Harrogate Archives - Page 357 of 775

Fundraisers embark on 500 mile challenge to raise money for friend’s son

Two Harrogate fundraisers are embarking on a combined 500 mile run throughout January to raise money after their friend lost her life to bowel cancer.

Emma Egerton died on December 10, 2022, leaving behind her five-year-old son Oliver.

As a result, Sarah Long and Nikkie Brown, Emma’s friends, have sought to take on the challenge to raise money to set up a trust fund for Oliver and raise awareness of bowel cancer in the process.

The pair will embark on around eight miles per day in an effort to reach the 500 mile target before the end of the month.

Sarah said the two friends were taking on the challenge to help give Oliver a future after losing his mum.

She said:

“No child should ever lose their Mummy at such a young age and nothing will ever replace his loss – we hope that by doing a little something to raise funds for his Trust Fund will go a tiny way to give Oliver a brighter future.”

The pair have so fair raised £980 towards their cause.

For more information on the campaign and how to donate, visit Sarah and Nikkie’s JustGiving page here.

Harrogate town centre blaze property converted to residential use

A Harrogate town centre property that was devastated by fire in 2019 has undergone its latest transformation, to residential accommodation.

Number 28 Beulah Street, in Harrogate, was the epicentre of a blaze four summers ago that ripped through shops and took eight crews of firefighters hours to put out.

Now, retrospective planning permission has been submitted to Harrogate Borough Council to change the use of the first and second floors from a sandwich shop to a single dwelling.

The ground floor is occupied by a café, Coffee 28, and is not included in the application.

The application was validated on December 14, 2022, and is awaiting a decision by planning officers.

‘Questions to ask’ about Lib Dem candidate selection, says party activist

A Liberal Democrat activist has questioned the selection process that has resulted a shortlist of just two for the party’s prospective parliamentary candidate.

The party member, who asked not to be named, said he didn’t feel either was the right person to stand at the next general election.

He said choosing between the two by the end of the month was going to be very hard.

The two candidates in question are Matt Walker, who is a Liberal Democrat councillor representing West Knaresborough on North Yorkshire Council, and Wakefield-based Tom Gordon.

Speaking about Mr Walker, the activist said he feared he was not up to the task of debating policy and standing up to opponents, including the current MP and his constituency office manager and Harrogate Borough Council leader, Richard Cooper.

He said:

“I would not want to put him in the business community. He wouldn’t be able to stand up to questioning.

“If he was somewhere with Andrew Jones or Richard Cooper, he would be eaten alive. He wouldn’t know where to turn.

“It would be a blood bath, Matt Walker and Richard Cooper in the same hustings. He just isn’t capable of it.

“I wouldn’t want to send him to meet people on Duchy Road. He just doesn’t have the kerb appeal.

“As a candidate, he just doesn’t excite me.”

However, the party activist was no more inspired by the other candidate.

Tom Gordon is the Liberal Democrat group leader on Wakefield Council, representing the Knottingley Ward.

He previously stood in the Batley and Spen by-election in 2021, coming fourth with 1,254 votes. Labour’s Kim Leadbeater won 13,296 votes, the Conservatives had 12,973, and George Galloway, standing for the Workers Party, got 8,264.

The Liberal Democrat activist said he was not concerned about this result, because the party “wouldn’t have expected to do well”, or by Mr Gordon not being from the local area. However, he said it was hard to know whether to vote for him because he did not have a local track record.

He added:

“If you are good and you’ve got credibility, you can work on that. We’ve got probably a couple of years before an election. You need somebody that people will sit up and take notice.

“He is a bit of an unknown quantity.”

The activist said he compared the candidates to previous Liberal Democrat MP Phil Willis – now Lord Willis of Knaresborough – and to the most recent PPC, Judith Rogerson, both of whom were willing and able to stand up to the opposition on local issues.

Previous Lib Dem PPC Judith Rogerson and former MP Phil Willis

Last year, the selection process was halted part-way through when Harrogate and Knaresborough was listed as a ‘target seat’ by the national party. At that point, a longer shortlist had been produced.

The activist said although he understood there was a shortlisting process before members were given the chance to vote, he wanted to know how the final two had been chosen in this case.

He added:

“There’s a question to ask about what has gone on. I would have hoped there would be more, with the publicity we had about it being a target seat.”

The Harrogate and Knaresborough Liberal Democrats have defended their selection process and both candidates following the criticism. A spokesperson said:

“After a routine and rigorous process which involved an application and approval round, local Liberal Democrat members will shortly be able to vote for their next prospective parliamentary candidate.

“Either of the current candidates will be a strong voice for Harrogate and Knaresborough, fighting for a fair deal against the Conservatives who’ve taken our area for granted for years.”

St George Hotel in Harrogate to close at end of month

Harrogate’s St George Hotel is to close at the end of the month.

Staff at the 90-bedroom Edwardian hotel, situated opposite Harrogate’s Royal Hall, were informed of the news yesterday.

The Inn Collection Group confirmed the closure when the Stray Ferret called today.

The company’s portfolio also includes the Dower House in Knaresborough and Ripon Spa Hotel in Ripon, which are both currently being renovated.

A spokesperson said:

“We are currently in consultation with colleagues about a proposed closure to Hotel St George from January 30 for a period of refurbishment and renovation.

“Further details of developments at Hotel St George and the ongoing refurbishments at The Ripon Spa Hotel and Knaresborough’s The Dower House will be communicated in the near future.”

The Country Living St George Hotel will not re-open after its parent company went into administration

The historic hotel is situated in the heart of Harrogate.

The Inn Collection Company bought the venue for an undisclosed sum a year ago.

The St George Hotel, which has a restaurant and six function rooms. has had a number of owners in recent years, including Bespoke Hotels and Specialist Leisure Group.

Ex-Harrogate guest house owner ordered to repay £140,000 for role in cannabis racket

An elderly Harrogate guest house owner who played the role of “facilitator” in a half-a-million-pound cannabis racket has been ordered to repay over £140,000 to the public purse.

Yoko Banks, 72, rented out three properties to a London-based Albanian drug gang, which set up large-scale cannabis factories harvesting “industrial” amounts of the highly potent skunk variety in some of Harrogate’s most desirable and affluent residential streets.

Banks, who was constantly in touch with the drug conspirators during their operation but played no active part in the cultivation process, was jailed for three-and-a-half years in August 2021 after she admitted three counts of being concerned in the supply of cannabis.

Her six co-conspirators Andi Kokaj, 23, Visar Sellaj, 33, Kujtim Brahaj, 50, Indrit Brahaj, 27, Bledar Elezaj, 36, and 31-year-old Erblin Elezaj, were jailed for a combined 22 years for various offences including drug supply and cannabis production.

Today, the disgraced former guest-house owner appeared for the final confiscation hearing at Leeds Crown Court under the Proceeds of Crime Act following a protracted case due in large part to Banks’s own “complex web” of properties and assets and what the prosecution described as her reluctance to co-operate with the financial investigation.

Cannabis farms

Prosecutor Martin Bosomworth said that it was agreed by both the prosecution and defence that Banks had benefited from the drug racket to the tune of £142,330.

He said it was agreed by both parties that the amount available to her was £565,347 – essentially half a million in assets or properties.

Judge Rachim Singh ordered Banks, of Scargill Road, to pay back the full benefit amount of £142,330 and gave her three months to pay on pain of 12 months in prison.

It comes just two months after one of Banks’s co-conspirators, Andi Kokaj, was made to pay back just £1 at the same court. The nominal fee was ordered due to the Albanian national’s apparent lack of means, his relatively “minor” role in the audacious drug plot and his limited financial gain.

Mr Bosomworth said the gang had converted three of Banks’ properties on Alexandra Road, Woodlands Road and Somerset Road near Harrogate town centre into cannabis farms with potential yields of up to £456,000.

They made an estimated £345,000 from the highly sophisticated enterprise in which they dug a trench outside one of the properties to install high-speed broadband so they could keep a check on the premises on internet-enabled security cameras.

Their hugely lucrative plot finally unravelled when police were called to a five-bedroom villa owned by Banks in September 2020 after reports of a “disturbance” in the street involving what appeared to be two rival gangs vying for the cannabis farm.

The gang were able to watch the police drug raid live on the internet after rigging up a superfast broadband connection linked to cameras at the property, where officers found a crossbow at the front door.

‘Complicated accounts’

Last year, Banks failed in her bid to have her conviction quashed after earlier admitting her guilt.

At a previous adjourned confiscation hearing, Mr Bosomworth said that Banks owned a string of “highly marketable” properties in some of Harrogate’s most desirable areas.

He added, however, that her “complicated accounts and property empire” were proving to be a major sticking point in the ongoing financial investigation.

