Bettys and Taylors Family Fund is inviting parish councils and schools to apply for grants of up to £5,000.

The fund supports Yorkshire-based groups working to improve the lives of local children and young people through food.

Cookery courses, healthy eating initiatives and food hygiene are examples of the kind of schemes eligible for funding.

Grants range from £500 to £5,000 and must benefit people living in Yorkshire.

Parish councils and schools are eligible to apply providing the grant is used for purposes outside their usual remit.

As Bettys and Taylors is a food and hospitality business, the fund aims to support local food-based projects.

The fund opened for applications this week and closes on April 28. Groups will find out by mid-June if they have been successful.

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Long before ‘wellness’ became a buzzword, the Victorians were effectively already practising it.

And Harrogate led the way — even back then.

The wealthy and fashionable flocked to the spa town to experience its green open spaces and recuperative and healing powers of spring waters, which were first discovered by William Slingsby in the late 16th century.

Health and wellbeing hotspot

Now, more than a century after the Victorian era, Harrogate Borough Council’s new tourism body, Destination Harrogate, is set to promote the district as a health and wellbeing hotspot once again.

It will draw on the district’s rich spa heritage and accessibility to the great outdoors to attract visitors, events and investment to create a strong local economy.

The approach forms one of three key objectives in a three-year plan, which sets out a vision, priorities and actions that will be put in place to make the district “a first choice destination”.

Speaking to the Stray Ferret, Gemma Rio, head of Destination Harrogate, explained what this would involve.

She said:

“People have been coming to Harrogate since 1571 to take the waters and have a leisure experience, so that’s not new, but it has developed over the years.

“Now you can still go to the Royal Pump Room Museum and understand the spa heritage and our roots and how we became this great leisure destination, but you can also go to the Turkish Baths, you can go and have an incredible spa experience at Rudding Park or Grantley Hall.

“So the whole district is very good at that traditional health and wellbeing piece.”

Rudding Park Spa.

Wellbeing different for everyone

Ms Rio, who was appointed in October 2020, said one lesson that had been learnt as a result of the pandemic was that health and wellbeing is different to everyone.

She said:

“For some people it is a massage and a jacuzzi, but to others it’s a walk in the Nidderdale AONB, or it’s seeing a show at the theatre, or it’s just being with family around the table at one of our great independent restaurants. So that’s what we are going to try and pull out in our campaign.”

The multi-channel campaign, which will have a digital marketing focus, is being launched in April and will run for most of the year.

Ms Rio said:

“If someone is a really avid walker, we want to tell them that story and plan itineraries for them around walking and country pubs.

“Our supporting campaigns will also try and pick up the same messages.

“Every year Visit Harrogate ran a successful gardening campaign. Our partners loved that campaign, they have seen some great results from it.

“Obviously as a destination, gardening is a real strength of ours as well. We’ve got RHS Harlow Carr, Newby Hall and various places that have great gardens.

“So even our gardens campaign is going to try and link in with the health and wellbeing priority as well.”

RHS Garden Harlow Carr.

Read more:

• Harrogate tourism body makes health and wellbeing top priority
• Head appointed to lead new Harrogate district tourism body

Attracting business events

The focus on health and wellbeing will also be used to attract more leisure and business events, with one of the target sectors for conferences being the medical industry, Ms Rio explained.

She said:

“Where else to hold your medical conference than a destination that has this incredible spa heritage and medical story to tell?

“Where better to base you new health and wellbeing business, or really any business?

“If you want to invest in a place, knowing that you’re going to be somewhere where your employees health and wellbeing will be looked after. A place where their work/life balance will be stronger. It’s much easier to employ people to come and join you if you base yourself somewhere like the Harrogate district.

“It’s a really exciting campaign.”

Collaboration is key

Ms Rio said when the three-year blueprint, known as the Destination Management Plan (DMP), was written, a consultation with residents and businesses was carried out in order to come up with the three main priorities set out in the document.

She said:

“This theme came up over and over again and I think in many ways it’s a bit of a no-brainer. We’ve got the history, we’ve got a great story to tell.

“Health and wellbeing has rocketed as a trend over the past couple of years. Plus we already have strong products, like the Turkish Baths. So it’s not trying to promote something that we are not actually that good at.

“It’s not rocket science what we have come up with. But I think what we have not done as a destination is work together to really push that in the same way that a place like Bath does.

“The story has always been there but we haven’t really taken advantage of it in a way that we can now.

“Everyone is really keen to work with us to see this become a success, and I think as a destination that’s the only way it can work. That collaboration is absolutely key.”

‘Core part’ of district’s identity

Ms Rio said the health and wellbeing campaign will continue to evolve and grow as a “core part” of the district’s identity.

She said:

“Other campaigns will run alongside it to highlight other strands such as retail or arts and culture, but there will always be this golden thread running through it.

“A trip to Harrogate district is good for you, regardless of whether you are into massage, theatre or walking.”

Nidderdale AONB.

One of the main messages that will be promoted by the campaign will be length of stay, which will aim to encourage visitors to come for long weekends or weeks away in the district.

Ms Rio added:

“The way we do that is we try and prepare itineraries. So we are adding some functionality to the Visit Harrogate website this year that makes it easy for someone to say ‘I’m going to go to this experience in the morning, have lunch at this pub, stay at this hotel’. That helps to encourage people to stay longer, which benefits the local economy.”

Lightwater Valley will reopen next weekend, with new attractions and activities to attract families of younger children.

The adventure park near Ripon said visitors can expect a new discovery woods, dodgems, new food outlets, a hall of mirrors, an old-school amusement arcade and a new character for children to meet.

Ebor the Lightwater Dragon will meet and greet visitors and have his photo taken.

The friendly dragon is part of the park’s re-brand towards younger children aged up to 12 and will be at the centre of the daily entertainment programme throughout the year.

Discovery Woods will include a lakeside nature trail, a mud kitchen and cloud gazing.

Read more:

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The park would not be complete without its rides, of which it has more than 35.

Some old favourites like the Eagle’s Claw, Skyrider and the Lady Bird rollercoaster will reopen alongside some gentler rides such as the carousel and the Lightwater Express train.

The Eagle’s Claw

The park has not confirmed if larger rides like the Ultimate will reopen but with its focus now on younger children some rides no longer fit the brief.

Treetop Trails, where visitors can walk across trampoline nets high above the park, will reopen.

Public leisure centres in the Harrogate district are experiencing their greatest investment ever.

Harrogate Borough Council is spending more than £40m on new pools in Ripon and Knaresborough and on a major refurbishment of The Hydro in Harrogate.

Mark Tweedie, managing director of Brimhams Active, oversees 250 staff responsible for delivering services at these sites as well as several others.

Brimhams is the council-owned company set up last year to promote health and wellbeing in the district.

It operates swimming pools in Harrogate, Ripon, Knaresborough, Pateley Bridge and Starbeck. All of these sites, except the magnificent old Starbeck Baths and the soon-to-be-rebuilt Knaresborough Pool, also have leisure or fitness centres.

Mark Tweedie with Jack Laugher at the opening of Ripon’s new facility.

Brimhams also oversees Fairfax Wellbeing and Community Hub in Harrogate, Jennyfield Styan Community Centre, a children’s nursery and the Harrogate Turkish Baths.

Mr Tweedie, 54, a former PE teacher with considerable experience of the leisure sector, was hired by the council in November 2020 to support the creation of Brimhams before transferring to his current role in July last year.

He says he was attracted by the council’s vision of using leisure to improve the health and wellbeing of people in the district, backed by its willingness to invest serious money to make it happen.

Difficult start

It hasn’t been an easy ride. There have been costly delays at the new Jack Laugher Leisure and Wellness Centre in Ripon due to sinkhole issues that long pre-date Mr Tweedie. A report due imminently will determine how much more work needs to be done before the site can fully open. He says:

“I’m absolutely confident it will be resolved. Yes, it’s been frustrating. I know customers have been desperate to come back since Spa Baths closed.”

There has been some discontent about the consultation and need for a new leisure centre in Knaresborough, where work is due to begin next month on a 65-week building programme due to finish in July next year.

How Knaresborough’s new pool will look.

Mr Tweedie says the transition from old to new site will be “seamless”, with the current facility operating until the new one opens — something that didn’t happen in Ripon, where the Spa Baths closed four months before the new pool opened due to delays.

Now there is the looming nine-month closure of The Hydro, which will leave Harrogate without a council-run pool.

Staffing has also been difficult — Brimhams has been consistently operating with 20 to 30 vacancies. Opening hours have been affected. Mr Tweedie says:

“It’s been a significant challenge, and it’s shared across the sector nationally.”

Read more:

• Ripon leisure centre named after local Olympic hero Jack Laugher
• £28m contracts for new Knaresborough pool and Harrogate Hydro upgrades approved
• Harrogate Hydro set to close for nine months

But there is little doubt that when all the projects are completed, the district’s facilities will be significantly better than they were pre-Brimhams. He says:

“We are through the worst and back on track and people in the Harrogate district and our staff have got a lot to look forward to.”

Aim to nearly double membership 

The aim is to increase total membership at the sites in Harrogate, Ripon and Knaresborough to 5,000 within six months of the new facilities opening. Membership totalled about 3,000 at its pre-covid peak so it would be a considerable achievement but Mr Tweedie is “very confident” of achieving it. He says 400 people joined the Ripon centre in the fortnight after it opened.

How the refurbished Hydro will look.

Brimhams’s current monthly rate is £38.95. Customers at The Hydro are being offered a reduced rate of £32 to use the other sites while it is being refurbished. They will also be able to take part in group exercise sessions at the nearby Jennyfield Styan Community Centre.

Large private gym chains such as Pure Gym and Coach Gyms, which offer membership at about £20 a month, have extended their tentacles into the district, which can’t make life easy for council-run alternatives, but Mr Tweedie insists they are serving different markets.

“The private sector is dealing with the 15% that want to join a gym. The question is, what happens to the other 85%? How do we use public facilities to reach out to them?”

He talks about Brimhams taking “a more holistic approach” that leads to a “deeper and more purposeful relationship” with customers. People won’t come just to use the pool or gym, he says, but also to access a wider range of service that are being developed, such as mental health support, nutritional advice and mindfulness. It’s no coincidence that two Brimhams Active sites now include ‘wellbeing’ in their names — it’s clearly the way ahead.

A new software system, due to go live at the end of the month, will enable online booking and a “better digital relationship with customers”, as well as capturing footfall data that Brimhams can use to improve services.

Will it consider 24-hour opening, as many private gyms are? Mr Tweedie says:

“We have no plans for 24/7. We feel we can deal with our customer base between the hours of 6.30am and 10pm.”

Starbeck Baths

The scale of the council’s investment in leisure leads Mr Tweedie to say confidently there are no plans to reduce services or close Starbeck Baths, which is a constant threat to such an ageing facility. He adds:

“What the commercial approach is not about is reducing wages and staff and providing the bare bones of a service.”

All change next year

But his reassurances are tempered by the fact that Harrogate Borough Council will be abolished next year and control of Brimhams will transfer to the new North Yorkshire Council.

Brimhams staff will have a new employer from April 1 and, in time, a new strategy run by different managers.

Mr Tweedie, who lives in Morpeth and divides his time working from home and in the Harrogate district, says it could take at least a couple of years to implement whatever model the new council introduces so his role could exist for some time yet. He says:

“I want to deliver our three-year strategic plan and I am already working with other district leisure service leaders and North Yorkshire colleagues to manage the transition to the unitary authority.”

The important thing, he adds, is that customers don’t notice any sudden changes next year and that frontline staff, such as lifeguards and receptionists, are looked after. He says:

“It’s business as usual for us. We have a vision. We have a strategy. We have a plan we will deliver on that with a high level of tenacity.

Nidderdale Pool and Leisure Centre in Pateley Bridge.

A decade-long bid to join two bridleways on the rural edges of Harrogate could finally come to fruition this year. 

North Yorkshire County Council is consulting on a creation order, which would enable it to join up bridleways 61 and 129 in the Crimple Valley. 

The link between the two would be created via a stretch of former railway line on the Rudding Park estate, which its owners agreed could be designated a bridleway in 2014. 

Sue Rigby, who represents the Byways and Bridleways Trust and has been involved in the Opening Up Crimple Valley campaign from the outset, told the Stray Ferret: 

“The whole point of the Rights of Way Network is that it is a network and it makes sense. It’s a much-needed and historic route and it was there long before any of us. 

“Particularly for riders, they are extremely brave to use the roads around there. The riding school takes disabled children out too. To have somewhere for them to go rather than into the road is so important.” 

The current proposal, which would create a circular route, has been widely supported by walkers, horse riders and countryside organisations. However, it has been held up because of a piece of land, measuring just a couple of metres wide, which would be needed to create the final link. 

The owner has so far refused to give permission for the bridleway to cross the 2m stretch of land. People using bridleway 61 alongside the Crimple Viaduct continue to find the path comes to an abrupt halt before it joins the former railway. 

Bridleway 61 (blue) and bridleway 129 (orange) could be joined by a stretch of former railway line on the Rudding Park estate (green) despite objections over a short stretch of land (red).

Mark Mackaness, owner of the Rudding Park estate, who has worked with the council and local supporters to plan the bridleway link, expressed his frustration that the process had taken so long and was still not complete. 

“This is a tragic example of maladministration and waste of public funds over the eight years since the creation order was first made.” 

Ms Rigby said everyone involved was very grateful for Mr Mackaness and the Rudding Park estate’s generosity. Now, she hoped the struggles of the last decade could be set aside and the aim could finally be achieved.

“People lose faith in the system when things don’t work, especially with something as obvious as this. But we are now all positive and hopeful for the future.”

‘Long-standing issue’

Michael Leah, NYCC’s assistant director for travel, environmental and countryside, said: 

“We are currently carrying out a consultation to inform a decision on whether to make a creation order under s26 of the Highways Act 1980. 

“If made, the order would record a short length of bridleway to connect bridleway no 61, which runs under and alongside the Crimple Viaduct, with bridleway no 129, which runs along a section of old railway line and was dedicated as a public right of way by the Rudding Park Estate. 

“This has been a long-standing issue, and a decision will be made once all views have been considered as part of the consultation.” 

The consultation currently being held over the creation order closes on Tuesday, March 22. Anyone who wants to take part can email their views to NYCC’s definitive map officer Ron Allan at ron.allan@northyorks.gov.uk. 

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Concerns over additional traffic, the environment and construction have been raised over a planned £1 billion upgrade of one of England’s busiest roads.

National Highways, formerly Highways England, today published a summary report of its consultation into the project to dual the remaining parts of the A66 between the M6 at Penrith and A1 at Scotch Corner.

The road is used by thousands of drivers in the north of England each day to travel between the north east and Cumbria and on to Scotland. Many experience delays due to the regular changes from single to dual carriageways.

A total of 645 said they were in favour of dualling the remaining single carriageway, whereas 68 opposed the move and 87 said they were neutral.

Read more:

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In its summary report, National Highways said the most common concerns raised were over construction, traffic and the environment.

It said:

“Some people raised issues about an insufficient reduction in traffic when the project was finished, with a concern that dualling could attract additional traffic from other routes.”

Others had concerns that the project could disrupt wildlife and increase congestion during construction.

Appleby Fair could move

The report also reveals National Highways is considering an alternative to the proposed replacement of the travelling community’s Brough Hill Fair site on the section between Appleby and Brough. It says:

“In the autumn ​2021 statutory consultation, a site to the east of Warcop was earmarked on land belonging to the Ministry of Defence — ​known as the “bivvy” site.

“An alternative location, approximately 1.6 miles east from the current site, is now also being considered ​​in response to feedback from the statutory consultation.”

The responses are helping to shape the final design and inform National Highways’ application for a Development Consent Order in May 2022 which, if successful, will pave the way for the project to dual the entire road to go ahead.

Lee Hillyard, National Highways’ A66 Northern Trans-Pennine project director, said:

“We’re delighted so many people have taken such a keen interest in our proposals.

“Today we’ve published our statutory consultation summary report and spring 2022 project update, which is the perfect opportunity to provide the latest information and show how we are acting on the feedback we’ve received.”

A Harrogate grandma was left in tears after a Sainsbury’s shop worker accused her of stealing an item she had already paid for.

Pam Forster has shopped at Sainsbury’s on Wetherby Road in Harrogate for more than 20 years but said she won’t be going back after her experience on February 27.

Ms Forster was leaving the store when the security barriers started beeping and a shop worker asked to see her receipt. But because she had used the self-checkout machines and chosen not to get a receipt, she didn’t have one — she had bought a pair of wellies and some food and didn’t expect to have to return any items.

Because Ms Forster didn’t have a receipt, the member of staff asked her to accompany her to the till so they could print a receipt. The shop worker then looked through Ms Forster’s bags, matching items with items listed on the receipt.

During this, she said a packet of salmon had not been paid for but Ms Forster insisted it had. The shop worker left Ms Forster to speak to a colleague and later returned to say “you really should get a receipt next time, sweetheart” and walked away.

Ms Forster’s receipt

The Harrogate office manager was left “mortified and very upset”, adding she didn’t know if she was free to leave at this stage because she was left standing near a till.

‘Humiliating experience’

Ms Forster eventually left and “cried the whole way home”. She knew she hadn’t stolen anything and, after checking, found the salmon was indeed listed on the receipt.

Ms Forster said:

“She just walked away and left me, I was mortified. All she needed to say was ‘sorry love, you were right I just missed it on the receipt’ but instead she just left me standing there. It really wasn’t a good experience.

“I imagine she was embarrassed that she’d missed it on the receipt but if she’d just apologised I’d have drawn a line under it. Instead I was left feeling humiliated.”

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Ms Forster said she previously visited the shop every week and that “98% of her wardrobe is from Sainsbury’s” because it’s so easy to get it all from one place.

She called the customer care line the same day and managed to speak to a phone operator, who said someone would be in touch. Her daughter also tried to contact the retailer but no one responded.

Since the Stray Ferret contacted Sainsbury’s about the incident, the supermarket has been in touch with Ms Forster to offer a £15 gift card as a gesture of goodwill. Ms Forster said she rejected it because she won’t be going back.

A Sainsbury’s spokesperson said:

“We are in touch with Ms Forster to apologise and reassure her that we’re investigating this experience.”

Police found 16 wraps of what is believed to be class A drugs when they stopped a vehicle heading to Harrogate from West Yorkshire.

Officers also found three mobile phones and £350 of cash.

The driver, a 30-year-old man from West Yorkshire, was arrested on suspicion of possession with intent to supply a class A-drug but later released while enquiries continue.

North Yorkshire Police revealed the details today in an update on a ‘week of intensification’ into tackling county lines drugs, which refers to organised criminal groups moving and supplying drugs, usually from cities into smaller towns and rural areas.

An operation support unit officer ready to conduct a warrant.

Harrogate’s affluent population is often targeted by dealers in Bradford and Leeds.

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The force said it has arrested 17 people and safeguarded vulnerable people during the week of targeted action, which was part of a national campaign from March 7 to 13.

Police also executed warrants at addresses linked to drugs and carried out several safeguarding visits to help prevent ‘cuckooing’ taking place.

This is when county lines dealers take over the home of a vulnerable person for a short time while they carry out their activities before returning to their town or city.

Police sniffer dogs search for drugs.

