Travellers depart Harrogate’s Ashville College after fracas leaves man in hospital

Travellers have left Harrogate’s Ashville College following a fracas on Saturday night that left one man in hospital.

Six caravans returned to the playing fields at the fee-paying school last week a fortnight after a previous encampment, thought to be the same group of people, pitched up.

Their presence raised safeguarding concerns that could have disrupted the new school term, which is due to start this week.

But following a disturbance on Saturday night, most of the travellers have now gone — and the few remaining are expected to depart today.

A spokesman for Ashville College said:

“Of the six caravans that returned on Saturday afternoon, just one remains and they are expected to leave this afternoon.

“Their departure follows an incident on Saturday night confined to this group, which resulted in police attending the scene and one man being taken to hospital. There has been a police presence since the incident occurred.

“We would like to emphasise that no member of the school community was involved in any way, and parents and staff have been fully appraised of the situation.”

School reviewing security

The school is now looking at ways to prevent travellers returning a third time. The spokesman said:

“A full review of the site security was already underway, and this process will now be expedited.”

A North Yorkshire Police spokesman said the incident was believed to be an altercation between two men at the location.

The spokesman added:

“Both were arrested and bailed pending further enquiries.

“We will be reviewing this tomorrow with the local Neighbourhood Policing Team.”

No staff, students or anyone else connected with the college is believed to have been involved.

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Harrogate school takes legal action after travellers return

Ashville College has said it has commenced court proceedings to evict a number of travellers after they returned this weekend.

About six caravans drove onto Ashville’s sports playing fields, near the boarding houses, on Yew Tree Lane.

It is believed it is the same group that pitched up two weeks ago.

Ashville College said in a statement it is a major safeguarding concern as boarding pupils have now moved back in ready for the new school term to begin this week.

It added it had begun court proceedings to have the group removed.

A spokesman for Ashville College said:

“A group of travellers who illegally moved on to our sports fields two weeks ago have regrettably returned.

“With our boarding pupils now here for the start of the new school year, and day pupils returning in just a few days, this is a major concern for us.

“We have once again called the police, and have alerted our solicitors to begin court proceedings to have them evicted.”

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When the travellers arrived two weeks ago, they told school staff they were on their way to a wedding in Ireland after attending the annual Appleby Horse Fair in Cumbria.

The travellers said if the school paid them £5,000 they were prepared to leave immediately without causing any damage.

They left leaving no damage three days later.

‘We will not resort straight away to criminal prosecution’ of travellers, say police

North Yorkshire Police has said it will not “resort straight away” to criminal prosecution of travellers who set up illegal encampments.

Travellers have pitched up at Hay-a-Park in Knaresborough and on the playing field at Ashville College in Harrogate this month.

Asked today by a member of the public why officers did not use the Criminal Disorder Act 1984, which prohibits trespassing, deputy chief constable Phil Cain said the police always looked to resolve the matter at “the earliest opportunity”.

But he added the force had a “graduated response” to dealing with such incidents.

DCC Cain, speaking at a North Yorkshire Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner public accountability meeting, said police had to balance the human rights of all those involved, particularly as the travelling community often has families with small children.

He said:

“The graduated response from North Yorkshire Police, as it is with other forces, is that we will not resort straight away to criminal prosecution. We will engage with the travelling community and the land owners as we have done on this occasion.

“We will seek to resolve the matter at the earliest opportunity using the least intrusive means possible. That includes graduating up through private land owners utilising powers in civil courts for unlicensed travellers settlements all the way through to the final element, which would be criminal prosecution.

“On this occasion, local officers have engaged with the travelling community and they have agreed to move on without the need for us to resort to criminal prosecution.”

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“It’s not that we are not prepared to use these powers, it’s that there has to be a graduated response and we have to show that graduated response in order to show that we are complying with the Human Rights Act.”

Last week travellers set up camp on Ashville College’s rugby pitch and demanded £5,000 to leave, according to a college spokesperson.

However, after less than two days the travellers hitched up their caravans and moved on. The college said they left of their own accord.

Hay-a-Park rugby field in Knaresborough was sealed off by police and deemed to be a health hazard due to the amount of human excrement after travellers departed on August 10.

Knaresborough traveller site Hay-A-Park

A police cordon sealing off Hay-a-Park rugby field after travellers left.

Young Harrogate tennis star, 12, makes Wimbledon debut

A pupil from Ashville College has competed in a juniors tournament at the famous Wimbledon ground.

12-year-old Emi Linley made her way to the doubles quarter final in a six day juniors tournament.

The Road to Wimbledon under-14s tournament saw pupils across the country compete on Wimbledon’s grass courts.

Emi was one of two players in Yorkshire to be selected as part of an initiative by All England Lawn Tennis Club.

9,000 pupils across the country competed, making it the largest junior girls competition in the country. Only 120 made it to the quarter-finals in which Emi competed.

Emi has been tennis training since she was four years old and now trains a minimum of 12 hours a week. She said;

“This was my first time playing at Wimbledon, and it was a great experience. It felt very special being there and I’m determined to win a place again next year.”

Duncan Archer, Ashville’s head of sports development, said:

“This is a fantastic achievement for Emi, and she should be incredibly proud of reaching the finals of this national tennis tournament.

“Almost 9,000 young players took part in this competition and Emi was one of just 120 who made it through to the finals. She is a fantastic tennis player and regularly beats competitors older than her.

“While this may have been Emi’s Wimbledon debut, I can assure you it won’t be her last.”

She is currently hoping for a victory in the ongoing 2021 Yorkshire Tennis Championships.

Travellers leave Ashville College without causing damage

A group of travellers who set up camp at Ashville College in Harrogate have now vacated the sports field without causing any damage.

The travellers parked up their caravans at the fee-paying school’s rugby pitch on Tuesday evening. A spokesman for the college said they were prepared to leave immediately for £5,000.

According to the spokesman, the group are on their way to a wedding in Ireland after attending the annual Appleby Horse Fair in Cumbria.

The school was concerned that if the group stayed for a prolonged period then it could have to delay the start of the new term on September 8.

Ashville College called the police and started the court process to evict them.

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However, after less than two days the travellers hitched up their caravans and moved on. The college said they left of their own accord.

Groundskeeping staff at Ashville College then carried out an inspection of the field and found no damage.

So Ashville’s series of summer sports activities can now resume outdoors after the presence of travellers forced the school to take it inside.

A spokesman for Ashville College told the Stray Ferret this morning:

“We are pleased to report that after less than two days, the travellers that set up camp on our sports pitches have now vacated the grounds.

“Our groundskeeping staff have conducted a thorough inspection of the rugby fields and can confirm that there is no damage, and that they are safe for games to be resumed.”

‘Significant hurdles’ could delay moves to evict Ashville College travellers

North Yorkshire Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner Philip Allott has warned that attempts to remove travellers from Harrogate’s Ashville College face “significant hurdles”.

Travellers parked at the fee-paying school’s rugby pitch on Tuesday evening and remain on site. A spokesman for the college said the travellers had indicated they were prepared to leave immediately if they received £5,000.

Now the school has said it may have to delay the start of the autumn term on September 8 if the travellers do not leave because of safeguarding concerns. The college has already had to relocate outdoor summer sports activities to indoors.

But any prospect of a swift resolution to the matter seems remote.

A spokesman for Ashville College told the Stray Ferret police officers said they were powerless to take action when staff got in touch because it is a civil rather than criminal matter.

The Stray Ferret asked North Yorkshire Police about the incident but has not received a response.

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Harrogate Borough Council has said it is willing to give advice to the college but is also powerless to act because the encampment is on private land.

Mr Allott, whose job is to hold the police to account, told us police and local authorities were in a tricky spot when it came to travellers. He said:

“I know how frustrating it can be for residents who feel helpless when travellers arrive in their community, and how frustrating it can be for the police and local authorities who want to help but face significant hurdles doing so.

