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 read Flora’s story below and give generously to support local people and their families living with dementia. They need your help.

Christmas is a time to create happy memories, to connect with family and enjoy each other’s company. But Dementia and Alzheimer’s disease take those memories away, and life can become confusing and isolating.

Local charity Dementia Forward works to support people living with these life-changing and disabling conditions, but it can only do so with the help of charitable donations.

So this Christmas, the Stray Ferret is asking you to support to this local organisation and ensure it can continue to offer the vital services it provides.

We want to raise £30,000 to buy a new minibus so that Dementia Forward can carry on bringing people struggling with memory loss to social events and a supportive environment.

The appeal is kindly sponsored by Vida Healthcare, so every penny donated will go directly to Dementia Forward.

The charity’s minibus service is currently used by more than 50 people. It also takes them on days out across the county, which is a huge part of the Dementia Forward programme. It is used to help people access the charity’s social events for those that can no longer drive, as well as weekly day trips for those with young onset dementia. The group visits a variety of places, including the Yorkshire coast, nature reserves, walking trails, llama farms, art galleries and so much more.

However, Dementia Forward’s current bus is old and tired 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. 

Every donation to our campaign will go directly to Dementia Forward to help us hit our £30,000 target.

Over the next seven weeks, we’ll be bringing you stories that show just how important Dementia Forward is, and the impact it has on local people’s lives.

Please read them, share them, and donate whatever you can.

Let’s not forget those who need our help this Christmas.

Thank you.

The NHS found 1 in 11 people over the age of 65 are living with dementia in the UK. For those who need urgent help or have a dementia-related enquiry, call 0330 057 8592 to speak to a helpline adviser. 

Vida Healthcare offers specialist residential and nursing care across three state-of-the-art homes.

James Rycroft, managing director of Vida Healthcare, said:

“We’re delighted to be supporting the Stray Ferret Christmas Appeal in aid of Dementia Forward.

“It is such an amazing local charity supporting people living with dementia.”

North Yorkshire Council is set to consult residents on a new local plan that will guide decisions on housing and infrastructure in the Harrogate district over the next two decades. 

The North Yorkshire Local Plan will set out where new developments will take place, along with policies and strategies that planning applications will be considered against.

Once adopted, it will replace the existing local plan for the Harrogate district. 

As part of the first stage of a five-year process to create the plan, residents are being encouraged to sign up to a new online portal that will enable North Yorkshire Council to keep them informed about when consultations and engagement will take place and how to have their say. 

Read more

• Council to bid for government funding to progress Harrogate social housing schemes
• ‘No more new houses’: Harrogate residents and councillors call on council to remove sites from Local Plan

Cllr Derek Bastiman, the council’s executive member for open to business, said:

“Anyone with an interest in what, where, when and how development could take place in the county during the next two decades is encouraged to register their details on the portal.” 

A consultation is due to start this month about the council’s new Statement of Community Involvement, which will set out how it will consult people on planning, as well as early engagement about the local plan.  

Anyone already registered on the existing Harrogate District Local Plan database will be contacted by the council about the new portal.

Those not yet registered can sign up to the database at www.northyorks.gov.uk/localplan or call the council on 0300 131 2 131, stating ‘Local Plan’ when prompted. 

The Met Office has issued a yellow warning for rain in the Harrogate district for two days this week.

The weather alert is in place from Thursday (November 2) at 6am until Friday (November 3) at 6am.

It comes as Storm Ciarán is forecast to bring heavy rain to the UK this week. 

The Met Office said the rain could cause disruption in the north of England, including flooding and delays and cancellations to public transport.

The warning comes as the district was hit by heavy rain on October 20 due to Storm Babet.

A further weather alert was issued for October 24 for heavy rain in the wake of the storm.

Read more:

• Harrogate hotel employee rewarded for 35 years’ service
• High levels of faecal bacteria in River Nidd confirmed

Every month the Stray Ferret tries to find out what our local MPs have been up to in their constituencies and in the House of Commons.

In October, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announced that the northern leg of HS2 would be scrapped and Yorkshire Water unveiled a £7.8 billion investment plan.

Meanwhile, Keir Mather, Selby and Ainsty MP which includes south Harrogate, made his maiden speech in the House of Commons.

We Selby and Ainsty MP Keir Mather if they would like to highlight anything in particular, but did not receive a response.

