Business Breakfast is sponsored by Harrogate law firm Truth Legal.
A n executive search firm the global chemical, medical and industrial sectors has moved into Harrogate’s Windsor House.
George Thomas, which was founded in 2018, helps with recruitment for senior management, executive and c-level placements.
The company has joined more than 115 other businesses in Windsor House, the former Grand Hotel, on Cornwall overlooking the Valley Gardens.
Thomas Flaherty, director of George Thomas, said:
“We are delighted to have recently moved into Windsor House, the building is the perfect location for us to operate in and offers us all the facilities we need to run our business.”
Windsor House is undergoing major refurbishment to its ground floor, which is seeing its communal areas modernised and the creation of new co-working spaces.
Karen Winspear, property manager at Boultbee Brooks which manages the building, said:
“We are delighted to welcome George Thomas and his 14-strong team to Windsor House.
“The company, our latest tenant, chose Windsor House because of the quality of office space, affordability, its proximity to the town centre, and onsite car parking.”
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Grantley Hall wins best countryside hotel award
Grantley Hall has won a national award for best countryside hotel.
The hotel near Ripon picked up the award as part of the Condé Nast Johansens Awards for Excellence 2023.
Condé Nast set up the scheme to “acknowledge, reward and celebrate excellence across our recommended properties”.
Grantley Hall posted on its social media:
New Pannal business park rejected“This would not have been possible without our loyal guests and our incredible staff.
“Thank you to all who voted for Grantley Hall.”
Senior Harrogate councillors have rejected plans for a new business park in Pannal as the proposal was “not viable without significant support”.
Harrogate Borough Council’s cabinet last night put the brakes on the proposals for a site off the A61 Leeds Road between the railway line and Crimple Beck.
Councillors also paused plans for a redevelopment of Dragon Road car park in Harrogate and agreed to progress with a housing plan for the Harlow Nursery site provided a new nursery is found.
It comes after council-appointed consultants BDP and Colliers undertook a study to come up with options for three brownfield sites under the Harrogate district Local Plan 2014-35.
Cllr Tim Myatt, cabinet member for planning at the council, told a meeting last night he was not comfortable with the standard of the design for the Pannal proposal.
He said:
“The options presented, which aren’t viable without significant support, are not up to a standard design with which I can feel comfortable.
“There seems little hope to producing something to the quality that I believe the site needs. I will therefore propose that we do not progress with options for the site.”
He also recommended that the employment site be removed from the local plan “at the review stage or during the creation of a new local plan on a North Yorkshire Council geography”.
The proposed layout of the employment site along the A61 near Pannal.
An officer’s report said the site could be used for high-tech manufacturing, research and development, or business headquarters. Buildings would be up to three storeys and 5,000m sq in size.
The total office space allocated for the site was 10,000m sq alongside 31,500m sq of industrial space.
The officer’s report acknowledged that any development of the site was likely to take place after Harrogate Borough Council is abolished next spring, when the new North Yorkshire Council comes into effect.
Dragon Road redevelopment paused
Meanwhile, senior councillors also decided to pause plans for development on Dragon Road car park in Harrogate.
The site could be used to create affordable flats or extra care housing.
However, Cllr Myatt proposed that the council should ensure that “adequate parking for Harrogate Convention Centre associated vehicles take primacy over site redevelopment”.
Read more:
- 62 homes set to be built at council’s Harlow Nursery
- Plans to build 72 flats and care home in Harrogate’s Dragon Road car park
- Council could create new Pannal business park
He added that the council should “pause consideration of this site until it is clear that the Harrogate Convention Centre redevelopment will be able to accommodate exhibition traffic on site”.
The cabinet did, however, approve plans to procure technical drawings and surveys into how infrastructure for the Nidderdale Greenway cycle route, which passes through the car park, could be improved.
Cllr Myatt said:
“We do certainly want to see improvements to the cycle path.
“But greater development isn’t possible until the site’s role as a car park for Harrogate Convention Centre traffic has been explored during Harrogate Convention Centre redevelopment.”
