As CEO of Harrogate Neighbours Housing Association, Sue Cawthray has led her team of carers through the toughest year of their professional lives. At the same time, they’ve all had their own difficulties to face, as she tells the Stray Ferret.

The last ten months have been challenging for all of us.

I have worked within social care for the last 27 years and it has been hit so hard – I have never experienced anything quite like it.

Personally, I have found it one of the most difficult times in my career having to be nimble in responses to the ever-changing goal posts and the potential impact, and aspiring to be a ‘mother figure’ to all my staff as well as a confidante.

I am a very positive person and my cup is always half full, but some days the negativity of our new normal lives has been mentally taxing. As there has been no respite, some days I have felt anger, frustration and huge waves of despair.

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Being apart from my family has been the biggest challenge for me – my daughter isolated in the Cayman. You may say how wonderful to be in such a lovely place, however when you are forced into a situation and you were expecting to see each other, it has been tough – the choice was taken away.

I struggled with not being able to see my mum for nine months – she is 91 and lives in the south-east and was shielding. We managed two days in September but were unable to hug and be in the same house, and then we faced a Christmas without seeing each other, like so many others.

As a Mum and Grandma, not being able to see my grandchildren and children whenever I wanted to and to spend time together doing all the ‘normal’ things you do as a family has been so tough. Even when we were in a bubble and providing some childcare support, I have been constantly worried about my situation as a front line worker and how the virus is transmitted.

The hardest has been not being able to do the natural things of hugging friends and family, and not being able to console people when they are struggling with their own personal meltdown and, equally important, all the people we care for at work who have needed us more than ever.

Sue Cawthray has kept smiling for her staff and residents, despite the challenges this year

Constantly washing hands, wearing a mask, the use of hand sanitiser, cleaning your car down every time you get in it and not wanting to go to the supermarket or any shop… Having to wipe down everything you touch all the time and always being aware of staying a distance from people.

We’ve all had to learn new ways of communicating with each other and, whether we have used Zoom or any of the other virtual platforms, it’s been a fantastic way of staying in touch with people and given us all the opportunity to continue to work and meet together – but it is just not the same.

We have lost all the social aspect of life –  whether it is going to the cinema, theatre, concerts, eating out, popping to the pub, or meeting friends and for me singing with my wonderful ‘Sing Bramham’.

Life is just not natural and all I ask for in 2021 is some return to life as we all knew it.

Another 30 people in the Harrogate district have tested positive for coronavirus, according to today’s official statistics.

It means the seven-day average rate of infection for the district is now 97 people per 100,000 — almost four times lower than the national average of 364.

The district’s rate has been gradually increasing for the last couple of weeks but at nowhere near the speed of southern England, where the new mutant strain of covid has been most predominant.

The district’s rate remains the lowest of the seven local authority areas in North Yorkshire. Scarborough is the highest at 234. The overall rate for North Yorkshire is 151.

Today’s figures, from Public Health England, bring the total number of infections in the district since the start of the pandemic to 4,127.

There have not been any covid hospital deaths in the district since December 10.

The district’s R number, which refers to the rate at which the virus spreads in the community, remains at 0.9. This means every 10 people with coronavirus will pass it on to nine others.

Starbeck is the worst affected local area, with 18 positive cases in the last seven days — one more than the figure for Ouseburn, Hammerton and Tockwith.

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A further 37 people have tested positive for coronavirus in the Harrogate district, today’s figures confirm.

The number of positive tests in the last 24 hours brings the total for the area to 4,127 since the pandemic began.

The rate of positive cases per 100,000 people in the district now stands at 93.7, a rise from yesterday’s figure of 86. However, it is still below the average for North Yorkshire of 142.2, and for England of 354.9.

Nationally, data from Public Health England shows that 32,725 people tested positive for covid-19 in the last 24 hours, and 570 people died within 28 days of testing positive.

