Ferret Unlocked: what you missed in news last week

Last Thursday, August 1 was Yorkshire Day and what better reflection of the region’s success than the ever-growing medal tally for Harrogate and the district in the Paris Olympic Games.

From Ripon diver Jack Laughter’s bronze to former St John Fisher’s pupil and rower Georgie Brayshaw’s gold medal, the Stray Ferret has been following along closely with all the action.

As unmissable as the Olympics action is, we’ve not just remained glued to the TV. 

The news team has ensured they’re at the forefront of providing quality local journalism across Harrogate, Knaresborough, Ripon, Boroughbridge and the surrounding areas.

At the weekend, our Ripon correspondant Tim attended the city's annual St Wilfrid's Procession, to highlight the vibrancy of the long-standing tradition.

We also took a trip to Knaresborough Lido last week, for a two-part series exploring whether the recent acquisition of bathing water status means it’s safe to swim in and speaking to residents and visitors about how comfortable they felt taking the plunge.

On the topic of environmental issues, our weekend feature on the invasive species that have 'escaped' Harlow Carr focused on what this means for native flora and fauna in the area.

The age-old journalism practice of the door knock came into full force when we visited two new-build estates in Boroughbridge and Pannal to find out more about residents’ experiences living there, for a social observation piece.

Look out for the second article focusing on Jubilee Park, due to be published in the coming week.

It was a good week for Stray Ferret exclusives too – we spoke to two local MPs, Julian Smith and Sir Alec Shelbrooke to understand what the first month post-election looked like, and their future ambitions for the constituencies they represent.

In Harrogate specifically, we brought you the latest updates in long-running stories that we’ve covered diligently in the past.

Firstly, we posed questions to Harrogate Spring Water’s managing director Richard Hall about the progress of the contentious planning application to expand the bottling site, felling 450 trees.

Our article tackling the unveiling of the latest Station Gateway design was one of the website’s most commented on stories – remember, if you’re a subscriber, you can also join in the conversation – find out how here.

Subscribers to the Stray Ferret can also enjoy a vast array of exclusive offers and discounts - from family days out to romantic date nights, there's something for everybody to take advantage of. This week we're featuring Yorkshire adventure company Live For Today's fantastic offer of 10% off any onsite activity at their Ripley Castle or Hazelwood castle sites.

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