A £15 million transformation of Harrogate’s Grove House into a major new care home and community facility has finally been approved.

Grove House, a grade two listed building opposite the fire station on Skipton Road, was the home of Victorian inventor, philanthropist and mayor Samson Fox.

It was later used as a hospital during the First World War and as the headquarters of the Royal Antediluvian Order of Buffaloes.

Harrogate’s Graeme Lee, chief executive of Springfield Healthcare, bought the six-acre site from the Buffaloes for more than £3m in 2017.

Samson Fox lived at Grove House.

Plans were submitted five years ago to create what Mr Lee calls “the holy grail of care”, combining high quality facilities for residents with extensive community use.

Now, after a lengthy planning process, North Yorkshire Council has published a decision notice approving the application, subject to conditions.

It means Grove House can undergo extensive conversion work to create a care home consisting of 24 flats. In addition, a 62-bed care home and eight houses providing supported living for over-65s will be built on land alongside Grove House.

How the site will look.

An aerial view of the site.

Grove House, which is hidden from traffic on Skipton Road, has stood derelict for years.

Talking about the project last year, Mr Lee said schoolchildren from nearby Grove Road Community Primary School will be invited to participate in activities alongside residents and use the gardens for study and play, and the site would also host an annual garden party for the community.

He said it would become “one of the best examples of developing relationships between older people and young people in the UK”.

Mr Lee’s company already owns seven care homes, including Harcourt Gardens in Harrogate,

Read more:

• Hot Seat: The Harrogate man leading the way in luxury care
• Harrogate’s Crimple bought by Weetons food hall owner

The Stray Ferret understands that the owner of Harrogate firm Weetons has bought Crimple, the garden centre, food hall and gift shop in Pannal.

Crimple underwent a £6 million refurbishment and rebranding in 2021. 

It’s not known how much the TGH Property Group, which is owned by Tim Whitworth, has paid to acquire Crimple.

Weetons on West Park

TGH, which is based at Bramham, near Wetherby, also owns Weetons, whose flagship Harrogate food hall on West Park opened 20 years ago.

Last year it also began operating in Leeds.

We will bring further details of this story when available.

Read More:

• Crimple applies to serve alcohol and play music until 2am
• Well-known Harrogate family business mourns death of founder

A planning application to convert a former Harrogate music studio into a magic show venue has been approved — subject to conditions.

Magician Neil Bradley-Smith applied to change the use of Blue Sky Music Studio on Mayfield Grove in September.

He told the Stray Ferret in October he proposed to turn the site into a “speakeasy-style” entertainment venue to perform live shows, adding:

“I’d like to partition the venue and make the first room an entirely interactive magic show.

“For example, I’d have a deck of cards stuck to the wall which would then be used in the show later on.

“Then, the other half of the venue would become a 1920s-style parlour where I’d perform traditional card tricks.”

The application was for the change of use from retail to sui generis, which means the use of the venue does not fall into a particular category due to it being unusual.

During consultation, an environmental health officer proposed a condition for controlling noise.

In its decision notice, published yesterday, North Yorkshire Council granted planning permission subject to the development not taking place “until a scheme has been submitted to and agreed in writing by the local planning authority that specifies the provisions that will be implemented for the control of noise emanating from the site”.

The council said the measure was being taken to “protect the amenity of the locality, especially for people living and/or working nearby.”

The Stray Ferret contacted Neil Bradley-Smith for a response to the decision, but he did not respond by the time of publication.

Read more:

• Plans submitted to convert Harrogate music studio into magic show venue
• Another Harrogate retail unit could be converted to flats

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.

North Yorkshire Council has hired a marketing firm to help promote an adult numeracy project across the county.

Leeds-based The Marketing Optimist has been appointed to help promote the MultiplyNYorks scheme, which is aimed at people aged over 19 who do not have a GCSE in maths at grade C.

The digital marketing agency is supporting the council with marketing strategy, social media marketing, SEO, website design and copy on the programme.

Richard Michie, CEO of The Marketing Optimist, said: 

“This project is one of our biggest to date, and we are thrilled to be chosen as the marketing partner for such an important initiative.

“This project requires a thorough, collaborative approach to deliver an extensive multi-channel marketing strategy, as there are over 20 delivery partners across York and North Yorkshire.”

Homebuilder donates wildlife-friendly gifts to Boroughbridge

Homebuilder Barratt Developments Yorkshire West has donated a selection of RSPB wildlife-friendly items to Boroughbridge Allotment Society.

Situated opposite the new Harclay Park and Manor Chase development in Boroughbridge, the society received a selection of bird houses, bee biomes, insect and hedgehog houses to boost their ongoing ecological efforts to protect wildlife.

Boroughbridge Allotment Society was founded in December 2009 to create a space for local people to watch nature thrive.

