It’s time to join the Stray Ferret Business Club. The fourth in our series of networking events, with Banyan Bar & Kitchen, is a breakfast event on April 27 from 8am.
Don’t miss out on this chance to network with businesses from across the Harrogate district. Get your tickets by clicking or tapping here.
T&R Theakston is to launch a special edition beer, brewed in honour of King Charles III.
Crowning Glory is a 4.2% ABV speciality regal gold beer and continues the brewery’s tradition of creating limited edition ales to celebrate royal occasions.
It joins a distinguished lineage including Celebration Ale, which marked Elizabeth II’s silver jubilee in 1977 and most recently, Royal Salute which commemorated the diamond and platinum Jubilees in 2012 and 2022.
Simon Theakston, joint managing director at Theakston Brewery, said:
“As a brewery we’re immensely proud of our almost 200-year heritage and it’s fascinating to consider that as a business we have been witness to nine monarchs and seven coronations. It’s only right we continue the honourable tradition of celebrating these key historic moments for our country by creating a special beer to mark the coronation of King Charles III on 6th May.”
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Chamber holds business safari event
Harrogate District Chamber of Commerce is to hold its regular Business Safari this evening.
The event at the Pavilions of Harrogate is a “speed business networking” session with gives members an opportunity to showcase their business to others and make new contacts.
The session starts at 5.30pm. Admission is free to book a place click here.
Harrogate pub Christies reopens after refurb
Harrogate pub Christies has reopened after closing for a month-long refurbishment.
The watering hole on Kings Road, owned by Punch Pubs and Co, welcomed customers to take a look at the new-look pub last Thursday.
The building has had a fresh coat of paint and builders have been busy giving the bar and outside a makeover.
Despite some changes, new managers Lee and Ben say every effort has been made to ensure the pub keeps its “traditional unique character and pub-like atmosphere”.
For drinkers there is a choice of five draft lagers, four cask ales and a selection of craft beers.
There is also a finger food menu that includes burgers and hot dogs.
Previous landlords Marik Scatchard and Jo Jarvis left the pub in July after over 14 years.
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Harrogate marketing agency toasts 20-year longevity with bespoke beer
This article is sponsored by Extreme.
A Harrogate-based marketing firm has shared its 20th anniversary celebrations with clients by creating a bespoke beer to mark its longevity.
Extreme was set up in 2002 by directors Antony Prince and Mark Gledhill and focused on brochure websites and small search engine optimisation projects, before demand increased and the pair hired a range of experts to handle requests for both marketing and development.
Since then the company, which is based at Harrogate’s Windsor House, has gone from strength-to-strength. Their team of 25 in-house experts help business and brands of all sizes, local and international, with every aspect of their marketing.
To celebrate its two decades of success, Extreme teamed up with Harrogate Brewing Co to create “Staying Power”, a session IPA which would help mark the milestone but also represent the agency’s longevity and skills in branding.
Staying Power.
Antony Prince, director at Extreme, said:
“20 years in a fast-paced and sometimes fickle industry is something we’re very proud of.
“We’ve built a fantastic reputation for our creative and technical capabilities and we’ve worked with some amazing brands.”
As well as a celebration of the milestone, the beer was also an opportunity for Extreme to flex its muscles and show its talent in branding.
The idea behind the brand was to create a product which represented endurance but also adaptability.
Extreme used the story of the hare and tortoise, which teaches that self-belief, confidence and patience are the key to longevity and, as such, “staying power”.
As a mark of appreciation, staff at Extreme shared the beer with a host of its clients both old and new.
The design represents adaptability and longevity.
Martha Joyce, Branding and Social Manager at Harrogate Brewing Co, said:
“Working with Extreme to create a bespoke beer for their 20th Anniversary has been an absolute pleasure.
“As a family business with a true passion for beer and brewing, we use only the best ingredients so we can deliver quality craft ales to all our clients.
“By joining forces with the incredible design talents of those at Extreme, we’ve certainly created a beer worthy of celebration and the cause it was created for.
“It’s always a great experience to team up with other local businesses and produce something special to celebrate their achievements. On behalf of everyone at Harrogate Brewing Co, we’d like to congratulate them on their milestone – we hope this beer exemplifies at its best, your true ‘Staying Power’.”
For more information on Extreme and their branding services go to madebyextreme.com.
Andrew Jones MP to vote against Boris Johnson tonightHarrogate and Knaresborough Conservative MP Andrew Jones has said he will vote against Prime Minister Boris Johnson in tonight’s confidence vote.
Sir Graham Brady, chairman of the 1922 committee of backbench MPs, confirmed this morning that a ballot will be held at 6pm today.
The move comes as the threshold of 15% of the parliamentary Conservative party seeking a vote of confidence in Mr Johnson was met. He will need the support of 180 MPs this evening to remain as PM.
In a statement published in various media outlets, the MP said he will not be supporting the PM due to the partygate scandal.
The MP said he has received emails from “hundreds of people” in Harrogate and Knaresborough, with most of them calling for the PM to resign.
The statement said:
“There were many harrowing stories in those emails where people couldn’t visit elderly relatives or mourn them at their funerals. These were people following the rules the Prime Minister set and championed.”
The Stray Ferret has asked Mr Jones for a copy of the statement but we did not receive a response.
The statement in full is below:
Credit – Yorkshire Post
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Woodlands pub to keep its name after £200,000 refurb
Heineken hopes to complete a £200,000 refurbishment of the Woodlands pub by Christmas — and the name will stay the same.
Star Pubs and Bars, who’s parent company is the Dutch brewing giant, first unveiled plans to give the pub a facelift in December 2020 that included a new outdoor seating area.
But it planned to give the pub a controversial new name, West Riding Harrogate, which didn’t go down well with some local residents.
Pat Marsh, the Liberal Democrat borough councillor for Harrogate Hookstone, said local people were attached to the Woodlands name and she hoped the owners would rethink plans to change it.
Cllr Marsh believed there had been a pub called the Woodlands on the site since at least the 1940s.
The name will stay
Last week Heineken announced it has earmarked £2.3m for investment into some of its venues in Yorkshire and Humber.
Jez Scott, North East investment manager at Star Bar and Inns, told the Stray Ferret he expects £200,000 of this will be spent on the Woodlands.
But he said the refurb will only begin once they have found a new landlord for the pub. It has been advertising the role for the last 18 months.
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Mr Scott said:
“We are in talks with a couple of interested parties, it does take time to find the right operator and to align our shared ambition for investment of our tenanted public houses and agree terms.
“We are hoping to be able to agree terms, get board approval and re-launch the site in time for Christmas.
He confirmed that the company no longer plans to call the pub West Riding Harrogate.
Mr Scott added:
Beer festival finale to Ripon Cathedral’s celebration weekend“We are looking at incorporating the Woodlands name into the final scheme, the feedback from the local community was appreciated and we listened.”
The quarter hour chime of the cathedral clock reminded visitors to Dean John Dobson’s Ripon garden that it was time to toast a successful launch to the city’s 1350 celebrations.
There was also a sense of relief that the annual beer festival he and his family host was back after two years of covid lockdowns.
Dean John, enjoying his pint of Wilfrid’s Ale — specially created in honour of Ripon’s patron saint — told the Stray Ferret:
“People have clearly missed it and this is looking like our biggest-ever turn out.
“It’s a great conclusion to the 1350 launch weekend, which provided the prelude to a whole host of activities and events between now and October.”
The bar team at the beer festival, ready to serve the first customers.
Bishop’s fingers on the pump – the Rt Revd. Jonathan Gibbs, who is the Bishop of Huddersfield, gave the bar team a helping hand
Baby Levi and his dad, Ben, were also on bar duty
To accompany the food and beers, seven bands provided live music.
The hundreds of people present between 11.30am and 5pm to try out some fine examples of the brewers’ craft, added to the thousands who had visited the cathedral for a wide range of events, talks and displays in honour of St Wilfrid, who founded the cathedral in AD 672.
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Landmark Knaresborough pub sold
The Half Moon pub in Knaresborough has been sold.
The free house on Abbey Road has been bought by Trust Inns, a Chorley-based company that owns nearly 500 pubs in England, Scotland and Wales.
The landmark pub is close to the town’s Low Bridge and has been extensively refurbished in recent years.
