Key witness appeal following sex assault in Harrogate public toilet

North Yorkshire Police today issued an appeal to find a key witness follow a sexual assault in Harrogate.

The incident, which happened in the Victoria Shopping Centre toilets, took place on September 17.

A man and a woman entered a cubicle together and police believe the man in the image may hold important information.

The force said in a statement:

“The suspect in the case has been identified and officers want to stress that the man they want to trace is not a suspect, but a witness who may be able to provide vital information.

“A man and a woman went into public toilets in Victoria Shopping Centre in Harrogate, opposite the railway station.

“They were both followed into the toilet by the man in the image below. The man appears visibly surprised to see both the man and woman enter the male toilet together and may remember the incident.”

The statement added officers hope the man reads the appeal and gets in touch because he “may be able to provide key information that could assist their investigation”.

The police added:

“If you believe that you are the man, or you also saw a man and woman in the male toilets that day, please get in touch.

“Anyone with any information is asked to email lorraine.whipp@northyorkshire.police.uk or call 101, press option 2 and ask for Lorraine Whipp.”

Quote reference number 12230176639 when passing on information,

If you wish to remain anonymous, you can call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

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Remembrance Day: A guide to services in the Harrogate district

Remembrance services will take place across the Harrogate district to honour the fallen.

We’ve collated a list of the services across the district that are being held.

You can email contact@thestrayferret.co.uk if you know of others to add.

Ripon

Thursday, November 9.

Ripon Community Poppy Project will hold a concert of remembrance at Ripon Cathedral.

Ripon City Band, The Dishforth Military Wives Choir and Brackenfield School will all perform.

The event will begin at 7pm and tickets cost £13.50.

Sunday, November 12.

A service will be held in Ripon Spa Gardens from 10.45am. It will include two minutes’ silence and the laying of wreaths, followed by the usual parade.

A civic service of remembrance will then be held in Ripon Cathedral from 11.40am – 1pm.

The Right Reverend Anna Eltringham, Bishop of Ripon, will lead the service.

Harrogate

St Peter’s Church — Friday, November 10

The Festival of Remembrance will be held at St Peter’s Church, on Cambridge Road, as part of the Cenotaph Centenary.

The Harrogate Band and The Fishers Singers will perform at the event, which will be led by Harry Satloka of Harrogate’s Free Walking Tours.

There will also be presentations and poetry, as well as a remembrance service.

Tickets cost £10 and all proceeds will go to the Royal British Legion.

It begins at 8pm.

St Wilfrid’s Church — Saturday, November 11

A two-minute silence will held be at 11am at St Wilfrid’s Church on Duchy Road.

This will be followed by a talk on the men named on the church’s WWI memorials, as well as an exhibition in their honour which is on display.

Email bookings@stwilfrid.org to reserve a place.

Town centre – Sunday, November 12

The annual Harrogate Remembrance Day parade and service will be held at the cenotaph war memorial.

People can arrive from 10am. The service will begin at around 10.50am, followed by the two-minute silence at 11am.

After that, the Reveille and wreath laying will commence.

The Kohima Epitaph will be read before the march-past begins.

St Peter’s Church — Sunday, November 12

A Remembrance service with a choir will be held at St Peter’s Church, on Cambridge Road, just after the cenotaph service.

It will begin at approximately 11.15am.

Starbeck – Sunday, November 12

A two-minute silence will be observed at 11am at the war memorial on Starbeck High Street. Wreaths will be laid.

Later, at 3pm, the Starbeck Remembrance Ceremony will take place at the cenotaph on Starbeck High Street.

It will be led by the Harrogate branch of the Royal British Legion, with a parade by local uniformed organisations.

Harrogate and Knaresborough MP Andrew Jones will attend the service, and readings will be led by the church and pupils of Starbeck Primary Academy.

Stonefall Commonwealth War Graves Cemetery – Sunday, November 12

A service starting at 1pm will include prayers, music from the Harrogate Band, a short talk by Reverend David Hoskins and a two-minute silence. Also, wreaths will be laid by community leaders and representatives of British and allied forces, and students from Ashville College and Harrogate’s Army Foundation College will lay flowers on each grave.

West Park Church — Sunday, November 12

A service will be held at the church, including an act of remembrance, from 10.30am.

It will be led by Reverend David Hughes.

Another service will be held at 3.30pm to mark the end of the More Than a Name on a Memorial exhibition.

Knaresborough

Sunday, November 12

The commemorations will begin with a service at St John’s Church from 9.30am.

A parade from the church to the war memorial in the castle grounds will follow.

There will be a two-minute silence at 11am, followed by a service of remembrance at the memorial.

Nidderdale and Pateley Bridge

Saturday, November 11.

The annual Armistice Day service and parade takes place at the war memorial from 10am.  Those attending will include a representative of the lord-lieutenant’s office, a platoon of troops from the Army Foundation College in Harrogate, local dignitaries and community organisations and schools etc.

It is organised by the Nidderdale branch of the Royal British Legion and The Church in The Dale.

Sunday, November 12
10am Joint Service of Remembrance at Holy Trinity, Dacre Banks with a collection for the Royal British Legion.

11am Act of Remembrance at Summerbridge War Memorial, followed by refreshments at Summerbridge Methodist Church.

2pm Remembrance Concert and Service at Darley Memorial Hall

6pm The Royal British Legion Service of Remembrance at St Mary the Virgin, Greenhow Hill. Led by the Reverend Darryl Hall, there will be a two-minute silence, a sermon by Jane Spooner and music from Nidd Chorale.

Boroughbridge

Sunday, November 12.

A remembrance service and parade will be held at St James’s Church in Boroughbridge.

It will begin at 10am.

Masham

Friday, November 10. 

A remembrance service will be held for locals and pupils of Masham School at St Mary’s Church from 10.45am.

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Harrogate prepares for milestone Remembrance Day service

Large crowds are expected in Harrogate town centre on Sunday for the annual Remembrance Day service and parade.

The event is always a major occasion, with road closures and large crowds gathering around the war memorial to pay their respects and observe a two-minute silence.

But this year’s activities will be especially poignant as it coincides with the 100th anniversary of the town’s war memorial, which was unveiled by Henry Lascelles, the 6th Earl of Harewood, on September 1, 1923.

It cost £12,000 and contains the names of 1,163 men and women who died in two world wars.

Sunday also marks the end of the Cenotaph Centenary — a programme of events since the start of September commemorating the centenary.

You Must Remember This, which is being held tonight at the West Park United Reformed Church, will feature military-themed music by three choirs.

Attention will then turn to Sunday’s Remembrance Day activities.

Service at the war memorial

Crowds are invited to gather at the war memorial from 10am.

The service will commence at 10.50am, followed by the two-minute silence at 11am.

Wreaths will be laid, the Kohima epitaph will be read the and the reveille will play.

The memorial was built in 1923.

Road closures

North Yorkshire Council has said the following roads will be closed on Sunday from 8:30am to 1pm to facilitate the parade and service:

Cheltenham Crescent, Oxford Street, Union Street, Parliament Street, Albert Street, Prospect Place, James Street, John Street, Princes Street, Cambridge Crescent, and Cambridge Road.

Only one lane will be open on West Park during the parade.

A full list of services across the district is available here.

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Harrogate nursery staff ‘adore the job they do’, says Ofsted

Kindercare nursery on Pannal Ash Road in Harrogate, has been rated ‘good’ by Ofsted.

The findings were published in a report yesterday following an inspection in October.

Government inspectors rated the nursery, which was registered in 1993, as ‘good’ in all four categories: quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development and leadership and management.

However, the assessment did see the grading fall from a previous ‘outstanding’ in 2018.

The report said “children enjoy their time at the nursery” and found staff provide a “safe and well-resourced” learning environment. It added:

“Children and babies are keen to explore and have a go at the wide range of activities on offer.

“They like trying tricky activities, such as catching falling leaves and taking turns to build ‘wobbly’ towers of bricks.”

Inspectors said the behaviour and attitudes at the nursery, which has 86 pupils, are “very good”.

The report also described the 20 members of staff as “wonderfully positive role models”, adding:

“They treat children with respect and are consistently kind and calm in their manner.

“Staff use sensitive and age-appropriate methods for managing unwanted behaviour.

“They frequently praise children for being kind and helpful. This helps to support children’s confidence and self-esteem.”

The manager was described as “knowledgeable, proactive and enthusiastic”. She seeks and receives good support from senior managers and reflects on staff training and wellbeing needs, the report added.

Inspectors also praised the “fun and warmth” shown by staff to babies, and noted they “clearly adore the job they do”.

They said:

“The special educational needs coordinator has a clear understanding of her role and responsibilities.

“Staff work with partner agencies to ensure that children’s individual needs are identified and well met. This makes sure that children have a consistent approach towards their care and learning.”

Safeguarding was found to be “effective”.

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Areas of improvement

However, the inspectors did say not all staff interactions with children “fully support them to make the best possible progress”. They added:

“Some staff do not give children sufficient time to deepen their ideas, solve problems, predict outcomes and find different ways of doing things for themselves.”

The report also found:

“At times, staff do not ensure that the outdoor learning environment has a rich range of play experiences to further support children’s development. This limits children to build on their growing physical skills.”

Ofsted said to improve, staff should “strengthen the already good teaching” to improve the children’s focus, as well as make full use of the outdoor space “to help to keep children engaged in their play”.

The Stray Ferret contacted Kindercare for comment but did not receive a response by the time of publication.

The nursery is owned by Busy Bees Ltd, which has more than 390 nurseries across the UK and Ireland.

Developers silent over planned Harrogate Starbucks

Developers behind a former Leon restaurant in Harrogate which was due to become a Starbucks have remained silent on the scheme.

North Yorkshire Council approved plans to change the signage around the Wetherby Road site to Starbucks branding in August but the building remains closed.

Permission was given for a total of 20 signs, just over half of which would be illuminated, including totem signs, menus and directional signs around the drive-through.

Leon, which opened last June, closed its doors on April 2 with the loss of around 20 jobs.

It was operated by Blackburn-based EG Group, which also runs Starbucks franchises as well as brands including KFC and Greggs.

The Stray Ferret asked EG Group for an update on the project and whether it had confirmed an opening date, but received no response by the time of publication.

We also asked Starbucks whether it had a potential launch date for the new store.

In response, a spokesperson for the company said:

“I’m afraid we don’t comment on pieces of planning application.”

Currently, the building has been empty for seven months and has been stripped of its Leon branding and signage.

The coffee brand has only one existing presence in the Harrogate district, on Cambridge Street in the town centre.

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Firefighters called to two-vehicle collision near Harrogate

Harrogate firefighters and colleagues from Moortown in Leeds were called a two-vehicle collision in North Rigton last night.

The incident, which happened at 7pm, took place on Harrogate Road.

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

“Two males were able to self-extricate from their vehicles prior to fire brigade arrival.

“Both men were left in the hands of the ambulance.”

It added the men had sustained “unknown” injuries.

No further details have been revealed.

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The Harrogate crew was also called to the St Patrick’s Way area of the town following reports of young people starting a fire in a recreational ground.

The log said staff at the nearby ambulance station reported the incident, which happened at 1.11am this morning.

It added:

“[The] crew extinguishes a fire measuring one square metre using a hose reel.”

 

20mph speed limit proposed for Harrogate’s Woodfield Road

North Yorkshire Council has proposed new road safety measures for Woodfield Road in the Bilton area of Harrogate.

The project, funded through the North Yorkshire Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner’s AJ1 project road safety fund, will see the introduction of traffic calming measures, including speed cushions and a 20mph speed limit.

Cllr Paul Haslam, a Conservative who represents Bilton and Nidd Gorge, told the Stray Ferret the measures were being taken “for the safety of children” ahead of the former Woodfield Road Community Primary School re-opening.

There school, which closed at the end of last year, is due to reopen as a secondary school for 80 autistic children in September 2024.

The former Woodfield Road Community Primary.

Cllr Haslam secured a £20,000 budget for the road safety project and a spokesperson for the council said “the cost will be within the £20,000 fund”, with exact costs “still to come from contractors”.

The council hopes the project will be completed before April 2024.

The scheme follows another major road safety package unveiled by the council in September to create an extensive 20mph zone in the Pannal Ash and Oatlands area of the town.

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.

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Harrogate bar staff to be trained to prevent attacks on women

Harrogate hospitality workers are to receive training on how to make women feel safer in the town centre at night.

Zoë Metcalfe, the North Yorkshire Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner, announced today her office had been awarded up to £309,911 from the Home Office’s safer streets fund to improve safety for women and girls.

It will fund various initiatives, including vulnerability and spiking awareness training for staff employed in the nighttime economy in Harrogate.

The training aims to make women feel safer at night and tackle violence against women and girls.

The funding will also provide free video doorbells for repeat victims of domestic abuse and stalking.

The commissioner’s office has also secured up to £689,607 from the Home Office to prevent neighbourhood crime, most of which will be spent on security upgrades at homes and farms in and around Scarborough and York.

Ms Metcalfe said:

“Preventing burglary, tackling rural crime and improving safety for women and girls are priority areas within my police and crime plan and violence against women and girls strategy and these initiatives will have a real, tangible impact on how safe people feel both in and outside their homes.”

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Scope closes Knaresborough charity shop after 35 years

Scope has closed its Knaresborough charity shop after 35 years on the High Street.

The store, which opened in 1988, served its last customer on Saturday.

It stocked second-hand clothing and accessories and was one of 190 Scope retail stores in the UK. Profits fund the charity’s work to campaign for disability equality.

Debbie Boylen head of retail at Scope, said the store was “no longer viable to trade”, adding:

“We were very sad to close our charity shop in Knaresborough, we have had such incredible support from this wonderful and generous community.

“The cost-of-living crisis, coupled with the pandemic, has placed an enormous pressure on stores trading on high streets across the UK, with significant and lengthy closure periods.”

Despite the closure, Knaresborough still has another seven charity shops, including Oxfam and Cancer Research UK, to shop at.

Scope also has a store on Beulah Street in Harrogate.

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Man in 90s dies after Harrogate collision

A man who was seriously injured after a collision between Harrogate and Killinghall has died.

The man, who was in his 90s, had just got off the bus when he was struck by a Ford Fiesta travelling northbound on Monday night (November 6).

He was left in a serious condition in hospital.

The incident took place on the A61, on the bridge close to the junction with Knox Mill Lane, at 5.50pm. A 36 bus stop is situated on the bridge.

This evening, North Yorkshire Police confirmed that the man has died.

A force statement said:

“His family have been informed and are being supported by specially trained officers.”

Officers have also appealed for witnesses and dash cam footage to help with the investigation into the collision.

Police added:

“Officers are continuing their enquiries and are renewing the appeal for information or dash cam footage.

“Anyone who could help the investigation is asked to email MCIT@northyorkshire.police.uk or phone 101, quoting reference number 12230211344.”

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