Cycleway set to be built on Harrogate’s Station Parade  

A cycleway looks set to be built on Harrogate’s Station Parade as part of the reduced £11.2 million Station Gateway scheme.

Cllr Keane Duncan, North Yorkshire Council‘s executive member for highways and transport, said today the full business case for the scheme had been submitted to West Yorkshire Combined Authority.

He said it included a southbound cycleway on the same side of the road as the bus station, and maintaining two lanes of traffic.

The details have not been released but the decision to keep two lanes of traffic and build a cycleway raises questions about the future of the taxi rank and loading bay on the other side of Station Parade.

The taxi rank

The loading bay

The council scrapped its previous proposals, which included reducing some of Station Parade to single lane and part-pedestrianising James Street, after admitting its plans were legally flawed.

The original scheme was hailed as a key active travel scheme that would be part of a cycle route to Cardale Park so its abandonment disappointed cyclists.

The revised scheme includes better coordinated traffic signals, footways and crossings, public realm improvements to areas including the One Arch tunnel, a bus lane and a southbound cycleway along Station Parade.

Cllr Duncan, who has been chosen to represent the Conservatives in the York and North Yorkshire mayoral election on May 2, said:

“This represents a significant cross-party effort and many hours of discussions.

“While there has been inevitable compromise, there is encouraging agreement on key elements of the revised scheme which takes us closer to securing £11 million of investment for Harrogate.

“Station Parade will remain two lanes, with no pedestrianisation of James Street.”

Cllr Keane Duncan, executive councillor for access at North Yorkshire County Council.

Cllr Keane Duncan

He added the revised plan “delivers key benefits to all road users”, adding:

“We now standby for approval of the business case before construction can begin, hopefully later this year.

“There will be further public engagement and consultation on the detail of the plan in coming months.”

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Council seeks academy sponsor for new Harrogate special school

North Yorkshire Council has invited academy trusts to sponsor a planned new special school in Harrogate.

The authority agreed proposals to create the facility at the former Woodfield Community Primary School in Bilton in August 2023.

The school is expected to cater for up to 80 pupils aged between 11 and 19.

Council bosses said the school is needed to meet demand for special educational needs places locally.

Now, the authority has invited academy trusts to sponsor the school and operate it.

According to the invitation report, which has been published on the council website, the school would be opened on a phased basis from April 2025.

It adds that the authority has committed a £3.5 million budget to establishing the school.

This includes a two phased project to modify the buildings on the Woodfield site ahead of an April 2025 opening, plus a potential extension of its facilities afterwards.

Each pupil is expected to attract base funding of £10,000 each in line with the Department for Education’s high needs funding. Top up funding will also be given based upon the needs of the pupils.

The report said:

“The council’s current range of provision needs to be extended to cater more effectively for young people with a primary need of autism who require specialist support to maximise their potential.

“Those who require a more formal secondary curriculum and associated academic accreditation routes would benefit most from the proposed development.”

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A shortlist for those academy trusts who have applied is expected to be drawn up this month.

The move comes as a six-week consultation, which ended on July 24, 2023, saw 90 out of the 105 responses – a total of 86 per cent – support the proposed school.

Woodfield Community Primary School closed in December 2022 after an “inadequate” rating by Ofsted and a decline in pupil numbers.

Harrogate man takes on round the world yacht race

A Harrogate man is taking on a 40,000-mile yacht race around the world.

Sean McPartland, 53, is taking part in the Clipper Round the World Race, which organisers describe as one of “the biggest challenges of the natural world and an endurance test like no other”.

The retired Birstwith resident is part of the Dare to Lead crew who are tackling the epic journey from the UK to South America on a 70-foot ocean racing yacht.

Mr McPartland said in a video on the team’s website:

“I will be completing the full circumnavigation of the globe racing for 40,000 nautical miles. If you didn’t think that was mad enough, I have never sailed before.

“I just love challenges, the last challenge I did I cycled from the Arctic to Africa. I wanted to do something else and when I saw the Clipper race on YouTube I thought why not. I love inspiring people it is just a great adventure”.

The Clipper Round the World Race began on September 3 last year in Portsmouth and is divided into eight legs and between 13 and 16 individual races including six ocean crossings.

The team is halfway through its journey and is currently on the east coast of Australia.

The race, which first took place in 1996, was created by Sir Robin Knox-Johnston, the first person to sail solo non-stop around the world. Since 1996 almost 6,000 race crew and over 60 nations have trained and raced as part of the Clipper Race.

Eleven identical racing yachts are supplied by the organisers and have fully qualified skippers and first mates to safely guide the crew. The crew complete four levels of intense ocean racer training before competing.

UNICEF is the charity partner for this year’s race and Sean said he was “proud to be raising money to support their vital work for children”.

You can track his progress here and find his fundraising page here.

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Harrogate man jailed for stalking ex-partner

A vengeful Harrogate man has been jailed today for stalking his ex-partner, breaking into her home and smashing her work van — while she was inside.

Colby Beattie, 22, waged a relentless stalking campaign against the young woman following the breakdown of their relationship, York Crown Court heard.

In September last year, about six months after their relationship ended, Beattie broke into her home on Albert Road, Harrogate, and started smashing items in her kitchen including kettles, plates and the oven door while she was upstairs.

Prosecutor Brooke Morrison said the victim called police who arrested Beattie. He was released on bail on the proviso that he didn’t contact the victim or go to her address.

However, about two weeks later she came downstairs to find him standing in her kitchen doorway. The terrified victim screamed and called police as Beattie fled from the property.

About a week later, on October 1, the victim noticed there were two flat tyres on her Citroen Berlingo works van. She suspected that Beattie had tampered with the tyres as she had only just recently had their pressure checked.

The following day, one of the tyres came off the vehicle and she noticed that some of the bolts were missing from the wheel.

Three days later, she noticed that a screw had been inserted into one of the tyres and another had been slashed.

On October 11, she received a message from Beattie while she was out of the house. Part of the message read: “Whose are the joggers?”

It was obvious to the victim that Beattie had been inside her home because the jogging bottoms belonged to a man with whom she was in a new relationship and had been left in her bedroom.

She called police out again and they searched her home to check if Beattie was still there. He wasn’t, but an hour after they left the victim received a series of phone calls from him.

Ms Morrison said:

“Later that day she left the house again and when she returned in her work van, she saw him come round the corner on a pushbike.

“He got off the pushbike and approached her van (while she was still inside), climbed onto the van and started kicking and stomping on the windscreen until it smashed.”

He then started “kicking and pulling” at the driver’s door and tried to open it. When it failed to open, he jumped on the roof and started stamping on the vehicle again.

The petrified victim called police and was “screaming down the phone for help” from inside the van, at which point Beattie jumped off the vehicle and rode off on his bike. Ms Morrison added:

“She stayed in the van for a period of time out of fear.

“When she got out, her garden gate was open and her dogs came running out.”

The victim knew this meant that Beattie must have been inside her home again. When she went inside the property, she found that the dinner she had left out had been tipped in the kitchen sink, her bank card and passport had been cut up and “left in pieces” on the kitchen island, her TV screen and iPad had been smashed up, and a packet of prescription pills and the contents of her washing machine and dryer had been emptied onto the floor. She also discovered that £240 had gone missing from a money box.

She received yet more phone calls during and after this horrifying discovery but didn’t answer them.

‘Only one sentence can be imposed’

Beattie, of Parliament Terrace, Harrogate, was charged with burglary, stalking and damaging the victim’s property. He admitted all three matters and appeared for sentence today.

The court was told that the victim hadn’t been able to work since the incident because of the damage to her van. The repair bill was as yet unknown.

At the time of the offences, Beattie was subject to a community order imposed in June last year for threatening to damage property.

Defence barrister Benjamin Bell said that Beattie “lost (everything) when the relationship went downhill” because the victim was his “first love”.

Judge Simon Hickey told Beattie:

“For this type of behaviour against this young woman there’s only one sentence that can be imposed and that’s immediate custody.”

He said the victim must have been “terrified” by Beattie’s behaviour which was aggravated by the fact that he was on bail and under a court order at the time of the offences.

Beattie was jailed for 17 months but will only serve half of that time behind bars before being released on prison licence.

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Police warn of spate of pushy cold callers in Harrogate

Police in Harrogate have urged people to be wary of cold callers turning up on doorsteps offering garden maintenance work.

In a statement today, North Yorkshire Police said it was aware of individuals and groups targeting elderly residents in the area.

It added some could be “pushy and threatening” or “charge inflated prices or pretend to find more and more jobs that need doing on a property”.

A North Yorkshire Police spokesman said:

“We’re aware of Harrogate households in different areas of the town being approached for landscaping and gardening work. We’re working proactively to address this.

“As part of this work, we want residents to be aware of the risks and to know what to do if someone turns up at their door offering services like gardening work, building maintenance or selling goods.

“We’d advise people to be wary – legitimate gardening and maintenance businesses usually work through recommendations and don’t need to knock on doors to get business.”

