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How Harrogate’s hockey club coach made his passion his full time job

It was a mixture of trying to avoid rugby and suffering from concussion which led to Harrogate Hockey Club coach Jimmy Greenwood to pick up a stick.

The 51-year-old, who was born in Garforth, was forced to play rugby union when he moved to Harrogate and attended the grammar school.

In an effort to avoid being on the school team, he joined Harrogate Hockey Club as soon as he turned 14.

From there, it has been his love for more than three decades.

But, sat in the club on a Thursday afternoon as the pitch outside is packed with kids learning from Olympic gold medal hockey star Maddie Hinch, Jimmy says he never thought it would get to a stage where it became his full time job.

Picking up the stick for the first time

“I think I got concussed three times,” Jimmy says as he recalls his early rugby days at Harrogate Grammar School.

He had never picked up a hockey stick before turning 14.

But, to get out of playing rugby, he felt he should join the hockey team.

“I thought, if I’m in the school hockey team then I can’t get picked for the rugby team.

“So I began my hockey career.”

Jimmy’s school teacher Mr Sutton was a coach at Harrogate Hockey Club when it was based at Harlow Hill.

He took up a trial offer and ended up playing in the men’s side.

Jimmy in action for the men’s side.

Some may look at Jimmy’s story from player to full time coach as an accident given how candid he is about how he got into the sport.

But for him, hockey itself requires skill, technique and time to master.

“It’s an addictive sport. Once you’re in, you’re in.

“It’s an amazing journey when you start. Every other sport I played was just in your age group.”

Jimmy was playing with players much older than him when he joined Harrogate Hockey Club at aged 14.

At that age, he was able to play with adults – some of whom were into their 40s and 50s.

As a junior, he played on the wing because he was quick before he gradually moved to centre forward as he got older.

In the 1980s, the club was playing against the likes of Ben Rhydding, Thirsk and York – teams within the Yorkshire region.

It wouldn’t be until much later that Jimmy would test himself against tougher sides in Birmingham and further south when he studied at the University of Durham.

Much of Jimmy’s playing career was playing in the North Premier League for Harrogate.

However, in 2004, the club were promoted to the National League – which saw them pitted against the likes of Lewes and Birmingham.

For Jimmy, the move into the next division, which moved them outside of the north of England, was an eye opener.

“It was mainly decision making.

“There’s a level of skill that everyone can get to in hockey. There’s only so quickly that you can move a ball, like footballers.

“But then it comes down to how quickly the brain works.”

His passion for the sport took him as far as England trials – although his career never reached that level.

Turning to coaching

These days, Jimmy takes his hockey playing more casually.

However, he had his eye on becoming a coach when he was 18.

“I’ve sort of coached off and on for my whole career.”

He describes himself as a “technical” coach and has long argued that there is a difference between technique and skill when it comes to players.

“When I say technical, most people would call that a skills coach.

“Making sure people are stopping the ball correctly, holding the stick properly and showing them some tricky moves to do against opposition players.

“In my head – and I will argue this with everybody – that’s technique. The skill is picking the right thing to do at the right time.

“I like to empower anyone that I coach with as much technique as I can give them so that they are the best player that they can be. Then it is up to them, they can be world beaters if they can make the right decisions.”

Amid the part time coaching and playing hockey on evenings and weekends, Jimmy had a day job.

Before the covid pandemic, he ran a book publishing business.

He worked for himself and enjoyed it, but then the covid pandemic hit and the world turned upside down.

“I have always run my own businesses and I wound one up about two years ago.

“It had done quite well through covid, but coming out the other side of covid the education sector changed quite drastically. The business couldn’t cope with the changes.”

Jimmy did not know what to do and tried to work for other people, but did not like it.

He turned to his passion in the hope that it may offer him work.

Fortunately for Jimmy, the club was in a position where it needed to offer support to its development officer, Megan Reid.

“She needed a coach to help her to do some of these outreach programmes into schools and to help do some of the club coaching here and to develop the juniors.”

Two months in, Jimmy says the job is a labour of love and something he feels he is well suited to.

“It is in some ways not like working because it is something that I absolutely love doing and I have done it for so long.

“But it is kind of strange to have never done it as a job before.”

While his new job involves coaching, it also involves helping to build the club back up from covid.

Like a lot of sports, Harrogate Hockey Club was hit hard by covid.

Some members did not return and the junior teams lost their way with no sport to play.

“To get everything back on track, it needs that extra support.

“I think it is happening in all sports now. Being able to rely on people’s goodwill to run teams nowadays is quite hard.”

The club has been fortunate enough to have stars like Maddie Hinch, who won gold for Great Britain at the Rio Olympics in 2016, hosting training sessions at the Ainsty Road pitch to help generate interest in the sport.

Despite the task in hand, Jimmy still has goals in mind.

He wants to try and play beyond the age of 55 and to help to grow the club and its membership.

“Having run businesses over the years, it’s like growing a plant.

“First and foremost, you need to grow it. You can get rid of some bits that are a bit unwieldy and then make it nice.”

If you have any local sporting heroes who you think should be featured in Sporting Spotlight, contact calvin@thestrayferret.co.uk.

Harrogate rugby team visits Canada as part of historic link

A Harrogate rugby team has visited Canada as part of a town winning scheme.

Players from Harrogate Rugby Club’s under-16s visited Barrie in Ontario, where they were given a tour and even appeared on local television.

The city was twinned with Harrogate in 2013.

Sir Robert Barrie was a Royal Navy officer who fought against the USA in the 19th century and is buried in the Harrogate district.

He then took up a post in Ontario, Canada, to inspect a key trading route called the Nine Mile Portage. He settled there, calling it “one of the most beautiful places on earth”. In 1833 the area was renamed in his honour.

The Harrogate rugby side, which included students from Harrogate Grammar School and Ashville College, embarked on the nine-day tour in July.

The tour was sponsored by Harrogate International Partnerships and included matches which saw Harrogate run out victorious.

Harrogate coach, Ralph Zoing, described the games as “competitive, but played in an excellent spirit”.

Harrogate Rugby Club raising the Yorkshire flag in Barrie, Ontario.

The team also raised a Yorkshire flag in Barrie during Yorkshire Day on August 1.

Dennis Richards, chair of Harrogate International Partnerships, said the visit was a success.

“Twinning works best through community groups, sport and music being prime examples.

“The success of this trip should inspire many others in years to come.”

A civic reception was also held by Alex Nuttall, mayor of Barrie, as part of the Harrogate club’s visit.

Mr Nuttall said:

“These young men were excellent ambassadors for Harrogate and their rugby club.

“They were a delight to host and strengthened a rapidly developing link between our two towns. Both towns have so much to offer each other”

A reciprocal visit is planned to take place in 2024.

Twinned

Barrie was twinned with Harrogate in 2013 at the suggestion of local aristocrat Sir Thomas Ingilby.

Sir Robert married Sir Thomas’s ancestor, Julia Wharton Ingilby, in 1816.

In mid-1834, Barrie returned to England and King William IV made him a knight commander of the Royal Guelphic Order. He was promoted to rear-admiral in 1837 and knight commander of the Order of the Bath in 1840.

Barrie retired in Swarthdale, Lancashire and was buried at All Saints Church in Ripley in 1841.

Hundreds of junior soldiers graduate at Harrogate’s Army Foundation College

More than 400 junior soldiers graduated from Harrogate’s Army Foundation College this week.

Hundreds of graduates marched on the parade square to mark the end of their phase one training on Thursday.

The 17 and 18-year-olds will now go on to complete their trade training before joining regiments across the UK.

The parade was led off the square by Bradley Ruddy, aged 17. This was in recognition of him being awarded the title of best recruit and saw him give the final words of command to all the soldiers on parade.

He said:

“Everyone deserved their spot on the drill square. We’ve all worked extremely hard and put a hundred per cent effort in.”

Bradley Ruddy, pictured with his best recruit award.

Bradley, who is from Doncaster, is set to go onto join the Coldstream Guards after graduating from the college.

He added:

“I joined because I wanted to travel the world and, in the Army, you can do that for free.

“I’ve always been big into doing things outdoors and the Army offers a lot of adventure training, so that caught my eye.

“I do a lot of running and I’m a big hill walker. I just like being outside.”

The passing out parade held in Harrogate on Thursday.

Meanwhile, twin sisters Laura and Kate Hanna, 17, said they followed in their dad’s footsteps by joining the college.

Laura, who will be joining the Royal Armoured Corps, said:

“Our dad was in the Army. We’ve grown up with it.

“It’s been good having Laura here. We were not in the same company, so we only saw each other in the evenings.

“I’ve enjoyed learning about what happened in Normandy, and I enjoyed Battle Camp, where we did live firing. I’ve done cross country and athletics.”

Bake Off star coming to Harrogate as town gears up for holiday home show

Great British Bake Off star and motorhome fan Karen Wright will join Yorkshire chef Steph Moon on the cookery stage at the Great Holiday Home Show next month.

The show, which is being held in Harrogate for the first time, features the latest holiday homes, caravans and motorhomes and other aspects of life exploring the great outdoors.

Described as the largest outdoor holiday home show in the country, it started in 1976 as The Lawns Show and was previously held in Hull.

A total of 227 holiday homes and 140 caravans and motorhomes will be on display at the Great Yorkshire Showground from September 8 to 10.

Visitors will include Ms Wright, from Wakefield, who was one of 12 contestants on the Great British Bake Off in 2018. She will give top tips for baking in a caravan.

Multi award winning consultant chef and camper van owner Ms Moon will also be there, hosting the cookery theatre throughout the three-day show.

Steph Moon

Besides the cookery theatre, there will be the Great Holiday Home Stage hosted by TV Presenter Christine Talbot.

Special guests include Matt Baker, adventurer Andy Torbet, YouTube motorhome family the Roaming Radfords and Peter Wright from Channel 5’s The Yorkshire Vet.

Hall 1 of the Yorkshire Event Centre will feature an e-bike testing arena. Hall 2 will be become the leisure world shopping village.

The event is organised by HERCMA (The Hull and East Riding of Yorkshire Caravan Manufacturers’ Association), which is a collaboration of four major holiday home manufacturers ABI, Carnaby, Swift and Willerby.

Tickets cost £12.50 and children under 16 go free with an accompanying paying adult.

Police confirm missing Harrogate teenagers found

Three missing girls from Harrogate have been found safe.

North Yorkshire Police have confirmed that two 13-year-old and a 16-year-old girl were found in Leeds and returned to their families.

The girls were last seen at 5pm on Thursday (August 10).

A police statement said:

“Protecting vulnerable people is of paramount importance to North Yorkshire Police.”

New street art café opens in Harrogate

A café serving sweet and savoury dishes has opened its doors in Harrogate – with street art covering its walls.

Salt N Sugar, on King’s Road, sells coffees and teas, sweet and savoury waffles, pancakes, and crepes, as well as traditional brunch dishes, such as eggs royale and breakfast sandwiches.

The café’s interior is less than traditional, however, as the walls are covered in graffiti – hand painted by owners Marina Prokoiosifi, 23, and Danjel Mulla, 24.

They moved from their hometown of Athens to Harrogate in search of a brighter future.

The pair explained that “everything is painted and vandalised” in Athens, so they chose to add street art to the walls of the café to bring a “taste of home”.

Ms Prokoiosifi told the Stray Ferret:

“We were surprised how little street art there is in Harrogate when we moved – it’s so normal for places to look like this is Greece.

“I began graffitiing at the age of nine and continued until I was 12. My friends and I would paint on school walls, parts of our town and even our walls at home.”

The dog-friendly cafe also operates as a co-working space for remote workers.

It hopes to begin delivering online takeaway orders in future.

The owners said:

“People got to know us over the last few months while we were preparing the unit and have since come into the café to show their support.

“We really look forward to welcoming the residents of Harrogate to our café.”

Salt N Sugar is open from 9am to 5pm, Tuesday to Sunday.

‘Proud Yorkshire lass’ wins £2m Harrogate farmhouse in Omaze draw

A ‘proud Yorkshire lass’ has won a £2m farmhouse near Birstwith in the latest Omaze Million Pound House Draw.

Eliza Yahioglu, 56, was celebrating her birthday in Luxembourg when she received the news.

She and husband Gokhan, who will celebrate their 30th anniversary in November, now own the 17th century property between Hampsthwaite and Birstwith.

The house comes mortgage free, with stamp duty and legal fees covered. Eliza is free to either live in the house, rent it out or sell it.

Eliza Yahioglu discovered she’d won this on her birthday.

If Ms Yahioglu decides to let it out, the property could yield almost £50,000 a year in rent.

The couple, who have two children, have lived in London for nearly 40 years.

When told on holiday she’d won, Ms Yahioglu joked her husband was “going to struggle to top this for my birthday next year”.

She said:

“It was actually my birthday the day we found out I’d won – so we’d gone abroad to celebrate.

“We were in a bar at the time, which was the perfect place to start celebrating, we got a bottle of fizz in straight away. When we went to bed we still weren’t convinced it was real, we expected to wake up realising it had all been a dream.

“I’ve lived in London for almost 40 years but I’m a proud Yorkshire lass at heart. My parents and sister still live there, so we come up as often as we can.

The house comes with five acres of manicured grounds.

The house comes with a guest cottage and five acres of manicured grounds and gardens.

The property is two and a half miles from Hampsthwaite and one and a half miles from Birstwith.

The draw raised £1,950,000 for the charity Blood Cancer UK.

Harrogate pub hopes to reopen next week after ‘licensing issue’

The landlord of a Harrogate pub has said he hopes to reopen next week after a short closure.

The Stone Beck at Jennyfields closed on Friday last week.

Phill Kirby, who has been landlord for almost four years, told the Stray Ferret it was due to a “licensing issue”.

He added:

“I have apologised for what’s happened and the pub will be opening again in due course.”

Asked if he had a date, Mr Kirby said he was hoping for Tuesday next week.

The pub, on Grantley Drive, is located in the heart of Jennyfields, close to the Coop.

The pub is in the Jennyfields centre.

A spokesperson for North Yorkshire Council, the licensing authority, said:

“North Yorkshire Council has no current actions on this premises.”

Red Arrows due to fly over Harrogate this afternoon

The Red Arrows are due to fly over the Harrogate area this afternoon.

According to the schedule, the jets will pass over Hampsthwaite at 4.14pm.

The RAF aerobatics display team is making a 26-minute flight from RAF Waddington in Lincolnshire to Blackpool, where an air show is being held tomorrow.

The Red Arrows was formed in 1964. It consists of nine red jets that are often accompanied with red, white and blue smoke.

If you catch the Red Arrows on camera, send us a photo at contact@thestrayferret.co.uk

‘Dog waste can now be placed in any bin’, says council

North Yorkshire Council has responded to criticism of its new system for street litter bins.

Some 1,500 smaller litter bins in the Harrogate area are being replaced by a smaller number of new larger bins.

Many of the new bins are situated alongside main roads rather on dog walking routes to make them easier for council workers to get to.

Some dog owners are dumping poo bags in areas where the old bins were rather than walk to main roads and put their dogs on leads.

Dog waste piling up in Jennyfields.

The Stray Ferret has recently reported concerns about this policy in Knox and Jennyfields.

Barrie Mason, assistant director for the environment at the council, said the old bins were removed following a service review and the new approach conformed with good practice guidance from the Waste and Recycling Action Partnership charity.

He said:

“We are currently implementing a new infrastructure for our street litter bins in the Harrogate area.

“The newer bins have a larger capacity and house a wheeled bin. This means they are efficiently emptied by our larger wagons, reducing the risk from manual handling individual bags.

“With the greater capacity, fewer bins are required which helps to reduce street furniture, particularly in locations where two bins may have been placed close together.”

Dog waste ‘no longer classified as hazardous’

Mr Mason added:

“We are implementing new routes which reduce the number of vehicle miles and emissions while freeing up our street cleansing teams to provide a more proactive service, including in our urban areas.

“There are some associated savings from the project, from a reduction in the amount of skips, single use plastic liners and fuel we use.

“Dog waste is no longer classified as hazardous waste and can now be placed in any bin, eliminating the need for specialist bins that further reduce street clutter and manual handling risks. This also means dog waste can be placed in owners’ general waste bins when they return home without adjusting walking routes.”

Mr Mason said bins “are emptied less frequently” in off-road areas in places like Jennyfields “but will be emptied as frequently as required”. He added:

“The emptying frequencies and bin locations are something we’ll be continuing to monitor.

“The work in Jennyfields is still ongoing, and officers are communicating with the relevant local councillor over the new locations and any issues that may arise.

“Harrogate leisure centre has a large open space with a basketball court, so we will be installing a bin soon.”

Picking up the stick for the first time

Turning to coaching

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Twinned

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Dog waste ‘no longer classified as hazardous’

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