Harrogate businesswoman’s new lease of life after divorce

This article is sponsored by Berwins

Going through a divorce is undoubtedly one of the most stressful and painful experiences in life.

There are a whirlwind of emotions to battle once a marriage breaks down, including feelings of grief and heartbreak, stress and fear, confusion and disorientation, disappointment and loss.

But for one Harrogate businesswoman, her divorce from her second husband has led to a new lease of life – so much so, she now helps others to mentally deal with the difficult, and often traumatic, process.

New challenges

Since her split, Lisa Duffield has set up her own life coaching and wellbeing business, the Lisa Duffield Centre, managed a house build and has even climbed Kilmanjaro.

She says she is the happiest she has ever been, and when you meet her, there’s no denying her positivity is infectious.

She said:

“I started my business in 2015 as I was going through the breakdown of my second marriage.

“I just realised I’ve got this natural ability and resilience.

“How you look after yourself – keeping up with your exercise and making sure you get all your sleep and everything when you’re going through a traumatic time – all helps build your resilience.

“And so I realised through doing all this, I actually want to spread the word and help other people as well, so I do coaching, mental fitness, hypnotherapy, and try to help empower people.”

As a woman who has gone through two divorces – although her first was amicable and she is still best friends with her first husband – she feels she is in the perfect position to help others.

She helps people who are getting a divorce to deal with their finances, the actual practicalities of moving house and how to look after their children and bring them up during that difficult time.

Lisa Duffield now helps others going through a divorce.

Lisa said:

“It’s stressful for everybody, people often get so worn down by it. So it’s just about keeping yourself going through that process.

“I moved out from the house I was in, and since then I’ve bought a plot of land and built my own house in lockdown, which will be like a wellbeing retreat. Now I do lots of motivational talks and stuff like that.”

Lisa, who has three daughters, says she has always had a business head on her shoulders, and set up a number of businesses with her first husband, whom she is close to and still works with.

Rebuild

But since her second divorce from her husband of nine years, she has had to rebuild everything again as it had a financial impact.

She said:

“I think that one of the main things I would advise others going through divorce is if they do have the coaching and help and support they can actually separate the different aspects of it. That is the emotional, the financial and the family.

“It’s also things like if you do have children and separate, it’s important not to use the children as a weapon because this will be something you regret. You must not do game-playing. You just get caught up in this awful battle and it’s just not worth it at all.

“The financial coaching is absolutely crucial, that’s one of the biggest fears when going through a divorce. What’s going to happen about the money? Where are they going to live? Which school are the children going to go to? Have you lost a certain amount of friends? It’s a huge trauma.

“This is what got me into this line of work. I can help people and coach them through so they can have a logical way of thinking about it, rather than letting their emotions overcome. This leads to feelings of resentment, revenge, punishment, which doesn’t do anyone any good in the end.”

Stronger

Since deciding to launch her business, Lisa started off training to become a clinical hypnotherapist. Since then she has gone on to do lots of other advanced courses in Neuro-linguistic programming (NLP), Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing (EMDR), as well as a a corporate executive coaching course.

She said:

“I’m currently working with a London law firm, setting up a wellbeing strategy. I’m helping people to feel empowered and to realise when you feel you are really down and you can’t pull yourself back up, you absolutely can.

“I would definitely say I have come back better, stronger and more positive.”

Lisa said she decided to divorce her second husband when she felt the marriage wasn’t equal she “felt stagnant” in her life.

She said:

“I felt like I had been stupid, like I had been manipulated and deceived.

“I felt like I was never going to be able to find true happiness in the relationship I was in. This is what made me decide that I need to get out. I think the realisation was the second marriage was a mistake because at the time I didn’t feel like a whole person.

“I thought if I met someone else, the two halves will come together to make a whole person and this doesn’t happen.

“If you’re not a whole person yourself, you’re not in a good place to meet another whole person.

“So I realised I needed to work on my identity and discover who I was and work on personal development for myself. I realised I had to go it alone. I felt I was looking and thinking a man was going to complete my life.

“You need to be a strong individual yourself and then you are in a position to be in a proper relationship with somebody.

“I suppose coming out of it, it’s working in personal development. And that’s what I love helping people with now.”

