New women’s beginner football league could be created in the Harrogate district

A women’s beginner football league could be set up in the Harrogate district this season if enough teams are put forward to take part.

The West Riding County Football Association (FA) is looking to create a league based at Rossett Sports Centre, with the aim of six teams participating.

They will be formed from existing grassroots clubs in the area, including Killinghall Nomads Junior Football Club.

There is currently only one grassroots women’s team in the district – Darley’s Angels. The team was born out of a group of mums who watched their daughters play and train each week for Scotton Scorchers.

Mike Collier, women and girls football lead at Scotton Scorchers Junior Football Club, said:

“There were a lot of mums on the touchline who said they had never had a chance to play. So we asked them if they would be interested in creating a beginners’ team and we had an amazing response.

“The pitch at Darley had availability, so we started training there and got good numbers.

“The ladies came up with the name and the team was born. It is still linked in with Scotton Scorchers and is part of the community.

“There is always a lot of fun and laughter going on and they have great fun playing.”

Darley’s Angels started playing in March 2021 so have just completed their first season. Earlier this year they won a competition to train with the England Lionesses.

Darley’s Angels trained with the Lionesses.

The West Riding FA currently has a women’s beginner league, which Darley’s Angels is part of, however the clubs are all based in West Yorkshire.

It wants to develop the league by splitting it into two divisions; beginners and developers.

It also wants to create a second beginner’s league in the Harrogate district to provide teams in the area with an opportunity to play regular matches.

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Mr Collier, who has been involved with women’s football since 2003, said he hoped the positive experience of the Lionesses Euro 2022 win would inspire more women to get involved.

He said:

“If we can get six teams to come forward we can play every third week.

“We definitely welcome this proposal. So far David Terzza at Killinghall Nomads has said he will put a team forward and Pannal Ash has expressed an interest.

“Hopefully we will get there and it might be that once some come forward, others will follow suite.”

David Terzza, Killinghall Nomads girls’ football manager, who was a coach when Rachel Daly played at the club, said:

“There is very limited grassroots football for women in the district at the moment. Only Darley’s Angels exists currently in Harrogate district. However, I’m creating a Killinghall Nomads ladies team, with me starting as the coach.

“Hopefully other clubs in the district will also respond.”

Any women interested in playing for the new Killinghall Nomads ladies team should contact Mr Terzza on 078082 460221 or email david.terzza@btinternet.com

Organisers gear up for first Ripley Show in three years

Ripley Show will make its return this weekend after a three-year break – and organisers say enthusiasm has never been higher.

With a sunny forecast and plenty of advance tickets already sold, the show field at Ripley is set to be packed with visitors on Sunday.

Having last been held in 2019 before the covid pandemic, the show is returning in its familiar format, with livestock and equestrian classes, a companion dog show, and horticulture and craft competitions.

The main ring will feature displays of heavy horses, a hound parade and an “anti-gravity” show from Savage Skills.

Show secretary Tammy Smith said:

“The preparations are going well. We’re all a little bit rusty after three years off and trying to remember what we all should be doing, but everybody’s pitching in and turning up.

“It’s amazing, all the volunteers are incredible – they just arrive and get on with sorting everything out.

“It’s great to be getting back to it.”

Ms Smith said while some of the volunteers had moved on since the last show, there had been a number of new people offering to help and Knaresborough Young Farmers was also bringing its members to keep things running smoothly.

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With the forecast looking sunny and hot, with highs of 30C, Ms Smith said the organisers will be keeping an eye on conditions to ensure animals, exhibitors and visitors were kept safe and well.

Tickets for the show are available in advance on the website, which organisers said will speed up entry on the day.

Some tickets will still be available on the gate at £15 for adults and £6 for children aged between five and 16. Family tickets are available and Ripley Show also offers membership, with benefits including preferential car parking.

Hosepipe ban introduced for Harrogate district

The Harrogate district will be covered by a hosepipe ban from  August 26.

Yorkshire Water announced this morning it was introducing the measure as England teeters on the brink of a drought.

It will be the area’s first hosepipe ban since 1995.

Neil Dewis, its director of water, said:

“Parts of Yorkshire have seen the lowest rainfall since our records began more than 130 years ago.

“The hot, dry, weather means that Yorkshire’s rivers are running low and our reservoirs are around 20% lower than we would expect for this time of year.

“We’ve been doing everything we can to avoid putting in restrictions but unfortunately, they’re now necessary as part of our drought planning.

Mr Dewis said Yorkshire Water had reduced water lost by leaky pipes by 50% since 1995/6 but the measure was still necessary.

But he said the “trigger point” for a ban had now been reached.

He added:

“We need to make sure that we have enough supply for the essential needs of people across the region this year and next, as well as making sure we’re able to protect our local environment by limiting the amount of water we have to draw from the rivers.

“Our decision to introduce a hosepipe ban is based on the risk that water stocks continue to fall in the coming weeks and the need to be cautious about clean water supplies and long term river health.”

A hosepipe ban also allows Yorkshire Water to apply for drought permits from the Environment Agency, which means it can abstract more water from rivers.

The hosepipe ban includes:

Watering a garden using a hosepipe
Cleaning vehicles or boats using a hosepipe
Watering plants with a hosepipe
Filling or maintaining a domestic swimming or paddling pool
Drawing water, using a hosepipe, for domestic recreational use
Cleaning walls or windows of domestic premises using a hosepipe
Cleaning paths or patios using a hosepipe
Cleaning other artificial outdoor surfaces using a hosepipe

People can still undertake these activities without using a hosepipe if they use tap water from a bucket or watering can; or use water that is not sourced from taps such as grey water, rainwater from a water butt, or a private borehole, for example.

Businesses will be allowed to use a hosepipe if it is directly related to a commercial purpose.

There are restrictions on using a hosepipe if not for those essential commercial needs – so using a hosepipe to clean a path outside a business property, for example, would not be allowed.

Blue badge holders, those on Yorkshire Water’s Priority Services register or WaterSure tariff for medical reasons, are also excluded from the ban.

More information is available here.

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Traffic and Travel Alert: Harrogate district traffic roundup

Traffic is moving normally in the Harrogate district this morning.

However, some roadworks are due to start in areas of the district next week which may cause delays.

Here is your Stray Ferret traffic update.

Roads

Drivers should be aware of the usual rush hour traffic on Harrogate’s Wetherby Road, Knaresborough Road and Skipton Road.

According to North Yorkshire County Council’s roadworks map, temporary lights will be in place on the A661 Harrogate Road near to Plumpton Rocks on Monday.

The lights will be in place until Tuesday as the county council repairs potholes on the road.

Meanwhile, another set of temporary lights are expected to be implemented in Spofforth on Tuesday on the A661 junction with Deighton Road.

Yorkshire Water is due to carry out works at the junction.

Temporary lights remain on Ripon’s Clotherholme Road as Northern Gas Networks carries out replacement work to gas pipes in the area.

The lights will remain in place until September 5..

Trains and buses

Northern services between Harrogate and Knaresborough going to York and Leeds are scheduled to run as normal this morning.

Meanwhile, the Harrogate Bus Company is reporting cancellations on the 1, 1A, 1C, 1D, 7 and 36 this morning.

You can find out more on the disruption to services here.

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Harrogate district house prices fall £6,000 on last month

Average house prices in the Harrogate district fell by £6,000 in a month, according to latest government figures.

Data released by the Land Registry shows that from April to May the average price of a property dropped from £332,641 to £326,123.

However, the figures also reveal that prices have increased year on year.

Since May 2021, the average cost of a property has increased by 7.4%. Buyers could purchase a house for £303,528 last year.

By comparison, a property in Leeds could be bought for £229,139 in May this year.

The number is also a drop on last month by £604.

Average house price increased by 13%

The average cost of a home in the Harrogate district is slightly above that for the country.

Across England, latest figures show that the average price is £303,278.

This is up 13.1% on May last year.

In a statement, the Land Registry said:

“England house prices grew by 13.1% in the year to May 2022, up from 11.6% in April 2022. England house prices were growing faster than the UK annual rate of 12.8% in the year to May 2022.

“The South West was the fastest growing region with annual growth of 16.9% in the year to May 2022. The lowest annual growth was in London, where prices increased by 8.2% over the year to May 2022.”

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Traffic and Travel: Harrogate district traffic roundup

Drivers should be aware of temporary lights and a road closure in the Harrogate district this morning.

Here is your Stray Ferret traffic update.

Roads

Motorists should be aware of a graduation ceremony taking place at the Army Foundation College in Harrogate tomorrow.

The event may cause delays around the Penny Pot Lane area.

Temporary lights remain in place on the A661 Park Road in Spofforth as Northern Powergrid carries out repair work. Drivers should expect delays during rush hour.

The lights are due to remain in place until September 2.

Meanwhile, a road closure is in place on the B6451 at Dacre Banks. Yorkshire Water is carrying out repair works.

Temporary lights remain on Ripon’s Clotherholme Road as Northern Gas Networks carries out replacement work to gas pipes in the area.

The lights will remain in place for seven weeks.

Meanwhile, long term roadworks are in place on Station Road in Goldsborough. The road will be closed until September 19, 2022, as Stonebridge Homes installs a foul water and surface water pipes to connect to the sewer system.

A diversion route is in place in the village.

Trains and buses

Northern services between Harrogate and Knaresborough going to York and Leeds are scheduled to run as normal this morning.

Meanwhile, the Harrogate Bus Company is reporting cancellations on the 7 and 36 this morning.

The road closure at Dacre Banks also means the 24 service will take a diversion and miss stops in the area, including Fountains Bent, Ross Bridge, Holme Farm and Darley Moke Hill.

You can find out more on the disruption to services here.

Ouseburn councillor welcomes decision to scrap Linton asylum centre

Ouseburn councillor Arnold Warneken has welcomed today’s announcement that plans to house 1,500 asylum seekers at Linton-on-Ouse have been scrapped.

The government planned to create a reception centre at the former airfield, which is close to villages in the Harrogate district including Great Ouseburn, Little Ouseburn and Nun Monkton.

The airfield is also just nine miles from Boroughbridge and 13 miles from Knaresborough.

But Defence Secretary Ben Wallace said today he had withdrawn the offer to the Home Office for the site.

Green Party councillor Arnold Warneken, who represents Ouseburn on North Yorkshire County Council, said withdrawing the offer was the “right thing to do”. He said:

“It was an ill-thought plan that caused distress and sleepless nights for residents. The consequences would have been huge.”

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Cllr Warneken said the episode revealed was a concerning lack of consultation by the government.

He said he suspected the reason was because a consultation “would have provided a different answer to the one they wanted to hear” but nevertheless this was not the right way to proceed.

Linton on Ouse Action Group, which was set up to campaign against the Home Office’s plan, welcomed the news.

Group member Kelly Kirby said it was “absolutely delighted” but also concerned that the same scheme could be dropped on another community soon.

She said action group members has spent “tens of thousands of hours” opposing the scheme.

By no means a victory but some movement. We will continue to hold @ukhomeoffice to account for their failings in processing and their hostile treatment of asylum seekers. It is by no means over.

— Linton on Ouse Action Group (@LintonAction) August 9, 2022

Kevin Hollinrake, the Conservative MP for Thirsk and Malton, also welcomed the news that Conservative leadership candidate Rishi Sunak had no plans to revive the Linton scheme.

Wonderful News! @RishiSunak Sunak pledges to axe 'inappropriate' Linton-on-Ouse asylum centre plan @LintonAction https://t.co/O0EwPCc3QS

— Kevin Hollinrake MP (@kevinhollinrake) August 9, 2022

 

 

 

 

 

 

Eight reasons to switch from traditional to digital advertising

It is rare for someone to not own at least one form of digital device. The majority of people including Grandma own either a smartphone, tablet, laptop or computer. This creates huge opportunities for advertising. So why not use this to your advantage?

Here are eight reasons why you should capitalise on digital:

Lower cost

Digital advertising provides a number of price points which can be minimal compared to traditional advertising spend, meaning whatever your budget is, you can reach your target audience.

