A Harrogate illustrator has designed a Leeds United Christmas card to raise money for Yorkshire Cancer Research.

Graeme Bandeira’s wintry scene features the iconic Billy Bremner statue wearing a blue Santa hat at Elland Road, with Yorkshire Cancer Research’s rose on the East Stand.

The cards are being sold in packs of five for £6, with £2 from each pack donated to Yorkshire Cancer Research, which is based in Harrogate.

Leeds United, who have many supporters in the Harrogate district, began a charity partnership with Yorkshire Cancer Research in September to raise awareness of the organisation’s work.

Dr Kathryn Scott, chief executive at Yorkshire Cancer Research, said:

“We were keen to mark our partnership with Leeds United in a special way and offer the fans an opportunity to celebrate Christmas while raising money to save lives in Yorkshire.

“Inviting Graeme to design our Christmas card felt like the perfect choice. We hope Leeds United supporters will love it as much as we do.”

Left to right: Angus Kinnear, chief executive at Leeds United, Graeme Bandeira and Dr Kathryn Scott, chief executive of Yorkshire Cancer Research.

Mr Bandeira said:

“It’s been an absolute pleasure to join forces with two Yorkshire icons and it being for such a great cause too.”

Money raised from the cards will fund research, end of life care and cancer screening.

The packs of cards can be bought online here or in any of the five Leeds United stores if they are allowed to reopen before Christmas.

Mr Bandeira is also auctioning the original artwork on eBay to raise will be donated to Yorkshire Cancer Research. To make a bid, click here.

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Paul Bell, executive director at Leeds United, said:

“Christmas is always a special time of the year and it’s fantastic that we’re able to mark the occasion this season with our official charity partner.

“We know our supporters will get behind the initiative, with money raised from the sales helping to support the world-leading research taking place to help more people survive cancer.”

With a second lockdown now affecting Pateley Bridge High Street, Pat and Andrew Waite hope to bring some festive cheer.

The couple, who have run The Sandwich Box takeaway for 10 years, are currently collecting prizes for three hampers that can be won in a Christmas competition.

Local shops and and other businesses have responded enthusiastically by donating items for the hampers.

Numbered squares on a competition board, costing £5 apiece, will be on sale from 16 November and proceeds will help boost the Mayor’s annual appeal.

Mr Waite, said:

“It has been a strange old year for Pateley Bridge, starting with Storm Dennis and floods, followed by COVID-19.”

The coronavirus crisis, which has brought two lockdowns, has put paid next month’s late-night shopping event in the town and Mrs Waite, added:

“We thought that the hamper competition would be a way for Pateley Bridge to say a big ‘thank you’ to the customers who have supported the town through all the difficulties.”

Shops and other businesses in Pateley Bridge are supporting the Christmas hamper competition

All shops and other businesses that donate prizes will have their name listed against the item they have given.

The list will be on display in The Sandwich Box, in Back High Street, where entrants in the competition can also select a square or squares.

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• Pateley Bridge charity shops in lockdown

Because the business is a takeaway, it will remain open throughout the current lockdown.

The Mayor of Pateley Bridge, Councillor Mike Holt, who has donated a bottle of champagne for the competition, told the Stray Ferret:

“Pat and Andrew exemplify the community spirit that has helped us to tackle everything that has been thrown at the town this year.

“Naturally, we all hope that 2021 will be a better year for local shops, other businesses and residents and the money raised will fund activities that support our community.”

Following a successful Christmas lights appeal, supported by the town’s traders and residents, Pateley Bridge High Street will have enhanced Christmas decorations this year.

A collective effort saw the town council work alongside retailers and other business owners,  Nidderdale Chamber of Trade and the local community to raise the funds for extension of the lights.

Harrogate Borough Council will provide two large Christmas trees.

A Facebook group has been created as a platform for small local businesses to sell or promote their products after the cancellation of festive events across the Harrogate district this year.

Called the Harrogate Virtual Christmas Market 2020, the group gained 1,000 members in its first 72 hours, and has a growing list of 39 virtual stallholders. They are offering everything from handcrafted Christmas decorations to bespoke art to online photography lessons. 

Tiffany Snowden, who created the group, said: 

“I own a crafts business myself, and normally this time of year my weekends are filled November to December, but of course this hasn’t happened thanks to covid. There are national virtual markets that you had to pay £20 to join and there was lots of spam in them, but I did a quick check and there wasn’t a Harrogate one, so I decided to set one up.

“It is a way of showcasing those one-man bands that don’t have marketing potential, or don’t have enough time as they work full time too, and giving them a platform. It’s also a place to keep the money in the local community, so it’s not going to big shops or other parts of the country.”

Ms Snowden has a filter on the group that automatically allows those that live within forty miles of the Harrogate area to join, and after a consensus from stallholders, decided not to accept representatives or consultants attached to larger companies.

She explained:

“It’s not in the spirit of the market. People are putting their heart and soul into their products, and everything is all either hand-made or locally sourced. At a time when Christmas is so hard, people want handcrafted things and to feel like they’re supporting each other in buying their Christmas gifts.”

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Sellers have also agreed to give each other 10% discount on purchases that they make from each other, aiming to keep as much money as possible within the local community.

The online market will continue until Christmas Eve. If you’re a small business owner and interested in getting involved, visit the Facebook group or contact Tiffany on the platform.

The annual late night shopping event in Boroughbridge has had to be cancelled this year leaving shops without the festive boost in sales.

The popular event normally attracts hundreds of eager shoppers wanting to support local businesses. Community groups and shops also get involved by dressing up and decorating shop windows.

However, this year the Boroughbridge Chamber of Trade has had to cancel the event in order to discourage huge crowds.

During the evening the Christmas tree lights are usually switched on but this year there will be a low-key switch on with the mayor and chamber president, Derek Hufton.

The chamber will still organise the town’s Christmas lights which is match funded by local councils. The budget for the lights this year is £5500.

Derek said:

“It is such a shame, it is one of the highlights for the town. It’s possibly one of the best days of trading for shops in the year. It won’t stop anyone trading throughout the festive season but it is a little extra that they will miss out on.

“We still want people to shop in the town. I think people feel safer here and they know they’re supporting local businesses.”

Read more:

• Boroughbridge farm shop hosts artisan market this weekend to boost its trading. 
• No Christmas market hasn’t stopped Knaresborough, it is finding new ways to bring festive cheer to the town.

The chamber is still encouraging shops to decorate their windows and dress-up for its annual competitions and encourage shoppers.

The Boroughbridge Lions are still hoping to have their annual Santa sleigh fundraiser. Usually it travels through the town at night but the group is currently discussing how it can go ahead safely this year.

A competition to find a Christmas tree for Downing Street was held in Harrogate today.

Yorkshire shepherdess Amanda Owen, from Channel 5’s Our Yorkshire Farm, and Peter Wright from The Yorkshire Vet were joined by last year’s winners from Devon and Leicestershire to judge the entries.

The competition has been running since 1999 but this is the first time it has been held in Harrogate. It is also the first time celebrity judges have been invited.

Due to covid, the participants were unable to attend in person.

They sent their trees to the Great Yorkshire Showground where the judges selected the winners in various categories, including the prestigious ‘champion Christmas tree grower of the year’.

York Christmas Trees was crowned the winner of that category and one of its trees will have the distinction of standing outside 10 Downing Street over the festive period.

The winner of champion festive wreath category was Welford Christmas tree farm from Northampton. Its wreath will hang on the door of the Prime Minister’s residence.

Read more:

• Christmas attractions continue to appeal to visitors despite covid changes. 
• Our survey showed people in Harrogate plan to do a third of their Christmas shopping in the town centre. 

Oliver Combe of York Christmas Trees said:

“We are a small local family business who have been growing trees for over 20 years. We are overwhelmed to have won the title of champion grower for 2020, it is a huge accolade!”

The competition is run by the The British Christmas Tree Growers Association.

Heather Parry, who is the managing agent for BCTGA as well as the managing director of Yorkshire Event Centre said:

“The quality and the amazing scent of the trees on display was incredible; this is truly the Oscars for Christmas trees. It was heartening to hear also that many growers are selling more trees than normal, as consumers plan ahead to have a real Christmas tree as the centrepiece of their home this year”.

The competition to find Britain’s best Christmas tree, which will then stand outside Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s Downing Street home, is to be held in Harrogate this month.

It is the first time the town has been chosen to stage the event, which also includes a category to find a champion wreath to hang on the PM’s door at number 10.

The competition will take place at the Great Yorkshire Showground on October 28.

It is run by the British Christmas Tree Growers Association, which is now managed by the Yorkshire Agricultural Society.

The association, which is a trade group for people who grow specialist Christmas trees, has 320 members nationally.

Yorkshire TV stars Amanda Owen, shepherdess on Channel 5’s Our Yorkshire Farm, and Peter Wright, from Channel 5’s The Yorkshire Vet, will join the judging panel.

Because of covid, growers will send their tress to the ground but will be unable to attend in person.

Heather Parry, managing agent for the BCTGA, who is also the managing director of Yorkshire Event Centre, said:

“We are very much looking forward to seeing the best in the business being crowned, right here on the Great Yorkshire Showground. The champion tree winner will head to 10 Downing Street to provide that iconic Christmas tree for this year.”

Peter Wright said:

“There’s nothing like the scent of a real Christmas tree to really launch you into the festive spirit and I am really looking forward to seeing some of the best in Britain at the Showground.”

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• From Santa’s grottos to winter wonderland walks, events across the Harrogate district are seeing record levels of demand for the festive season. 
• Our survey revealed a third of Harrogate residents will do their Christmas shopping in the town. 

Many growers in the competition have changed their business to suit covid measures by, for instance, introducing online sales and allowing customers to pick their own tree with social distancing measures.

Christmas tree orders are reported to have already exceeded early orders from 2019.

People in Harrogate plan to do a third of their Christmas shopping in the town centre, as more people flock online.

The Stray Ferret worked with Your Poll by Judge Service to survey nearly 1,500 people in Harrogate.  The survey is statistically robust.

All surveys with more than 1,000 respondents are statistically valid. Thank you to everyone who took the time to fill it out.

Where do you plan to do your Christmas shopping this year?

The survey found residents plan to do 30% of their Christmas shopping in Harrogate, 48% online and 16% elsewhere.

It will be important reading for the town’s businesses which hope, after a rough year, to have a bumper Christmas.

“Disappointed to lose the Christmas Market this year – I do a lot of my Christmas shopping there. Flower beds are gorgeous and love the lights in the trees.” – anon.

“The Christmas market is too early, not in long enough and is far too cramped. More seasonal markets would be good.” – anon.

Where do you plan to do your Christmas shopping?

The results from the survey also indicate, even though the majority head into town during the day, that residents only spend an hour to two hours there.

“Harrogate council needs to develop plans to respond to increasing online shopping by re-shaping the town centre over a period of time.” – anon.

“Harrogate is a great place to live, but work needs to be done to ensure it remains so. I hope that the town centre can endure.” – anon.

In the evening people are much more likely to spend two to three hours or even three to four hours in town.

Are you not entertained?

An improvement in the range of shopping and entertainment could bring more people into the town centre and for more time.

“A farmer style market regularly should be encouraged. A more diverse mix of shops should be encouraged.” – anon.

“A bowling alley would be ideal and would bring not just locals but people from outside the area into Harrogate” – anon.

More than 80% said there is “not enough” entertainment for young children and almost 90% said there is “not enough” entertainment for teenagers.

It contrasts quite strongly with the responses which said there are “too many” empty shops (97%) and charity shops (57%) in town.

Find the full survey results here.

Knaresborough Chamber of Trade is finding new ways to bring the Christmas spirit into the town following the cancellation of the Christmas market.

The chamber has said it will be subsidising the price businesses pay for Christmas trees. Each year shops and businesses have trees mounted onto their buildings to light up the town.

This year the Chamber is putting forward £500 to cover some of the costs each shop pays for the trees. Members will get their trees at less than the cost price to help after a particularly difficult year.

Following the cancellation of the Christmas market by North Yorkshire County Council the chamber is in talks with other community groups about the options for its annual Christmas tree festival.

President of the chamber, Steve Teggin, said:

“The Chamber continues to work with the business community to provide help and assistance on the changing regulations. We are working to improve confidence to businesses, residents and visitors alike in the coming months to minimise the impact on trading conditions in the town.”

The chamber is still proudly promoting its #shoplocal #staysafe message as more new businesses open in the town and the Wednesday market continues to bring in new visitors.

The Christmas tree festival is one of the community events the chamber is hoping to support to encourage Christmas spirit within a year like none the town has experienced before. Credit: Charlotte Gale Photography

Read more:

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It is also looking ahead to next year to plans for a business improvement district (BID) project to launch.

Mr Teggin added:

“This will benefit Knaresborough for years to come. Although this will not be operational until 2021 there is already some great support for the project and some interesting ideas to support Knaresborough well into the future.”

Ripon City Council is going to provide a £65,000 Christmas boost for retailers, residents and visitors, with a major extension of its festive lights and decorations.

The overall scheme will create a circuit covering three miles of the city’s streets.

Council leader Andrew Williams told the Stray Ferret:

“The covid 19 pandemic has made 2020 a very difficult year for many parts of our community and we hope this gives everyone an end of year lift.”

The project will see additional money spent this year on lighting and decorations, which will be extended beyond Market Place and the central retail core to the outer edges of the city centre.

Principal gateways, including the junction of North Street with Palace Road and Princess Road, with its landmark Victoria Clock Tower, will be lit up over the festive period with lights and decorations attached to lamp posts.

New Christmas lighting will extend to Hugh Ripley Hall on Skellbank

The circuit will also include Bedern Bank, Minster Road, Water Skellgate, Park Street, Blossomgate, Marshall Way, Rotary Way, Stonebridgegate, Allhallowgate and Finkle Street.

It will also extend to Skellbank and the Hugh Ripley Hall, the building named in honour of Ripon’s first mayor.

Funding for the scheme is coming from the council’s events budget, which had originally been intended to support a programme of community events throughout the year in Ripon.

These included the 75th anniversary celebrations for VE and VJ Day, and the St Wilfrid’s Day procession, that had to be either cancelled or scaled back because of the coronavirus crisis and social distancing restrictions.

Cllr Williams said:

“It was disappointing to have to cancel so many events, but public safety is of paramount importance. “

The Mayor of Ripon Councillor Eamon Parkin, who chairs the city’s Christmas Lights Group, said:

“This huge expansion is designed to help all of our retailers, hospitality businesses and heritage attractions, by making Ripon a more attractive place for shoppers and visitors alike.”

He added:

“The covid 19 pandemic has overshadowed all aspects of life since March, but after months of dark clouds, we hope to provide a silver lining, with an investment in lights and decorations that will benefit the city this year and in future years.”

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Knaresborough Christmas market will not go ahead after the county council said it could not safely give permission for the event.

The market was one of the only remaining events still planning to go ahead during the festive season. But with others locally, including Leeds and Harrogate, being cancelled, North Yorkshire County Council was concerned it could attract even larger crowds than usual.

One of its organisers, Hazel Haas, said the decision “wasn’t unexpected” and the residents of Knaresborough are the top priority.

Hazel, chair of the Knaresborough Christmas Market committee, said:

“We planned it all along knowing it may happen. We cut out the parts which attracted queues and crowds and spread the stalls out. It’s really sad for Knaresborough, but if it prevents a single person from Knaresborough getting [covid] we are happy.

“We’ve worked closely with Harrogate Borough Council to find different layouts – we did everything we could to make it work but it couldn’t happen. Next year will be bigger and better.”

The organisers say many of the new ideas will be used next year to ensure a bigger and better Christmas market.

The market was amended to ensure safety by cancelling the annual fireworks display and live entertainment and reducing the number of stalls but Hazel said the risks “were just too great”.

She added:

“We understand the decision, which is being made in everyone’s interests.”

Read more:

• Harrogate Christmas Market organisers “devastated” as the event in cancelled. 
• Harrogate’s annual lantern parade has had to be cancelled following safety concerns. 

This event is another casualty for the festive season, with many annual events unable to go ahead.

The decision comes as coronavirus cases in the district are slowly rising – a further six new cases were reported yesterday. This brings the total number of confirmed cases in the Harrogate district since the beginning of the pandemic to 894.