And Lisa has certainly come a long way since her second divorce. Her wellbeing business, which started off with just Lisa as a clinical hypnotherapist, now has around 15 practitioners on the books.

She regularly travels to London and has done work with O2, the NHS, Capita and PricewaterhouseCoopers. She has mentored some of the world’s strongest men, helping them with their mental focus. As well as project managing her own housebuild, she is also about to set up a new online platform for a second hand plant machinery business.

And she has achieved all this on her own.

She said:

“I found myself, and now I want to help others to get that strength. I’ve been on that journey, so I can help.

“I’ve not only started again, I’ve surpassed it. I’m up at the top of that hill and it’s brilliant.”

Lisa at the summit of Kilamanjaro.

‘Adventure junkie’

She has also become a self-confessed “adventure junkie” and has climbed Kilimanjaro, Machu Picchu and Ben Nevis. She has also been skydiving and sea Kayaking around the Farne Islands.

Her upcoming challenges include a charity Zambezi River trip, a trek across the Sahara Desert and the Dalai Lama Himalayan Trek.

She said:

“All of these things I have managed to do as a single woman. You do not need to be married to do whatever you want to do.

And women are now more powerful than ever. It’s not that I would put men down, but I am certainly equal to the best of those men out there.”

Harrogate business group uninvites Philip Allott from meeting

Harrogate District Chamber of Commerce has withdrawn an invitation to Philip Allott to speak at its November meeting.

The group invites prominent figures from local government, charity and business to address members on topics related to Harrogate at its monthly meetings.

Mr Allott, the Conservative North Yorkshire Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner, was due to speak about his role, current policing and his priorities for the future.

However, the commissioner has received heavy criticism following comments on BBC Radio York on Friday about the kidnap, rape and murder of Sarah Everard by serving Met Police officer Wayne Couzens.

In the interview, Mr Allott said women “need to be streetwise” and that Ms Everard “never should have submitted” to arrest.

David Simister, chief executive of the chamber, said the group had withdrawn its offer to Mr Allott.

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Mr Simister said:

“We had initially invited North Yorkshire’s Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner to speak at this meeting, but this offer was withdrawn on Monday morning.

“Instead, we have invited the team behind delivering the £10.9m Harrogate Station Gateway project to present the next stage of the consultation process, which includes revised plans and detailed drawings.

“Due to the importance of this subject, we will be making this an open meeting to all town centre businesses, as we want them to fully appreciate the implications the scheme will have on them and their customers.

“During the open networking session, taking place between 5.30pm and 6.15pm, attendees will have an opportunity to examine the plans, give feedback, and submit questions to be put to the delivery team at the meeting following their presentation.”

Labour leader Keir Starmer, Nicola Sturgeon, First Minister of Scotland, London mayor Sadiq Khan and TV personality Piers Morgan have been among those condemning Mr Allott’s comments and calling for his resignation. More than 8,000 people have signed a petition calling on him to step down.

The Stray Ferret emailed Mr Allott’s office for a response. His office sent a link to an apology he made over the weekend, which said.

“I would like to reiterate my heartfelt apology for my comments on BBC Radio York on Friday October 1, which I realise were both misconceived and insensitive and have caused upset and distress. I have withdrawn the remarks.”

Fuel Watch: Harrogate district forecourts continue to battle demand

Fuel stations across the Harrogate district are trying to refill as the government urges drivers to reduce demand for petrol and diesel.

Some forecourts remain closed but many are back up and running across the area. So we have created this live blog to help those in need find fuel.

Have you just been to fill up? Help other drivers in need by letting us know what the situation is like at your local petrol station.

Send an email to contact@thestrayferret.co.uk with your reports and we will add them to this rolling coverage throughout the day.

5.30pm – Fuel crisis ‘stabilising’, says transport secretary 

The transport secretary has said there is “very tentative signs of stabilisation” at petrol forecourts in the country.

Mr Shapps has also said that “normal service” will resume as people begin to revert back to old buying habits.

Meanwhile, the Petrol Retailers’ Association has reported a number of its members are now “reporting taking further deliveries of fuel”.

Is the situation getting better in the Harrogate district? Let us know at contact@thestrayferret.co.uk.