Unsolicited calling, or cold calling, is when people are approached by someone offering a service despite not requesting it.

Although cold calling is not an offence, North Yorkshire Police said it frequently investigated frauds, thefts and burglaries that happened as a result of doorstep calls.

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The spokesman added:

“Always give yourself plenty of time to make decisions about who you employ and ask friends, family and neighbours for recommendations.

“And don’t feel bad about saying ‘no’. Normal businesses understand that people want to shop around and won’t try to pressure you into a decision on the spot. If they do, that’s a massive red flag.

“Sadly, elderly people are particularly at risk. So if you have older parents, relatives or friends, please share this message with them and check they know how to stay safe if cold callers knock on their door.”

Police urge anyone suspicious about cold callers to dial 101.

Car catches fire in Harrogate multi-storey car park

Harrogate firefighters were called to the fifth floor of the town’s Victoria Car Park yesterday when a car caught fire.

Both Harrogate appliances were summoned to the multi-storey near the train station following reports of smoke billowing from the boot of the vehicle in the multi-storey.

North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service’s incident report said:

“Fire crews used a hose reel, breathing apparatus, thermal camera and tools to access and extinguish the fire.”

It added the cause was attributed to an electrical fault to a CD multi-changer in the car boot.

The incident proved to be the start of a busy morning for Harrogate firefighters.

At 10.36am,  they released two people trapped in a lift at an undisclosed location on Crescent Road in Harrogate.

Then at 11.41am, a women’s walking group alerted them to a cow trapped in barbed wire on a fence at the edge of woodland off the A661 Harrogate Road at Spofforth

The incident report added:

“On finding the cow, the fire officer was able to establish which farm the cow belonged to. The farmer then attended with bolt croppers to free the cow.”

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Harrogate bar hosts sober night out for Dry January

North Bar in Harrogate is hosting a sober night out to promote Dry January.

The event will be hosted by North Yorkshire Connected Spaces, which was launched in September last year to provide support for the recovery community in North Yorkshire.

The 80s and 90s themed night is also supported by North Yorkshire Council and the Drink Drug Hub, which provides safety information about drink and drugs.

A spokesperson for NYCS said they “join together people and groups from all walks of life, meeting the needs for a stronger community, well-being, recovery from addiction and other harmful issues”. They added:

“Our aim is to get out in the community and run events so we can offer support for individuals involved with social issues connected with addiction. This includes homelessness, domestic violence, trauma, mental health, social care and probation.”

The group is working with the NYC public health team to tackle the harms associated with alcohol use.

NYCS said:

‘’North Yorkshire, connected spaces have been working with North Yorkshire Council on supporting their dry January campaign. As part of the campaign NYCS have organised the sober night out social event for people who are completing the month off booze.

“Dry January is a great opportunity for people to reflect on their relationship with alcohol.”

The event will be a “good chance to socialise with friends, have a boogie and meet new people – just without alcohol”.

North Bar will have  DJ for the night playing 80s and 90s hits in the function room and said the event will have the capacity to hold 45 people. Dress up is optional and anyone can buy food from Pizza Social next door and bring it into the venue.

The event takes place on January 19 from 7pm

Dry January facts:

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Group supporting siblings of disabled children comes to Harrogate

A group supporting the siblings of disabled children is set to have its first meeting in Harrogate this month.

The Sibling Group is an organisation offering a safe space for children with siblings who are disabled or have special needs. The first event in the area is set to take place January 20 from 10am-12pm at Christ Church.

The group for children aged six to 11 aims to “support their wellbeing and happiness”. The event will include activities and games to build positive relationships.

Grace Williams, founder of The Sibling Group created the organisation to support families who have children and siblings with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).

She has a younger brother with special educational needs who is non-verbal, has a learning disability and autism. Grace has become devoted to supporting other families in a similar situation. She has a degree in special education, is pursuing a masters degree in autism and inclusion, and currently works as a specialist key worker for the NHS.

She said

“Growing up there was not much support available and there was a lot of stigma around this. It was very challenging for my family and I, as we had to take on a care giving role and adapt to my brother’s needs very quickly.”

Grace grew up in Harrogate and her brother attends Springwater School. She says that despite the large SEND community in the area she has always been “aware of the lack of support for families”, so when creating The Sibling Group, she “thought it would be a good area to work in.”

“Siblings are not thought about when services are created and offered to families, and I want to change this. Siblings experience extreme stress, isolation and miss out on things other children their age are doing.”

“The Sibling Group offers a safe space for children to come and meet other children with similar experiences. We offer fun activities such as arts and crafts, singing and dancing, sports and games.”

