Overflowing bins in Valley Gardens prompt summer fears

A resident has raised concerns about litter in Valley Gardens in Harrogate after bins overflowed at Easter.

North Yorkshire Council has been criticised for its decision to reduce the number of litter bins to save money.

It is spending £478,000 on replacing about 1,500 litter bins in the former Harrogate district with 775 larger bins.

The Stray Ferret has covered the issue extensively, with the council saying in January it would review the policy after complaints.

Eileen Dockray, who took the photos accompanying this article on Sunday morning, raised concerns about the impact of the new approach on Valley Gardens.

She said:

“More than half of the bins in the gardens have been removed.

“I am not sure when they had last been emptied but they were not like that on Saturday morning. Monday was very similar after the good weather and families taking advantage of it.”

Ms Dockray added she feared the situation would get worse as summer approaches and visitor numbers increase.

A North Yorkshire Council spokesman denied there was a problem. They said:

“There was not a reduced service over Easter. The bins were emptied as normal with no overflowing bins reported.”

The spokesperson did not respond to our request for details about the number of bins that have been removed from Valley Gardens.

In 2022, smart bins were trialled in the town as a joint venture between the now defunct Harrogate Borough Council and North Yorkshire Council.

According to a Harrogate borough councillor at the time, the bins used sensors to send alerts when they need emptying to avoid overflowing. Later the same year Harrogate Borough Council installed six smart bins, costing a total of £26,100, in Valley Gardens.

Last year a May bank holiday gathering required a major clean-up operation the following day.

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5 things to do in and around Harrogate this weekend

Get out and about with our guide of the top cultural goings-on from 5-7 April.

Attend a calligraphy course

(Image: Pixaby)

Handwriting seems to be somewhat of a dying art form, partly due to the rise in technology. Learn the skills of beautiful handwriting at this two-hour calligraphy workshop in Knaresborough.

Aimed at beginners and improvers, you will learn the strokes that are based on ancient manuscripts and get the knowhow to create Celtic designs.

£25, booking is required as spaces are limited, 10am-12noon, April 6, Briggate Art, 9a Briggate, Knaresborough, HG5 8BQ, 07931 778 276, chameleonartclasses@gmail.com.

Meet the artist exploring the life of a curlew

(Image: Paco Valera)

Did you know that the curlew is the largest European wading bird, found on estuaries in winter and the moors in summer?

Head up to the Yorkshire Dales this weekend and meet one of the artists behind the Curlew Calling exhibition, Sally Zaranko.

Sally’s work is shown alongside Paco Valera’s photography as well as experienced and highly regarded North Yorkshire artists including Judith Bromley, Hester Cox and Robert Nicholls.

You can chat, draw and write about the beautiful bird at the event.

Free, 10am-3pm, April 6, Dales Countryside Museum, Station Yard, Hawes, DL8 3NT.

Attempt to grow the tallest sunflower

(Image: Pixaby)

You know warmer climes are on the way when you’re sowing sunflower seeds. And this weekend is the last chance to take part in the Sunflower Challenge at F Tate & Sons in Ripon.

Plant your sunflower seed at the planting table at the nursery, take your seed pot home and then post the results on social media by August 15, tagging @FTateandSons and @RiponBID for a chance to win one of three kids’ gardening prizes.

Free, 10am-4pm, April 6, F Tate & Sons, Larkhill Nurseries, Studley Road, Ripon, HG4 2QR.

Visit Goldsborough Hall gardens

(Image: Goldsborough Hall gardens)

This week is Community Gardens Week for the National Open Garden Scheme, and to mark the occasion Goldsborough Hall is opening its gardens to the public on Sunday 7 April. Visitors can expect to see colourful displays from spring bulbs, the woodland walk and a stroll up the quarter-mile long Lime Tree Walk that is lined by a carpet of more than 50,000 daffodils.

There will also be garden talks in the Kitchen Garden at 12pm and 2pm by Goldsborough Hall’s head gardener, and a plant stall on the terrace too.

£7.50 per adult, children free, 11am-4pm, April 7, Goldsborough Hall, Knaresborough, HG5 8NR.

