Boroughbridge Hightimers return with Cinderella pantomime

The Boroughbridge Hightimers are returning to the stage next month to put on its long-awaited pantomime, Cinderella.

The amateur dramatic society has been waiting to put on the show since before the pandemic and is now ready for the curtain to rise.

The group, set up 30 years ago, are busy rehearsing for their return at the end of November.

The group currently has 40 members aged 8-80 years old but chairman, Marlo Lomas, said more members were always welcome to help out behind stage, front of house or even take to the stage.

The show will be performed at Coronation Hall, Boroughbridge November 25-27 and again December 2-4.

Mr Lomas said:

“It has been very hard for us all in the society. We were always watching the news waiting to hear the good news that we could go back on the stage. We had lots of performances planned for last year but as time went on they were delayed several times.

“Cinderella, is the first performance back after lockdown it’s an extra special one. The whole cast and backstage crew have worked so hard to ensure that the production is great for all the audience.”

The junior cast in Bugsy Malone.

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Just before lockdown the group had its junior production of Bugsy Malone. Mr Lomas said it was a great success and the junior cast will return with Grease next June.

In March, the Hightimers will be performing a comedy thriller called Play Prepare to Meet Thy Tomb.

To book tickets for the pantomime, click here.

To check out other performances such as these, take a look at our What’s On page.

Christmas late-night shopping returns to Boroughbridge

Christmas is coming to Boroughbridge with an evening of late-night shopping, Christmas tree lights and Santa on a sleigh.

On December 1st shops will stay open until 8pm as people visit the town to watch the lights switch on.

The lights on the Christmas tree on Hall Square – at the bottom of the high street – will be switched on by Radio York’s Georgey Spanswick and the Mayor, Pat Taylor.

Organisers Boroughbridge Chamber of Trade said businesses were eager for it to return after last year’s covid cancellation. For many, it’s the best night for trade across the year.

It’s not just shops getting involved, the Boroughbridge Lions have organised for Santa and his sleigh to be there as well as street stalls and choir performances.

Chamber president, Derek Hufton, said the town is usually “crawling” with visitors and is hoping for similar levels this year:

“Following last year’s cancellation there’s a great enthusiasm building for this year’s event.

“The community spirit in Boroughbridge is very strong and the late-night Christmas shopping event is not just about local businesses but also very much about the community gathering and enjoying a great festive evening.”

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The official switch on begins at 5.30pm.

The shops will also be taking part in a window display competition, to be judged on the night.

Boroughbridge pub fears energy bills could increase seven-fold

A pub landlord in Boroughbridge has said he fears his energy costs could increase seven-fold overnight amid concerns over the future of Harrogate-based energy firm CNG Group.

The Stray Ferret reported this morning that CNG is to stop supplying gas to energy customers, amid record wholesale gas prices.

It has also been reported that there is a deadline of tomorrow for organisations to submit bids to buy CNG’s small and medium-sized enterprises arm, which directly supplies gas and electricity to more than 40,000 SMEs.

One of those is the Grantham Arms in Boroughbridge. Owner Simon Wade told the Stray Ferret the move would have a major impact on his business.

Mr Wade is three years into a five-year contract with CNG, which provides gas to heat the pub at a rate of 5p a unit.

However, if the company collapses, he has been told by his energy broker that he will be placed on an emergency tariff that could be as much as seven times higher than what he currently pays.

He said:

“I’m facing a massive hike and it’s nothing to do with us. It’s a major concern”

“We’re completely shackled and it’s put us in a bad position”.

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Mr Wade said the pub had a good reputation and has been busy since reopening after lockdown but he was concerned that sky-high energy bills would eat into his takings.

He urged businesses to check their contracts or get in touch with their energy brokers to see if they are with CNG and, if so, make contingency plans, such as moving towards renewable energy.

He added:

“If you have an old building that relies on gas it eats into your budget.

“We’re backed into a corner, but we’re small fry.

“A lot of people will suffer and it’s not any of our doing.”

The Stray Ferret asked CNG for details of its current situation but did not receive a response by the time of publication.

Drunk teen rescued from river in Boroughbridge

The emergency services were summoned to help two teenagers who it is believed had been in the River Ure in Boroughbridge yesterday evening.

A passerby called Yorkshire Ambulance Service at around 6.20pm. The caller said they had seen a teenage boy drinking before going into the water.

When the ambulance crews arrived they realised that he had been with a teenage girl as well but she was no longer in the area.

So the paramedics requested help from North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue and four water rescue teams to look for the missing girl.

The crews soon found the girl and took her back to her parents. The paramedics then took the boy to hospital for treatment.

