Community groups in Harrogate district given chance to win £3,000

Community groups in the Harrogate district could win up to £3,000 in a new photography competition.

The competition, which has opened for entries, celebrates the work of voluntary organisations in North Yorkshire.

It is being run by Two Ridings Community Foundation, which coordinates charitable giving in North and East Yorkshire, in conjunction with Clare Granger, the Birstwith-based High Sheriff of North Yorkshire and professional artist.

The contest, which is open until September 5, seeks the best amateur photographs that capture the essence of community. There are two categories: our people and our place.

Bec Horner, communications manager at Two Ridings, said:

“We really want groups to show off the people of our region and what community means to them.

“They say a photo says a thousand words, and we want to see that! We know that community organisations in the region do such vital work for local people. We want them to capture the energy, the vibrancy and the magic that is happening all over.”

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A panel of six judges will shortlist the three most impactful photos in each category.

The shortlisted groups will be invited to a photography exhibition in October where final decisions will be made.

The first prize in each category is £3,000, second prize is £2,000 and third prize £1,000. These are unrestricted funds groups can use to fund anything they choose.

The photography exhibition will take place on October 25 at Allerton Castle, near Knaresborough, where the winning and highly commended photographs will be enlarged and displayed.

More information is available here.

86% support plans to open autism school in Harrogate

Plans to open a £3.5 million school for children with autism in Harrogate have received strong support in a consultation.

North Yorkshire Council revealed plans in May to open the school for up to 80 pupils aged 11 to 19 on the site of the former Woodfield Community Primary School.

The six-week consultation, which ended on July 24, saw 90 out of the 105 responses – a total of 86 per cent – support the proposal.

Supporters said the site would be “ideal” for providing a safe learning environment, and that a special school was “absolutely necessary”.

But the consultation also highlighted a number of concerns.

Some people were disappointed the school won’t cater for primary school children.

Others asked why the existing special needs school Springwater School in Starbeck was not offered the Woodfield site as a satellite, or why the special education needs Forest School in Knaresborough wasn’t developed.

Woodfield School

The school closed in December.

The Conservative-controlled North Yorkshire Council’s executive will discuss the consultation next week.

Cllr Annabel Wilkinson, the council’s executive member for education, learning and skills, said:

“The new facility would help meet a rising demand for special school places in Harrogate, Knaresborough, Ripon and the surrounding area.

“Currently there are 432 children with the primary need of autism accessing existing North Yorkshire special schools and we are committed to providing further support.

“If given the go-head, the redeveloped school would provide children and families with a more local offer of provision that is currently unavailable without significant travel.”

The target opening date for the school is September next year. There are no planned changes to the community library and children’s centre on the same site.

Woodfield Community Primary School closed at the end of December after an “inadequate” rating by Ofsted and a decline in pupil numbers.

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Business Breakfast: Harrogate Town sign another sponsor

The Stray Ferret Business Club’s next meeting is an after work drinks event on Thursday, August 31 at The West Park Hotel in Harrogate between 5-7pm. 

The Business Club provides monthly opportunities to network, make new connections and hear local success stories. Get your tickets by clicking or tapping here.

Harrogate Town have announced a partnership with a Harrogate construction and plant hire firm.

Kitching Plant Hire has over 350 machines to buy and hire, including diggers, excavators, rollers and cement mixers.

The club said the firm’s commitment to innovation and quality mirrored its values.

Matthew Kitching, director of Kitching Plant Hire, said:

“We’re excited about our new partnership with Harrogate Town AFC, being proud supporters, we felt the timing is right to show our commitment to our local club.”

Joanne Towler, commercial director of Harrogate Town AFC, said the company’s support was “instrumental in driving our club’s progress”.

Harrogate and Boroughbridge companies help beautify York 

A  Borougbridge landscape contractor has partnered with a horticultural company in Kirk Hammerton to remodel the grounds of York Museum Gardens.

ATM Ltd, a landscaping, highway and maintenance company, has partnered with Johnsons of Whixley to supply thousands of plants to the 12.5 acre area of land as part of the recent Environment Agency flood defence improvements project.

ATM provided the project with all soft landscaping following engineering work to raise an existing flood bank, while the commercial plant suppliers selected plants to ensure pollination will thrive throughout the year.

The aim of the project is to rejuvenate the gardens, which were first established in the 1830s, and create a fresh and enjoyable space for the public.

Daniel McClaren, contracts manager at ATM Ltd, said:

“The plants were carefully selected with wildlife and seasons in mind. The gardens will be enjoyed all year round. ”

Eleanor Richardson, marketing manager at Johnsons, said:

“York Museum Gardens is on our doorstep, so it has been great to visit the site and see the hard work ATM have completed and see the plants thriving.”

