LNER has become the UK’s first train operator to offer free sanitary products onboard its trains.

The firm, which operates services between Harrogate and London King’s Cross, said in a statement today it will introduce the scheme across its entire fleet.

Passengers can request a ‘package for a friend’ directly from an LNER team member onboard, or by scanning the catering service QR code next to their seat. A team member will then “discreetly” deliver the products to seats, LNER added.

The move comes after a survey, carried out by YouGov on behalf of LNER, found 22% of people have experienced a time when they, or someone they are with, needed sanitary products but could not access them.

LNER said it first introduced the scheme at London King’s Cross station after recognising “everyone should have access to period care products when they need them”, and has now partnered with organic period product company TOTM to expand the delivery.

Gill McKay, an on-train delivery manager at LNER, said:

“Customer feedback, supported by research, highlighted the upset that can be experienced by not having access to period products.

“We believe everyone should be able to travel with confidence and in comfort and providing free, environmentally friendly products to anyone who needs them is just one way we can provide support, help the planet and break down barriers and stigma.”

Kiley Yale, head of sales at TOTM, added:

“We are really excited to be working with LNER to champion period comfort, wellbeing and dignity across their trains, stations and offices.”

Read more:

• Cycling infrastructure in Harrogate ‘absolutely terrible’
• Trading Hell: ‘We can’t arrest our way out of it’, says police chief 

Councillors have criticised North Yorkshire Council for not prioritising the needs of cyclists in Harrogate.

At a meeting of Harrogate and Knaresborough councillors, Alex Kay, the council’s senior transport planning officer delivered a presentation that included options for future cycle links in the town.

These included Bilton to Starbeck and Jennyfields to the town centre with cost estimates running into the millions.

In recent years the council has built a widely-criticised stretch of cycle route on Otley Road and abandoned the next phase, scrapped a Low-Traffic Neighbourhood on Beech Grove and decided against creating a one-way system on Oatlands Drive.

Meanwhile, funding bids have been rejected by the government for new cycle paths on Knaresborough Road and Victoria Avenue.

Its flagship active travel scheme, the £12.1m Harrogate Station Gateway, has also been drastically scaled back following opposition from local businesses with only a small section of Station Parade now set to include a cycle lane.

Cllr Matt Walker, a Liberal Democrat for Knaresborough West, criticised the state of the cycle infrastructure in the area.

He said:

“To improve things you have to acknowledge there’s a problem. Active travel is absolutely terrible. Roads are gridlocked and full of potholes, buses are missed all the time between Harrogate and Knaresborough.

“We have to make improvements and the council needs to step its game up. It needs to get its act together so people can get out of cars and get around in a quick and environmentally-friendly way.”

Cllr Arnold Warneken, a member of the Green Party for Ouseburn, added:

“The frustration of people who want to cycle in Harrogate and Knaresborough isn’t being taken seriously.”

With several of the proposals put forward by the council years from being built, Cllr Paul Haslam, an Independent for Bilton and Nidd Gorge, said there are not enough “shovel-ready” schemes on the table.

The council’s predecessor North Yorkshire County Council undertook a much-publicised Harrogate Congestion Survey in 2019 which showed there was an appetite for improving walking and cycling infrastructure in the town so people are incentivised to leave their cars at home.

Cllr Philip Broadbank, a Liberal Dem for Fairfax and Starbeck, said:

“I get frustrated with talks and plans and various things we spend time preparing [regarding cycling] yet year-in-year-out nothing happens.”

However, Cllr John Mann, a Conservative for Oatlands and Pannal, defended the council and said it “hadn’t done a bad job” on active travel in his constituency.

Cllr Mann said:

“They’ve installed numerous cycle lanes, several 20mph zones, and school streets. The gateway scheme has not been without teething problems and it’s progressing.

“We shouldn’t be too hard on the highways team. The bigger picture is difficult on financing and funds. Costs of construction projects have gone up enormously and inflation is huge.”

Read more:

• Business case approved for £12.1m Harrogate Station Gateway
• Demolished Harrogate charity flats set to be completed by December

New supported living flats on Ripon Road in Harrogate look set to be completed by the end of 2024.

Harrogate Skills 4 Living is behind the scheme and now expects the project to be on track and finished by December.

The flats were partially built on the site, near New Park roundabout and opposite the former gasworks due to become a Tesco supermarket. One storey of the three-storey project had been built but was demolished earlier this month.

Hadyn Moorby-Davies, chief executive of Harrogate Skills 4 Living, said:

“It was necessary to demolish the existing structure so that the new contractor Studfold Ltd. could recommence the build.

“Hopefully, there won’t be any further delays and the project will be ready for occupation mid-December.”

The partially built flats at 212 Ripon Road

At the site, 212 Ripon Road, the charity aims to create assisted living accommodation for adults with learning disabilities and autism.