Harlow Nursery housing
The council approved plans to press ahead with housing for the site at Harlow Nursery provided a replacement nursery is found.
Cllr Myatt recommended that any sale of the site was “contingent on the relocation of the existing council nursery”.
Consultants hired by the council came up with two options for the site this year. The first option was to build a mix of 57 family homes and flats. The second was to build 62 homes and flats with smaller gardens.
The Harlow Nursery site in Harrogate.
A report before councillors recommended the 62-home option and invites expressions of interest for the land before proceeding to tender for a conditional sale.
Cllr Myatt told councillors:
Harrogate BID manager to remain in post“On Harlow Nursery, we must make sure that a successful nursery relocation is prioritised and that should be explicitly referenced in our recommendations.”
Harrogate Business Improvement District has confirmed that manager Matthew Chapman will remain at the organisation.
Mr Chapman announced in September that he was due to leave the BID to take up a position at North Yorkshire Council.
However, the organisation has now confirmed that Mr Chapman will no longer be leaving.
Sara Ferguson, Harrogate BID chair said:
“Following a change of heart, Matthew Chapman will now not be leaving Harrogate BID.
“This is extremely good news for us and Harrogate town centre businesses, and we look forward to continuing the relationship developed over the last 18 months.”
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Mr Chapman, who took up the role in May last year, was previously Leeds BID operations manager in 2016 before becoming Huddersfield’s BID manager in November 2019.
Businesses within Harrogate’s town centre pay the BID 1.5% of their rateable value a year on top of their usual business rates.
Harrogate BID brings in around £500,000 from local firms, which it spends on projects to improve the town centre and increase the number of visitors.
During Mr Chapman’s 18 months in Harrogate, BID campaigns include power washing 80,000 square metres of the town centre, painting drab walls with colourful murals and buying more than 500 pieces of outdoor furniture for businesses to use.
Business Breakfast: Knaresborough marketing agency makes three new appointmentsBusiness Breakfast is sponsored by Harrogate law firm Truth Legal.
A Knaresborough marketing and PR agency has announced three new appointments amid continued growth.
Allott and Associates, which has offices at Claro Chambers, has made the recruitment after securing new accounts from both UK and international companies.
Emily Evans has joined as an account manager, Beth Hamby as a PR executive and Josie Bridson as a marketing assistant.
Emily said:
“I’m thrilled to be part of the Allotts team.
“Despite these challenging times the company is going from strength to strength. I love the can-do philosophy that helps clients get the best results.”
Director Carol Rees said:
“I’m so pleased to be welcoming Emily, Beth and Josie to Allotts and I’m confident that they will make valuable contributions to the continuing success of the agency.
“Despite the challenges both at home and abroad, we continue to invest in all aspects of the business to deliver effective and fully integrated PR and marketing campaigns, which are enabling our clients to continue winning new work in multiple market sectors.”
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Harrogate Bus Company to mark remembrance
Harrogate Bus Company has announced that its buses will adorn commemorative poppies to mark this year’s Remembrance Day.
The poppies will be prominently displayed on the front of buses on routes covering hundreds of miles every day across the Harrogate district and into West Yorkshire.
Pictured from left are: Terry Wood, President, Royal British Legion; veterans Brian Whittaker and John Mainland; and Transdev engineers Patrick Mclaughlin and Stephen Buckley.
The company will also provide free travel on Remembrance Day this Friday (November 11) and Remembrance Sunday (November 13) to all current service personnel with forces ID, and to veterans in uniform or with their medal.
CEO of parent firm Transdev, Alex Hornby said:
Harrogate BID cleaning ‘grot spots’ ahead of Christmas“With financial challenges currently affecting many veterans and their families in the communities we serve, it’s more important than ever that we continue our support for the excellent work done by the Royal British Legion.
“We hope that by prominently showing our support for the Poppy Appeal on our buses, many of our customers will join us in contributing to this excellent cause.
“We want to remember those who gave their lives for our freedom, and to support those living with the impact of conflict today. All our teams at our depots across the North are fully behind this.”
Harrogate Business Improvement District has started a town centre clean up ahead of Christmas celebrations.
