The Stray Ferret Business Awards, sponsored by Prosperis, will be held on March 9 at the Pavilions of Harrogate. Early bird tickets are available until February 9. The event will celebrate success and business excellence across the Harrogate district. It’s a night not to be missed! There’ll be a fabulous prize draw for all attending and Richard Flinton, the incoming Chief Executive of North Yorkshire Council, is guest speaker. 

Members of Knaresborough’s Chamber of Commerce will discuss plans for a road train in the town at tonight’s monthly meeting.

On the agenda this evening is a discussion about vacant shops in the town, the changes to local government with the incoming unitary authority and the land train.

The train is likely to run from Conyngham Hall car park to York Place car park, which would also ease pressure on town centre parking.

In recent weeks the Knaresborough Chamber of Trade and Commerce and Knaresborough Town Council have agreed to work together to build a business case for a road train.

The meeting at the Mitre starts at 7pm.

Read More:

• Business Breakfast: Ministry of Defence recognises Reed Boardall’s support
• Why are Harrogate district teachers going on strike?

Review website award

Dacre, Son & Hartley estate agent has won Feefo’s prestigious Platinum Trusted Service Award for the second year running.

The award recognises exceptional customer service ratings and reviews posted on the Feefo review website. Feefo is the world’s largest provider of verified reviews.

Dacres, which has 20 offices across West and North Yorkshire including Harrogate, Wetherby, Knaresborough, and Pateley Bridge, secured Feefo’s highest platinum award for the first time last year, which followed the company winning gold awards for the three previous consecutive years.

Last year clients reviewed Dacres more than 250 times on Feefo, with an average rating of 4.9 out of 5, which was up from 4.8 in 2021.

Patrick McCutcheon, head of residential at Dacres said:

“Receiving this award, which crucially is based on genuine client reviews, and pushing our average rating up to 4.9 is a major achievement and speaks volumes about our exceptional standards of customer service and care.

“It also demonstrates the ability of our whole team to always respond to current market conditions and combine unrivalled marketing advice with a completely personal service, in order to deliver the best possible results for buyers and sellers alike.

his is one of the key reasons why we’ve been so successful in Yorkshire’s property market for more than 200 years and continually work with generations of the same families time and time again.”

This article is sponsored by Craven-Holmes.

Boroughbridge estate agents Craven-Holmes has been named a finalist in one of the most prestigious awards in the UK property industry.

The independent family-run business is one of 38 agencies shortlisted in the Small Estate Agency of the Year category at The Negotiator Awards 2022.

The winner will be announced at a black-tie ceremony at London’s Grosvenor Hotel on Friday, November 25.

Owner Tracey Wrigglesworth, who bought the agency in 2018, said it was a huge honour to be nominated.

She said:

“The Negotiator Awards are like the Oscars of the industry. Just to be shortlisted is massive.

“The criteria is incredibly tough. You have got to prove your worth.

“When I got the email to say I’d been shortlisted, I’m surprised you couldn’t hear me screaming in Harrogate!”

Tracey, who has more than 20 years experience in the local property market, runs the business with her daughter Mahalah Mulholland. Her friend Pauline Wardman also works at the agency and her son also gets involved when needed.

The sales, lettings and property agency works across the region in the Boroughbridge, Ripon, Thirsk, Harrogate, Knaresborough, Bedale and Wetherby areas.

Tracey and her team have all lived and worked in the area for many years and therefore have an in-depth knowledge of the local market.

Tracey said:

“We pride ourselves on our relationships and our customer service, as well as trust and integrity. We are really proud of what we do.

“We are an independent on Boroughbridge High Street and we are very much a supporter of the local community.

“I’m so proud of what we have achieved. The support that I’ve had has just been lovely with continued repeat business and recommendations.”

Whether you’re buying, selling, renting or letting, Tracey and her team are ready to help. Get in touch by emailing sales@craven-holmes.co.uk or lettings@craven-holmes.co.uk

For more information, visit www.craven-holmes.co.uk

The directors of Harrogate-based estate agency Knight Frank have set up an independent business.

The change will see the directors launch a new company with a fresh identity called North Residential.

Harlan Pollitt and Daniel Rigg secured independent ownership of the business after operating in Harrogate for 15 years.

The team will continue to be located on Harrogate’s Albert Street, with the office currently undergoing refurbishment.

Emma Kingham has been promoted to director, Harriet Cheshire has also become a director and Fiona Lippell, who has been with the business for over 15 years, remains office manager.

A statement by North Residential said that although it was independent, it would “maintain an amicable working relationship and continue to collaborate as necessary” with Knight Frank, which operates internationally.

Mr Pollitt said:

“Whilst retaining our position as the leading estate agent in Harrogate, we have plans to invest considerably to expand into more regions over the next few years.

“We are thrilled that our existing, highly valued team, that have become known and respected within the local community over many years, will each have an incentive in helping to make it even more successful.”

Read more:

• Harrogate estate agent records £15m turnover
• Harrogate gym to lift one million kilos in memory of Jamie Leese

Business Breakfast is sponsored by Harrogate law firm Truth Legal. 

A Knaresborough-based energy company has been given the green light to develop New Zealand’s largest solar farm in Waikato.

Harmony Energy will create the development, which will generate enough electricity to power 30,000 homes.

The country’s Environmental Protection Authority has approved Harmony’s proposal for the 147-megawatt solar farm to be installed on 182 hectares of a 260-hectare site at Te Aroha West, 140 kilometres south of Auckland.

Harmony Energy director, Pete Grogan, who is based in New Zealand, said: 

“We are thrilled this important renewable development can now proceed. Renewable energy is critical to mitigate the negative impact of climate change and help support New Zealand’s net zero ambition.

“One of the great advantages of solar power is that it accommodates dual use of land, allowing for energy generation alongside continued farming production, as will happen at Tauhei.

“This proposal creates opportunities for local businesses and employment and creates significant biodiversity gains. We will deliver an exceptional project that Waikato can be proud of.”

Read More: 

• Business Breakfast: Harrogate private hospital joins forces with Mumsnet
• Business Breakfast: Knaresborough firms to be quizzed on energy bills

Yorkshire estate agent introduces online auction

Patrick McCutcheon, head of residential at Dacre, Son & Hartley.

Harrogate district estate agents Dacre, Son & Hartley has introduced a new online auction service.

The service allows people to buy and sell land and property online 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

The company, which has offices in Harrogate, Knaresborough, Ripon and Pateley Bridge, partnered with Bamboo Auctions to launch the service.

Patrick McCutcheon, head of residential at Dacre, Son & Hartley, said:

“This new service is specifically designed to make it quick, easy and straightforward to list and sell properties and vendors don’t have to wait to join other sellers in a collective auction catalogue.

“Buying and selling a property through this method provides each party with an additional degree of certainty, because once the auction ends, both the buyer and seller are legally bound to proceed with the transaction, in accordance with the published terms and conditions.”

When Libby Watt was a little girl growing up in Harrogate, she remembers playing ‘estate agents’, showing her friend around imaginary houses.

The childhood dream became a reality and she has enjoyed a long, illustrious career in property, which has seen her sell some of London’s most exclusive homes.

Now, she has returned to her roots and is three months into running her new estate agency, Barclay Watt Estates.

‘The most perfect cottage’

She said:

“I’ve just sold the most perfect cottage in Bishop Thornton and I’ll actually be really sad I won’t be going there any more. It has been a joy showing people.

“I’ve also got one due to complete next week and I’ve sold a couple off market.

“I’m really excited about it. I think Harrogate will be slower than London, but I am enjoying it and I love property.”

Ms Watt was brought up on Hookstone Road and moved to London in 1999.

She said:

“I was the administrator for a big corporate company. Unbeknown to me at the time my two managers there were setting up on their own, so they were out of the office all the time.

“Applicants would come in and say they had viewing books, so I told them to hop in my little Clio and drove them down to see the properties.

“I kept getting offers on them and I thought ‘I really love this’.”

Read more:

• Yorkshire School of Garden Design set to launch at Harewood House
• Jules B to open in Harrogate in September

She went on to work for a number of property firms in the capital, including Featherstone Leigh, Hamptons International and Manors.

She said:

“One Saturday I kept getting calls from former clients asking where I had gone. I remember, I was driving and thinking ‘I can do this for myself. Why am I working for other people I’ve got the contacts, the knowledge and enthusiasm’.”

In 2010, she set up her own successful agency called Napier Watt in Mayfair.

Back to her roots

After selling the business, she went into property acquisition, before making the decision to move back to Harrogate to be closer to her parents.

After being unimpressed by the service when she was buying a property, she decided to launch her own firm.

She said:

“I was surprised at the level of service. Friends and family told me I should open an estate agency here as I would do well. So I thought ‘why not?’

“I started doing all the branding and paperwork and in March I was up and running.”

Ms Watt is focusing on sales, lettings, management and property acquisitions. She also works with interior designers and offers a global relocation service.

Female bosses

She said:

“I have noticed there don’t seem to be many female bosses of property firms up here. I am so pro women doing well.

“I was lucky enough to have some great mentors.

I went to Harrogate Grammar School and actually only got two GCSEs, because I’m just not academic. I just can’t retain things that I don’t find interesting.

“So I always tell clients I’m not taking notes, as I have photographic memory. I could draw a floor plan of a house I saw 20 years ago.

“As long as you have got a work ethic, you can do anything.”

Business Breakfast is sponsored by Harrogate law firm Truth Legal. 

Well known deli and cafe celebrates refurb

Weetons in Harrogate has completed a refit and will be celebrating by hosting the ‘Weetons Weekend’ next week.

The premium Yorkshire food deli and cafe has been established on West Park for almost 20 years.

Rob Coutts, managing director of Weetons said:

“The biggest change is in the restaurant, we’ve got a completely new look. The tones of green and new lighting create a fresh yet warm and welcoming atmosphere.

“We’re also launching a new all-day menu which features our luxury Yorkshire Wagyu burger and our famous sharing board…

“We’re offering an open invite for foodies to come and join us across our Weetons Weekend to celebrate our refit… we’ll have our passionate suppliers in-store showcasing their produce with tastings and providing advice in their area of expertise.

“There will also be the chance to win a BBQ from our new outdoor living range with our deluxe BBQ meat box, along with other surprises .”

Weetons Weekend celebrations will be running across 4 days  from Thursday June 30 – Sunday July 3.

Read More: 

• Leon set to confirm Harrogate opening date for early July
• Goldsborough Hall secures place in Michelin Guide

Harrogate estate agent donates £5,000 to local hospice

Dacre, Son & Hartley has donated £5,000 to Saint Michael’s Hospice.

Saint Michael’s Hospice on Hornbeam Park in Harrogate provides care and support to families living with terminal illness and bereavement across the Harrogate district.

Saint Michael’s chief executive, Tony Collins, said:

“We would like to say a huge thank you to Dacres for their generous donation.

“As an independent charity, Saint Michael’s is powered by local community support, with the majority of our care funded by the generosity of organisations and local people who choose to show their support in a variety of amazing ways.

“Our corporate partnerships are vital to helping us to continue our work helping local people and their families living with terminal illness and bereavement.”

Dacres has 19 offices across North and West Yorkshire supports a number of charities across the year.

Patrick McCutcheon, head of residential at Dacre, Son & Hartley, said:

“There is nothing better than being able to give back to the communities in which we operate. With a team of 125 at Dacres, we ensure that we select charities that our people have an affinity with.

The care that Saint Michael’s Hospice provides, helping people at the end of their lives and supporting their families is vitality important, and we feel proud to be able to help.”

Rural property firm GSC Grays has opened a new office in Boroughbridge.

The High Street branch, which opened on Monday, is the company’s ninth office to open in the past 10 years.

It now employs over 100 people, mainly in the north of England. Twenty-three are based at the Boroughbridge branch, five of whom have been newly recruited. 

A number of the farm and land management consultants are from the local area, and some members of staff grew up or live on farms.  

Managing director Guy Coggrave said:  

“This gives us exceptional expertise at a time when the farming industry is dealing with the impact of the Agricultural Transition Plan, the biggest change in agricultural policy in half a century.”

GSC Grays specialises in land and farming, estate agency, planning and development, and environment and sustainability.  

HSBC and Harrogate BID install third contactless donation point for Street Aid

A third contactless donation point for Street Aid has been installed by HSBC and Harrogate Business Improvement District in Harrogate town centre.  

The ‘tap terminal’ encourages people to make donations to Street Aid, which supports people in Harrogate who have experienced homelessness.  

The most recent donation point is in the Cambridge Street branch of HSBC, where donations from £3 to £20 can be made via a contactless payment.  

The new donation point in HSBC

Linda Lewis, senior network manager at HSBC, said:  

“It’s our pleasure to be part of this scheme and house the third Street Aid terminal.  

“Since its installation, I’ve seen a number of customers tapping it with either a card or a phone to make a donation.” 

The scheme was launched in October 2019, after research was conducted by Harrogate Borough Council, North Yorkshire Police, Harrogate Homeless Project and North Yorkshire Horizons.  

Since then, the charity has raised over £20,000 through online donations and the three donation points. 

The two other stations are in the Oxford Street M&S window and in Victoria shopping centre. 

Harrogate BID manager Matthew Chapman said:  

“We are delighted to throw our weight behind the Street Aid scheme, which helps those who are genuinely in need get back on their feet. 

“We want Harrogate to be known as a friendly, caring, welcoming town.” 

Money raised has been administered by Two Ridings Community Foundation to fund items for 28 individuals, ranging from fishing equipment, furniture, a gym membership, bikes and clothing.  

Marketplace lender Assetz Capital has invested £3m into the development of new flats in Harrogate town centre.

Harrogate-based Tate Estates planned to build 12 two-bedroom apartments at 108 Station Parade by last year.

The development will be situated on 108 Station Parade in Harrogate central

However, the scheme encountered problems due to covid. Lockdowns and construction material shortage disrupted the building schedule.

Ciaran McGivern, relationship director for Assetz based in the north-east, acts as a retained advisor for Tate Estates.

He said:

“I’m delighted to be helping a high-quality client in Tate Estates with their development in Harrogate.

“We hope to continue the excellent working relationship we have established, and this is the first of many successful deals we can fund.”

Rhys Davies, group finance director of Tate Estates, said:

“It was fantastic to get this investment from Assetz on what will be the first in a series of platform development deals.”

It is now hoped the block of flats will be completed in the second quarter of this year.

Harrogate district entrepreneurs boosted by start-up competition

StriveLive, an initiative which helps start-ups, has run a competition to help grassroots entrepreneurs in the Harrogate district launch their business

The StriveLive Harrogate project was funded by Harrogate Borough Council and commissioned by the York and North Yorkshire Growth Hub.

Fourteen local entrepreneurs received help from StriveLive through a series of workshops, advice sessions and challenges over seven weeks.

The candidates then competed to impress business experts for the chance to win £2,500.

Business experts from the National Grid, Buying Hobbycraft, Harrogate Borough Council and YNY Growth Hub were included on the panel.

They awarded prizes to participants in five categories.

Karen Allen from Kidzplay Play Box picked up two awards. She won ‘most customer orientated’ and ‘best business concept’.

Hanna Dilley, founder of Benji’s Bites toddler food, won ‘best marketing,’ with Oliver Brown’s business, Wrapd Studios, winning ‘best branding’.

Ms Allen said:

“Strive popped up on my social media at a point when I was searching for support with the business.

“The company gave me the confidence to move forward, the understanding to face the challenges, and the connections within the local area to continue the support after the course finished.”

Clare Parish, from Four Legs Pet Care, and Graham Dodds, from GMD Home Improvements, both received Strive start-up awards.

Read more:

• Government rejects expansion of Follifoot business park
• Plans to build 15 flats at Daleside Garage site in Pateley Bridge

Harrogate estate agents take on Yorkshire Three Peaks for charity 

Harrogate estate agents, Feather Smailes Scales (FSS) are hoping to raise more money for Maggie’s Centres by climbing the Yorkshire Three Peaks.

The team at FSS said they wanted to support a charity that helps those undergoing treatment.

Maggie’s Centres builds centres next to NHS hospitals to offer professional support for anything from treatment side effects to money worries.

The FSS team will take on the 24-mile hiking challenge tomorrow.

Partner and auctioneer Richard Smailes said:

“Last November, I was incredibly touched by the enthusiasm of those supporting the charity. Those who were affected by cancer planned to carry out incredible tasks to raise money for a cause that supports those suffering take back control when cancer turns their life upside down.”

To donate click here.

Networking event for SMEs at Harrogate Convention Centre this month

Harrogate Borough Council and SME Growth Managers have organised an event for Harrogate district businesses to share ideas and solve problems.

The event, on April 21, is aimed at local SMEs, small to middle-sized businesses.

‘Five tips to sales and marketing effectiveness in challenging times’ will hear from numerous business owners about the impact of marketing.

The event lasts 90 minutes and is free to attend. It will highlight funding opportunities and give business owners the chance to meet with similar, like-minded businesses.

The event begins at 9.30am at Co-Lab Harrogate, through entrance three at the convention centre.

Harrogate Convention Centre