It started with a few mates from Knaresborough riding a dozen tractors around Tan Hill in 2012.

It is now one of the biggest annual events in the Harrogate district, involving almost 400 vehicles and thousands of well wishers along a 25-mile route.

How did the Knaresborough tractor run become such a beast?

Ramsgill sheep farmer Steve Brown, chairman of the tractor run committee, ponders the question a week after the event’s latest success, which saw 374 vehicles convoy around Harrogate, Knaresborough and Pateley Bridge last Sunday to raise more than £23,000 for Yorkshire Air Ambulance. He says:

“I think it’s a lot to do with the cause. If you work in a rural setting you don’t know when you might need an air ambulance. It’s a cause close to the heart.”

Advertising the cause. Pic: Rachael Fawcett Photography

That might explain why farmers and other rural workers get involved, but why do so many people line the route all around Nidderdale? Steven says:

“Where else can you see 400 tractors in a line? I think it’s that simplicity. Plus it keeps the kids occupied for a couple of hours and it doesn’t cost anything.”

Whatever the reasons, the tractor run has become as much a part of local life as the Great Yorkshire Show, the Knaresborough Bed Race and Harrogate pantomime.

How it started

A family photo of Mike Spink

The fun nature of the event belies its sad foundations.

Mike Spink, a member of Knaresborough Young Famers who took part in the early tractor runs, died in a road accident in 2017 after moving to New Zealand six months earlier. Steven recalls:

“Mike was a dairy farmer and a very big believer in the air ambulance. When he died we got together and thought ‘why don’t we make it a bigger event and raise money in his memory?'”.

So what until then had been a bit of fun on tractors around Tan Hill and Whitby each year suddenly became a more serious affair.

Credit: Rachael Fawcett Photography

Eighty tractors took part in the first event in memory of Mike and next year 134 lined-up. Soon the tractor run had outgrown Knaresborough and the start had to be moved to the Great Yorkshire Showground in Harrogate to accommodate all the vehicles.

Read more:

• Knaresborough tractor run raises £23,000
• Scammers fail to spoil another successful Knaresborough tractor run

This year’s total was 10 fewer than last year’s record 384 and Steven thinks the total has plateaued between 350 to 400. But the tractor run never fails to surprise.

Passing Knaresborough House. Credit: Rachael Fawcett Photography

Not all the surprises are pleasant. This year’s decision to introduce a free livestream, which enabled people to see where the first and last tractors were so they knew when the convoy would be passing, attracted scammers who cloned the tractor run website and urged people to give their bank details. One person lost £1,500 before the ruse was spotted.

There’s also the constant issue of safety, which has put such a big insurance risk on Knaresborough Young Farmers that the committee is increasingly running it as a standalone event. Steven says:

“I always think of the most idiotic thing that can happen and work back from that. We do the best we can —that’s all we can do. Fortunately we’ve never had a major incident but you can never be lackadaisical. Safety is paramount.”

The committee meets about 10 times a year to plan for the event, and its first get-together to discuss the 2024 gathering was due to take place yesterday.

Steven says a “colossal amount” of work goes into planning and trying to work out the best route. The template doesn’t change much but there are always minor improvements and things to consider. Last year the food ran out at lunchtime in Pateley Bridge.

These children brought their own tractor to watch the start at the showground.

But it all comes together gloriously each spring: excited children jump up and down and cheer and even gnarly old farmers get a tingle as they parade like rock stars down Pateley Bridge High Street or through Markington, tooting their horns to large crowds.

It’s seven hours of pure tractor power with a touch of theatre set against the glorious Nidderdale backdrop and there is nothing like it. Whether it’s the biggest tractor run is debatable but few would dispute it’s the best. Steven says:

“We are led to believe it’s the biggest tractor run in the country. Some have more tractors but they don’t do a run like ours, they just go a few miles down the road.”

You can still donate to the air ambulance on behalf of the tractor run here.

Passing through Hampsthwaite. Credit: Rachael Fawcett Photography

A Harrogate district taxi driver has criticised North Yorkshire County Council over a licensing policy following a meeting with a senior councillor.

Cabbies from Harrogate, Ripon and the GMB Union met with Conservative councillor Derek Bastiman, executive councillor for open to business, over the new single zone policy in North Yorkshire yesterday.

Under the plan, the new North Yorkshire Council will create a single licensing policy for hackney carriages and private hire vehicles in the entire county.

It will mean drivers in Harrogate can operate anywhere in North Yorkshire, whereas they are currently restricted to the Harrogate district.

After the proposal was announced, drivers predicted it would cause “chaos” and called for a meeting with the council over the policy.

Following the meeting with Cllr Bastiman, drivers criticised the council over the continuing with the proposal.

Richard Fieldman, who has run his taxi company for 28 years in Ripon, told the Stray Ferret that he felt the council “did not know what it was doing”.

He said:

“The top and bottom of it is they have not got a clue what they are doing. I have said before, this is going to cause destruction for the trade.”

Read more:

• Angry Harrogate district cabbies fear ruin under new system
• Taxi licensing changes will cause ‘chaos’, says Ripon cabbie
• New council plans single taxi licensing for North Yorkshire

Mr Fieldman added that some drivers would lose out under the new system.

He said cabbies raised concern over the policy and potential new fees and fare with Cllr Bastiman.

However, Mr Fieldman said he felt that the trade was “fighting a losing battle”, but that added they would continue to oppose the changes until the new system begins next month.

In response, Cllr Bastiman told the Stray Ferret:

“I can confirm that the meeting was very cordial. 

“Driver’s comments were taken away with an assurance that following a meeting that I will arrange with the relevant officers hopefully next week, a full response will be provided to the representative from the GMBU who offered to circulate to those operators present at the meeting. 

“Those present were happy with this proposal.”

The government is to spend more than £1 million showing the coronation on big screens across the country — but the Harrogate district is not included.

Ministers revealed today a dozen sites in Yorkshire and Humber will get big screens to show the coronation of the King and the Queen Consort on May 6 at Westminster Abbey in London. Not a single one is in North Yorkshire.

The closest one to the Harrogate district will be at Millennium Square in Leeds.

Although the selection of Leeds and other major cities, including Sheffield, Bradford and Hull, is not unexpected, some smaller places such as Dewsbury and Halifax are on the list while the likes of Harrogate and Ripon are not.

The decision to choose five places in West Yorkshire — Bradford, Halifax, Wakefield, Dewsbury, Huddersfield and Leeds — and not a single one in North Yorkshire, England’s largest county, may raise eyebrows particularly as many of the places chosen are close to each other.

Read more:

• Fees waived for Harrogate district street parties to mark coronation
• Your memories of how the district celebrated the Queen’s silver jubilee in 1977

The Department for Culture, Media and Sport announced the locations today.

Culture Secretary Lucy Frazer said:

The Coronation will be a magical moment that brings people together to celebrate the best of Britain over a special weekend in May.

These big screens, in major locations in towns and cities in the four nations of the UK, will make it easier for everyone to take part and have a memorable experience to mark this exciting and historic event.

Big screens location in Yorkshire and Humber

• City Hall, Hull
• Trinity Market, Hull
• City Park, Bradford
• Piece Hall, Halifax
• St Peter’s Parish Church, Huddersfield
• Dewsbury Library, Dewsbury
• Millennium Square, Leeds
• Pontefract Castle, Wakefield
• Peace Gardens, Sheffield
• The Glass Works, Barnsley

Rail workers and teachers will be on strike in the Harrogate district today as part of the latest wave of industrial action.

More than 400,000 workers in various sectors took part in strikes yesterday in the biggest day of industrial action since unrest began last year.

They included the first of two planned teachers’ strikes by members of the National Education Union. Picket lines are expected to form outside schools in the district again today.

Today also sees RMT members at 14 train operators, including Northern, stage the first of four planned 24-hour strikes. The next one is due on Saturday.

Northern, whose services include those passing through Harrogate and Knaresborough, will run an amended strike timetable on the affected days, with a 12-hour operation on selected routes from 7am to 7pm.

Northern’s guide to services in the days ahead.

Tricia Williams, chief operating officer at Northern, urged customers to check before they travel.

Ms Williams said:

“We’re expecting the skeleton services we can run to be very busy – so customers should plan ahead and check before they travel.

“Given the reduced timetable only runs until 7pm, I’m very keen to stress that people should check their ‘last train home’ on those dates – so that customers don’t find themselves stranded at the wrong end of the line as a result of this action by the RMT.”

Junior doctors staged a picket line on Wetherby Road near Harrogate District Hospital on Monday as part of a 72-hour strike that finished yesterday.

Read more:

• Junior doctors begin strike at Harrogate District Hospital
• Hundreds of job losses as Harrogate company goes under

A dog walker has expressed concern after discovering 10 canisters of laughing gas dumped by the side of the road.

John Chadwick stumbled across the canisters on the rural Gravelly Hill Lane in Huby.

Nitrous oxide, commonly known as laughing gas, is the second most-used drug among UK 16- to 24-year-olds. It can induce euphoria and relaxation, as well as hallucinations.

The drug can lead to various health problems but is not currently illegal to possess. However, selling it to children is prohibited.

Mr Chadwick said this was the first time he’d seen the canisters and it “highlights what I believe is becoming an increasing health and behavioural issue predominately amongst younger people”.

He added:

“I’ve heard lots about it on phone-ins, I guess maybe I didn’t expect it in a rural environment. In that sense it was a bit of a shock – a bit like seeing a few old fridges dumped. A violation of our village.

“I am concerned that what could be seen as some harmless fun could escalate into something worse.

“Had somebody driven to this place to inhale the gas for fun and then driven off? In that case there is a danger to the perpetrator and others. Or was it just littering?”

The canisters were dumped by the side of a rural lane.

A North Yorkshire Police spokesman said:

“There are significant dangers associated with using nitrous oxide. Inhaling it can lead to unconsciousness and ultimately suffocation as the body is essentially starved of oxygen.

“There is also evidence to show that people with heart conditions can be at risk of higher harm and that inhalation can lead to anaemia or long-term nerve damage.

“We would ask parents to be vigilant for the signs that their children may be purchasing the substance online.

“Anyone who is found guilty of supplying nitrous oxide could face up to six months in prison or an unlimited fine.”

Read more:

• Children in North Yorkshire face two-year wait for mental disorder assessment
• County council plans programme to tackle children being ‘enticed’ to vape

Teachers at schools across the Harrogate district are staging another walkout tomorrow.

Members of the National Education Union are striking tomorrow and Thursday in a dispute over pay.

The union argues a 5% pay rise in 2022 was insufficient to combat the impact of inflation at 10%, leaving many teachers effectively facing a pay cut.

The move will affect education across the district, with some pupils taking lessons remotely.

How Harrogate district schools are affected

Tomorrow, Harrogate Grammar School pupils in years 9, 11 and 13 will be asked to attend school as normal.

However, those in years 7, 8, 10 and 12 will take lessons remotely.

On March 16, years 10, 11 and 13 will be asked to attend school while years 7, 8, 9 and 12 will work from home.

Meanwhile, St Aidan’s Church of England High School has told parents it will “endeavour to provide their usual suite of lessons” for those who are required to attend school.

Read more:

• ‘Parents must accept responsibility for feeding their children’, says councillor
• Lightwater Valley 10K to raise vital funds for local school

Years 8, 9, 11 and 12 have been told they should take lessons at home, while years 7, 10 and 13 should attend as normal on Wednesday.

On Thursday, the school has informed years 7, 9, 10 and 13 to work from home while year 8, 11 and 12 should attend lessons.

Elsewhere, Rossett School has informed parents that it intends to keep the same arrangements for both strike days.

The school said:

“As a leadership team, we have decided that Year 8, 11, 12 & 13 will be in school and Year 7, 9, and 10  will be working remotely.”

St John Fisher Catholic High School in Harrogate will remain open to year 11 and 13 only on March 15 and year 10 and 12 on March 16.

Outwood Academy in Ripon will remain open to year 9, 11 and vulnerable students tomorrow.

On March 16, it will be open to year 11 and year 10. Other pupils not due in school will be expected to work from home on both strike days.

Details of how other secondary schools are affected will be posted as we get them.

The Harrogate district has woken to its worst snow of the winter. Amber and yellow weather warnings remain in place all morning and roads are treacherous.

Please send news of how the weather is affecting your school, roads and neighbourhood so we can add it to the blog. Email contact@thestrayferret.co.uk.

12.39pm: Ice warning for tonight

A @metoffice warning for ice is in place across #NorthYorkshire until 10am tomorrow. A warning for #snow and #ice is also in place from 3pm tomorrow until 6am on Sunday.

Please take care when out and about.

Find out more at https://t.co/hUMWZu9ntv pic.twitter.com/6zjLqfCNjJ

— North Yorkshire Council (@northyorksc) March 10, 2023

12.08pm: Council says it ‘stood down’ today’s bin collections

Due to the weather conditions overnight, and the sub-zero temperatures predicted tonight and into tomorrow, we have made the decision to stand down today’s (10 March) household waste and recycling collections…

Find out more at: https://t.co/F9iIHqV6GD

— Harrogate Borough Council (@Harrogatebc) March 10, 2023

11.42am: Minus nine degrees tonight?

The BBC weather forecast is currently forecasting a minimum temperature of minus nine degrees tonight. The Met Office, however, is predicting no lower than minus four degrees.

Either way, it is going to be cold and with standing snow conditions could be treacherous.

11.31am – Commercial Street in Harrogate ‘passable’

Commercial Street is “open for business” and “passable”, say businesses.

❄️Commercial Street is quite passable & OPEN for business❄️

☕️Don’t forget we’ve got 2 fab indie businesses to keep you warm with delish hot drinks – Bean & Bud and Lilly’s Cafe! ☕️

Find out more on our website https://t.co/UoImSxseXl#shoplocal #indie #Harrogate #snow pic.twitter.com/HWcapDPjsV

— Commercial Street (@Commercial_St) March 10, 2023

11.20am – More Harrogate pictures

More pictures of Harrogate covered in snow this morning on Montpellier and the Stray.

11.10am – Household waste recycling centres reopen

North Yorkshire County Council has announced its household waste recycling centres in Harrogate have reopened.

All of our household waste recycling centres have now reopened, except for #Leyburn. pic.twitter.com/A8Ldz5u5t2

— North Yorkshire Council (@northyorksc) March 10, 2023

11.05am – Ripon covered in snow

A nice aerial shot of Ripon market square and the cathedral sent into us by Paul Smith.

10.55am – Picturesque Knaresborough

Knaresboroughphotography has shared this picture with us on Instagram. Perfect for a postcard.

10.45am – Stray pictured in the snow

Ian Wilkie has sent some beautiful pictures of the Harrogate Stray pictured in the snow, along with a snowman.

10.35am – RHS Harlow Carr to reopen at midday

RHS Harlow Carr is set to reopen at midday today. However, play areas will be closed.

⚠️ Garden reopening at 12pm – 10 March ⚠️

We'll be reopening at noon today with a limited route around the garden – play areas will be closed. It will be half price tickets for payers.

Grab the camera and snow boots to enjoy a winter wonderland ❄ pic.twitter.com/S6Yr3HPku5

— RHS Harlow Carr (@RHSHarlowCarr) March 10, 2023

10.24am – West Harrogate recycling centre closed.

The West Harrogate recycling centre at Pennypot Lane is also closed this morning due to snow.

Thornton-le-Dale and West #Harrogate household waste recycling centres are also currently closed due to the #snow. pic.twitter.com/6038uUcNPK

— North Yorkshire Council (@northyorksc) March 10, 2023

10.15am – Belmont Grosvenor headmaster gives snowman advice

With pupils learning from home, Nathan Sadler, headmaster at Belmont Grosvenor School, has issued the following advice to parents:

In terms of learning from home, if you get the opportunity with your children, please can you:

• make snow balls
• roll in the snow – make snow angels!
• build a snowman
• sledge
• drink hot chocolate
• HAVE FUN!

Here he is pictured with his family and their snowman.

10.05am – Harrogate recycling centre is closed

North Yorkshire County Council has announced the household waste recycling centre on Wetherby Road is currently closed due to the snow.

The following household waste recycling centres are currently closed due to the #snow:
– #Harrogate Stonefall
– #Leyburn
– #Settle
– #Skipton pic.twitter.com/EfrQRGm9yS

— North Yorkshire Council (@northyorksc) March 10, 2023

10am – The view from Pateley Bridge

Joyce Liggins has sent this picture in of Pateley Bridge covered in snow this morning.

9.25am – No waste and recycling collections this morning

Harrogate Borough Council has announced that its waste and recycling teams currently are not collecting this morning.

Due to this morning's conditions, our waste and recycling crews aren't currently collecting.

We are keeping a close eye on the weather and road conditions and will provide an update later in the day. pic.twitter.com/o4pc5wNSGF

— Harrogate Borough Council (@Harrogatebc) March 10, 2023

9.15am – Snow pictures from across Harrogate

9am – Fountains Abbey and Studley Royal closed

Fountains Abbey and Studley Royal has announced it will be closed today.

Fountains Abbey and Studley Royal is closed this morning due to the snow. Please don’t travel here as the car parks are closed and the paths are not safe. Take care on the roads and keep an eye on the website for all live updates. https://t.co/tyiQ88giPV pic.twitter.com/x0cdXUG7eS

— Fountains Abbey & Studley Royal, National Trust (@fountainsabbey) March 10, 2023

8.30am – Full list of school closures

Here is the full list of school closures in the Harrogate district.

6.39am: Bus service cancellations

The Harrogate Bus Company is warning of problems and providing a link to more information.

⚠️ Due to the current weather conditions we have a number of diversions and cancellations in place.

ℹ️ Please see the link for further details: https://t.co/0dCzYc3pFH

We apologise for any inconvenience@MetroTravelNews pic.twitter.com/7VEpbzFYdP

— The Harrogate Bus Company (@harrogatebus) March 10, 2023

6.34am: Pannal school closes

6.30am: Two schools announce closures

Admiral Long Primary School, Burnt Yates and Belmont Grosvenor School in Birstwith have emailed to tell us they have closed today.

Has your school closed? Email us at contact@thestrayferret.co.uk and we will include it in this blog.

King James’ School in Knaresborough has been rated ‘good’ by Ofsted in a report published today.

Government inspectors visited the 1,575-pupil school for the first time in six years on January 10 this year.

They described it as a “caring environment where pupils learn well” with “a strong focus on ensuring that everyone feels welcome”.

The report says the “vast majority of pupils are keen and engage confidently in their learning” and bullying is rare.

It adds the school, which dates back to 1616, supports children with special educational needs “extremely well”, enables sixth form students to “flourish” and organises “a rich range of extra-curricular visits”.

Staff are praised for their “excellent subject knowledge” and safeguarding is described as “effective”.

Reading concerns

However, the report says the school provides “insufficient opportunities for pupils to engage meaningfully with the world of work” and “pupils who struggle with reading do not receive effective interventions routinely” and is urged to improve in these areas.

This was King James’ School’s second ungraded inspection since Ofsted judged the school to be good in its last full inspection in December 2011.

Schools graded ‘good’ are usually visited once every four years to confirm that the school remains good. This is called an ungraded inspection.

King James’ School, which has 242 sixth form students, is federated with Boroughbridge High School.

Read more:

• Knaresborough’s Riverside Cafe owners bid farewell after 13 years
• Public meeting to save River Nidd in Knaresborough from ‘ecological disaster’

Local Conservatives and Liberal Democrats are to put aside political rivalries this week and urge North Yorkshire Council to support the £49 million redevelopment of Harrogate Convention Centre.

North Yorkshire Council will assume control of the conference and events centre when Harrogate Borough Council is abolished at the end of the month.

Harrogate Borough Council has staunchly defended the venue, even though it has often made an annual loss, on the grounds that it supports shops, hospitality and tourism across the district.

But there are fears the new council, based in Northallerton, might not be as keen — particularly at a time when the centre requires a huge investment to remain competitive.

A notice of motion, proposed by Liberal Democrat Chris Aldred and seconded by Conservative Sam Gibbs, will be debated at a full council meeting on Wednesday.