Greater Return on Investment (ROI)

Digital advertising can deliver excellent return on investment (ROI). It is important at the outset that you are clear on what you want your digital marketing to achieve, eg brand awareness, increased footfall, more hits to your website etc. Advertising digitally means your target audience is only one click away from your business giving you far greater ROI.

Easy measurement

Digital advertising makes it far easier to measure the performance of your adverts. With traditional advertising you must make assumptions on who has seen, remembered and acted on your advert. With digital, you receive instant analytics on how well your activity is performing including how far it has reached, how many people have seen it and how many people have reacted/engaged with it.

Flexibility

Unlike traditional advertising, which is difficult to change once it has been printed or aired, going digital gives you the advantage of being able to stop or tweak a campaign. If something isn’t quite working, you can make adjustments to improve it. This is only achievable due to the data you receive from digital advertising channels.

Better engagement

Engagement is vital for a successful digital campaign. On social channels, the more engagement a post receives, the more people will see it due to how social media algorithms work.

Precise targeting

Going digital enables you to target your audience far more easily than traditional advertising, especially when advertising on social channels. Targeting your audience means you do not waste money putting your brand in front of people who are not interested in it.

Easy to share

With the click of a button your advertisement can be shared by one person to their network, who then share it to their network and so on. With traditional advertising methods, it is more difficult to expand the audience without it costing money.

Make the switch

The idea of changing from traditional advertising to digital advertising can seem daunting, however the benefits to going digital should not be ignored. Going digital gives you a measurable, flexible and cost-effective way to advertise your business to a targeted large audience.

Find out how the most-read news service in the Harrogate district can help your business grow today.

Temperatures to soar to 30 degrees – but no weather warning for Harrogate district

Temperatures are set to soar close to 30 degrees in the next few days — but today’s extreme heat warning does not include the Harrogate district.

The Met Office has issued a four-day amber extreme heat warning for much of southern and central England from Thursday.

The warning, which predicts temperatures of up to 35C, extends north as far as Leeds.

Although the Harrogate district is not included, it is still set to be very warm for the rest of the week.

The Met office is forecasting temperatures of 29 degrees centigrade in Boroughbridge tomorrow, with the rest of the district a degree or two cooler.

Temperatures are not expected to fall until Monday to Tuesday next week when there could be thunderstorms.

Many farmers are praying for rain.

Yorkshire Water said today average stocks in its reservoirs were 51% last week, which is around 20% less than usual for this time of year.

https://twitter.com/metoffice/status/1556941086316236800

 

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Traffic and Travel Alert: Harrogate district traffic update

Traffic is moving normally in the Harrogate district this morning.

Drivers should expect the usual delays on Skipton Road, Knaresborough Road and Wetherby Road during rush hour.

Roads

Temporary lights remain in place on the A661 Park Road in Spofforth as Northern Powergrid carries out repair work. Drivers should expect delays during rush hour.

The lights are due to remain in place until September 2.

A road closure is in place from today on Knapping Hill as the county council resurfaces the footpath. This work is scheduled to last until August 16.

Meanwhile, a road closure is also in place on the B6451 at Dacre Banks. Yorkshire Water is carrying out repair works.

Temporary lights remain on Ripon’s Clotherholme Road as Northern Gas Networks carries out replacement work to gas pipes in the area.

The lights will remain in place for seven weeks.

Meanwhile, long term roadworks are in place on Station Road in Goldsborough. The road will be closed until September 19, 2022, as Stonebridge Homes installs a foul water and surface water pipes to connect to the sewer system.

A diversion route is in place in the village.

Trains and buses

Northern services between Harrogate and Knaresborough going to York and Leeds are scheduled to run as normal this morning.

Meanwhile, the Harrogate Bus Company is reporting cancellations on the 1, 1A, 1B, and the 36 this morning.

The road closure at Dacre Banks also means the 24 service will take a diversion and miss stops in the area, including Fountains Bent, Ross Bridge, Holme Farm and Darley Moke Hill.

You can find out more on the disruption to services here.

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