Last chance to see For the Love of Art at 108 Fine Art Gallery

(Image: For the Love of Art at 108 Fine Art Gallery)

Forming part of 108 Fine Art Gallery’s collections that breathe new life into the stories they tell, For the Love of Art explores personal narratives and shared experiences.

Showcasing the works of artists Paul Wager and Laimonis Mierins, expect to see work that’s from the heart and explores memories and personal connections that have been made.

Free, 11am-5pm, until April 6, 108 Fine Art Gallery, Cold Bath Road, Harrogate, HG2 ONA.

Do you have an event that you’d like us to potentially feature in the future? Drop me an email at francesca@thestrayferret.co.uk

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Ex-Tory council leader named Harrogate Homeless Project chief executive

Former Harrogate Borough Council leader Richard Cooper has been named as the new chief executive of Harrogate Homeless Project.

Richard Cooper, who led the council from 2014 until last year, will relinquish his role as office manager for Harrogate and Knaresborough Conservative MP Andrew Jones to take up the role on July 1.

He will succeed Francis McAllister, who is retiring after two years in charge of the charity. Its hostel on Bower Street is close to Mr Jones’ East Parade constituency office and Harrogate Conservative Club

In a press release announcing the move, the charity said Mr Cooper began voluntary work at the hostel in 1996 after becoming “drawn by its vision of ending rough sleeping in the Harrogate district”.

It added Mr Cooper continued to support Harrogate Homeless Project during his time as a councillor, and “regularly gives talks on homelessness, rough sleeping and street begging to community groups”.

Mr Cooper said:

“After so many years being closely connected to the homeless project as a volunteer and supporter it feels like a bit of a dream to become the organisation’s chief executive.

“Preventing homelessness and supporting people sleeping rough is a difficult task and I know we have a small and dedicated team of staff, volunteers and donors who have an amazing impact.

“And I have big shoes to fill. Francis McAllister has led Harrogate Homeless Project through a significant period of change and growth. Our Springboard day centre is a hive of activity providing a wide range of support from an array of partners. The team is better-placed than ever before to support clients. Francis has made a real difference to homelessness in our area.”

Mr Cooper’s last working day with Mr Jones, which will be on June 28, will mark the end of one of the most influential careers in local politics this century.

David Thomas, chairman at the project, added:

“I know Richard understands the challenges facing Harrogate Homeless Project. The economic climate remains difficult, there is a shortage of affordable property for rent and support services are stretched.  Our charity has a big job to do to meet these challenges and with his background in the community and decades-long support for Harrogate Homeless Project I know he will be an energetic leader for the Harrogate Homeless Project team.

“We will miss Francis but respect his decision to retire after a lifetime working for local and national charities. He will forever be a friend to HHP and to the many people whom he helped during his tenure.”

Asked how much Mr Cooper will be paid by the charity, Mr McAllister replied:

“I cannot discuss individual salaries but it is at a similar level to our existing CEO and commensurate with CEO roles at charities of a similar size and complexity.”

According to its latest accounts filed with the Charity Commission for the year ending August 31, 2022, no employees received annual remuneration of £60,000 or more.

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Stray, Woodlands and Hookstone by-election preview: Gilly Charters, Green Party

Green Party candidate for the Stray, Woodlands and Hookstone by-election, Gilly Charters, points to the controversial planning approval of Wetherby Road’s Leon drive-thru, soon-to-be Starbucks, as an example of where things have gone wrong in the division.

Critics say the site, which opened as a Leon in 2022 after the government overturned the council’s decision to refuse it, has increased congestion, contributed to rubbish being tossed out of car windows and has taken business away from cafes in town.

It’s a car-led development that Ms Charters wants to see less of. She favours improving active travel infrastructure so it’s safer and more environmentally friendly to get around whilst improving air quality.

She says streets like Oatlands Drive and Hookstone Road in Harrogate should become a more pleasant place where people can cycle to work, go to school, or meet friends without fearing they’ll be knocked over by a car.

Then there are the potholes, which can make riding your bike in Harrogate akin to navigating a ski slalom.

She said:

“People feel happier with active transport. The potholes are just ludicrous too and it means some people don’t want to be on bikes. It’s a real concern. I’d like to see much slower speeds outside schools. Children and elderly people deserve to be looked after.”

Ms Charters has lived in Harrogate since 1981, including 20 years on Hookstone Drive, but now lives just outside the division.

She was a teacher at King James’s School in Knaresborough for 25 years and now works part-time supporting boys who are struggling with mainstream education.

She’s been spirited by the success of fellow Green Party councillors in North Yorkshire including Arnold Warneken in Ouseburn. He’s been a strong voice in favour of active travel and green policies in Harrogate and the county since he was elected in 2022.

Ms Charters believes that it shows that the Greens are now a trusted electoral force in North Yorkshire.

With the council in the early stages of formulating its Local Plan that will map out where housebuilding can take place across Harrogate for the next few decades, Ms Charters hopes to encourage greener housebuilding, which she said has been a missed opportunity in previous years.

She said:

“People throughout Harrogate are aware of the amount of house building going on. Really good insulation, solar panels and heat pumps have been missed time and time again.

“If we want fuel security, we have to look at these things. If we let builders build on green land, they have to do their bit.”

The by-election will take place on Thursday, April 11. For more information visit the council’s website.

A full list of candidates is below:

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Harrogate to host three-day electric vehicles event

Harrogate is to host a three-day event promoting electric vehicles and green energy next month.

Everything Electric North will take place from May 24 to 26 at the Yorkshire Event Centre at the Great Yorkshire Showground.

The event aims to encourage greater use of electric cars.

According to North Yorkshire Council. there are currently 133 electric vehicle charging units in Harrogate, 74 of which are in the town itself.

Expert panels will debate whether electric vehicle charging at work and destinations should be standard practice and whether you really need a driveway to own an electric car.

Last year’s Everything Electric North event in Harrogate.

North Yorkshire Council’s electric vehicle infrastructure officer will feature on the panel.

The council’s electric vehicle infrastructure rollout strategy is part of the North Yorkshire Local Transport Plan.

Barrie Mason, the council’s assistant director for highways and transport, said:

“More and more people are turning to electric vehicles as ways of driving down the cost of motoring and helping the environment and North Yorkshire is no exception.

“Harrogate, in particular, has shown a steady month-on-month increase in the number of charging sessions since the EV infrastructure became live at the beginning of last year.

“Our aim is to encourage more people to make the move to electric vehicles and our infrastructure rollout is an important part of convincing people across the county that there is a dependable, viable alternative to petrol and diesel.”

According to the council, in 2023 there were almost 11,000 charging sessions recorded, with a further 3,520 up to the end of February.

This means that 340,770 miles were travelled by electric vehicles which used these facilities last year, with a further 123,475 miles covered up to the end of last month.  In total, this has saved more than 175 tonnes of carbon dioxide.

This is the second consecutive year that Everything Electric North will be held at the Yorkshire Event Centre, and its 15th exhibition around the world.

Event chief executive Dan Caesar said:

“The venue and location received a huge thumbs-up from our audience.

“We display electric vehicles of all shapes and sizes from micro-mobility options like bikes and boards, up to trucks and tractors, but the centrepiece is an array of hundreds of electric cars and thousands of test drives.”

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Village idiot visits Harrogate

A YouTuber who plans to visit all 10,474 civil parishes in England is turning his attention to Harrogate.

Andy Smith, who calls himself The Village Idiot, has visited more than 1,000 parishes since he started in 2020. He expects it will take him 30 or 40 years to complete his challenge.

Mr Smith uploads a video after each trip and last Friday he published a 14-minute account of his trip to Kirk Deighton. His escapades have attracted 9,300 subscribers.

He also visited North Deighton, Little Ribston, Spofforth with Stockeld, Follifoot, Plompton, Goldsborough and Flaxby on the same two-day trip, and will upload videos about each one on forthcoming Fridays.

Mr Smith said:

“The idea is to create a visual record of every single village and small town in the country, with some historical bits and quirky features thrown in to the mix.

“I’ve already been featured in national newspapers, the most notable being the Guardian. I’ve also appeared on Channel 4 on Steph’s Packed Lunch.”

Former teacher Mr Smith, who lives in Rotherham, said he usually spent two days a week on the road with his GoPro camera.

He plans to tick off all 139 parishes in the Harrogate district in the weeks ahead and upload the videos over time on to his YouTube site. He said:

“I plan to visit Sicklinghall, Pannal and Burn Bridge next and then move on towards Ripon.

“Before I came to Harrogate I didn’t know much about it. But I like going back. Every time I arrive I think it’s so clean and tidy and welcoming.”

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Meet the team – Tamsin O’Brien, founder

For the past few weeks, we’ve been introducing you to the team behind The Stray Ferret.

This week we’re featuring Tamsin O’Brien, the founder of the organisation.

Tamsin is the founder of the Stray Ferret and has spent three decades working as a journalist and in the media.

She began her career in 1990, working as a reporter for BBC Radio Berkshire. In the following thirty years she’s seen a huge transformation in technology. 

She said:

“When I started working each radio journalist had a German recording machine called a Uher. It was big and very heavy. It recorded on reel to reel.

“It seems incredible now looking back on it. I’d get back to the newsroom and cut the tape up and put it around my neck before sticking it together to make a clip or radio package. It seems like centuries ago, rather than decades.” 

After moving into TV news, Tamsin then went on to run parts of England for the BBC as Head of BBC Yorkshire and then BBC North West in Manchester.  

After twenty years in the BBC she returned to North Yorkshire to live in Harrogate where she has stayed ever since. But she missed journalism and in 2020 decided to set up The Stray Ferret.  

She explained:

“I felt this area was really underserved for quality local journalism. Local newspaper circulation was falling and journalism posts were being cut.

“There was an opportunity to provide a completely new digital news service  – I did not expect Covid to come along and change everything but it did and the rest is history.

“Whilst we made no money in the first 18 months, we did get a huge readership. I think everyone got a little more digital during Covid.”

Outside work Tamsin loves to travel, stay fit and enjoys a long walk in the Dales, followed by a pub lunch.  

Her passion though is journalism and she is a self-confessed news junkie.  

“I love the business of news and I am very interested in politics. Journalism play a vital role in a democracy.

“There’s now an even greater need for responsible, sourced journalism as we face the challenges of AI and deep fake technology.

“The Stray Ferret is for everyone – we are making it better and our aim is to maintain the quality. You never know when you need a journalist. We are here so get in touch.”

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Major changes announced to bus routes in Harrogate district

Two new bus routes are set to be introduced in Harrogate this weekend.

The Harrogate Bus Company said in a press release the services would provide ‘new and improved links for housing developments and business parks’.

The company, which is part of French form Transdev, said it has partnered with North Yorkshire Council to bring the new 4, which will link King Edwin Park and the Harrogate West Business Park off Penny Pot Lane in Killinghall to the town centre.

It will also serve Skipton Road and Ripon Road.

The new route, which is being funded by the King Edwin Park housing developer, will run hourly from 7am to 7pm, Monday to Saturday.

In addition, the 6 and X6 will merge to provide an all-day service to Harrogate’s Pannal Ash, RHS Harlow Carr and Beckwith Knowle.

It will operate every 30 minutes, Monday to Saturday, and hourly on Sundays. Extra buses will run every 20 minutes during peak times.

Harrogate Bus Company said it will operate as the current route, but extending to Beckwith Knowle, where there is a business park.

The firm added:

“The route will change on Otley Road and in Pannal Ash so we pick up on the opposite side of the road – this follows customer requests.”

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Changes to existing routes

Along with the new routes, the Harrogate Bus Company also announced it would be making changes to existing routes. Some of the details at this stage are vague.

These include:

1 Harrogate – Knaresborough: There will be a full timetable change from Monday to Saturday. Buses will still run every 10 minutes.

2 Harrogate – Bilton: Changes will be made to buses at peak times on weekdays.

3 Harrogate – Jennyfield: Changes will be made to buses at peak times on weekdays.

8 Harrogate – Knaresborough – Wetherby: This route will be taken over by 21 Transport on behalf of the council. The firm said Transdev tickets will no longer be valid on this route.