Plans submitted to North Yorkshire council show that the building is set to include six flats for people who need constant carer support, plus sleeping accommodation for staff. Harrogate Skills 4 Living was granted planning permission last year.

The plans approved by North Yorkshire Council said:

“The apartments are for accommodating adults with learning disabilities/ autism in order that they can achieve a better lifestyle in a supported living environment while benefiting from the independence that this environment provides.”

Computer generated images of the proposed HS4L site

Earlier this month, Mr Moorby-Davies said:

“The site has been demolished to allow new contractors to re-start the development.

“My understanding is that the building wasn’t being constructed as it should have been and so the decision was taken, to achieve the standard that Harrogate Skills 4 Living and its partners were entitled to expect, it would be best to start again hence the demolition of what had been built thus far.

“Whilst this may appear a backwards step, it had to be done for the project to move forwards.”

Read more:

• Trading Hell: ‘We cannot force people to do something’, says homeless charity
• Spofforth Golf Course re-opens after lengthy closure 

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

The spotlight is on John Grainger this week, our senior journalist.

Although John’s childhood ambition of being a stuntman may never have been realised due to a ‘keener sense of self-preservation’ as an adult, his career has still featured plenty of excitement – albeit the journalistic kind.  

25 years in the industry has meant he’s covered his fair share of genre-defining news events, but his first story is still one that he recalls as being of particular significance.  

“The first one I ever wrote – about the rise of Islamic finance – was a pretty big one in hindsight.

 “That industry was tiny at the time, and no-one was writing about it, but it’s now worth hundreds of billions of pounds and is very well established worldwide. It was like glimpsing the birth of a star.” 

 Longer-form, investigative content is one of the many areas that John is lending his expertise to at The Stray Ferret. 

Since he joined the team, he’s been responsible for raising important questions such as whether the Stray should be rewilded, as well as his slew of exclusives about the anti-social problems in Harrogate town centre.

 Explaining his approach to tackling such a vast and complex subject, John said: 

“I carried out a survey of more than 50 businesses and listened to shop owners and store managers as they recounted their experiences, then sifted through the data to pull out the main findings. 

“I also interviewed the manager of Harrogate BID and the area police commander, went out with police officers on patrol, and spoke with people living on the street to hear their stories.

“At the same time, my colleague Calvin Robinson combed through reams of government statistics, spoke to Shelter and Harrogate Homeless Project, and submitted multiple Freedom of Information (FOI) requests.

“The result is a piece of work that really sets a new standard for journalistic reporting in this district.”

John Grainger speaking to Chief Inspector Simon Williamson of North Yorkshire Police

Having both the time and resources available to fully follow every lead, to provide accurate, detailed and trusted journalism is very important to John, and an area he feels that The Stray Ferret truly shines.  

 He said:

“We’re the best at breaking news, but we also have time to put into more in-depth journalism about people and places you might not have heard about before. A lot of news outlets don’t have the resources to do that anymore.” 

 Originally heralding from Harrogate, John moved away when he was 18 before returning later in his career, having previously lived in cities across the UK and mainland Europe. 

 He believes that having lived in the area throughout many different stages of his life – ‘as a child and as an adult, as a school pupil and as a parent’ – have all given him a greater depth of insight into North Yorkshire life.  

 John added:

“Charles Dickens said that Harrogate was ‘the queerest place, with the strangest people in it, leading the oddest lives’. That is, arguably, still true today, and it makes my job all the more interesting. 

“We have two National Parks close by; the coast is a just a day trip away; Leeds, York and even Durham are all driveable. 

“Where I live, I can walk one way and get into town within 15 minutes, or walk the other way and be in the countryside within five. It’s on the right side of the Pennines – and the tap-water’s good.” 

 If you think you’ve got a story that might be of interest to John, you can email him at grainger@thestrayferret.co.uk. 

Residents who live in the shadow of Harrogate Convention Centre say they are struggling to park outside their own homes due to spots being taken by visitors to the facility.

John Birkenshaw told Harrogate and Knaresborough councillors that a group of 61 residents living on Springfield Avenue, Spring Grove, Spring Mount and Springfield Mews had signed a petition calling for parking restrictions to be toughened up around the area to stop the current system being “abused” by visitors to the town.

On these streets, the North Yorkshire Council allows motorists to leave their vehicles for up to three hours for free if they display a parking disc.

However, after 6pm parking restrictions end until the morning.

Mr Birkenshaw said spaces are being filled by people attending events at the convention centre and shows at the Royal Hall with the problem worsening in recent years.

He said:

“They regularly park in these streets, often overnight, to save on parking fees.”

Mr Birkenshaw said residents had purchased residential parking and visitor permits from the council but “can’t benefit from the privileges they are paying for.”