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A spokesperson for the fire and rescue service said:

“Ambulance responded to a believed intoxicated male youth by the river.

“Fire were then requested as there was some suspicion that a female youth who had been present due to items found there, may have gone into the river.

“Two level two water rescue and two level three water rescue teams mobilised from Boroughbridge, Ripon, and Richmond.

“Shortly after Boroughbridge attended, contact was made with the missing female – safely back with her parents.”

A spokesperson for the ambulance service added:

“We received an emergency call at 6.19pm on Wednesday to reports of a teenager by the River Ure in Boroughbridge who had been into the water.

“Two ambulances and a clinical supervisor were dispatched to the scene and one patient was conveyed to hospital.

“There were no additional patients requiring ambulance assistance at the scene.”

New lights set to illuminate Boroughbridge

Planning permission has been granted for 14 new street lights to illuminate the River Ure bridge in time for the 700th anniversary of the Battle of Boroughbridge next year.

Boroughbridge Town Council is behind plans to light up the historic bridge at night to improve visibility for pedestrians and motorists. There has been a bridge on the site since at least the 12th century.

The scheme was awarded £13,000 from North Yorkshire Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner following the sale of the force’s historic AJ1 number plate.

A planning statement submitted with the application said the visual impact of the street lights on the Grade II listed bridge will be “limited”.

“The only visual change will be the addition of the light units, which have been selected to complement the parapet walls with an honest approach and without imposing significant new elements on the structure.

“The low key design and hidden cabling aim to ensure that the installation will go largely unnoticed during daylight hours.”

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Battle of Boroughbridge

The Battle of Boroughbridge took place on March 16 1322. There was an encounter on the River Ure bridge between Edward II and his cousin, the Earl of Lancaster.

A small army of rebels under the Earl of Lancaster was held at the bridge itself by a larger group of men loyal to the king.

Attempts to negotiate a truce failed and the short, one-sided battle resulted in the surrender and subsequent execution of Lancaster.

The bridge has remained a key part of the transport network ever since.

‘Lancashire sink estate’ plans resubmitted in Boroughbridge

A proposal for hundreds of new homes in Boroughbridge that a councillor likened to ‘a sink development from Lancashire’ has been resubmitted.

Cllr Nigel Simms, a Conservative who represents Masham and Kirkby Malzeard on Harrogate Borough Council, apologised for any offence caused after he described the plans for 260 homes as “like a sink development from Lancashire, not something that we should be having in North Yorkshire”.

The council’s planning committee rejected the plans in June over concerns that too many terraced properties had been concentrated in a small area, and that residents would also not get enough garden or storage space.

Cllr Andrew Paraskos, a Conservative who represents Spofforth with Lower Wharfedale who also sits on the planning committee, said at the time “it looks like they have crammed as many houses in as possible”.

Barratt and David Wilson Homes have now lodged new plans for 256 homes — four fewer than its previous application — at Stump Cross, as part of a wider 450-home development.

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This proposal forms part of the first phase of housing at the Boroughbridge site.

Barratt and David Wilson Homes already have outline approval to build on the site and are seeking final permission.

The site layout for the planned 256 homes in Boroughbridge.

The site layout for the planned 256 homes in Boroughbridge.

In documents submitted to Harrogate Borough Council, the developers said:

“The development will respect Boroughbridge’s local character but also move the area towards a more sustainable future, through a significant increase in housing choice and mixed-use approach.”

The council will make a decision on the proposal at a later date.

Boroughbridge man bids to open micropub in town

A man in Boroughbridge has said he has spotted a gap in the market for a micropub that sells high-quality local cask ales.

Paul McCusker, who has run several pubs in West Yorkshire and currently works behind the bar at another pub in Boroughbridge, wants to convert a former hardware shop on Horsefair into a micropub called the Borough Tap.

He hopes he can be pulling pints there by Christmas.

Mr McCusker said that whilst there were places like the Grantham Arms known for excellent food, the town lacked a specialist alehouse that could tap into an expanding population.

He said he wants the pub to showcase the many local breweries on Boroughbridge’s doorstep, including Roosters, Bad Co and Turning Point.

“There’s no other pub that will do this and there’s a gap in the market.

“There’s so much local produce that can be showcased.”

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Mr McCusker is yet to receive planning permission for the pub but next week Harrogate Borough Council’s licensing sub-committee will decide whether to grant the venue an alcohol licence.

He said if all goes to plan, he wants to grab “the bull by the horns” and open it before the end of the year.

He said his goal was to get the Borough Tap House into CAMRA’s Good Beer Guide.

Mr McCusker added:

“I’ve run pubs that have got in the Good Beer Guide. It’s hard to get to that standard but it’s like The Bible and people look to it for guidance, although word of mouth is still the best recommendation.

