Bilton artist sells paintings from his garage to millionaires abroad

Tucked away in a garage in Bilton is a local artist who, when not teaching, can be found splashing colour onto canvases for people across the globe.

Martin Sloan graduated from Sunderland University with a Fine Art degree in 1999. He said like many creative people he dreamed of making money out of his passion.

Now, he is the head of art at King James’s School in Knaresborough and sells his art for as much as £3,000 to hang in homes and offices around the world.

When he’s not teaching you will find him paintbrush in hand in his garage studio putting all his energy and emotion onto the canvas.

Mr Sloan uses wild and bright colours to create his abstract art and calls it “his escape and biggest passion”.

His studio in Bilton.

Living in Bilton for 16 years, Mr Sloan said his art sales have really picked up in the last year with one going a millionaire dollar mansion in New York.

He said:

“Art still really excites me, I’m surrounded by it all the time at school and then at home. Sometimes I’m inspired by a walk along the Nidd sometimes it’s a holiday in the South of France. That’s why I love it.”

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Mr Sloan puts his style of art down to his “transient lifestyle growing up in the military”. He says the abstract nature is a reflection of moving a lot and only settling to an area later in life with his wife and children.

He is often amazed by where his art ends up:

“It’s amazing that it comes from my garden shed in Bilton and they go all over the world.”

Hidden away in Bilton

Harrogate woman: ‘A hand grenade was found in my garden’

A woman from Harrogate has spoken of her shock at discovering there was a hand grenade in her garden today.

Sandra Warburton’s family home on Gordon Avenue, in Bilton, became the centre of a police operation today when the explosive device was found.

The house has been in Ms Warburton’s family for 60 years but it was only today, the day after she sold it to her daughter, that the grenade was discovered.

Ms Warburton, who received a call from her son-in-law this morning saying he’d found the device, said she was shocked and bewildered. She added:

“It could have been there when we were little”.

Her son-in-law contacted North Yorkshire Police, which quickly responded by placing a cordon on the street and giving nearby residents the option to evacuate.

Two bomb disposal experts arrived just after 1.15pm and were able to safely remove the device and leave, along with other police officers, about 30 minutes later.

Ms Warburton said:

“These things just don’t happen. My son-in-law that found it this morning, he just rang and said someone was on their way to deal with it. He was moving all sorts of things around and he found it in the garden.

“But they’ve found it and said it was fine now. I just can’t believe it.”

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Police cordoned off three streets in Bilton after the discovery on Gordon Avenue, just off Bilton Lane, late this morning.

A police statement said:

“Police evacuated a small number of houses whilst the Ministry of Defence made an assessment on the device.

“The MoD recovered the device and the cordon is now lifted.”

Police cordon lifted after hand grenade discovered in Harrogate

A Harrogate street has returned to normality after bomb squad officers dealt with a hand grenade in a garden.

Police cordoned off three streets in Bilton after the discovery on Gordon Avenue, just off Bilton Lane, late this morning.

A bomb disposal unit from the Ministry of Defence rushed to the street, which is between Richard Taylor Church of England Primary School and Bilton Cricket Club.

The team departed at about 1.40pm and the police cordon was lifted and people allowed to return to their homes.

A spokesperson for North Yorkshire Police said:

“An explosive device was found by a member of the public in their garden at a property on Gordon Avenue today.

“Police evacuated a small number of houses whilst the MOD made an assessment on the device.

“The MOD recovered the device and the cordon is now lifted.”

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A resident on Gordon Avenue told the Stray Ferret about the “mad moment” police knocked on their door.

The resident, who requested anonymity, was evacuated at around 12.30pm, said:

“This is obviously not something that happens everyday, it is quite mad really. Definitely rare for Harrogate.

“We saw that the police were on the street. The next minute the officers were knocking on my door.

“They said that they had called in the bomb squad because the neighbour had found a bomb.

“Not everyone was evacuated, just the residents who live quite close by. Police were quick to get people away.”

Police: no rise in far right activity in Harrogate district

North Yorkshire Police has said there is nothing to suggest an increase in far right activity in the Harrogate district despite several shocking incidents this year.

The Stray Ferret has reported three instances of swastikas and anti-semitic slogans appearing in Harrogate and Knaresborough in 2021, including one last weekend.

In addition, racist stickers appeared on the window of a disused shop on James Street in September.

A Freedom of Information request to the police revealed it had logged just five incidents of anti-Jewish hate crime in total in 2017, 2018 and 2019.

So far this year swastikas have appeared on Trefoil Drive and Bilton Lane in January, on the iron bridge in Bilton in August and on Knaresborough castle last weekend.

A North Yorkshire Police spokesperson said:

“These incidents are clearly abhorrent and disturbing. We can assure the local community that the police take such matters extremely seriously.

“It is unclear what the motivation was behind the recent incidents in Knaresborough, and it is not yet known if they are linked or have any connection with the previous incidents of this nature at Harrogate.

“However, there is nothing to suggest an increase in extreme right-wing ideologies or activity in the local area.”

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The constabulary urged residents to report hate-related incidents, such as graffiti and criminal damage, by dialling 101.