Here is what we know after analysing their online presence.

Andrew Jones, Harrogate and Knaresborough MP.

In Harrogate and Knaresborough, here is what we found on Mr Jones:

• On October 3, Mr Jones welcomed a £7.8 billion investment plan being submitted by Yorkshire Water.
• On October 4, Mr Jones attended the Conservative Party conference and was present for Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s speech.
• Following the speech, Mr Jones said he was “disappointed” with the decision to scrap the northern leg of the HS2 project.
• On October 5, he met with the owners of the former McColls store in Starbeck who are expected to unveil plans for the building this year.
• On the same day, Mr Jones attended the opening of the Rachel Daly pitch at Killinghall Nomads JFC. 
• On October 18, Mr Jones called for a 138-home development on Water Lane in Knaresborough to be cancelled. He also raised the issue in the House of Commons on October 16.
• On October 19, he hosted the Street Works UK awards in Parliament. 
• Mr Jones announced on the same day that he would be objecting to a planned asphalt plan at Allerton Park near Knaresborough.
• On October 21, he visited Harrogate synagogue to discuss events in Israel and Gaza.
• On October 28, he met with the Harrogate Imam to discuss events in Isreal and Gaza.

When we contacted Mr Jones for comment, his office sent a list of his engagements for September.

They included attending a roundtable with the British Dental Association and a Northern Powerhouse Partnership Transport Reception. He also with members of Zero Carbon Harrogate and met a local dentist to discuss NHS dentistry.

Others included visiting Yorkshire Cancer Research’s new facility at Hornbeam Park, chairing a meeting of the European Statutory Instruments Committee and meeting leaders from Luminate Education Group at a reception in the House of Commons.

Julian Smith, MP for Ripon and Skipton.

In Ripon, here is what we found on Mr Smith:

• Mr Smith made no spoken contributions in the House of Commons in October.
• On October 11, Mr Smith tweeted that he had met residents and North Yorkshire Council to discuss recent deaths on the A61 at South Stainley and to campaign for a lower speed limit.
• On October 16, Mr Smith visited the Ripon Inn ahead of its opening.
• Mr Smith posted on his website on October 22 that he had visited Sharow Church of England Primary School to meet with its headteacher and answer questions from pupils.
• Mr Smith updated his website 11 times in October, which included posts promoting government initiatives and visits within his constituency.

When we contacted Mr Smith’s for comment, his office sent a roundup of his engagements for October.

Among them included visiting local schools and businesses in Skipton and Ripon, including Cundall Manor School.

Meanwhile, he also visited The Beer Engine in Skipton and met with Bentham resident, Viv Barclay, who will attempt to become the oldest woman to row solo across the Atlantic Ocean.

Keir Mather, Selby and Ainsty MP.

In Selby and Ainsty, which includes rural south Harrogate, here is what we found on Mr Mather:

• Mr Mather posted 11 times on his Facebook page in October. None of the updates related to areas of his constituency which fall in Harrogate.
• On October 16, Mr Mather made his maiden speech in the House of Commons.
• On October 23, Mr Mather asked the minister for environment, Rebecca Pow, how she would be working with the Environment Agency to support people during Storm Babet.
• He joined a debate on the sustainability of rural post offices in Westminster Hall on October 25.

Read more:

• MPs Watch: New MP, River Nidd and Mayoral election
• MPs Watch: Climate change, NHS dentists and Harrogate Station Gateway saga

The Stray Ferret Business Club’s next meeting will take place on Thursday, November 30. 

The Business Club provides monthly opportunities to network, make new connections and hear local success stories.

Former Dragons’ Den star Piers Linney was the keynote speaker at the York & North Yorkshire Business Summit on Friday.

He told more than 200 attendees they needed to be audacious in embracing technology as part of devolution and argued that new technology such as artificial intelligence offered the chance to level up the workforce, making background and disabilities irrelevant. He said:

“Take some of the £750 million (devolution funding) and invest in a garden shed where you can blow things up. Play with the technology, see how it can augment all of us, play with education and then connect the talent to the technology. Invest in cutting edge and bleeding edge technology.

“Superpower and empower the people in your region.”

The summit was organised by York & North Yorkshire Local Enterprise Partnership (YNY LEP) in partnership with the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB), York & North Yorkshire Chamber of Commerce and the Confederation of British Industry (CBI).

