A tool shop is set to officially open in Knaresborough later this month.

Tool Mix will open on Hambleton Grove Industrial Estate on May 18. An official open day is planned to showcase the new business.

According to Tool Mix’s social media it is “a one-stop shop for tools, workwear, storage and tool accessories”.

It adds:

“We offer the power and performance you need to tackle any job with confidence. We stock a wide range of leading brands including Milwaukee, Sealey, Laser and Ox Tools.”

Tim France, founder and director of Tool Mix lives in Knaresborough and worked for Snap-On tools for eight years in Leeds and Harrogate before deciding to take the leap into opening his own business.

The business currently has five employees, two tool vans and stocks bestsellers in the tool industry such as CT1 sealant.

Tool Mix van

Mr France said:

“I have driven for Snap-On in the area and I am a local lad so I already know our customers really well. With Tool Mix I don’t want to be a faceless, soulless business – people often see a shop front and have no connection. I want to support local businesses, look after people and go above and beyond with our service. We want to do more than selling tools – we want to be part of the community.”

The open day event on Saturday, May 18 will take place between 10.30am and 3pm.

There will be demonstrations of power tools, competitions, free refreshments and a charity prize raffle, with all proceeds going to St Michael’s Hospice and St Leonard’s Hospice. In the raffle a tool-kit of power tools worth around £500 will be on offer.

The tools and brands on offer at Tool Mix

Read more:

• Brew York to open today in historic Knaresborough pub 
• Bomb disposal called after WWII bullet found near Harrogate

North Yorkshire Council has said a government policy change designed to reduce fly-tipping has left it £889,000 out of pocket, forcing it to look for new ways of saving money. 

Last month, Environment Minister Rebecca Pow announced households would no longer have to pay to get rid of DIY waste at household waste recycling centres, such as those at Penny Pot Lane and Wetherby Road in Harrogate and Dallamires Crescent in Ripon.

DIY waste will now be treated the same as household waste, saving tip visitors up to £10 per sack of rubble or sheet of plasterboard. The change, which enjoys widespread public support and was lobbied for by organisations including the National Farmers’ Union, is due to come into effect later this year.

But North Yorkshire Council, which is one of the third of English local authorities that still charge for household DIY waste, told the Stray Ferret there was little evidence the move would reduce fly-tipping, although it could mean cuts elsewhere. 

Cllr Greg White, North Yorkshire Council’s executive member for waste, said: 

“We introduced charges for residents to dispose of soil, rubble and plasterboard at our household waste recycling centres in 2014 following a consultation in which residents stated they would rather pay a fee at sites than have to seek an alternative such as hiring a skip. 

“This was implemented to preserve other services, many of which the council must legally provide. The abolition of charging means that many taxpayers will have to meet the costs of those few undertaking home improvements. 

“We care passionately about minimising fly-tipping, but do not believe that the proposed changes will result in a significant decrease. We are not aware of any research that has found a link between charging for waste at household waste recycling centres and increased fly-tipping, which suggests that the removal of charges may not reduce fly-tipping levels. It’s important to remember that there is a large percentage of fly-tipped waste that can be disposed of for free at our household waste recycling centres. 

“As a result of this change, we forecast that we will incur disposal costs of £586,000 and lose income of £303,000, creating a cost pressure of £889,000 which will force the council to look for savings elsewhere.” 

Fly tipping at Priest Lane in Ripon.

Local authorities across England deal with well over a million fly-tipping incidents annually, according to government data, and it is estimated that fly-tipping and waste crime cost the economy £924m per year.

In an effort to tackle the issue, the government has consulted on reforming the waste carrier, broker, dealer regime and on introducing mandatory digital waste tracking. It is also developing a fly-tipping toolkit with the National Fly-Tipping Prevention Group to help spread best practice among local authorities. 

Jacob Hayler, executive director of the Environmental Services Association, the trade body representing the UK’s waste management industry, said: 

“We welcome any measures that make it easier for householders to dispose of waste correctly and responsibly at their local household waste recycling centres, which in turn reduces the chance of it falling into the hands of criminals or being fly-tipped. 

“The government clarified the law in 2015 that local taxpayers should not be charged for disposing of household waste at civic amenity sites – scrapping backdoor ‘tip taxes’. It has also repeatedly stated that councils should not be charging for such DIY household waste disposal either.” 

Incidents of fly-tipping can be reported to North Yorkshire Council via its website. 

Read more:

• Fly-tipped jalapenos could solve mystery of Harrogate couple’s missing van
• North Yorkshire councillors voice frustration at 20 year delay to food waste collection service
• Fears of fly tipping in Harrogate district as recycling centres close

The Nidderdale and Pateley Bridge Men’s Shed has opened to provide friendship and support to the local community.

They are part of a wider organisation of ‘sheds’ which began in Australia. Their goal is to create a space for people to come together to create and build while making friends and overcoming loneliness.

Despite their name, organiser Alan Cottrill assured the Stray Ferret that the group is also open to women who want to clear their mind through DIY.

“We’re making and repairing things – but also making friendships.”

“There’s been lots of research over the last couple of years which show that this is a good way to get men to talk. Women talk face to face but men talk shoulder to shoulder.”

The Men’s Shed have the premises behind St Cuthbert’s for three years and aim to start working with other charities next year.