Contractors have completed clearing an area alongside the A59 near Harrogate ahead of building a new three-mile stretch of road.

The A59 is a key link between Harrogate and Skipton.

But the section that includes Kex Gill has had a history of landslips, which has caused lengthy diversions for motorists and extra costs for the council.

Work on the £68.8 million project began in February and will see a new road built from Blubberhouses to just after Kex Gill.

The Department for Transport is providing £56.1m and the remaining funds are coming from North Yorkshire Council.

In an update, the council said the site has now been cleared, which has involved removing trees, and an access road is being built to allow builders to start work on the new road.

A stone wall has also been dismantled but will be reused as part of the scheme.
The council added the project will be finished in autumn 2025 after previously saying it would be in May of that year.

Karl Battersby, the council’s corporate director of environment,  said:

“The £69 million Kex Gill realignment project is progressing in line with our programme. The site has been carefully cleared, and a construction access road is being built as part of the first phase of construction.

“The stone boundary wall has been carefully de- constructed and labelled to enable future re-instatement.

“The new road is scheduled to open in autumn 2025 and once complete will reduce road closures, congestion and delays on the A59, reducing the impact on the environment.”

Read more:

• Concern over tree felling as part of Kex Gill reroute
• Man jailed for dealing cocaine and ecstasy in Harrogate

The majority of the new road will be constructed without access to traffic, which means the existing road will remain open during construction.

Once open, the re-routed A59 is not likely to make journey times between Harrogate and Skipton any quicker but it will remove the risk of landslips.

The Kex Gill section runs through important habitats including a Site of Special
Scientific Interest.

The council said plans are in place to mitigate the impact on wildlife in the area that includes barn owls, bats, nightjars, wild game, toads and badgers.

A man caught dealing cocaine and ecstasy in Harrogate has been jailed for 22 months.

Christopher David Corrigan, also known as Purser, 38, of Lingfield Drive, Moortown, Leeds, was sentenced at York Crown Court on Thursday.

Corrigan was intercepted by police on Yew Tree Lane where his then girlfriend was found to have 72 wraps of cocaine in her bra.

He pleaded guilty to possession with intent to supply cocaine and ecstasy at a previous hearing.

His girlfriend at the time, Jordan Wood, 27, from Northallerton, stood trial for the same offences and was found not guilty.

Stopped on Yew Tree Lane

Officers from Harrogate’s specialist drugs unit Operation Expedite stopped a grey Peugeot 208 on Yew Tree Lane on April 30, 2021.

According to police, they had “concerns that the driver was involved in the supply of cocaine in the area”.

They detained Corrigan and Ms Wood, who was the front seat passenger.

A search of the couple and the vehicle found 72 wraps of drugs in Ms Wood’s bra.

Both were arrested on suspicion of possession with intent to supply Class A drugs.

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During police interview, Ms Wood answered “no comment” to all questions and Corrigan said he was £8,000 in debt.

Tests showed 60 cocaine wraps were 89% pure and 10 wraps were 29% pure.

Two further bags were found to be 95% pure ecstasy, which is also a Class A drug.

The total amount of cocaine was just over 30 grams and the total amount of ecstasy was 1.23 grams.

The total street value of all the drugs seized was £3,480.

‘He can reflect on his behaviour in prison’

Police discovered Corrigan’s mobile phone contained numerous messages in which a ‘line holder’ arranged drug deals and Corrigan was sent to conduct the deals.

Corrigan pleaded guilty to the offence in April this year and was remanded in custody awaiting the outcome of Ms Wood’s trial.

PC Michael Haydock, of Operation Expedite, said:

“Corrigan was the main protagonist which was clear to see from the evidence presented by the officer in the case. Corrigan was left with no option but to admit his guilt.

“He can now reflect on his criminal behaviour whilst serving his custodial sentence. Anyone else who tries their hand at drug dealing can expect to end up where he is too.

“There is no place for drug dealers. They inflict misery and suffering on people, their families and communities, all for their own greed.”

Harrogate residents will be able to attend free cycling workshops to improve their skills and confidence on the road in September.

Kate Auld, founder of The Personal Cyclist, has teamed up with the Harrogate branch of Sweaty Betty and bike recycling charity, Resurrection Bikes, to host sessions on basic bike maintenance and necessary skills to encourage a more active mode of travel.

Attendees will be able to borrow bikes on the day and can expect a Sweaty Betty gift voucher.

The sessions come as part of the Big Bike Revival 2023 – a nationwide programme to make cycling more accessible.

It is backed by Cycling UK, which aims to engage with 45% of those defined as non-regular cyclists and hopes to create 50,000 new cycling trips this year.

Ms Auld told the Stray Ferret:

“September’s a great time to get back in the saddle.

“We want to help as many people as possible and give them a boost to their confidence and health, understand their bikes better and enable them to ride more safely.”

Sessions will run at Sweaty Betty on Saturday, September 23, and Saturday, September 30 from 10am -11.30am, as well as Sunday, September 24 from 2.30 – 4pm and Sunday, October 1, from, 11am – 12.30pm.

There will also be a skills session at 6pm on Monday, September 25, at So! Bar on Cold Bath Road.

Sunday sessions will feature mechanic Nicola Doody, from Liv York, a bike store dedicated to women, to provide further insight.

Those interested can email thepersonalcyclist@gmail.com to register, or contact @thepersonalcyclist on Facebook or Instagram.

Read more:

• Stray Ferret backs Killinghall Nomads campaign for Harrogate to honour Rachel Daly
• Harewood Bridge near Harrogate has reopened to traffic

Harrogate cupcake company Mama Doreen’s Emporium is due to open a new branch in York.

The restaurant, which serves afternoon tea, brunch dishes and cakes, opened in 2009 on Cold Bath Road, but moved to its current James Street site in 2019.

Now the company is on the hunt for a new general manager to run the York site.

In a social media post advertising the job role, a member of staff at Mama Doreen’s said:

“We are now ready to bring our amazing service, afternoon teas and of course cupcakes to York.”

The opening date and location of the new store have not yet been announced.

Harrogate tea company takes home Great Taste award

A Harrogate-based tea company has been recognised at the Great Taste Awards for its immunity tea.

Thankfully Healthy was one of 4,088 winners of the award, which had been narrowed down from over 14,000 entries.

The tea is made from a blend of herbs including turmeric, cardamom and rose to strengthen the immune system.

The accolade is given to ‘food and drink that delivers fantastic flavour’ and the product was dubbed “a bracing and spicy ayurvedic tea, full of interesting and complementary spices, most familiar from the spice box of India” by the judges.

Dipti Arora, founder, said:

“If you had told me when I first started thinking about my herbal tea business that I would receive a Great Taste award someday, I probably would have said, “only if such a wish could ever come true!”

“But here I am, a one-person team, nurturing my start-up, and this achievement feels like more than just a dream come true.

The judging took place over 89 days, with a panel of over 500 judges, and saw entries from 109 different countries.

Read more:

• Business Breakfast: Ripon curry restaurant named among best in England
• Business Breakfast: Harrogate manufacturing firm appoints new board member

Residents in part of Harrogate flooded by new homes may refuse to move their vehicles off the street tomorrow in protest.

A modular building that acted as a developer’s office and has stood derelict for years is due to be taken away by the company Portakabin.

A traffic management company has asked people on Kingsley Road to move any vehicles parked on the street so there is enough space for the building to be transported along the street from its location on Hawthorne Place.

But Kingsley Ward Action Group, which was set up to protect green spaces from development, said some residents are so angry about the number of new homes and the way developers have acted they are unwilling to comply.

A spokesman for the group said:

“I will park my car legally outside my own house but as that is opposite the post box there is no way this size vehicle will pass.

“As for the rest of the street I doubt the vehicle will even get to me there seems to be a fair bit of anger over this.

Will there be enough room for the modular building to be removed on Kingsley Road?

North Yorkshire Council has issued a traffic order preventing waiting and loading along one side of Kingsley Road from tomorrow until Friday.

But the spokesman said many residents were unclear exactly where they could park and what was legally permitted.

Some 600 homes are being built in the Kingsley Road area after a succession of planning applications were approved.

Read more:

• Kingsley anger reaches ‘boiling point’ as another 162 homes set for approval
• Harrogate councillors approve sixth Kingsley housing scheme

North Yorkshire Council’s highways area manager for Harrogate, Melisa Burnham, said:

“We have worked with the traffic management contractor and Portakabin to ensure that any disruption during the removal of the building is kept to a minimum in terms of the location and duration of the temporary parking restrictions.

“The traffic management contractor has informed residents and we have been in close contact with the community to allay concerns and ensure they understand the minimal nature of the restrictions.

“In general terms, where temporary traffic regulation orders prohibit parking, contravention of an order can be enforced by parking services and obstructions of the highway by the police.”

It wasn’t the result they wanted but the sense of pride in Rachel Daly remained undimmed at Killinghall Nomads’ big screen showing of the Women’s World Cup final today.

Hundreds of people involved with the club were at the DoubleTree by Hilton Harrogate Majestic Hotel in Harrogate to watch the match.

So were several national news crews, including ITV, which requested the coverage be switched from BBC in case former Nomads player Daly scored and the national channel cut to the joyful scenes.

The Stray Ferret, which is supporting the club’s petition for North Yorkshire Council to recognise Daly, was also there to sample the carnival atmosphere.

A young fan shows mad love for Rachel Daly.

Spain’s first half goal subdued the crowd and when Daly was taken off at half-time the mood fell flat.

Her substitution appeared to be for tactical reasons but it denied England the country’s leading goal scorer in a half in which they needed a goal.

The afternoon’s biggest cheer came when England goalkeeper Mary Earps saved a penalty.

The atmosphere went flat when Daly was taken off.

Huge excitement greeted every England attack, but this wasn’t to be the Lionesses’ day and the many young fans in the room experienced the sinking feeling familiar with older followers of England football teams over the last 50 years.

Despite it all, the club’s bond and love with Daly remained unshakeable. Everyone spoke of her with pride.

European Championships winner, Golden Boot winner, World Cup finalist… it’s a spectacular resume.  She is also on the shortlist of six for PFA Player of the Year award.

Mary Beggs-Reid, the club’s media manager, organised the event.

People shook their heads in disbelief when asked what they thought of the fact she hadn’t received even the slightest recognition by Harrogate Borough Council or its successor North Yorkshire Council and said unprintable things.

One asked why there wasn’t a big screen on the Stray. Another said:

“It’s hardly surprising people lose faith with councils when they fail to do something so bleeding obvious.”

The club’s campaign continues. You can sign the petition here.

Read more:

• Petition launched calling for Harrogate to honour Rachel Daly
• World Cup hero Rachel Daly in line for player of year award

Pubs, sports clubs and other venues across the Harrogate district are gearing up for a morning like no other tomorrow, as England’s Lionesses face Spain in the World Cup Final.

The match takes place at Stadium Australia in Sydney, kicking off at 11am UK time.

The early start has not deterred fans and businesses alike from making the most of the occasion.

No doubt the biggest cheers will be for Rachel Daly, the former Rossett School student and Killinghall Nomads junior player, who will be hoping to start once again for the Lionesses.

Here’s a round-up of some of the places putting on a special event for the match.

If you know anywhere else, email us at contact@thestrayferret.co.uk and we will add it to the list.

Harrogate

The Empress on the Stray will be open from 10am to welcome fans.

The Tap on Tower Street is opening its doors at 11am for the match.

The Den, on Cambridge Road, will be showing the match.

The Balcony at Harrogate Cricket Club will be open from 10am, with bacon butties, hot drinks and the bar open. Book a seat via the website.

Husk Beer Emporium will be open for the match from 11am.

Harrogate Conservative Club on East Parade will be showing it from 10.45am.

Bilton Cricket Club on Bilton Lane is opening at 10am and offering a free pint to anyone who wears their England shirt. Check the club’s Facebook page for booking details.

Starbeck Working Men’s Club on Forest Avenue will be showing the match on a big screen, with doors open from 10.30am.

The Knox in Bilton will be serving breakfast butties from 10.30am ready for kick-off.

The Shepherd’s Dog on Otley Road will be open from 10.30am and serving sausage and bacon butties.

Knaresborough

Knaresborough Town Football Club on Manse Lane is hosting a watch party, with doors open from 10.30am.

The Cricketers on Thistle Hill will be open from 10am for the match.

Ripon

The Black Swan in Westgate is throwing a Women’s World Cup Final party from 10.30am, with a raffle and England merchandise.

So! Bar and Eats in Old Market Square will open its doors at 10.30am. There will be free bacon sandwiches until kick-off.

Ripon Bowling Club in Bondgate Green is opening from 9am for fans to gather and watch the build-up and match together.

Read more:

• Stray Ferret backs Killinghall Nomads campaign for Harrogate to honour Rachel Daly
• World Cup hero Rachel Daly in line for player of year award

Yemi Adelekan is a food writer and blogger who was a semi-finalist in last year’s BBC TV’s Masterchef  competition. Every Saturday Yemi will be writing on the Stray Ferret about her love of the district’s food  and sharing cooking tips– please get in touch with her if you want her to review a restaurant, visit your farm, taste the produce you sell or even share a recipe.  

It was love at ‘hello’ when Kean Ong opened the door to the Harrogate-based kitchen design studio which immediately transported me into a timeless, elegant, classic and stunning space that set the perfect scene for what was to come.

Kean grew up in Malaysia and worked in Singapore as a chef before relocating to the UK where he continued to hone his skills working in pan Asian, French and modern European kitchens including the Marriot Group, where he discovered a love and passion for pastry.

Picking up a best-in-year award for the advanced diploma in culinary arts patisserie and confectionary at Westminster Kingsway College was the beginning of a truly amazing career at some of London’s finest restaurants including Albert Roux’s The Brasserie at Sofitel St James, Quo Vadis in Soho, Inamo at Wardour Street and St James near Piccadilly.

At Blossom Tree Cake Company He is half of a brilliant duo with Stephen, who I can only describe as the heartwarming ‘behind the scenes yet keeping the show on the road’ main man, and Kean credits Stephen for being a key enabler to their success story.

The name Blossom Tree was inspired by a tree in their front garden and the oriental influences of Kean’s background.

Despite having had an enviable career, Kean says making wedding cakes is what he loves the most. He considers being a part of a couple’s big day a privilege that he pays back by creating the most beautiful, elegant, contemporary and delicious cakes to match their important occasion.

He makes cakes that look as good as they taste on the inside and he wants couples to look back years later still happy with their timeless cake design.

As a food lover, Kean is driven by passion and quality which have translated into him making quality, ethical and traceability choices including growing his own fruits and herbs and moving from fresh flowers to hand crafting life-like flowers for his cakes.

The flavours in his cakes are created using the freshest ingredients, with every element homemade, minimal use of food colouring and the cakes are infused with his signature syrups that keep them moist and light without being overly sweet.

For the tasting, Kean made me three flavours including a new one which he will be unveiling for the next wedding season.

The Chocolate Salted-Caramel cake was a delight with the lightest chocolate sponge perfectly balanced with the salted caramel buttercream. As a non-chocolate cake lover, I was an easy convert by the delicate flavour which didn’t smack me in the face with chocolate.

Kean explained that he kept the flavour light because people would have been eating all day and wouldn’t want a cake that is heavy or overly sweet.

Yemi and Kean Ong with some of his creations

I moved on to the most popular flavour of Passion Fruit curd, Vanilla buttercream and White Chocolate sponge and could immediately see why this is popular, with most couples asking for a layer. The passion fruit curd was sublime cutting through the white chocolate sponge making me want to go for yet another bite.

My favourite all time cake remains a well made Victoria sponge cake and the new flavour that I tasted took it to another level. We are often told the classics are classic for a reason and should be untouched, but I counter that by saying sometimes a classic needs a facelift in the hands of a craftsman.

That’s exactly what Kean has done with his twist on this well loved classic featuring quintessentially British ingredients, capturing the smells of summer and champagne.

Each flavour was the front runner until I tasted the next one; I left without being able to decide my favourite but I remain partial to his latest creation.

Kean puts his heart and soul into his work; his artistic flair, skill, experience and training as a pastry chef was rewarded with four Guild of Fine Food Great Taste Awards in 2022 for his Elderflower & Blackcurrant, Raspberry velvet, zesty Lime, and Pistachio & Plum flavours.

Another three awards were added in 2023 for Zesty lemon, Chocolate & Cherry and Lychee, Raspberry & Rose flavours.

Blossom Tree Cake Company’s creations have been featured in many magazines and is the preferred partner for many venues including Goldsborough Hall, Grantley Hall, Ripley Castle and Rudding Park  in Harrogate.

Bookings are taken a year in advance with tastings done over the winter period. Tailored consultations result in your wedding cake complimenting and being a talking point on your big day.

With a warm welcome, cakes that look like artworks and creatively delicious flavour profiles, I left Blossom Tree Cakes still in love and armed with tips and inspirations to take my own baking to the next level. Kudos to this dynamic duo.

Read more:

• Yemi’s Food Stories: Sweet smells at the Lavender Rooms in Knaresborough
• Yemi’s Food Stories: The perfect day out at Yolk Farm

Local artists, craftspeople and photographers are opening their doors to the public this weekend to showcase work as part of NiddArt Trail.

The trail, run by community organisation Nidderdale Art Trail, aims to highlight both the artistic talent on offer throughout the district, as well as keep community spirit alive.

It originated as Nidd Art Fest, which ran from 1997 to 2008, and has been known as NiddArt Trail since 2009.

Venues in upper and lower Nidderdale, Pateley Bridge, Bewerley, Knaresborough and surrounding villages will house the works of both professional artists, such as Claire Baxter Gallery and JOT’s Gallery, as well as amateur groups such as Pateley Bridge Art Club, which will hold its summer exhibition in St Cuthbert’s School, and Lofthouse Art Group.

A number of community venues will also host featured works, including Summerbridge Methodist Church and Sawley Village Hall.

St Paul’s Art Group will have a variety of mediums on display, including photography and crafts, with some on sale to the public. The work will be held in St Paul’s United Reformed Church, Harrogate, on 26 and 27 August. Refreshments will also be available.

Poetry readings will also take place at Darley Methodist Church as part of the trail. Reverend Alastair Ferneley of Dacre and Alan Jordan, Lay Pastor in the Methodist Church, will be reciting their own poetry on Saturday, August 19, and Saturday, August 26.

Paintings, pottery and photographs curated by local artists will all be housed in St Andrew’s Church, in Blubberhouses, on 19 and 20 August, as well as 26 – 28 August too.

Treasurer Charles Mellor said:

“It’s very much a community event and is made from a mix of talent and community effort.

“There is quite a spectrum of activity this year.”

Some pieces will be available to buy from both the professional and amateur artists, however many choose to simply be involved in the trail.

“I think people just really enjoy being a part of it.

“Many of the groups and venues involved become very enthusiastic about the trail.”

The participating venues are free to attend and will be open at various times from Friday, August 18 to Monday, August 28.

The trail has been available to view online from August 1.

Find a full breakdown of the participating artists and venues, as well as their opening times, here.

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A man who admitted pulling off the wing of a pigeon in Harrogate town centre failed to turn up in court yesterday for sentencing.

Martin Gilham, 53, of Bewerley Road in Jennyfields pleaded guilty to the offence on Oxford Street at Harrogate Magistrates Court last month.

He also admitted a separate charge of being drunk and disorderly on Oxford Street on the same date.

Both incidents took place on May 20 this year.

Gilham was due to be sentenced at York Crown Court yesterday but did not turn up.

Judge Simon Hickey issued a warrant for his arrest.

However, a North Yorkshire Police spokesperson said today the warrant was withdrawn later in the day and Gilham was no longer wanted.

He is likely to return to court for sentencing soon.

Read more:

• Harrogate man admits pulling off pigeon’s wing
• Stray Ferret backs Killinghall Nomads campaign for Harrogate to honour Rachel Daly