Crews have been steam cleaning and power washing ‘grot spots’ across the town.
The targeted areas include Parliament Street, Cambridge Crescent, Oxford Street, James Street, John Street, Albert Street and Station Square.
Christmas will see an ice rink in Crescent Gardens, the return of the Candy Cane Express, Harrogate Christmas Fayre, a shop window competition, an observation wheel and free parking.
The BID charges town centre businesses a levy, which it uses to improve the town centre and increase footfall.
Sara Ferguson, Harrogate BID chair, said:
“With the countdown to Christmas well underway, we want Harrogate to be looking at its best, hence deploying our cleaning team.
“Using low water volume, high pressure steam cleaning, they are working evenings this week tackling high footfall areas. And with Armistice Day and Remembrance Sunday just days away, the team are also cleaning paths and street furniture around the town centre war memorial.”
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The work of the cleaning team, from UK Nationwide Cleaning, compliments the efforts of street ranger Chris Ashby, whose daily regime includes power-washing, weeding, painting and litter-picking.
Business Breakfast: Reed Boardall awarded top ranking for product safetyBusiness Breakfast is sponsored by Harrogate law firm Truth Legal.
Boroughbridge firm Reed Boardall has achieved top ranking for its product safety and best practice.
The Brand Reputation Compliance Global Standard audit awarded the company an AA+ rating.
The certification entails an annual audit covering compliance in hazard and risk analysis, vehicle operating standards, product quality and safety management.
Vicki Rushworth, site quality manager at Reed Boardall, said:
“This industry-leading accreditation provides another layer of reassurance for our customers, adding the benefit of visibility of food safety and integrity in the supply chain.
“It also reduces some of the audit burden on customers as the BRCGS seal of approval assures them of Reed Boardall’s compliance.
“To elect for a 20-hour unannounced audit as we did, is a demonstration of total confidence in the robust systems we have in place and that the site operates to the BRCGS’s rigorous standards of product safety 24/7.”
Marcus Boardall, chief executive of Reed Boardall, added:
“Over the last 30 years, Reed Boardall has played an active role in driving up standards within the food industry.
“Our latest BRCGS AA+ rating gives customers the additional peace of mind of knowing that the most rigorous procedures for ensuring product safety are embedded in our business and that we are committed to continuous quality improvement.”
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Harrogate law firm founder to retire
The founder of Harrogate law firm Jones Myers is set to retire after a 42-year career.
Peter Jones founded the company back in 1992 as the sole practitioner specialising in marital difficulties.
He soon attracted fellow family lawyers, who shared his ethos in resolving relationship breakdowns in a non-confrontational and constructive way.
Peter Jones, founder of Jones Myers Family Law.
The law firm now has offices on Victoria Avenue in Harrogate, as well as in Leeds and York.
Mr Jones was also a founder member and former national chair of Resolution, the national association of family lawyers which now has over 6,500 members.
He also chaired its accreditation committee, which remains at the forefront of developing high academic standards and promoting excellence in family law.
Appointed a Deputy District Judge, Mr Jones served in that judicial capacity for 15 years, during which time he also lectured nationally in family law. He qualified in 2012 as one of the country’s first Family Law Arbitrators.
Mr Jones said:
Business Breakfast: Harrogate solicitors funds junior staff development“It has been a privilege to play a part in the evolution of family law since qualifying in 1980 and to have made a real difference to the lives of the valued clients.
“I am immensely proud of the development and expansion of Jones Myers and the consistently high quality of its constructive guidance and client support. The firm has a reputation for attracting the best family lawyers in its field and I am confident of the practice’s continued success as it goes from strength to strength.”
Business Breakfast is sponsored by Harrogate law firm Truth Legal.
A Harrogate solicitors has sponsored three of its junior staff through professional courses and accreditations.
Kirbys Solicitors, which is based on Victoria Avenue, has fully funded the move which it says will help grow the trio’s legal knowledge and business skills.
Among the staff members is Catherine Danks, a probate executive in the private client department, who has just passed all her STEP (Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners) exams with distinction.