A team from the Half Moon takes part in the annual tug-of-war competition over the River Nidd against punters from nearby Mother Shipton’s Inn, although the event has been cancelled for the last two years due to covid.
Trust Inns tweeted news of its new purchase today, and included a photo of the pub’s new landlord, Tom.
https://twitter.com/trustinnsuk/status/1518969438405632002?s=20&t=fejl1LtYkJh3DBFS29WLXA
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Ripon pub set to unveil new £170,000 renovations
The Golden Lion pub in Ripon is set to open a new beer garden after undergoing renovations costing over £170,000.
The pub in Allhallowgate will open the space, which the owners describe as a “secret garden”, this weekend.
Pub owner Nigel Ayton explained:
“We started renovations before Christmas and are set to open this Saturday. We’ve called it the secret garden due to the fact that looking at the pub you would have no idea it had such a beautiful open area at the rear.”
Mr Ayton and partner, Shelly Herron, initially took over The Black Swan in 2019 on a trial tenancy, before taking on a pub in Easingwold.
But due to the location and the distance from their families, Mr Ayton and Ms Herron decided to move back to Ripon after enquiring about The Golden Lion in January 2021.
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Despite initially being told it wouldn’t be a long-term agreement, in October 2021, Greene King announced they would invest £170,000 into the pub.
Mr Ayton added:
New Harrogate bar for craft beer lovers could be coming soon“It’s not been the best of starts for us as we decided to go into the pub trade/business in December 2019, only to be faced with lockdowns. But now we feel things have turned the corner and can’t wait to get the Golden Lion on the map.”
The owners of Husk Beer Emporium in Harrogate hope to open a bar this summer that showcases the best craft beers from the UK and abroad.
Danny Duckworth and Tom Gill, both 33, opened the shop on King’s Road just before the first covid lockdown. It sells a wide array of craft beers with idiosyncratic branding and flavours.
They said the next step is opening their own bar and they recently submitted plans to Harrogate Borough Council to do this.
The bar would be in a unit that was previously home to Greek restaurant Souvlaki on Station Square, opposite the Queen Victoria monument.
If all goes to plan, they said the venture could open by May. It will offer live music, meet the brewery nights, food, outdoor seating and an ‘Aladdin’s cave’ of unique beers.
The bar would open in this empty unit on Station Square
‘Weird and wonderful’ beers
The friends met as students at St Aidan’s Church of England High School and are excited by the prospect of moving into a more prominent location in the town.
Mr Duckworth believes craft beer can offer a more immersive experience for drinkers than traditional real ale, due to its taste combinations and flavours.
He said variety was the key to what they offer.
“We pride ourselves on weird and wonderful beers”
As well as selling more traditionally brewed craft beers, Husk also has a well-stocked range of alcohol-free and gluten-free options.
Mr Duckworth said:
“People come here on a Friday and buy eight bottles of beer and they will all taste different.”
Inside Husk Beer Emporium
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Craft beer trail
Craft beer muscled its way onto the drinking scene several years ago and the trend has proved that it has staying power.
Harrogate was once not known for alternative, DIY-style bars, but Mr Duckworth said Major Tom’s Social opened the door for places like the Disappearing Chin, North Bar and themselves.
Mr Gill said he hopes Husk bar can be part of a Harrogate craft beer trail, boosted by the Station Gateway scheme that would see the outside area at the end of James Street pedestrianised to allow for al-fresco summer drinking.
He said:
“More and more people are seeking places like this out.”
Mr Duckworth added:
Harrogate charity beer festival to return in March“The craft beer scene in Harrogate is buzzing for us to open, we hope they can support us.”
The Harrogate and District RoundTable Charity Beer Festival will return to the town’s Crown Hotel on March 11 and 12.
The 32nd edition of the festival will offer over 40 cask ales and 10 keg beers as well as ciders, wine, Prosecco and gin.
The festival has raised over £500,000 for local charities since it began in 1990. This year it will be supporting Samaritans and Martin House Hospice.
The event was cancelled last year due to covid.
Posting on its Facebook page, Harrogate RoundTable said:
“Let’s band together, say “Cheers!” and support our community.”
If you’re interested in tickets and wristbands for the festival, visit its website.
The RoundTable is an association of men between the ages of 18 and 45 that supports local causes.
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