Since the outbreak of coronavirus in the UK, both MPs covering the Harrogate district have kept a low profile on social media and via their websites on work that they are doing in their constituency to help in the coronavirus crisis.

Andrew Jones, MP for Harrogate and Knaresborough, has tweeted or shared other people’s tweets 16 times in the last month and posted 4 times on his website. His four website posts:

• encouraged people to work together through the crisis on March 17th.
• announced he was setting up a ‘volunteer army’ to bring people together and support vulnerable people on March 18th.  No further details on how this progressed.
• gave a View from Westminster, reflecting on the crisis but with no details of what he has been doing
• welcomed news that Captain Tom Moore will be guest of honour at the opening of the Nightingale hospital

In addition, media reports show he:

• asked a question of Home Secretary Priti Patel about the government’s response to county lines drugs gangs on March 23rd
• released a statement about liaising with the foreign office in support of local people who were stranded abroad as the coronavirus crisis began
• signed a letter in late March by Julian Sturdy, MP for York Outer, calling for the rejection of an appeal by a developer wanting to build 516 houses at Askham Bog, south-west of York

Julian Smith, MP for Skipton and Ripon, has posted once on Facebook in the last month and has not added any news to his website since January. However, he has a page with links to government advice and support on coronavirus, and has tweeted just over 100 times since March 20th.

In addition, he is quoted in media reports about encouraging people to stay at home over the Easter weekend.

Neither MP responded to a request for details of their activities.

The Stray Ferret looked at other conservative MPs in the surrounding area for comparison:

Kevin Hollinrake, MP for Malton

• has posted on Facebook 35 times, Twitter more than 200 times, and 24 articles on his website since the crisis began
• runs constituency video support conferences for any business owner to join and ask questions
• has shared details on his website of what he’s doing to support care homes, businesses and the wider community

Above is one of his online business surgeries, posted to his Facebook page.

Andrew Percy, MP for Brigg and Goole

• Has posted 19 times on Facebook- including updates on planning issues affected by coronavirus and posted links to useful info on government website.
• Written 9 blog posts/news articles for this website.

Mr Percy says he has been working with councillors to organise a support network and on April 14th formed the Brigg&Goole and Isle of Axholme Constituency Support Group

“I just wanted to assure residents that my team and I remain fully on hand to support residents at this time and we are receiving hundreds of emails, calls and facebook direct messages everyday. Whether it is constituents trapped overseas, questions about the lockdown guidelines or helping people struggling with employment, shopping or business concerns my team and I are doing what we can to help and will do throughout. I am also in close contact with the local hospitals and have been assisting them on a range of issues too. It you need our help we are available via Facebook, email or the office phones on 01405 767969 or 01652 650094.”

Andrea Jenkyns, MP for Morley and Outwood

• posted more than 30 times on Facebook and more than 100 times on Twitter
• a section on her website dedicated to getting a pool of volunteers together and another signposting to advice and support

Harrogate District Hospital has not reported any new coronavirus-related deaths and the nationwide figure is the lowest it has been for a fortnight.

The hospital has so far reported 32 deaths since the start of the pandemic. Whereas, there have been 1,870 confirmed COVID-19 deaths in the North East and Yorkshire region.

It comes as Harrogate hospital announced that its first patient had been discharged after treatment for coronavirus on a ventilator.

Patient Karl then shared a video from home and used the opportunity to thank the staff at the hospital. He said that they saved his life and urged them to stay safe.

https://www.facebook.com/HarrogateDistrictNHS/videos/231823624719693/?__xts__[0]=68.ARBZG6TV3jYQ5jXumIB3zG14zYuzuSYVrnQ3XdK15Ci_YuUmTs3Sovi7BD5GDwROZLY1q176-GBESyWGJT_gh7gfBfZ4X2avSulD7xQKBn9dLLjU3NHzSCMJDCc-b-fFPShQ9Shl4d1-6G5bcavKeCMtT-aXK3T0as26I-ZQCUPGNRkmlNvgrgF69Z_B6fulLPo7L00Io9mTUCDIx9ndfOinG28IhnB2FZMRmUmaCfCyrkUemyYFtwjmZnpVx0RB7s9rCb–qKJ67kiDkph58lbANwwONzwDk835yGsgcMjDRc6rSCvExS_EQx50tGKVm1gP-I1mLUnGq1vX6nbMHmzNz8nYkQ5TVhocGTpE&__tn__=-R

Another 450 people have died in hospitals in the UK after contracting coronavirus. English hospitals made up 429 of those deaths but it is the lowest nationwide figure for two weeks.

Scotland reported 12 deaths and Wales reported nine deaths but Northern Ireland has not yet reported its deaths for today.

The UK has reported 16,552 deaths so far. These figures do not account for deaths outside the hospital of people who were not tested but died of suspected coronavirus.

Harrogate Scrubbers gained 200 Facebook followers and raised more than £4,500 in its first 24 hours of existence. The group was formed in response a the nation wide shortage of scrubs and has committed to make 700 scrubs for staff working in the Harrogate area to help prevent the spread of coronavirus.