Holly Freeman is on her way to becoming a chartered legal executive specialising in residential conveyancing. She is currently studying towards a qualification with CILEX, the UK’s largest professional body for paralegals.
Meanwhile, administration and IT assistant William Geddes is studying for a City and Guilds Level 3 Diploma in Business Administration.
David Dow, director of Kirbys Solicitors, said:
“Kirbys has been in Harrogate for more than 250 years and, although our roots are firmly in the past, we recognise the importance of laying foundations for the future and giving our staff the opportunity for career development with us.”
South Stainley pub set to host artisan markets
A South Stainley pub is set to host three artisan Christmas markets this month.
The Inn South Stainley will hold the markets in an effort to showcase the best festive produce from local businesses.
The Inn at South Stainley owners Graham Usher and Matthew Rose.
They will run from 4pm to 8pm on three consecutive Thursdays – November 10, 17 and 24.
The three artisan Christmas markets will feature an array of regional goods including paper crafts, clothes, cards, 3D flowers and models, jewellery, gifts for animal-lovers, Christmas decorations, candles, bath bombs, clothing, bags, cakes, bakes and sweet treats.
Graham Usher, part-owner of the pub, said:
“This is the first time we have hosted an event like this, and the support from businesses has been terrific.
“These markets are an ideal opportunity to do a spot of early Christmas shopping and at the same supporting local, home-grown enterprises. And those attending can browse the stands whilst enjoying a glass of mulled wine, hot chocolate or a Yorkshire Bratwurst sausage from the kitchen BBQ.
“The market will be a great opportunity for shoppers to find Christmas gifts, whilst enjoying the best of Yorkshire food and drink.”
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Sneak peek: Artist Lucy Pittaway’s new Harrogate gallery
North Yorkshire-based artist Lucy Pittaway is ready to open the doors at her debut Harrogate gallery this weekend.
The gallery, which sells original works of art as well as prints, homeware and stationery, had a preview night last night.
The shop replaces the former menswear shop Austin Reed on Prospect Place, which had been empty since 2016.
It’s been a long wait for Ms Pittaway, who has had her eyes on a site in Harrogate for five years.
Speaking to the Stray Ferret ahead of tomorrow’s official opening, she said:
“We have been wanting to be in Harrogate for some time now but we are finally here, and in an absolutely fabulous location.
“The response we have had from local businesses and shoppers has been amazing. We are absolutely thrilled with the interest we have seen already.
“It wasn’t easy but we have managed to get this space turned around in just three weeks which is a testament to our amazing team. I feel very proud looking around.”
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Ms Pittaway’s best known works are her signature sheep art and her work on the Tour de Yorkshire and UCI Road World Championships in Harrogate.
The Harrogate store will be open Monday to Saturday from 9.30pm to 5.30pm and from 10am to 5pm on Sundays.
A number of promotions are in the pipeline for Christmas and various other initiatives are also on the horizon, including a meet-the-artist event and debut showings of original pieces of art.
More pictures from the preview evening:
Lucy Pittaway with husband Neil and the rest of her team.
The new store looks ready for Christmas.
The gallery also sells homeware, stationery and more.
You can also find some of Ms Pittaway’s original work.
Business Breakfast is sponsored by Harrogate law firm Truth Legal.
A business group in Kirkby Malzeard will host a free pop-up advice session with some of North Yorkshire’s top business advisers on Monday.
David Kerfoot and David Poole feature in the line-up of consultants at the event, organised by Kirkby Malzeard, Laverton and Dallowgill Business/Community Group.
The advisers will be giving free advice on funding, networking, training and bespoke business strategy planning.
Mr Kerfoot, who comes from Northallerton and is a deputy lieutenant for North Yorkshire, is a successful businessman who founded a company in 1980 and built it into a £75m business, supplying oils to the food, cosmetics and aromatherapy industries.
Mr Poole, from Bishopdale, is a retired businessman who was formerly managing director and deputy chairman of Thalis plc, and is now a driving force in the Lower Wensleydale Business Network.
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The KMLD Business/Community Group, which is part of the local parish council, aims to support rural businesses during challenging economic times and also a special interest in arts and crafts businesses due to the large number of artisans living and working in the area.
The pop-up session will be held from 10am to 11am on Monday, November 7 at St Andrew’s Church, Kirkby Malzeard.
Businesses take part in Harrogate College recruitment fair
Businesses from across the Harrogate district took part in a recruitment fair at Harrogate College this week.
Representatives from 10 businesses visited the college on Wednesday to meet with and interview local students.
Businesses from across the district met with and interviewed Harrogate College students.
Firms including Springfield Healthcare, West Park Care, Cairn Group, Disability Action Yorkshire, Vida Healthcare and Harrogate Healthcare Facilities Management Ltd (Harrogate Hospital) attended the event.
ATM Ltd, Arc Inspirations, Anchor Care Homes and Morrisons also took part.
Danny Wild, Harrogate College principal, said:
North Blinds: The company that will pull out all the stops to help you find the perfect window covering“We were delighted to have so many of our key local employers coming along to support this event, which attracted a lot of interest from our students.
“To have a couple of job offers being made on the day was fantastic, and I know that most of the participating businesses also took away contact details for a number of other students that they may well be back in touch with.
“This recruitment fair emerged following Harrogate College Employers’ Network feedback, and is part of our continuing push to ensure our training helps local businesses thrive.
“It was very encouraging to see the first one go so well and we look forward to holding more fairs, supported by our local business partners, as a regular part of the college’s calendar going forward.”
This story is sponsored by North Blinds.
With so many styles of blinds and shades to choose from, finding the right one for your needs can sometimes feel a little overwhelming.
However, using their vast knowledge and expertise, Lucas and his business partner Chris can help you find the perfect window covering.
Since launching their business, North Blinds, in 2018, the team have commissioned and installed thousands of blinds.
Their unrivalled customer service has earned them hundreds of five star ratings on review sites including Google and Trustpilot.
Personal approach
This is thanks to their personal face-to-face approach, which includes bringing their unique ‘mobile showroom’ to customers’ homes.
Lucas said:
“We bring the showroom to customers, so they don’t need to leave the comfort of their homes.
“We, as an independent family business, have got large collections of books of different swatches and types of blinds, so they can see what the actual material or fitting is going to look like against the wall or against the furniture.
“This really helps customers to find what they are looking for.
“We are always friendly and our free no-obligation consultations are carried out in a relaxed way. We keep the best interest of our customers at heart.”
Lucas, from North Blinds.
Lucas, Chris and the team personally offer advice on what blinds would be suitable for customers’ needs.
For example, a heavy wooden blind might not necessarily be suitable for a large window and a motorised blind might be a more preferable option for a skylight.
Lucas said:
“Using our expertise and our experience, we advise them so they get the results they want. Sometimes as a customer, you have something in mind but you don’t know the full range or what options you have. So we can help solve this.”
Lifetime guarantee
The company also offers a unique lifetime aftercare service. As well as a standard two-year warranty on all blinds, North Blinds stay on standby to help customers with any future issues.
Lucas said:
“Our lifetime aftercare helps you to keep your blinds in tip-top shape, even when they get accidentally damaged. So if your dog took too much of a liking to your bone print kitchen blinds, we will fix the damage for free. We only charge for replacement parts if needed. You can’t say fairer than that!
“We focus on the experience and the customer service so they feel they have got value for money. We want to take away all the stress of ordering blinds, fitting them and making sure they are ok.”
North Blinds is based in Skipton, however they offer their top-class service across the Harrogate district, including Knaresborough and Ripon.
The firm works with the best manufacturers to supply a complete range of blinds, including blackout blinds, motorised, ‘perfect fit’, pleated, Venetian, roller, day and night, conservatory, skylight Roman and vertical. As well as the huge variety window blinds on offer, the business also offers a wide range of curtains and shutters.
Lucas added:
“Customers expect excellent quality materials, a high-level of workmanship, professionalism and excellent customer service, and that’s exactly what we believe in too.”
To book a free, no-obligation quote with the team at North Blinds, click here, or call 01423 434049.