Linney headed a roster of 13 regional business speakers at the event, which was held at the Radisson York Hotel and hosted by YNY LEP chair Helen Simpson. They shared their business vision for the region, ahead of devolution and an expected mayoral election in spring next year.

James Farrar, interim director of transition for the proposed York and North Yorkshire Combined Authority, backed the call for businesses and innovators to be bold. He said:

“We need to crack on with devolution and make sure the process gets through parliament as soon as possible.

“We are not Birmingham, Manchester or Leeds. We must be York and North Yorkshire and we must recognise our assets. We must be bold and clear about where we see our competitive advantages. No sector can rest on its laurels.

“Let us know what infrastructure and support you need in place to invest and grow. Our job as a combined authority will be to put that in place – yours is to invest and grow.”

Kevin Hollinrake, Conservative MP for Malton and Thirsk, addressed the summit by video and told delegates that devolution was a great opportunity for the region. He said:

“First and foremost it must be about economic development. That drives everything else. It’s right that we try to make York and North Yorkshire the best place in the UK to do business.”

Menopause Matters event

A day-long event this month will feature expert speakers tackling various aspects of the menopause.

Menopause Matters: What You Need to Know, In and Outside the Workplace will be presented by Wetherby-based Hartlaw LLP in collaboration with the Harrogate & District Law Society.

The event, which will take place on Friday, November 17 at Bowcliffe Hall near Wetherby, is intended to “shed light on the implications, challenges, and nuances surrounding menopause, both within professional settings and in personal lives”.

The speakers include: Dr Laura Reid, a GP and menopause specialist; Sally Leech, training director of Henpicked: Menopause in the Workplace; Vicky Richardson MSc PGDip PGCE BA, a core nutritional therapist; Emma Tailby, a highly specialist women’s health physiotherapist and founder/owner of Emma Claire Physiotherapy; and Claire Morley-Jones, managing director of HR180.

Tickets cost £85 per person and include refreshments and lunch, as well as a goodie bag to take away. The proceeds will go to Daisy Network, the charity for women with POI (premature ovarian insufficiency, commonly referred to as early menopause) and Harrogate & District Law Society.

Read more:

• Business Breakfast: Harrogate robots help reduce UK’s greenhouse gas emissions
• Business Breakfast: Harrogate bus operator launches skills drive for engineers
• Business Breakfast: NEOM appoints new CEO

Firefighters using breathing apparatus tackled a fire at a home in Knaresborough this afternoon.

Crews from Knaresborough, Harrogate and Wetherby were called to Park Grove at 4.17pm.

According to North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service’s incident log, fire started in a ceiling fan in the bathroom.

The report added firefighters used a hose reel and breathing apparatus to extinguish the fire.

Today’s incident log also said firefighters were called to an electrical fire in Marton-cum-Grafton, near Boroughbridge, this afternoon.

Crews from Harrogate and Knaresborough attended an industrial premises in the village at 2.15pm.

They responded to a report of a smell of smoke in an industrial premises. The fire suppression system had also activated.

The report added:

“Due to low oxygen levels in the room where the fire took place – the server room – fire crews used breathing apparatus and a thermal camera to investigate.

“They found that a small electrical fire had occurred, but this had been extinguished by the installed fire suppression system.”

Read more:

• Ripon leisure centre work halted after ground movement detected
• Ripon leisure centre halts price increase due to ongoing work

The Green Party has selected North Yorkshire councillor Kevin Foster as its candidate for Mayor of York and North Yorkshire.

Mr Foster currently represents the Hipswell and Colburn division on North Yorkshire Council.

Before being elected a councillor, he worked in the civil service for 30 years.

The mayor will oversee a significant budget for York and North Yorkshire covering areas such as transport, education and housing.

The role will also take on the powers of police and crime commissioner. An election is expected to be held for the position in May 2024.

Following his selection, Mr Foster said:

“Your mayor cannot wave a magic wand and solve every problem but they can stand up and fight for the issues that matter in this region.  In the reserve forces I learned to work with and on behalf of others and I will use this knowledge and experience to do my best for people in this area.  

“Being mayor will be my one and only job and I will devote myself to it, representing residents and businesses to the best of my ability.”