“The issue is that trespass is a civil offence and not a criminal offence. So if the encampment is on private land such as Ashville College, it is the landowner’s responsibility unless there are other crimes being committed.”

New law could speed up evictions

The situation may change if the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill, which is currently going through Parliament, becomes law.

The bill proposes making “residing in a vehicle on land without permission” a specific offence.

It will also give the police power to seize vehicles and speed up the eviction process for councils and private landowners.

Mr Allott, whose home town of Knaresborough has also recently been visited by travellers, added:

“Although the instigator of the initial complaint will still mostly be the local authority or landowner, it will mean that things will happen much faster and that they can also use the police for enforcement purposes instead of bailiffs.

“Frankly, these measures can’t come soon enough for many here in North Yorkshire and I continue to urge the Home Secretary to get these powers written into law as soon as possible.

“We must support residents, schools and sports clubs – who often suffer the most from the impact of these illegal camps.

“These changes would, I hope, also be welcomed by the vast majority of travellers who get an unfair and negative image despite the majority abiding by the law.”

Travellers set up camp at Harrogate’s Ashville College – and demand £5,000 to leave

Travellers have set up an illegal camp on the sports field at Harrogate’s Ashville College — and demanded £5,000 to leave immediately.

The school has said their presence raises safeguarding concerns that could delay the return to school on September 8.

Cars and caravans drove onto the rugby pitches behind the fee-paying school’s Mallinson boarding house on Yew Tree Lane last night.

According to a college spokesman, they told school staff they were on their way to a wedding in Ireland after attending the annual Appleby Horse Fair in Cumbria.

However, the travellers said if the school paid them £5,000 they were prepared to leave immediately without causing any damage.

But if no money was forthcoming, they said they would increase the length of their stay and implied they would invite other members of the travelling community to join them, the spokesman added.

This week, the college is staging a series of summer sports activities for boys and girls. These have now had to be brought indoors as the college is concerned about the safety of the children.

Despite the camp’s presence being a safeguarding issue, the college is worried that the only route it can now take to remove the travellers is to apply for a court order, which could take up to 10 days, and interrupt the start of term.

The spokesman said:

“Despite the travellers illegally camping on our grounds, which is private property, and their presence being a child safeguarding issue, the police state they are powerless to take action.

“This has already impacted on our summer sports camps and there’s a possibility the start of the new term may have to be delayed.

“We are now having to engage the services of a solicitor to help us apply for a court order, and in the meantime we are powerless to do anything, which is incredibly frustrating and worrying.”

Olympian Adam Peaty inspires young swimmers in Harrogate

Olympian Adam Peaty has inspired the next generation of swimmers in Harrogate at Ashville College today.

Adam Peaty headed to the college’s sports centre early this morning, where he will be all day to train young athletes and leave parents and staff starstruck.

Fresh from taking two gold medals at the Tokyo Olympics and the announcement that he will take part in Strictly Come Dancing, Mr Peaty was keen to take that momentum with him.

The Race Clinic in Harrogate was a £219 per ticket sell-out event.

It is one of ten taking part across the UK and the only one in Yorkshire. Staff at Ashville College believe that he may be back next year as well.

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Adam Peaty told the Stray Ferret outside the sports centre where there was a festival atmosphere:

“I mean obviously you can win Olympics and do everything in your sport but if you cannot take that to the grassroots level back home then you are not maximising that potential.

“So this is the whole project around it. You never know what the butterfly effect of something like this can be.

“It’s not necessarily the talent, it’s more about the energy. We overwork and overthink with our children. I just want them to stay in the present and enjoy the moment, have a bit of a laugh.”

Dominic Bradburne, director of sport at Ashville College, also told the Stray Ferret:

“I don’t think we can measure the difference it will make, maybe we will see that in 10 or even 15 years time.

“Adam could inspire that one person to become a star, we just do not know. I am sure that everyone will take something away from today.

“Who knows? We might see some of these pupils here today at the next Olympics. I have spoken to him a couple of times, he’s very grounded.