The Stray Ferret approached the Harrogate Hebrew congregation to ask if it had noticed any increase in ant-semitic activity but it declined to comment.

The swastikas and a vile anti-semitic message sprayed on Knaresborough castle last weekend have now been removed.

Police said a 49-year-old man was arrested in connection with the attacks in January and remains under investigation.

Bilton residents voice frustration over crime at public meeting

There was frustration and anger at a meeting of Bilton and Woodfield Residents’ Association last night about crime and anti-social behaviour in the area.

Residents voiced criticism towards North Yorkshire Police for a perceived lack of action over the issue.

The meeting was held at Bilton Grange United Reform Church and residents asked questions to a panel that included PC Brendan Frith from NYP, Bilton Conservative councillors Matt Scott and Paul Haslam, Liberal Democrat councillor and Mayor of Harrogate Trevor Chapman and Julia Stack from Harrogate Borough Council’s safer communities team.

It was chaired by Reverend Alan Crump who invited questions from around 30 residents that were in attendance.

The main topic of debate was anti-social behaviour and crime with several questions focusing on issues around the Woodfield Road and Albany Avenue areas of Bilton.

One person received a round of applause after they said the area had deteriorated.

“I’ve been on this street for 50 years and it’s never been like this. Good neighbours are moving out and we are sick of it”.

Another said:

“We’re stuck here but we’re not living the lives we want to live. Nothing gets done.”

Cllr Scott, whose Bilton ward includes Woodfield Road, said he is in regular contact with residents of Albany Avenue about what he called “a very complex situation”.

He added:

“There is an issue with tenants who don’t respect neighbours. That isn’t right. They are being let down by a small minority.”.

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Andrew Hart, the owner of Bilton’s post office, said the community police officers in Bilton were doing a “good job” but his reports of suspected drug dealing had been ignored. Other residents told the panel that they did not have faith that their reports to police would be followed up.

Mr Hart said:

“I sent names of drug dealers dealing crack to NYP. Did I get a response? No, nothing seems to happen and you feel like you’ve interrupted them.”

In response, PC Frith said the police often need more information before they can take action. Cllr Haslam also urged residents to report any suspected criminality to the police.

PC Frith said:

“We need a lot of information. If we want warrants for a drugs bust we need information from more than one person. We need to be sure that we will get results.”

Speeding

Also discussed was speeding in Bilton, with calls to make the whole of the Harrogate suburb a 20mph zone.

Cllr Scott said he was in favour of traffic calming measures in Bilton but there were obstacles to overcome.

“Getting a 20 mph zone is not as easy as I’d like it to be. I can’t wave a magic wand and get them.”

PC Frith reiterated that the public must report to the police issues of crime or anti-social behaviour, including speeding.

“We’ve had zero reports of speeding on Woodfield Road. We know it’s happening but we need reports.”

Scrutiny of loss-making Brierley Group delayed by nine months

North Yorkshire County Council has been criticised for delaying scrutiny of its loss-making Brierley Group.

The council set up the Brierley Group in 2017 to bring together council-owned companies and save money.

But the group, which includes housebuilding company Brierley Homes, reported a loss of £639,000 last year.

Brierley Homes’ developments include Woodfield Square in Bilton and Millwright Park in Pateley Bridge.

Council officials this week told a shareholder committee the group had bounced back with a “really positive” first three months of the financial year.

But a Conservative councillor questioned why the Tory-run authority had delayed its corporate scrutiny committee examining the performance of the Brierley Group by some nine months.

Cllr Richard Musgrave, who represents Escrick, said: 

“Our scrutiny is pretty much pointless if it is so out of date considering it.

“The Brierley Group made a whacking great loss for the year to March 2021.

“I certainly have some questions I would like to ask about the performance of the Brierley Group.”

Does council have business acumen?

Cllr Musgrave’s concerns follow other members of the authority questioning whether the council has the necessary business acumen to run the array of firms, in particular housebuilding.

However, senior county councillors said they were positive the losses could be recouped.

The committee was told the Brierley Group was seeing “promising shoots of recovery”, with a predicted profit by the end of the year of £51,000 as complications arising from the covid pandemic begin to wane.

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Members heard the Brierley Group’s education service was adapting to meet changing demands and its internet access arm had seen a strong start to the year.

They were also told First North Law, a council-controlled law firm, had been buoyed by improved performance, waste management company Yorwaste had performed well and its building design consultancy was forecasting a return to profitability.

However, Brierley Homes was forecast to generate a loss for the year of £712,000.

The meeting heard a primary concern for Brierley Homes was the availability of materials and labour to complete committed projects to time, cost and quality.

Brierley has a ‘perception problem’

Cllr Don Mackenzie, executive member for access, said the outlook for Brierley Homes was much more positive than the council had become accustomed to over the last year, and highlighted how the authority was forecast to receive £4.3 million in savings and benefits this year from its companies.

Cllr Gareth Dadd, the council’s finance executive member, said Brierley Homes was suffering from a “perception problem” due to upfront housebuilding costs and when its developments in Harrogate and Pateley Bridge were completed next year the figures would look different.

