicated loud and clear, so no one is caught unaware. We need to ensure that at the same time traffic wardens are back patrolling the streets, the town’s car parks are re-opened and properly signposted.”