Jubilee fever is increasing, with the Harrogate district transforming into a sea of red, white and blue ahead of the celebrations this week.
From costumes to bunting, there are plenty of ways to get into the party spirit.
But if the thought of daubing yourself in face paint or wearing a giant hat is just that little bit too extra, there is a more discreet way to get involved.
We have teamed up with Harrogate nail artist Helen Wren to offer a step-by-step guide to creating the perfect Union flag design for your digits.
Helen, who has a studio at her home on Cold Bath Road, said:
“I’ve definitely noticed people getting excited in the run-up to the jubilee weekend.
“Some are talking about celebrating with friends and family, street party style, and others are using the bank holiday in half-term to get away.
“So appointments have been full and fun. Classic post box red is always on point. Then royal blue and strong white are really popular colours for nails right now anyway – so simple great British colours are perfect.
“Of course you can’t beat a Union Jack. Keep it low key and just pop it on one nail.”
1. Primer/base coat. 2. Blue all over the nail
3. Thick white strip vertically. 4. Thick white strip horizontally
5. Slightly thinner white stripe diagonally through the cross both ways. 6. Go over the white with a fine vertical red line
7. Fine red line horizontally. 8. Fine red lines diagonally and finish using a top coat in either a high shine or matte.
Top tip: If using gel polish and a lamp then be sure to cure in between stages. If using a normal nail polish then leave enough time in between stages to dry a little, otherwise they’ll run.
Read more:
- Princess Anne to visit Harrogate’s Great Yorkshire Show
- Timetable of Platinum Jubilee celebrations in Valley Gardens
- How to put on a good Jubilee spread and celebrate in style in the Harrogate district
Rodent droppings found in kitchen of Harrogate care home
A Harrogate care home has been put in special measures after inspectors found rodent droppings in the kitchen and some medicine practices were found to be “unsafe”.
The Care Quality Commission inspected Mary Fisher House care home on Cold Bath Road in February.
In a report published yesterday, the care regulator rated the home as “inadequate” and placed it into special measures.
The inspection found that parts of the home, which provides personal and nursing care for up to 24 people, had “not been well maintained and were unsafe”.
Bedrooms “smelt strongly of urine” and there was evidence of rodent droppings in the kitchen.
On occasions, residents had either been given medication late or had not been given any.
It said:
“Medicines practices were unsafe.
“There were occasions whereby people who used the service had received their medicines late or had not been given them, as there were none left. Sufficient and timely actions were not taken to address this.
“A medicines policy was in place, but staff practice was not always in line with this. Staff who administered medicines had not always been trained.”
Read more:
- Health officials warn of 12-hour waits at Harrogate hospital A&E
- Harrogate autism advocate using YouTube to break down barriers
- Tributes to long-serving Harrogate hospital cardiologist
Inspectors also found that staffing levels at the home were unsafe, with some reporting that there “wasn’t always enough staff to meet their needs in a timely manner”.
However, the report did find that staff were polite with people at the home and “worked hard to try and meet there needs”.
‘Fallen below standards’
In a statement, the home said it regretted that it had “fallen below the standards expected of us”.
The home, which is run by Svivekcaregroup Limited, said:
“Areas for improvement were identified in the recent inspection and we are committed to working closely with the CQC and North Yorkshire County Council to ensure changes are made quickly to redress this situation.”
Rachel Bowes, North Yorkshire’s assistant director of adult social care, said:
New restaurant and bar to open on Harrogate’s King’s Road next week“The CQC inspection identified some serious failings but we are confident management at Mary Fisher House want to take swift and meaningful action to improve the service they offer.
“We fully intend to support them in that and look forward to seeing progress. We were also pleased to see the CQC report highlighted the fact that staff at Mary Fisher House worked hard to meet the needs of people in their care and people were able to speak freely when the inspection took place.”
Two Harrogate 26-year-olds are opening a new restaurant and bar on King’s Road next week.
Charlie Moorby and Tom Moxham hope Frog, which will begin serving customers on Wednesday, will bring a “neighbourhood hub” to the Harrogate street.
They hope it could help King’s Road follow Cold Bath Road by becoming more of a destination hub.
