Primark store manager becomes chair of Harrogate BID

Andrea Thornborrow has succeeded Dan Siddle as chair of Harrogate Business Improvement District.

Harrogate BID, which encourages people to visit the town centre, announced the move as part of a series of changes to its board in a press release today.

Ms Thornborrow, who was previously vice-chair, is store manager of Primark in Harrogate.

The press release said Mr Siddle, the general manager of the Crown Hotel who was appointed Harrogate BID chair in January last year, had stood down due to work commitments.

Ms Thornborrow said:

“Harrogate BID has gone from strength to strength and is making a positive difference to the town centre.

“As a long-standing BID member, I am looking forward to taking on the role of chair and building on the success we have made.”

Sara Ferguson, a director of Caffé Marconi and Lyndsay Snodgrass, marketing manager at estate agents Verity Frearson, have become joint vice-chairs.

Ms Ferguson, a former chair of Harrogate BID, said:

“I am very much looking forward to working with Andrea, Lyndsay and the brilliant BID team to continue the great work they are doing for Harrogate town centre.”

Ms Snodgrass said:

“This is a really exciting time as we enter our second term and I look forward to working with Andrea and Sara to support Matthew and the rest of the BID team to develop and build on the success of term one.”

The Harrogate BID board has seen several departures and new appointments.

Sue Kramer, co-owner of Crown Jewellers of Harrogate, James White, centre manager at the Victoria Shopping Centre, Simon Midgley, owner of Starling Café, Neil Mendoza, general manager at the Studley Hotel and Julian Rudd, head of regeneration at the newly formed North Yorkshire Council, have joined the BID board as directors.

Harrogate BID is funded by town centre businesses to encourage more people to visit.

It launched in 2019 and started its second five-year term in January this year after businesses voted to continue to support it.

Picture: New chair Andrea Thornborrow (centre) with joint vice-chairs Sara Ferguson (left) and Lyndsay Snodgrass.

Read more:

Harrogate theatre chair on the panto, scaffolding and being ‘cautiously optimistic’

Cancelled shows and a huge roof renovation have made the last 18 months “very difficult” for Harrogate Theatres but the chair says it is going into 2022 “cautiously optimistic”.

Knaresborough-born Deborah Larwood, who has been visiting the theatre for years, worked in the arts sector for over a decade before she took a seat on the board four years ago. She then became chair in December 2019.

Harrogate Theatres is a charity that hosts events at Harrogate Theatre, Royal Hall and Harrogate Convention Centre.

Its biggest challenge during the pandemic has been generating enough income to cover costs whilst being unable to get on stage.

It has held online workshops, socially distanced theatre and launched its HT Together fundraising campaign.

Ms Larwood said initiatives like these and grants from the likes of Arts Council England have been crucial to the theatre’s survival and allowed it to plan for upcoming events.

Cinderella ends today

The biggest event for the theatre each year is its annual pantomime. As Cinderella comes to a close today, after running since November, Ms Larwood said she was pleased with its success although it is unclear how well tickets sold compared with previous years. She said:

“People’s habits have changed during the pandemic and some of our usual audience members still aren’t comfortable in the auditorium. We still had huge success in terms of ticket sales, but it was different especially with some schools choosing to cancel their trip.

“When we lost the panto in 2020 it was a significant worry because we rely so heavily on that revenue we earn.”

Some of the cast of this year’s pantomime, Cinderella. Photograph: Karl Andre

She added tickets for this year’s pantomime, Aladdin, are already selling with a number of schools also choosing to book.

Roof completion date still set for March 

One of the biggest projects undertaken in the last 12 months has been the roof renovation. The project has been managed by Harrogate Borough Council, which owns the building.

Work began in May last year and with multiple setbacks due to covid and building materials it is now due to be completed by March.

Ms Larwood said workers on site were “determined” to stick to that date.

The theatre roof during works in June 2021.

The board has been trying to recruit new trustees. Last year, Ms Larwood, said multiple trustees came to the end of their tenure, which gave the opportunity to bring in new people and expertise.

She said:

“The pandemic allowed us to refocus and its exciting to hear from new people who are equally as passionate as us about the arts.”

So far the charity has added Fiona Hunt to its board but plans to speak to more potential new trustees after panto season.

Read more:

‘Necessary evil’ to make people redundant 

During the pandemic the theatre made staff redundant in an attempt to remain open. Ms Larwood said it was a “necessary evil”.

Long-term closures in 2020 and 2021 meant a big loss in revenue. Ms Larwood said despite the grants, cuts had to be made.

However, the charity hopes to start recruiting again this year. She said:

“We had terrible levels of redundancies but we had to make sure we made it through the other side. Recruitment will begin in earnest, but it’s all about striking a balance. We need people but we live in a time of rapid change and hiring too quickly is a big investment to lose.

“Our core team has been amazing throughout, doing the job of a team normally two or three times its size. It’s now time for us to bring in new people as we move into a busy year.”

New directors sought for Harrogate BID board

New directors are being sought to lead Harrogate Business Improvement District in the coming year.

The BID is preparing to hold its annual elections and is inviting BID members to put themselves forward.

Requirements include attending a BID board meeting each month as well as giving at least two hours each week to BID activities.

The board is currently planning Christmas lights displays for the town centre, new planters and hanging baskets for outside shops, and schemes to support businesses facing a tough retail climate in the run-up to Christmas.

Harrogate BID acting chair Sara Ferguson said:

“I’m incredibly passionate about Harrogate town centre, and last year, I put my name forward to join the BID board. I stood for election because I wanted to be a loud voice for the town’s independent businesses.

“I will be standing again as there is still plenty to do. The job is not finished yet. The last 10 months have not been without their challenges, However, in that time, we have achieved a number of objectives with plenty more in the pipeline.

“The qualities we are looking for in a board member include having the time to devote to the BID activities, totally committed to the aims of the BID, willing to make bold decisions and, above all, wanting to see Harrogate town centre thrive.”

Ms Ferguson became acting chair earlier this year when then-chair Bob Kennedy stepped down, along with three other board members. They cited undue council influence and a lack of progress on important projects in their joint resignation letter.

Harrogate Borough Council leader Richard Cooper also left the board in June and was replaced by the authority’s director of economy and culture, Trevor Watson.

Though nominations are limited to BID members, organisations can join the BID by filling in the application form on the BID website by Thursday, October 15. Applications will be presented to the BID board on October 19.

BID members will then be invited to express an interest in becoming a director of the BID. There can be up to 15 directors, with nine currently in post.

If more than 15 people put themselves forward, a ballot of members will be held.

Read more: