The traditional parade of hounds in the main ring at Harrogate’s Great Yorkshire Show will not take place this year, organisers have confirmed.

The Telegraph reported on Sunday that the parade, which features hunting dogs, had been cancelled due to pressure from animal rights activists.

The newspaper said event organisers Yorkshire Agricultural Society had acted “following a sustained campaign of emails and letters, in particular from a Welsh activist known to be linked to hunt saboteur groups”.

It added the decision had prompted a “backlash” from local farmers who had accused the organisers of “caving unnecessarily over the issue”.

The show, which has taken place annually since 1837, is one of the country’s premier agricultural events.

Princess Anne will be the royal guest at this year’s show, which takes place from July 12 to 15.

The hound show will still take place but the parade in the main ring will not.

Read more:

• Princess Anne to visit Harrogate’s Great Yorkshire Show
• New mural to welcome visitors to Harrogate’s Great Yorkshire Show

The Stray Ferret asked the society whether the decision was due to pressure from animal rights activists.

A spokesperson from the organisation replied:

“The hound show will be held as usual at the Great Yorkshire Show and we have very strong entry numbers across all types of hounds this year including for Foxhounds, Beagles, Harriers, Draghounds and Bloodhounds.

“Across the site, there have been several changes to the content of the Great Yorkshire Show and this includes in the main ring. All decisions taken are always considered and balanced, and that includes the decision to postpone the hound parade in the main ring this year.

“We remain committed to demonstrating the best of farming and rural life in all its forms to our visitors.”

Traffic is moving normally across the Harrogate district this morning.

Despite strike action, train services are expected to operate as normal today – however Northern has warned that some disruption is possible.

Here is your Stray Ferret traffic and travel roundup.

Roads

Traffic is running as normal this morning, but, as always, be aware of the usual traffic build ups on Wetherby Road and Knaresborough Road heading towards Harrogate during rush hour.

Trains and buses

Trains to between York and Leeds are due to run as normal today despite industrial action.

Strike action is due to continue tomorrow and Saturday.

However, Northern has warned that disruption still could take place on non-strike days and previously warned commuters not to travel this week.

You can check train times from Harrogate and Knaresborough here.

Tomorrow (June 23), there will be no trains through Harrogate and Knaresborough due to strike action.

Meanwhile, the Harrogate Bus Company is reporting some early morning cancellations on the numerous routes this morning.

The 36 from Harrogate to Leeds at 7.40am is cancelled. 

Other services including the 1A, 1B, and the 1C are affected. You can find out more here.

Read more:

• No trains for two days in Harrogate next week as strike action hits
• No replacement buses for Harrogate district commuters during strike

The Harrogate Bus Company has reported a 25% increase in customers on the first day of the rail strike.

However, Harrogate taxi drivers have said today “feels like a Sunday” with little trade.

Today’s rail strike left many commuters having to make alternative arrangements.

A spokesman for Harrogate Bus Company said it had anticipated a surge in demand. He added:

“So far, we have carried 25% more customers on the 36 compared to a normal Tuesday.

“All of our buses have ran, including a number of extra 36 buses around rush hour from Harrogate and Leeds to ensure our customers can travel comfortably and rely on us during this time.”

The 36 bus to Leeds.

By contrast, business has been slow at the taxi rank opposite Harrogate train station.

Paul McMahon, who runs PM Taxis, said:

“It’s been exceptionally quiet. Whether people have made alternative plans or booked the day off, i don’t know.”

Mr McMahon said he had been on the rank opposite the station since 6am in case people whose trains weren’t running needed a ride. But little trade had transpired, he added.

“Today feels like a Sunday. I expected to be busier.”

Richard Fieldman, who owns A1 Cars, said he too had been quiet.

But he added he had two jobs booked tomorrow at Thirsk station, which he suspected were for commuters who were affected by the strike.

Read more:

• No trains in Harrogate and Knaresborough as strike begins
• ‘We just want to make a living’ Harrogate cabbies hit out at new rules

The Harrogate and Knaresborough line is due to operate a limited service tomorrow before the strike resumes on Thursday.

But with six days of disruption expected, rail operator Northern is advising customers to seek alternative travel arrangements.

Harrogate train station this morning.

Harrogate property developer Adam Thorpe has been banned from driving for 16 months after being caught almost twice over the legal limit.

Thorpe, 41, of Ingerthorpe Hall, Markington, was stopped by police in November last year on the B6265 near Risplith Hill.

He was found to have 66 micrograms of alcohol per 100 ml of breath. The legal limit is 35 micrograms.

Thorpe pleaded not guilty in April but changed his plea at Harrogate Magistrates Court on Friday.

Magistrates said his 16-month disqualification from driving would be reduced by 16 weeks if he completed a course.

Thorpe was fined £984. He was also ordered to pay £98 to victim services and costs of £85 to the Crown Prosecution Service.

Read more:

• Family of murdered Harrogate policeman seeks permanent memorial
• Knaresborough, Pateley and Markington could get new electric vehicle charging points

Thorpe announced plans for a £75 million redevelopment of the former Harrogate Borough Council building at Crescent Gardens in 2017.

The plans included luxury apartments, an art gallery, underground car park, swimming pool and restaurant.

But his company ATP Ltd went into administration with debts of almost £11 million.

The introduction of online meetings due to covid saved North Yorkshire County Council £4 million.

An officer’s report to a meeting of the authority’s executive tomorrow reveals the huge amount of money saved as well as environmental benefits.

The staff mileage bill fell by more than £1.7 million In the year to April 2021 compared with the previous 12 months.

Staff drove 4,117,062 fewer miles to meetings than in 2019/20.

The introduction of online meetings by the authority, which employs 15,000 staff, saw a total saving of almost £4 million, the equivalent to more than 2,700 average annual council tax bills.

The report estimates over the two years it saved 369,500 hours, or 49,200 working days, the equivalent to some 233 full-time staff.
It states:

“Over 2,000 employees had moved quickly to work from home at the start of the pandemic and the way in which teams can work remotely and virtually has been transformational.

“There has been a carefully considered approach to developing future ways of working post-covid following whole organisation engagement in 2021.

“Hybrid working has been welcomed by council staff. This new approach provides great flexibility for many roles.”

Read more:

• ‘Tough cookie’ Masham councillor becomes final chair of county council
• Harrogate commuters braced for ‘inconvenient’ train strikes

The authority, which aims to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2030, reduced carbon emissions by 2,710 tonnes over the two years because of the reduced mileage.

The council aims to generate further post-pandemic savings by rationalising its extensive property portfolio as more work is completed virtually and demand for physical meeting spaces has been reduced.

The officer’s report states:

“It should also be noted these savings are just in terms of travelling to and from meetings.

“The savings to individual members of staff working from home, fuel cost and time, and to the environment, will be significantly bigger.

“Although some of these figures will start to increase again as staff return to the office on a more frequent basis, there will be many other benefits that new ways of working have brought us that can be retained.”

7m fewer documents printed

The report highlights other benefits of changed working practices, including improved attendance at multi-agency meetings, the ability to attend more meetings and arrange meetings sooner than if relying on getting people together at the same place.

With many staff working from home and attending meetings online, there has been a sharp reduction in the number of documents being printed.

In the year before the pandemic the council’s staff printed some 14.5 million sheets of paper compared to 7.6 million last year. Over the last two years the reduction in printing has saved the equivalent of 1,800 trees.

The authority’s deputy leader, Councillor Gareth Dadd, said while it remained unclear as to the level of savings that the work practice changes would produce in the coming years, how technology could be used to cut travel would “feature very heavily in our thinking moving forward”.

Police today issued an appeal for witnesses following a crash near Harrogate in which a man suffered serious injuries.

The collision, on the A59 near Kettlesing, involved a white Transit van and a motorcycle.

Both were travelling in the direction of Harrogate.

The incident happened at about 2.30pm on Friday and led to the road being closed for several hours.

The motorcyclist sustained life-threatening injuries.

North Yorkshire Police are appealing for any witnesses to the collision, or anyone with relevant dashcam footage.

If you wish to do so you can call 101 and speak to the force control room, quoting reference number NYP-17062022-253.

Read more:

• Boy, 11, and man seriously injured after blade incident in Beckwithshaw
• Harrogate commuters braced for ‘inconvenient’ train strikes

Harrogate fire station has urged farmers to check the temperature of baled hay and straw after a fire this week.

Knaresborough and Harrogate firefighters used breathing apparatus to tackle a blaze affecting dung heaps and about 70 hay bales at Thorpe Underwood on Wednesday.

There was also a large amount of straw used for bedding in the pile that caught fire.

Harrogate fire station said in a social media post that its thermal imaging camera identified hot spots at over 500 degrees. It added:

“Piles of straw like this can spontaneously combust. They self-ignite because of heat produced by bacterial fermentation. Once ignition temperature is reached, combustion occurs.”

The thermal imaging camera picks up the hotspots. Pic: Harrogate fire station

Hay spontaneously combusting is a common cause of summer barn fires. They usually occur just after the hay or straw has been baled.

Firefighters urged farmers to monitor the temperature of their hay and straw by using temperature meters, especially after collecting it from fields, and then taking steps to cool it if necessary.

Read more:

• Ripon firefighters save pony stuck in mud
• Harrogate firefighter brands plans to rely on one fire engine ‘farcical‘

There have been calls for Travellers to have more temporary sites in the Harrogate district.

Cllr David Goode, who is a resident in Knaresborough and a Liberal Democrat town councillor, said recent groups of Travellers setting up camp had been met with “negative feelings” from locals.

Travellers parked on the old rugby field on Hay-a-Park Lane last week and were served legal notice to leave by Harrogate Borough Council.

Several caravans and cars also parked on the Stray near to Oatlands Drive.

All the Travellers have now moved on.

Cllr Goode said while the council has already set up a permanent designated Travellers site off the Knaresborough bypass, there needed to be more transit sites where groups can stay temporarily.

He added that council officials should start to engage with local Gypsy and Travellers trusts to find out what more can be done.

Cllr Goode said:

“My thinking coming out of this is to start engaging with the local Gypsy trust.

“They will know the issues.”

Read more:

• Travellers leave Harrogate’s Stray
• Final call to sign up for Harrogate’s Race for Life

Sharon Calvert, who also lives in Knaresborough and has worked with Travellers in her role in education, shared the view that more temporary sites should be set up.

She said:

“What they need is to have a transit site. There are always going to be Travellers coming through [the district].

“We need some joined up thinking on this. There needs to be some temporary sites on the A1 with running water and facilities to get rid of rubbish. There must be some sites.”

‘Engagement is number one’

Leeds Gypsy and Traveller Exchange, a charity which aims to improve the quality of life for the communities, said engagement with Gypsy and Travellers in the first instance was important.

In September 2020 the organisation worked with Leeds City Council to create a good practice guide to design Traveller sites as part of its work.

A spokesperson for Leeds GATE told the Stray Ferret that it was important for authorities to make those community links to better understand Gypsy and Traveller people.

They said:

“The engagement with the community is number one. Whether it is a council or a planning department, they really need to make those community links.

“There are organisations that people can speak to. We at Leeds GATE are here and we do make ourselves known.”

In the Harrogate district, North Yorkshire County Council owns and maintains two designated sites for Travellers.

One is at Bickerton and another is off Thistle Hill in Knaresborough.

Green Shoots is the Stray Ferret’s monthly feature that explores the people and places who are doing great things for the environment in our district.

Boroughbridge residents are queuing out of the door at Boroughbridge Methodist Church to pick up potatoes, bread, carrots and other kitchen essentials.

But it’s not a food bank, they are here to do their bit to tackle the food waste crisis, which is one of the most under-reported environmental issues of our time.

In the UK, 6.7 million tonnes of food, worth £10 billion, is thrown in the bin every year.

There is a hidden environmental price too with much of the unwanted food heading to vast landfill sites which emit climate-damaging methane into the atmosphere.

The community larder is run jointly by volunteers from Boroughbridge Lions and Boroughbridge Community Care. The food comes from Morrisons supermarket, Fink, Minskip Farm Shop and Great Ouseburn Post Office.

As well as fruit and veg there are tins, drinks and even some rather tempting-looking cakes, which really would be a shame to see go to waste.

‘All about the environment’

The larder has been running for 11 weeks and kicks off each Wednesday from 12pm.

It also doubles up as a social get-together for the Boroughbridge community who gather for tea and coffee whilst they wait for their turn to collect the food.

The volunteers recently totted up how much food has been handed over so far, they had saved a massive 1.6 tonnes of food from going to landfill. Not bad going for a couple of hours every Wednesday lunchtime.

Sue Johnson from Boroughbridge Lions is one of the key figures behind the larder. She said, “It’s all about the environment”.

“We are reducing food waste and surplus food that would normally go to into landfill and create greenhouse gases. That’s what we are all about.

“We also want to bring the community together. The buzz in the coffee room is fantastic. “

Residents having tea and coffee in the church

Some of the food in the larder

Read more:

• Green Shoots: Ethical raw dog food brand founded in Tockwith
• Green Shoots: Keeping Harrogate district trees healthy
• Green Shoots: Harrogate care provider buys electric bikes for staff

‘It’s still good food’

Unlike a food bank, you don’t need a referral to visit. It’s open to everyone, which the volunteers are keen to stress.

Andrea Bryson, one of the volunteers, said:

“We’re preventing food from going to waste. It’s still good food. We’re protecting the environment so there’s less methane in the atmosphere. It puts a smile on everybody’s face.”

Mo, who has lived in Boroughbridge for many years, said helping the environment is the main reason she comes along. She said:

“A lot of people wouldn’t go to a food bank because they think they are not deserving. This is a win-win as you are helping the planet and stopping food from going to waste so the environment is benefitting.”

Boroughbridge resident Mo

Kirri said she enjoys the range of items on offer which helps give new ideas for meals to cook for her family. She said:

“I get different ingredients here to what I am used to so I am cooking lots of new things. I can’t believe some of it was being thrown away, it’s crazy!”

Kirri

Green shoots

The Stray Ferret didn’t leave empty-handed, either, and took home some potatoes and carrots, which will look good as part of a Sunday roast this weekend.

Tackling climate change can seem like a daunting task for the individual but lessons learned from groups like the Boroughbridge Community Larder might just be one way for us to slowly turn the corner, one bag of potatoes at a time.

Residents at a Harrogate care home where rodent droppings were found and rooms smelled of urine have been moved to other homes.

Mary Fisher House was rated inadequate and put into special measures in April by the Care Quality Commission, which regulates health and social care.

The CQC report in April, which was based on an inspection in February, found evidence of rodent droppings in the kitchen.

It said some bedrooms smelled of urine, described medicines practices as unsafe and said there were insufficient staff to safely support people.

The four-storey home on Cold Bath Road, which caters for up to 24 residents, relied heavily on agency staff who weren’t properly inducted, it added.

Read more:

• Rodent droppings found in kitchen of Harrogate care home
• Harrogate firefighter brands plans to rely on one fire engine ‘farcical’

Claire Harris-Winstanley, manager of the home on Cold Bath Road, confirmed it was closed when the Stray Ferret visited today. However, she said it was not clear yet whether the closure would be permanent and declined to comment further at this stage.

Rachel Bowes, North Yorkshire County Council’s assistant director for care and support, said in a statement today:

“We have taken swift action to find new accommodation for 12 residents of Mary Fisher House following a decision by the owner to close for refurbishment.

“This situation has arisen following a recent Care Quality Commission inspection of the home, which identified problems which needed attention.

“Since then we have been working alongside NHS North Yorkshire Clinical Commissioning Group with the home’s owner to try to secure improvements.”

“The owner has decided the best way forwards is to refurbish the premises and to do so without residents in place. As a consequence we are finding alternative accommodation for the 12 residents the county council has responsibility for.

“We understand the situation may be distressing for those involved and we are working diligently to ensure the process causes the minimum disruption to the residents involved. Our absolute priority is the welfare of those affected by this situation and we have been keeping residents, along with their relatives and representatives, fully informed of developments.”

Safety action

One woman, who had a relative at the £600-a-week home until recently, said she was given nine days to find alternative arrangements.

According to the CQC, the home is run by Svivekcaregroup Limited.

The Stray Ferret has tried to contact the provider but has yet to receive a response.

A CQC spokesperson, said:

 “The CQC carried out an inspection at Mary Fisher House in Harrogate in February 2022.

“As a result we have taken action to protect the safety and welfare of people living at the home.

“Our legal processes do not allow us to go into further detail at this time. All CQC’s action is open to appeal.”