Excellence deserves to be recognised and celebrated. The 2024 Stray Ferret Business Awards is the event to put your business, people or great initiative in the spotlight!
Make the most of your efforts by reading our top 10 tips for writing your submission for success.
Entries close on January 19, 2024.
A new campus building at Harrogate College is set to include a mock hospital ward and children’s nursery to offer more technical skills to students.
Work on the £20 million building on Hornbeam Park is set to start in 2024.
Principal Danny Wild said the new campus would also include a range of digital technology facilities, which will enable the college to offer technical training expertise.
Mr Wild met with North Yorkshire Council’s executive member for education, learning and skills, Cllr Annabel Wilkinson, and assistant director for education and skills, Amanda Newbold, to explain more about the project this week.
He said:
“The new building will be very much about meeting the skills needs of North Yorkshire, especially in areas where we know businesses are currently struggling with gaps – such as health and social care, construction, digital, hospitality and sustainable technologies like retrofitting.
“We will be focused on working with North Yorkshire Council, and continuing our strong collaborative work with other local colleges and businesses, to develop these in-demand skills. Our new campus will put us in a great place to do so, and to deliver on those new technical qualifications – principally T Levels – that are becoming increasingly popular as other qualifications are phased out.”
Harrogate company makes £10,000 donation to White Rose Forest
A Harrogate company has donated £10,000 to the White Rose Forest.
Belzona, which is located on Claro Road, made the donation as part of its charitable initiatives.
Staff at Belzona making the donation to the White Rose Forest.
The firm has worked closely with the community forest, volunteering to collect acorns and grow trees which will be planted in the local area.
Staff at Belzona were able to fundraise £5,000 for the White Rose Forest through a range of events, including climbing the Yorkshire Three Peaks, participating in The Great North Run, and hosting a Virtual Race Night.
The company’s directors pledged to match the raised amount. As a result, their contribution of an additional £5,000 brought the total donation amount to £10,000.
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Storm Pia to bring 61mph gusts to Harrogate district
The Harrogate district could see gusts of up to 61mph as Storm Pia moves in tonight and tomorrow.
The Met Office has issued a yellow weather warning from midnight tonight until 9pm tomorrow.
The forecast shows Pateley Bridge will see the worst of the storm, with gusts reaching 61mph in the early hours of tomorrow morning.
Winds will reach 54mph in Masham, while Harrogate, Knaresborough and Ripon will see up to 50mph.
Disruption
The Stray Ferret reported yesterday on the disruption already caused by the wind throughout the Harrogate district — now another local attraction has followed suit.
The National Trust announced on social media today that Fountains Abbey and Studley Royal, near Ripon, will also be closed tomorrow. It said:
“It’s already getting rather breezy here at Fountains. With wind speeds set to increase overnight and throughout tomorrow we’ve made the decision to close the site tomorrow, Thursday 21 December.
“We don’t like to disappoint anyone, but the safety of our visitors and team is always our top priority.”
The charity advised people to “check our social media channels and website” for updates.
It comes after Mother Shipton’s in Knaresborough announced yesterday it will close tomorrow, while Harrogate’s RHS Garden Harlow Carr cancelled its Glow event amid the weather warning.
The weather warning is in place for the north of England, Scotland and Northern Ireland.
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First day of Christmas fayre was Harrogate’s busiest for six months
The opening of this year’s Harrogate Christmas Fayre was the town’s busiest day for six months, Harrogate Business Improvement District said today.
New footfall data shows that on Friday, December 1 — the launch of the fayre — 126,522 people passed through the town centre.
The data, which is based on locations settings on mobile phones, also suggested the town centre has had a busier 2023 than 2022.
It showed 23,246,734 passed through Harrogate up to December 9 this year, compared to a total of 21,631,852 throughout 2022.
Harrogate BID is working with place monitoring platform HUQ to analyse data on the town’s footfall and dwell time over specified periods.
The BID will use the data, which covers 98% of the population, to develop strategies to encourage more people to visit the town centre. Town centre businesses voted in favour of continuing to pay a levy on their business rates this summer to fund the BID for another five years,
Santa was among the visitors to the fayre.
The data is believed to be more accurate than that used previously to measure footfall at Harrogate events because a person is only counted once if they re-enter the specified area.
Matthew Chapman, manager of the BID, said:
“We are very excited to get our teeth stuck into HUQ, which is used in many towns and cities around the UK.
“The system allows us as the BID, along with partners, to look at high street trends and results to evidence even more return on investment from the projects we deliver.
“Understanding where people come to Harrogate from, as well as how long they spend here,will allow us to promote our town more strategically at targeted periods throughout the year.”
Ed Horner, Harrogate BID’s new PR and communications officer, will analyse the HUQ figures to inform future projects, campaigns and events.
Density data statistics allow the BID to track the movement of people in the BID area and create a map showing the most frequently visited sites.
Green indicates less busy areas, while red highlights hotspots.
