Ashville College Archives - Page 3 of 7

Accident reignites safety concerns near Harrogate schools

A road accident this afternoon has reignited safety concerns for children walking to school in Harrogate.

A red Fiesta mounted the pavement on Yew Tree Lane — the same street where 15-year-old Rossett School students Fraser and Reuben were taken to hospital with serious injuries following a collision with a vehicle in February.

No further details of today’s incident are known — the Stray Ferret has asked North Yorkshire Police to provide some information.

But the sight of a car on the pavement prompted the father of one of the teenagers who was injured in February to get in touch to say it reinforced the need for safer roads around schools.

He said:

“A lot of people are campaigning for a 20 mph speed limit on roads near schools.

“The issue feels very close to home when I see something like this so near to where my son’s accident took place.”

The Yew Tree Lane area is particularly busy because it caters for children attending three secondary schools — Ashville College, Harrogate Grammar School and Rossett School – as well as primary schools, nurseries and pre-schools.

But the parent said 20 mph “should be the limit outside all schools”, including small village primary schools.

A petition calling for a 20 mph limit to be imposed on streets across the south of Harrogate was handed to North Yorkshire Council last month.

Hazel Peacock, who delivered the petition on behalf of the campaigning parents, said the limit would “change people’s attitudes in regard to comfort around walking, cycling and mobility users”.

Travellers leave Harrogate’s Ashville College

Travellers left Harrogate’s Ashville College last night, three days after they arrived.

The fee-paying school postponed home sports fixtures when caravans pitched up on the sports field off Yew Tree Lane on Friday night.

North Yorkshire Police said last night all vehicles had vacated the field by 7.15pm.

A police spokesperson said:

“The Harrogate neighbourhood policing team has worked closely with the college and community partners to resolve this issue.

“Our officers are continuing to liaise with all parties and are carrying out patrols in the area to address safety and security concerns.”

Ashville College

An Ashville spokesman said it served notice on the travellers to leave the school grounds yesterday morning. He added:

“The police successfully handled the departure and we are delighted to confirm that they all have left the site.

“Crucially, the order served today prohibits a return to our site within the next twelve months.

“We have secured the entrance they forced themselves through on Friday night.

Ashville head Rhiannon Wilkinson said in a letter to parents:

“It has been a challenging three days and I am enormously grateful to my colleagues in boarding who have done an exceptional job looking after the boarders this weekend in what have been difficult circumstances.”

Police patrols monitoring travellers at Harrogate’s Ashville School

Ashville College in Harrogate said today police were conducting regular patrols after travellers set up camp on the sports field.

An encampment arrived at the independent school on Friday night.

In an update today, a spokesman for the college said it had been working with North Yorkshire Police “and other authorities to expedite the removal of the travellers from our sports field”.

He added:

“As a precautionary measure, there is a fence running the width of the site to separate the school from the travellers.

“They have been instructed by the police, who are carrying out regular patrols, not to go near school buildings or any pupils.”

Home sports fixtures were postponed following the weekend arrival of travellers.

The spokesman said:

“Thanks to the hard work and vigilance of all our teaching and support staff, the school is fully operational today, although there have been some minor adjustments for our youngest pupils in Acorns pre-prep and reception.

“GCSE and A-level examinations are running as usual in the sports centre. Sports lessons, and after-school clubs and activities, are also uninterrupted.

“We are providing regular updates to families until the situation is resolved, and thank them for their continued support and understanding.”

Travellers previously pitched up on Ashville’s sports fields off Yew Tree Lane in August 2021 and demanded money to leave.

The Stray Ferret asked North Yorkshire Police what action it had taken but has not received a response.

Police alerted after travellers set up camp at Ashville College

A group of traveller families has set up camp on Ashville College’s sports field off Yew Tree Lane in Harrogate.

The independent fee-paying school said is was alerted at 9.00pm last night to their arrival and that police have attended the scene.

In a statement the school said it was working closely with the police to remove the travellers and their vehicles as soon as possible.

This not the first time travellers have pitched up on Ashville’s sports fields. In August 2021 travellers parked on the school’s land and demanded money to leave. They left only to return weeks later. The school then started legal proceedings against them before they eventually departed.

Today Ashville College said:

“Naturally, our priority is to ensure the safety of our pupils and to minimise disruption to normal School life. We have taken a number of precautionary measures today including postponing home sports fixtures and ensuring close supervision of our boarders as they move around the campus.

“All parents were contacted on Friday evening and we will continue to update them as we monitor the situation.

“We are grateful to our families for their understanding, and praise our staff for making every reasonable effort to prevent the break-in. The continued vigilance of our staff and supervision of pupils on-site is of paramount importance”.

