A creative festival of flowers in Blubberhouses tells the story of the Queen’s life and 70 years on the throne.

The display is available to visit at St Andrew’s Church in Blubberhouses, just past Fewston Reservoir off the A59, from 11am to 4pm every day over the four-day weekend.

It’s been organised by the Friends of St Andrew’s Church and displays have been arranged by talented florists that live in the Washburn Valley, which includes villages such as Norwood, Fewston and Farnley.

Displays pay tribute to major events in the Queen’s life, including her wedding to Prince Philip and the coronation.

There are also displays that highlight some of the Queen’s interests, such as horses, Balmoral and the girl guides.

The church’s top florist, Daphne Wilson, has been busy arranging several of the displays this week.

She said:

“We wanted to depict the major part of the Queen’s life. It’s our first proper outing since covid. We’re all volunteers and everyone has played their part.”

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Teas and some delicious homemade cakes are also available. Money raised will go towards paying for new disabled access at the church.

There are 12 displays in total. Some pictures are below:

‘The Commonwealth’ by Alison Bowers

‘Balmoral’ by Lorna Freegard and Bolton Priory Flower Team

‘The Coronation’ by Catriana Cleverley, Virginia Kay, Liz Furse, Connie Fenwick and Duncan Clayton

‘The Wedding’ by Daphne Wilson

‘Childhood’ by Steph Wilson

The mental health benefits of gardening are being celebrated at the Harrogate Spring Flower Show which starts tomorrow.

Designers from across the country will be creating a flash of floral inspiration aimed at showcasing the country’s growing connection with plants and flowers.

The four-day event at the Great Yorkshire Showground will feature ‘Grow Your Home’, a colourful installation created by floral stylists from Leeds-based Leafy Couture.

The display, featuring hundreds of blooms around a central courtyard setting, offers visitors a glimpse of the joys which flowers can bring, which was particularly highlighted during the pandemic.

Show director Nick Smith said:

“After a difficult time for many of us, this year’s Spring show concentrates entirely on the positives which plants and landscapes can bring to us all.

“Gardening is the great leveller – from sweeping lawns to a simple window box, we can all benefit from the life-affirming pleasure which plants and flowers can make to our own personal space.”

Harrogate Business Improvement District (BID) has chosen the flower show to launch its latest campaign – ‘A Floral Summer of Celebration’.

Between July 15 and August 12, the town centre will be home to a floral trail featuring 10 unique displays, floral-themed shop windows and events starring key speakers from the world of gardening.

Pictured at their art deco-themed flower show stand: From left, Harrogate BID Chair Sara Ferguson, BID manager Matthew Chapman, Blameys florist Fran Addis, BID business and marketing executive Bethany Allen, Blameys owner Ruth Fisher and BID business liaison officer Jo Caswell.

This will be in addition to dozens of hanging baskets outside town centre businesses, the numerous flower beds maintained by Harrogate Borough Council, more than 200 barrier baskets funded by Harrogate BID and some specially commissioned floral street art.

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Matthew Chapman, Harrogate BID manager, said:

“Harrogate is renowned for its floral displays; it’s the home to RHS Garden Harlow Carr, the stunning Valley Gardens, and of course the Spring Flower Show, which is one of the biggest and best in the North of England, if not the whole country.

“This summer, Harrogate Floral Summer of Celebration will see us celebrating our floral excellence and the return of Yorkshire in Bloom after a two-year absence.”

Featuring show garden features, plant nursery displays and floral art, the show will include plenty of colour, style and inspiration.

Local charities will also be showcasing their work, including Jennyruth Workshops in Ripon and Horticap in Harrogate.

This year the programme of live entertainment includes talks and demos across four stages.

A new show, ‘Human Gardener’ will offer a series of fun and engaging sofa conversations with the people behind the plants – from bee inspectors to fungi fanatics.

Over on the Gardener’s Kitchen stage, TV cook and chef consultant Stephanie Moon will create dishes from veg patch produce, with the help of grow-your-own guru Martin Walker. 

Meanwhile, the GROW! Live team will provide answers to  gardening questions, whilst the CREATE! Floral stage will host celebrity floral designer Jonathan Moseley.

Thousands of garden products, handmade crafts, gifts and specialist foods will also be on offer.

Tickets

Pre-booked tickets with a £3 saving on gate prices are available online until midnight tonight.

Thursday to Saturday tickets are £20.50 online, £23.50 on the gate.

Sunday tickets are £18 online, £21 on the gate.

Children under 16 are free when accompanied by an adult. General car parking is free.

Bakery site Bakeri Baltzersen has begun a £250k expansion project.

The site, in Kettlesing, supplies the company’s sister brands in Harrogate town centre, as well as other, wholesale partners.

The project will involve knocking through to a unit at Springfield Business Park, which will then create triple the floorspace of the bakery.

It will be part-financed by a £20,000 grant from the Product and Process Innovation Fund, a European funding programme. Harrogate Borough Council has also provided a grant of £27,390.

Along with it, more jobs will be created, with a particular demand for trainee bakers, packers and drivers.

Paul Rawlinson, co-director of Baltzersen’s and Bakeri Baltzersen, said:

“We are proud to be a part of the Harrogate community. We want to grow our range of products to offer a wider selection, work with more wholesale partners across Yorkshire as we fly the flag for our town, and create new jobs, training and career opportunities for local people.”

The work is expected to be completed in June.

Harrogate woman semi-finalist of Florist of the Year

Helen Pannitt, owner of Helen James Flowers

A Harrogate florist is celebrating making it to the semi-final of the Florist of the Year competition run by Interflora.

Helen Pannitt, who owns and runs Helen James Flowers in Harrogate, has been a florist for 37 years. She has previously won a gold medal at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show.

For the competition, she created a hand-tied bouquet, under the theme ‘Inspired by Nature.’

The winner will go on to represent Great Britain and Ireland at the Interflora World Cup in September 2023.

Helen Pannitt, owner of Helen James Flowers, said:

“I simply love competitive floristry and with the curtailment of competitions over the last couple of years due to COVID, it’s great to have something to get the competitive juices flowing again.”

The finals will see participants creating floral designs on the theme of ‘growing together,’ with a final unknown topic that will be revealed on the day.

The winner of the competition will be announced on Sunday 24 April.

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Harrogate Borough Council will again leave sections of the Stray uncut this year to improve biodiversity.

In 2021, the council’s parks team left grass verges close to the roadside on West Park Stray uncut until late autumn.

The new look was welcomed by many who saw it as a sign that the council, which manages parks and green spaces, is serious about improving biodiversity and attracting bees, birds and insects.

But those who cherish Harrogate’s long reputation for organised and elegant planting said it made the town look untidy.

Others suggested the move was down to cost-saving reasons, which the council denied.

A council spokeswoman said this morning:

“We will be repeating what we did last year and will leave the bulb areas on the Stray uncut until September/October time.”

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Harrogate Business Improvement District has opened its 2022 Town Centre Improvements grant scheme.

Qualifying businesses will be able to claim match-funded grants of up to £750 for making a variety of upgrades, including paintwork, signage and accessibility, which are designed to make Harrogate town centre safe, clean and welcoming.

Harrogate BID manager Matthew Chapman said:

“Harrogate BID is keen to support levy-paying businesses in making improvements to their street frontages, the accessibility of their premises and the gateways to the town centre, by providing financial support through match funding.

“We know that businesses in the town centre are facing unprecedented pressures, and we want to ensure that Harrogate remains a desirable place to do business by helping them deliver an aesthetic ‘Welcome to Harrogate’.

“These grants, which help support one of the key objectives in our business plan, namely Safe, Clean and Welcoming, can be used for a variety of different projects.

“As long as the work enhances a façade, or makes it more accessible for disabled customers, we will consider it. As there is a limited budget for the 2022 Town Centre Improvements grant scheme, they will be awarded on a first come, first served basis.”

Businesses should submit their request for grant support to Harrogate BID via email to: info@harrogatebid.co.uk including a brief description of the proposed work.

Grantley Hall restaurant launches new menu

The Orchard restaurant at Grantley Hall near Ripon has launched its new spring/summer menu.

It offers light, alfresco lunches in the sunshine and cocktails that overlook the manicured grounds of Grantley.

“The Orchard’s spring and summer menu compliments the change of the seasons by offering light and refreshing options, such as an array of succulent seafood dishes, with everything from king prawns and Whitby lobster to chargrilled swordfish – all cooked to perfection by our talented chefs.”

Harrogate Borough Council will be planting 5,500 wildflowers on the Stray in the coming weeks. It is working with Bilton Conservation Group to create groups of six volunteers to work over two weekends.

The young wildflowers called “plugs” are coming from Cumbria and will be around 5″ tall.

They are to be planted between the Empress Roundabout and the Prince of Wales Roundabout, where 60,000 crocuses were planted last year. More plugs are also planned to be planted in a small meadow by the railway line.

Planting was due to have started in April, but was delayed due to poor weather conditions.

Keith Wilkinson MBE of the Bilton Conservation Group says the wildflowers are “very welcome”.

“Harrogate Stray looks great in spring with its cherry blossom – but then there’s a lull. These wild flowers will make it look spectacular through the summer and come back year after year.

“Bilton Conservation Group is always happy to make the town green. We’ll always help with green initiatives.”

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The Bilton Conservation Group planting crocuses on the corner of West Park Stray in October last year.

The news will come as a delight to the over 600 people who signed a Green Party petition last October urging the council to plant wildflowers on the Stray.

A florist has won this year’s Harrogate Christmas shop window competition.

It was hard fought with 27 shops taking part but Helen James Flowers, on Station Parade, took the top spot.

The competition aims to promote the town centre’s shops and encourage people to shop locally.

With shops pulling out all the stops it also gives Harrogate a festive boost.

As in previous years there are three separate categories for large, medium and small retailers.

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Mama Doreen’s Emporium was the winner in the large shops category, Helen James Flowers won the medium shops category, and Boho Chic, on West Parade, was the winner in the small shops category.

Graham Saunders, who organised the judging on behalf of the Rotary Club, said:

“We were delighted to be able to organise the competition again this year particularly with the problems for retailers brought about by the coronavirus lockdown.

“Harrogate is lucky to have so many independent shops who enjoy taking part in the competition.”

This year Harrogate BID partnered with the Rotary Club of Harrogate on the initiative. Each of the winners took home a Harrogate BID gift card.

Sara Ferguson, the Acting Chair of the BID, congratulated all the retailers for making the extra effort to decorate their window for Christmas and take part in the competition during this very difficult time.

“The retailers who took part in the competition have gone to great lengths to make their shop windows look fabulous, which in turn has given the town centre a real festive boost.”