Another 113 covid infections reported in Harrogate district

The Harrogate district has reported a further 113 covid cases, according to today’s government figures.

The district’s covid rate now stands at 483 infections per 100,000 people.

Across the county, the average stands at 439 and the England rate is 440.

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

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Today public health officials in North Yorkshire said the army could be drafted in to help with the Harrogate district’s booster vaccine rollout amid concern about the new coronavirus variant Omicron.

The council is looking at ways to increase capacity for vaccines after the minimum gap for boosters was halved to three months.

The Great Yorkshire Showground in Harrogate will re-open as a vaccine site for coronavirus booster jabs on Monday.

Jennyfields residents urged to be patient over gas leak payments

Jennyfields residents still waiting for £60 gas compensation payments have been told they will be issued automatically.

About 3,500 homes in Jennyfields were without gas for 48 hours after a major gas leak on Ripon Road in October.

Northern Gas Networks, which distributes gas to homes and businesses in Yorkshire, the North East and northern Cumbria, automatically issues £60 compensation payments through customers’ gas suppliers for loss of supply for more than 24 hours.

But six weeks after the leak, which the company said affected more people than any other incident it had dealt with in the last 18 months, some people have yet to be paid.

Eileen Brown, customer experience director for Northern Gas Networks, told the Stray Ferret some payments had been delayed because gas suppliers had gone out of business.

Ms Brown said Northern Gas Networks would process the payments when it was notified of the new suppliers. She added if it made the payments before then they could be delayed even longer because they would get tied up in lengthy administration processes.

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She pledged all 3,500 homes would be fully compensated automatically and asked residents not to call Northern Gas Networks requesting payments.

“Payments will be coming to them. They don’t have to do anything for it.”

Asked how long people could expect to wait, Ms Brown said it was likely to be weeks rather than months but added the timings were “beyond our control” because of the need to wait until customers were transferred to new suppliers.

Some customers on the priority services register are also entitled to £48 compensation payments for the provision of alternative heating. Again, Ms Brown pledged they would be made.

‘1 in 43 years occurrence’

The leak occurred when sub-contractors damaged a pipe during deep excavation work about three metres below the surface of Ripon Road, near the Hydro.

Northern Gas Networks converted the Styan Community Centre in Jennyfields into an emergency hub to respond to the incident.

A total of 355 Northern Gas Networks engineers and volunteers helped that weekend, aided by 30 voluntary organisations. The company gave away 800 electric heaters, “slightly fewer” electric hobs, 50 oil filled radiators and 1,500 food vouchers worth £10 each.

The company’s response was widely praised by people in the area.

Ms Brown said the loss of gas supply happened on average once every 43 years and most customers would not experience this again in their lifetimes.

Asked how much the incident had cost Northern Gas Networks, she said she was unable to say but added:

“We do the right thing for customers. The cost is the cost. It’s about being there for customers.”

 

Former Victorian hotel in Harrogate to become modern co-working space

Royal House in Harrogate is to be refurbished and turned into a co-working space.

The property on Station Parade was built in 1847 and known as the Royal Hotel in the Victorian era.

It has been used as offices since the 1960s.

The building has been leased by Wizu Workspace, a Leeds-based company that operates six co-working spaces in Leeds, Sheffield and Bradford. It said it plans to spend “a six-figure sum” refurbishing the building.

Wizu has a membership model where customers pay a monthly fee to use their offices on demand.

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Tom Almas, chief executive of Wizu, said it had expanded into Harrogate as the company believes there is an undersupply of modern office space in the town.

He said:

“We’re excited to bring something truly unique to Harrogate, creating a blend of sleek modern interiors mixed with historic period features to provide an impressive place to work.

“We chose Harrogate due to the undersupply of modern, flexible office space in the town and saw an opportunity to bring our popular, all-inclusive model to businesses.”

“The building itself is incredible. It’s in a prominent central location with stunning views of The Stray and just a few minutes from the train station and major road links – making it an attractive, accessible space to run a successful business from.”

Children’s author visits Birstwith school

Pupils at Birstwith independent prep school Belmont Grosvenor were taken on an educational journey Down Under when children’s author Eleanor McKone visited.

The Leeds-based writer of the children’s series of Piper’s Passport books read her stories and encouraged pupils across all age groups to write.

Her visit was one of only a small number of in-person workshops she has run since the start of the pandemic.

Sophie Johnson Bannister, head of English at Belmont Grosvenor, said:

“Author days are an excellent way of giving children purposeful reasons to write. Listening to Eleanor explain the process of writing, how she corrects mistakes, proof reads and works on her books for long periods helps our older BGS pupils understand the processes they go through when writing.

“Having an author into school gives the children the opportunity to ask questions about story construction, about what it takes to be an author and ideas behind the books,” she added.

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Ms McKone said:

“It’s so lovely to be working with pupils in person, rather than over zoom, and I hope I have inspired them to travel, when Covid fully allows, as well as encouraged their love of reading and writing.”

Belmont Grosvenor, along with its Magic Tree Nursery, caters for children aged three months to 11 years and is based at Swarcliffe Hall, Birstwith.

 

Collinsons brothers win ‘Golden Teddies’ for toy industry work

Two Harrogate brothers who have carried on the work of their grandfather and father have won a top award for their lifetime of work in the toy industry.

Many people in the Harrogate district will have fond memories of Collinsons toy shops in Ripon and Harrogate. Although those shops are long gone, two brothers are still self-confessed ‘toy boys’.

Mark and Paul Collinson got involved in the industry early on at seven-year-olds when their father Ian Collinson showed them the ropes.

After working in the retail side of the business for several years, the brothers moved into the sales side, where they have worked for decades with national and international brands.

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Now with around 43 years in the toy industry under their belts, Mark and Paul have won the British Toy & Hobby Association’s coveted Golden Teddy Award.

Inaugurated in 2001, the Golden Teddy awards are for people who have served the industry for more than 15 years and go over and above expectations.

The pair, who have launched major brands like Funko and VTech, were presented with the award at Orchid Restaurant in Harrogate last week. Mark told the Stray Ferret:

“We were both humbled to receive the award. It’s not like us to shout about our work but we are at the end of our careers now and are proud to look back.

“There are lots of people in Harrogate and Ripon over a certain age who still have fond memories of our father’s and grandfather’s shop.

“Back then going to the toy shop was a rare treat for children. The industry has changed massively over the years but young children still have that love for play.”

Toys galore!

Collinsons in the Harrogate district

Fred Collinson opened the first shop in Ripon selling sportswear, toys and leather goods in 1952.

His son, and Mark and Paul’s father, Ian Collinson furthered the family name when he opened a toy shop called Collinsons on James Street, Harrogate in 1972.

An advert, which can be seen in Harrogate Library, said “two whole floors of toys, boxed games and books make Collinsons a veritable children’s (and parents) paradise.”

Ian Collinson died of cancer at 66-years-old in 2001. His sons Mark and Paul eventually went into the sales side of the toy industry and now, after 43 years, they have won a Golden Teddy Award.

Both Mark and Paul are nearing the end of their careers but Paul’s son William Collinson is keeping the tradition alive. He is now the general manager in the UK for the Zuru Toy Company.

107 covid infections reported in Harrogate district as rate falls slightly

The Harrogate district has reported a further 107 covid cases, according to today’s government figures.

The district’s covid rate now stands at 480 infections per 100,000 people.

Across the county, the average stands at 442 and the England rate is 436.

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 14 covid patients are being treated at Harrogate District Hospital.

Today, it was revealed the Great Yorkshire Showground vaccination site is aiming to give 20,000 booster jabs.

There is currently no data available on the number of booster vaccines administered in the Harrogate district.

However, 17.8 million have been given nationally.

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Starbeck mum hoping to grow Solo Mamas support network

A single mother from Starbeck set up a Solo Mamas group seven years ago to meet other mothers who understood how difficult parenting alone can be.

Georgina Newsham felt alone and wanted to create an inclusive, supportive network of likeminded single mothers.

Since then Ms Newsham, who moved to the Harrogate district from West Yorkshire three years ago, has seen the group expand to the point where it now has 155 members in north and west Yorkshire.

The group provides advice and support as well as hosting monthly meetings and annual holidays.

Ms Newsham said:

“Being a single mother can often have a lot of negativity around it and I wanted to turn it into a positive. We started with just three of us meeting once a month at soft-play. Now there’s 155 of us.

“Everything is on you and it can be really draining so having this network has become a lifeline for a lot of us.”

Solo Mamas camping trip to Kettlewell in June this year.

Ms Newsham moved to Knaresborough three years ago but now lives in Starbeck after her relationship broke down. She said the group was “amazing” with offers of spare rooms and help to pay rent.

Following a surprise, large donation Ms Newsham was able to set up a crisis fund to help members who are struggling financially. She said she plans to apply for charitable status next year.

“There’s always someone out there that understands. The focus is for us to support each other through anything.

“Just having that network there, you can’t put it into words how it feels. It’s the difference between being completely alone and knowing you have someone.”

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Ms Newsham runs the group in her spare time alongside working as an adult social worker and an end-of-life doula.

As well as meet-ups and holidays, the group also has a private Facebook group for mums and organises regular workshops. Ms Newsham recently held a workshop with a solicitor to discuss writing a will and advance planning after one member took her own life.

Looking ahead, she wants to grow the membership, organise more meet-ups and maybe even hold a small wellbeing festival.

“I’m really hopeful that going into next year we can build our membership and start being there for more mums and their kids.”

Harrogate district churches urge people to light up their windows for Christmas

Harrogate district churches are urging people to light their windows to spread a message of love and hope at Christmas.

Harrogate Hub, which represents churches across the town, started the initiative, called The Light Shines, last Christmas.

It encourages people to decorate one of their windows and display it during the dark Advent nights, and include the the words ’The Light Shines John 1:5′ somewhere in it.

The displays are plotted onto a Google map and shared online so people can see them as they walk around different neighbourhoods, such as Jennyfields, Oatlands and Bilton. There were also displays in Ripon and Spofforth last year.

The trails will be lit up from December 12 to 19 between 5pm and 8pm.

More than 140 homes took part in the initiative last year.

The Light Shines

Anyone can get involved with #thelightshines by decorating a window or walking a trail. To register visit www.theharrogatehub.org/thelightshines.

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The Revd Alan Garrow, vicar of St Peter’s Church in Harrogate, said:

“In the past couple of years we have been reminded that many of the things we take for granted as permanent and normal are in fact temporary and provisional.

“The Light Shines is about focusing on something that doesn’t change: God calls us home.”

The project was developed by trustees of Harrogate Hub, who are mainly church leaders. They include; Alan Garrow, St Peter’s Church; Ben Askew, Kairos Network Church; Adam Price, Hope Church; Wynn James, Life Destiny Church; Ben Clowes, Nidd Valley Methodist Circuit; Nick Gee, Harrogate Vineyard Church and Michelle Hayes, Resurrected Bites.

 

MPs watch: Extra jobs, adult social care and HS2

Every month the Stray Ferret tries to find out what our local MPs have been up to in their constituencies and in the House of Commons.

In November, MPs and their second jobs came under close scrutiny as Conservative MP Owen Paterson resigned after coming under fire for breaching parliamentary standards.

Meanwhile, all Harrogate district MPs voted for a controversial new Health and Social Care bill, which saw some Conservative backbenchers rebel against the government.

We asked our three Conservative MPs, Harrogate & Knaresborough’s Andrew Jones, Skipton and Ripon’s Julian Smith, and Selby and Ainsty’s Nigel Adams if they would like to highlight anything in particular that they have been doing this month, but, as usual, we did not receive a response from any of them.

Here is what we know after analysing their online presence.

Andrew Jones, Harrogate and Knaresborough MP.

Andrew Jones, Harrogate and Knaresborough MP.

In Harrogate and Knaresborough, here is what we found on Mr Jones:

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Julian Smith, MP for Ripon and Skipton.

Julian Smith, MP for Skipton and Ripon.

In Skipton and Ripon, here is what we found on Mr Smith:

Nigel Adams, MP for Selby and Ainsty which includes rural Harrogate.

Nigel Adams, MP for Selby and Ainsty which includes rural Harrogate.

In rural south Harrogate, here is what we found on Mr Adams:

Woman ‘horrified’ at £100 parking fine outside Harrogate pharmacy

A woman in Harrogate said she was “horrified” to be hit with a £100 parking ticket whilst she was collecting an NHS prescription from Well Pharmacy on Wetherby Road.

Shirley Hopkinson collects a repeat prescription from the pharmacy, which is part of Kingswood Medical Centre, twice a month. She said she always phones ahead to check it is ready to collect.

When she came to pick it up on November 17, the pharmacy was busy so she waited for 33 minutes.

This is longer than the 15 minutes free parking allowed in the adjoining car park.

Ten days later, Ms Hopkinson received a parking fine for £100 from a private company called Civil Enforcement, which it said would be reduced to £60 if paid straight away. 

She queried the fine with the pharmacy, which told her customers regularly received fines for overstaying in the car park. It added she could appeal, although there was no guarantee this would be successful.

Ms Hopkinson said:

“I am horrified that an NHS doctor’s surgery and pharmacy have allowed a privately owned parking enforcement company to issue patients, family and friends with huge fines for simply collecting prescriptions.”

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Ms Hopkinson said the car park should be free to use for longer than 15 minutes, which she said is not long enough if there is a queue or you need advice.

She added:

“Wetherby Road is a very busy road with next to no on-street parking available for people to use. 

“When I was in the pharmacy an elderly lady that was collecting her husband’s prescriptions told me she had also been fined. Why should people who are ill, elderly or simply collecting medication be penalised? The car park has a few signs stating a waiting period of 15 minutes.”

A spokesman for Well Pharmacy told the Stray Ferret that it does not own the car park, so it does not control how long people can park there or whether motorists receive fines.

It said it was “deeply regrettable” that Ms Hopkinson had to wait 33 minutes, but said the pharmacy was under extra pressure due to covid.