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Ex-Simply Red band member to judge at Harrogate allotment show

A former member of the band Simply Red will be among the judges at next weekend’s allotment show in Harrogate.

Harrogate and District Allotment Federation will be holding its 62nd annual show in the Sun Pavilion in Valley Gardens from 11pm to 4pm next Sunday.

The show gives allotment plot holders from Harrogate, Ripon, Knaresborough and Boroughbridge the opportunity to showcase their gardening achievements.

The allotment sites will display Simply Red-themed arrangements for this year’s inter-site allotment competition

The arrangements, which will include red flowers, fruit and vegetables, will be judged by Knaresborough-born Tim Kellett, a former member of the band Simply Red.

The outstanding exhibit winner in 2021.

Judging will take place between 10am and noon and then Councillor Eamon Parkin, deputy mayor of Ripon, and his consort Lucy Proud will officially open the show.

Trophies will be awarded at the end to plot holders who have achieved the most points in certain categories or who have presented particularly good exhibits.

Nick Smith, director of Harrogate Flower Shows, will present the prizes.

Profits from the show go to a local nominated charity each year to enhance their gardening projects.

This year’s chosen charity is Ripon in Bloom, which intends to use the donation to help with the refurbishment of Bedern Bank.

The show includes a plant stall.

Entry to the Show is free. There will be a raffle, tombola stall, cakes, produce and plant stalls as well as artisan craft stalls and stalls showcasing local charities.

Stray Horns will play in the Bandstand from 1.30pm to 3.30pm.

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Photo of the Week: Roecliffe Sunrise

This week’s photograph was taken by Pete Durkin, capturing an early morning sunrise in Roecliffe.

Pete Durkin

 

Photo of the Week celebrates the Harrogate district. It could be anything from family life to capturing the district’s beauty. We are interested in amateur and professional photographs, in a landscape format.

Send your photographs to letters@thestrayferret.co.uk for a chance to be featured next week, we reserve the right to adjust and crop images to fit into our format.

Missing Harrogate girls found safe

Three missing girls from Harrogate have been found safe.

North Yorkshire Police have confirmed that two 13-year-old and a 16-year-old girl were found in Leeds and returned to their families.

The girls were last seen at 5pm on Thursday (August 10).

A police statement said:

“Protecting vulnerable people is of paramount importance to North Yorkshire Police.”

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Harrogate and Knaresborough MP supports housing asylum seekers on barge

Harrogate and Knaresborough MP Andrew Jones has said he supports the use of the Bibby Stockholm barge to house migrants.

The barge, moored in Dorset, has dominated the news this week.

Thirty-nine migrants onboard were removed on Friday after traces of Legionella bacteria were found in the water system.

However, the government remains committed to housing up to 500 men aged 18 to 65 on the vessel while they await the outcome of asylum applications — and Mr Jones agrees. He said:

“The people coming to this country on small boats are not fleeing an immediate threat of persecution.  They are coming from France.

“They are being exploited by people smugglers who are responsible for hundreds of migrant deaths in the Channel and in the Mediterranean. This is international, organised crime and we must not simply ignore it.

“I am interested in helping genuine refugees and preventing drownings in coastal waters. I also want to see migrants who are not fleeing persecution returned to their home country quickly.

“So I do agree with the decision to use the Bibby Stockholm as it will help speed up our processing of asylum applications, prevent people absconding once they arrive here and help us get genuine refugees into our housing and healthcare system quickly.”

‘We should be proud of our record’

The Stray Ferret asked Mr Jones if he agreed with fellow Tory MP Lee Anderson’s comment that the government had failed on immigration.

We also asked what he thought of Mr Anderson saying asylum seekers should “f*** off back to France” if they don’t like being housed on the barge. Last year Mr Jones told the Commons there was a ”problem with standards in our politics”.

Mr Jones said there was a collective failure across continents to tackle the issue. He said:

“People leaving poor countries where that country is a safe place and trying to get to rich countries is not something that can be prevented by the United Kingdom alone.  It is a global problem which requires a global response.

“That said, we should be proud of our record on helping genuine refugees. Since 2015 we have offered a safe and legal route to the UK to almost half a million men, women and children seeking refuge as well as family members of refugees.”