Harrogate school road safety petition handed in to council

A petition calling for a 20 mph limit to be imposed on streets across the south of Harrogate has been delivered to North Yorkshire Council today.

Asking the council to consider the blanket limit across Rossett, Pannal Ash, Oatlands, Woodlands and Hookstone, the petition attracted more than 900 signatures.

It was set up by parents concerned about children’s safety when travelling to schools in the area, and gained the backing of groups including Harrogate District Cycle Action and Zero Carbon Harrogate.

Hazel Peacock, who delivered the petition this morning on behalf of the campaigning parents, said:

“We’re just delighted we’ve got this number of signatures. It shows the support for the proposal of this change, which could bring such positive benefits from a road safety perspective.

“Once you have that, it will change people’s attitudes in regard to comfort around walking, cycling and mobility users.”

She handed the petition to Elizabeth Jackson, democratic services manager for North Yorkshire Council.

After surpassing the required 500 signatures, it will now be debated by the council’s Harrogate and Knaresborough area constituency committee.

Councillors John Mann, Pat Marsh and Michael Schofield, whose divisions cover the area of the proposed speed restriction and supported the restriction, all sit on the committee and handed over the petition with Hazel this morning.

Cllr Mann, whose Oatlands and Pannal division includes three primary schools, Ashville College and several nurseries and pre-schools, said:

“There is an urgent need in particular for a 20 mph limit for Yew Tree Lane, Green Lane, Hookstone Road, and Beechwood Grove, all of which are used by large numbers of children going to and from local schools, and I have emphasised this to the highways team at the council.

“In relation to the A61 Leeds Road, I have also written to the head of highways, Cllr Keane Duncan, to request that the 50 mph speed limit on Almsford Bank be reduced to 40 mph to reduce competitive speeding, and to improve road safety for schoolchildren using the pavements along the A61 near to the neighbourhoods of Stone Rings, the Fulwiths, and the Firs.

“The current risks to pedestrians using the A61 in this area were highlighted in January when a driver managed to overturn his car and demolish a 30mph sign at the top of Almsford Bank in the morning rush hour. In the same month, another vehicle overturned due to speeding in the early morning rush hour on Hookstone Road close to the junction with Hornbeam Park Avenue.”

The demolished 30 mph sign on Leeds Road

Cllr Mann said he would prefer the A61 Leeds Road to maintain its 30 mph limit through Oatlands in order to ease traffic flow, but that a reduction in the limit elsewhere was “urgently needed”.

He referenced a collision on Yew Tree Lane in which two 15-year-old boys from Rossett School were seriously injured, and another collision on Beechwood Grove which left an Oatlands Junior School pupil requiring hospital treatment – both of which happened while the children were on the pavement.

He added:

“These shocking events, combined with evidence showing that more than 10 children are killed or seriously injured in road crashes every week travelling to school, demonstrate the case for immediate action.

“With thousands of pupils travelling to and from the schools and colleges of south and west Harrogate during the week, implementing a maximum speed of 20mph in these areas has the potential to increase safety significantly.

“I really hope that this petition is looked upon favourably by the North Yorkshire Council highways team.”

Malcolm Margolis, a member of Harrogate District Cycle Action, said reducing the speed limit would also make cycling a safer option for many families travelling to and from schools.

He said:

“It’s a terrific initiative by Hazel and the others. It’s absolutely needed in this area of Harrogate and we hoe it will be the start of it becoming normalised.

“In other countries, it’s just normal. You see parents and grandparents picking up children on their bikes. There’s no reason why we should be different.

“In a calmer 20mph environment, it’s so much more pleasant for anyone who isn’t in a car. In an urban area, it actually makes very little difference to journey times.”

Cllr Marsh, who represents Stray, Woodlands and Hookstone for the Liberal Democrats, said she also backed the plan, and hoped it would be supported by North Yorkshire Police.

She added:

“I’ve been supporting this idea for a very long time. My late husband and I got a 20mph limit put outside Hookstone Chase Primary School and some of the residential streets close by well over 15 years ago.

“My only issue is I wish the police would monitor it, because if they don’t, motorists know it and will ignore it. We can’t put our children at risk.”

Harrogate school cleaner chops lockdown locks for charity

A long-serving Harrogate school cleaner has cut her locks for the first time in three years to raise money for children who have lost their hair through cancer.

Carla Del Sarto, who has worked at Ashville College for more than two decades, had not had her hair cut since the first covid lockdown.

But this week she had 33 centimetres clipped off in aid of the Little Princess Trust, a charity that provides real hair wigs to young people who have lost their own hair through cancer treatment and other conditions.