Detective Chief Inspector Lorraine Crossman-Smith, who coordinated the week of activity in North Yorkshire, said:

“Whilst we work all year to take drugs off the streets of North Yorkshire this week of intensification has brought some substantial results. By disrupting supply lines and taking those involved out of circulation we can make North Yorkshire’s communities safer.

“We can only do this with the support and information that we get from residents so I would urge anyone with information about drug dealing in their community to call us on 101, we treat every piece of information as important.”

An alleyway off Knaresborough’s Market Place has been cleaned after the town council received numerous complaints about its condition.

The passage, next to William Hill bookmakers, is often used by drinkers on their way home and is scattered with litter.

Knaresborough Town Council paid for a team from Harrogate Pressure Washing to clean the passage yesterday.

Local residents have told the Stray Ferret that, amongst the litter, there is always often a foul smell and broken glass.

Knaresborough town councillor Andy Bell was amongst those calling for the alleyway to be cleaned. He said:

“Over the last months myself and other Knaresborough Town Council councillors have received complaints about the state of the passageway next to William Hill bookmakers.

“We were pleased to allocate some funds to get it deep cleaned and are very happy with the work done by Harrogate Pressure Washing. Let’s hope it stays that way for a while.”

Read more:

• Knaresborough unveils blue plaque to celebrate its ancient market
• Pure Gym to open in former Knaresborough supermarket

At the beginning of the year, the local business group Knaresborough Business Collective purchased a street sweeper for businesses to take out and keep areas of the town clean.

A review into car parking at train stations across the Harrogate district has been criticised as a “lost opportunity”.

Transport officials at North Yorkshire County Council launched the review to look into where parking could be expanded in order to encourage the use of public transport and stop parked vehicles spilling over onto residential streets.

The findings were discussed at a meeting today when councillor Paul Haslam, who represents Bilton and Nidd Gorge, said he was “disappointed” that residents were not asked where they believe investment is needed the most. He said:

“There doesn’t seem to have been any discussion with any user groups.

“I would have thought they might have been able to share some very important information – we need to know what our customers want.”

Cllr Haslam said while the review was “very measured,” it was a “lost opportunity” to also look into how access to train stations can be made easier for those travelling on foot or by bike.

He told today’s meeting of the Harrogate and Knaresborough Area Constituency Committee:

“I would have hoped this review could have looked at safe and secure storage for bikes, bus stop provision and other access in terms of cycle routes.

“Train stations are going to be what we will call transport transition hubs in the future and we have to facilitate these changes so people can get off their bike and onto a train, or out of their car and onto a bus.”

His comments were backed by councillor Don Mackenzie, executive member for access at the county council, who added:

“We must look at other means of connecting people to railway stations and not simply in their cars.”

More parking at Pannal

The review highlights how new car parking will be built at Pannal train station as part of the ongoing housing development at the former Dunlopillo site.

Construction work has yet to start on the car park and it is unclear when this could begin.

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Cattal train station has also been identified for improved parking as part of a 3,000-home settlement which is planned for the area because of its railway links.

There are no plans to upgrade parking at train stations in Starbeck, Knaresborough or Weeton, as well Harrogate which a report said already has extra capacity at the Victoria multi-storey car park.

Another area which has been identified for potential improvements is Hornbeam Park train station where previous proposals to expand the car park were met with concerns that it could encourage more car journeys on the already congested Hookstone Road.

Traffic impact

Graham North, strategic support officer at the county council, told today’s meeting that extra car parking had been considered again, although it could have had a “significant” impact on traffic.

Mr North also set out some of the reasons why parking upgrades are needed at other train stations, but can not be achieved.

He said:

“The Harrogate line has had significant improvements in frequency including the recent improvements between York and Harrogate.

“We have also had modern rolling stock, station improvements and the introduction of the LNER services to and from London which are all potentially increasing demand for rail travel.

“The rail industry has looked at each station to identify any land available for car parking close to stations and whilst some land has been identified the cost to purchase, access to and from the sites and the poor business cases have meant that these were not developed further.”