Harrogate recycling project celebrates 20th anniversary

A community project run by Harrogate’s Bettys & Taylors celebrated its 20th anniversary last week.

The Cone Exchange marked two decades of recycling on Friday.

The idea was sparked by Chris Powell who worked in the Taylors tea production hall at the time.

He was showing a group of children around the factory, when one child saw a cardboard cone being put into a recycling bin and requested to take it home to make a Christmas angel.

From there, the Cone Exchange was born and has since dedicated itself to recycling waste, raising money for charities and bringing the community together.

The project, which is based on the Bettys & Taylors Harrogate site, collects waste from businesses and the wider community to raise money, which is then donated to local charities, including Horticap and Henshaws.

It has also worked with a range of local initiatives, including planting trees with the Yorkshire Dales Millennium Trust, as well as providing work experience for people with additional needs.

Mr Powell is now the events and education co-ordinator for the project and has helped over 200 schools, playgroups and community groups teach young people about recycling.

He said:

“From that first spark of the idea for the Cone Exchange, our aim has always been to release the potential of things that others might see as waste, and seeing the ability, not disability, in people.

“By encouraging the reuse and repurposing of items that some might consider ‘trash’ into treasure, we try to capture people’s imaginations and show them how they can make a difference to protect the planet and raise funds for local good causes.

“I don’t think any of us ever imagined how far-reaching our impact would be so it’s lovely to celebrate and thank so many of our key partners and supporters from the last two decades.”

The Cone Exchange has raised over £200,000 in the last decade from talks, events and sales of recycled materials.

Sarah Wells, community manager at Bettys & Taylors, added:

“We have long-standing partnerships with some brilliant local charities and groups and by working together, we create a wider-reaching impact. Not to mention our team of community volunteers who give their time, crafty skills, and ideas, and without whom we couldn’t run the project.

“And finally, this special occasion offers us the opportunity to recognise and thank Chris. His dedication and creative vision for this project, along with his commitment to supporting our local community has been enduring for 20 years and we are delighted to be able to recognise these achievements today.”

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Cyclists light up Harrogate streets to raise funds in memory of founder

Fifteen cyclists took to the streets of Harrogate in festive style in memory of one of the group’s founders.

Members of Bertie Bikers toured the streets of Harrogate, calling into pubs to collect donations for the British Heart Foundation.

The event was held in memory of group founder Andy Sample, who died unexpectedly earlier this year after suffering a heart attack.

Co-founder Mark Madeley said:

“He was larger than life, a real character who liked a beer and liked a laugh.

“He used to come away if we went on trips. We hadn’t seem him for a while because of covid and things, but we thought he was OK.

“We were all incredibly shocked.”

Mr Sample, who was a grandfather and worked at Bettys and Taylors, helped to set up the group almost two decades ago. As a customer of Prospect Building Supplies in Starbeck, he met employees Mark Gilbert and Gary Johnson.

Mr Madeley, who is Mr Gilbert’s brother-in-law, said the trio began discussing ways of keeping fit as they headed into their 40s, and a cycling group was set up by all four of them.

It has met every Thursday since to tour parts of Harrogate and Knaresborough, often ending at Bertie’s on Knaresborough Road. More friends and colleagues have been added to the numbers over the years.

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The annual Christmas ride began a few years ago, complete with costumes and decorated bikes, but has never been used to raise money – until now.

More than £750 has been raised already, with donations still rolling in, and Mr Madeley said the group is planning to use the Christmas ride as a fundraiser every year from now on:

“We had loads of cars parping their horns, people walking were waving and cheering, and even cars with windows winding down and the children waving at our Santas.

“We’ve talked about doing it for charity for a number of years. This year, it spurred us into action and in future we’re going to nominate a local charity to support each year.”

To donate to the British Heart Foundation in Mr Sample’s memory, click here. To find out more about Bertie Bikers, click here to email Mr Madeley.

Bettys to close early for staff celebration tonight

Bettys will close its tea rooms early today as staff gather to celebrate the end of two difficult years.

The ‘Big Get Together’ will see all 1,600 staff from Bettys & Taylors invited to mark the hard work done by the company’s individuals and teams since 2020.

Today will be the first time everyone has been able to get together for what has been an annual celebration since the start of the covid pandemic.

Organiser Victoria Turner said:

“Every year we hold our internal Honours Awards which recognise the achievements and successes of our people over the 12 months.

“This year also marks the 60th anniversary of Bettys & Taylors coming together as Group, so it’s a special opportunity to bring everyone together to celebrate and reconnect after the challenges of the last two years.”

The tea rooms at Harrogate, York, Northallerton and Ilkley will close at 3.30pm today, while Harlow Carr closes at 4pm, to allow staff to join the celebrations.

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