Carla kept her fundraiser and new look a surprise from her family and friends, until after she had her secret snip at Mandies Hair & Beauty on King’s Road.

She said:

“Childhood cancer is an illness close to my heart, having supported one of my best friends in our home country of Argentina when she sadly lost her teenage daughter, Macarena, to this terrible disease.

“Macarena decided to have her hair cut before she started her cancer treatment and also donated it to create wigs for those who had lost their hair.”

Mandie Rushton, founder of Mandies Hair & Beauty, said:

“We are doubly proud to be able to support our friend Carla and such a worthy cause.

“We’ve been styling hair for women and men in Harrogate for more than 30 years – and this has been one of our favourite appointments!”

The big haircut, performed by stylist Sev Ivanov, is the latest in a series of ventures Carla has undertaken to support good causes since lockdown.

She joined Harrogate Scrubbers, a group that started making scrubs and other personal protection equipment for staff at Harrogate District Hospital.

Anyone wishing to support Carla’s fundraising can do so here.

Pressure grows as politicians join calls for road safety outside Harrogate schools

Pressure is mounting for action to be taken to improve road safety around schools in Harrogate.

Harrogate and Knaresborough MP Andrew Jones has added his voice to calls for reduced speed limits and other measures.

It follows a collision on Thursday, February 2 outside Ashville College which saw two 15-year-old boys from Rossett School left with serious injuries.

Writing on his website, Community News, Mr Jones said he had written to the chief constable of North Yorkshire Police, Lisa Winward, to request immediate action.

He said he had called for mobile speed cameras to be deployed on Yew Tree Lane and Green Lane “as precautionary measures while the police investigate the cause of the accident”.

He has also asked Ms Winward to support traffic-calming measures around the area, including the introduction of 20mph zones outside the entrances to Rossett School and Ashville College.

He added:

“I have been supporting residents in the area for some time in their requests for the county council to work with the police to reduce speeds.

“While we do not yet know if speed was the cause of this incident, we do know that it is a real problem on the long straight roads near Rosset School (sic) and Ashville College.

“There is already a 20mph limit outside the Pannal Ash Road entrance to Rosset School (sic) but no obvious speed signage on Green Lane nor outside the entrance to Ashville on Yew Tree Lane. This seems odd and is something I would like the county council – who are the highways authority – to look at immediately.

“As a precaution too I have asked if police speed checks can be increased in the area while we await the outcome of the investigation. As soon as the investigation is completed any lessons must be identified and actions taken. Road safety around schools, all schools, is a priority.”

Meanwhile, a meeting last week saw 10 headteachers express their concerns to representatives of North Yorkshire County Council and North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service.

The meeting was chaired by Red Kite Learning Trust CEO Richard Sheriff and attended by the heads of Harrogate Grammar, Rossett, Rossett Acre, Ashville, Western, St Aidan’s, St John Fisher, Oatlands Infant and Oatlands Junior schools.

NYCC’s corporate director of business and environmental services, Karl Battersby, and highways area manager Melissa Burnham were also taken on a walking tour of the Oatlands area to see the problems and solutions proposed by local campaigners.

They also offered to do the same on Harlow Hill, and said they would report back with some proposals before Easter.

Dr Jenny Marks, who has spearheaded the campaign for changes for more than two years, told the Stray Ferret:

“It was very powerful that all the headteachers were there, and our councillors.

“The council representatives told us it was a difficult town to get changes in, but they definitely want to work with us on it.”

Councillors around the area have also been supporting the campaign, with two present at Wednesday’s meeting to back the schools’ concerns.

Cllr Mike Schofield, the Liberal Democrat representative for the Harlow and St George’s division of North Yorkshire County Council, said he has been backing the parents’ plans since the day he was elected.

He told the Stray Ferret:

“The tragic events of last week surely go to highlight the issues with the amount of traffic on our roads that are in very close proximity to four schools, one nursery and nursing homes. I know one of the two young men who were involved and get daily updates on their progress, which unfortunately could well be long and slow.

“If we really wish to promote active travel we need to ensure safer roads, safer crossings and safer footpaths. Council need to listen to local residents and have more meaningful and in-depth consultations and use local businesses when it comes to drawing up plans as they have greater knowledge and understanding of local issues.”

In the Oatlands area, parents have also been looking at measures including park-and-stride schemes using local car parks.

Parent Hazel Peacock, whose children attend Oatlands Infant and Junior schools, said they had had support from Cllr John Mann, the Conservative representative of the Oatlands division, who also attended the meeting.

