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This year’s Stray Ferret Christmas Appeal is to raise money for a minibus for Dementia Forward in the Harrogate district.
The appeal is kindly sponsored by Vida Healthcare.
Please give generously to support local people and their families living with dementia. Let’s not forget who needs our help this Christmas.
Today, we hear the story of Dementia Forward.
“I sometimes feel national charities have lost touch with local communities.
“The need for dementia support was huge and the funding was usually decided in London.
“We felt we could do a better job by being rooted in the community.”
It was this realisation that prompted Jill Quinn to improve local dementia support in the Harrogate district.
Jill, who previously worked for two national dementia charities, said she “wasted many years in retail management” before realising that the voluntary sector was where she belonged.
Dementia Forward was born in 2012 after Jill and other founding members left their previous healthcare jobs on a Friday and launched the charity the following Monday morning.
The team places need at the centre of the charity – something that can’t be done 200 miles away. She added:
“People know when they put their pound in the pot, they’d be getting better services in the local area.
“You can’t design a service to be delivered in the local area from an office in London.”
Dementia Forward began with just seven members of staff. The team was donated second-hand laptops and worked from a small office in Ripon.
Kathy Patton, one of the founding members, added:
“We knew from working at a national scale what clients really want and needed, so we set up local activities – like the hub club and coffee mornings.
“It was our dream to have a hub building like we do now.”
George Armitage House – the flagship hub in Burton Leonard – was donated to Dementia Forward by a lady who had previously lived there. After her husband died, she wanted the money from his estate to go to something meaningful – and so the team’s first hub was born.
Some of the Dementia Forward team.
Things were looking bright for Dementia Forward and the team was right – there was a huge need for local dementia support. Within just 18 months, the charity was commissioned to cover three areas of North Yorkshire. A decade later, Dementia Forward now covers the entire county.
The charity now employs more than 60 staff members, has 250 volunteers and helps 4,500 families.
Dementia Forward offers unrivalled support for those suffering with these life-changing diseases and their carers. It hosts weekly social events and groups for people to attend, as well as community groups and cafés.
The charity also has a young onset group – known as Time Out Together – which helps those who have developed symptoms of dementia under the age of 65.
People enjoy puzzles, board games and quizzes. They sing together, go on trips to the beach, walking excursions, art gallery visits and much more.
There is a certain sense of family that runs through Dementia Forward and it is clear the demand for its help and companionship is only growing.
It provides a lifeline for families and carers that are losing their loved one before their eyes.
However, the charity can only continue its amazing work with the help of charitable donations.
Kathy added:
“Every penny donated will go towards improving the lives of our clients. The money goes to them rather than the machine of a charity.”
Without Dementia Forward and its services, many people would have nowhere to turn.
Please give generously and support this vital local organisation. Nobody deserves what these families are facing – especially at Christmas.
Every donation to our campaign will go directly to Dementia Forward, helping us hit our £30,000 target to buy the charity a new minibus and improving the lives of those living with dementia and the people around them.
Dementia Forward’s current bus is old and urgently needs to be replaced. The charity would seriously struggle to afford a new one, which is why they need your help to keep this vital service going.
Without it, many people living with dementia wouldn’t be able to access the help and support they need.
Please click here to donate whatever you can – you never know when you, your family or your friend may be in need of Dementia Forward’s help too.
Let’s not forget who needs our help this Christmas. Thank you.
The NHS found that one in 11 people over the age of 65 in the UK are living with dementia. If you need urgent help or have a dementia-related enquiry, call 0330 057 8592 to speak to a helpline adviser.
First human case of swine flu strain in UK detected in North Yorkshire
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has announced the first human trace of the influenza A(H1N2)v strain was detected in a North Yorkshire patient.
The disease, which is commonly known as swine flu, is similar to flu viruses currently circulating in pigs in the UK.
The UKHSA said yesterday that the strain was detected during a routine flu inspection undertaken with the Royal College of General Practitioners and is the first human case to be detected in the UK.
It said the individual was tested by their GP after “experience respiratory symptoms”, adding:
“Influenza A(H1N2)v virus was detected by UKHSA using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing and characterised using genome sequencing.
“The individual concerned experienced a mild illness and has fully recovered.”