3.15pm Yorkshire Ambulance Service has “sufficient fuel”

Trust bosses at Yorkshire Ambulance Service have told the Stray Ferret that their ambulances have enough fuel despite the ongoing problems with supply.

Read more here.

3.05pm – Fuel at Boroughbridge Morrisons

A read has been in touch to report that Boroughbridge Morrisons is out of fuel. If you have any updates from petrol stations across the district, get in touch.

2.30pm – Queues at Ripon Road

Drivers are queueing at The Shell fuel station on Ripon Road this afternoon. An eye witness said seven cars were queuing at the pumps.

The forecourt had a delivery earlier today.

1pm – Tanker delivery at Harrogate fuel station

The Shell fuel station on Ripon Road has reopened after it took in a delivery of both petrol and diesel late this morning.

Since the delivery the petrol station has been busy but it does not seem to be causing queues on the main road.

The fuel station had been closed for the past couple of days after its supply struggled to keep up with a surge in demand.

12.20pm – A picture from across Harrogate fuel stations

Our reporter has been out and about once again to get a view from the fuel stations across the town. There have been deliveries but some places have since run out of fuel.

12pm – Update from Harrogate

Thanks to Stray Ferret reader Martin for this update. We will have a more comprehensive round-up of the situation at pumps in Harrogate shortly.

We continue to urge motorists to buy fuel responsibly and inform us of any updates. Thanks to the key worker who got in touch saying this live blog helped keep him operating yesterday.

https://twitter.com/FIRSTmarty/status/1442801585449574402

11.30 – Morrisons in Starbeck 

A reader has contacted us to says Morrisons in Starbeck was out of diesel an hour ago but still has unleaded petrol. Let us know if you have any updates.

10am – Most fuel stations in Harrogate have stock

The majority of fuel stations in Harrogate now have stock of petrol and diesel. However, a couple are still struggling to keep up with demand.

8am – Ripon has petrol but out of diesel

As of 8am today all of the diesel pumps at Ripon’s three principal petrol stations, had run dry.

At Spar on North Street, which is serviced by BP, only super unleaded fuel was available.

A delivery to top up the diesel and ordinary unleaded tanks is anticipated in the next couple of days.

Photo of BP pumps at Spar

Pumps at the BP Spar station.

Across the city at the Morrisons Harrogate Road station, stocks of diesel ran out this morning, but unleaded fuel is still available.

The same applies at the nearby Morrisons’ supermarket station.

Both expect deliveries from Esso later today.

Tim Flanagan

 

Harrogate Pine Marten pub closes for month-long refurbishment

A well known Harrogate pub and restaurant has closed for a month-long refurbishment.

The Pine Marten, on Otley Road near RHS Harlow Carr, closed today and is planning to open again on Saturday, October 30.

When it reopens in October the pub has promised that it will have a “glamorous” new look and feel with its own personality and style.

It will also bring a new feature bar, which will be at the centre of the social space.

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As well as a new feel for the pub, the owners have also developed a new menu inspired by food trends from across the world, including a new range of small plates.

The pub dates back to the 1820s when it was the original home of Robert Wigglesworth, who created the world’s largest telescope at the time.

The Stray Ferret approached owners Mitchells & Butlers for comment. The company declined to comment but said it would share more information closer to the reopening date.

Ripon firm warns of New Year’s Eve firework shortages

A Ripon firm has warned people planning New Year’s Eve fireworks to stock up now because the supply chain crisis gripping the UK could lead to shortages.

Steve Raper, a consultant for Brightstar Fireworks in Melmerby, near Ripon, and chair of the British Fireworks Association told the Stray Ferret that a combination of factors, including driver shortages, high demand, extreme weather and even the 100th anniversary of the formation of the Chinese Communist Party were to blame.

Brightstar imports about 120 shipping containers of fireworks every year from China, which closed many factories over summer due to extreme heat.

The country’s leader Xi Jinping gave factory workers time off to celebrate the communist party’s anniversary, which has further squeezed the supply chain.

Mr Raper said the United States also lit more fireworks than usual for a bumper July 4th celebration this year.

