The Harrogate district population has increased by almost 5,000 people since 2011, the latest census has revealed.

The government’s census survey, which happens every 10 years, gives a snapshot of the population at that time and is used to inform local and national government policy.

Census day was in March last year and the Office for National Statistics has collated the data and published the first set of results.

It reveals the Harrogate district population has increased by 3.1%, from 157,900 in 2011 to 162,700 in 2021.

This is lower than the overall increase for England (6.6%), where the population grew by nearly 3.5 million to 56,489,800.

Nearby areas like Selby and Leeds have seen their populations increase by 10.2% and 8.1%, respectively, while others such as Hambleton saw a smaller increase (1.8%) and Richmondshire saw a decrease of 4.4%.

The increase in population in the Harrogate district is lower than some may have expected considering the number of new homes built in Harrogate, Ripon, Knaresborough and Boroughbridge.

However many of the largest housing schemes included in Harrogate Borough Council’s Local Plan, such as 3,000 homes near Green Hammerton and a combined 1,500 homes on Otley Road in Harrogate, are yet to be built.

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The data also reveals that in the Harrogate district, 83,000 people are female and 79,700 are male.

A total of 34,000 people in the district are over the age of 65, which makes up over 20% of the total population.

Statistics on ethnicity, language and religion will be released later this year.

The Office for National Statistics’ deputy national statistician Pete Benton said:

“Today’s census statistics begin to paint a rich and detailed snapshot of the nation and how we were living during the pandemic. They show the population of England and Wales continued to grow across the decade, albeit at different rates across the regions.

“Ultimately, the full suite of census results, based on the information we all gave, will ensure decisions about how the billions of pounds we spend each year as a nation are made using the best possible evidence.

“This includes planning our emergency services, mental health care, school places, hospital beds, houses, roads, buses, trains, trams, GPs and dentists’ services.”

A baby group is being held at a Knaresborough care home in a bid to build community links between generations and combat loneliness.

Tiny Tots and Tea Cups will see elderly residents at The Manor House encouraged to sing and play with babies and toddlers.

Activities co-ordinator Katie Pickering is organising the free event with her colleague Joanne Meredith.

She was inspired after talking to a friend who had a lockdown baby, and also witnessing the positive effect of taking her children to visit her grandparents.

She said:

“We have been looking to get more involved in the local community now covid restrictions are lifting.

“I had a friend who had a baby in lockdown, who said it was one of the loneliest experiences she’s had. So I thought it would be a good idea to run a parent and baby group here. People from all generations can suffer from loneliness.

“Children can sometimes connect to people on a level that adults can’t. I took my daughters to see my grandparents and my grandad later told me it had been such a boost for my grandmother.”

Harrogate District Hospital has apologised for delays faced by patients and outlined the pressures staff are facing at the start of a busy winter period.

The plea for understanding came after a difficult weekend, which culminated in the hospital urging those with less severe illness or injury to go to Ripon Community Hospital.

A combination of coronavirus patients needing care for longer and issues discharging patients means the hospital has the highest number of longer stay patients so far this year.

Some patients have not been discharged because home care services are not available.

It means longer waiting times across wards, community services and in the emergency department.

The hospital hopes that the completion of an upgrade to its elderly care ward next week will increase winter bed capacity and reduce pressures.

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Dr Matt Shepherd, deputy chief operating officer and consultant in emergency medicine at Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust said:

“Recently we have been experiencing a very busy period at Harrogate District Hospital, across our wards, community services and in the emergency department. This has meant people with less urgent issues are experiencing longer waiting times.

“It has also been more difficult recently to discharge some of our patients who no longer require hospital care, as there is less availability of home care to support people safely in their own homes.

“Difficulties in discharging patients combined with the extended stay required for patients with covid has meant the hospital currently has its highest number of longer stay patients so far this year. This has led to a reduction in the number of empty beds available for new admissions.

“We know our colleagues in social care and our team at HDFT are working incredibly hard to reduce these pressures. We are working closely with our partners in social care, both locally and across North Yorkshire, to ensure patients are able to be discharged as soon as they are well enough to no longer require hospital care. Upgrades to our elderly care ward will also be completed next week, which will increase winter bed capacity.

“We would like to apologise to those patients who might have to wait longer than usual when they visit the hospital to access our services. Unless it’s a life-threatening or severe illness or injury, we would ask them to contact NHS 111 first. The NHS will help you right away and if you need urgent care, the NHS can book you in to be seen quickly and safely.

“People with life-threatening illnesses or injuries should continue to dial 999 and anyone who arrives at A&E without calling NHS 111 will still receive medical care, with those needing emergency treatment prioritised.”

A farm in Dishforth has created a pick your own strawberry and raspberry experience suitable for older people, wheelchair users and people with prams.

It seems such a simple idea but not many pick your own farms around the country offer it.

Mark and Mary Bean run Beau Fraise’s Fruity Berry Fruit Farm, which can be found on Dishforth Road in Dishforth, near Ripon.

The idea was sparked by Mary’s sister, who uses a wheelchair, as well as some of the farm’s previous customers who struggled with access.

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A lot of work has gone into the project.

It has taken about 11 months, 35,000 welds, 70 tonnes of soil, 4,000 strawberry plants and 1,500 raspberry plants but it is now open to the public six days a week. It is closed on Tuesdays.

Mark, who has done the majority of work himself, told the Stray Ferret:

“We have been doing strawberry picking for about 15 years but we decided we needed to make a change for this year.

“This has been a lot of work, a mammoth task really, but it has also been a labour of love.

“People love it, the word seems to be spreading quite quickly and I have lots of messages from people interested. So we have been quite busy already.”

Now the farm is up and running, Mark and Mary are planning to set aside a day a week when only those who are elderly and disabled can go.

The first of those days was held today when a group from Hampden House care home in Harrogate went for a special visit.

Pupils from a Harrogate infant and junior school have written letters to people in care homes to help combat loneliness.

Saltergate Schools partnered with Vida Healthcare to send the letters to care workers and residents in its two Harrogate homes.

Its initiative was a part of Loneliness Awareness Week, which began on Monday and aims to tackle the stigma around loneliness by getting people to talk about their feelings.

The care homes, Vida Grange in Pannal and Vida Hall in Starbeck, were also decorated with butterflies crafted by the students.

James Rycroft, managing director at Vida Healthcare, which specialises in caring for those with dementia, said:

“We are so pleased to have had the support this year from Saltergate Schools to make our staff and residents feel extra special. The butterflies look fantastic and our residents and staff have all been really touched by the handwritten letters.”

Studies have shown that people in care homes are twice as likely to feel lonely as those in the wider community.

Linda Mortimer, headteacher at Saltergate Schools, said:

“Loneliness Awareness Week was the perfect opportunity for us to give back to our local community and educate our children about loneliness.”

“Accepting that we all feel lonely sometimes is an important lesson and learning what we can do to help others and ourselves manage feelings of loneliness is critical.”

The Marmalade Trust hosts the annual Loneliness Awareness Week, which more than 20,000 charities got involved with last year.

Visit its website for information and support.

A care worker has said she backs measures to restrict visitors to care homes in the Harrogate district as they put the health of residents first.

Cheryl Allan, a care supervisor at a care home in Harrogate, said while she understands the concerns of relatives, limiting the spread of covid 19 among vulnerable people was vital.

North Yorkshire County Council introduced a seven-day restriction on visitors in September, before announcing it would be extended for the whole of October.

Mrs Allan said:

“It’s sad for the residents and their families. We were allowing residents to see their families – socially distanced – but there is new legislation and we have to follow that.

“The residents do understand, and their health and well-being is our main priority.”

Mrs Allan said the residents were good at supporting each other, along with the staff ensuring they stayed positive and did not feel lonely.

“They enjoy chatting and socialising with each other and with staff. We have a group who sit out every evening and chat and have a drink together.

“The doctors have been in touch and we’ve got plans in place for people who do suffer with mental health. We’re trying to keep their routines as similar to before lockdown as possible.”

Like many care homes, Mrs Allan said the residential home where she works – which she asked us not to name – has been using technology to enable residents to video call their families while they could not meet in person.

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Andrew Jones, MP for Harrogate and Knaresborough, has said care homes should be allowed visitors who can see relatives through a pane of glass. While one daughter of a patient with dementia told the Stray Ferret this can cause extra distress, Mrs Allen said it was a positive experience for some of the people she worked with.

One resident was able to speak to her daughter on the phone while waving through the windows, which she said benefitted both. For residents who are less confident with technology, Mrs Allan said this offered a good alternative.

However, she said suggestions of nominating one relative for each resident, offering them a weekly test and enabling them to visit would be impractical.

“I don’t think it would work. Staff are testing weekly and residents monthly. In between visitors being tested, you could pick it up and we wouldn’t know. It would work in some ways, but there’s a chance you could bring it in without realising.

“The residents’ health is the most important thing and we have to protect that.”

For five consecutive weeks, a vulnerable Ripon woman  received food boxes from a government-led scheme containing items unfit to eat.

The woman, who wishes to stay anonymous, contacted The Stray Ferret, after receiving weekly boxes containing bags of rotting potatoes and carrots and dented tins.

The woman who is currently staying in sheltered accommodation, as she recuperates following life-saving surgery, has been in self-isolation for many weeks and has shown The Stray Ferret timed and dated photographs taken on her smartphone of the sub-standard items received in boxes delivered over a five-week period.

A dented can of peach slices

To verify her claims, we have also taken our own photography of goods, which are delivered each Wednesday from a Bidfood-UK depot in Wakefield.

The woman, who initially complained direct to the depot via phone and email, was unhappy with the response received and decided to call The Stray Ferret.

She said:

“For five consecutive weeks I received boxes containing some items, particularly potatoes and carrots, that were unfit to eat. There were also numerous dented cans. I am not being ungrateful, because the boxes are delivered free of charge, but I think it is only right that people who already have health issues should receive food that is fit to eat.”

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In May, the government’s Communities Secretary, Robert Jenrick, announced that more than a million boxes of essential food had  been delivered to those at highest risk across England.  He praised national food distributors, including Bidfood, for the part played by the company in delivering packages directly to clinically vulnerable people’s doorsteps.

The food box programme, which began in late March has seen government partner with the food industry and local councils  and in May, Mr Jenrick said:

“The coronavirus emergency has brought uncertain and difficult times but the willingness of people to pull together and support those most in need is an inspiration to us all.”

Jim Gouldie, supply chain and technical services director at Bidfood:

“We’d like to apologise for the experience this individual has received, and reassure her that all feedback is incredibly important to us. Bidfood takes the quality of the products we supply very seriously and would never knowingly supply products of poor quality.

“This has come as a surprise to us as we’ve previously spoken to the lady concerned to ensure that we had addressed any issues she had faced, and taken appropriate actions to resolve the matter. We also revisited this issue subsequently, and the recipient indicated that she was happy with our response and approach.”

Mr Gouldie, added:

“Our service to Defra is managed against a strict set of performance measures, and our performance both in terms of delivery, and box contents has always been exceptional. We are, however, grateful to have received this feedback, to help us in identifying any issues so that these can be rectified going forward and will do all we can to ensure she encounters no further problems.”

Two taxi firms in Harrogate that have run an essential service during the pandemic, are hoping that demand will increase as we ease out of lockdown.

The firms have offered extra services over lockdown including 24/7 phone lines and a shopping service for the elderly and shielding.

They have put safety measures in place including drivers and clients wearing masks and customers are asked to sit in the back seat.

Tracie Geelan who works for Elite Taxis told The Stray Ferret  that the firm has continued to run during lockdown:

“We are doing more to support our older clients, our drivers are even taking shopping orders over the phone and doing that for them too. We also have one of our directors Paul who rings all of our shielding customers weekly to check in and say hello to give them someone to talk to.

“We’ve had different requests during the pandemic, for example, driving to Heathrow airport to pick up customers after they’ve been stranded abroad or we had one client who was stuck on a cruise boat and wasn’t sure where it would dock. So we put one driver on standby who left as soon as we knew where the boat had docked.”

One of the directors of Elite Taxis, Paul Cox, has been ringing his shielding clients weekly to give them someone to talk to.

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Another taxi firm in Harrogate, Blue Line taxis, has

“We are still fulfilling contracts with some schools, especially those with parents that are key workers. We have kept our offices open 24/7 so customers hear a human voice rather than an automatic message when they ring us, its normally hospital staff that ring us overnight and we want to make sure we’re maintaining a high level of service.

“Things are getting back to normal but people are still frightened to come out. It won’t happen in a month or two but we’re optimistic business will pick up again.”