A new community group has been set up with the aim of building more support for people in Knaresborough.

Life Aid Knaresborough was created by volunteers four weeks ago and has already attracted more than 200 members to its Facebook group.

Its aim is to organise events, raise money for charities, and bring the community together.

Stacey Worrall, who was one of the founders, told the Stray Ferret:

“There’s so many people in what some say is a rich town, but it’s not – the poverty at the moment is higher than ever.

“It would be nice to be able to have some funding in a pot where, if we hear of a family that’s struggling, to be able to help the people of Knaresborough out.”

While local support is the long-term aim, the first project the group is working on is raising money for a fire engine to send to Volodymyr in Ukraine.

The city has strong links with Knaresborough, after resident Bob Frendt made eight aid trips there over the course of 15 months after the war began last February.

Bob Frendt has delivered eight lorry loads of medical and other supplies to Ukraine

He built connections with local dignitaries and, on what he said was his final trip, was asked by the mayor to deliver a fire engine after its appliances were commandeered to help in the war effort.

While an official scheme has seen fire engines delivered to Ukraine from the UK, these have gone directly to Kyiv and have not benefitted outlying communities like Volodymyr, which is in western Ukraine.

Bob said:

“The problem is, for the towns to try and get an engine back, they have got to grease the wheels, they’ve got to give a backhander to someone.

“Volodymyr is such a poor place, they can’t afford to give a backhander, so they can’t get the fire engine back.

“When I was there, I met a woman whose husband was killed in the war. She lived in an apartment on the sixth floor of a building – and those buildings are poorly built to start with.

“We asked what would happen if the apartment block caught fire. Without thinking, she said, ‘we will die’.

“For her sake and her children, I have to get a fire engine to them.”

Mr Frendt hopes to raise enough money to deliver a second-hand fire appliance in October, and has already passed the £5,000 mark.

Life Aid has already begin helping his fundraising efforts, with several events planned for the summer.

Knaresborough Cricket Club will host live music on Friday, August 25. Entry will be free, with donations taken towards the fire engine fundraising.

The following day, venues around Knaresborough are taking part in a series of events designed to get the whole community involved.

There will be face painting and children’s games at the kiosk at Conyngham Hall, while the World’s End pub will have live music from a folk duo.

A disco will be held at Park Place Social Club, supported by Yorkshire Young Farmers, and other venues around the town will offer open mic nights.

Entry is free, but volunteers will be visiting all the venues to collect donations.

The organisers are also keen to hear from local businesses interested in sponsoring or supporting the events, or getting involved in the future.

Stacey added:

“We hope Knaresborough will be heaving with visitors and locals for the bank holiday.

“If it’s a success, we’re planning to carry on every year on the same day, raising money for different charities and helping locals in need.”

To find out more, join the Facebook group. To donate to Bob Frendt’s fire engine fundraiser, click here.

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Five decades of dedication will be on show in a village near Ripon this weekend as part of the national open gardens scheme.

David and Sally Walden have lived at Greencroft for 49 years, slowly transforming the one-acre garden and adding new features.

For the last 25 years, they have opened the gates to the garden on Pottery Lane as part of the National Garden Scheme, and will do so again this Sunday, from noon until 4pm.

Daughter Rachel Beadle told the Stray Ferret:

“When they bought the property it was just one field going right up to the back of a two-up, two-down house.

“My dad is a builder, now retired aged 80, and mum is the gardener, aged 79.

“They have built and gardened the whole thing over 49 years, adding bits on over the years. Mum spent many, many days mixing cement for dad!

“Dad has built every structure, wall and waterfall, from the log cabin to the the summer house. Mum still gardens the whole thing herself: there are no external gardeners.”

The annual open afternoon always raises money for charities chosen by the NGS. Over the years, Rachel said the couple have raised £35,000 for the likes of Macmillan Cancer Support, Marie Curie, Hospice UK and the Carers’ Trust.

Entry is £5 for adults, while children go free, and there will be tea and cakes available.

Rachel added:

“My sisters, brother and I are all super proud of them.”

A woman seriously injured in a tractor accident near Masham has become a fundraiser for the air ambulance charity that came to her rescue.

Michelle Raine suffered a broken pelvis and serious spinal injuries when a tractor she was a passenger in rolled down a hill in August 2017.

Yorkshire Air Ambulance provided her with critical emergency medical care, pain relief and airlifted her to Leeds General Infirmary.

Ms Raine underwent emergency surgery to stabilise her pelvis and during her two-week hospital stay she also battled pneumonia, which resulted in the collapse of her lungs.

She then spent two months in a wheelchair but eventually made a full recovery.

Ms Raine, whose rescue was broadcast on the TV programme Helicopter ER, has now become a community fundraiser for Yorkshire Air Ambulance.

She said:

“Their swift response and expert care during my accident were nothing short of miraculous.

“Now, as part of the Yorkshire Air Ambulance family, I cherish the opportunity to give back and make a positive impact on the lives of others, just like they did for me.”

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Ms Raine’s passion for the cause has been evident a long time already: one year after her accident she organised a fundraising ball that raised £15,000 for the charity.

Regional fundraising manager Linda Stead said:

“Michelle is an invaluable asset to our fundraising team. Her firsthand experience as an ex-patient allows her to connect with donors and supporters on a deeper level, inspiring them with her remarkable journey and gratitude.”

Johnsons of Whixley has secured a contract to supply five thousand plants to a five-star luxury spa hotel in County Durham.

The horticultural business supplied a range of shrubs and trees to Seaham Hall Hotel, for planting around its bungalow lodges, spa area and hotel terrace.

Johnsons of Whixley worked with garden designer Richard Porter of Garden Vision Ltd.

Founded over 100 years ago, Johnsons is a three-generation family business. Previous hotel projects include Grantley Hall in Ripon.

Seaham Hall Hotel was converted into a luxury hotel in 2012.

Johnsons’ marketing manager, Eleanor Richardson, said:

“We are thrilled to work with the Seaham Hall Hotel team as their ambitious development plans get underway, in collaboration with our customer Richard from Garden Vision Durham, who delivered the design, hard and soft landscaping of the project.”

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A team from Berwins solicitors in Harrogate spent yesterday cycling in the centre of town to raise money for the Yorkshire Air Ambulance.

8 staff members of the legal firm- ranging from a director to team assistant- peddled in a fundraiser entitled “Go The Distance”.

The 85km static cycle was taken in stages by two team members at a time – cycling a theoretical journey from the YAA’s Air Support Unit at Nostell near Wakefield to the Berwins’ offices in Leeds, Harrogate and York before ending at RAF Topcliffe.

The air ambulance is Berwins’ chosen charity for 2023.

The Berwins team peddling away for the Yorkshire Air Ambulance

About 700 people took part in the Race for Life fundraising event in Harrogate on Sunday, generating £95,000 for cancer research.

The number appears to be sharply down on last year, when some 1,400 people pledged to take part.

Cancer Research UK organises Race for Life events across the country to fund scientists to find new ways to prevent, diagnose and treat cancer.

Participants on the Stray dodged the thunder storms to take part in 3k, 5k or 10k events.

Lisa Millett, Cancer Research UK’s spokesperson in Harrogate, said numbers were down because there wasn’t a Pretty Muddy or Pretty Muddy Kids event this year.

She said the charity was “incredibly grateful to everyone who took part”, adding:

“The atmosphere at Race for Life Harrogate was hugely moving — full of emotion, courage, tears and laughter as people celebrated the lives of those dear to them who have survived cancer and remembered loved ones lost to the disease.

“Now we’re asking everyone who took part to return the money they’re raised as soon as possible.”

Race for Life has raised over £940m towards life-saving research since it began 30 years ago.  More than 10 million people have taken part.

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Some of the best private gardens in the Harrogate district have been opening their doors to the public over summer.

The National Open Gardens Scheme enables people to view gardens that are not usually accessible. Visitors are  normally asked to pay a small fee that is then donated to charity.

About 3,500 gardens across Britain take part in the initiative, which started in 1927 to raise money for nurses. Last year it raised £3.11 million.

We have previously featured events in Great Ouseburn, Norton Conyers, Knaresborough and Marton-cum-Grafton, which took place in June.

Some venues run their own open gardens days, which are not part of the national scheme. If you have one coming up, let us know and we will add it to our listings. Email contact@thestrayferret.co.uk

Hampsthwaite

Hampsthwaite will be hosting 12 open gardens on Saturday 1 July from 12.30pm to 5pm.

The trail will begin on the village green, viewing historical properties. There should be a wide variety of planted and naturally wild areas.

It will then follow down Church Lane and end at Station House.

Entry is £5 and free for accompanied under-15s. All proceeds will go to St. Thomas a Beckett Church, Hampsthwaite.

Tickets can be bought on the day from the Memorial Hall.

For more information about what’s on check here.

Harrogate

Saint Michael’s Hospice is opening the grounds of its hospice on Hornbeam Park, between 11am and 3pm on July 2. Visitors can admire the work of the volunteer gardening team, see the hospice’s ‘secret’ viewpoint and enjoy the beauty of the space.

Refreshments will be served on the terrace overlooking Crimple Valley and there will be a raffle, craft activities, live music from the Spa Town Ukes and a plant sale.

Entry is free with donations welcome for refreshments and activities. Children under 18 must be accompanied by an adult and assistance dogs are the only dogs permitted.

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Two Harrogate based disability charities have worked together to create a mosaic that will displayed at a new training centre.

Artizan International and Harrogate Skills 4 Living (HS4L) both work to provide care and support to disabled people.

The mosaic was made by disabled artists from Artizan, a Harrogate-based charity that runs arts and crafts workshops and provides training to disabled people.

The ceramic-tile piece has been given to HS4L for it to display outside its new training centre.

HS4L bought the training centre in early April and has been using the space to run education programmes and internships for young people with learning disabilities.

Hadyn Moorby-Davies, HS4L’s chief executive said:

 “It’s wonderful to collaborate and work with people who share the same vision, values and aspirations as we do – to help disabled individuals overcome the barriers they face and lead fulfilled lives”

“The beautiful mosaic will look stunning on the bare brick walls of our new training centre.”

Mr Moorby-Davies added that the theme of the mosaic, ‘Many Hands’ encompassed the charities’ ethos of  “supporting each other to achieve the best possible outcomes for all.”

Artizan has become a local specialist in mosaics and in 2022 created the giant Harrogate letters displayed on the side of the Boots building in the town centre.

Liz Cluderay, Artizan’s UK director said:

“We have been delighted to create this beautiful mosaic for our friends at HS4L for them to display in their fantastic new training centre – North Barn.

“Working together on projects as organisations serving the needs of our disabled community will help us to reach more people that will benefit from our services.”

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Ripon Grammar School sixth former Samuel Cann is aiming to complete 100 holes of golf in a day for charity this week.

The teenage golf fan, who only started took up golf two years ago, estimates the five-and-a-half rounds will take about 16 hours to complete.

He therefore plans to tee-off at Ripon City Golf Club at 4am on Wednesday and finish by 8pm this Wednesday, June 21.

Sam, 18, who will raise money for Prostate Cancer UK, said:

“I am undertaking this challenge in support of friends and members at the golf club who are suffering or impacted by someone suffering from prostate cancer.

“Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in men, with around 143 men diagnosed every day, and 1 in 8 men being diagnosed in their lifetime.”

The charity’s Big Golf Race, which has been running since 2020, challenges golfers to take on either 36, 72 or — new for 2023 — the ultra marathon 100 holes in a day.

Sam will be supported by other Ripon City Golf Club members who will join him for a round during the challenge, which he hopes will raise up to £500.

Sam, from Sharow, hopes to study aerospace engineering at the Manchester University after completing his A-levels.

There is a JustGiving page for the event, which you can find here.

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Nidderdale Showground will host a new charity fundraiser for Cure Parkinson’s later this month.

The event is being organised by Melanie Mawer, a retired grandmother of three and Nidderdale resident.

The fundraiser includes an obstacle course, food stalls, animal petting and Morris dancing.

The day will also include a series of races hosted by Nidderdale Fell & Trail, with routes through woodland and open moorland.

There’s promised to be a 10k trail run, a 2k kids run and a 3k Canicross. Canicross is an increasingly popular sport involving doing cross country running with dogs.

The fundraiser is aiming to raise money for Cure Parkinson’s, a charity looking to slow, stop or reverse the progression of Parkinson’s.

Melanie, the organiser, has had experience with the condition. Both her late father suffering from it, and her running partner being recently diagnosed.

While working as a nurse and a carer, she also saw her fair share of cases in the community.

She said:

“This is the first fundraiser I’ve organised in my life, and I didn’t think it was going to be this big!”

“I’m just hoping we can make some money for Cure Parkinson’s… I just didn’t realise that so much is done on computers, and there’s so much admin to look after! I’ve learnt a lot though!”

Helen Matthew, Cure Parkinson’s deputy CEO, added:

“Fundraising support is absolutely critical for the charity to enable us to achieve our goal. We aim to cure Parkinson’s and the only way we will do this is through the help of all our incredible supporters – it’s as simple as that!”

The event will be held on June 25, from 8:30 to mid-late afternoon. Melanie is also running a JustGiving Page alongside the event, which can be found at here.

Entry to the event is free with a small fee to compete in the races. Registration for the races is at 8:30am with the first race starting at 10. More information on the races and prebooking can be found here.

There is no need to prebook to attend the wider event or things on offer.

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A toilet in a Harrogate school has been twinned with one in Malawi thanks to an international project.

Rosset School sixth form has raised enough money to build a toilet block in a school in the African country, with support from Soroptimist International of Harrogate and District.

The toilet twinning scheme aims to increase access to safe facilities around the world, delivering better sanitation and improved quality of life. At Rossett, £240 was raised to sponsor the toilet block in Malawi.

Roger Keyworth, head of sixth form at the school, said:

“We would like to thank Harrogate & District Soroptimists for supporting our students with this initiative and for their partnership with our students and the wider sixth form throughout the year. I am very pleased that we were able to raise some money for this great cause.”

Sandra Frier, on behalf of Soroptimist International of Harrogate, said:

“We are delighted to have worked in partnership with Rossett School on the Sharing our Skills project and to have had the opportunity to work with the students throughout the year, supporting them to raise funds for Toilet Twinning.”

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