Geoff Hustwit, secretary at the society, said:

“This donation will help us create valuable habitats for beneficial wildlife which will assist us in developing a sustainable culture on our allotments.”

Sam Wood, sales director at Barratt Developments Yorkshire West, said:

“We are dedicated to creating green and pleasant places to live, and to giving those living on and around our developments the tools to help nature thrive.”

Read more:

• Business Breakfast: Harrogate firm wins dealer excellence award
• Business Breakfast: Harrogate businesses collect chocolate for people in need
• Business Breakfast: Ripon bucks national footfall trend – data

This year’s Stray Ferret Christmas Appeal is to raise money for a minibus for Dementia Forward in the Harrogate district. 

The appeal is kindly sponsored by Vida Healthcare.

Please give generously to support local people and their families living with dementia. Let’s not forget who needs our help this Christmas.

Today, we talked to a woman who cares for her husband.

“I didn’t sign up for this, Mark didn’t sign up for this, and our sons didn’t sign up for this.”

Wendy Thickett is a carer for husband Mark.

Mark, who was a high-flying computer programmer for more than 32 years, was diagnosed with young onset dementia in 2017 in his early 60s.

Within just one year of his diagnosis, Mark lost his job.

Wendy said:

“He was 20 times more intelligent than me; he loved military history and cricket.

“The first sign was that he couldn’t count back from 100 in threes – he could do that with ease before.”

Mark was initially diagnosed with anxiety and depression, but Wendy wasn’t happy with that and asked for further tests to be done. Finally, he was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s.

“When Mark was diagnosed, we were given some leaflets, he had his driving licence taken off him and that was it.”

Wendy said Mark managed for around a year, but things began to decline after that.

“Two years ago, he went on a walk and got lost.

“We had to get the police to look for him. When they found him, he didn’t know where he’d been, but he was covered in mud and blood.

“He’d obviously fallen, but he didn’t understand.”

The Time out Together group

Wendy’s father was also living with dementia and was supported by Dementia Forward. Karen, the head of young onset at the charity, reached out to her about Mark’s diagnosis.

After some convincing, Mark agreed to try the Time Out Together group and, six years later, he visits Dementia Forward three times every week.

Wendy added:

“It’s been an absolute lifeline.

“When you’re at the point where you desperately need help, you need the communication Dementia Forward can give.”

However, Wendy said Mark has declined rapidly and is now practically non-verbal. She said:

“It’s like having a two-year-old – I can’t take my eyes off him. I have a 14-month-old granddaughter and, when I have them together, it’s almost like there’s two of them.

“The worst part isn’t even me losing him, it’s knowing my boys are losing their father in front of them – they’re his carers now – they can’t sit and talk about football and cricket like they used to.

“I just want my husband back.”

Despite this, Mark loves his time at Dementia Forward, Wendy said.

He goes on days out with the group and takes part in social events and activities. He has walked with llamas, visited nature reserves, enjoys colouring and, apparently, beats everyone at table tennis.

Mark (left).

Dementia Forward is a lifeline for Wendy and Mark, as well as hundreds of other families across the Harrogate district.

That’s why we need your help to ensure the minibus service remains and those living with dementia can access the support they need.

Dementia Forward’s current bus is old and urgently needs to be replaced. The charity would seriously struggle to afford a new one, which is why they need your help to keep this vital service going. Without it, many people living with dementia wouldn’t be able to access the help and support they need.

Every donation to our campaign will go directly to Dementia Forward, helping us hit our £30,000 target to buy the charity a new minibus and improving the lives of those living with dementia and the people around them.

Please give generously to those who need our help this Christmas. Click here to donate whatever you can – you never know when you, your family or a friend may need Dementia Forward’s help too.

Thank you.

If you need urgent help or have a dementia-related enquiry, call 0330 057 8592 to speak to a helpline adviser. 

A primary school in Harrogate has been rated ‘good’ by Ofsted.

St Robert’s Catholic Primary School was described by inspectors as a “welcoming, inclusive and diverse community”.

It was St Robert’s first Ofsted inspection for 14 years.

Read more

• New independent school in Harrogate toasts first Ofsted inspection
• Harrogate’s Grove Road remains a ‘good’ school, says Ofsted
• Moorside Primary School in Ripon rated ‘good’ by Ofsted

The report said:

“The Catholic values of the school are a central feature of its work.

“These values are reflected in the acts of kindness that pupils carry out in the school and in the community.”

The report says “everyone is valued” and “teachers and support staff care passionately about each child”.

The school was assessed as ‘good’ in all areas except early years provision, which was graded as ‘requires improvement’.

Inspectors said:

“In recent years, a large proportion of children have not developed the literacy, communication and language skills needed to make them ready for Year 1.”

St Robert’s Catholic Primary School in Harrogate.

