Ferret Unlocked: what you missed in news last week

This past week, the Stray Ferret investigated the whereabouts of a special piece of Harrogate’s history.

The park drag, a Victoria horse-drawn coach, was made in 1873 and is thought to be the only one remaining to have been built at a Harrogate coachworks on York Place.

The late spa town historian, Malcolm Neesam, reported in the Stray Ferret in July 2021 that the coach was in storage “in a secure depot in the south of England”.

However, little has been heard about its whereabouts since. The Stray Ferret investigated this and you can read the full story on what we found out here.

Meanwhile, the Labour government’s drive to build more homes across the country has caused concern in the corridors of power in North Yorkshire.

Our chief reporter, Calvin Robinson, took a closer look at deputy prime minister Angela Rayner’s proposal to more than triple housing targets in the county.

North Yorkshire would be tasked with building over 4,000 houses a year. But is the target realistic and what do local politicians make of the move?

Elsewhere, this past week we reported on the decision not to hold a Christmas lights switch on in Harrogate this year.

But such events in Ripon, Knaresborough and Boroughbridge generate huge crowds and festive cheer each year. So why not Harrogate? We took a closer look at the issues in this article.

In other news, we reported on the Harrogate teen who was diagnosed with a rare and aggressive form of cancer this year being invited to photograph a special royal occasion.

Liz Hatton, 16, has desmoplastic small round cell tumour — a sarcoma so rare only 12 cases are diagnosed per year in the UK.

Her mother told us she has weeks to live, but this has not stopped her from chasing her ambitions.

The condition spurred Liz into fulfilling her dreams as a photographer, and she was invited to share her talent with Prince William and Catherine, the Princess of Wales, last week.

Finally, subscribers to the Stray Ferret can take advantage of a range of fantastic exclusive offers, discounts and giveaways from local businesses, which we regularly update.

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