Harrogate Archives - Page 313 of 778

Harrogate service to commemorate fallen soldiers from Australia and New Zealand

A ceremony to honour service personnel from Australia and New Zealand who are buried at Stonefall Cemetery will be held next weekend.

The Anzac Day Ceremony will be hosted by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission on Sunday, April 23. The ceremony is to honour second world war casualties from the Royal Australian Air Force and the Royal New Zealand Air Force.

Stonefall Cemetery has more than a thousand Commonwealth war graves. There are 97 Royal Australian Air Force and 23 Royal New Zealand Air Force servicemen buried at the site, the majority of whom died while bomber command bases were established across Yorkshire.

The event has been organised by Kate Spencer, who looks after the twinning between Harrogate and Wellington for Harrogate International Partnerships.

Kate said:

“As a New Zealander, our day of commemoration for those who fell in both World Wars is on April 25 each year. The history of Anzac Day stems from the landings of 16,000 Australian and New Zealand forces on the Gallipoli peninsula in Turkey, now referred to as Anzac Cove, on April 25, 1915. Together with allied forces, more than 100,000 lives were lost in that campaign.

“A year ago I organised our first Anzac Day commemoration and I feel so privileged to be preparing once again to honour not only my New Zealand countrymen buried in Stonefall, but also 97 Australians who gave their young lives in the service of their countries.”

Harrogate has been twinned with the New Zealand capital of Wellington since 1953, with the New Zealand Garden that lies within Valley Gardens forming a tribute to those Kiwi airmen buried at Stonefall.

Kate, who in March this year presented gifts to the new Mayor of Wellington Tory Whanau, said:

“Not only the RNZAF but Wellington City Council are enormously grateful for everything being done to honour their men in this way. We look forward to welcoming you at the event and we are grateful to the CWGC for hosting the commemoration.”

The ceremony will see representation from both the Australian and New Zealand High Commission, as well as the Mayor and Mayoress of Harrogate and Andrew Jones MP. The music will be provided by Harrogate Band and a pupil from Harrogate Grammar School will sing the New Zealand national anthem in both Maori and English.

Members of the public are invited to attend the ceremony which will take place in the war graves plot adjacent to Forest Lane.

The public are invited to gather from 12.30pm. The ceremony will start at 1pm.

D-Day looms for £11.2m Harrogate Station Gateway

A special meeting has been convened to discuss whether to proceed with the £11.2 million Harrogate Station Gateway.

The new North Yorkshire Council has organised a meeting of its Harrogate and Knaresborough area constituency committee on May 5.

The sole item on the agenda is the gateway, which would see James Street partly pedestrianised and some of Station Parade reduced to single lane traffic to encourage cycling.

The 15-strong committee comprises of nine Liberal Democrats, five Conservatives and one Green.

Area constituency committees are advisory bodies to North Yorkshire Council, whose Conservative-controlled executive retains the final say.

But Cllr Keane Duncan, the Conservative member for highways and transportation at the council, has pledged to abide by the area constituency committee’s decision.

Cllr Duncan said this would fulfil the council leadership’s pledge of “double devolution” whereby more decisions would be taken locally.

But some Liberal Democrats think the Conservatives have given them a hospital pass by passing on responsibility for such a hot political potato that has divided local opinion.

How James Street would look

To date the Liberal Democrats have been quiet on whether they will back the gateway.

The Stray Ferret asked area constituency committee chair, Cllr Pat Marsh, the Liberal Democrat for Stray, Woodlands and Hookstone, whether her party would support the gateway.

On March 9, she said:

“Until we have a group meeting to discuss it I am not prepared to comment.”

We asked Cllr Marsh again on Friday whether the Lib Dems had formulated a position. She replied:

“We will let everyone know our opinions on May 5.”

Speaking at a Harrogate District Chamber of Commerce meeting on March 14, Cllr Duncan said:

“I will implement whatever decision is taken. It’s right that Harrogate and Knaresborough councillors have their say.”

He told the meeting the scheme would see the removal of 40 parking spaces — 20 on James Street and 20 on Station Parade.

He added the Station Square water feature had been removed from the scheme “due to practical and cost constraints”. It would have cost £500,000.

Cllr Keane Duncan (centre) at the chamber event

Cllr Duncan committed to four pledges if the scheme goes ahead:

1 To conduct a full review of car parking in Harrogate town centre.

2 To manage disruption, adding: “It cannot be denied there will be disruption. We will draw up a construction management plan.”

3 No compromise on quality of construction materials.

4 Traffic flows will be revisited and reassessed.

The meeting at the Civic Centre in Harrogate on May 5 will take place at 10am and is open to the public.

Police find body at Harewood in search for missing Jesus Moreno

Police investigating the disappearance of Jesus Moreno have found the body of a male.

The body was found by a police search team yesterday afternoon on land close to the River Wharfe in the Harewood area.

West Yorkshire Police announced the discovery in a statement this afternoon. It added there were no suspicious circumstances. The statement added:

“The family of Mr Moreno have been informed of this development and enquiries are ongoing to confirm the identity of the deceased.”

Mr Moreno, 41, who worked at a Leeds brewery, was last seen more than eight months ago in August 2022.

Posters were put up in Harrogate looking for missing man Jesus Moreno

A poster in Harrogate appealing for help

He was spotted on CCTV catching a 36 bus to Harrogate at Leeds bus station at 6.10am on Monday, August 1.

He got off the bus at Swindon Lane near Dunkeswick, just north of Harewood bridge on the A61, at 6.39am.

He was then seen on CCTV near the bridge at 8.14am.

Today’s news comes two weeks after West Yorkshire Police said it had “exhausted every possible line of enquiry” and issued a fresh appeal for help.

Police had searched the countryside and river near where Mr Moreno was last seen.

Drones were used and the family even used a psychic to try to help.

Strikers made in Harrogate set for FA Cup semi-finals

Two footballers who started out on pitches in Harrogate and Knaresborough will be bidding for a place in the Women’s FA Cup final this weekend.

Leah Galton and Rachel Daly have risen from local leagues to play as strikers for two of the biggest clubs in the country.

Galton, who began as a junior with Knaresborough Celtic and then played for Harrogate Railway, has banged in 29 goals for Manchester United Women since she joined them from Bayern Munich in 2018.

She is the joint third highest scorer in the Women’s Super League this season with eight goals.

Manchester United Women will line-up against Brighton & Hove Albion Women at 5.15pm today.

United, who have never won a major women’s trophy but are top of the Women’s Super League, will be fancied to beat lowly Brighton.

Tomorrow, Daly’s Aston Villa Women will take centre stage in the second semi-final against Chelsea Women at 2.15pm.

Daly, who started at Killinghall Nomads and won Euro 2022 with England last year, is second on this year’s leading scorer list with 13 goals.

If Manchester United and Villa win, it could result in the remarkable prospect of two local women playing up front in the cup final at Wembley.

Both semi-finals will be televised live on the BBC.

Motorhouse owner sad to be retiring from the car trade

The owner of the Motorhouse car dealership on the Ripon Road near Killinghall says he is sad to be selling the business and retiring.

Seventy-seven-year-old John Steele has been trading cars on the landmark site for a quarter of a century, and this week the Stray Ferret reported that the site is to be sold at auction.

Mr Steele said he has loved his work:

“I love what I do – I’ve been here 25 years. I don’t really want to retire but my good lady says we need more quality time together.

“If we sell it, I’ll be sad. The building has been here years and years. Years ago it was a tea room and then a petrol station and then the showroom was added on. It’s a landmark being on the main road.”

Mr Steele’s love of cars began in his childhood. His favourite car is an E-Type Jaguar which as a young man he’d always dreamed of owning. He went on to own quite a few of them.

Over the past 25 years, the trade has changed. He began in 1967 by simply putting a van-for-sale advert in his local newspaper. Now the internet means he’s had buyers from all over the world:

“The farthest we’ve sold a car is to Australia. One was a Ford Cosworth 500 – the other was a BMW. Just from the internet. And also to the Outer Hebrides.

“That’s the power of the internet. I never even met the people who bought the cars.”

As his car dealing career comes to a close at the site, Mr Steele says he recently sold his most expensive car, a Rolls Royce Ghost for £90,000.

Predictably for a man who loves cars, Mr Steele owns a few and plans to enjoy taking them to car shows and doing the odd bit of trade with some friends.

The property is now up for auction with Myrings estate agents – with a guide price of £800,000. Called Harrogate View Grange, it includes Motorhouse’s showroom with garage and workshop, a 25-car forecourt, and a three-bedroom house with undercroft garaging.

Asked what he thinks will happen to the site, he said:

“I think it would suit many other things rather than cars – there is also the house here which is empty at the moment. It would suit many other trades. It’s a landmark..”

The auction is due to close at 2pm on Thursday, April 27.

New boutique in Harrogate aims to cater for all brides

The founder of a bridal company said the opening of a shop in Harrogate will honour a family link to the town dating back many years.

Joanne Wilson founded Elite Bridal almost 20 years ago in Hull, before expanding to Brighouse, Hessle and Castleford.

As the company grew, it became a family enterprise: husband Richard, daughter Holly-Ann, and sons Joshua and Ben all have roles in its boutiques, outlets and international wholesale trade.

Putting the finishing touches to the new boutique on West Park today, before its opening tomorrow, Joanne said:

“For years, I used to come here with my mum and my daughter. My mum just loved Harrogate – any special day, we came to Harrogate. I lost my mum three years ago.

“Richard and I came to Harrogate one day and saw the shop and I said, ‘that’s my shop’. It was up for rent and we contacted the agent immediately and they said, ‘do you want to look around?’

“I said, ‘you can show me round later, but we’re having it’.”

The Wilson family

She described the former Orvis store as the “perfect” location, offering views of the Stray, as well as options for brides and their friends and families to enjoy lunch or drinks nearby after finding their dream dress.

Many weeks of hard work have gone into transforming the shop and it is now completely unrecognisable.

A lounge area with cosy sofas and a fireplace sits next to the bar, offering drinks to visitors. As well as long rails of bridal gowns, there are three private suites for brides to try on the dresses and their closest friends and family members to help them make that final choice.

A comfy lounge for visitors

The range of gowns at Elite is designed by Joanne and Holly-Ann, meaning brides can choose one from the existing range, or ask for exactly what they want. She said:

“Sometimes when you go into a bridal store, you can only buy what they sell. I can design anything for you. You can have something really bespoke.”

However, Joanne is keen to ensure the business is not just for those with the biggest budgets: off-the-peg options start from around £300.

Whatever the cost of the dress, she knows the experience of finding the right one is just as important to many brides. The team at the Harrogate boutique will be offering VIP appointments, complete with bubbly, cake and a goody bag to take away, to ensure it’s a memorable occasion.

The boutique has three suites for brides to try on their gowns while friends relax

The bridal advisors have a trained eye to understand what will suit different body shapes and find something from the range in the shop.

With sizes six to 26 catered for by Elite, and a warehouse of 11,000 gowns to choose from alongside the option of a bespoke design, Joanne is confident the boutique will prove a hit with customers – just as it has with potential employees.

“I’ve been inundated with ladies asking me for a job. A bridal shop is a nice job to have.”

Ex-staff at failed Harrogate firm CNG set to receive £43,000

Former staff at CNG Group look set to receive £43,200 in claims against the failed Harrogate firm.

CNG, which employed about 145 staff, blamed spiralling wholesale gas and electricity prices for going out of business in 2021.

Administrators Interpath Advisory has published a progress report, which was uploaded on the Companies House website this week, for the period from September 2 last year to March 1.

It said staff — classed as ordinary preferential claimants — claimed £43,200 for arrears of wages up to a maximum of £800 a week, accrued holiday pay and pension benefits.

The report by joint administrators Timothy Bateson and Christopher Pole added:

“We anticipate that ordinary preferential creditors should receive a dividend of 100p in the £.”