Headteacher Jill Collins said:

“The report recognised that the school’s curriculum is increasingly ambitious and the school gives it careful thought.

“Education is an ever-changing journey on which we are privileged to accompany the children in our care.

“As a school, we are continually adapting to this landscape in order to provide children with opportunities to be the best they can be.

“We are grateful to the whole school community for their continued support in helping to make St Robert’s a place for children to be happy, resilient and forgiving learners.”

The 300-pupil school converted to become an academy school in 2021. It is now part of the Bishop Wheeler Catholic Academy Trust.

When its predecessor school, of the same name, was last inspected by Ofsted in May 2009, it was judged to be outstanding overall.

Parents interested in enrolling their child can email admin@st-roberts.n-yorks.sch.uk .

A retired Harrogate GP who treated patients for three decades has died at the age of 95.

Dr Christopher Watson began working at Moss Healthcare Harrogate in 1959.

The practice, which has sites on King’s Road and Jennyfields in Harrogate and in Killinghall, said in a social media post yesterday that he died on December 6.

Dr Nick Taylor, a senior partner at Moss Healthcare, said:

“Dr Chris Watson served as a GP at Moss for over 30 years; it is with sadness that we announce his death at the age of 95.

“Many of our older patients will remember his kindness and family orientation, he was a wonderful family doctor”

Dr Watson’s funeral will be held at 2.45pm on 19 December, at St Mark’s Church on Leeds Road.

Read more:

• Harrogate village doctors’ surgery to close
• Beatles poster at Harrogate’s Royal Hall fetches £3,000 at auction

An original poster for The Beatles when they played at the Royal Hall in Harrogate has fetched £3,000 at auction.

The Fab Four performed their only Harrogate gig on March 8, 1963 — just as they were on the cusp of superstardom.

They were supported by two local Harrogate bands, The Apaches and The Mustangs.

One of the members of The Apaches kept this poster, and it was purchased in the 1980s by the vendor from a picture framer in Harrogate.

It sold for £3,000 at Tennants Auctioneers’ toys, models and collectables sale on Friday last week (December 8).

A copy of The Beatles White Album, autographed by Paul McCartney, also sold for £1,800.

The album was purchased by the vendor in 1968 from Wilson’s in Norwich, but he was able to get it signed by his musical hero in 2001 visited the University of East Anglia where he worked.

Tennants Auctioneers, in Leyburn, North Yorkshire, holds over 80 sales a year.

Were you one of the lucky ones who went to this concert and can remember it? Send us your memories on contact@thestrayferret.co.uk

Read more:

• Well-known Harrogate family business mourns death of founder
• Council scraps ‘waste of money’ £100,000 Harrogate cycle plan

This story is sponsored by Emma Mellor Handmade Rugs. 

Home improvers looking for the perfect rug need no longer struggle to visualise it in their own home, following the launch of a unique new service by a shop in Harrogate. 

Emma Mellor Handmade Rugs only sells beautiful hand-knotted, naturally dyed rugs, woven from wool or silk. Each is a one-off, so choosing one can be enjoyable but also a challenge – which is where the company’s new home viewing service comes in.

Owner Emma Mellor will bring any rugs a customer has selected online or in the Harrogate showroom to their home, so they can see them in situ before making a final choice. And if they decide to buy one, delivery has already been made. Emma, who lives locally, said: 

“I started the home viewing service because I know from my own experience that you might find a rug you love in the showroom, but it can be really difficult to visualise it in your own home. 

“Rugs are quite ‘alive’ textiles, and their colours can appear to change in different settings, depending on the light, the dimensions of the space, and what other fabrics or textiles you have in the room.

“You need to find something that will complement what you already have, rather than clashing with it. It’s a very personal service.” 

Emma Mellor Handmade Rugs, on Albert Street in Harrogate.

Emma Mellor Handmade Rugs, which also has a shop in York and an office in London, sources most of its pieces from Nepal, Afghanistan and Morocco, but it also has some antique Persian rugs. Sizes vary from small mat-sized pieces to oversized rugs right up to 7m by 4m, or bigger. 

Emma said: 

“My target customer is anyone with really good taste. They believe in good quality, they don’t believe in the throwaway culture, and they’re interested in colour. 

“These are all individual pieces – each one is unique – so when you buy one, you know that no-one else will have one like it.” 

All the rugs Emma sells are certified by GoodWeave International. The certification means they’re guaranteed to have been made ethically, with no child labour involved. 

Emma Mellor also pays her weavers a premium above market price, to ensure they can support their families. This also ensures their age-old skills don’t die out. 

The company is just about to bring out a new range of rugs designed by Emma herself and fresh off the loom in Nepal.  

Emma said: 

“The weavers really are the most incredible artists. Out of a ball of wool, they can create wonderful works of art. 

“I feel really privileged to sell these pieces, which are made by people far more skilled than I’ll ever be.” 