He added: 

“Many of us park hundreds of yards away which is a safety issue for residents when there’s poor weather, dark nights and uneven pavements.”

A statement was read out on behalf of senior council transport officer Melisa Burnham that said traffic regulation orders could eventually be issued on the streets.

However, she added there are several stages in the council’s process before it could finally be implemented.

Cllr Peter Lacey, Liberal Democrat councillor for Coppice Valley & Duchy division, said this illustrates the “tortuous” routes residents need to go through from the council to get a “blatantly obvious” solution to their problem.

He added: 

“The local group are not warriors, they just want to see sense. I’ve wanted to champion their cause because it’s perfectly reasonable and sensible.”

Read more:

• Trading Hell: ‘We cannot force people to do something’, says homeless charity 
• The Stray Ferret is moving into the heart of Harrogate town centre 

A Harrogate restaurant is set to reopen after being closed for several months.

Saranda Bar and Grill has been on Station Bridge since 2018 and offers Greek, Albanian and Mediterranean meat, seafood and à la carte dishes.

The restaurant was forced to shut in October 2023 due to rising costs and issues with staffing. 

Now, the bar and grill is set to reopen tomorrow (March 21) much to the excitement of its owner.

 Leonardo Mersinllari, who owns Saranda Bar and Grill as well as Espresso House on Beulah Street, said:

“I am really excited to reopen tomorrow and welcome back our lovely customers after a long time away. We’ve not even opened yet but we already have a lot of reservations for the next couple of weeks, so it is great to be back.”

The restaurant won Restaurant Guru awards in 2021 and 2022 for ‘Best Atmosphere in Harrogate.’

Saranda’s website said:

“Saranada Bar and Grill is the perfect place for those seeking a casual, warm, relaxed atmosphere.

“We look forward to welcoming friends, new and old when we reopen on Thursday, March 21.”

Read more:

• Trading Hell: ‘We cannot force people to do something’, says homeless charity 
• The Stray Ferret is moving into the heart of Harrogate town centre 

Bus fares for young people in the Harrogate district will be capped at £1 as part of a one-year pilot scheme.

North Yorkshire Council’s executive members yesterday accepted £3.5 million of funding from the Department for Transport’s (DfT) Network North Bus Service Improvement Plan, which will be used to introduce the scheme.

The pilot will include expanded bus timetables, improvements to bus shelters and £1 travel fares.

£2.1 million of the money, which has been allocated to local authorities in the north and the midlands after plans for the HS2 rail project were halted, will fund additional weekday bus services during peak times across three Harrogate district routes.

These include:

• Services 21 and 22, which runs from Knaresborough to York via Ripon and surrounding villages.
• Service 70, which runs from Ripon to Northallerton.
• Service 1, which runs from Harrogate to Knaresborough via Aspin, Carmines, Starbeck and the Pastures.

A further £715,000 of the funding will be used to provide £1 bus fares for people aged under 19, which will apply county-wide, while £158,000 will be used to hire more staff to improve boarding times and information services at bus stations across the Harrogate and Scarborough districts.

Maintaining and improving bus stops, additional cleaning services and repairs to Ripon bus station’s waiting facilities will also fall under the scheme at a cost of £76,000.

Cllr Keane Duncan, the council’s executive member for highways and transport, said:

“As a result of our efforts, bus services in North Yorkshire have seen a significant reversal of fortune since the Covid-19 pandemic.

“Passenger numbers are up and we’ve protected at-risk services. Now, I am pleased we can go further.

“With £3.5 million of extra funding, we are able to introduce lower fares for under-19s, invest in bus stops and fund expanded routes in all corners of the county.

“This is very welcome news for passengers, but it is of course vital that services are supported so they can continue in the longer term.”

The council has urged the public to “get on board with the pilot” to ensure the services will continue beyond 2025.

Read more:

• North Yorkshire mayor to be paid £81,300
• Harrogate businessman charged with stalking

There’s plenty going on in and around Harrogate over the two-week Easter break – take the movie-themed mini crazy golf course and Springtime Live from our ‘5 things to do at the weekend’, for example.

But if you’re specifically looking for activities to keep the kids occupied during the school holidays, here’s a few fun family-friendly ideas to get you started.

An Easter trail and children’s theatre performance at Newby Hall

Newby Hall reopens to the public on 28 March, just in time for Easter. Explore the Easter trail – where fairies will help guide you on a theatrical adventure through the woods while meeting a few cheeky creatures such as Mr Fox along the way –  before enjoying a live children’s theatre performance.

Performed by members of Story Craft Theatre, The Case of the Missing Bunny is an interactive show that will bring puppetry and problem-solving together.

Various prices, the trail runs from 11.30am to 2.30pm on Easter Sunday March 31 and bank holiday Monday April 1 and is included free of charge with a Gardens Admission ticket, Season Ticket & Historic Houses Membership.

The live children’s theatre performances start at midday, 1pm, 2pm and 3pm on Easter Sunday March 31 and bank holiday Monday April 1. Newby Hall & Gardens, Ripon, North Yorkshire, HG4 5AE.

Fun for all the family at RHS Garden Harlow Carr

(Image: RHS Garden Harlow Carr)

RHS Garden Harlow Carr has a whole host of goings-on this Easter; think a giant Easter egg hunt, adventure walks, forest school, clay modelling, Lego workshops, recycling workshops, orienteering and crafts – there’s sure to be an activity to suit everyone.

Various prices, times and dates, RHS Garden Harlow Carr, Crag Lane, Beckwithshaw, Harrogate, HG3 1QB. 

Lamb feeding at Yolk Farm

(Image: Yolk Farm)

Nothing says Easter more than little lambs, and if you’ve not yet fed one, it makes for a memorable experience as lambs enthusiastically suckle from the bottle. Before or after lamb feeding, pay a visit to the other animals on the farm and little ones will love the Yard at Yolk play barn too.

Lamb feeding £7, supervising adults do not need a ticket. Entry to the play barn is £2.50 per child, adults and under 1s are free. Various time and dates, Yolk Farm, Minskip Road, Boroughbridge, York, YO51 9HY.

Try a wellbeing, musical theatre or creative dance workshop for free

(Image: Enchantica’s)

This Easter, Enchantica’s is running free 30- to 45-minute taster sessions of some of the after-school courses that it puts on throughout the year, including Rising Stars – a combination of drama, yoga and mindfulness – Musical Theatre and Creative Dance classes, all of which are sure to inspire and get your kids’ creative juices flowing.

Be quick though – some of the sessions are already fully booked. 

Free, various times, April 3, Enchantica’s Workshop, Unit 9, Beech Avenue Business Park, Harrogate, HG2 8DS.

Go to a Wonka-themed tea party or Easter bunny bop party

(Image: Rascals Entertainment)

As a parent or caregiver, if you’ve not yet been to a Rascals Entertainment party, you’ve not yet lived. And this Easter it’s running both a Wonka and Friends Pure Imagination Tea Party and an Easter Bunny Bop Disco Party at The Crown Hotel on 29 March.

For the former think an Oompa Loompa dance show, Easter crafts and a Wonka’s chocolate fountain for the kids. For the latter there will be an Easter bunnies meet and greet, dancing and games, to name but a few of the activities on offer. Not forgetting bubbles… and more bubbles – a sure-fire winner for every age. 

Wonka and Friends Pure Imagination Tea Party, from £22 per child with food, £10 per adult (no food), 12-2pm. Easter Bunny Bop Disco Party, £14 per child, adults £6. Both on 29 March at The Crown Hotel, Crown Place, Harrogate, HG1 2RZ.

Go to one of three shows at Harrogate Theatre

(Image: Harrogate Theatre)

Harrogate Theatre has a trio of family shows this Easter holidays. Take your pick from Dear Zoo, a classic story with a cheeky monkey, a jumpy frog and a perfect puppy; channel your childhood nostalgia at Sooty: The 75th Birthday Spectacular! where beloved characters Sooty, Sweep and Soo are brought to the next generation; or enjoy a live action retelling of The Tortoise and the Hare by Northern Ballet, which recounts the renowned story about a cheeky hare who won’t boasting about how fast he can run, though the tortoise might just give him a run for his money.

Dear Zoo, from £17, 1.30pm, March 27, 10.30am March 28. Sooty: The 75th Birthday Spectacular!, from £21, 11am and 2.30pm, March 30. The Tortoise and the Hare by Northern Ballet, from £13, 11am, 2pm and 4pm April 6. Harrogate Theatre, 6 Oxford Street, Harrogate HG1 1QF.

Get crafty at Ripley Castle

(Image: Rhythm Camp Events)

As well as a Children’s Easter Trail where kids go in hunt of the bunnies in the gardens and grounds of Ripley Castle, there will also be a Children’s Easter Crafts workshop held by Rhythm Camp Events at the Castle’s Stables. Kids can forage for their supplies in the gardens and grounds and turn their findings into a unique artwork or memorable memento to take home with them.

Children’s Easter Trail, £3.50 per child (children must be accompanied by an adult, entrance to the grounds are £9.50 per adult, free for children 12 and under), March 23 to April 8. Children’s Easter Crafts, £12.50 per child, one-hour slots from 10am-pm, March 31, Ripley Castle, Ripley, Harrogate, HG3 3AY.

Read more:

• 5 things to do in and around Harrogate this weekend
• What’s on
• The hidden stories behind Harrogate’s newest chocolate shop