A local Girlguiding group is on track to reach its £1.7 million goal to fund the renovations of its new centre.

North Yorkshire West Girlguiding has raised and spent nearly £1.2 million since the fundraising began in 2019, when the old site was demolished. Since then, fundraising efforts have included cake stalls, virtual balloon races, and live performances.

The Birk Crag Centre, on Cornwall Road in Harrogate, will be home to Harrogate’s Girlguiding division, but will be accessible to all groups in the North Yorkshire West area – including Ripon, Boroughbridge, Skipton, and Settle.

The space will host Guide sleepovers, as well as overnight stays for Brownie and Rainbow groups, and will also offer residential training for volunteers.

Outdoor and camping equipment will also be stored at the premises, as well as a uniform and badge shop.

Caroline Bentham, Guide guider and assistant county commissioner, said:

“One of the most important parts of Guiding is giving girls the chance to have a sleepover away from home that is affordable.

“Guiders are all volunteers and give their time for free, this means we can keep the costs down.

“There is nothing better than seeing a nervous young lady arrive at a sleepover and watch her come into her own, even if it is as the noisy one after lights out!”

Mrs Bentham explained the “pandemic affected us like many other charities” and claims the delay in raising the money is due to “jobs priced at £20,000 now cost us £60,000”. The Girlguiding group has also applied for various grants to help raise the money.

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Around a further £500,000 is required to complete all building work and renovations.

The next fundraising event will take place at Studley Royal. The Ripon Girlguiding division will hold a sponsored walk, during which they will push a 5ft cable drum around the grounds to represent the £6,000 required for electrical cabling at the new building.

The walk will take place on June, 19 and 20.

To find out more about sponsorship of events or to help the fundraising efforts, visit the Birk Crag Centre website.

One thing Harrogate isn’t short of is independent coffee shops.

Once associated as a trendy hangout for hipsters, now the majority of the population are queuing up to get their caffeine fix – and it better be a decent flat white.

New venues on the scene include Swedish coffee house Fi:k, in the Montpellier Quarter, which has also recently opened a branch in Knaresborough, Cortado, on Leeds Road and Heal, also in the Montpellier. There is also Bamber & Brown, a barista bar at Birk Crag, where you can enjoy an artisan coffee in a tipi, and Constellation Coffee, which opened on East Parade last month. Another Swedish coffee shop, Nord, is also set to open on Otley Road.

But what is it about these coffee shops that everyone is going nuts for? And can the town handle the increasing number?

Opening its doors on Leeds Road in August last year, Cortado is one of the new kids on the block.

Meeting spot

Manager Erin Seelig said:

“We felt like the Leeds Road area was missing the market as most of them are directed towards town and this area really needed something.

“Coffee shops are now slowly starting to expand out into the neighbourhoods, which is great.

“It’s a hub and a meeting spot for a lot of people, especially in Harrogate.”

Erin said she believed each coffee shop in Harrogate had it’s own community and offered something slightly different, with Cortado focusing on takeaways to cater for an increase in the number of people who grab one and go for a stroll.

Find your niche

She said this was a habit that had been formed on the back of the lockdown daily walks.

“We see the same people – and their dogs – every day and for us it’s lovely to serve the community.

“For us we are trying to create our own identity. You have got to find your niche.

“If you look at the coffee shops in Harrogate, some focus on the cakes, some do brunch and they all attract different types of people.”

Manager Erin Seelig at Cortado on Leeds Road.

Erin said customers cared more about the different blends of coffee than ever before and often liked to know where the beans were roasted.

Affordable luxury

She said:

“It’s an affordable luxury and it’s a part of the day a lot of people look forward to as there is also the social element.

“I think there is plenty of room for new coffee shops as Harrogate has a big population of residents, as well as tourists. It’s always nice to have choice, and if one of them is full, you can pick another.

“All the independent coffee shops support each other as well. We get massive support from Bean and Bud, Hoxton North and No.35. They have been in here lots and we go to them. We can share ideas, which is really nice.”

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Matthew Edmonds and Oliver Highland Edmonds launched HealMedical and Wellness Spa around seven years ago and last month they added artisan coffee and gift shop to their business, which is based in the Montpellier Quarter.

Coffee and chat

Matthew said:

“The vision for the coffee shop is to enhance the wellness spa with a relaxing, calm space in which having a coffee and a chat becomes an integral part of your experience.

“The retail gifting area aims to highlight independent businesses who strive to give back, whether it be working with the learning difficulties community or supporting environmental causes. This sums up the ethos of Heal.”

Matthew Edmonds, owner of Heal.

Unique experience

Matthew agreed that all new coffee shops in Harrogate should bring the community a unique experience.

He added:

“This is what we are aiming to do at Heal by also stocking quirky gifts and cards that you don’t see everywhere.”

Heal’s coffee and gift shop in the Montpellier Quarter.

The Girl Guides Association has resumed fundraising for its new site at Birk Crag with a series of forthcoming events.

The foundations of the building have been ready for several months, but funds were short to fit out the inside, and fundraising had to be paused due to the national lockdown.

So far more than £1.5 million has been invested into the site, with £400,000 left to be raised for its completion.

The ambitious site will be open to the Rainbows, Brownies, Guides and Rangers for weekly meetings and residential trips for members nationwide.

It will have a meeting hall, kitchen and dining room, a campfire area and a residential accommodation to fit 40.

It replaces the old centre in the same spot, which had become dilapidated.

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Members of the Girlguiding association have been working hard to raise the last stretch of the money needed, including setting up a bake sale on the first Saturday of every month (excluding August).

On Saturday July 3 there will be a fundraising fete at Burley Avenue Community Centre hosting stalls from The Body Shop, Painting Pots Knaresborough and others, which will all be donating a percentage of profits towards the site.

The sale will also include a raffle, refreshments and a cake stall.

Sam Jennings, division commissioner for the group, said;

“The project has gone on a long time and now we can see a finish point it is getting exciting; everyone just wants to get it finished.”

People can also leave individual donations here.

Restoration of the Birk Crag Centre for Girlguiding on the edge of Harrogate has been halted due to a lack of funds.

Girlguiding North Yorkshire West began rebuilding the centre in 2018 thanks to grants and crowdfunding.

The group raised £1.1 million for the exterior of the building, which was completed last year.

The Birk Crag Centre for Girlguiding in Harrogate.

Now, county commissioner for Girlguiding North Yorkshire West, Jean Tennant, hopes to raise a further £400,000 to complete the interior.

The guides have applied for more grants but many grantmakers have diverted funds to organisations affected by covid.

Girlguiding fundraising activity has also been affected by covid. Jean said:

“Covid has hit charity work hard, we can’t do bake sales or active fundraising.

“Most grants are given to covid relief charities, which is more than understandable but we do need more money to finish this project.”

The new centre will include a residential area for girl guides and community groups, including cyclists, church goers and orienteering groups.

The building will also provide an activity arena with a capacity of 120 people and a large commercial kitchen.

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The guides will be able to meet at temporary centres from March 29 but there is no date for the opening of the restored Birk Crag Centre until funds are found to fit out the interior.

Jean said Girlguiding North Yorkshire West was grateful for the funding it has received from organisations, such as the Bramall Foundation, the Rotary Club of Harrogate and everyone who had helped to fundraise.

Crowdfunding on its JustGiving page continues.

Stray Views is a weekly column giving you the chance to have your say on issues affecting the Harrogate district. It is an opinion column and does not reflect the views of the Stray Ferret. 

The criteria for secondary school places

Come to Harrogate they say. Pay an inflated house price for the quality of local schools, low crime levels and green spaces.

Let’s face it, the majority of parents choose to live in Harrogate for access to outstanding schools. That’s why we moved here. But that is all well and good if you can actually access these schools.

When March approaches, parents continuously press the refresh button on their email to see if they live close enough to or have been committed enough to their faith to secure a place at the nearest ‘outstanding’ community faith school.

Disappointingly, this year the computer said No. My friends felt confident that their commitment to church, alongside their proximity to St Aidan’s would secure them a place.

Instead, they were offered their fourth choice, and although North Yorkshire County Council claim 90 per cent of children got their first choice school, I wonder how many children from Harrogate this applied to?

What frustrates even more, is when a child who lives less than a mile away is overlooked for a child who lives more than 10 miles away, even though both parents have shown the same amount of commitment to their faith. Surely the council have some environmental principles by giving places to those who can walk to school over someone who needs transport to get there.

As a family who show commitment to our faith, alongside paying an inflated price for our house, we are now not convinced that living here is worth both of these things.

Kate Tiffen, Harrogate

Simple, cheap ideas to boost Harrogate

Now is not the time for Harrogate to rest on its laurels. The old saying ‘a business stood still is a business in decline’ is true. It’s not until you live in the town centre that you realise just how many visitors we have every week.

Some places, like Glasgow and Liverpool, have changed dramatically over recent years, catching up Harrogate for attractions and facilities.

These and other towns are giving Harrogate stiff competition for the exhibition and events industry, which has been the lifeblood of the town for the last 50 years. Our hotels and the supporting service industries rely on visitors to survive but what have we done and what should we be doing to keep Harrogate ahead of the competition?

The simple photo opportunity picture frame at the top of Montpellier is a good example of catering for the tourists that didn’t break the bank.

We need 50 more suggestions as good as that and implement the best 20 ASAP. The following ideas have been thought of before but would still be an asset.

Illuminated fountains at the Prince of Wales Christchurch and New Park roundabouts – any one entering the town from North South East or West would be impressed with their visit even before they got out of the car.

Rename the town Harrogate Spa with welcome signs a mile or so before each roundabout saying Welcome to Harrogate Spa.

Having directed tourists to Bettys they were impressed by the war memorial area and commented how lovely it was – at night it’s black – why isn’t the column floodlit to form a centre of attraction that would enhance the overall impressions of the town?

The war memorial illuminations, along with stone cleaning the column, should be given priority. The council’s park department does a great job throughout the town. I am just concerned that if we don’t ring the changes quickly visitors to the the town will dwindle and so will we.

David Birtles, Harrogate

Birk Crag litter hero and villains

My family and I walked through the woods at Birk Crag on Sunday. I was really disappointed at the amount of litter, particularly beer bottles, drinks cups and cartons up there on the crags and in the woods.

Got an opinion on the Harrogate district? Email us at letters@thestrayferret.co.uk. Please include your name and approximate location details. Limit your letters to 350 words. We reserve the right to edit letters.