From a peculiar ceremony in Masham to a choir singing in a car park, here are our top five favourite videos of the last year.

The videos are in no set order and do not necessarily reflect the number of views it received at the time but captured some heartwarming moments.

In total the video is eight minutes long, with some clips running up to three minutes and others running for less than a minute.

Video 1 – Highlights from the Great Yorkshire Show 2021

The first video is our highlights of the Great Yorkshire Show 2021. It was return of the show after a year out for coronavirus.

During the video you will see some of those who tried out in various competitions, a special royal visit as well as the sights and sounds of the show.

Video 2 – Harrogate tries out deep fried creme eggs

A Harrogate fish and chip shop put an unusual twist on the Cadbury’s Creme Egg by dipping them in batter and frying them.

Sophie Phillips, who owns Harrogate Fisheries on Skipton Road with her partner Tim, said the cream egg innovation “sounds totally wrong” but they were a hit.

Video 3 – Harrogate choir delights with performances in a car park

One of the unusual but beautiful sounds of the coronavirus pandemic for residents in Harrogate was the choir which would perform in a car park due to restrictions.

Since September the choir has been using the unconventional rehearsal space, on the 10th floor of the multi-storey car park on Tower Street.

The group was able to pull off its rehearsals by keeping the group to a maximum of 30 and social distancing.

Video 4 – Peculiar Masham ceremony delights

We captured a rare and curious tradition in Masham were an apprentice barrel make became a journeyman cooper.

Euan Findlay, who started work at Theakston Brewery five years ago, was centre stage for the historic ‘trussing in’ ceremony.

Fellow coopers from across the country gathered in Masham to witness Mr Findlay’s coronavirus-delayed initiation into the Federation of Coopers.

Video 5 – Emotional Harrogate reunion for Puss the cat

We also filmed the emotional reunion of Puss the cat, who escaped from the Great Yorkshire Show after sneaking into a Scottish farmer’s sheep trailer, and her owners.

Farmer David Mitchell and his wife Annette drove 200 miles from East Ayrshire to collect the intrepid moggy who they feared was lost forever.

Mr Mitchell arrived at the showground on Wednesday last week to show sheep. When he opened the trailer, Puss bolted and disappeared.

Daily figures from the UK Health Security Agency show that a further 369 infections have been recorded in the Harrogate district.

The number represents another record high for covid cases. It’s the third day in a row that record cases have been reported in the district.

Meanwhile, home PCR and lateral flow test kits have been unavailable on the government website all day.

The lack of availability has posed a problem for those wishing to test of New Year’s Eve celebrations at a time of surging Omicron cases.

Read More:

• Commissioner called upon to keep promise about Ripon CCTV cameras
• Ripon pilgrims brave the weather

However, slots are still available at local test sites.

No further deaths from patients who tested positive for covid have been reported at Harrogate District Hospital, according to NHS England.

Latest available figures show 13 covid patients are being treated at Harrogate District Hospital.

In this article, which is part of a series on the 15 stories in the Harrogate district that shaped 2021, we look at the ongoing covid problems.

Over the past 12 months, covid has continued to bring misery across the district.

On January 1, the district had recorded 4,653 covid cases since March 2020; now, at the end of the year, that number has risen to more than 25,500 positive cases.

What’s more, the infection rate is sky high again and businesses are ending the year in the same position as they did at the same time last year — wondering if they can survive.

The district started the year under tier three restrictions, meaning people could only meet in groups of six outdoors and pubs and restaurants could only operate as takeaways.

It had previously been in tier 2, which allowed hospitality venues to open as long as they served substantial meals.

The change came in on December 30 and ruined hospitality venues’ hopes of bumper new year takings to offset some of the previous months’ covid losses.

Illegal party

However, the guidelines weren’t followed by everyone. The Stray Ferret revealed in January that pub and hotel manager Simon Cotton held an illegal New Year’s Eve party with 10 guests at the Yorkshire Hotel.

Mr Cotton (pictured above) was alleged to have asked staff to work at the event despite it being against covid rules.

He denied the allegations but the following week North Yorkshire Police issued a £1,000 fixed penalty notice for a breach of coronavirus regulations at a hotel in Harrogate on New Year’s Eve.

Third national lockdown

A short while after, on January 6, the country entered its third lockdown. This was extremely tough for local people and business owners who were once again thrust into home-working, online orders and furlough pay-outs.

The roadmap out of lockdown was announced on March 8 and, from there, schools and businesses began to reopen.

In the same month, the district hit 100 covid deaths at Harrogate and District Hospital. The Stray Ferret wrote a series of article remembering some of the 100 that died.

Events, such as Northern Alborough Festival, returned, cinemas welcomed back customers and the beauty and hair industry reopened with queues of eager people needing a haircut.

Covid precautions in Kate Borgen’s Ikonik hairdresser on King’s Road

A brief spell of normality

Then came summer and a little normality resumed. People went on holiday, visited the theatre and large concerts returned. Face masks were no longer compulsory.

But for the second year running, school exams were cancelled and results based on teacher gradings. Once again, the district saw high percentages for A* to C grades.

By the end of summer, the vaccination scheme was well underway with many over-18s having had two doses. Then came booster jabs.

The rollout began in September, and sites such as Knaresborough Chain Lane Community Hub, Pateley Bridge Pharmacy, Harrogate’s Great Yorkshire Showground and Ripon Racecourse have been at the forefront of the campaign.

Now, more than 80,000 people in the district have had their covid booster.

Read more:

• Harrogate and Ripon hospitals restrict visitors due to Omicron
• Disabled Harrogate woman threatened with Christmas eviction from care home

Nevertheless the emergence of Omicron has seen rates rocket again. Winter also saw the district reach the grim milestone of 200 covid deaths at Harrogate District Hospital, which stopped routine visits to patients two days before Christmas.

But the Harrogate pantomime has gone ahead, unlike last year, and — at the time of going to press — Harrogate’s hospitality sector was hoping to be open on New Year’s Eve.

But few are expecting bumper takings as covid’s shadow continues to loom large.

The Harrogate district has had another record day for covid cases with 323 reported, according to the latest daily government figures.

The number is the highest recorded in the district since the UK Health Security Agency started reporting figures in March 2020.

Nationally, the UK has also reported a record number of infections. Figures show 129,471 cases have been recorded as the Omicron variant continues to surge.

The Harrogate district’s seven-day covid rate has also reached a record high and stands at 997 per 100,000 people.

Across the county, the rate stands at 879 and the England average is 1,217.

Read more:

• Covid postpones Harrogate Town’s second festive fixture
• Pilgrims brave the elements for Ripon’s Boxing Day walk

Meanwhile, UK Health Security Agency figures show that a total of 100,290 booster and third vaccines have been given in the Harrogate district so far.

No further deaths from patients who tested positive for covid have been reported at Harrogate District Hospital, according to NHS England.

Latest available figures show 13 covid patients are being treated at Harrogate District Hospital – an increase from eight last week.

Harrogate energy company CNG became the victim of a global phenomenon this year when it ceased trading after 27 years.

Wholesale energy prices spiralled this year, and the impact was dramatic, with CNG one of more than 20 UK companies exiting the market.

Paul Stanley, chief executive of CNG, told the Stray Ferret the company failed because four of its main customers went out of business within two weeks, leaving it with unpaid bills.

Attempts to raise capital or sell the business were unsuccessful due to continued market volatility and high prices in the energy sector.

The company supplied about 15 to 20 retail energy companies through its wholesale business arm and also has around 50,000 business customers. About 150 jobs were lost.

CNG’s headquarters on Victoria Avenue

Swift collapse

Despite being regarded as a local success story for the majority of its 27 years, CNG’s collapse was swift and unforgiving.

Alarm bells began to ring on October 14 when Mr Stanley sent a letter to customers saying it was exiting the wholesale market. Two weeks later the company entered liquidation.

With Christmas approaching, it couldn’t have come at a worse time for staff.

A series of meetings were held between company bosses and worried employees, who had questions about redundancy pay.

Staff have been paid for November but were not expected to be offered a redundancy settlement until after Christmas through a government scheme.

A source told the Stray Ferret it was a “stressful time to have no income.”

Read more:

• In Depth: Why Harrogate success story CNG ended in collapse
• Harrogate energy firm CNG ceases trading

Administrators

CNG then entered the Supplier of Last Resort process operated by the government’s energy regulator Ofgem.

The SoLR procedure was established by Ofgem as a safety net to ensure that when a company stops supplying energy, affected customers are guaranteed continuity of supply through other companies.

However, businesses that were supplied gas by CNG were warned that their energy bills will be expected to rise.

Interpath Advisory has now been appointed as administrator, and around 30 staff are working to close the company.

CNG was also synonymous with Harrogate Town football club, becoming the first-ever sponsor of their Wetherby Road ground from 2008 until 2020 when it was rebranded the CNG Stadium.

The company was also well-known in Harrogate as a supporter of local charities and community projects.

In this article, which is part of a series on the 15 stories in the Harrogate district that shaped 2021, we look at the resignation and subsequent fallout of former North Yorkshire Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner, Philip Allott.

The spotlight shone more intensely than ever in 2021 on one of the district’s lesser known political positions.

Elections for North Yorkshire Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner are characterised by low turnout, with many voters questioning the value of the role.

The commissioner is paid £74,000 to hold the county’s chief constable and chief fire officer to account, and receives a budget of £1.1 million. But the level of scrutiny towards the role elevated dramatically this year.

It all started routinely enough when Knaresborough man Philip Allott was elected to succeed fellow Conservative Julia Mulligan in May.

Mr Allott made an energetic start, pledging action on issues such as pet theft and antisocial driving. But his downfall would be swift.

In an interview on BBC Radio York in September, he said Sarah Everard, who had been murdered by police officer Wayne Couzens, should not have “submitted” to arrest and that women “need to be streetwise” about arrest powers.

Keir Starmer calls for resignation

Hundreds of complaints were sent to the commissioner’s office, which found itself under more scrutiny than it ever had in its nine-year existence.

On a near daily basis, politicians lined up to condemn Mr Allott, with Labour leader Keir Starmer among those calling for his resignation.

Lucy Arnold, from campaign group Reclaim The Streets, said Mr Allott’s comments were “horrifically offensive”.

Read more:

• Councillors pass ‘no confidence’ vote in police commissioner Philip Allott
• Police commissioner Philip Allott resigns

Mr Allott apologised but resigned days later as the storm continued. The time span from his comments on-air to his stepping down was just 13 days.

Mr Allott acknowledged that his position was untenable because of the confidence he lost from both the public and by his fellow politicians.

Weeks later Zoe Metcalfe, a Conservative councillor on Harrogate Borough Council and of North Yorkshire County Council who lives at Aldborough, was elected as the new commissioner. Turnout was just 14%.

The Harrogate district has reported a record 280 covid cases, according to the latest daily government figures.

The number is the highest recorded in the district since the UK Health Security Agency started reporting figures in March 2020.

However, daily case reporting has resumed today after the coronavirus dashboard was paused for Christmas Day and Boxing Day.

Figures show 98,515 cases have been recorded in the UK as the Omicron variant continues to spread.

Read more:

• Harrogate mum finds disabled toilets in ‘disgusting state’
• Covid postpones Harrogate Town’s second festive fixture

Meanwhile, UK Health Security Agency figures show that a total of 100,234 booster and third vaccines have been given in the Harrogate district so far.

No further deaths from patients who tested positive for covid have been reported at Harrogate District Hospital, according to NHS England.

Latest available figures show 13 covid patients are being treated at Harrogate District Hospital – an increase from eight last week.

Higher ground in Nidderdale experienced a white start to Boxing Day this morning.

A yellow weather warning for snow and high winds was in place from shortly after midnight and it did indeed create some treacherous conditions.

This photo shows Greenhow Hill, near Pateley Bridge, in the early hours.

It is one of several this morning on the North Yorkshire Weather Updates Facebook page.

One showed treacherous driving conditions on the road from Blubberhouses to Greenhow Hill.

Current conditions on the road between Blubberhouses and Greenhow Hill. @juliatetley @UKWX_ @UKsnow_updates @bezberesford @JonMitchellITV @Hudsonweather @SimonLeeWx @uksnowmap pic.twitter.com/uz2PEKdr2v

— NorthYorksWeather (@northyorkswx) December 26, 2021

The show appears to have been confined to the west of the Harrogate district and is not expected to last long as wetter weather moves in.

Read more:

• ‘Severe weather’ delays Otley Road cycle path in Harrogate
• Boxing Day snow warning for Harrogate district

The Met Office has issued a Boxing Day weather warning for snow and strong winds in the Harrogate district.

The warning comes into effect just after midnight and is in place until midday tomorrow.

A band of snow is expected to move in from the north-west in the early hours, turning to rain later on in the morning.

The warning says:

“Snow and strong winds are expected, leading to possible disruption, mainly to travel over higher ground.

“Some roads and railways likely to be affected by snow or ice, leading to longer journey times by car, as well as by bus and possibly train services.

“Some short term loss of power and other services is possible.”

Yellow warnings are less severe than amber and red warnings so it is unlikely there will be widespread disruption but it is possible some parts the district, especially higher areas around Pateley Bridge, may experience early morning travel problems.

The cold weather is unlikely to last. Temperatures are expected to be as high as 13 degrees centigrade by Wednesday and stay extremely mild into the new year.

Read more:

• More roadside weather stations in Harrogate district to help drivers
• ‘Severe weather’ delays Otley Road cycle path in Harrogate

The Harrogate district has reported a record 236 covid cases, according to the latest daily government figures.

The number is the highest recorded in the district since the UK Health Security Agency started reporting figures in March 2020.

Nationally, the UK has also reported a record number of infections. Figures show 122,186 cases have been recorded as the Omicron variant continues to surge.

Read more:

• Harrogate and Ripon hospitals restrict visitors due to Omicron
• Disabled Harrogate woman threatened with Christmas eviction from care home
• North Yorkshire is week behind London’s covid surge, health official warns

Meanwhile, UK Health Security Agency figures show that a total of 100,026 booster and third vaccines have been given in the Harrogate district so far.

No further deaths from patients who tested positive for covid have been reported at Harrogate District Hospital, according to NHS England.

Latest available figures show 13 covid patients are being treated at Harrogate District Hospital – an increase from eight last week.