He said:

“It’s not all doom and gloom but it’s bad. People will have to go out early and order their fireworks earlier from their supplier.

“We won’t see a major impact over bonfire season, it will be around New Year.”

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Mr Raper said covid led to increased demand for fireworks last year, which had led to supply issues this year.

He said the cost of importing a shipping container had also increased from around £8,000 to over £30,000.

He added:

“Because of covid, everybody was locked down hacked off and depressed, so they let fireworks off in their garden. There was lots of knock on effects. The demand was immense.

“However I’d much prefer to see a shortage of fireworks than health or medical supplies.

“The industry is doing everything it can to meet that demand.”

Longstanding Harrogate restaurant set to make way for pub

A longstanding Indian and Bangladeshi restaurant in Harrogate has closed and could be converted into a pub.

The Ali Raj, on Cheltenham Crescent, was the first Bangladeshi restaurant in town when it opened more than 35 years ago.

After a couple of tough years for the hospitality industry, restaurant owner Abdul Rashid, who took over the business from its original owners, decided to close.

Mr Rashid announced the news on the Ali Raj Facebook page, saying it was the “end of an era”.

The Stray Ferret tried to contact Mr Rashid for comment but did not receive a reply by the time of publication.

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Richard Park, owner of The Little Ale House, which is situated beneath the Ali Raj, has applied to Harrogate Borough Council to change the use of the building from restaurant to pub on both the first and second floors of the building.

Mr Park and his wife Danni opened The Little Ale House in 2016 to recreate a rustic country pub atmosphere in the town centre.

They have been keen to support micro breweries and encourage conversation by shunning TVs and background music.

Council backs Knaresborough BID plan with 28 votes

Harrogate Borough Council will vote in favour of plans to turn Knaresborough town centre into a Business Improvement District (BID) despite a plea to let firms “decide for themselves”.

Members of the council’s cabinet last night agreed to cast 28 votes in favour of the plans which if approved would see businesses pay an annual levy to the proposed BID body for projects to create a better promoted town centre.

The council can cast that many votes because it owns 28 rate-paying properties in the town – and the decision was made despite a plea for it to not take part in the voting process.

Speaking at a meeting last night, Julie Gillett, revenues, welfare and customer services officer at the council, said:

“A letter has been received by 17 Knaresborough businesses asking that the council abstain from voting in order to let businesses decide for themselves.

“However, officer recommendation remains the same that we should support the ballot stage as our support in this will help businesses to help themselves.”

More than 300 firms are eligible to take part in the vote which started last week and will run until 8 October. The results will be announced the following day.

A group of business leaders have been working on the plans since 2019 and will generate £700,000 in funding over the next five years if the vote is a success.

Before voting got underway, Harrogate Borough Council previously agreed to lend £27,000 for start-up costs and will contribute around the same amount in levy charges if the BID goes ahead.

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There are mixed feelings amongst the business community, with some firms raising questions over how the BID is being created and how much of a difference it could actually make.

Annie Wilkinson-Gill, owner of The Crystal Buddha gift shop, previously said there has been a “real lack of transparency” in the planning process, while Tracey Bell, owner of Ruebury Flowers, also said she fears the BID could be a “wasted opportunity”.

For the BID to succeed, a simple majority of those who vote, representing more than half the total rateable value of all properties, must be in favour.

The council’s 28 votes represents around 9% of the total number of businesses and 6% of the overall rateable value.

Knaresborough firms raise concerns about proposed new BID

Three independent businesses in Knaresborough have expressed concerns about the process to create a new Business Improvement District for the town.

Companies in Knaresborough will be balloted on Friday on whether to set up a BID.

BIDs, which already exist in many towns and cities, including Harrogate and Ripon, aim to create safer, cleaner and better promoted city and town centres to improve footfall.

Plans to create a Knaresborough BID began in September 2019 and the outcome of this week’s ballot is due to be revealed on October 9.

But three business owners jointly contacted the Stray Ferret saying they felt their voices hadn’t been heard during the BID set-up process and highlighting concerns about transparency, communication and accuracy.

They are Tracey Bell from Ruebury Flowers, Annie Wilkinson-Gill at The Crystal Buddha and Natalie Horner from Sid Horner and Son.

Transparency

If the BID is voted in, all businesses in the Knaresborough area will have to pay an annual levy for five years. The amount depends on each company’s rateable value and can vary from 68p to £21 each day.

The three women said it was important for them to know before they voted what schemes would be introduced from the £700,000 the BID is expected to receive over five years.

The Knaresborough BID’s business plan sets aside £575,000 for ‘communicating, connecting, celebrating and collaborating’ but the women say they are not clear what this means even though they have sought clarification.

Ms Bell said:

“It’s just not been done in the right way and it’s not transparent. I really do think it could have worked well but it’s just a shame that our opinions haven’t been listened to.

“I have no confidence in how the process has been handled so far that these people [the BID task group] are going to be able to deliver what they said they will deliver.”

When asked what the £575,000 will go towards, Bill Taylor, chair of the BID task group, said:

“If the vote is successful a not-for-profit company will carry out the detailed implementation of the themes identified in the plan. This company will be run and managed by businesses themselves and the details of this are also set out in the business plan.”

Communication

The three business owners said they found out about the BID through word of mouth and social media rather than from BID consultants.

They added numerous businesses, included in the BID map area, are yet to be contacted despite ballot papers going out at the end of the week.

The business owners also said they had raised numerous questions and suggested ideas for the business plan but none had been included. They said they felt they weren’t being listened to.

Ms Thorner said:

“We kept trying to get involved and ask questions but now it’s going to ballot and we’re still no more aware of where the £700,000 is going.”

Ms Bell added:

“For me, it sounds like they’ve thought ‘let’s do this thing’ and not tell anyone.”

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Accuracy

They also claimed the ballot list is full of inaccuracies, saying some businesses included don’t exist anymore or have changed hands.

Ms Wilkinson-Gill said:

“Some of the owners on the list have passed away. There should be an accurate list.”

In response, Mr Taylor said the ballot process was handled by an officer at Harrogate Borough Council and incorrect information should be reported to it.

The three women are delivering flyers this week to businesses to ensure they are aware of the upcoming vote. Insisting the flyers are non-biased, Ms Wilkinson-Gill said:

“We don’t care how people vote, we just want everyone to know about it. I’m still optimistic that the BID could be good for the town, we just need to make sure everyone has the chance to be involved.”

Harrogate electronics firm receives £600,000 Northern Powerhouse loan

A Harrogate firm that refurbishes computer equipment has received a government-backed loan worth £600,000 from the Northern Powerhouse Investment Fund.

Intelligent Servers Ltd, which is based at Hornbeam Park and employs 50 people, says the loan will help the company increase its stock, expand its warehouse and employ 23 more staff members.

Since the company was founded in 2011 it has delivered refurbished products to over 3,000 customers including Manchester United FC.

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The loan was provided through FW Capital Debt Finance.

Its assistant investment executive Alex Brown said:

“We are delighted to back Intelligent Servers, a business with a great track record of growth and a proven management team.

“Our investment will assist Intelligent Servers in achieving their growth strategy through maintaining higher stock levels and improving purchasing power. Best of all, this growth strategy will support significant job creation.”

Harrogate organic food shop to close after less than a year

An organic food shop on Cold Bath Road in Harrogate is to close next week, less than a year after opening its doors for the first time.

Nicola Mawdsley opened Joy In Store as an environmentally-friendly one-stop shop that would change stock with the seasons.

Ms Mawdsley hoped the venture would compete with smaller supermarkets but it has been unable to attract enough customers to make it work so it will close for good on Saturday, August 14.

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Like other businesses, Joy In Store has endured a series of lockdowns since it opened in November.

Although the shop is closing, Ms Mawdsley told the Stray Ferret it might return in a different form:

“There are potentially opportunities down the line. I will keep the online shop that is now ready and I could also do some pop-up shops.

“People loved the idea of organic, sustainable and plastic free shopping. It just seems to take a long time for people to change their habits.

“It is a real shame. Had I known that there would have been more lockdowns down the line I would not have gone ahead with it at that time.”

A sale in the 10 days before closure will see Joy In Store sell off its remaining stock for 25% discounts.

The shop will include not only the food but also the shop fixtures and fittings, including crates, trollies and more.