Former BBC Look North presenter Harry Gration has met six inspirational people from the Harrogate district for his new podcast Harry’s Heroes.

Harry has recorded conversations with finalists Cath Wilson, Greta Knight, Helen Mackenzie, Lauren Doherty, Mark Oldfield and Susie Little who were all put forward by local people who feel their work is extraordinary. Each are doing exceptional things in different ways to help others in the community.

Harry has partnered with sponsor Harrogate Spring Water to champion the work of these exceptional individuals.

You can learn more about each hero and listen to the podcasts by clicking or tapping here and afterwards vote for your favourite. We hope you enjoy listening to their stories and about their work.

The hero who gets the most votes will win a trip to London for a fantastic concert at the Royal Albert Hall.

Voting closes on November 28 at 11.59pm. The winner will be announced by Harry Gration the following day on November 29.

Harry said on the launch of his new podcast:

“My final six local heroes have told me their stories, we’ve recorded them and they’re ready to listen to.

“It was an absolute pleasure to meet all of our heroes along with the people who put them forward in the first place.

“I encourage you to take the time to listen to all of their stories, they really are fantastic and very moving.

“I’m delighted to give these individuals the recognition they deserve and hope you enjoy listening to them as much as I did making them.

“You can vote in the form below but before you do, take the time to listen to all six stories.

“I look forward to announcing the lucky winner on 29 November with Harrogate Spring Water.”

Woodfield Community Primary School and nearby Grove Road Community Primary School look set to amalgamate next year.

Under plans to be discussed by councillors next week, Woodfield would be effectively swallowed up by the bigger Grove Road, which would operate as a split-site 280-pupil school.

The Woodfield site would initially operate as a nursery for children from both schools while Grove Road would cater for all children from reception to year six.

Then from September 2023, all nursery children and reception pupils would be based at the current Woodfield site, which would eventually accommodate all key stage 1 pupils. All key stage 2 children would be based at the current Grove Road site.

North Yorkshire County Council revealed plans last month to merge the two schools. A meeting on Tuesday next week will see councillors asked to approve putting the wheels in motion.

If approved, a six-week consultation will start on December 2 and a final decision taken on April 19.

The council says amalgamation is necessary because Woodfield has been unable to find an academy willing to take it on since it was rated inadequate by Ofsted in January last year.

But some parents have vowed to fight the move because they feel the school has made significant progress — a view supported by an Ofsted monitoring visit in June, which said ‘leaders and managers are taking effective action towards the removal of special measures’.

Read more:

• Parents vow to fight closure of ‘fantastic’ Woodfield primary school
• Woodfield school taking ‘effective action’ to improve, says Ofsted

Some parents with more than one child have also expressed concern about having to drop off and collect from both schools, which are 0.6 miles apart.

A report to councillors says:

“The intention is to have a walking bus, across the iron bridge to the back of the Woodfield playing field, that enables parents to drop their child at either school and then children who need to will be able to walk safely to the other site accompanied by school staff.

“We will look at the timings of the school day to ensure that parents who choose to drop off or collect children from both sites are able to do so.

“Grove Road school also have wrap around care provision that will continue to be available from 7:30am to 5:30pm. Other opportunities, including clubs, will be looked at closely across both sites.”

80 fewer primary school places

The report also says that if the proposals go ahead, there would be 350 primary school places available across the two sites compared with the current 280 at Grove Road and 150 at Woodfield — an overall reduction of 80 places.

However, Woodfield only currently has 49 pupils, compared with 92 in January 2019.

The report adds that forecasts suggested “there would appear to be sufficient primary places available in the local area” and cites as evidence declining birth rates in Harrogate district, from 1,425 in 2016/17 to 1,308 in 2018/19.

It says the financial position of schools is “dependent on both pupil numbers and the level of staffing”

Woodfield, it adds, has projected in-year budget deficits of £119,000 in the financial year 2021/22, £103,300 in 2022/23 and £128,400 in 2023/24, and a forecast cumulative budget deficit of £98,000 in 2021/22, £201,400 in 2022/23 and £329,900 in 2023/24.

Grove Road, by contrast, is predicted to make surpluses in the corresponding years.

The report says any deficit on the Woodfield school budget “would be absorbed by the county council”.

It adds:

“A separate HR consultation process for staff and their professional associations will commence in the spring term and the governing
bodies will most likely propose an internal transfer of staff from Woodfield to Grove Road, following Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) (TUPE) principles.”

The Harrogate district has reported 109 cases of covid, according to Public Health England figures.

The district’s seven-day average case rate is 480 per 100,000 people, which is the second-highest rate in North Yorkshire.

Across the county, the average rate is 444 and the England average is 363.

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

Since March 2020, 197 people have died with covid at the hospital.

Read more:

• Major drop in applications for social care jobs across North Yorkshire
• Anti-vaccine protest at Harrogate roundabout

Meanwhile, the number of covid patients at Harrogate District Hospital remains stable with 22 currently receiving treatment – a slight fall from 25 this time last week.

The government announced today that third vaccine doses will now be offered to all over-40s in the UK after advice from the government scientists.

The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation also said 16 and 17-year-olds, initially offered only a single dose, should now receive a second.

It is hoped the move will top up protection and help limit the spread of the virus over winter which bosses at Harrogate District Hospital previously warned will be “more challenging than ever before”.

Police are appealing for help tracing the family of a Harrogate man who was found dead at home last week.

Michael ingleton, 64, died at Harewood Road.

North Yorkshire Police said today it it had been asked by the coroner’s office to help locate his next of kin.

It said in a statement:

“His death is not thought to be suspicious.

“If you knew Mr Ingleton and have any information that would help the coroner to locate any members of Mr Ingleton’s family please email
coroner@northyorkshire.police.uk.”

Read more:

• Cold Bath Road police chase leads to three drug arrests
• New Harrogate cocktail bar given go-ahead

Stray Views is a weekly column giving you the chance to have your say on issues affecting the Harrogate district. It is an opinion column and does not reflect the views of the Stray Ferret. Send your views to letters@thestrayferret.co.uk.

Scrap the Station Gateway

The Station Gateway project should be scrapped entirely in its present form even if this means losing out on the current funding. The current proposal is a highway engineer’s solution to a problem that simply does not focus on the important issues from an holistic point of view.

It is ‘pocket planning’ and requires an urban design-led concept which addresses all concerns, operating less on the imposed ‘we know best’ principle by the project leaders, and more on engagement with all sectors, especially those who care and whose livelihoods depend on Harrogate.

It needs to be a replacement vision with the real support of the businesses and people of our town. It needs to be one which above all addresses the problem of through traffic and the serious consideration of a park and ride service. Until this happens there is no successful considered alternative solution to Harrogate’s problems

A replacement funding stream is likely to materialise for a replacement vision and one which has the real support of the businesses and people of Harrogate. Once again, as with the Otley Road cycle route, the current proposal is another case of ‘putting the cart before the horse’. In other words, ‘grab the money while we can and then, oh, what shall we do with it?’ without having any masterplan in place.

If the current leadership is not capable of accepting this then I consider we, the citizens of Harrogate, should call for a vote of no confidence in the current project leadership. This could be arranged through an online petition.

Barry Adams, Harrogate

Read more:

• Harrogate Army Foundation College instructor demoted for punching teenage soldiers
• ‘Station Gateway consultation a whitewash’, claim Harrogate petitioners

Harrogate should have had a bypass

This multi-million pound moving of the deckchairs around the Titanic will only serve as a timely reminder of the dismal failure to deliver a bypass (ably aided and abetted by our member of parliament) and the absurd notion that 95% of Harrogate’s traffic is “local”. Never mind, the Skipton and Wetherby roads can cope, as ever.

Nick Hudson, The Saints, Harrogate

Do you have an opinion on the Harrogate district? Email us at letters@thestrayferret.co.uk. Please include your name and approximate location details. Limit your letters to 350 words. We reserve the right to edit letters.

Events are happening across the Harrogate district this week to mark Remembrance Day and the centenary of the Royal British Legion.

The pandemic reduced last year’s commemorations to small scale events but this year organisers are encouraging people to attend services and parades to remember those who have given their lives.

Below is a list of events. If you know of others that we have missed let us know so we can add them to this guide. Email us at contact@thestrayferret.co.uk.

Sunday November 14

Harrogate

Harrogate War Memorial:

A service at the war memorial will begin at 10.30am before a two-minute silence is observed. Local dignitaries, members of the armed forces and community groups will attend and lay wreaths.

Harrogate Borough Council has asked those attending to social distance and wear face masks if possible.

Stonefall Cemetery:

Harrogate Brigantes Rotary has arranged a service for 1pm. Wreaths will be laid by the Harrogate Mayor and Mayoress, Andrew Jones MP, the Army Foundation College and representatives from the Commonwealth.

St Mark’s Church, Leeds Road

Remembrance services on at 9am and 10.30am.

Killinghall:

A Remembrance Sunday service will take place at St Thomas’s Church, Killinghall at 10am. Members of the public are invited to join staff and junior soldiers from the Army Foundation College.

At approximately 10.40am the congregation we will walk to the war memorial on Ripon Road for a short Act of Remembrance service followed by refreshments at the village hall.

Starbeck:

A service will be held later in the afternoon on Sunday. A parade will start at Starbeck Methodist Church at 2.40pm to arrive at the war memorial for a service at 3pm.

Knaresborough

The Knaresborough branch of the Royal British Legion has organised a parade on Remembrance Sunday.

A church service at St John’s Church will begin at 9.30am on Sunday. Then a parade of the Knaresborough Royal British Legion standard will march up the High Street towards the castle grounds for a short service at the war memorial at 11am.

Ripon

Ripon’s Remembrance Sunday service is held at the city’s war memorial, followed by a service at the cathedral.

Those wishing to attend are asked to assemble at Spa Gardens from 10.30am. Around 300 troops are expected to attend alongside local dignitaries and the city’s branch of the Royal British Legion.

Following the service, there will be a march past and salute in front of Ripon Town Hall, with the procession leading to the cathedral, where a further service will be held.

Read more:

• Ceremony marks start of remembrance events in Ripon
• Knaresborough’s 30,000 knitted poppies honour the dead

Masham 

In Masham, a small service will be held on the market square. People are being asked to congregate from 10.30am.

Boroughbridge 

The Boroughbridge branch of the Royal British Legion has organised a service of remembrance and wreath laying at the town’s war memorial on the Butermarket led by Rev Karen Gardiner.

People are invited to start arriving from 10.30am. There will be no parade this year.

Knaresborough viaduct is one of the most photographed places in the Harrogate district.

The viaduct, which crosses the River Nidd, has stood for 170 years and is a magnet for photographers.

But it is less commonly captured from the sky, as Darren Leeming achieved with this photograph when he flew a drone over the site this week.

St John the Baptist church can also be seen.

Mr Leeming, from Starbeck, also took this drone photo of the Stray from Wetherby Road.

The Stray by Darren Leeming

You can see more of his drone photography on Facebook here or on YouTube here.

The gravity of the staffing crisis in social care has been underlined as North Yorkshire County Council launches its biggest ever recruitment drive for the sector.

The number of people applying for social care jobs has plummeted, partly due to yesterday’s introduction of mandatory vaccines for care staff.

A full meeting of the council next week will hear at least three of its executive members highlight concerns over the 70 per cent drop in applications for jobs in social care across the 500 providers in the county since July and providers continuing to go out of business, partly due to staff costs.

On any given day there are at least 1,000 jobs available across the county.

A high percentage of the county’s care homes are in the Harrogate district.

In an attempt to fill the vacancies, providers in the county are offering extra financial incentives to staff to take on the roles, from a £1,500 golden handshake for a care setting nursing role in Northallerton to carers being offered £2,000 for referring three friends.

Councillor Michael Harrison, executive member for adult services, said:

“We have people who have joined us from all different types of experiences, some from the entertainment sector; actors, drummers, from the travel sectors; pilots, cabin crew, and everything in-between.

“There is a great career to be had in care and great stability and we support people who join us with career development. From the word go you can make a big difference to somebody’s life in this job; the work that you do really counts towards improving lives and no two days are the same.”

There are 20,000 people in North Yorkshire working in the care sector, from the 13,000 care and support workers in 500 organisations providing services in residential care and people’s homes through to social workers, project managers and administrators.

The alerts come after the authority said it was having to intervene in a number of care homes to keep them staffed and the government undertook to provide workforce recruitment and retention funding to support local authorities and providers to recruit and retain sufficient staff over winter.

In a statement to the meeting, the authority’s leader, Councillor Carl Les, said:

“I am pleased that as the government launches a nationwide initiative we are undertaking more locally the biggest ever recruitment campaign to attract people into a rewarding and progressive career.”

Read more:

• Positive covid cases in the district rise by 177
• Ripon hosts first farming memorial service

The council has recently warned the situation would only worsen with about 200 fewer care workers in the county due to rules requiring all care workers to be vaccinated.

Before yesterday’s deadline, numerous foreign-born care staff in North Yorkshire had said they would leave the UK if they had to have the covid jab to work.

Pay concerns

Care workers have also suggested the lack of pay progression, with staff with more than five years’ experience being paid just 6p more an hour than those with less than a year in the role in 2020-21 is a cause of recruitment difficulties.

In a statement to the meeting, Councillor Michael Harrison, the authority’s adult social care executive member said the county’s situation reflects fierce competition within the labour market alongside hospitality, retail, heavy goods transport and construction.