Five patients were admitted to Harrogate District Hospital with the virus in the seven days to December 20, compared to 10 in the previous seven days. Only one patient diagnosed with covid-19 has died in the district in the last 14 days.

Read more:

• Harrogate Nightingale remains ‘on standby’ amid new covid strain
• Coronavirus vaccine centre opens in Harrogate

In line with national guidance, families have been able to spend Christmas Day together within a limit of three households. Tomorrow, rules for tier two come back into force, including no household mixing indoors.

This week, a new vaccination centre opened at the Great Yorkshire Showground in Harrogate. Up to 900 people per day could be given the vaccine, with those aged over 80, care home residents and healthcare workers among the first to be invited to appointments.

The Harrogate district is to remain in tier two as millions more people in England learned this afternoon they will be put under tougher restrictions on Boxing Day.

In a 3pm government coronavirus update, Health Secretary Matt Hancock announced that huge swathes of the country will be moved up tiers on December 26.

Essex, Norfolk, Sussex, Surrey, Oxfordshire and Hampshire will go into tier four.

Bristol, Gloucestershire, Somerset, Swindon, Isle of Wight, New Forest, Northamptonshire, Cheshire and Warrington will enter tier three restrictions.

And Cornwall and Herefordshire will move into tier two,

Minsters discussed further restrictions today amid fears that a new variant of coronavirus is spreading.

Mr Hancock said this wasn’t the news he wanted to deliver at Christmas. He added:

“Just as we have got a tiered system in place, we have discovered a new more contagious virus, a variant which is spreading at a dangerous rate.”

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Mr Hancock also announced all data on the Oxford vaccine has been submitted to the UK’s medicine regulator for approval.

Public health bosses in North Yorkshire warned this week people should brace themselves for the new variant.

They also warned that Scarborough’s case rate could see the county moved up to tier three if not brought under control.

Scarborough has the highest case rate in the county with 269 infections per 100,000 people; the Harrogate district has the lowest at 89.

The county’s seven-day case average currently stands at 139 per 100,000 people, below that of the England average at 319.

There were 15 more positive covid cases in the daily figures for the Harrogate district today.

So far, the Public Health England figures for the district total 3,954 since early March.

There were no new deaths within 28 days of a positive test.

Read more:

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• Harrogate district remains in tier two

Prime minister Boris Johnson announced this afternoon that the planned relaxing of coronavirus restrictions over the Christmas period have been scrapped.

Up to three households can meet indoors but only on Christmas Day, rather than during December 23-27 as previously announced.

Speaking alongside the prime minister, chief medical officer Chris Witty urged people travelling to take short journeys. He said: “Keep it small, keep it short, keep it local”.

A new tier 4 with stricter restrictions has been created for people living in London and areas of the south-east.

We would like to hear how the new coronavirus Christmas rules have impacted your plans? Email us contact@thestrayferret.co.uk

A crack-cocaine dealer has been jailed for more than two years for peddling the potentially lethal drug in Harrogate.

Michael Balog, 19, was still on prison licence for previous offences when he was caught with what turned out to be a relatively small amount of the Class A drug in the town.

But prosecutor Lewis Allan Kerr told York Crown Court that the teenager had been street dealing, ostensibly to pay back a debt.

Recorder Tahir Khan QC, who jailed Balog for two years and four months, told him:

“We are talking about the supply at street level of Class A drugs.

“It’s general knowledge that Class A drugs, and the supply of them, cause misery and the courts have to take a hard line on people who involve themselves in this type of conduct, even at the level that you were at.”

York Crown Court

Appearing via video link yesterday, Balog, of Kennion Road, Harrogate, admitted possessing a Class A drug with intent to supply. He was caught with the drugs at Cheltenham Mount on October 2.

Jeremy Barton, for Balog, said the teenager had been using drugs himself after being released from his last prison sentence and started dealing to pay off debts. Although Balog had previous convictions, he had none for drug dealing.