The meetings are free of charge and will be running during the school holidays and on Saturdays. To book a place at the event click here.

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Harrogate toddler enters the new year cancer free

Georgina Johnstone was just one year old when she was diagnosed with a brain tumour and her family have been raising money and awareness to help children like her ever since.

In August 2022, Georgina became tired and grouchy and started to be sick each morning. Her mum, Issy Rowe, a teacher from Harrogate, thought recently prescribed antibiotics for an ear infection were to blame. But when the tablets stopped and the sickness continued, the family became worried.

Issy took her to the GP, who thought it might have been a virus or urinary tract infection. After five more days of sickness, Issy knew things weren’t right. They were referred to Harrogate District Hospital after their third visit to a doctor.

At first, the hospital had no major concerns and suggested a return visit a week later. Yet Issy persisted and an MRI scan was done the following day.

The scan found a significant cancerous mass on Georgina’s brain, and she was transferred to Leeds General Infirmary.

The SATS showed that the tumour was a quarter of the size of her brain. The tumour was cutting her brain off from her body and her family were told they would need to operate to remove it or Georgina would die.

The next day, the doctors operated on her for five hours and removed the 16cm tumour. After surgery, a 56-week treatment plan was put in place, involving high-dose chemotherapy, in seven cycles over eight weeks.

It all meant that going to nursery had to be put on hold until she was better. In December 2023, Georgina was given the all-clear.

Issy said:

“Its early days still – she only came off medication eight weeks ago, but her last scan was all clear. It’s been amazing to adjust back to family life and reality. She’s full of energy, which is lovely. You don’t realise how poorly they are until you see them better.”

Throughout her daughter’s treatment, Issy raised funds and awareness for The Brain Tumour Charity and friends and family also supported the fundraising. They have raised over £21,000 so far through completing the Three Peaks Challenge, sponsored runs, quizzes and a wellness retreat.

This year, the family have chosen to raise funds for Candlelighters, children’s cancer charity. Issy said they wanted funds to go to a local charity this year to directly help the children on the oncology ward at Leeds General Infirmary.

They have set a target to reach £5,000 – the same goal as last year – but are hoping to exceed it and even beat the £21,000 already raised.

Issy added:

“We definitely want to get more people involved and raise more money.”

They have a few fundraising events planned already involving the Three Peaks Challenge on May 11, another wellness weekend in October and one of their first events is set to be a sporting morning. The event is to be held on January 14 by Harrogate Strays Walking Football Club, a team for over-50s where Georgina’s grandfather, Derek Rowe, is a manager.

To donate to Georgina’s page click here.

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Harrogate schoolgirl, 12, publishes first novel

A Harrogate Grammar School student has published her first novel — at the age of 12.

Sula Stanhope wrote the 371-page book before bed each night. It took her four months to finish.

Sula said:

“Mum and dad said I could have some extra screen time if I was working on creative projects.

“They were slightly surprised when I presented them with the first draft of my novel.”

The Alchemist’s Prophecy is a dystopian fantasy about a girl sent on a magical quest in a dangerous world.

The book is almost 150 pages longer than the first edition of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone.

Storytelling runs in the family.

Sula’s dad Alex said:

“Sula’s grandmother is a writer.

“When I was growing up I was hopeless at English but I always liked telling stories. I used to tell stories to Sula; the storytelling part stuck.

“She now tells stories way better than me!”

After Sula wrote her manuscript, Alex started the process of self-publishing it.

He said:

“I just wanted to give her a chance to hold her book in her own hands.”

Sula also developed creativity playing games with her twin sister Delphi.

Together they would invent characters, arguing about what they looked and sounded like.

Alex said:

“It didn’t always feel very creative when I heard their arguments, but I love what came out of it!”

Teachers at Oatlands Junior School, where Sula used to study, noticed her talent early.

Year 5 teacher Ms Coyne said:

“When I heard about Sula writing her own book, I was not surprised.

“During her time at Oatlands Junior School, Sula showed such creativity, talent and always had her head in a book — sometimes hidden under the table.

“She was an avid reader who clearly loves books and responds with great maturity to the texts we explore. I cannot wait to read it.”

Sula’s Year 6 English teacher Rosie Doyle said:

 “I would say I am surprised, but I’m actually not.”

Staff are so proud of their former student they have purchased a copy for their school library.

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In the future, Sula would like to continue writing books.

She sees The Alchemist’s Prophecy as a trilogy and is hoping to complete it one day.

Alongside creative writing, Sula also plays the piano and attends acting classes. You can buy The Alchemist’s Prophecy on Amazon.