The source of infection has not yet been discovered and the case remains under investigation.
Read more:
- Harrogate anti-knife crime scheme to be expanded across county
- North Yorks Council must pay £17,000 to care home patient over language used
Anyone experience respiratory symptoms is advised to avoid contact with other people while symptoms persist – particularly the elderly and those with existing medical conditions.
The UK Health Security Agency also said:
“As is usual early in emerging infection events, UKHSA is working closely with partners to determine the characteristics of the pathogen and assess the risk to human health.
“UKHSA is monitoring the situation closely and is taking steps to increase surveillance within existing programmes involving GP surgeries and hospitals in parts of North Yorkshire.
“To assist in the detection of cases and assessment of transmission, those people who are contacted and asked to test are encouraged to do so.”
The last outbreak of swine flu was in 2009; a virus spreading through pigs and birds caused a subsequent pandemic in humans in the UK.
The UKHSA said there have been 50 human cases of influenza A(H1N2)v reported globally since 2005 – none of which are “genetically related” to the most recent strain.
Chief veterinary office, Christine Middlemiss, added:
Business Breakfast: New chef named at Wild Swan in Minskip“We know that some diseases of animals can be transferred to humans – which is why high standards of animal health, welfare and biosecurity are so important.
“Through our animal and human surveillance systems we work together to protect everyone. In this case we are providing specialist veterinary and scientific knowledge to support the UKHSA investigation. Pig keepers must also report any suspicion of swine flu in their herds to their local vet immediately.”
Are you already thinking of how to reward your employees this Christmas? Why not choose the Harrogate Gift Card?
The Harrogate Gift Card can be spent in over 100 businesses in Harrogate town centre including retail, hospitality and leisure, whilst keeping the spend locked into the local economy.
Complete a corporate bulk order of over £250 and receive 15% discount from November 1 to 15 with the code ‘HGT15’.
Matt Turton has joined the historic 18th century Wild Swan inn at Minskip, near Boroughbridge.
Mr Turton has worked at a variety of venues in Harrogate and with celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay when he opened his Heddon Street restaurant in Soho.
Alex Bond, who along with Stephen Lennox bought the Wild Swan in 2021, said:
“Matt’s appointment is crucially important for the future of the Wild Swan. He has a superb reputation in Harrogate and the surrounding area and we are in no doubt that he will take the Wild Swan to a completely new level in terms of the quality and the presentation of our food.”
Mr Turton has had stints at the Fat Badger and the Yorkshire Hotel and as head chef at Jesper’s Bar and Kitchen in Harrogate, as well as working on the set of ITV soap Emmerdale.
He said:
“I have had such a wonderful welcome from the village. I am determined to give Minskip and the surrounding district, an inn to be proud of.
“I have completely revamped the menu and am determined to create enjoyable and imaginative food at competitive prices.”
Charity football tournament
Pantera Property in Harrogate raised more than £5,000 for charity by holding a charity football tournament.
The money will be split and donated to Saint Michaels Hospice in Harrogate and The Leeds Hospital Charity’s fund to create The Rob Burrow Centre for Motor Neurone Disease Centre.
Established in 2016, Pantera Property is a family-run firm of chartered surveyors, with offices in London, Harrogate, Leeds and Essex.
Read more:
- Business Breakfast: Manufacturer featured on BBC’s DIY SOS special
- Business Breakfast: Lucy Pittaway to host ‘meet the artist’ event at Harrogate gallery
- Business Breakfast: Ripon introduces loyalty scheme to boost Christmas sales
Stray Views: £10.8m junction 47 upgrade on A1 was ‘gigantic misuse’ of public money
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.
Thank you for the article on junction 47. We felt all along that this was a project too far.
At a time when humanity is facing existential crisis due to fossil fuel emissions, we should be slowing traffic down, not trying to speed it up…so the project is a gigantic misuse of public money in our view.
It is on a par with the race to cover fields with inappropriate housing – designed to make profits for developers and their friends in government.
Also, please can we hear what happened to the newts? They really can’t expect us to believe that the newt relocation was that costly!