Cambridge Street, where the traders and stalls were located, was among the fayre hotspots.
The data also allows the BID to track where visitors are coming from and how long they stay in the town centre.
Unexpectedly, according to the BID, visitors have spent the most time in the town centre on Sundays in 2023 so far, with an average of 2 hours and 50 minutes.
Read more:
- GALLERY: Harrogate Christmas Fayre gets underway
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Yorkshire Water to install solar panels at three Harrogate wastewater treatment works
Yorkshire Water is set to install solar panels at three wastewater treatment works in the Harrogate area.
Planning approval has been granted for panels at Harrogate North, Harrogate South and Staveley works.
The company said the move will help to contribute to its carbon net zero targets.
The three sites are part of the first phase of solar panel installations across 28 sites across Yorkshire.
Daniel Oxley, Yorkshire Water commercial manager, said:
“This project is a significant step in reaching our carbon net zero target by 2030. A number of our treatment works have surplus operational land due to changes in our treatment processes. Installing solar panels in these areas will put the land to good use and help us to generate electricity we can use without our sites.
“Once completed, the first deployment of solar panels at the 28 sites earmarked for solar panels will generate 4% of our annual power needs. Not only will the panels in Harrogate help increase our renewable energy use, but they will also reduce our exposure to energy price volatility, providing a more stable long-term base for a major operating cost, which will provide better value for money for our customers.”
The sites are expected to generate renewable electricity in July 2024 following enabling work, installation and commissioning.
Read more:
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Council approves former Harrogate guest house conversion
North Yorkshire Council has approved plans to convert a former guest house in Harrogate into seven flats.
Leeds-based Abbeycrown Ltd tabled proposals to the council to change the property at 6 Dragon Parade, which is known as Dragon House, into co-living accommodation.
In documents submitted the council, the developer said the guest house had seen a downturn in trade during the covid pandemic.
It added that, as a result, the property was “unviable as a guest house”.
The proposal would see the building converted into a seven-bedroom house of multiple occupation.
The developer said in its planning statement:
“The applicant is looking to address the need of high quality co-living facilities in the area to create rooms for professionals and public sector workers.”
It added that tenants would be “fully vetted and verified people” and would not have a detrimental impact on the surrounding area and neighbours.
A house in multiple occupation is a property rented out by at least three people who are not from the same household, but share facilities such as a kitchen and bathroom.
Read more:
Children’s Corner is the only double winner at Family Business Awards
This story is sponsored by Children’s Corner Childcare.
Companies from across the region were recognised at the Yorkshire & Humber Family Business Awards last month, but none had a better night than Children’s Corner Childcare.
The group, which runs 10 childcare settings, including one in Harrogate, all rated Good or Outstanding by Ofsted, was the only double winner of the evening.
It not only scooped the Business Services award, but operations manager Nicola Stanworth also won the only individual award of the evening, for Employee of the Year.
Nicola beat a field of 16 finalists from every sector across the region. She said:
“I was over the moon – I never expected to be singled out like that for doing what I do. To know that other people recognised all the effort I put in was an amazing feeling.
“I’m completely dedicated to Children’s Corner. I started working here as a 15-year-old while doing my GCSEs, and had a part-time role here while I was doing my teaching degree at Leeds Metropolitan University. Once I’d graduated, Early Years education called me, and I came here full-time.
“I have a diverse role, looking after all the operations and logistics, and I never switch off – it’s just how I’m built!”
Children’s Corner was set up in 1995 by former police officer Lesley Dawson and her husband Allan when they couldn’t find a nursery they liked for their first son. Nearly 30 years later, two of their three sons also now work in the company, making it a truly family-run enterprise.
Nicola Stanworth was named Employee of the Year at the Family Business Awards.
Nicola said:
“We treat all the children as individuals and focus on making them independent, to prepare them for their next steps in life. We keep our sites fresh, and replace all the resources regularly, and everything’s included in the price, such as healthy meals, milk and nappies.
“Parents can even keep up to date with their children’s progress with the Children’s Corner app.
“A lot of people say our nurseries feel like a home from home.”
Children’s Corner is now recruiting across all its nurseries, and is looking for only the best candidates with a small number of opportunities still available at their Harrogate nursery.
All the company’s key staff have recognised childcare qualifications however Children’s Corner were also recognised at the House of Commons this year as one of the Top 50 SME’s in the UK offering Apprenticeships with a number of apprenticeship opportunities also available for anyone looking to get into the Early Years sector.
Nicola said:
“Working at Children’s Corner is fantastic anyway, but in addition to the usual benefits, we offer childcare discount, a four-day working week, and even the possibility of study trips abroad, through our charity arm in Malawi. If you’ve got the skills and qualifications join the best nursery group in the region, get in touch.”
Find out more:
For more information about childcare with Children’s Corner, go to www.childrenscornerchildcare.co.uk.
If you’re a childcare professional and are interested in joining the Harrogate team, take a look at our current vacancies.
