Two business partners have taken the next step in their future plans, despite the challenges of coronarivus.

Kevin Masheder and Marc Squires have owned the Harrogate franchise of Signarama since 2016 and, like most business owners, have faced the challenges of changing regulations since last March.

They have now decided to launch as an independent signage business under a new brand, SignHub, and hope the contacts they have built over the last five years will see them through the rest of lockdown and beyond. Marc said:

“When the first lockdown was announced, we closed for seven or eight weeks, when the shops were all closed. They started saying manufacturing could be open as an essential service, but it was all very uncertain.

“When retail opened, Kevin and I came in, then the other staff followed on part-time furlough. After we opened, we had a lot of work from people like landscape gardeners, who could work outside.”

The second half of 2020 was a mixed picture for the business, with quieter periods during tighter restrictions and over Christmas. The new lockdown from the start of the year saw work tail off, but Marc said the last two weeks have been busier again – and the pair are hopeful that the next stage in their business journey will be a success, despite the challenging circumstances.

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Initially employed as graphic designers, when Marc and Kevin took over the franchise they were given the opportunity to turn it into an independent business. However, they wanted to learn the ropes from outgoing owner Michael Webster, who stayed on to help them get established before taking full retirement.

With a host of local companies using their services to create signage and more, the pair hope the rebrand will only help to raise their profile. Customers have already been complimenting the new signs on their Knaresborough Road premises – but they won’t be in place for long.

The lease on the building ends this spring so, needing more space and covered areas to brand vehicles, they are moving to Killinghall Business Park. Marc added:

“When we could network, we got to know a lot of people in the business community. We thought if we can spread the word about the changes, it won’t be too bad.

“We are roadside now, so people do come past, but they only come in if they need what we offer – and at the moment, the retail side is click and collect only. A lot of our work comes from online, especially since covid began, and a lot of our bigger customers wouldn’t come to the shop anyway – they just email or pick up the phone.

“We also get a lot of referrals from our customers, so we hope that will continue.”

The Harrogate district’s seven-day covid rate of infection has fallen below 200 people per 100,000 for the first time this year — but the hospital is now treating a record number of patients.

The infection rate now stands at 189 people per 100,000. It had not been below 200 since December 28.

But the number of patients being treated at Harrogate District Hospital has increased to 57.

The figure is an all-time high since the pandemic started although no further deaths have been reported today at the hospital.

David Mattinson, medical registrar on one of the hospital’s covid wards, tweeted today it had been “exceptionally busy” since Christmas and urged people to stay at home.

David Mattinson, medical registrar on one of the covid wards (centre of the photo), said the hospital has been “exceptionally busy” since Christmas. Picture: Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust.

Health bosses said yesterday hospitals across the county were treating more people than in the first wave.

A further 43 cases of coronavirus have been confirmed in the Harrogate district today by Public Health England. It takes the total number of cases since March to 6,517.

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More than seven out of 10 fines for breaches of lockdown restrictions in North Yorkshire have been handed to men, according to police figures.

North Yorkshire Police revealed yesterday it has issued 328 fixed penalty notices since the third lockdown started.

Of that number, 235 have been to men — 72 per cent of all fines issued so far. Ninety-three have been to women.

Nearly half of the fines have been to people aged 18 to 25.

A total of 160 have been issued for indoor gatherings, some of which have been for house parties.

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Superintendent Mike Walker said officers have to deal with reports of house parties “every night of the week”, mainly in the Scarborough district and York.

Total number of lockdown fines issued by North Yorkshire Police since January 6. Data: North Yorkshire Police.

In Harrogate, 22 of the 34 fixed penalty notices since the third lockdown began on January 6 have been issued for being outside without good reason. 

Police have handed 27 of the fines to men. However, most of the breaches have been committed by people from outside the area with just 11 notices given to local residents.

It comes as police pledged to get tougher on those who breach lockdown restrictions and said they would no longer “waste time” with rule breakers.

Superintendent Mike Walker, North Yorkshire Police.

Yesterday Superintendent Walker told a meeting of North Yorkshire Local Resilience Forum, the partnership organisation that leads the county’s response to covid, that officers continued to issue fines but had seen an improvement in the last week.

A total of 87 fines were handed out across the county in week three of lockdown compared with 134 in week two. He said:

“We are starting to see slightly better compliance. 

“But we are still having to issue fixed penalty notices to people who do not believe that the regulations are there to follow.”

He added he felt the message to stay at home was getting through to most people, but a minority do not feel it applies to them.

“People know what they should be doing and they know why they should be doing it, but they choose to ignore the warnings and the risks and choose to ignore the fact that over 100,000 people have died from the virus.

“They think that what they want to is more important or they think they won’t catch it.

“In my opinion, this is incredibly short-sighted, naive and plain wrong. This is a highly contagious and deadly virus. We’ve all seen the damage it can do and it does not discriminate.

“It only takes one contact with one contagious person who may be asymptomatic to contract the virus and potentially pass it on, an action which may end up with someone losing their life.”

A further 53 coronavirus cases have been confirmed in the Harrogate district, according to today’s Public Health England figures.

It takes the total number of cases since the start of the pandemic to 6,474.

The district’s covid rate has fallen to 208 per 100,000 people. It was 228 yesterday.

The county-wide average stands at 199, while the England rate is 351.

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No further deaths have been reported at Harrogate District Hospital.

Meanwhile, county council officials have said 87 care homes across the county have one or more positive covid cases.

Of the 235 care homes and extra care facilities in North Yorkshire, 64 have outbreaks, which is defined as two or more cases.

Two have confirmed a large outbreak, which is 10 or more infections – a drop from nine last week.

The number of staff and residents who have coronavirus have fallen to 143 from 258 last week.

Hospital admissions for people with coronavirus at Harrogate District Hospital have hit a record high.

Health bosses said today the hospital currently has 54 covid patients — 10 more than last week.

According to latest government hospital admissions data, which runs up to January 19, the previous high was 48 on January 13.

A total of 504 patients are being treated for covid across North Yorkshire’s hospitals in Harrogate, York, Scarborough and South Tees. Sixty-one are in intensive care.

By comparison, the same hospitals had 302 covid patients at the peak of the first lockdown last year.

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Amanda Bloor, accountable officer at North Yorkshire Clinical Commissioning Group, revealed the numbers at a press briefing today by North Yorkshire Local Resilience Forum, which represents organisations fighting covid.

She said the numbers in hospital were “the highest they have ever been”.

Ms Bloor said the latest figures, including the UK reaching 100,000 covid deaths yesterday, should be a reminder of what the virus can do to communities. She added:

“How much more of a stark message do we need around North Yorkshire and York around the seriousness of the virus and the consequence that it can reek on our communities and our residents.

“Surely those facts alone, if nothing else, should focus everybody’s behaviour now on complying with the guidance.”

Harrogate hospital has suspended some non-emergency surgeries in an effort to free up bed space and staff to deal with patients.

Hospitals across the county have surge plans in place to deal with an increase in covid patients.

A trust spokesperson said the admissions figure given today was down on a few days ago.

Another patient who tested positive for coronavirus has died at Harrogate District Hospital, according to NHS England figures today.

The death, which was reported on Sunday, takes the covid death toll at the hospital to 123.

It comes as more than 100,000 people have died nationally after a further 1,631 were recorded across the UK in today’s daily figures.

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Today also saw a further 29 cases of covid confirmed in the Harrogate district by Public Health England.

It takes the total number of cases since the start of the pandemic to 6,421

The district’s seven-day covid rate has fallen again to 228 people per 100,000.

The county-wide average stands at 208, while the England rate is 369.

Harrogate’s central Marks and Spencer store is facing complaints from residents and traders about its non-essential sales.

The store has closed off a large section of the store and the upper floor. But it still has some clothing, beauty and homeware on sale.

Parts of the menswear section is now on the Cambridge Street floor, which has traditionally been solely for womenswear.

The store only has parts of the store open which customers need to use to get down to the food section on the lower floor.

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This has been a national debate during the three lockdowns. Supermarkets can sell non-essential goods alongside food.

Welsh supermarkets came under scrutiny after some sectioned off parts they deemed non-essential, including women’s sanitary products.

Some residents and sole-traders believe it is unfair for any stores to sell non-essential goods while small independent stores cannot – especially a store in the town centre.

Local David Andrews wrote a letter to the chief executive of M&S and shared the letter with the Stray Ferret. He said:

“I believe this [is] contrary to the guidelines and has given [M&S] an unfair advantage over competitors.

“It was permitted to open because of the food hall on the lower ground floor, served by its primary access from Oxford Street.

“Why does M&S need to open the Cambridge Street entrance at all when the Oxford Street entrance accesses the food hall directly?

“One might say it wants to continue trading in clothes and this loophole about secondary access allows them to do so.”

A sole trader based in Harrogate, who wanted to remain anonymous, also told the Stray Ferret:

“Somebody must be able to as this is so unfair. I am sole trader and this inconsistency is driving me mad.

“Why can you not get them to follow the guidance which suits this store to a tee as it’s actually states non-essential floors should be closed.

“What’s the point of having guidance if it can’t be used. I’m sure it was written for a reason.”

M&S disputes any allegations that it is not following the rules. A spokesperson said in response:

“Our M&S Foodhalls remain open to provide our customers with the essential items they require during this time.

“In line with Government guidelines, we’ve closed our non-food floors except where they provide access to our Foodhalls.”

The number of new covid cases in Killinghall and Hampsthwaite is more than double that of anywhere else in the Harrogate district.

North Yorkshire County Council statistics today revealed a total of 62 cases have been recorded in the two villages in the last seven days.

The next highest sub-districts locally are Ripon South and East and Starbeck, which both have had 28 cases.

The figure for Killinghall and Hampsthwaite is second in all of North Yorkshire only to Malton and Norton, which has registered 63 infections.

It comes as a further 39 infections were recorded in the district, according to today’s Public Health England data.

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It takes the total number of cases since the start of the pandemic to 6,392.

Meanwhile, the district’s seven-day covid rate has fallen to 245 people per 100,000.

The county-wide rate is 222 and the national average stands at 382.

No further deaths from patients who tested positive for coronavirus have been reported at Harrogate District Hospital, according to NHS England figures.

Harrogate Bus Company is to offer free shuttle buses to the Great Yorkshire Showground for people who have covid vaccine appointments.

The bus will match the opening hours of the centre and will run from Tuesday, January 26.

The company will use one of its zero-emission electric buses to shuttle patients to and from the site.

It said on its website:

“Buses will run every 30 minutes between Harrogate bus station and the vaccination centre on Wetherby Road, so you’ll never have long to wait to get to your appointment or back again.”

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It comes as the majority of vaccines for people in the district are being offered at the showground.

Health bosses announced earlier this week that all care home residents and staff in North Yorkshire will be vaccinated before the end of this week.

52,500 people in the highest priority groups have received a covid vaccine in York and North Yorkshire, according to Harrogate and Knaresborough’s MP, Andrew Jones.

The Harrogate district’s seven-day covid rate of infection has fallen below 300 people per 100,000 for the first time this year.

The rate now stands at 290 per 100,000 people — well below the high of 497 on January 7, according to North Yorkshire County Council figures.

It’s the first time the rate has fallen below 300 since December 31.

The North Yorkshire average stands at 272 and the England rate is 447.

Meanwhile, a further 32 patients who tested positive for coronavirus have been discharged from Harrogate District Hospital.

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Latest figures from Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust show a total of 399 people have been discharged from the hospital since the start of the pandemic in March.

Statistics from the trust also reveal 41 patients are currently being treated for covid.

It comes as a further 60 cases of coronavirus have been confirmed in the Harrogate district, according to today’s Public Health England data.

The number takes the total amount of cases since March last year to 6,223.