Councillors Aldred (left) and Gibbs

The motion says “a thriving Harrogate Convention Centre is central to the ongoing economic prosperity of the Harrogate district” and urges North Yorkshire Council to urgently set up a new management board for it. It adds:

“Council asks the new unitary authority to confirm its in principle support for the redevelopment plan for the centre and further asks that North Yorkshire councillors representing divisions within the Harrogate district are consulted during this ongoing process.”

Cllr Aldred, who represents Harrogate Fairfax, told the Stray Ferret:

“I am worried. People from outside the district will be making big decisions about the future of the district.

“We are all conscious of the enormous impact the centre has on Harrogate economically and the new council has this major development project that needs funding.

“”We don’t know what North Yorkshire Council is planning and want some urgency.”

Bed and breakfasts near the convention centre rely heavily on it.

The motion is expected to be approved as it has cross-party support. But some councillors in Ripon, Knaresborough, Pateley Bridge, Masham and Boroughbridge, which are further away from the centre and feel less benefit, may rebel.

If it is voted through one of Harrogate Borough Council’s final acts will be to write to North Yorkshire Council asking it to commit to supporting the redevelopment. But it is far from certain whether the new authority will do so.

In January, Richard Flinton, the incoming chief executive of North Yorkshire Council, said the venue needed to be vibrant and relevant in the face of competition from a new venue in Leeds rather than “an enormous drain on public finances”.

The same month, the UK government rejected Harrogate Borough Council’s bid for £20 million levelling up funds to support the redevelopment.

The incoming North Yorkshire Council is to bid to government for accreditation to create a new countywide tourism body.

The authority intends to apply to become a Local Visitor Economy Partnership — which will replace Destination Management Organisations following a review by ministers.

The new body would be responsible for promoting tourism in North Yorkshire and attracting events.

David Caulfield, assistant director for tourism and economic development at North Yorkshire Council, said the new organisation would also help to form a “Yorkshire-wide” tourism strategy.

He said:

“There may be four, or five, of these which eventually form a Yorkshire-wide approach. These LVEPs must be strong private/public sector partnerships and will need to follow the new national process to be eligible for any government funding.

“This is an exciting opportunity for us in North Yorkshire to play to our strengths, while maintaining a strong regional identity at the same time. It will also be one of the key aspects of the new council’s economic strategy.

“All of the current destination management organisations across North Yorkshire are already working closely on this project, pooling their knowledge and expertise to ensure we have the strongest possible proposal.”

The council intends to hire consultants at a cost of £20,000 to help support the bid.

Mr Caulfield said this would form a “small part” of the bid, with the majority of the work being carried out in-house.

Questions over Destination Harrogate

The move towards creating a county-wide tourism organisation raises further questions about the future of Destination Harrogate, the current Destination Management Organisation tourism organisation for the district run by Harrogate Borough Council, which is being abolished in four weeks.

Paula Lorimer, director of Harrogate Convention Centre, told a council meeting last month the government review would likely mean only destination management organisations from cities or large regions will be able to receive funding from central government.

Read more:

• Harrogate council spends £2.2m on new tourism body in first year
• Harrogate council agreed £222,000 in exit packages due to tourism restructure

She suggested Harrogate would have to amalgamate into a wider, yet-to-be created North Yorkshire destination management organisation to qualify for the funding.

The Local Democracy Reporting Service revealed last month that Harrogate Borough Council spent £2,224,000 on Destination Harrogate in its first year operating — almost a million pounds more than budgeted.

Borough council chief executive Wallace Sampson told councillors the new authority could look to “identify savings” with Destination Harrogate after it is handed control of the organisation.

He added:

“[Destination Harrogate] is a discretionary service and against the background of a challenging financial environment for the new council, every discretionary service will be subject to financial scrutiny.”

Mr Sampson warned of the possible pitfalls of Destination Harrogate being merged into a county-wide tourism body, which he suggested could dilute the focus on individual places.

He said:

“From a Harrogate point of view we have Destination Harrogate that has a really strong focus on place branding and marketing and that helps to attract visitors. 

“The key question will be — can you retain the focus on individual places in North Yorkshire?  It’s something the new council will have to grapple with.”