Find out more: 

To see – and feel – our latest range of handmade rugs, come to our showroom at 13/15 Albert Street in Harrogate, which is open Tuesday to Saturday, from 10.30am to 4.30pm. 

Alternatively, you can find all our ranges on our website, www.emmamellorhandmaderugs.com.

To book a home viewing appointment, call us on 01904 622822.

North Yorkshire Council has rejected requests to reduce the speed limit on some main roads outside schools in Harrogate to 20mph.

A report due before Cllr Keane Duncan, executive councillor for highways, will recommend creating a 20mph zone outside schools in the Pannal Ash and Oatlands area of the town.

The council announced plans for the “landmark” zone in September following a safety campaign by residents, councillors and schools.

The proposed area for the new zones included seven Harrogate schools. These are Harrogate Grammar School, Rossett Acre Primary School, Rossett School, Ashville College, St Aidan’s Church of England High School, Oatlands Junior School and Oatlands Infants School.

It included roads such as Arthurs Avenue, Oatlands Drive, Yew Tree Lane and Cromwell Road.

But it now appears main routes Leeds Road, Wetherby Road, Otley Road, Hookstone Road, Hookstone Drive, York Place and Leadhall Lane will not be included in the plan.

A map of the 20mph areas in Pannal and Oatlands. Picture: NYC.

Neil Renton, headteacher at Harrogate Grammar School, told the council’s Harrogate and Knaresborough area constituency committee in September he hoped Otley Road — where students enter the school — could be reduced to 20mph.

Read more:

• Harrogate Grammar School head says 20mph zone should include Otley Road
• Headteachers unite to support 20mph speed limit near Harrogate schools

But the report due before Cllr Duncan on December 18 says the main roads were identified as either “strategic distributor” or “main distributor” roads.

It added:

“Practically given the recognised role in the strategic network and their function to carry high volumes of traffic between primary destinations it is not considered appropriate to implement physical traffic calming features and an associated speed reduction to 20mph.”

Meanwhile, the council said Leadhall Lane “does not have identified destination points such as schools, shops or sports centre” and a 20mph limit would be “difficult to achieve”.

‘Incredibly disappointed’

Christopher Harrison, headteacher at Oatlands Infant School, said he was “incredibly disappointed” by the plans.

The school caters for pupils between the ages of four and seven.

Mr Harrison said he hoped the council would reconsider its proposals and reduce the speed limit on Hookstone Road from 30mph to 20mph.

He said:

“As headteacher of Oatlands Infant School, I am incredibly disappointed by the decision to keep Hookstone Road at 30mph. 

“We have a healthy, active school community who love to walk, cycle and scooter to school alongside Hookstone Road on a daily basis. 

“We worry that the current speed limit of 30mph is not safe enough for our children, and that a reduction to 20mph would enable more families to travel to school in safety. We hope that North Yorkshire Council reconsider this decision with our youngest, most vulnerable members of our community in mind.”

Otley Road

Hazel Peacock, of the Oatlands Road Safety and Active Travel Campaign, said the plans did not go far enough and urged the council to include the roads in the proposals.

She said:

“For the safety and well-being of the 9,000 school children and the wider community in Oatlands and Pannal Ash we urge North Yorkshire Council to reconsider the inclusion of Hookstone Road, Hookstone Drive, Leadhall Lane, part of Leeds Rd (A61), Otley Rd (B6162), Wetherby Road (A661) and York Place (A6040) as 20mph in the Harrogate (south and west) 20mph Speed Limit review to be considered by Cllr Keane Duncan, North Yorkshire Council’s executive member for highways and transportation and mayoral candidate, on Monday 18th December.

“Without the inclusion of Hookstone Road, Hookstone Drive, Otley Road and part of Wetherby Road specifically only five of the nine schools in the zone will be fully covered with 20mph roads immediately surrounding them; leaving St John Fishers Catholic High School and Willow Tree Primary School on 30mph roads and a combination of 30mph and 20mph in the case of Harrogate Grammar School and Oatlands Infant School.

“Considering people hit by a vehicle at 20mph are around five times less likely to be killed than at 30mph (Transport for London data) and that 16 children are killed or seriously injured in road crashes every week on their way to or from school (Public Health England), it is clear why the inclusion of these roads as 20mph matters.

“We hope Cllr Duncan will include them to prioritise the safety and well-being of the school children and members of the community as has been done on ‘main roads’ by other local authorities, in many including nearby Otley, Leeds, Nottingham, Manchester, Glasgow, London, rural villages in Oxfordshire and Gloucestershire.”

The scheme is estimated to cost the council £200,000.

The authority has recommended proceeding to consultation on traffic regulation orders for the areas proposed to be reduced to 20mph.

A decision will be made on the recommendation at next week’s meeting.