He said:

“Pressures are building within nursing, residential home and domiciliary care capacity as a result of workforce pressures within the external market, and we continue to see provider failures in the system.

“Packages of care are being handed back to the council to either re-source or find alternative solutions to keep people safe. This is putting significant pressure on and impacting our in-house provision as we try to find solutions for people or fill the gaps using staff from our services.

“This is impacting our ability to provide re-ablement and respite services. Complex care packages are being handed back at short notice alongside those requiring two carers or in more rural locations. In addition we are seeing care home providers withdraw from providing nursing care or withdraw completely from the market.”

Warning of “difficult choices” in the upcoming Budget, the council’s finance boss Councillor Gareth Dadd will tell the meeting that securing the necessary workforce remains acutely challenging.

In an attempt to ease staffing pressures, the council is working with providers and has just launched a recruitment campaign focusing on the diversity of career opportunities in care.

Coun Harrison said:

“We are working with providers and partners to look at options and ideas to work more efficiently and promote people’s safety should we not manage to recruit more people to the sector.

“A system plan is in place with short, medium and long term actions to address issues relating to workforce, which includes capacity for registered manager support to care homes, recruitment to reablement, and recruitment to NHS posts to ensure sufficient intermediate capacity is available to meet the growing demand.”

Masham will host the Harrogate district’s first Christmas market of the year tomorrow.

About 30 stallholders, plus Father Christmas, are expected to attend the event in the town’s market place.

Many of the usual monthly stallholders will be in attendance, plus others, so visitors can expect hand bell ringing and folk music as well as a wide variety of craft and food and drink stalls.

Masham has one of the few licensed market places in the country so alcohol will also be available.

The market opens at around 9am and Santa is expected between 11am and 1pm.

Masham Parish Council has organised the event. The town will host a second Christmas market in the market place and town hall on December 4.

Councillor Ian Johnson said the long stay car park near the cricket field was a good place for anyone travelling in by car to park.

Read more:

• Government rejects £6m levelling up bid for Ripon and Masham
• Masham restaurant founders to sell business after 16 years

A Christmas express train is to operate from London to Harrogate this year to attract people to the town’s new festive market.

Tourism organisation Visit Harrogate has partnered with rail company LNER to set up the service for the new Christmas Fayre on Friday, December 10.

The first class service will depart King’s Cross at 9.33am and arrive in Harrogate just under three hours later. Tickets cost £140 and include a goodie bag of Harrogate treats. It will cost £100 from Stevenage and £80 from Grantham.

Passengers can spend one or two days in Harrogate.

A giant inflatable snow globe is being installed at King’s Cross station today and tomorrow, offering people the chance to have selfies taken inside a winter wonderland scene, while learning more about the special event.

Visit Harrogate is planning the biggest Christmas campaign in its history after covid ruined last year’s festivities.

Gemma Rio, head of destination management at Harrogate Borough Council, said:

“We are delighted to be working with LNER to bring more visitors to Harrogate for a festive break. Overnight visitors spend money in our hotels, restaurants, shops and visitors attractions – which is exactly what our local businesses need after a difficult year.

“The direct service from London is a real asset to our visitor economy, so we’re committed to working closely with LNER in the lead up to Christmas and beyond to ensure potential visitors from the south east know just how easy it is to reach us.”

Read more:

• Ferris wheel, carousel and road train part of huge Harrogate Christmas offering
• Bettys reveals Christmas window in Harrogate
• Cancelled Harrogate Christmas Market finds new home at Crimple

Harrogate Borough Council and Visit Harrogate are planning to work with LNER on a regular basis to attract visitors from London throughout the year.

Kate McFerran, director of communications at LNER said:

“We are excited to announce that Harrogate will be the destination for our very first Christmas market event. It’s such a stunning location for a weekend visit, offering something for all the family and it promises to be especially magical this Christmas.”

Harrogate’s Christmas offering

Harrogate Christmas Fayre, which is being jointly staged by the council and Market Place Europe, will take place on Cambridge Street, Market Place, Station Square and Cambridge Crescent from December 3 to 12.

It will be open between 10am and 7pm Monday to Wednesday, 10am and 9pm Thursday to Saturday, and 10am and 4.30pm on Sunday.

About 50 traders will take part in the fayre.

In addition, Little Bird Made is set to hold a festive artisan market in Harrogate’s Valley Gardens on Saturday 4 and Sunday 5 December, with times to be confirmed.

The artisan market will feature approximately 60 local and regional traders and producers who will sell a variety of festive arts and crafts, clothing, homeware, jewellery, as well as food and drink.