“I want people to say they had a cracking hour in my pub.”

Boroughbridge family wait 10 months for developer to replace tree

A family in Boroughbridge is still waiting for a developer to replace a tree that its workers chopped down 10 months ago.

With a new estate being built nearby, Wayne and Cally England were used to the sound of construction but were nevertheless surprised to see a man with a chainsaw in their garden at around 8am on January 6.

When they went out to question him, he told them that he had already started cutting the tree and it was no longer safe so it had to come down.

The worker chopping down the tree.

Taylor Wimpey apologised at the time and offered to replace the tree and install a new fence. However, 10 months later this has yet to happen.

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Mr England initially believed the tree was on a boundary between his home and the land owned by the developer.

But after the incident he commissioned a geospatial survey, which found the tree was fully on his family’s land. Mr England told the Stray Ferret:

“The kids were crying, I am not laying anything on, they were in tears. It turned out that Taylor Wimpey had been talking to a neighbour who approved the work.

“Taylor Wimpey owned up to the mistake but have done nothing afterwards.

“We had been sending emails back and forth but since I sent in the survey they have not responded. Do they think they can leave it alone and it will go away?

“We want the fence on the boundary and another tree. A lot of people have gone on about compensation but I am not after the money. We just want the tree back.”

The stump of the felled tree.

In emails to Mr England, Taylor Wimpey claimed the tree was damaged and therefore unsafe.

Mr England has always disputed the claim. A tree survey he commissioned found it was healthy and would have lived for another 20 to 40 years.

A Taylor Wimpey spokesperson said:

“We would like to reiterate our regret for any upset caused by removing the tree in Mr England’s garden for health and safety reasons.

“We have been in contact with Mr England to apologise for the delay in replacing the fence and to schedule the works as soon as possible.”

Boroughbridge pub owner feels lucky to survive fire

One of the owners of a pub near Boroughbridge that caught fire over the weekend has said he and his partner are lucky to be alive.

Brian Rey and Elaine Howden, who have owned the Ship Inn at Aldborough for 13 years, were woken at about 2am on Sunday by a ringing sound.

Mr Rey went to the door at the top of the stairs to investigate but as soon as he opened it he was met by a wall of smoke. He said:

“My godfathers, it was really thick white smoke. I thought there was something wrong with my eyes but then I started struggling to breathe.

“So I called Elaine over for us to get out but we couldn’t make it through the smoke. We had some face masks in the room so we put a few of them together and escaped.

“We really were lucky to get out. If that fire had been anywhere else but the store room which is surrounded by concrete then the whole building could have come down.”

The fire service believes the tumble dryer on the right is the likely cause of the fire.

Firefighters from Ripon, Thirsk, Knaresborough and Harrogate were called to the scene. North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service later said it believed the blaze started in a tumble dryer.

However, Mr Rey is unsure whether the tumble dryer was in fact the source of the problems. He said they never used it after 5pm and he had smelled something unusual near the fridge earlier that night.

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Since the fire, the local community has rallied behind the pub.

Both the Grantham Arms and the General Tarleton owners have offered help and people have donated £700 to a gofundme page set up by local resident Sam Stoddart to help the Ship Inn recover from the fire.

The store room is filled with melted appliances. The walls and ceilings are black from the aftermath.

Mr Rey added his thanks for the support:

“The people in the village have been very helpful. We have taken plenty of phone calls from people who have wanted to wish us luck.

“With the fundraiser we were at a bit of a loss. We only found out when a journalist asked us about it. There still is that friendly spirit, I thought those days had gone.”

Pub owners ‘devastated’ after overnight fire in Harrogate district

A country pub near Boroughbridge is closed indefinitely after fire broke out in the early hours of this morning.

Firefighters from Ripon, Thirsk, Knaresborough and Harrogate were summoned to the Ship Inn at Aldborough after a fire alarm went off in the kitchen at about 2am.

North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue’s incident log said:

“Crews discovered a fire in the kitchen believed to have originated from a tumble dryer.”

“Crews used 2 hose reel jets, one covering jet, four breathing apparatus, thermal imaging cameras, one short extension ladder, positive pressure ventilation (fan) and lighting to extinguish the fire and assist them with the incident.”

The Stray Ferret called the pub this morning and a woman, who did not leave her name, said:

“It was an electrical fire. At the moment we are closed and need to assess the damage.

“It’s absolutely devastating — after everything that’s happened with covid and now this.”

The pub, run by Brian and Elaine Rey, made headlines in 2011 when Princes William and Harry were among a group of 16 that visited for a friend’s wedding. Kate Middleton was also present.

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