Administrators paid £635 an hour

The report also revealed Interpath is being paid £635 an hour for handling the administration. It said:

“We have incurred time costs of £153,269. These represent 241 hours at an average rate of £635 per hour.”

Interpath’s final fee by the time administration is due to end on March 1 next year is expected to be £298,759.

Preferential creditors are expected to be paid in full, the report said, and “it is likely that the unsecured creditors will receive a dividend” although the amount is unknown.

The timing of payments is also unclear.

The report described the company’s primary assets as “inter-company debtor balances and investments in others groups”.

These are expected to generate “significant realisations” but the administrators added:

“The flow of funds between the CNG group of companies is complex and will depend on each company within the group resolving matters which are currently preventing distributions being made to the company.”

No Harrogate district roads included in county surface dressing programme

The new North Yorkshire Council is beginning its annual surface dressing programme — but it doesn’t include any roads in the Harrogate district.

Hundreds of miles of roads across England’s largest county are to be treated this spring and summer.

The work makes roads more skid-resistant and waterproof. It also prevents potholes, and can extend the life of a road by up to 10 years.

Cllr Keane Duncan, North Yorkshire Council’s Conservative executive member for highways and transport, said £8 million of surface dressing would be carried out this year — £2.6 million more than last year.

But Harrogate is the only district in North Yorkshire not to be included in this year’s programme.

Work is due to begin mid-April in the Hambleton, Selby and Scarborough districts.

It is due to carry on in Ryedale and Richmondshire in May and finish in the Craven district in early June.

Cllr Duncan said:

“Careful prioritisation of works, additional investment and close cooperation with our contractors means we will be delivering an extra £2.6 million worth of surface dressing schemes this year, the equivalent of an extra 60 miles.”

In this year’s Budget, Chancellor Jeremy Hunt awarded North Yorkshire £6.5 million from a £700 million fund to tackle potholes.

Details of North Yorkshire roadworks are available here.

Business Breakfast: Senior appointment at Harrogate law firm

It’s time to join the Stray Ferret Business Club. The fourth in our series of networking events, with Banyan Bar & Kitchen, is a breakfast event on April 27 from 8am.

Don’t miss out on this chance to network with businesses from across the Harrogate district. Get your tickets by clicking or tapping here.

Harrogate law firm, LCF Law, has appointed a new business development and marketing director.

Nick Greenwood has spent the past 25 years working for banking, accountancy, and legal firms across Yorkshire.

In his new role, Mr Greenwood will head a broad spectrum of business development and marketing projects at LCF Law and oversee the firm’s overall growth strategy.

He said:

“I started my career at Barclays as a branch manager in both the Leeds and Bradford flagship branches, soon progressing through SME into corporate banking and agriculture, supporting all types of businesses with their financial needs.

“After that, I became part of the senior leadership team at a mid-tier accountancy firm as head of sectors, and then moved to a business development role at a 48 partner law firm supporting its achievement to become one of the most profitable law firms in the east of England.

“Whether it be providing finance, accountancy, or legal services, the key is always to focus on how firms can solve problems for their clients and deliver cost-effective solutions that help them achieve their business and personal goals.”

Simon Stell, managing partner at LCF Law, said:

“We have significant growth aspirations and Nick’s expertise and enthusiasm will help us to deliver those. At the heart of any good business are its people. We recruit great people and help them to achieve their potential and career ambitions. The addition of Nick to the team will help the business and our lawyers meet our goals..

“Nick’s appointment will help us to reach even more clients across a broad spectrum including the manufacturing, agricultural, healthcare, digital and charity sectors.”

Harrogate BID funds town spring clean

Harrogate’s Business Improvement District has completed a spring clean as part of its business objective to keep the town ‘safe, clean and welcoming’.

The 150-hour long clean-up operation saw hot steam and pressure jet washing of pavements on Cambridge Street, Beulah Street, Oxford Street, Cambridge Road, James Street, Parliament Street, West Park, John Street, The Ginnel, Montpellier Mews, Kings Road and Station Parade.

The work was backed up by Chris Ashby, the BID’s in-house street ranger, who recently won the Unsung Hero Award at the Stray Ferret Business Awards 2023, in recognition of his hard work and dedication to keeping the town spotless.

Matthew Chapman, BID manager, said:

“First impressions really do count, which is why we ensure our streets are cleaned on a regular basis.

“It is clear to see from the before and after pictures that the deep cleans make a huge difference to the aesthetic appearance of the town for all who visit it.

“I would encourage all businesses who are part of the BID community to make the most of the additional services the street ranger team offers over and above the deep cleaning.

“We provide reactive support for improvements to properties within the BID radius, to make sure they look professional, clean and inviting. Anyone wanting to make the most of this offering should email info@harrogatebid.co.uk.”

‘Grim’ future predicted for Harrogate cycling after funding snub

Cyclists have expressed concern about the future of active travel in the Harrogate district after funding for two schemes was rejected.

The Department for Transport’s active travel fund last month turned down North Yorkshire County Council’s bid for £3.19 million.

It would have paid for segregated cycle routes on Victoria Avenue in Harrogate and on the A59 in Knaresborough between Mother Shipton’s Cave and Harrogate Golf Club.

Coming on the back of the county council’s decision to scrap phase two of the Otley Road cycle route, it has left plans for a connected, segregated cycle route between Harrogate train station and Cardale Park in tatters.

It has also raised questions about whether the council can deliver on active travel schemes despite the rhetoric.

Harrogate cycling campaigner Malcolm Margolis said

“The future for investment in cycling in Harrogate is clearly grim if the council is unable to attract government funding.

“It will only do that if it shows that it can deliver, which it has repeatedly failed to do for many years.

“That’s one of the reasons why the Station Gateway project must go ahead, not only that it would greatly improve the town centre, but that it shows the council has the capacity to turn successful bids to improve the public realm into successful changes on the ground.”

Cycleways on Station Parade are a key feature of the Station Gateway.

Kevin Douglas, chairman of Harrogate District Cycle Action, agreed next month’s expected gateway decision was now of even greater significance given the legacy of failed cycling schemes. He said:

“If the council can’t attract government funding then it isn’t looking good for cycling.

“The government is reducing funding for active travel so it will be more difficult to succeed with bids and without a track record it will be doubly difficult.”

The Conservative-run North Yorkshire Council, which has replaced the county council, has said it will abide by its Liberal Democrat-controlled Harrogate and Knaresborough area constituency committee’s gateway decision on May 30.

‘Immense challenges’

Cllr Keane Duncan, the Conservative executive member for highways and transportation on North Yorkshire Council, said the local authority remained determined to “rebalance transport” in the town and would “not be dispirited” by Active Travel England’s rejection.

He said:

“We know the immense challenges the town is facing in terms of congestion, air quality and road safety. Unless the new North Yorkshire Council takes action to address these problems, they will only get worse.

“Rebalancing transport and promoting more sustainable travel is essential, but with limited financial resources and often vocal opposition, this is not always easy to deliver in practical terms.”

The Otley Road cycleway

Cllr Duncan added:

“The Otley Road corridor remains a challenge, but I stand by the decision to step back from phase two of the cycleway to allow local councillors to consider alternative options.

“And of course, it will be local councillors who will determine the hot topic of gateway once and for all. They will give their verdict and I will respect this. I feel this is the fairest possible approach.

The Stray Ferret asked Active Travel England why it rejected North Yorkshire County Council’s bid.

A spokesman said it couldn’t go into detail until the successful applicants were notified after next month’s local elections. They added:

“Each bid we have received has undergone a robust assessment process that considered a range of criteria. Feedback is being provided to authorities with unsuccessful bids over the next few weeks.

“Active Travel England will support local authorities in designing and delivering schemes that meet national standards for safety and accessibility.”

Read More:

Read more:

Read more:

Read more:

Read more:

Administrators paid £635 an hour

Read more:

Read more:

Read More:

Harrogate BID funds town spring clean

Read more:

‘Immense challenges’