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31

Jan

Last Updated: 30/01/2026
Community
Community

Editor's Pick of the Week: Bettys gets the boot and the Stray set for summer festivals

by John Plummer

| 31 Jan, 2026
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This article, which is free to read, gives a flavour of the 100 or so articles we publish each week all exclusively focused on local issues. To access the links, and other content, please subscribe here and support independent local journalism. It costs as little as 14p a day.

What will visitors to Bettys teahouse at RHS Garden Harlow Carr be told when they ask a Fat Rascal in a few weeks’ time? “Scone.”

The old joke could be revived this week after the gardening charity announced Bettys’ 20-year tenancy inside the garden will end this spring.

Visitors are unlikely to need to bring a flask, however — there will be four refreshment options available.

With the weather forecast indicating the sun is not due to make an appearance in these parts until February 9, there was at least the promise of summer in this week’s news.

Entries for Rudding Park’s annual 10.5-kilometre race opened on Monday and by Tuesday all 675 places had been snapped up at £36 a pop. Talking of Rudding, more details emerged this week of a forthcoming major leisure development, which includes a new golf clubhouse and four tennis courts.

The summer news vibe continued with the announcement of the line-ups for two festivals on the Stray: Harrogate Fake Festival and Love to Be. An Elton John tribute act is among the fake festival acts — anyone remember Elton himself coming to Harrogate in 2012, when it was even wetter than now?

On the same September weekend as Love to Be, Sophie Ellis-Bextor will be doing her thing at a supercar show at Grantley Hall. Is she contractually obliged to sing Murder on the Dancefloor everywhere she goes, and does she get sick of it or just count the money?

There appears to have been too little money to count recently at two well established Harrogate businesses.

Latin American-themed bar Revolución De Cuba said ‘adios’ after it closed with immediate effect after 10 years on Parliament Street.

Days later Claire’s, which has been part of the Victoria Shopping Centre for 10 years, announced a closing down sale.

Finally, the National Trust announced that work will start on its £4.6 million Studley Revealed project this week. It’s been described as the most significant change for a generation at the UNESCO World Heritage Site, but park runners fear not — the weekly 5k run is not affected. 

StarBody of man in his 20s found in HarrogateStarBrothers jailed for keeping handgun and ‘Samurai-style’ sword at Harrogate house