The project is being organised by Fran Taylor (above) , a teacher at St John Fisher Catholic High School in Harrogate, in conjunction with the Foundation Trust that runs Harrogate District Hospital. Fran is coordinating fabric orders, pattern printing and delivery of the finished items from home.

“‘The community response has been genuinely humbling, with offers of help from people stuck at home, community groups, local companies and professional sewing groups. It has created a team atmosphere and real community spirit, actually giving people a purpose and the ability to feel that they are supporting the NHS both through staying at home, but also doing something productive while they are there”

Some of the scrubs sewn by volunteers ready to be delivered to the hospital

Yesterday Harrogate District Hospital made an appeal for community help in sourcing gowns after a national shortage- saying it needed to plan ahead to ensure supply and particularly needed long sleeve, water proof gowns. 

A fundraiser was set up online  with support coming from individuals as well as organisations including guesthouse association Accommodation Harrogate, and estate agents, Verity Frearson.

Earlier this week, Fran found herself borrowing the keys to her church in order to have the floor space to roll out, measure and cut the fabric. Once cut, it was parcelled up with patterns – printed by Enid Taylor on Cold Bath Road – and sent out to the volunteers.

“There’s really fantastic community support,” she said. “Any enthusiastic beginner can come and help us. We’re always looking for people to come and sew and support us with organising and getting supplies to our drop-off point.”

As well as blue scrubs, spare fabric is being used to create laundry bags

Local businesses are involved too in supplying fabric.  Harrogate interior design firm Furnish & Fettle are providing over 800m of fabric and getting the team to join in with sewing and deliveries.

Owner Eleanor Goddard said, ‘We are delighted to be able to do something to support the NHS and utilise the supplies we have in stock. This is a brilliant way for us to give something back and thank all those on the frontline.’

White Rose Sewing in Harrogate are also supporting the scheme and have offered to help with supplying some of the materials as has M&M Fabrics in Leeds’s Kirkgate market.

The volunteers will make scrubs, laundry bags, scrub caps and waterproof gowns.

“There’s lots of people who are at home more than they would like to be and maybe who have got extra time on their hands because of being furloughed and that’s a real worry for them,” Fran said. “Being able to keep busy is good for their mental health and it also helps people to feel connected.”

Can you help?

The good news is you can help even if you can’t sew..Roles and items The Harrogate Scrubbers need:

• People who can sew both scrubs and bags to put them in
• People able to deliver and collect the fabric and scrubs
• Donations of money to help buy the fabric and accessories
• Donations of plain lightweight polycotton fabric or new sheets
• Volunteers to cut the fabric into packs and prepare them
• Printers to print the patterns to go in the packs

To donate, visit: https://tinyurl.com/harrogatescrubbers Join the Facebook group  www.facebook.com/groups/harrogatescrubbers    Alternatively, contact Fran Taylor directly harrogatescrubbers@gmail.com

The latest deaths at Harrogate were recorded yesterday and bring the total at the district hospital to 32.  Across Yorkshire and the North East, a further 83 people have died. The figure across England was 482- a drop of 302 from Saturday.

NHS England said the patients who died were aged between 34 and 104 years old.  6 of them had no known underlying health condition.  These figures do not account for deaths outside the hospital of people who were not tested but died of suspected coronavirus.

Earlier this week, the hospital confirmed it had treated and discharged 51 patients so far. It also announced that the first patient had been discharged after treatment for coronavirus on a ventilator. Staff are understood to have applauded as the patient left the hospital.

We are really pleased to announce that our first patient who has been on a ventilator as a result of having COVID19 has today been discharged home. #COVID19 #OurNHSPeople

— Harrogate NHS FT (@HarrogateNHSFT) April 17, 2020

North Yorkshire County Council says it welcomes a government announcement that an extra £1.6billion is to be allocated to local councils with the rapidly accelerating cost of fighting covid-19.

The council said its estimated costs for coronavirus showed that finances would be £65m worse than had been anticipated before the pandemic. Whilst £15m had been provided by government as additional grant, it left a shortfall of £50m.

The Leader of the county council, Carl Les said:

“We don’t yet know the size of this additional allocation for the County Council but this extra funding will undoubtedly help to bridge the gap. Nevertheless, we still face massive financial challenges and we estimated that the original allocation of £15m of grant for Covid-19 needed to be quadrupled to deal with the estimated costs.”

As well as financial strains,  the council has found it difficult to source a reliable supply of PPE.  The Stray Ferret has reported its appeal to schools and business to help and how care workers in the Harrogate district are feeling frightened and vulnerable.

Long Term Funding Gaps

Well before the crisis, the county council said,  there were real financial strains on the long term funding of adult social care and special educational needs. In a statement it said:

North Yorkshire’s financial planning has been dependent on nearly £62 million of temporary funding after the Council lost around £136 million in direct grants from government since 2011 when austerity began.

Together with the overall savings North Yorkshire has had to deliver and the rise in demand the council’s spending power has been reduced by 40 per cent.

Cllr Les said the whole council was pulling together to do everything it could during the crisis and called on the government for  “long -term partnership” through the crisis.

This column is written for The Stray Ferret by Neil Renton, the Head Teacher of Harrogate Grammar School: 

The world has changed; the equilibrium has been disrupted. Within a period of three weeks we have effectively shut down our school and we are trying to see around all the different bends ahead of us and somewhere in the distance is a new equilibrium.

During the February break, I received a number of calls from a member of staff who was leading our ski trip to Northern Italy. A student had broken his wrist in a fall and we discussed how we would get him home as we felt he should be with his family and receive treatment from the NHS. The week after, our work on Coronavirus began as we received news of lockdowns, category 1 and 2 areas in Northern Italy. Some individuals who had been on the ski trip self-isolated, but we kept school open and we started to communicate about the virus, and stress the importance of washing hands. Things developed at a pace in the wider world and we then cancelled an exchange trip to Germany. Within a couple of weeks, we had reduced the number of year groups in school due to staff absence. Then, the Prime Minister announced that schools would close. As a result, our school population of over 2000 children and 300 staff on site was reduced to 15 students per day and a similar number of staff. We said our rushed goodbyes to Year 11 and Year 13. The rest of our school population were told to teach, learn and work from home.

            You are constantly learning when you lead an organisation and in my first year of Headship, I wasn’t expecting this. In the space of a short period of time, we have not only created a mini-school within our school for the children of key workers and vulnerable children, but also shifted all working practices online. This includes teaching and learning, line management, briefings and training. In the background, we have studied the financial impact, studied guidance on how students will be given centre assessed grades without sitting exams, set up systems to support families with free school meals and created new safeguarding policies for new ways of working. We have done this whilst staying positive, standing tall, but remembering to keep two metres apart. Leading in a period of rapid change, not surprisingly, creates new challenges and many unintended consequences.

            Many of those unintended consequences involve stories of acts of kindness and stories of resilience. One of our Sixth Form students left flowers on his neighbours’ doorsteps; my colleagues in the Design Faculty have pulled together, developing a prototype visor using the laser printer, before manufacturing 1000 visors, in a week, to help support with personal protective equipment for health professionals. I also like the story of one of our youngest students who gets dressed in their uniform every day so that they can keep a routine when they learn at home. I have a real sense of pride in how our whole community has responded to the many challenges that we have faced. These acts of kindness and the resilience of our community show real strength in a period when everyone is adapting in a moving equilibrium.

Our online routines start again this week, but I really hope we can return, safe and well, to school soon.

Hairdressers and others are being asked to donate gowns to Harrogate District Hospital after a national shortage affected supplies.

Harrogate Hospital and Community Charity (HHCC) posted on its Facebook page today calling for help in sourcing the gowns.

It said: “At the Trust, we are doing OK for the next few days, but we need to plan ahead so we don’t run out of stock. We have a few initiatives under way already to increase our stock, but more needs to be done.

Thirty patients are now confirmed to have died with coronavirus at Harrogate District Hospital.

NHS England released the figures today, which reveal two more deaths happened on Thursday, April 18th, bringing the total for that day to three. No deaths have yet been reported for yesterday, Friday, by Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust.

Across England, a further 784 deaths have been confirmed, contributing to the 888 across the UK. It brings the UK’s total death county to more than 15,000.

This week, the hospital confirmed it has treated and discharged 51 patients so far. It has also announced that the first patient has been discharged after treatment for coronavirus on a ventilator. Staff are understood to have applauded as the patient left the hospital.

We are really pleased to announce that our first patient who has been on a ventilator as a result of having COVID19 has today been discharged home. #COVID19 #OurNHSPeople

— Harrogate NHS FT (@HarrogateNHSFT) April 17, 2020

As the UK lockdown is extended for a minimum of three more weeks, the work of volunteers continue to provide a vital service for those who are self-isolating.

From mobile post offices to weekly care packages, volunteers from across the borough are going the extra mile to help those who need it.

People have raised nearly £4,500 to pay towards the funeral of a nurse who died with coronavirus after treating patients at Harrogate District Hospital.

Zauma Ekoli, who was 55 and had five children, died on Monday at Leeds General Infirmary after working on a coronavirus wards in Harrogate.

Now 250 people have raised £4,410 out of £8,000 at the time of publication on a Facebook fundraiser to pay for the nurse’s funeral.

Several also left touching tributes on the page calling Josie a “kind and caring person with a heart of gold.”

Emma Macpherson added: “Nothing was ever too much trouble for her and she touched the hearts of everybody that she worked with. We will all miss her so so much. Fly high with the angels.”

Tessya Tsaty Mabiala said: “Please donate to this cause for this wonderful woman. She was a strong, caring and kind-hearted soul who always found the best in everyone. She died trying to save others from this merciless virus.”

Zauma Ekoli was 55 and had five children.

Daughter Naomie said her mother called the provisions of personal protective equipment (PPE) available “poor” but said her mother continued to work in the job that “meant everything to her”.

The hospital said it has sufficient supplies of PPE and that they are getting regular deliveries.