“We can only hope that we have picked up some knowledge from him and take that into the other sports camps we have got at Ashville College.”

The swim clinic features three different stations. The first will focus on the breaststroke and will be led by Adam Peaty and Edward Baxter, a British swimming champion and record holder.

Adam Peaty’s gym coach Robert Norman will lead the second session which will dive into injury prevention.

Station three, led by Tim Shuttleworth, will give an insight into how to gain the mental edge necessary to compete successfully.

It comes just weeks after one of the biggest names in world ballet Wayne Sleep also visited the school for the Yorkshire Ballet Seminar.

Olympic champion Adam Peaty heads to Harrogate to inspire swimmers

Double Olympic champion Adam Peaty and soon-to-be Strictly Come Dancing contestant Adam Peaty is set to inspire the next generation of swimmers in Harrogate.

Adam Peaty, who is the most successful British swimmer in more than a century, is bringing a Race Clinic to Ashville College on Monday, August 23.

The sell-out £219 per ticket event, which is being staged in the college’s Sports Centre, is one of ten taking place across the UK, and the only one in Yorkshire.

Swimmers between 8 and 17-years-old can take part. It comes just weeks after one of the biggest names in world ballet Wayne Sleep also visited the school for the Yorkshire Ballet Seminar.

The swim clinic features three different stations. The first will focus on the breaststroke and will be led by Adam Peaty and Edward Baxter, a British swimming champion and record holder.

Adam Peaty’s gym coach Robert Norman will lead the second session which will dive into injury prevention.

Station three, led by Tim Shuttleworth, will give an insight into how to gain the mental edge necessary to compete successfully.

After the practical training sessions of each swim clinic, Adam will share lessons, wins, losses, and biggest learning experiences with the course participants.

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Duncan Archer, Head of Swimming, Athletics and Sports Development at Ashville, said:

“Adam is a national hero, one of our greatest ever Olympians, and an inspiration for young swimmers keen to emulate his success in the pool.

“A few short weeks ago, he was in the Olympic pool, in Tokyo, and soon he’ll be in our pool!”

Anna Rakusen-Guy, Ashville’s Events and Lettings Manager, said:

“We are absolutely delighted that Adam and his team have chosen Ashville for one of their ten race clinics, and the only one in Yorkshire.

“Our sports facility, which includes a heated 30m swimming pool, are used by a variety of different sports clubs and individuals throughout the year.

“Over the years, they have been home to a number of different sport camps, including the Andrew Flintoff Cricket Academy, the Louis Smith Gymnastics Academy, plus others coaching rugby, netball and hockey.”

Harrogate girl, 8, sets up fidget toy business in school holidays

An eight-year-old girl from Harrogate who has set up her own business during the school holidays is already sending her fidget toys across the country.

Lucy Chesters, who has just finished Year 3 at Ashville College, set up her business called Win at Life Kids on Thursday last week.

Fidget toys are the latest craze for children. They can be squeezed, stretched, flipped and can help to distract who are anxious or stressed.

In just a few days she has already restocked after sending toys to customers in Newcastle, Bradford and Leeds.

While she is following in the footsteps of her mum Louise Chesters, who owns Dizzy Duck on Albert Street, Lucy has also been doing things her own way.

As well as setting up a website and stall in her mum’s boutique, Lucy has also started her own TikTok channel where she shows off her products.

Those videos have already been seen hundreds of times, something which has helped her reach customers outside of Harrogate.

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Lucy told the Stray Ferret:

“I think they are popular because they feel nice, I like the texture, the sounds and the colours of them.

“Maybe schools should teach more about business then it might inspire others.”

Her mum Louise Chesters is very proud of her daughter. She said:

“I am really proud of Lucy and how proud of how quickly it has developed and progressed.

“She started a couple of weeks ago filming TikToks for Dizzy Duck. But Lucy and her friends are interested in fidget toys so it has evolved from there.

“Lucy has done really well, she is really excited about it. I really just wish we had helped her with it sooner because she has taken a great interest in it.”