Shan Oakes, Knaresborough
Hospitality firms should contribute to Harrogate Convention Centre’s rebuild
The hotels and restaurants of Harrogate will be disappointed that the loss-making conference centre is not in line for a multi-million pound upgrade.
The rest of us will be relieved that such profligacy is to be avoided.
As the hospitality industry would be the only beneficiary of a new look conference centre I suggest that the hotels, pubs, restaurants and cafes of Harrogate all contribute, on a pro rata basis, towards its rebuild.
Dr Christopher Bennett, Ripon
Read more:
- Stray Views: ‘Shame’ on councillors who voted for allowance rise
- Stray Views: Government should clamp down on homelessness tents
A bypass would be more effective in south Harrogate
What is the purpose of the proposed Killinghall bypass road? Is it to take traffic that is going from east/west and getting around town in the shortest way?
If so, the Killinghall idea doesn’t make any sense since that isn’t where most of the traffic is. Traffic is much worse on the south side of Harrogate.
If the bypass was put in nearer to Pannal and then Beckwithshaw and on to the A59, there would seem to be a better chance to get more of the traffic off the roads.
Fred Hicks, Bilton, Harrogate
This year’s Stray Ferret Christmas Appeal is to raise £30,000 for a much-needed minibus for Dementia Forward in the Harrogate district.
The appeal is kindly sponsored by Vida Healthcare.
Please give generously to support local people and their families living with dementia. Let’s not forget those that need help this Christmas.
Today, Flora spoke to a couple who go to the wellbeing café.
Before Pauline Brown’s Alzheimer’s diagnosis, she was a volunteer at Dementia Forward’s wellbeing café. Now she and her husband John, who is her carer, attend the café for a different reason.
Pauline tells us her story.
“People didn’t believe me when I was diagnosed. I was talking the way I am now, and people needed convincing.”
Pauline began volunteering at the wellbeing café – which takes place every Tuesday – 10 years ago. She spent eight years supporting those living with dementia and their carers.
“I loved volunteering.
“I just enjoyed helping people and chatting to them – I liked feeling needed.”
However, the couple began to see symptoms of dementia around four years ago and received her diagnosis two years ago. Pauline said:
“Nobody told me I couldn’t volunteer anymore, but I didn’t think it was right.”
Luckily, the couple knew just where to go following the diagnosis and Pauline swapped her volunteer badge for a game of snakes and ladders. She added:
“I love playing games here – snakes and ladders, dominoes, Jenga.
“You just meet people and chat things over – you need to get out of the house.”
John, who also volunteered at the café for three years, said being surrounded by people who understand each other has helped them both.
“We have a laugh.
“We talk to people who are in similar circumstances who pass on their own stories and experiences.”
Pauline and John lean on each other for support, but every type of dementia comes with its own set of challenges. He said:
“You’ve got to be a team – we care for each other.
“I have a few problems myself, but I would never swap them for Alzheimer’s.
The wellbeing café has provided a lifeline for the Browns and hundreds of other families across the Harrogate district.
John added:
“Unless you’ve been involved with someone with dementia – when you’re slowly losing someone – you can’t appreciate these services.
“Help people when they need help – it’s a family.”
The Dementia Forward team eases the pain as much as it can – but can only continue to do so with the help of charitable donations.
Every donation to our campaign will go directly to Dementia Forward, helping us hit our £30,000 target to buy the charity a new minibus and bettering the lives of those living with dementia and the people around them.
Dementia Forward’s current bus is old and urgently needs to be replaced. The charity would seriously struggle to afford a new one, which is why they need your help to keep this vital service going.
Without it, many people living with dementia wouldn’t be able to access the help and support they need.
Please click here to donate whatever you can – you never know when you, your family or your friend may be in need of Dementia Forward’s help too.
Thank you.
The NHS found that one in 11 people over the age of 65 in the UK are living with dementia. If you need urgent help or have a dementia-related enquiry, call 0330 057 8592 to speak to a helpline adviser.
Car on roof after two-vehicle collision in MinskipA car flipped onto its roof following a two-vehicle collision at Minskip, near Boroughbridge, this afternoon.
Roads policing sergeant Paul Cording alerted people on social media at 1.20pm about the incident on the A6055, which is the main road through Minskip.
Sgt Cording said one person involved in the collision was taken to hospital with “minor injuries”.
