The Stray Ferret Business Awards, sponsored by Prosperis, will be held on March 9 at the Pavilions of Harrogate. The event will celebrate success and business excellence across the Harrogate district. It’s a night not to be missed! There’ll be a fabulous prize draw for all attending and Richard Flinton, the incoming Chief Executive of North Yorkshire Council, is guest speaker. You can purchase tickets here.
Raworths solicitors in Harrogate has announced the promotion of Adam Colville-Robins to an associate in the Dispute Resolution team.
The new role will see Adam continue his work for commercial and private clients on cases involving property or contractual disputes, as well as debt recovery.
Adam’s appointment is the latest in a series of senior promotions over the past year overseen by managing partner, Simon Morris.
Mr Morris said:
“We are committed to nurturing talent across the firm at every level, from working with our trainee solicitors to complete their qualifications to supporting senior team members develop specialist knowledge in their chosen fields.
“In addition to providing legal training and support to its staff, Raworth’s has also trained three of its employees to become ‘mental health first aiders.”
Deborah Boylan, Raworths’ people partner, said:
“It’s a challenging recruitment market and candidates are now looking beyond salaries and client portfolios; it’s also about workplace culture and a supportive environment.”
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Bettys supports Brain Tumour Charity
The Bettys Bakery and Cookery School is raising money for Yorkshire’s Brain Tumour Charity (YBTC), which marks 20 years of supporting patients and carers in March.
The decision to support the charity comes after Bettys employee, Dave Smith, was diagnosed with a grade 4 glioblastoma.
Dave and colleague on walking challenge to raise money
Dave’s colleagues at the cookery school have raised more than £7,000 for YBTC since November, with a target to raise £20,000 by the end of the year.
The £20,000 goal commemorates both the charity’s 20th birthday and the 20 years Dave has worked for Betty’s.
During Brain Tumour Awareness Month, which coincides with the charity’s birthday in March, YBTC will encourage supporters to wear flat caps and meet for a pint or a cuppa as part of their Flat Cap Brew campaign.
Bettys will be hosting their own Flat Cap Brew in the bakery, and running a ‘wear your best hat’ photo competition.
Marie Peacock, CEO of YBTC said:
“We want everyone to get together for a Flat Cap Brew that is bigger, better and more ‘Yorkshire’ than ever to help us celebrate 20 years of funding research and support for patients and families.”
Bettys celebrates new Railway Children movie with steam train display
Bettys Café Tea Rooms in Harrogate has created a new window display celebrating the release of The Railway Children Return movie.
The front window features a biscuit version of the steam train featured in the film, hand-decorated at Bettys Craft Bakery.
As the sequel to one of the most beloved family films of all time, The Railway Children Return stars some of the original cast and is described as “an adventure for a new generation”.
Like the original film, it is set in West Yorkshire with scenes shot in and around the countryside of the Keighley and Worth Valley Railway .
The movie is currently playing in cinemas and has received generally favourable reviews with the Guardian concluding it’s “an amiable and ingenious tribute to the innocent, good-natured spirit of the original”.
In partnership with the film, Bettys has created a limited-edition gift box, filled with a selection of treats.
Bettys’ waitress Rose Seddon with the limited edition gift boxes
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Recruitment crisis forces Bettys in Harrogate to close early
The Harrogate branch of Bettys is closing four hours earlier than normal due to the worst recruitment crisis in the company’s recent history.
Bettys usually stays open until 9pm but has recently closed at 5pm.
The 102-year-old Harrogate institution said today the covid pandemic was still having a huge impact on business even though lockdown restrictions have been lifted.
Bettys, which has six stores in Yorkshire, currently has 53 job vacancies, 39 of which are in Harrogate. Of the 39, 16 are for its cafe on Parliament Street, 13 for its cafe at Harlow Carr and 10 for its bakery.
Branch director Nicky Sellers said the recruitment crisis was being felt across the hospitality industry but in the past three to four months it had become a particular difficulty for Bettys.
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Ms Sellers said lockdown had brought huge amounts of uncertainty with the industry opening and closing over the past 18 months. She said some staff had left to pursue more secure careers, adding:
“The lockdowns have certainly impacted recruitment in the hospitality sector and Bettys isn’t the only one feeling that. We know from the industry body UKHospitality that other restaurants, cafes and bars across the country are in the same boat.
“The branches are really busy at the moment, which is terrific for us, but without the full compliment of staff we’re struggling, and we’re not even back to full capacity in the café tea rooms.
“We haven’t experienced a recruitment crisis like this in our recent history.”
Ms Sellers added the company didn’t know how long the current predicament would last but she hoped the industry would be able to stabilise again and “people recover their confidence in cafes being secure and fulfilling places to work”.
Are you looking for a job? Check out our jobs page for vacancies in the Harrogate district.