He said: 

“If you were a layman looking at that sort of balance loss or perceived loss you would be quite startled by it. We know that it is not a true reflection.

“We have a duty to shoot this loose rabbit dead that it is costing the taxpayer hundreds of thousands of pounds or has even snowballed into millions.

“It is going to take some time before we realise the benefits of it. Politically we are going to have to live with the perception issue with the hope that those who are casting doubt on it listen to the full story and not just a headline figure.”

Harrogate’s ‘forgotten’ war memorial restored to former glory

A dilapidated war memorial in Harrogate’s Grove Road cemetery has been restored.

The memorial contains the names of 16 men from the Bilton and High Harrogate areas who lost their lives in the First World War.

When the nearby methodist church in which it stood was converted to flats, the memorial was relocated to the cemetery.

It was left in parts on pallets and had remained there since, almost forgotten in the undergrowth.

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Paul Haslam, a Conservative councillor who represents Harrogate Old Bilton on Harrogate Borough Council and Harrogate Bilton and Nidd Gorge on North Yorkshire County Council, spearheaded a campaign to see it restored.

Work cost about £6,000 and was paid for by Harrogate Borough Council. It was completed by local builders Dean Alexander and Nathan Procter, who are both ex-servicemen.

Dean Alexander and Nathan Procter

Cllr Haslam said he was “delighted” to see it finished.

He added:

“We look forward to Armistice Day when people can commemorate the sacrifices these people made with the fitting memorial restored to as it was intended”.

Woodfield school taking ‘effective action’ to improve, says Ofsted

Harrogate’s Woodfield Community Primary School is taking “effective action” to improve after being placed under special measures by Ofsted.

Ofsted inspectors rated the Bilton primary school as “inadequate” in January last year.

They found children were not attending school, lessons did not “follow a logical sequence” and there was no strategic plan to allocate funds for disadvantaged pupils.

Inspectors recommended that the school be put in special measures as it was “failing to give its pupils an acceptable standard of education” and added that those responsible for governing the school were not “demonstrating the capacity to secure the necessary improvement in the school”.

When a school is placed in special measures it is given an action plan to improve and is inspected regularly by Ofsted to ensure it is improving.

However, officials now say the school is taking action to improve.

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Ofsted visited the school in June and said staff were working well with management to systemically improve.

It added that parents were positive about the school. All those who responded to an Ofsted online questionnaire would recommend the school to other parents.

Woodfield Community Primary School

Woodfield Community Primary School

Mathew Atkinson, executive headteacher at Woodfield, said: 

“There are many things to celebrate in the report: attendance, SEND, behaviour and the curriculum have all improved and we have clear areas to continue to develop. 

“We are taking the right actions towards the removal of special measures and we are looking forward to another great year at Woodfield.”

Jo Marwood, head of school, said:

“We are proud of the report from Her Majesty’s inspectors and it confirms all the hard work that our students, staff, parents and governors put in to making Woodfield such a great school for our community.

“We would like to say thank you for the dedication of staff, the children, parents and governors and the support we have received from the local community.”

CCTV to tackle anti-social behaviour on Bilton’s mural bridge

CCTV will be installed on Bilton’s Iron Bridge to tackle anti-social behaviour and vandalism on a recently painted mural.

Conservative HBC and NYCC councillors for Bilton, Matt Scott and Paul Haslam, are behind the initiative which will be trialled for a month beginning in early September.

In March, a colourful mural featuring flowers and foxes was painted by artist Emma Garness to become a beacon of positivity in the area.

The mural has been well received by local residents but has been the subject of vandalism, despite being daubed with anti-graffiti paint.

The CCTV camera was recently used in Ripon to tackle anti-social behaviour. It has a wide-angle lens so can also capture nearby areas such as the garage block on Woodfield Close.

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Cllr Scott said:

“I am grateful to Paul, Cllr Tim Myatt on the other side of the bridge, Julia and Helen in Community Safety and our fantastic local PCSOs for their support with this.

“Paul and I take antisocial behaviour seriously and we will not let a minority of individuals spoil our wonderful community and make people feel unsafe.

“We have seen recently how residents’ own CCTV can help tackle this issue. I hope this camera will provide reassurance and also act as a deterrent.”

Muddy footpath in Nidd Gorge transformed

A muddy footpath in Nidd Gorge has been transformed thanks to Bilton Conservation Group.

12 volunteers from the group spent 77 hours this week laying the 45-metre footpath, which is close to Tennyson Avenue, using 13 tonnes of limestone ballast. 

It was funded through a £1,000 grant from Bilton Conservative county councillor Paul Haslam’s Locality Budget. 

The main ‘Millennium Path’ was laid by the group in 2015 and was extended towards Tennyson Avenue in 2016.

The group had attempted a lightweight boardwalk solution three times, only to find it damaged by vandals.

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Keith Wilkinson MBE from Bilton Conservation Group praised Warren Considine for masterminding the project.

He said:

 “The 45-metre extension created on Monday made good a very muddy natural surface which had become dangerous to walk in.”

Cllr Paul Haslam added:

“I use my Locality Budget to focus on things that improve the environment for as many people as possible.”