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Mr Jones suggested he disapproved of the use of the f word by Mr Anderson, who is deputy chairman of the Conservative Party. He said:

“Anyone who knows me, even slightly, knows how I express myself and it is very different to the way Mr Anderson expresses himself.  Indeed it is different to the way Labour’s Diane Abbott expressed herself on Twitter on exactly the same issue.

“I like to dial down the heat and focus on the facts.  And those facts are that we have migrants coming to this country, some legally and some illegally.  We need to help those who genuinely need it and return those who do not to their home countries.”

 

New play barn added to attractions at farm shop near Boroughbridge

A farm shop near Boroughbridge has added a children’s play barn to its attractions for families.

Yolk Farm, which offers a restaurant and shop as well as opportunities to meet and feed its animals, opened the new Yard@Yolk facility this week.

Emma Mosey, who has run the business near Minskip with husband Ben for the last six years, said she hoped it would add another reason for local families to visit.

She told the Stray Ferret:

“It all stems back from our mission and vision here which is educating kids and young families about farming, and being reconnected with food.

“A lot of the places that already exist are amazing, and can cost quite a lot to get in, particularly for a family with more than one child.

“Our aim is to make this a place people can come regularly and spend some time with their kids.”

The new Yard@Yolk on Yolk Farm will offer milkshakes and other treatsMilkshakes will be among the treats on offer at the new facility

Interest in the project has been high since it was first announced on social media last month.

The building where the play space is housed has been completely transformed from its original use.

Emma said:

“It was originally the hen barn. Late last year, we were told if we were to get avian flu within the hens in that location, we would have to shut the whole site, including the restaurant.

“It was a huge risk, so when the flock came to an end, we decided to move the new flock into a field a bit further away.

“It meant we had this big barn, in the middle of the car park, which was vacant.”

The barn now offers role play areas and ride-on toys, all connected to the theme of farming and food.

Visitors can buy hot and cold drinks, as well as snacks, milkshakes and ice creams, drawing on the menu from the adjacent restaurant.

Yard@Yolk is open daily from 10am to 3pm and entry is £2.50 per child.

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Red Arrows due to fly over Harrogate this afternoon

The Red Arrows are due to fly over the Harrogate area this afternoon.

According to the schedule, the jets will pass over Hampsthwaite at 4.14pm.

The RAF aerobatics display team is making a 26-minute flight from RAF Waddington in Lincolnshire to Blackpool, where an air show is being held tomorrow.

The Red Arrows was formed in 1964. It consists of nine red jets that are often accompanied with red, white and blue smoke.

If you catch the Red Arrows on camera, send us a photo at contact@thestrayferret.co.uk

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‘Dog waste can now be placed in any bin’, says council

North Yorkshire Council has responded to criticism of its new system for street litter bins.

Some 1,500 smaller litter bins in the Harrogate area are being replaced by a smaller number of new larger bins.

Many of the new bins are situated alongside main roads rather on dog walking routes to make them easier for council workers to get to.

Some dog owners are dumping poo bags in areas where the old bins were rather than walk to main roads and put their dogs on leads.

Dog waste piling up in Jennyfields.

The Stray Ferret has recently reported concerns about this policy in Knox and Jennyfields.

Barrie Mason, assistant director for the environment at the council, said the old bins were removed following a service review and the new approach conformed with good practice guidance from the Waste and Recycling Action Partnership charity.

He said:

“We are currently implementing a new infrastructure for our street litter bins in the Harrogate area.

“The newer bins have a larger capacity and house a wheeled bin. This means they are efficiently emptied by our larger wagons, reducing the risk from manual handling individual bags.

“With the greater capacity, fewer bins are required which helps to reduce street furniture, particularly in locations where two bins may have been placed close together.”

Dog waste ‘no longer classified as hazardous’

Mr Mason added:

“We are implementing new routes which reduce the number of vehicle miles and emissions while freeing up our street cleansing teams to provide a more proactive service, including in our urban areas.

“There are some associated savings from the project, from a reduction in the amount of skips, single use plastic liners and fuel we use.

“Dog waste is no longer classified as hazardous waste and can now be placed in any bin, eliminating the need for specialist bins that further reduce street clutter and manual handling risks. This also means dog waste can be placed in owners’ general waste bins when they return home without adjusting walking routes.”

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Mr Mason said bins “are emptied less frequently” in off-road areas in places like Jennyfields “but will be emptied as frequently as required”. He added:

“The emptying frequencies and bin locations are something we’ll be continuing to monitor.

“The work in Jennyfields is still ongoing, and officers are communicating with the relevant local councillor over the new locations and any issues that may arise.

“Harrogate leisure centre has a large open space with a basketball court, so we will be installing a bin soon.”