Mr Moorby said renovation work is nearly complete. The site, previously Ramus Seafood and What’s Cooking, has been completely refurbished.
The large restaurant will include outdoor seating to the side and front.
Frog has been in the pipeline since last summer.
The two men, former Harrogate Grammar School and Ashville College students, have worked in numerous Harrogate hospitality venues.
This is the first independent venture for Mr Moorby.
After being friends for over a decade, the pair felt they would work well as business partners. Mr Moorby has taken charge of the drinks side and Mr Moxham is overseeing the food and restaurant.
Mr Moorby said:
“We have aimed the whole thing at having a homely feel. We want people to feel like they’re at home or in their friend’s front room. We thought there was a bit of a gap in Harrogate for having high-quality food without the big price tag on it.”
Read more:
Speaking about the choice of location on King’s Road, Mr Moorby said they wanted the venue to be more of a community venture than a late-night establishment in the town centre:
“We used Cold Bath Road as an example. Five, six years ago there wasn’t much going on but now there’s so much going on. We felt like the same is happening on King’s Road, it’s becoming its own little suburb.”
About 40 people can be accommodated and enjoy the Asian and South American-inspired menu. About 10 members of staff will be employed.
‘Limited funding’ for traffic calming on Cold Bath Road, says council
North Yorkshire County Council officials have said there is “limited funding available” to implement traffic calming measures on Harrogate’s Cold Bath Road.
A call was made to introduce speed cameras or CCTV to the road following a three-car collision in the early hours of Sunday morning.
One resident said that the road becomes a racetrack after 10.30pm and called on the authorities to do more to tackle the issue.
However, an email to the resident from the county council, seen by the Stray Ferret, says that measures for the road would be costly and there is limited funding.
Paul Ryan, project engineer at the county council, said:
“Our collision data shows that in the last three years there have been four collisions resulting in personal injury along Cold Bath Road — two slight and two serious. One slight involved a low speed shunt when in queuing traffic, the other slight involved a pedestrian stepping off a controlled crossing when green light was for vehicular traffic.
“The first serious involved a motorist pulling over towards the kerb edge to avoid oncoming traffic and has collided with a pedestrian, the second serious involved a motorists driving away from a parking space and colliding with a passing cyclist.
“It is therefore unlikely that further traffic calming measures would have reduced the likelihood of these types of collisions and personal injury.”
Mr Ryan added:
“The situation on Cold Bath Road will continue to be monitored, alongside all other roads across the county to highlight where the limited funding available for improvement schemes is targeted towards.”
Read more:
- Is Harrogate’s Cold Bath Road getting busier?
- Stop drivers using Harrogate’s Cold Bath Road ‘as a racetrack’, says resident
- Police investigate serious crash on Cold Bath Road
North Yorkshire Police continues to investigate the Cold Bath Road crash and has appealed for witnesses and CCTV footage.
It involved a Volkswagen Golf heading towards Otley Road which crashed into two parked cars at the junction with West Cliffe Road at 3.10am on Sunday morning, leaving one passenger unconscious. No other injuries were reported.
No arrests have been made in connection with the incident.
A police statement added:
Next phase of Otley Road cycle path delayed and reviewed“It is only by sheer luck that the collision didn’t result in a fatality.
“As part of the investigation we would like to appeal to local residents and businesses to check their CCTV systems and ring doorbells around the time of the collision as it may have captured the vehicle, the collision, and anyone making off from the scene shortly afterwards.
“Additionally, if anyone has any other information about the incident which may assist our enquiries please contact us quoting reference 12220038835.”
North Yorkshire County Council has said it will review the design of the second phase of the Otley Road cycle path in Harrogate.
It follows criticism of the first phase from Harlow Moor Road to Arthurs Avenue/Cold Bath Road, which was completed in January.
Some businesses, pedestrians and cycle groups, including Harrogate District Cycle Action and Hedgehog Cycling, have expressed concerns over the design of the cycle path, particularly that some parts are unsegregated and shared with pedestrians.
Safety concerns for cyclists have also been raised about the Harlow Moor Road junction.
The council previously said it hoped to start work on phase two, which will extend the path to Beech Grove, in April.
