Lights to mark Battle of Boroughbridge 700th anniversary too modern

There are hopes 14 new street lights will be ready 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 as people at night. There has been a bridge on the site since at least the 12th century.

However, last week the town council withdrew its planning application after Harrogate Borough Council’s principal conservation officer Emma Gibbens wrote in an email that the brushed steel and modern design of the light fittings “erodes the traditional character” of the bridge.

Boroughbridge Town Council clerk John Nichols called the council’s verdict a “setback” but said it hopes to work with HBC on a new application to ensure the lights are beaming in time for the anniversary on March 16, 2022.

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

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The Battle of Boroughbridge took place on March 16, 1322, when the bridge was a key element of the encounter between Edward II and his cousin the Earl of Lancaster.

A small army of retreating 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 one-sided battle resulted in the surrender and subsequent execution of Lancaster.

Boroughbridge hotel features in Channel 4’s Four in a Bed

A Boroughbridge hotel and restaurant is set to feature in next week’s episodes of Four in a Bed.

The Channel 4 programme follows four sets of hotel owners as they travel around the country to experience and examine each other’s businesses.

Beginning on Monday, Simon Wade, owner of the Grantham Arms and manager Joseph Mackie-Graves, will appear on the show.

The pair said it was a “fantastic experience” and they still remain in contact with the other participants.

The show tracks the pairs over five episodes from Monday to Friday.

As well as looking round the hotel, the hosts take their guests on an excursion. Simon and Joseph took their guests to Mother Shipton’s Cave.

Grantham Arms exterior

Grantham Arms in Boroughbridge.

The episodes were filmed in September 2020 in line with coronavirus restrictions.

Simon Wade said:

“It was very exciting to be a part of the show, definitely out of the norm. It took us to various other parts of the country where we got to meet some fantastic owners. The other competitors all stayed in their own double en-suite bedroom at the Grantham.

“The experience was pretty special because it is two weeks out of your life but you’re experiencing things from a perspective as business owners to find any ideas that they’ve got that you don’t use and vice versa.”

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The other hotels and bed and breakfasts were based in Southport, Derbyshire and Coxwold in North Yorkshire.

The final episode of the week will see the hoteliers discuss the feedback they received and see how much each pair thought their room was worth.

The show is aired 5pm every weeknight.

Boroughbridge shop ‘hidden gem’ for owner’s wine knowledge

Look at the colour, give the wine a twirl and take a full whiff. Then it is time to taste. Make sure to get a mouthful and take in all the different flavours. You do not need to be a connoisseur to enjoy wine but it helps to have one by your side.

Nick Chadwick is the owner of Winearray, a hidden gem of a shop tucked away in Boroughbridge which has become a weekend pilgrimage for many in the Harrogate district since it opened its doors 16 years ago.

Winearray stocks more than 400 wines from the likes of France, Italy, Portugal and a little closer to home in England. The shop describes itself as a cornucopia and while the shop certainly has plenty of choice, Nick’s mind is the real horn of plenty.

Mr Chadwick loves nothing more than to visit the people and places where the wines are created to learn more of its story and, importantly, the taste.

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While a weekend away of wine tasting in northern Italy sounds like an ideal holiday for just about anybody, Nick who is ever the professional finds that wines tend to stick in his mind all the more when he is enjoying them at the source.

Coronavirus has meant that Nick has had to change the way he runs his shop. He does miss the trips but more than anything he misses the wine tasting classes that he holds in Boroughbridge with some of the suppliers and customers.

Over the last year, Nick has reduced his shop opening hours so that he can spend half the day working on deliveries which have become increasingly popular. He has also adapted to hold wine tasting classes online.

When asked about how he competes with online shops and supermarkets, Nick Chadwick, who also stocks some select spirits and Cuban cigars, told the Stray Ferret:

“I think that people do come here for my guidance. If people do come in they come here to talk and to engage with me, it’s not just about looking around the shop.

“There are the regular customers, maybe regular is not a nice word in a wine shop, but there’s quite a lot of conversation either about wines or things connected to wine.

“Winearray has got a good customer base, most of whom are very loyal. A lot of people come to Boroughbridge for a more social shopping experience.

“I take a lot of pride in the wines that I stock, these bottles are all on my shelves for a reason.

“The shop has a set amount of space. It is quite difficult to always have new products, it needs to be interesting and good enough to knock another off.”

This is part of the Stray Ferret’s ‘hidden gem’ series. We are trying to highlight small independent businesses. They need to be tucked away but growing in popularity with an eye-catching and unique product or approach. Send us an email with your nominations.

