Charity shop opens tomorrow on Harrogate’s Oxford Street

A new charity shop will open tomorrow on Harrogate’s Oxford Street as part of ambitious expansion plans.

Yorkshire Cancer Research will open the shop in the former Porters clothing shop, after the business moved to James Street two years ago.

Tomorrow’s official opening will be conducted by TV presenter and journalist Christine Talbot, with the Mayor of the Borough of Harrogate, Cllr Victoria Oldham, also attending.

The Harrogate-based charity already has five shops and plans to open a further 15 in the next five years, saying it plans to open units on every high street in Yorkshire.

Each shop is expected to raise £100,000 a year for the charity, which funds research into cancer. YCR is the largest regional cancer charity, funding 62 research programmes and allowing 250,000 people to participate in pioneering research and treatment.

The former Porters shop on Oxford Street

The former Porters shop on Oxford Street.

A spokesperson for YCR said:

“As well as raising funds to help prevent, diagnose and treat cancer, the shops are the ‘greenest on the high street’, allowing people to recycle pre-loved items and buy sustainably sourced products.

“They also provide opportunities for people to learn new skills, meet new people and play a role in helping those with cancer in Yorkshire through volunteering.”

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Cost of living crisis fund launched for North Yorkshire

Two Ridings Community Foundation has launched a fund aimed at helping communities in North Yorkshire as the cost of living crisis deepens.

The charity is set to open applications for the fund next month and has already received £210,000 worth of pledges towards it.

The fund will give grants to groups who provide practical, financial and emotional support to people struggling to manage bills, with their day-to-day existence and the emotional impact of constantly worrying about finance, debt and their loved ones’ wellbeing.

It comes as people across the Harrogate district have seen energy bills increase and inflation hike the prices of goods and services.

Two Ridings Community Foundation is one of 47 community foundations in the UK which co-ordinate local charitable giving. Its new initiative will help people in north and east Yorkshire.

James Lambert, founding donor of the crisis fund and high sheriff of North Yorkshire, urged others to donate to the fund.

He said:

“As a local businessman I urge everyone who can to donate to this crucial fund.

“As high sheriff I have seen the amazing work that local charities do and know that any money donated is used wisely and well, where it is most needed.”

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The fund will also ensure charities can cope with the impact of the cost of living on their own costs, so they can continue to offer support.

The fund will open for applications from North and East Yorkshire community organisations from early October 2022. Full details will be available on the Two Ridings website.

90-year-old skydiving for Harrogate care home

A 90-year-old man from Harrogate will perform a skydive to help buy wheelchairs at a care home where his wife lives.

Frank Ward’s wife Margie has vascular dementia and lives at Berwick Grange care home on Wetherby Road.

As Mr Ward approached his 90th birthday in November, he decided to mark it by doing something special.

The energy crisis has increased costs at the care home for heating and food and Mr Ward hopes the fundraiser will help it buy some much-needed wheelchairs for residents.

He is especially looking forward to the jump because the last time he did a skydive was in the 1950s during National Service.

Mr Ward said:

“It occurred to me that a skydive would be a nice thing to do to mark my 90th — and I could try and do some good at the same time. 

“I’ve raised over £1,500 so far, that’s marvellous and will buy a lot of wheelchairs. 

“If I get to 95 I might do another one!”

To donate, visit the JustGiving page.

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Harrogate fundraiser’s decade of collecting for Marie Curie after help with father’s care

A Harrogate fundraiser has dedicated the past decade collecting for Marie Curie after the charity’s nurses helped her to care for her father.

When her dad was diagnosed with cancer 11 years ago, Tracey D’Alessandro-Rixon was bringing up three small children, aged five months, seven and nine.

Marie Curie’s nurses stepped in and supported her during evenings, which allowed her time to look after her young family and get some rest.

She said:

“I had very young kids. My husband worked away and they gave me a lot of support on evenings so I could get some sleep.

“Dad had dementia and would want to play football at 10pm at night. The nurses were just amazing. One of them used to make me a cake each week as well.

“Marie Curie nurses are an amazing breed.”

Ms D’Alessandro-Rixon is now a registered volunteer for Marie Curie and member of the Harrogate fundraising group.

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Since her father’s death, both she and her children have helped to raise thousands for the charity.

She said:

“My children used to do daffodil weeks with me and have continued to do it for quite a few years. Especially my son, because it is his way of doing his thing for his granddad. It left quite a hole in his life when his granddad died. He wanted to help others to get some help. He likes to do it every year.”

Ms D’Alessandro-Rixon said Marie Curie provided a very important service.

She said:

“I couldn’t have looked after my dad like I did if I hadn’t had that help. As he had Alzheimer’s, for me it was the wrong thing to stick him in respite.

“Because of their help, I was able to keep him at home which was really important for my dad. It was a place where he felt happy.”

Fundraiser

The Marie Curie Brain Game is returning to Yorkshire for a fourth time on Thursday, January 26 and for the first time in Harrogate in the newly refurbished Majestic Hotel & Spa.

Guests will be treated to a drinks reception before enjoying a gourmet three-course dinner. The celebrity-hosted quiz will run throughout the evening and guests will also have the opportunity to bid for exclusive lots in the live and silent auctions, and win prizes in the grand raffle.

This black-tie event invites companies from across Yorkshire to come and enjoy an evening of brain-teasing entertainment and battle it out in the ultimate corporate quiz to be crowned Yorkshire Brain Game champions.

To book a table, click here.

Column: we have met and observed Charles many times, he will be a worthy King

This column has been written for the Stray Ferret by Dr Terry Bramall CBE. The Liz and Terry Bramall Foundation is based in Harrogate and has been for many years one of the UK’s largest donors to the Prince’s Trust.

I first met the Prince of Wales some thirty years ago when he came to Durham to open a small housing estate for the Durham Aged Miners Housing Association. He was charming, interested and engaging and made the occasion very memorable.

Nearly 20 years later when my colleagues and I had sold our company, my wife Liz and I formed our philanthropic foundation. We were determined to make a difference and thought quickest way to get results was to offer change to young people and the best deliverers for that purpose was the Prince’s Trust.

Within 18 months we were one of its biggest supporters.

During the last 15 years we met and observed the King many times. We found out why the Prince’s Trust was so successful. He took an intimate interest in assembling the right people to work with, visiting their offices and meeting the youngsters who join the programmes that they offer. Its impact on the lives of some of our most vulnerable young people has been profound and we have witnessed that. Normally when royalty make visits they don’t spend long in one place. My wife and I visited an annual Trust prize giving one year at the Odeon, Leicester Square. The now King sat on the stage all afternoon, shaking hands and congratulating all the nominees from around the country. This was truly an example of his devotion to his causes and beliefs.

Up to now, he has been, at times, a controversial figure. That is principally because he has been before his time. I think of his bringing quality design to individual housing, housing estates and villages. In farming he was promoting growing our food organically. Behind his ideas, his aim was to improve the health of people and the planet. Today we realise that the controversy arose because he recognised the benefits before the majority and, as Prince of Wales, he could fight for these causes.

As King, of course, he can’t because he now has a constitutional role working much more closely with Parliament.

I know he recognises this and I look forward to him establishing himself and bringing his dedication to service that I have experienced through being associated with the Princes’ Trust.

I know he will be relinquishing his leadership role of the Trust and consequently we will not meet as we have but I believe he will be a very worthy King.

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Harrogate man ‘running the date’ of the month each day for mental health fund

A man from Harrogate is ‘running the date’ with an extra mile everyday to raise money for fund set up in memory of his close friend.

Darren West, from Bilton, started with one mile on September 1 and will build up to running 30 miles on the last day of the month.

He is fundraising for the Alastair Mackenzie Fund, set up by his wife Christina after Alastair took his own life.

The fund works with local groups to ‘raise awareness of suicide prevention and improve the mental health resources available to those in need.’

Mr West and Alastair Mackenzie started as work colleagues but became good friends. When Alastair died, he said it was “absolutely devastating.”

Mr West first saw the idea for the challenge on social media.

After having taken a break from running, he thought it would be able to get back into the sport. He said:

“I thought, that’d be doable. I’d quite fancy that.”

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Initially going to run for fun, Christina Mackenzie asked if he would do it to raise money for the fund.

She is managing the fundraising whilst Mr West focuses on the challenge.

Work and the school run means that Mr West usually has to run in the early hours of the morning.

However, he says that he does not mind it:

“I don’t really get much of a chance in the day to run so I actually run on a morning. I’m not a very good sleeper so my running time normally varies between 1am in the morning and 6am.”

He manages to get some sleep back through power naps during the day.

