Goldsborough Hall appoints new head chef

Josh Barnes has been appointed executive head chef at Goldsborough Hall, the 17th century stately home near Knaresborough.

Mr Barnes will also oversee food and catering at the hall’s sister property, The Bay Horse Inn in Goldsborough.

He was previously head chef at the Galvin La Chapelle restaurant in London, where he retained its Michelin Star and 3AA rosette status. The restaurant also won recognition for its vegetarian and vegan tasting menus.

Mr Barnes, who grew up in Lincolnshire, said he was delighted with his new role, adding:

“It is exactly the type of property I wished to be part of, a beautiful historic stately home surrounded by countryside, with an ethos of sustainably sourced fresh local produce, where the food miles can be counted in feet and inches.

“My style is seasonally driven, using modern techniques and styles with a classic French undertone all served in the majesty of the hall’s historic dining room, where former kings and queens have dined.”

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Goldsborough Hall owner Mark Oglesby said Mr Barnes would be a “perfect fit for the hall and our dining experience”. He added:

“Josh will oversee all culinary activities including lunch and dinner service, in-room dining plus extensive banquet and catering offerings for weddings, private functions and corporate events.”

Harrogate district covid rate at highest ever

Harrogate’s coronavirus infection rate is rising sharply and has equalled record levels – but hospitalisations and deaths remain low.

The borough’s weekly rate per 100,000 people is currently at 534 – higher than any other area in North Yorkshire and equal to its previous record in July.

However, hospitalisations remain much lower than previous waves with 10 covid-positive patients receiving treatment in Harrogate District Hospital as of last Wednesday.

The hospital is also reporting fewer deaths, although there has been a slight increase in recent weeks with the latest death coming on Wednesday last week when the hospital’s toll since the pandemic began reached 188.

Elsewhere in North Yorkshire, Selby has the second highest infection rate at 470, followed by Scarborough at 440, Hambleton at 421, Craven at 373, Ryedale at 327 and Richmondshire at 289.

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The North Yorkshire average is 437 and the average figure for England is 327.

166 infections reported today

A further 166 covid cases have been reported in the Harrogate district today, according to latest Public Health England figures.

The rise in cases comes as health officials last week announced Ripon racecourse will reopen as a covid vaccination centre.

Knaresborough and Pateley Bridge also have pharmacy-run sites offering booster jabs and vaccines but the full list of sites where the jabs will be delivered in the Harrogate district has yet to be revealed.

The rollout of third doses to around 30 million people across the UK is now underway.

Those eligible for the booster jabs include over-50s, younger adults with health conditions and frontline health and care workers.

Patients will be invited on a priority basis and they have been urged not to contact the NHS, but to wait to hear from the health service.

According to latest NHS figures, a total of 128,131 people in the Harrogate district have now received their first vaccine dose and 120,309 people their second.

Figures for third doses are not yet available.

Tewit brass band wins national award

Tewit Silver Band has won national recognition for a second consecutive year.

The band, which was only formed three years ago to give ex and current Tewit Youth Band members the opportunity to play in at a higher level, won the third section of the National Brass Band Championships in Cheltenham.

The result promotes the band to the second section next year and means it has now gone from fourth section to second section in consecutive years.

Band member Owen James also won the soloist award for his rendition of the test piece called Kaleidoscope.

A total of 61 bands and 2,000 performers took part in the event.

Tewit Silver Band has now won all but one of the competitions it has entered. The most recent competition pitted it against 15 other bands.

The band has a concert booked at Starbeck Methodist Church on Saturday, November 13 and will also perform its annual carol concert at Stockeld Park.

Colin Gibbs, chairman of Tewit Silver Band, said that the adjudicators gave extremely positive feedback about the band, such as ‘an almost flawless performance’.

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Jayne Fearnley, Tewit Silver Band secretary, said:

“Like all bands we were unable to play for many months due to covid but we remained a strong unit. Players practiced at home, we met once a week on zoom to address the social needs of our members and we returned to the band room as a full, committed band making this win a very proud moment.

“Tewit Youth Band has long been a successful formula, but once players reach the age of 18, they have to leave. Whilst many of our young members move onto university, plenty stay local. Tewit Silver Band offers the perfect solution: they can continue playing in a safe a secure and familiar setting alongside experienced players who mentor them.”

Tewit Youth Band is holding an open day tomorrow from at The Methodist Chapel in Huby from 2pm to 5pm.

For more information on Tewit Silver Band, click here.

Highest daily covid cases in Harrogate district since January

The Harrogate district has recorded its highest daily covid cases for eight months.

A total of 156 cases were reported in today’s Public Health England figures — the most since January when a third national lockdown was put in place.

It’s the highest daily infections since January 4, when 172 cases were recorded.

Meanwhile, Harrogate District Hospital has confirmed another covid death according to latest NHS England statistics.

The death was reported on Tuesday.

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It takes the number of deaths at the hospital from patients who tested positive for covid since March last year to 187.

The district’s seven-day covid rate has increased to 372 cases per 100,000 people.

The North Yorkshire rate is 322 and the England average stands at 287.

Elsewhere, 127,832 people have received a first covid vaccine in the Harrogate district and 119,662 have had a second dose.

Harrogate district care homes fear job crisis over mandatory jabs

Care homes in the Harrogate district have sounded the alarm over a looming recruitment crisis over mandatory coronavirus vaccinations for staff.

Government legislation requiring all care home staff and volunteers to have had both jabs comes into force on November 11.

With the date approaching, the health watchdog Healthwatch North Yorkshire conducted a survey of 16 care homes in North Yorkshire and York about the impact of the legislation.

Most care homes supported the sentiment but expressed concerns about its impact.

The social care sector was experiencing staff shortages pre-pandemic and there are concerns that after a tough couple of years, mandatory vaccines will create another recruitment barrier.

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One care home told Healthwatch it expected to lose staff; another said it had been forced to turn down candidates and a third said it had created a bureaucratic burden on already overstretched staff.

The Coach House Nursing Home in Ripon said in the report:

“I do not agree with making vaccinations mandatory just for those working in a care home, while leaving it entirely open to any friend or relative of a resident to visit without vaccinations.

“This is yet another recruitment hurdle for providers to try to overcome along with the additional administrative burden in policing, enforcing and maintaining records of compliance.

“The impact of this legislation could be huge and widely felt, restricting agreed contractors, maintenance and servicing personnel, along with the effect on the hospitality side of care homes.”

Ashley Green, chief executive of Healthwatch North Yorkshire and Siân Balsom, Healthwatch York manager said in a joint statement:

“The concerns we’ve heard from care home managers aren’t a surprise, but some are very stark in their warnings of the impact of mandatory vaccinations.

“Care homes we spoke to question the decision where all healthcare staff and care home visitors don’t have to be vaccinated. There was strong sentiment that this is being seen as further unfair treatment of an undervalued sector.

“There is an irony that while almost all the care homes we spoke to recognise the importance of the vaccinations to protect vulnerable people, the new rules might put residents at risk due to staff shortages and low morale.”

Most acute recruitment crisis ever

The National Care Forum, which is the membership organisation for not-for-profit organisations in the care sector, has today written an open later to the government asking for support with what is describes as the worst job crisis in the sector’s history.

MHA, the UK’s largest charity care provider which has two care homes in Harrogate, is among the signatories of the letter.

The letter said:

“This is the most acute recruitment and retention crisis that we are aware of historically.

“It is the result of many years of underfunding in the sector, compounded by a number of other factors.

“That is including some staff exhausted from the pandemic and others moving to the NHS due to different approaches on mandatory vaccine regulations.”

The NCF called on the government to offer a retention bonus to care staff, welcome staff from overseas and launch a national recruitment campaign.

Harrogate district covid rate increases as 96 infections reported

The Harrogate district has reported 96 covid infections, according to today’s Pubic Health England figures.

The district’s weekly infection rate now stands at 336 per 100,000 people, while the North Yorkshire rate is 287 and the England average stands at 275.

Today’s NHS England statistics show no further covid deaths were recorded at Harrogate District Hospital. 

The death toll at the hospital from covid since March 2020 stands at 186.

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Meanwhile, the hospital is currently treating 10 patients for covid according to the latest government figures.

Elsewhere, 127,844 people have received a first covid vaccine in the Harrogate district and 119,653 have had a second dose.

Bilsdale: more disruption before TV signal returns on October 5

Bilsdale mast owner Arqiva has warned of further disruption to TVs on October 4 before signals return to 90 per cent of households the following day.

In an update today, Arqiva said the first of over 200 air lifts of materials to the site of the 80-metre temporary transmitter had taken place, including huge concrete blocks to anchor it down.

But it added that other temporary sites that have restored signals to some areas would need to be switched off to test the transmitter.

Adrian Twyning, chief of 0perations at Arqiva, said:

“This is a huge logistical effort involving over 100 people and, subject to bad weather or any other unforeseen difficulties, we are making good progress towards completing the works on Tuesday 5th October.

“The 80m temporary mast more closely matches the coverage pattern of the existing mast than the temporary sites we have built at Eston Nab, Arncliffe Wood and Sutton Bank.

“Properly checking the 80m temporary mast requires us to turn off those other temporary sites for a period the day before, Monday 4th October. That means some households will see disruption to their service on that day, for which we apologise in advance.”

Some homes will have been without TV for almost two months by October 5.

The fire at the Bilsdale transmitter near Helmsley on August 10 caused about 500,000 homes in the north-east, including many in the Harrogate district, to lose their TV and radio signal.

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People without Freeview TV coverage for more than a month can apply for a partial refund or an extension to their TV licence.

But applications are only valid if you have been unable to access BBC iPlayer or any live TV in any other way, including via cable, satellite and online streaming services.

Harrogate district reports highest daily covid cases in two weeks

Another 129 covid cases have been reported in the Harrogate district today — the highest daily number in almost two weeks.

Today’s spike in cases is the highest since the district recorded 132 cases on September 7, according to Pubic Health England figures.

It takes the total number of cases since the pandemic began to 15,122.

The district now has the second highest seven-day case rate in North Yorkshire, with 291 infections per 100,000 people. Scarborough’s rate of 322 is the highest.

The Harrogate district rate remains above North Yorkshire’s at 263 and England at 257.

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The death toll at Harrogate District Hospital from covid-related illnesses since March 2020 remains at 186.

There have been 247,388 first and second vaccinations given in the Harrogate district.

Harrogate district covid rate remains above national average

The Harrogate district weekly covid rate has remained above the England average after today’s figures revealed another 66 infections.

A recent downward trend had seen the district’s rate fall from 424 cases per 100,000 people last Sunday to 274 yesterday.

However, today’s data from Public Health England means the rate has risen to 285. The rates for England and North Yorkshire both stand at 259.

The area in the district with the most infections in the last seven days is Harrogate East, with 45.

Menwith, Beckwithshaw and Denton Moor has recorded the fewest, with just eight.

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Harrogate district records 77 covid infections

The Harrogate district has reported 77 covid infections, according to today’s Pubic Health England figures.

The district’s weekly infection rate now stands at 274 per 100,000 people, while the North Yorkshire rate is 258 and the England average stands at 259.

NHS England statistics no longer report deaths from patients who tested positive for covid on a weekend.

The death toll at Harrogate District Hospital from covid since March 2020 stands at 186.

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Meanwhile, the hospital is currently treating eight patients for covid according to the latest government figures.

Elsewhere, 127,624 people have received a first covid vaccine in the Harrogate district and 119,328 have had a second dose.