A Betfred bookmakers looks set to open in Harrogate town centre after plans were approved.
Done Brothers (Cash Betting) Ltd, which trades as Betfred, applied to Harrogate Borough Council to open the bookies on Cambridge Road.
The proposal will see the former YMCA charity shop, which sits next to Greggs, converted into a bookmakers. The unit was also previously occupied by a travel agents.
Harrogate Borough Council has now approved the proposal.
The developer said in its plans that the opening of Betfred would help bring the unit back into use and “provide additional staff employment”.
It said:
“Betfred do not currently operate a bookmakers in central Harrogate, Betfred require additional premises to meet demand from the local residents.
“The proposal therefore seeks a new opening of Betfred’s existing bookmaker businesses within Harrogate and would result in new options for bookmakers’ business within the town centre.”
The developer added:
“The introduction of Betfred’s businesses within the town centre will grow a local business, providing additional staff employment and bring a vacant unit back into use within Harrogate which supports economic growth principles in national and local planning policy.”
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Plan to open Betfred bookmakers in Harrogate town centre
Plans have been submitted to convert a former charity shop into a Betfred bookmakers in Harrogate town centre.
Done Brothers (Cash Betting) Ltd, which trades as Betfred, has applied to Harrogate Borough Council to open the bookies on Cambridge Road.
The proposal would see the former YMCA charity shop, which sits next to Greggs, converted into a bookmakers. The unit was also previously occupied by Thomas Cook.
The developer said in its plans that the opening of Betfred would help bring the unit back into use and “provide additional staff employment”.
It said:
“Betfred do not currently operate a bookmakers in central Harrogate, Betfred require additional premises to meet demand from the local residents.
“The proposal therefore seeks a new opening of Betfred’s existing bookmaker businesses within Harrogate and would result in new options for bookmakers’ business within the town centre.”
The developer added:
“The introduction of Betfred’s businesses within the town centre will grow a local business, providing additional staff employment and bring a vacant unit back into use within Harrogate which supports economic growth principles in national and local planning policy.”
Betfred currently operates a bookmakers on King’s Road in Harrogate.
Harrogate Borough Council will make a decision on the plan for Cambridge Road at a later date.
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Ripon holds season’s biggest race behind closed doors
The Great St. Wilfrid Handicap – Ripon’s most valuable race of the season and its biggest annual crowd puller – took place today behind closed doors.
With government restrictions on mass gatherings preventing racegoers from attending meetings across the UK, there was no roar of the crowd to be heard as the 19 thoroughbreds hurtled down the track, in the six furlong sprint.
As ever, the race attracted some of the leading sprint handicappers from the country’s top racing stables, but a sign of how the lockdown that has affected racing since March, came with the fact that prize money has been reduced.
Runners from the David O’Meara stable arriving at Ripon Racecourse earlier today
The total prize pot for the first six horses home in the Class 2 race was £39,348, compared with last season’s prize money for the William Hill sponsored sprint of £73,779.
This year’s winner was the 4-1 favourite Staxton, ridden by Duran Fentiman and trained by Tim Easterby. The 5-year-old gelding won £24,900 for owners the Ontoawinner 10 & Partner partnership.
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In the 120 years that the Boroughbridge Road track, widely known as the ‘garden racecourse’ has been holding meetings, it has never faced the kind of challenge that the coronavirus crisis has posed.
The season’s fixtures should have begun in April, but the first meeting staged behind closed doors, took place on the evening of June 20, with strict hygiene and social distancing measures in place for the limited number of jockeys, stall handlers, stable staff, stewards, course staff, satellite TV and media representatives allowed through the gates.
Ahead of the June 20 meeting, clerk of the course and managing director of Ripon Racecourse Company, James Hutchinson told the Stray Ferret:
“There’s no point in looking back at what didn’t happen, we’d rather look forward and hope that it won’t be long before we can open our gates to racegoers once more.”
He added:
“We simply hope to complete the fixtures through to the end of August as safely as possible for all involved and take it from there.”
Ripon has a horseracing heritage going back to 1664, when the first recorded races were held on Bondgate Green. Over more than 230 years, other venues were used for meetings and in 1723, history was made when the first-ever race for lady riders was held in the city.
On 6 August 1900, the current course held its inaugural meeting and since that time the racecourse has remained the city’s leading sporting venue, attracting local residents and visitors from far afield.
Ripon races ready to resume behind closed doors
Horseracing at Ripon resumes on June 20th, albeit behind closed doors and with strict social distancing measures in place.
For James Hutchinson, who is clerk of the course and managing director of Ripon Racecourse Company, it has been a long wait since the autumn, when the last meeting was staged at Yorkshire’s ‘garden racecourse’.
This season’s April and May meetings were wiped out by Covid-19, but James (pictured below, left at a pre-coronavius meeting) remains philosophical.
He told The Stray Ferret:
“There’s no point in looking back at what didn’t happen, we’d rather look forward and hope that it won’t be long before we can open our gates to racegoers once more.”
Before then, in addition to the evening meeting on Saturday 20th June, there will be meetings on 8th and 24th July and the 6th, 16th and 31st August – all behind closed doors.
On each date, there will be an eight-race card with a maximum of 12 runners per race, ensuring that the number of stable staff, jockeys and trainers present will be in manageable numbers, alongside the course’s own employees, stewards, clerk of the scales, starter, vets and ambulance crews required to attend.
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Social distancing and hygiene measures will be in force across the course, in the changing room and the parade ring and, like the first meeting since lockdown staged at Newcastle, jockeys will wear face masks before, during and after each race.
While punters will be unable to watch the action on course, the races will be live on Sky Sports Racing Channel and with bookmakers due to reopen from 15th June, those who want a bet will be able to do so and watch the racing action beamed into the betting shops.
James, pointed out:
“We are pleased to be back racing again, though it will be strange not to have racegoers present. We simply hope to complete the fixtures through to the end of August as safely as possible for all involve and take it from there, but to paraphrase the words of Arnold Schwarzenegger, ‘we’ll be back!'”