Both he and Cllr Pat Marsh, the Lib Dem for Stray, Woodlands and Hookstone, had used some of their locality budgets to support the planned improvements.

Ms Peacock said she was hopeful NYCC would carry out improvements the footpath between Hookstone Road and Fulwith Mill Lane, to make it more usable even during winter months.

The Stray Ferret contacted Cllr Mann for his views, but had not received a response by the time of publication.

Fundraising appeals set up for Rossett students injured in Harrogate crash

Two online fundraising appeals have so far raised more than £2,000 for two teenagers who were injured in a crash in Harrogate.

The 15-year-old boys, Reuben and Fraser, were taken to hospital when a van collided with a wall on Yew Tree Lane last Thursday.

Lorraine Mitchell, a friend of both teenagers’ parents, set up a GoFundMe page following the crash.

The boys, both pupils at Rossett School, were walking along Yew Tree Lane and were left with serious injuries.

So far, the page has raised £1,090.

Ms Mitchell, who spoke to the Stray Ferret about the campaign, said the money would help the teenagers’ parents be with them during their recovery. She said:

“We were all shocked and incredibly saddened by the crash and know this support will be gratefully received by both families.”

Meanwhile, Julie Mills, of Ainsty Road in Harrogate, also set up a GoFundMe page to raise money for the families of the two teenagers.

Posting on the fundraiser, Ms Mills said:

“The families of these young boys are going to need all the help and support at this terrible time.”

At the time of writing, the campaign has generated £1,319.

North Yorkshire Police confirmed this morning that no arrests or charges had been made in relation to the incident.

Two drivers interviewed over collision with teens on Yew Tree Lane

Two men have been interviewed under caution after a collision in Harrogate yesterday that left two teenagers in hospital.

The men, both aged in their 40s, were the drivers of the Ford Ranger van that collided with a wall on Yew Tree Lane, and of the Vauxhall Astra also involved in the incident.

Both had remained at the scene yesterday to help police with their investigations, along with the driver of a Ford Fiesta, who has not been interviewed under caution.

The two 15-year-old boys who were injured remain in hospital today, North Yorkshire Police has confirmed.

A spokesperson for the force said:

“Officers investigating the collision are continuing to appeal for anyone who witnessed the collision or who has a dashcam and was travelling in the area around the time of the collision to come forward.

“Members of the public should contact 101 and quote reference number 12230019910.”

The incident happened yesterday morning around 8.45am.

The boys, both pupils at Rossett School, were both walking along Yew Tree Lane and were left with serious injuries.

Nearby pupils rushed to the scene before Ashville College staff provided first aid until emergency services arrived.

The boys were taken to hospital by road ambulance. Police have not provided any further update on their condition.

Two Rossett pupils seriously hurt in collision remain in hospital tonight

Two 15-year-old Rossett School boys remain in hospital tonight after being seriously injured in a collision that involved three vehicles.

The incident happened around 8.45am when one of the vehicles, a pick-up truck, collided with a wall and went into the grounds of Ashville College on Yew Tree Lane.

The boys were walking to school when the accident happened.

Tonight police gave details of the three vehicles involved: a black Ford Ranger, a blue Ford Fiesta and a white Vauxhall Astra. All the drivers remained at the scene and provided information to police.

No arrests have been made and the boys, who were taken to hospital by ambulance, remain there this evening and continue to be treated. Their families have been notified.

Road closures are still in place but are due to be lifted later this evening.

A nearby resident told the Stray Ferret she heard screaming and “a lot of commotion”. She said:

“I didn’t know what had happened but I was saying to my boyfriend, ‘how has this person done this?’ Then there was a lot of commotion and I said, ‘I think they must have hit someone’.”

The witness, who asked not to be named, said there were ambulances on the scene very quickly, followed by other emergency services, and she had “never seen so many emergency vehicles”.

Although she did not witness the collision, the witness said she saw the scene moments later as others rushed to help.

She added:

“The school children were down there first, trying to help and do something. Everyone got ushered and moved away when the teachers came out from the school.

“The school first aider came out and covered [the injured teenagers] in silver foil blankets until the paramedics arrived and took over.”

Tonight, police appealed for all witnesses to come forward:

“This will have been a distressing incident to witness, and we urge those who have been affected by the events to seek the necessary help if needed.

“We are appealing for anyone who witnessed the events or who has a dashcam and was travelling in the area around the time of the collision to contact us.

“This can be done by calling 101 and quoting reference number NYP-02022023-0100.”

Read more:

Read more:

Read more:

Read More:

Read more:

Read more:

Read more:

Read more:

Read more:

Read more: