Two Harrogate galleries have collaborated to launch a new exhibition.
Watermark Gallery will partner with Walker Galleries, which closed its doors on Montpellier Parade in December last year to move its operations online.
The two businesses have launched a new exhibition, A Brush With Colour, which opened on Saturday and will run until May 31.
Liz Hawkes, owner of Watermark Gallery, said she felt her business could learn from working with Walker Galleries.
She said:
“When we heard that Walker Galleries was closing, we were very disappointed to lose a quality gallery across the road.
“Through our sister business, Artworks Conservation, we have worked with Ian and Shirley Walker for many years and have a mutual respect for the gallery business they built up.
“We felt we had a lot to learn by joining forces and are only too pleased to be working with them on this exciting new programme of work.”
Lilies and Lemons – one of the exhibits by Caroline Bailey
Ian Walker, owner of Walker Galleries, said:
“We were delighted when Liz approached us with the offer of a venue so we could continue exhibiting the work of our artists.
“This current show with Caroline Bailey now promises to be even bigger and better than ever before as it combines our established way of working with the online and digital marketing focus of Watermark Gallery.”
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A Brush With Colour is a solo exhibition by acclaimed artist and colourist Caroline Bailey RSW (Royal Scottish Society of Painters in Watercolour).
It will be held at Watermark Gallery on Royal Parade.
The exhibition is the first in a series of three joint events, with future exhibitions by Mike Bernard RI and Katharine Holmes both planned for the Autumn/Winter 2023.
More Harrogate covid vaccine clinics to be available amid travel concernsHealth bosses in North Yorkshire have said more covid vaccine appointments will be available for Harrogate residents amid concern over a lack of clinics.
Officials at NHS Humber and North Yorkshire Integrated Care Board said three pharmacies in Harrogate have been holding appointments for those eligible for a spring booster vaccine.
However, residents have contacted the Stray Ferret over concerns that the NHS booking website only showed clinics in West Yorkshire.
Currently, those who are vulnerable and over-75 are eligible for an appointment.
Those who wish to book a vaccine have to do so through the NHS website or by calling 119.
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But, residents in Harrogate who have tried to book a booster vaccine have found appointments are only available in Bradford or Leeds.
NHS officials said much of the vaccine campaign has been focused on those in care homes or who are housebound.
However, they added more local appointments should become available “over the next two or three weeks” to those who are eligible and will mostly be in GPs and pharmacies.
In response to the concern over travel, a spokesperson for Humber and North Yorkshire ICB said:
“Three pharmacies in Harrogate have had appointments available through the NHS National Booking Service and have been actively delivering clinics.
“However, over the next two to three weeks, patients in Harrogate who are eligible for their COVID spring booster should have access to more local appointments when they visit the online NHS National Booking Service or contact NHS 119.
“With GP practices in the Harrogate district mainly concentrating their efforts on delivering vaccines to care home residents and patients who are housebound, clinics for over 75s and those who are immunosuppressed will mostly be delivered by community pharmacy teams, though some GP practices will be running clinics for their eligible patients and they will be contacted directly when it’s their turn.
“The Spring campaign commenced on 3 April for all care home residents, housebound and immunosuppressed patients in line with JCVI guidance. All other over 75s became eligible for vaccination w/c 17 April and we are confident everyone who’s eligible will be able to receive a vaccination prior to the end of June when this campaign ends.”
Those are eligible for a spring covid booster are advised to check the NHS booking service online or call 119, if travelling is an issue.
More information on covid vaccine appointments can be found on the NHS England website here.
North Yorkshire Council to review bus services support, says transport chiefNorth Yorkshire’s transport boss has said the council intends to carry out a review of how it supports bus services amid concerns over passenger numbers.
Cllr Keane Duncan, executive councillor for transport at North Yorkshire Council, said grants from government and a cap on £2 fares will help some routes to continue into next year.
However, he added that the authority would review how it can support bus companies in future.
In a statement due before this week’s full council, Cllr Duncan said:
“We have just accepted the final extension to the Local Transport Fund grant from the DfT.
“This amounts to an additional £360k which will be used to support services. We hope this will allow current service levels to continue for at least a further year. This allows us time to conduct a wider review of the way the council supports services.
“However, increased passenger numbers, not subsidies, remain the key to the long-term viability of bus services.”
The move comes as the 24 service from Pateley Bridge to Harrogate was recently saved until April next year.
Transdev, which operates the service, had initially planned to withdraw most services on the route.
Read more:
- North Yorkshire transport boss warns bus network faces ‘really grave situation’
- 80 bus services in North Yorkshire under threat, says Harrogate district MP
However, talks between the council and operator secured the service for another year.
The move coincided with an extension to the government’s £2 cap on single fares until June and extra funding for routes at risk of being reduced.
At the time, Cllr Duncan warned that government cash “cannot continue in perpetuity”.
Harrogate hails returning hero Rachel DalyIt’s difficult to think of a bigger star from Harrogate right now than England footballer Rachel Daly.
Daly was part of the England Lionesses team that won Euro 2020 last year and is this season’s Women’s Super League leading scorer.
She also has 328,000 followers on Instagram so it was little surprise hundreds of football fans gathered at Killinghall Moor this afternoon to greet her homecoming.
Daly was back where it all started — Killinghall Nomads Junior Football Club — to open the Nomads Daly Brew cafe named in her honour.
She arrived with friends and family, not to mention dog Dexy, shortly after midday to a chorus of ‘She’s Coming Home’ and after a few quick speeches and media interviews signed autographs non-stop for more than hour.
Alongside her mural
Many fans turned up wearing shirts bearing Daly’s name.
Sitting in the cafe bearing her name and mural, people queued with balls, shirts, boots and bits of paper for her to sign. Many wore England or Aston Villa Women shirts bearing the name ‘Daly’.
She obliged them all and flashed her megawatt smile for selfies until everyone had got a memento. Mum Louise, who still lives in Harrogate, looked like she would burst with pride.
Some fans queued for over an hour to meet Daly.
Posing with current Killinghall Nomads players
Daly played for Killinghall Nomads from under-eight to under-15 level before moving on. Her brother and father also represented the club. Dad Martyn, who died two years ago, set up the under-15 girls team.
This was her first trip to Harrogate since Christmas and the event provided a chance to catch-up with some old friends as well as fans.
She was impressed by the building’s transition to a cafe and humbled by the decision to name it in her honour. She said:
“I spent every waking second of the day on these pitches, hitting a ball against this wall so to be here today is a great honour.
“It’s always important to remember your roots. When I was last here it was a meeting room with just a kettle!”
Simon Walker, vice-chair of the club, told the crowd that Daly continued to inspire others, which was evident by the number of girls and boys who turned out.
Read more:
- Harrogate hotshot Rachel Daly to open Killinghall cafe
- Harrogate’s Rachel Daly on target as England win Finalissima
David Terzza, women and girls’ football lead at the club, said it now had about 150 females on its books.
He emphasised how much Daly had contributed to its growth by sponsoring kit, arranging for some of the junior players to watch the Lionesses train at the St George’s Park national football centre and taking part in a zoom question and answer with girls during covid.
She said:
“Nomads will always have a special place in my heart. If it wasn’t for this place, where I played on every blade of grass and broke every piece of fence, I wouldn’t be here today. It’s such an honour.”
Her classy display on the day ensured Daly will also have a special place in Harrogate’s heart too. Time for a statue?
Here are some more photos from today’s event.
Photo of the Week: the art of capturing cherry blossom
This week’s photograph was taken by Len Bownes, capturing two artists working with the cherry blossom as their subject.
Len Bownes
Photo of the Week celebrates the Harrogate district. It could be anything from family life to capturing the district’s beauty. We are interested in amateur and professional photographs, in a landscape format.
Send your photographs to letters@thestrayferret.co.uk for a chance to be featured next week, we reserve the right to adjust and crop images to fit into our format.
Harrogate Bus Company fares to increase tomorrowBus fares in the Harrogate district are set to increase from tomorrow.
Transdev, which runs Harrogate Bus Company, has an announced an increase in prices on some of its tickets from Sunday, May 14.
It will effect services in Harrogate, Knaresborough and Boroughbridge.
However, tickets for single fares will remain at the £2 cap until the end of June – but will return to original prices with no increase as of July 1.
A statement from the bus firm said:
“Unfortunately due to the rate of inflation we are seeing the cost of running our buses increasing.
“We’ve been able to freeze many of our fares – our single and return fares will not change, including the £2 maximum single fare.
“We still think these fares offer excellent value for money, especially compared to the cost of driving and parking.”
The price increases will be as follows:
- Harrogate one-day – £5 to £5.70
- Harrogate one-day (under 19) – £3.40 to £3.80
- Harrogate seven days – £15.50 to £18
- Harrogate seven-days (under 19) – £10.30 to £12
- Harrogate 28 days – £58 to £66
- Harrogate 28 days (under 19) – £40 to £44
- Boroughbridge – £32 to £36
- Boroughbridge (under 19) – £16 to £18
- Transdev Gold ticket (7 days) – £40 to £45
- Transdev Gold (under 19) – £26.50 to £30
- Transdev Gold ticket (28 days) – £130 to £150
- Transdev Gold ticket (28 days, under 19) – £86 to £100
- Daytripper – £12 to £14
- Daytripper (under 19) – £8 to £9.50
- Daytripper group (up to five) – £22 to £25
Read more:
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- Harrogate Station Gateway: What happens now?
Body recovered from River Nidd at Bilton
Police have recovered the body of a local woman from the River Nidd, near Bilton viaduct.
Concerns were raised about the woman, who is aged in her 40s, this morning.
An urgent missing person investigation was launched which included searches in and around the River Nidd at the location.
The woman’s body was recovered by the Yorkshire and the Humber Regional Marine and Underwater Search Unit at around 1.20pm. She has not been named.
The bridge was closed while the body was recovered. A North Yorkshire Police statement said:
“There are no suspicious circumstances surrounding the death and a report will be submitted to the coroner in due course.
“The woman’s family are being supported by the police.”
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Ramshackle phone box transformed into Stray information point
A ramshackle red phone box in Harrogate has been moved and transformed into a history of the Stray.
The disused phone box on the Stray, just off Otley Road, had fallen into a dilapidated state.
So the Stray Defence Association, which safeguards the 200 acres of parkland against building and encroachment, hired a specialist renovation company to uplift it on March 16.
It was restored to its original bright scarlet and moved to a more prominent town centre spot on West Park Stray, where it stood beneath a white cover for several days.
Two children removed the covers at an unveiling ceremony this afternoon to reveal the new-look phone box with panels displaying the history of Harrogate’s Stray and the Stray Defence Association.
Its old position on the Stray, next to Otley Road, has been restored and reseeded to return it to Stray land.
Stray Defence Association chairman Judy d’Arcy Thompson and committee member Syd Bell
Judy D’Arcy Thompson, chairman of the Stray Defence Association, said:
“It is the Stray Defence Association’s hope that it will become a valued part of the West Park street scene and an intriguing and iconic information source for both local people and visitors to Harrogate.”
Today’s unveiling, which was attended by members of the Stray Defence Association, Harrogate In Bloom and Harrogate Civic Society, coincided with the 90th anniversary of the Stray Defence Association, which was formed on May 12, 1933
Cordelia, 7, and Harry, 5, performed the opening by cutting a ribbon to highlight how children are the future custodians of the Stray.
A Stray Defence Association donor paid for the renovation, which was approved by the Duchy of Lancaster and both Harrogate Borough Council and the new North Yorkshire Council.
The phone box being uplifted
Panels on the restored phone box tell the story of the Stray.
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Harrogate school road safety petition handed in to council
A petition calling for a 20 mph limit to be imposed on streets across the south of Harrogate has been delivered to North Yorkshire Council today.
Asking the council to consider the blanket limit across Rossett, Pannal Ash, Oatlands, Woodlands and Hookstone, the petition attracted more than 900 signatures.
It was set up by parents concerned about children’s safety when travelling to schools in the area, and gained the backing of groups including Harrogate District Cycle Action and Zero Carbon Harrogate.
Hazel Peacock, who delivered the petition this morning on behalf of the campaigning parents, said:
“We’re just delighted we’ve got this number of signatures. It shows the support for the proposal of this change, which could bring such positive benefits from a road safety perspective.
“Once you have that, it will change people’s attitudes in regard to comfort around walking, cycling and mobility users.”
She handed the petition to Elizabeth Jackson, democratic services manager for North Yorkshire Council.
After surpassing the required 500 signatures, it will now be debated by the council’s Harrogate and Knaresborough area constituency committee.
Councillors John Mann, Pat Marsh and Michael Schofield, whose divisions cover the area of the proposed speed restriction and supported the restriction, all sit on the committee and handed over the petition with Hazel this morning.
Cllr Mann, whose Oatlands and Pannal division includes three primary schools, Ashville College and several nurseries and pre-schools, said:
“There is an urgent need in particular for a 20 mph limit for Yew Tree Lane, Green Lane, Hookstone Road, and Beechwood Grove, all of which are used by large numbers of children going to and from local schools, and I have emphasised this to the highways team at the council.
“In relation to the A61 Leeds Road, I have also written to the head of highways, Cllr Keane Duncan, to request that the 50 mph speed limit on Almsford Bank be reduced to 40 mph to reduce competitive speeding, and to improve road safety for schoolchildren using the pavements along the A61 near to the neighbourhoods of Stone Rings, the Fulwiths, and the Firs.
“The current risks to pedestrians using the A61 in this area were highlighted in January when a driver managed to overturn his car and demolish a 30mph sign at the top of Almsford Bank in the morning rush hour. In the same month, another vehicle overturned due to speeding in the early morning rush hour on Hookstone Road close to the junction with Hornbeam Park Avenue.”
The demolished 30 mph sign on Leeds Road
Cllr Mann said he would prefer the A61 Leeds Road to maintain its 30 mph limit through Oatlands in order to ease traffic flow, but that a reduction in the limit elsewhere was “urgently needed”.
He referenced a collision on Yew Tree Lane in which two 15-year-old boys from Rossett School were seriously injured, and another collision on Beechwood Grove which left an Oatlands Junior School pupil requiring hospital treatment – both of which happened while the children were on the pavement.
He added:
“These shocking events, combined with evidence showing that more than 10 children are killed or seriously injured in road crashes every week travelling to school, demonstrate the case for immediate action.
“With thousands of pupils travelling to and from the schools and colleges of south and west Harrogate during the week, implementing a maximum speed of 20mph in these areas has the potential to increase safety significantly.
“I really hope that this petition is looked upon favourably by the North Yorkshire Council highways team.”
Read more:
- ‘Comprehensive’ road safety improvements announced for Harrogate schools
- Knaresborough councillor says male-dominated executive not tackling road safety concerns
Malcolm Margolis, a member of Harrogate District Cycle Action, said reducing the speed limit would also make cycling a safer option for many families travelling to and from schools.
He said:
“It’s a terrific initiative by Hazel and the others. It’s absolutely needed in this area of Harrogate and we hoe it will be the start of it becoming normalised.
“In other countries, it’s just normal. You see parents and grandparents picking up children on their bikes. There’s no reason why we should be different.
“In a calmer 20mph environment, it’s so much more pleasant for anyone who isn’t in a car. In an urban area, it actually makes very little difference to journey times.”
Cllr Marsh, who represents Stray, Woodlands and Hookstone for the Liberal Democrats, said she also backed the plan, and hoped it would be supported by North Yorkshire Police.
She added:
Cherry trees on Harrogate’s Stray vandalised again“I’ve been supporting this idea for a very long time. My late husband and I got a 20mph limit put outside Hookstone Chase Primary School and some of the residential streets close by well over 15 years ago.
“My only issue is I wish the police would monitor it, because if they don’t, motorists know it and will ignore it. We can’t put our children at risk.”
Three cherry trees in Harrogate have been vandalised in the latest incident of its kind on the Stray.
Nearby resident Cheryl Flint was upset to notice the snapped branches on the parkland off York Place this morning.
What appears to be a school tie is hanging from a branch opposite one of the damaged trees.
Another snapped branch
Ms Flint said:
“We wait all year for these beautiful trees to bloom — then some idiots think that it is acceptable for the mindless behaviour.”
The rows of cherry trees are a popular attraction on the Stray, particularly in spring when they blossom. But they have become a magnet for vandals.
The latest damage is less severe than that which occurred in August 2021 when eight trees were affected.
In October 2020, a police officer tweeted about a number of trees “destroyed and killed” on York Place Stray.
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