Mr Khan QC told Balog:

“You’ve been in trouble before and (the dealing offence) was about six to seven months after you were released from your last (prison) sentence.”

Jailing Balog for 28 months, Mr Khan said he had reduced the sentence that he originally had in mind due to the “powerful” mitigation, the teenager’s timely guilty plea and the Covid crisis, which was prevalent in prisons.

Just 11 new covid infections were reported today in the Harrogate district by Public Health England.

The figure is the joint second lowest daily amount since the start of the second wave of the pandemic.

However, yesterday’s figure of 36 was the highest since November 23.

Although the daily statistics have varied considerably recently, the trend in the Harrogate district is definitely upwards.

The R number, which was just 0.4 last weekend, went up again today to 0.7. This means every 10 people infected will pass the virus on to another seven.

The district’s seven-day average rate of infection to December 14 is 93 people per 100,000. This compares with 116 and 235 in North Yorkshire and England.

North Yorkshire remained in tier two today in the government’s first review of the tier system since the second lockdown.

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• Harrogate district remains in tier two

Almost one in five charities have closed in North Yorkshire since March, according to a new report that highlights the impact of the pandemic on the voluntary sector.

Community First Yorkshire, which supports voluntary organisations, surveyed not-for-profit groups in North Yorkshire in October to find out how they’re coping with one of the toughest years for charities in memory.

The message was stark: 18% of charities in the county have closed and 28% say they will struggle to survive after March next year.

Charities have also been hit by a 43% decrease in volunteers, due to many older volunteers shielding.

Leah Swain, chief executive of Community First Yorkshire, said:

“Many voluntary sector organisations depend on volunteers to deliver critical services. Without them, many North Yorkshire organisations, and the people they support, are going to struggle.

“Many volunteers need to stay at home because of the coronavirus, but we want to encourage those that can to consider giving their support in any way they are able.”

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• Harrogate district charities receive £200,000 boost

The survey is based on 175 responses from North Yorkshire voluntary organisations.

Community First Yorkshire is running a #DonateLocal campaign encouraging people to support local charities by giving them their time, money or skills.

Meanwhile, charities in Harrogate are gearing up for Christmas.

About 85 meals will be delivered to the doors of older and vulnerable people in the Harrogate district on Christmas Day.

Harrogate and Ripon Food Angels staff and volunteers dressed festively will cook, pack and deliver a traditional Christmas dinner, Christmas pudding, mince pie and a cracker for those in need of a meal and some cheer.

A Ripon woman who works in a critical care unit has become one of the first people in North Yorkshire to receive the covid vaccine — and has urged others to do the same when their time comes.

Physiotherapist Laura Terry’s job at James Cook University Hospital in Middlesbrough brings her into daily contact with covid patients.

Having seen first hand the impact of the virus, she had little hesitation when the chance to be vaccinated emerged at the hospital on Sunday. She said:

“It was a no-brainer. The emotional impact of what I’ve seen at work has really affected me. I don’t usually bring my job home but a lot of things have stayed with me a long time.

“I’ve never seen so many people so sick. People are essentially dying alone because nobody is allowed in. The last time some see their families is on FaceTime.”

Ms Terry, who went to Ripon Grammar School and lives near Fountains Abbey, studied at Teesside University.

Her regular contact with covid patients made her eligible for the vaccine. It was over in minutes and she has had no side effects besides a sore arm the next day.

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• North Yorkshire GPs begin delivering covid vaccine
• Vaccine to be given at Great Yorkshire Showground next week

“I’m a perfectly healthy person but I have a duty of care to my patients and colleagues, as well as my family and friends.

“Hopefully having the vaccine provides them with some reassurance that they are not going to get covid from me.”

She said it was frustrating to hear people who have never seen for themselves the impact of covid in “denial” about its impact.

“I’ve seen what it does to families. I’ve seen them in distress. If you can take that distress away from a family by having the vaccine then I would do that.”