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Entries close on January 19, 2024.

Harrogate businesses collect chocolate for people in need

Businesses on Harrogate’s Commercial Street are asking local people to donate chocolate to people in need this Christmas.

The Christmas Chocolate Collection, which collected more than 20 stone of chocolate last year, hopes to donate even more chocolate to local charities this year.

These include Harrogate District Foodbank, Disability Action Yorkshire, Supporting Older People, Harrogate Hospital and Community Charity and New Beginnings.

Lilly’s Café, Curtain and Blind Design, the Harrogate Town shop, Ben Barbers and White Rose Sewing are all taking part in the initiative and chocolate can be donated instore.

Sue Kramer, owner of Crown Jewellers of Harrogate, said:

“What resonates with this is that it is collecting chocolate items for local people who may not otherwise be able to enjoy some chocolate at Christmas.

“It’s very easy, simply buying an extra packet of biscuits or a box of chocolates or anything chocolatey provided it does not have alcohol in and dropping them off on commercial street at one of our five drop-off points.”

The initiative will continue until Saturday, December 15.

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Harrogate may be experiencing wall-to-wall sunshine and high temperatures, but for one street, thoughts will turn to Christmas this weekend.

The Commercial Street Jamboree has been organised to raise funds for Supporting Older People to put on a Christmas meal for elderly people who live alone.

The event will also contribute to Harrogate Hospital and Community Charity‘s funds for an entertainer to visit the children’s ward at Harrogate District Hospital.

SOP will hold a book stall on the street, while Harrogate Hospital Radio will be broadcasting from the street. The independent shops along the street will also be getting into the fun of the event, which takes place tomorrow, Saturday, June 17, from 2pm.

Wave Aquariums will be offering face painting, Lilly’s Cafe will fire up the barbecue, and there will be an open mic and family entertainment.

Sue Kramer, chair of the Commercial Street Retailers group and owner of Crown Jewellers, said:

A Knaresborough man has turned his passion into a career by opening an aquarium store in Harrogate.

Wave Aquariums will join the many independent retailers on Commercial Street when it welcomes its first customers tomorrow.

It specialises in saltwater coral reefs and marine life, such as venomous lionfish, clownfish, anemones and bamboo sharks.

Store manager Jonny Rhodes, who has kept fish tanks since he was 14, returned from 10 years in London as a website designer to pursue the venture.

He and dad Ken, who owns the business, and mum Irene have been transforming the unit that was previously a nail salon next to Harrogate Town’s club shop.

Besides tanks, accessories and equipment, it will also sell coral reefs and have a large e-commerce offering on its website.

Mr Rhodes, who studied marine biology at university at Cambridge, said:

“I’ve been debating whether to do it for years and finally decided to bite the bullet and go for it.”

He said there was a gap in the market for marine aquariums between Leeds and York.

Harrogate Aquatic, at Moorland Nurseries on Forest Moor Road in Knaresborough specialises in tropical fish and the two businesses would complement each other, he added.

Wave Aquariums is one of 80 official retailers of Red Sea Fish products in the UK and also stocks products by other aquatic companies, including Reef Factory, Ecotech Marine and D&D Aquarium Solution.

Clownfish in the store

Besides catering for specialists, Mr Rhodes said he hoped the shop would appeal to children and passers-by and was keen to offer advice to anyone interested in keeping fish or corals.

Harrogate and Knaresborough MP Andrew Jones will officially open the store on Saturday afternoon at 2pm.

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A “mountain” of chocolate will be collected by a group of independent businesses in Harrogate to ensure everyone has treats to enjoy this Christmas.

The Commercial Street Retailers group is inviting people to donate festive chocolates for three weeks, to hand over to Harrogate District Foodbank.

It is the second year the businesses have united to organise the scheme and Sue Kramer, who owns Crown Jewellers, said she hopes they will do even better than last year:

“Last year, we got over 16 stones of chocolate, so we donated them in three parcels over a few weeks. It was a mountain of chocolate!

“It was amazing: heartwarming, humbling and absolutely incredible. It’s a wonderful thing for people to do.

“This year, with everything else going on – the economic crisis, the cost of living etc – it’s a wonderful thing do to again.”

Any chocolates can be donated as long as they don’t contain alcohol. Ms Kramer said everything from large tubs and selection boxes to chocolate biscuits is very welcome.

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Collection points will be open from Saturday, November 19 to Saturday, December 10, at five shops on Commercial Street: Foxy Vintage and Interiors, Harrogate Town AFC shop, White Rose Sewing, Curtain and Blind Design, and H Nail Club.

As an added incentive, anyone who donates chocolate by Saturday, December 2 will be given a raffle ticket, with five £10 vouchers on offer from the businesses on Commercial Street. Ms Kramer said the prizes would offer a helping hand to people shopping in the run-up to Christmas Eve.

Sue added:

“The foodbank get food donations, but they don’t get things like chocolate because it is seen as a luxury.

“I can’t bear to think of local families and particularly children not getting chocolate at Christmas. I really hope people will be generous again this year and make sure everyone has a treat to enjoy on Christmas Day.”

Longstanding Harrogate butchers Addyman has come up with a creative window display tribute to the Queen.

Keith Addyman has traded on Commercial Street for 48 years and his grandfather previously had a pork butchers at New Park.

His wife, Sue, created a ‘cake’ for this year’s platinum jubilee made out of a crown and containers the shop uses to make pork pies for weddings.

Ms Addyman, who once met Princess Margaret, said:

“I did it for the jubilee and when it ended I removed the crown. When the Queen died I put it back on.”

The pork pie wedding cake

The pork pie wedding cake, as it’s known, now adorns the shop window alongside a photo of Her Late Majesty.

Ms Addyman added:

“A gentleman came in and said ‘you’re one of the only shops in Harrogate doing something to commemorate the queen.”

Addyman will be closed on Monday, when the state funeral takes place.

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Harrogate business owners say soaring energy bills are a “kick in the teeth” in the wake of the pandemic.

They are calling for more government support, however they say they “are not holding their breath”, after receiving little help over the last two years.

And there are fears that it will be the final nail in the coffin for some, with the price hike affecting every business – from big to small.

Bills have doubled

Andy Preston, co-owner of F45 Harrogate gym on Albert Street, said it had just received its electricity bill and the amount had doubled.

He said:

“At the end of the day it adds an extra financial burden on the business that we have no control over realistically. It’s an extra overhead that we don’t really need.

“There’s nothing we can do, because it’s the world as it is right now. However, we are getting stung by it.

“It’s just another kick in the teeth after everything we have had to deal with over the last two years. We didn’t get much financial help during the pandemic. The government needs to step up and help businesses now.”

F45 Harrogate owners Andy Preston, left, and Matt Goodall.

Across the road at Thug Sandwich Co, owner Daniel Bell said he was waiting to find out just how much it was going to impact his business.

He said:

“I’ll have to tighten up in other areas. I’ll have to make sacrifices in my personal life – not pay myself as much. I’ve just put my prices up at the beginning of the year anyway, which is something I fought for three years.

“I can’t do that again because then I’m not competitive anymore. So it’s just going to affect my personal life more than anything.

“It’s just another thing to deal with after covid. I definitely wouldn’t hold my breath for any government support. Especially with the amount we got over the covid period. It just seems we are borrowing from Peter to pay Paul. It has got to come from somewhere.”

Read more:

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Extra blow for hospitality

Brett Lee, director and executive chef at Italian restaurant Stuzzi Harrogate, on King’s Road, agrees that it is an extra blow for the hospitality industry.

He said many restaurants have had to put up their prices already due to a large increase in food and import costs caused by a combination of Brexit and the ongoing effects of the pandemic.

Mr Lee, who also owns Stuzzi Leeds, said:

“It feels like another big obstacle on the road to recovery.

“Every household in the country will now be reviewing how they are spending money due to the rise in energy costs. This may push people to only visit their favourite restaurants once a month instead of a more frequent affair.

“It also means people have less disposal cash to spend in different sectors like retail. This doesn’t help our struggling high streets either and could also have a dangerous effect on restaurant lunch trade across the country.

“But we can’t take a negative approach, we must continue to adapt to the circumstances given to us, work hard, be creative and use our initiative.”

Brett Lee, director of Stuzzi Harrogate.

An ‘unwelcome burden’

Sue Kramer, owner of Crown Jewellers and head of the Commercial Street Retailers Group, described the situation as “worrying”.

She said:

“Whilst many of our shops may be small on Commercial Street, the financial impact of the energy crisis will undoubtedly affect every business – from the smallest up.

“The worrying part is that we have little control over what is going to happen, and basically have to accept whatever is thrown at us. Clearly having endured the uncertainty of covid for the last two years, this is an extra and most unwelcome burden.”

Sue Kramer, owner of Crown Jewellers and head of the Commercial Street Retailers Group.

The price hike comes after the energy regulator, Ofgem, lifted the maximum rate that suppliers can charge for an average duel-fuel energy tariff by £693 — an increase of 54 per cent.

This is to reflect the fourfold increase in energy market prices over the last year.

A man was injured as he crossed a busy Harrogate street this morning.

The man was crossing Bower Road when he was struck by the vehicle, which had just turned left from Franklin Road.

The pedestrian was on the ground for several minutes, causing traffic to be diverted, but remained conscious. It is not known how serious his injuries are.

Several police cars attended the scene but North Yorkshire Police has not responded to requests for information.

Eyewitnesses described the man, whose name is not known, as elderly and said a large crowd gathered to offer help.

Retail staff on Commercial Street opposite also came to the man’s aid before paramedics arrived.

The incident happened at about 10.40am this morning.

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A man from Harrogate has been fined for causing £1,093 worth of damage to a stationary train at Harrogate Station last year.

Michael Anthony Burke, 56, pleaded guilty at York Magistrates Court on Monday to causing criminal damage to a LNER train.

The incident occurred on June 11 last year.

Burke, of Nydd Vale Terrace, was fined £120, ordered to pay a victim’s surcharge of £85 and to pay £85 in costs to the Crown Prosecution Service.

He also pleaded guilty to trespassing on the railway lines.

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Burke also pleaded guilty to attempting to enter Crampton Moore Electronics on Commercial Street, as a trespasser with intent to steal.

The court issued a further community order to Burke for the final two offences.

Harrogate Town hopes to raise £1,500 tonight to fund a defibrillator on Commercial Street in central Harrogate by selling match-worn shirts.

Shirts signed by captain Josh Falkingham and long-serving midfielders Lloyd Kerry and George Thomson are among those on sale.

A club statement today said:

“The 2020/21 campaign was a historic one for Harrogate Town as it marked the club’s debut season in the English Football League.

“Now you have the chance to own a bit of Harrogate Town history.”

Shirts will be available online from 7pm today on the Harrogate Town club shop. They will be split into categories of £20, £50, £70, £100, and £150 and sold on a first come, first served basis.

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