21 Knaresborough – Boroughbridge: Changes ‘to improve reliability’ will be introduced.

24 Harrogate – Pateley Bridge: Changes ‘to improve reliability’ will be introduced.

36 Leeds – Harrogate – Ripon: Changes ‘to improve reliability’ will be introduced.

S1 Ripley – Rossett School: A new school bus will serve pupils from Ripley to Harrogate Grammar School and Rossett School. It added people in Jennyfields who currently use the 620H should switch to the S1.

S2 and S6 Bilton – Rossett School: The S2 and S6 will merge into a single route, which will follow the route of the regular 2 bus around Bilton. A large double decker bus will be provided which is sufficient for all customers, it added.

S8 Woodlands – Rossett School: Changes ‘to improve reliability’ will be introduced.

620H Dacre – Rossett School: This route will be taken over by another operator on behalf of the council. Harrogate Bus Company said it does not know which firm will take over, but added it will no longer serve Jennyfields. It advised residents to use the S1 instead.

727H Jennyfield – Harrogate Grammar School

The Harrogate Bus Company, which has not released any further information on the changes, said timetables will be available ‘soon’.

The changes will come into effect on Sunday, April 7.

Robbie Williams and The Killers tributes among line-up for Harrogate food festival

The Harrogate Food and Drink Festival has announced the music line-up for this year’s event.

The festival, which takes place on the Stray, is set to offer a range of world foods stalls, including Japanese, Italian and British cuisine, as well as independent bars and an ale house.

But food and drink are not all people have to look forward to, as the festival has just revealed the entertainment for the weekend.

Among those set to perform are The Killaz UK, a tribute act for The Killers, saxophonist Will Forrester and Liam Gray as Robbie Williams.

The event will feature a range of musical genres, including acoustic singers, punk-rock bands and blues groups.

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People can also expect live cooking demonstrations, children’s entertainment, comedians and a funfair at the festival.

The Harrogate Food and Drink Festival will take place on June 29 and 30.

Stray, Woodlands & Hookstone by-election preview: John Ennis, Conservative

The Conservative John Ennis is hoping his previous 12-year stint as a Harrogate councillor will stand him in good stead for the upcoming by-election.

Voters will go to the polls on April 11 following the resignation of Pat Marsh.

Mr Ennis believes his experience means he can better navigate the large Conservative-controlled North Yorkshire Council on behalf of his residents.

He said being a councillor is not for the faint-hearted and requires someone who already understands the intricacies of local government in Northallerton. He added:

 “There is a mystery about the new council with some people perceiving it as being a bit remote.”

Mr Ennis was born in Northern Ireland and had a career in the NHS where he worked in Leeds.

He’s the only candidate standing in the by-election who lives in the division, which he says gives him a better insight into the issues.

Potholes are one of the area’s biggest problems and he said he has experience in battling for repairs.

He also said that residents in Hookstone are poorly served by the number 8 bus route and hopes to lobby the bus operator to make changes if elected.

The Saints area has long faced traffic problems linked to local schools. Mr Ennis said he would be in favour of neighbourhood parking schemes to cut down on parking congestion.

He said:

“There are issues in particular around St Aidan’s. Residents around there say it’s a very dangerous situation with people parking right up to the junctions.”

Nationally at least, there is a sense that the winds of change are blowing, with some people wanting a fresh start and a change from the Tories.

The Conservatives will also face a challenge from Reform UK candidate John Swales who is targeting disgruntled Tory voters.

However, Mr Ennis said he is “not trembling in my boots” about Reform and suggests the party could take votes from all parties.

Despite the Conservatives polling poorly nationally, Mr Ennis hopes his experience as a councillor and promises to tackle nuts and bolts local issues like potholes and parking that will count the most.

He added:

“The division has had a Lib Dem for the last two years so if people want a change, I am a change.”

The by-election will take place on Thursday April 11. For more information visit the council’s website.

A full list of candidates is below:

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