Betty’s staff taking on three million step challenge for colleague with brain tumour

Ten friends who met whilst working at the Betty’s bakery in Harrogate are taking on a challenge of walking three million steps in September after being inspired by a colleague who was diagnosed with a brain tumour.

David Smith, 55, was diagnosed with a grade 4 glioblastoma tumour in March this year.

The challenge is part of the Yorkshire Brain Tumour Charity’s Step into September campaign, where supporters ‘walk, jog, dance or climb’ to raise funds for research and patient support.

Throughout the month, the colleagues and ex-colleagues will aim to walk as many steps as possible in an attempt to raise £2,000.

They hope to do most of the steps on Saturday, September 17, when they will walk 20km around Roundhay Park in Leeds.

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Crimple Valley where Betty's staff have been walking for the brain tumour charity step challenge

The walkers have been getting their steps across the local area, including in the Crimple Valley (photos: Yorkshire Brain Tumour Charity)

Gemma Pickup, Mr Smith’s manager at Betty’s, said the group wanted to continue raising funds after the challenge.

The group’s ‘Do it for Dave, do it for Yorkshire’ idea is for the three million steps to be just the first challenge out of 20, with baking, fishing and swimming all on the agenda.

Ms Pickup said:

“I came up with ‘Do it for Dave, Do it for Yorkshire’ because Dave has been lacking motivation recently.

“Dave will have worked at Bettys for 20 years in September and we have all known him that long, so I came up with the idea of 20 challenges in 12 months to try and give him something to aim for and also a chance for people to reconnect with him and make some fun memories.”

The Yorkshire Brain Tumour Charity works to support brain tumour patients of all ages and their families across Yorkshire.

The charity has funded research at the Leeds Teaching Hospitals Trust and at the Universities of Hull and Sheffield.

Over 1,000 people are diagnosed with brain tumours across the Yorkshire and the Humber region each year. Around 10% of those diagnosed are under 18 years old.

Myrings partners with Martin House on Harrogate charity boards

This story is sponsored by Myrings.

Harrogate’s Leading Family Estate Agent Myrings has partnered with Martin House Children’s Hospice to support families with its new charity boards initiative.

Martin House provides hospice care for children and young people with life-limiting illnesses free of charge across North, West and East Yorkshire.

To support Martin House, Myrings will donate £10 for every “for sale” or “to let” board in Harrogate and the surrounding villages.

The new charity initiative is starting now so residents will start to see the new Martin House boards popping up soon and it will continue for the foreseeable future.

Gemma Myring, co-founder and director at Myrings, told the Stray Ferret:

“Martin House is a big part of Harrogate and has touched so many lives.

“We simply cannot praise the staff and volunteers enough. The hospice provides selfless dedication and love to those who need it most.

“It has been one of the guiding principles at Myrings from the day we opened our doors to ‘put something back’ into our hometown where we all live and work.

“Myrings has been in the property business for more than 20 years. It’s a long time but not close to the 35 years Martin House has faithfully served our community.”

Myrings has adapted many times over the years, investing heavily into the website and software.

However, the estate agents believes that a welcoming, dedicated and individual service is greatly valued by Yorkshire people so has recently remodelled its offices to allow for a more personal and private client experience.

Please look out for the new Myrings and Martin House boards over the coming months – and call in to see the team for a chat and a coffee soon.

Former nurse who helped raise millions for Marie Curie remains passionate about charity after 25 years

Twenty-five years ago Christine Hamilton-Stewart MBE got a call from Marie Curie asking her if she would lead a fundraising drive to build a hospice in Bradford.

At the time, the former nurse was helping to care for her sister-in-law who was dying from liver cancer.

As a result, she gained knowledge of what was available in the palliative care sector, particularly to patients who wanted to die at home. Marie Curie was the main supplier of this service.

Mrs Hamilton-Stewart, who lives in South Stainley, between Harrogate and Ripon, told the Stray Ferret:

“The fact I had trained as a nurse and had experience of caring for end-of-life patients really meant that I could help, not only my sister-in-law, but various other family members.

“So Marie Curie was looking for someone to lead a capital appeal to build this hospice in Bradford, and I chaired that appeal.”

Raising £3.5 million

And Mrs Hamilton-Stewart was clearly the right person for the job, as she helped to raise an incredible £3.5 million in just 18 months.

She recalled:

“At the time it was a surprise to everybody, including me.”

Mrs Hamilton-Stewart is now a patron and vice-president of Marie Curie and continues to dedicate her time to raising vital funds for the charity.

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In 2011 she was awarded an MBE for her services to Marie Curie. The organisation is the largest charitable funder of research into better ways to care for and support people with terminal illness and their families.

‘We don’t prepare for death’

She said:

“I’m still here. I passionately believe that all patients and their families should have the best possible care and support at the end of their life.

“In this country, we all prepare beautifully for birth, but we don’t prepare for death.

“Patients and families who get the right support, I believe, are able to cope much better with very challenging situations. Having the capacity to volunteer for all these years has made me feel useful and I do what I can to help this fantastic organisation.”

Mrs Hamilton-Stewart praised the support of the community in Harrogate and North Yorkshire.

She said:

“We were the charity partner of the Grand Depart of the Tour de France and the recipient of Chris Blundell’s [chairman and co-founder of North Yorkshire-based Provenance Inns] charity clay day some years ago.

“The money from that enabled us to upgrade day care services, which are far-reaching.”

Marie Curie nurses in North Yorkshire are based at home, with the service for the whole region managed from the base of the Bradford Hospice.

There are currently eight registered nurses and 15 healthcare assistants in the county.

During the 2020/2021 period, there were 60 patients and 334 visits, equating to approximately 3,005 hours.

It costs £20,000 to hire a Marie Curie nurse for a year.

Fundraising is therefore vital in supporting these services.

‘It’s a fantastic organisation to support’

Mrs Hamilton-Stewart said:

“People are very supportive in Harrogate. We have two exciting events coming up in the town.

“The Yorkshire Brain Game will take place at the Harrogate Majestic Hotel on September 15 and there will also be a Last Night of the Proms concert at the Royal Hall on October 7, organised by the Harrogate support group.

“The pandemic devastated community fundraising, but we are so pleased to see our volunteers leap back into action. More are always welcome – to get involved, you can visit the Marie Curie website. It’s a fantastic organisation to support.”

After 25 years, Mrs Hamilton-Stewart said she has no intention of hanging up her fundraising hat just yet.

She added:

“Having the capacity to work closely with fundraising teams and medical director Sarah Holmes, we have so many exciting plans to improve our services. I’m excited to push on with our efforts to keep the funding going.”

Fundraiser

The Marie Curie Brain Game is returning to Yorkshire for a fourth time on Thursday, January 26 and for the first time in Harrogate in the newly refurbished Majestic Hotel & Spa.

Guests will be treated to a drinks reception before enjoying a gourmet three-course dinner.

Mrs Hamilton-Stewart revealed that Downton Abbey actor Jim Carter will be the main host of the evening, with the food and drink category hosted by Leeds Michelin star Leeds chef, Michael O’Hare.

The celebrity-hosted quiz will run throughout the evening and guests will also have the opportunity to bid for exclusive lots in the live and silent auctions, and win prizes in the grand raffle.

This black-tie event invites companies from across Yorkshire to come and enjoy an evening of brain-teasing entertainment and battle it out in the ultimate corporate quiz to be crowned Yorkshire Brain Game champions.

To book one of the remaining tables, click here.

Community invited to ‘fill up a parking space’ with food amid cost of living crisis

The Harrogate district community is set to come together this weekend to help hungry families struggling with the cost of living crisis.

People are being encouraged to fill a parking space with food at Morrisons, Boroughbridge, which will then be donated to food banks in the area.

The event, which will take place from 10am – 4pm on Saturday, is being led by the supermarket’s community champions, Sue Robson and Karen Cooper.

Ms Cooper said:

“As you are aware, the current financial climate is beginning to affect many local families and further putting already vulnerable households at risk of going hungry. Now, more than ever, people are needing to utilise the services of food banks.

We are joining forces with local food banks to create an event which hopefully should create awareness, and ultimately, provide more food for families in need.

“We hope this event will help to inspire our community to begin, or continue, to donate to local food banks, should they be in the position to do so.”

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Customers, staff, and the wider community are encouraged to come and donate non-perishable food and place it in an empty parking space, which will be cordoned off on the day.

The idea is that the parking space, or spaces, will be filled and then distributed to food banks in the area. These include Resurrected Bites, in Harrogate and Knaresborough, Boroughbridge Community Care and other local causes.

Customers can purchase food from pre-made pick-up packs at the supermarket, or can bring their own from home. They can also buy items off the shelves.