But a news release yesterday was more vague, saying work was due to begin at some point in “the next financial year” whilst it takes another look at the designs.
A contractor to build phase two is yet to be appointed.
New guidance
New government guidance on cycle lanes in July 2020 said any new infrastructure should be “high quality, with a strong preference for segregated lanes”.
It warned against councils building routes that require a lot of stopping and starting from cyclists.
The guidance was introduced after the designs for phase one and phase two were published in November 2019.
Read more:
- Cycling group to meet council to raise concerns about Otley Road cycle path
- Harrogate residents group raises concerns over ‘dangerous’ cycle path
Council officers met with members of Harrogate District Cycle Action for a “walk-through” of the route last month to listen to their concerns and take on board feedback for phase two.
Creating a safe route
Melissa Burnham, area highways manager at the council, said it recognised there may be parts of the route where the 2020 government guidance “cannot be fully applied”.
Ms Burnham said officers would meet local groups again to review the designs of phase two “in light of this new guidance”.
Work on phase one finished in January.
A council spokesperson stressed that this review would not put the project in doubt, but they did not give further details of what changes might be made, or if they would involve more trees being felled on Otley Road to make room for segregated lanes.
Ms Burnham added:
“We recognise the new cycling guidance and the benefits this brings to users. Where there are such constraints along Otley Road we use the guidance as a starting point to create a safe route.”
The third and final phase, connecting Cardale Park, relies on developer funding and will require detailed planning, including a feasibility study.
Stop drivers using Harrogate’s Cold Bath Road ‘as a racetrack’, says residentA three-car crash on Harrogate’s Cold Bath Road was “always going to happen” because drivers use the street as a racetrack, according to a local resident.
A Volkswagen Golf heading towards Otley Road crashed into two parked cars at the junction with West Cliffe Road at 3.10am on Sunday morning, leaving one passenger unconscious. No other injuries were reported.
One local resident contacted the Stray Ferret to say the road “becomes a racetrack” after 10.30pm and called on the authorities to do more to tackle the issue.
He claimed those involved bragged they were doing more than 100mph and said it was time for speed cameras or traffic calming measures.
‘No one does anything about it’
The road includes a 20mph stretch, which was implemented outside Western Primary School in February last year.
But a resident in the Cold Bath Road area, who asked not to be named, said this was not observed despite the speed indicator being shown throughout the day.
They said they had written to North Yorkshire County Council to call for further measures as drivers “never slow down”. The crash on Sunday morning prompted them to write to the authority again.
“They do it all the time.
“After 10.30pm, it becomes a racetrack and no one does anything about it. It [the crash] was always going to happen.
“Just put speed cameras up. I’m a driver and when I see a speed camera, then I adjust my speed.”
Read more:
- Is Harrogate’s Cold Bath Road getting busier?
- Harrogate headteacher ‘concerned’ by Cold Bath Road pollution data
- Police investigate serious crash on Cold Bath Road
North Yorkshire Police continues to investigate the Cold Bath Road crash and has appealed for witnesses and CCTV footage.
No arrests have been made in connection with the incident.
A police statement added:
Police investigate serious crash on Cold Bath Road“It is only by sheer luck that the collision didn’t result in a fatality.
“As part of the investigation we would like to appeal to local residents and businesses to check their CCTV systems and ring doorbells around the time of the collision as it may have captured the vehicle, the collision, and anyone making off from the scene shortly afterwards.
“Additionally, if anyone has any other information about the incident which may assist our enquiries please contact us quoting reference 12220038835.”
Police are investigating a serious crash in Harrogate which left one person unconscious.
The collision happened on Cold Bath Road on Sunday (March 6) at 3.10am when a Volkswagen Golf heading towards Otley Road hit two parked cars.
North Yorkshire Police said the car was carrying a number of passengers, one of whom was left unconscious on the road. The driver is believed to have left the scene.
A police statement added:
“It is only by sheer luck that the collision didn’t result in a fatality.
“As part of the investigation we would like to appeal to local residents and businesses to check their CCTV systems and ring doorbells around the time of the collision as it may have captured the vehicle, the collision, and anyone making off from the scene shortly afterwards.
“Additionally, if anyone has any other information about the incident which may assist our enquiries please contact us quoting reference 12220038835.”
Read more:
- Man arrested after police seize sword, knives and drugs in Harrogate
- £6,000 worth of antiques and collectables stolen from Ripon shop
- CCTV appeal for four men following attempted theft at Harrogate iStore
Harrogate headteacher ‘concerned’ by Cold Bath Road pollution data
Western Primary School installed a pollution sensor in June last year, amid concerns about heavy traffic on Harrogate’s Cold Bath Road.
Headteacher Tim Broad was worried about the sheer volume of traffic plus the fact he could tase diesel in his mouth when larger vehicles passed.
Six months on, The Stray Ferret has reviewed the data, which suggests levels of pollutants meet national objectives but exceed guidelines set by the World Health Organisation.
The sensor, which was installed within the school grounds, revealed concentrations of PM2.5, PM10 and nitrogen dioxide (NO2) all fell within the national objectives’ limits for short and long-term exposure.
However, a local pollution campaigner expressed concern that PM2.5 and NO2 levels exceeded WHO guidelines both short- and long-term.
PM2.5 particles are man-made particles suspended in the air, produced by woodburning stoves and transport, as well as industrial processes. When breathed in, these particles can get into the blood and lodge themselves in organs.
NO2 is a gas produced by combustion of fossil fuels. Eighty percent of roadside NO2 pollution is caused by road vehicles. Exposure to the gas can cause inflammation to the airways and exacerbate pre-existing heart and lung conditions.
‘No safe threshold for air pollution’
We showed our findings to Western headteacher Tim Broad, who said he was “concerned” by the exceedance of WHO guidelines, Mr Broad added:
“I intend to follow up with an investigation in school, with a view to passing on the findings to the appropriate people at Harrogate Borough Council and North Yorkshire County Council.”
Read more:
- Western Primary School in Harrogate gets second speed sign
- St Aidan’s school in Harrogate rated ‘inadequate’ by Ofsted
Local campaigner Brian McHugh claimed the national objectives were too weak, and children were at risk. He added:
“The concern with using numbers and limits sometimes can be that there is a belief formed that anything up to that level is ‘safe’. There is no safe threshold for air pollution.
“The harm of air pollution on humans is well documented. The increased harm to children, with developing lungs, cannot be overstated.”
Better monitoring needed
Western Primary School is believed to be the only school in the district with an air pollution sensor, and live measurements from the sensor are available to the public online here.
Mr McHugh called for better monitoring of pollution in and around schools. He said:
“It is incredibly useful that we are even able to have this data and analyse it. Huge thanks must go to Western Primary for having the foresight to install an air quality sensor and it is hoped that other schools in the Harrogate district follow their example, so we have accurate information on which to base policies and initiatives.”
In its 2021 Air Quality Annual Status Report, Harrogate Borough Council used 63 monitors throughout the district to measure NO2 levels but had no monitors for PM2.5 particles.
The council itself stated PM2.5 can have a significant impact on health, including “premature mortality, allergic reactions, and cardiovascular diseases”, but it relied on council data from Leeds and York to estimate levels of the pollutant in the district.
The Ambassador of Nicaragua, Guisell Morales-Echaverry, was in Harrogate on Friday night to congratulate a tobacconist for its sales of Nicaraguan cigars.
James Barber Tobacconist on Cold Bath Road sells over 100 different types of cigars from Nicaragua, which is a major cigar exporter with an industry worth $255m a year.
The unusual visit came about because this year Nicaragua is marking 200 years since Central America gained independence from the Spanish empire, so the country rewarded one of its top UK importers with a visit from its ambassador.
James Barber, the shop owner, said he felt “very honoured” to welcome her.
“Nicaragua makes very good cigars that compete with Cuba. Their construction of the cigars is fantastic.”
Read more:
- New energy plant to be built at major Harrogate district employer
- Harrogate nightlife institution Montey’s celebrates 25 years
Mr Barber said there was a booming trade in Harrogate for expensive cigars, with a Nicaraguan effort costing around £20.