Police release CCTV image after Harrogate bike theftPolice have released a CCTV image of a man they want to speak to after the theft of a bike in Jennyfields.
The incident happened outside the Harrogate Leisure and Wellness Centre on Jenny Field Drive at 10.45am on Tuesday, October 10, 2023.
The victim locked his electric bike in the bike rack and when they returned they discovered that the bike had been stolen.
A North Yorkshire Police statement added:
“Police have issued a CCTV image of a man they want to speak to, as he may have information that could help the investigation.
“Anyone with information that could assist the investigation should email stephen.mangham@northyorkshire.police.uk You can also call North Yorkshire Police on 101 and ask for Stephen Mangham.
“If you wish to remain anonymous, you can pass information to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
Please quote the North Yorkshire Police reference number 12230192233.”
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Harrogate gallery owner plans new woodland after Sycamore Gap success
A North Yorkshire-based artist plans to plant a new woodland after the success of her Sycamore Gap tree painting.
Lucy Pittaway, who owns a gallery on Harrogate’s James Street, painted an image of the famous tree with a Northern Lights backdrop after being moved by its destruction in September.
She pledged to plant a tree for every print sold. In just eight weeks, she sold almost 1,500 copies.
Now, Ms Pittaway wants to team up with a landowner to use the trees to create a public woodland.
She said:
“The Sycamore Gap tree was one of the most iconic features of the northern landscape and its felling has had a deep impact on many people,
“The tree can never be replaced but hopefully we can do something to ensure its legacy lives on.”
She has a vision of the new woodland being used for recreation and education. Features might include a forest school which children can visit to learn about nature, woodland walks, picnic areas and areas for quiet reflection.
Nicki Wilkinson, who is business development manager and has previously managed two of Ms Pittaway’s galleries, said:
“The response has been phenomenal, firstly from people getting in touch to ask Lucy to paint something in memory of the tree and then secondly in response to the painting with almost 1,500 prints sold in the first eight weeks.
“Hopefully something positive can come out of what has been such a sad event which has impacted so many people.”
Read more:
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Business Breakfast: MP visits Harrogate company in support of IT campaign
Excellence deserves to be recognised and celebrated. The 2024 Stray Ferret Business Awards is the event to put your business, people or great initiative in the spotlight!
Make the most of your efforts by reading our top 10 tips for writing your submission for success.
Entries close on January 19, 2024.
Andrew Jones MP has visited a Harrogate IT company in support of a digital waste campaign.
Mr Jones visited Techbuyers’ headquarters on Hornbeam Park, where he signed the IT Repairs and Reuse Declaration.
The campaign urges the UK government to enhance legislation concerning the extension of IT product lifespans.
The Techbuyer team offered a tour of their facilities with a particular focus on their e-waste and repairs departments, highlighting the work they do to extend the lifespan of technology and divert IT hardware from landfill.
Astrid Wynne, head of sustainability and public sector at Techbuyer, said:
“There is a lot of waste associated with the delivery of our digital services. The best way to avoid this is to think about electronic equipment as a long-term investment – something to take care of and repair when necessary.
“In order to this, we need to change the way the market works. Legislation is an essential part of this.”
Harrogate company reports improved revenues in interim results
A Harrogate rental company has reported improved revenues in its interim results.
Beckwith Knowle-based VP posted £190.9m for the six months ended September 30, up from £186.5m in the same period last year.
The company described the results for the first half of the financial year as “solid”.
Jeremy Pilkington, chairman of VP, said:
“We have delivered a solid performance with continuing sector leading returns in the period reflecting the strength of our diverse business offering. We are particularly pleased to have maintained net margin and a strong return on average capital employed, demonstrating high quality of earnings in difficult market conditions.
“Having multiple sector exposure diversifies our revenue streams and has contributed to the robust performance in the period, with infrastructure demand remaining supportive, and whilst there are immediate challenges within general construction, I am confident that the actions taken will be of benefit in the medium term. The group continues to produce strong operating cash flows and maintains a solid financial base, having refinanced our RCF in November on similar terms for a further three years, and we are well positioned for growth.”
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Harrogate’s Coach and Horses bids to bring back bigger bar
The Coach & Horses in Harrogate has revealed plans to expand its bar.
Provenance Inns bought the pub on West Park in 2021 and extensively refurbished it.
But the new, much smaller bar has met with a mixed reaction.
Provenance Inns has now applied for a variation of its premises licence to relocate the bar. A notice advertising the move has been posted in the pub window.
Anthony Blundell, head of business development at Provenance Inns, which bought the site in 2021, told the Stray Ferret:
“The application is for moving the bar.
“It is in response to the feedback we’ve received from our guests, since our remodel, to have a much larger bar that our guests can sit or stand at.”
Mr Blundell added the company had also applied for another bar in the upstairs dining room, adding:
“[This will be to] service dinners and make it even more appealing for private parties.”
The Coach and Horses has rebranded as the Sleigh and Reindeers over the festive period.
Read more: