Ferret Unlocked: what you missed in news last week

This past week, the Harrogate district’s only Paralympian paid a visit to the Stray Ferret offices.

Charlotte McGuinness competed for Great Britain at this summer’s Paralympic Games in Paris.

In a feature-length interview, she spoke to us about the highs of competing at the highest level and coming back down to earth just days after the competition ended. Subscribers can read about her experience here.

With the news that Harrogate Convention Centre may be about to embark on a new chapter under a public-private partnership business model, we took a closer look at what this could mean for the centre.

Anyone affected by the change – and, given that the centre contributes an estimated £45 million to the local economy, that’s most of us – will be interested to know the rationale behind the move, what it might mean in real terms, and which other convention centres operate in this way.

The Stray Ferret delved into the important questions surrounding the centre this weekend. You can read our article in full here.

Another sporting sensation from the Harrogate district featured on the Stray Ferret this past week.

John Parry is the district’s very own professional golfer and competes across the globe.

He told us in an interview that the sport is both the “best and worst job in the world”. Catch up on our conversation with him in full here.

Finally, some 10 years after residents campaigned for an incinerator at Allerton Park to be scrapped, there is more concerted opposition — this time against plans for an asphalt plant.

We took a trip out to meet residents involved in the Communities Against Toxins campaign, which is calling for North Yorkshire Council to reject plans for the plant near to the current waste recovery park.

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