The road reopened at 1.47pm.
No further details, including the status of the other vehicle and passengers, have been revealed.
Read more:
Business Breakfast: Lucy Pittaway to host ‘meet the artist’ event at Harrogate gallery
Are you already thinking of how to reward your employees this Christmas? Why not choose the Harrogate Gift Card?
The Harrogate Gift Card can be spent in over 100 businesses in Harrogate town centre including retail, hospitality and leisure, whilst keeping the spend locked into the local economy.
Complete a corporate bulk order of over £250 and receive 15% discount from November 1 to 15 with the code ‘HGT15’.
Lucy Pittaway is hosting a ‘meet the artist’ event this weekend at her Harrogate gallery.
The Yorkshire-based artist, who is known for her colourful depictions of the county, will be at the Prospect Place gallery to sign and discuss her work.
Her homeware and gift collections will also be available to buy.
The event will take place from 1pm to 4pm on Saturday, November 25.
Read more:
- Business Breakfast: Ripon introduces loyalty scheme to boost Christmas sales
- Business Breakfast: Investment to supercharge growth at Harrogate firm
Tockwith-based Pink Moon to offer “all-in-one” events service
The UK’s largest supplier of festival tents and equipment, Pink Moon, is to offer a new events service.
The Tockwith company, which has the largest collection of accommodation structures in the sector – about 5,500 – currently services up to 45,000 customers a year at events such as Formula 1 at Silverstone and music festivals.
It is now offering all-in-one events services to businesses,
Pink Moon managing director Harry Lister said:
Stray Ferret Christmas Appeal 2023: How dementia led two carers to become best friends“Pink Moon Events is an all-in-one events solutions company.
“It is not just the tent that we can provide, we can also provide everything else.
“We can provide a restaurant and bar on site, toilets and showers, mobile charging, pamper parlour and coffee stands.”
This year’s Stray Ferret Christmas Appeal is to raise £30,000 for a much-needed minibus for Dementia Forward in the Harrogate district.
The appeal is kindly sponsored by Vida Healthcare.
Please give generously to support local people and their families living with dementia. Let’s not forget those that need help this Christmas.
Today, Flora spoke to two women who met at the wellbeing café.
“It’s about knowing there’s someone at the end of the phone who understands what we’re going through.”
Cynthia Storie and Eileen King’s are both carers for their husbands, who are living with dementia, and have found comfort in each other through Dementia Forward’s wellbeing café.
Before their husbands’ diagnosis, Cynthia was a secretary and Eileen was a nanny. They were just like anyone else. But two years ago, everything changed.
Cynthia said:
“Your livelihood is taken from you – it’s a shocking blow.”
She was given a Dementia Forward leaflet following her husband Mike’s diagnosis. Eileen used the helpline service to work out their next steps.
Cynthia added:
“I wanted to make sure Mike could still socialise – he was so used to doing everything for himself.
“He didn’t want to come at all, but after I’d convinced him, and someone brought him a cup of coffee, he was chatting away. Two years later, he’s still here.”
The women said the café is an environment where their husbands feel understood. It combats the loneliness those living with dementia can often feel.
Carers can breathe a sigh of relief knowing their loved one is safe at the café, and can share their experiences with with others facing similar challenges.
She continued:
“You find that friends who you have spent so long going out for dinner and socialising with are so sympathetic at first, but after they realise they don’t understand, you become so isolated.”
The café has helped Eileen and her husband more than she could have imagined. She said:
“It helps so much coming here. It’s frightening – you don’t know what’s around the corner.
“It means I’ve got support, and you can offload to people that understand. The staff here don’t judge at all, and they take the guilt away from the carers.”
The women also call each other regularly to check in, visit each other for a cup of tea, and even bake cakes for each other.
Eileen said:
“We, as carers, put on a front. When you’re on your own, you pick up the phone and tell a friend that you need to talk.
“It’s nice when somebody says, ‘how are you?’.”
Dementia has been life-changing for both ladies and their husbands, but the café has brought them some level of peace.
Cynthia added:
“We want people who are reading this to know it takes courage to walk through the door of somewhere like this, but they’re not alone and it’s so worth it to come to these groups.”
Thousands of local families are fighting a long battle with these horrible diseases – and they need your help.
Every donation to our campaign will go directly to Dementia Forward, helping us hit our £30,000 target to buy the charity a new minibus and bettering the lives of those living with dementia and the people around them.
Dementia Forward’s current bus is old and urgently needs to be replaced. The charity would seriously struggle to afford a new one, which is why they need your help to keep this vital service going. Without it, many people living with dementia wouldn’t be able to access the help and support they need.
Please click here to donate whatever you can – you never know when you, your family or a friend may be in need of Dementia Forward’s help too.
Thank you.
The NHS found that one in 11 people over the age of 65 in the UK are living with dementia. If you need urgent help or have a dementia-related enquiry, call 0330 057 8592 to speak to a helpline adviser.
Police begin clampdown on uninsured drivers in North YorkshireNorth Yorkshire Police began a week-long blitz today on motorists driving without insurance.
Officers on patrol will use automatic number plate recognition and in-car technology to find offenders.
The activity is part of the national police campaign Op Drive Insured.
A North Yorkshire Police statement today said:
“In a three-hour window in the York area, our officers have already seized four vehicles and arrested one uninsured driver on suspicion of drug driving.
“At a time when austerity is high, vehicle insurance is not a cut back you can afford to make.”
You can check if your vehicle is insured here.
Read more:
- Harrogate street closure: police investigation ‘ongoing’
- Harrogate ice rink installation gets underway
Stray Ferret Christmas Appeal 2023: ‘Carers are losing their loved ones before their eyes’
This year’s Stray Ferret Christmas Appeal is to raise £30,000 for a much-needed minibus for Dementia Forward in the Harrogate district.
The appeal is kindly sponsored by Vida Healthcare.
Please give generously to support local people and their families living with dementia. Let’s not forget those that need help this Christmas.
Today, Flora spoke to people at the wellbeing café.
“People are here for three hours of fun, no matter what stage they’re at with this horrible illness.”
This is how Gordon, a volunteer at Dementia Forward’s wellbeing café, described the weekly group.
The café takes place every Tuesday at Christ Church in Harrogate. It provides a safe space and good company for those living with dementia, as well as some much-needed respite for carers.
People enjoy a bowl of soup, coffee and cake followed by a range of activities. Some members played table tennis and curling, while others painted their nails and tackled jigsaws.
Margaret Kingston, a regular at the café, said:
“My son found out about the café for me. I come every Tuesday now.
“I like to play table tennis and draw – it’s helping people that maybe don’t have any family.”
Many people battling dementia can feel extremely lonely, even with their loved ones by their side. The café, along with Dementia Forward’s other social groups, helps to combat that isolation.
Another member said:
“I try to come every week – I like to be involved. I’ve made friends since coming here.”
The café also offers a place for carers – often a spouse or offspring – to discuss the devastating effects of this evil disease: a place to feel understood.
Sheila, who has volunteered at the café since 2018, added:
“The carers need as much care as the clients.
“The team have fun and the clients and carers all recognise that.”
Members of the wellbeing café.
The Dementia Forward team work tirelessly to improve the lives of those living with dementia and those around them.
The wellbeing café is one of many amazing services on offer. Gordon said:
“Carers are losing their loved ones before their eyes – it is the most wretched thing to see. They are the bravest people.
“That’s why they need the support.”
Thousands of families across the Harrogate district are fighting this evil disease every day. Dementia Forward eases the pain as much as it can – but can only do so with the help of charitable donations.
Every donation to our campaign will go directly to Dementia Forward, helping us hit our £30,000 target to buy the charity a new minibus and bettering the lives of those living with dementia and the people around them.
Dementia Forward’s current bus is old and urgently needs to be replaced. The charity would seriously struggle to afford a new one, which is why they need your help to keep this vital service going. Without it, many people living with dementia simply wouldn’t be able to access the help and support they need.
Please click here to donate whatever you can – you never know when you, your family or a friend may be in need of Dementia Forward’s help too.
Thank you.
The NHS found that one in 11 people over the age of 65 in the UK are living with dementia. If you need urgent help or have a dementia-related enquiry, call 0330 057 8592 to speak to a helpline adviser.