Boroughbridge agricultural business acquired by global company

A Boroughbridge agricultural business has gone from strength to strength has now been acquired by global firm, Origin Enterprises.

Green-tech is based on Rabbit Hill Business Park in Arkendale, near Boroughbridge. Since it formed in 1994, it has grown to be a well-known manufacturer and distributor of landscaping, forestry and grounds maintenance equipment.

The acquisition was made on Thursday for an un-disclosed figure. Staff have been assured that no jobs will be lost.

Rachel and Richard Kay are the team behind Green-tech, the local pair set up the company with ambitions to become a one-stop shop for the UK landscape trade. In 2015 its turnover was over £10 million.

Mr Kay, chairman of Green-tech said:

“The Green-tech success story is beyond our wildest dreams and we are incredibly proud and grateful for what has been achieved. But none of it would have been possible without the dedicated team at Green-tech who are the backbone of the business.

“This deal reflects the ambition of Green-tech, very much onwards and upwards and definitely business as usual.”

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Origin Enterprises began as a small Irish business but is now a global distributor of farming machinery.

Through the deal it is hoped that Green-tech can enhance what Origin currently offers in the areas of environmental land management for their agri focussed businesses.

Chris Clark, managing director of Origin’s Amenity business, said:

“We are delighted to announce the acquisition of Green-tech. Origin Enterprises’ long-term strategy is to further enhance Origin’s amenity brands and the Green-tech acquisition is an ideal fit.

“Green-tech has a very experienced team, an extensive sector-focused product range, operates in complementary markets and brings a level of diversification.”

Live: Harrogate district traffic and travel

Good morning everyone and welcome to our traffic and travel live blog, the last one before the weekend.

Whether you travel by car, bus or train we will keep an eye out for any possible disruption to your journey. All brought to you by The HACS Group.

It’s Connor again back on the travel desk from 6.30am. Spotted an accident or a road closure? Send your updates to contact@thestrayferret.co.uk.

If traffic is moving well or it’s at a standstill then we will let you know with our updates every 15 minutes.

Full update – 9am

Thanks for reading our traffic and travel blog. There have been a few police incidents this morning as well as increasing numbers of construction sites around the Harrogate district. That’s all from me for this week. I am heading over to the newsdesk now. My colleague Suzannah will be back on Monday morning.

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Full update – 8.45am

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Alert resident averts Ripon travel chaos again

North Yorkshire County Council has performed another u-turn to avoid travel problems for people going for vaccinations in Ripon.

For the second time in seven weeks, the council’s highways department has had to hit the brakes on plans to close a bridge on a key diversion route.

The bridge over the River Ure on Boroughbridge Road was due to close for inspection all day tomorrow.

But alert resident Paul Stockburn pointed out that such a move would have caused problems because Boroughbridge Road is already serving as a diversion for a section of the nearby Dishforth Road that is closed for road works.

Had the closure gone ahead, it would have created difficulties for people driving along Boroughbridge Road in and out of Ripon.

The bridge, which is half a mile from Ripon racecourse vaccination centre, was first due to close for inspection on 19 January.

But six days earlier part of Dishforth Road closed for eight weeks for work by Yorkshire Water. It remains closed.

Photo of conflicting closure signs

Conflicting closure signs on the Dishforth and Boroughbridge roads. But the bridge over the River Ure will be open tomorrow

When Mr Stockburn pointed this out, the highways department said it would re-schedule the bridge closure when Yorkshire Water’s pipe renewal work was complete.

So Mr Stockburn, who lives in Copt Hewick, was surprised to see road closure signs appear again this week. He told the Stray Ferret:

“I couldn’t believe my eyes because I know that the Dishforth Road is still going to be closed tomorrow.

“The county council appear incapable of working out that eight weeks from 13 January gives a finish date of 10 March.

“Unbelievably, they were about to make exactly the same mistake.

“You wonder, did they ask Yorkshire Water first, before deciding they were going to close the bridge on 5 March?”

After receiving a call from Mr Stockburn, the Stray Ferret contacted NYCC to let it know the Dishforth Road closure was ongoing.

Melisa Burnham, highways area manager at the council, apologised and said:

“Yorkshire Water has been undertaking an eight-week programme of works on Dishforth Road therefore our contractors scheduled the one-day bridge inspection for this Friday when the work was due to be complete.

“Unfortunately Yorkshire Water need to extend their works until March 14 so we are in the process of rearranging the bridge inspection and have removed the advance notice signs.”

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Prior to the start of its work, Yorkshire Water sent a letter to all households in Copt Hewick. It said:

“We understand that these works will be inconvenient, which is why we’ve liaised closely with North Yorkshire County Council highways department regarding every aspect of this essential scheme.’”

The importance of the Boroughbridge Road diversion route, increased on February 2 when the covid vaccination centre opened at Ripon racecourse.

Harrogate district records 30 new covid cases

The Harrogate district has recorded a further 30 covid cases today.

According to Public Health England figures, the number takes the total amount of cases since March to 7,238.

Meanwhile, the district’s seven-day covid rate of infection has fallen to 88 people per 100,000.

The rate for North Yorkshire stands at 83, while the England average is 116.

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Killinghall and Hampsthwaite remains the area with the most covid cases in the last seven days, with 23 infections.

Boroughbridge and Marton-cum-Grafton is the second highest in the district with 15.

No further covid deaths have been reported at Harrogate District Hospital.

Staycation bookings ‘piling in’ for Harrogate district campsites

Bookings have surged at Harrogate district campsites since the government’s ‘roadmap’ announcement, raising hopes of a staycation summer.

After almost 12 months of opening and closing, the campsites welcomed the clarity provided on Monday about when they could welcome holidaymakers once again.

When restrictions were lifted last summer, there was a staycation boom locally, with several campsites saying there had been an influx of people wishing to holiday closer to home.

They now hope for a repeat this year.

Marie Laverick manager of Woodhouse Farm caravan park, said the phone “has been ringing off the hook” since the announcement. She said:

“The phone hasn’t stopped, so many people are either booking their pitch or rearranging dates for the new restrictions.

“We are gutted about Easter; we lost it last year too and we’ll lose the first May bank holiday but it looks good going forward. We had 50 bookings overnight!”

Phil Brierley director of York House Leisure, which owns four holiday parks in North Yorkshire including sites in Boroughbridge and Ripon, said it was important for the industry to continue to be supported by government.

He said:

“We are very happy that there’s a plan in place and there’s light at the end of the tunnel.

“It’s great news but it’s bittersweet because the parks industry was originally shut down in March so this year will be the second Easter in a row that we have missed. We have effectively experienced a year-long winter so there’s an awful lot of ground to make up.

“We have certainly seen an increase in enquiries at our parks since the announcement. We would hope as an industry to see continued aid from the government, such as 5% VAT, extended business rate relief and the furlough scheme.”

Woodhouse Farm Caravan Park

Woodhouse Farm Caravan Park. Photograph: Facebook

The roadmap allows caravan parks to open on April 12 but without any facilities such as toilet blocks. On May 17 the sites can fully reopen.

Similarly in Great Ouseburn, Burrows Park has seen an increase in bookings. Co-owner Richard Kay said:

“Assuming the government roadmap targets for easing covid measures are met we will have a full opening on May 17. We look forward to welcoming back all our regular site users and to a very busy summer. We hope that the weather is with us and all our guests enjoy their time!”

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Richard Flinton, chair of North Yorkshire Local Resilience Forum, said at the county’s weekly media briefing yesterday:

“We are optimistic in terms of what the future is for our hospitality sector. People can start booking and should enquire about refunds should they not be able to go ahead.

“This is a real opportunity for us. We do look forward to welcoming people back to our beautiful county.”

Former Boroughbridge butchers shop to be auctioned

The former Greenwood butchers shop in Boroughbridge is to be sold by auction next week.

The butchers on Horsefair in the centre of the town was popular for its range of pies and local meats. It is believed to have closed last year.

The 19th century building, which has a guide price of £50,000, includes a retail area, storage rooms and bathroom.

The auction house Pugh says the building could be used for a variety of uses.

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Paul Thompson, managing director of Pugh, said:

“It’s always sad to see a local business close. Boroughbridge is a fantastic community with excellent road links to most of the north of England and there is definitely potential for a variety of business uses for the former Greenwood premises.

“It would be great to see the property become an asset to the town once more in the hands of an imaginative new owner.”

The shop will be sold in Pugh’s next online property auction on 24 February.

Suspected drug dealer caught on A1 near Boroughbridge

A suspected drug dealer has been arrested near Boroughbridge after the police helicopter helped to track him down.

Officers were on patrol on the A1 southbound on Tuesday when a black BMW drove past.

The vehicle had markers attached to it that linked it to an incident in Humberside.

Officers caught up with the vehicle but when it pulled up on the hard shoulder the driver jumped out and fled across nearby fields.

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The National Police Air Service (NPAS) used a helicopter to track down the man who was found hiding next to a river.

The 27-year-old Sheffield man was arrested and a large amount of cannabis was seized from the car along with the vehicle.

He remains in custody at this time and the investigation continues.

A police spokeswoman said:

“We hope our response reassures you we will do everything we can to take drugs off our streets and tackle criminality in North Yorkshire.”