Many people say cigars are an unhealthy and bad habit, but Mr Barber said they are “different from cigarettes”.
“You always get that, but you don’t inhale cigars and people tend to only smoke them on special occasions.”
Ms Morales-Echaverry attended a charity cigar-smoking event at Three’s A Crowd, with all money raised going to a charity of her choosing.
Successful interior design duo launches new Harrogate studio
This article is sponsored by Lapicida
From working on each other’s kitchen tables, to launching a stylish new Harrogate design studio, Rachael Webber and Justine Kirkham have come a long way in just three years.
Their business, Stylesmith Interiors, has gone from strength-to-strength, with a surge in demand caused by the pandemic seeing them move to bigger premises on Cold Bath Road.
Modern space
The building, which formerly housed Fit Harrogate and the Joy organic food store, has been transformed into a modern space, which will allow the interior designers to meet clients and network with architects and builders, along with others involved in their projects.
As a retail space, it has been tricky to run a profitable business due to the lack of footfall. Joy closed its doors in August, less than a year after opening its doors.
There’s hope the design studio will be a much better fit, as there isn’t the reliance on passing trade.
The new design studio shows off the duo’s style
Justine said:
“In the middle of lockdown we were accumulating more and more things, as obviously construction carried on. So whereas we thought everything was going to slow down, as it turned out, we were busier than ever. It was great, but also it meant that it was absolute chaos with all the boxes of samples etc.”
The duo soon realised they needed more room, so found a unit at Hornbeam Park.
When they were told the building was going to be demolished and redeveloped after 18 months at the site, it was the push they needed to move to bigger premises.
Read more:
- Harrogate interiors masterclass has boosted my confidence with design
- 7 ways covid has shaped interior design trends
After looking at lots of similar office buildings that were tucked away, they realised when everything reopened after lockdown, their clients wanted to visit them in person.
Rachael said:
“This building just happened to come up and we thought it was a bonus that we are visible, but we are not retail so we don’t need the footfall like a retail shop. We are very happy and we love it. “
Experience
Both Justine and Rachael have previously worked for large interior design companies and have 30 years of experience between them. Rachael also has a background in fashion.
The kitchen area downstairs
Justine said:
“What we have realised is you get very much dragged into this corporate set-up where it’s all about sales figures and data and systems and it takes away all the creativity in what you are doing. So when we started talking originally, that was the bit that bugged us.
“We thought it needs to be more client-focused, where it’s all about their experience. So we decided to set-up ourselves.”
To complement the skills of their interior design team, Justine and Rachael also partner with experts and suppliers across the homebuilding and renovation industry. These include builders, architects, kitchen and bathroom suppliers and curtain manufacturers.
The new space, painted in Little Greene’s Harley Green, features elements of design that act as a showcase for the duo’s style. A studio downstairs houses samples, including material, paint and tiles.
“The space shows what we can do. We have kept it very clean and haven’t gone glitzy. It’s much more how most people actually choose for their houses to be. A bit more colour, to push people outside their comfort zones slightly, but without being blingy.”
The kitchen area in the new studio
Understated
“We are not trying to be this super duper London-style – very uber cool. Because that doesn’t work up here. But equally we don’t want to be at the blingy, over-the-top end..“Some people want this very Scandinavian style. We have got loads of people wanting the slightly industrial style. We are doing a barn conversion at the moment where it is very grand, so we are putting a bit of oomph into that. It all depends on the client.”
Compliment
“For example if you wanted to put in a new kitchen or bathroom, or you are looking at flooring or you wanted to knock a wall down, then we are your gals.“Everybody is doing extensions and creating open-plan living spaces. When you extend and you suddenly have all these masses of space, that’s when you need someone to help you make that work. This is because more often than not, you end up with a very echoey, cold space.
A studio downstairs houses samples, including material, paint and tiles
Stylish
“The whole point for us is we want to be this much more approachable interior design set-up. So it’s not about feeling worried about walking through the door.“If people come in we will give them a warm welcome and chat about their project and potentials and what they are thinking of doing. That is key really, it feels really intimidating, but it doesn’t have to be. It doesn’t have to be really expensive.