The Conservatives Party has selected North Yorkshire councillor Keane Duncan as its candidate for the position. Cllr Duncan is also the executive councillor for highways on the authority.

Meanwhile, Pateley Bridge businessman Keith Tordoff has announced he will stand as an independent candidate for mayor.

Read more:

• Conservatives select highways councillor Keane Duncan to stand for North Yorkshire mayor
• Yorkshire Party mayoral candidate promises free chickens if elected

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.

Although it may be a tad disappointing not to have a formal switch on of the Christmas lights, it’s reassuring to hear that the BID are listening to members and thinking about return on investment. They don’t have money to waste.[No Christmas lights switch-on event in Harrogate this year]

It may be a “nice to do” but does it actually help local businesses? Perhaps not. Whereas street cleaning, murals, lighting, flowers, window dressing and advertising does feel (and look) as though the BID is doing a good job.

I don’t run a local business but as a resident, I can see the impact and it does feel notably better than the lacklustre efforts from whatever was being done (or not) several years ago.

So if ever businesses are questioning their investment in the BID, please be assured that from someone who lives in the town centre, it’s making a positive impact.

But FYI – please sort the dangling lights that have been brought down by the recent weather (especially Montpellier Hill), before some morons decide to vandalise them instead. Thank you!!

Mark Fuller, Harrogate

I note that the cost of the garden waste collection will rise next year to £46.50 and that a member of the Council stated that those people who do not use the service should not be expected to pay towards it.  [Harrogate district garden waste fees set to increase by 7%]

I can think of many service’s I pay towards that I do not use but am happy to pay for.

Wetherby Services has submitted plans for a solar farm on land next to the A1 (M) service station — with the renewable energy it generates used to power the site’s electric vehicle (EV) charging points.

The land north of the service station, which is currently used for agricultural purposes, spans more than five hectares but it would be turned over to solar panels under plans submitted by Moto Services to North Yorkshire Council this month.

According to planning documents, the proposal forms part of Moto’s strategy to bring forward solar farms on land next to Moto’s existing service stations.

Moto Services is the UK’s largest motorway service station operator with 59 sites.

It is expected the solar panels would be able to generate up to 7MW of renewable energy.

The screening opinion application asks the council if an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) should be submitted for a future full planning application for the solar farm.

The majority of the site is in a zone with a low flood zone risk. However, as part of it is also located in areas with medium to high risk of flooding, North Yorkshire Council has recommended that its flooding department is consulted on the proposal.

The solar farm application follows the launch of 12 EV charging points at Wetherby Services last year.

Planning documents state: 

“The proposed development is deemed crucial for the ongoing functionality of the associated Wetherby MSA. Electric vehicles will play a big part in the transition to zero emission transport, but to achieve these targets, it is imperative that suitable infrastructure is provided to support electric vehicles.

“The proposed development forms part of Moto’s wider strategy to bring forward solar farms on land adjacent to Moto’s existing MSAs, which will generate much needed electricity to power the EV Chargers at their services.”

In May, neighbouring authority Leeds City Council approved plans for 762 homes just 600m south of the site.

However, Moto says considering the “scale and nature” of the proposed solar farm development it would “unlikely lead to significant adverse effects” on the housing development.

Read more:

• Plan to create 200 HGV parking bays at Wetherby Services
• Knaresborough traders set to escalate electric vehicle parking row
• Plans to install 12 electric vehicle charging points at Wetherby Services

Tickets for next year’s Great Yorkshire Show will be available to buy from Wednesday, November 1.

Since 2021 tickets are only sold in advance with visitor numbers capped at 35,000 a day.

Next year’s 165th show will run from Tuesday, July 9, to Friday, July 12.  Last year tickets sold out a week before the event started.

The Great Yorkshire Show 2024 will be the final one for current show director, Charles Mills, as he comes to the end of his tenure.

Mr Mills said:

“This will be a very special show for me personally as it will be my ninth and final show as show director.

“Be sure, it will be full of entertainment, superb competition and the best animals in the UK coming together to celebrate farming, food and agriculture.”

Ticket prices for 2024 have risen for adults from £32 this year, to £35, children’s tickets remain at £13 – a family ticket has risen from £80 to £86. Under 5’s are free.

Read More: 

• Lofthouse Moor owner fined for illegally burning peat
• North Yorks Council warns action to plug £25m black hole is essential