Leeds Crown Court. Picture: the Stray Ferret.

On that occasion, Banks – who was due to be released from New Hall women’s prison on New Year’s Eve, halfway through her jail sentence – claimed she had no money because it had been frozen in her bank account.

Mr Bosomworth said that Sellaj, the gang’s ringleader, had made £438,000 from the cannabis-cultivation enterprise and that he had £76,000 in the bank which he could pay back into public coffers.

At a contested financial confiscation hearing in May last year, it was found that Indrit Brahaj had jointly benefited from the criminal enterprise to the tune of £133,328. In his case, a confiscation order of £24,082 was made.

Kujtim Brahaj was found to have benefited to the tune of £1,194. The judge made a nominal confiscation order of £1 in his case due to limited financial means.

Banks, who had previous convictions for health-and-safety offences through her work, was due to be paid at least £12,000 a month in rent for allowing the gang to use the three properties and was also receiving “high” deposits, said Mr Bosomworth.

Ringleader Sellaj’s financial confiscation proceedings have been adjourned for a full-day hearing on a date to be fixed. This will determine the amount of cash available to him and how much he must pay back.

Talented sisters praise Harrogate Associated Sixth Form for “warm welcome”

This story is sponsored by St. Aidan’s & St. John Fisher Associated Sixth Form.

St. Aidan’s & St. John Fisher Associated Sixth Form is based in the heart of Harrogate neighbouring the famous Stray. With excellent bus and rail links, it provides an easily accessible and outstanding education for students already familiar with either school and offers a welcoming environment for new students.

Ahead of the Information Evening which takes place on Thursday January 19, the Stray Ferret spoke to two talented sisters who joined the Associated Sixth Form as newcomers moving to the area from South Africa and who are grateful to the schools for helping them to achieve their dreams.

Hannah Carey studied Dance, Biology and Spanish at A Level and is now training full-time at the prestigious Rambert Dance Company in London.

Previously at school in South Africa, Hannah had the challenge of adapting to not only a new school but a new country. She explained how she found it:

“In the Associated Sixth Form, I did not find myself to be the only dancer in my year group (as I had been at my old school) so I was presented with an array of opportunities.

“As I studied for my A Levels, it of course got harder and harder to manage the commitment demanded by my education and my developing dance career outside of school.

“My dance teachers were incredible and al of the staff in the Associated Sixth Form were really supportive throughout this time, towards me and other athletes in school. Their support enabled me and other students to achieve success in academic subjects and follow our dreams, whether that was to study dance as in my case or to pursue other sports or performance activities to an elite level.

“I can say without a doubt that I would not be where I am now, if it wasn’t for the support and encouragement I received from the Associated Sixth Form.”

Rower Lauren Carey is a student at the prestigious Ivy League Yale University in the US, where she is studying Economics and is a member of Yale Women’s Crew. She also competes annually at the World Championships with U23 Team GB and dreams of reaching the Olympics.

Joining the Sixth Form for Year 13 only, the invaluable pastoral support the Associated Sixth Form offers to newcomers was essential to Lauren. She studied Maths, Physics and Chemistry at A Level in the Associated Sixth Form and we asked her about the welcome she received:

“Diving headfirst into my final year of A Levels was always going to be tricky and I had the added concern of making new friends when friendship groups had already been formed. The friendly ethos of the Association and the staff and students made this much easier. I met some amazing people who had a real impact on me.

“Furthermore, academically the institution is brilliant. I struggled a little because I was transferring my South African education to a British one, but I was met with an overwhelming offering of help.”

The Sixth Form is well known for excellent results in academic subjects but actively encourages students to get involved with the extended curriculum. Lauren recalled how she experienced the support of the Sixth Form with her commitment to sport:

“St. Aidan’s & St. John Fisher Associated Sixth Form was a really understanding institution when it came to my sports. Whether it was allowing me to leave class 10 minutes early so that I could sprint to the train to get training on time, or the agreement that I could use my free periods to run to the gym to lift some weights.

The shared Christian ethos of both St Aidan’s Church of England High School and St John Fisher Catholic High School continues to thrive in the Associated Sixth Form and this is reflected in the personal qualities of the students who attend the schools, as Lauren explains:

“The Associated Sixth Form taught me to be hard working, kind and determined. The teachers inspired me and pushed me towards my dreams, something I am forever grateful for.”

St Aidan’s Associated Sixth Form Information Evening takes place on Thursday 19 January 2023. For further details and to book your place today, click or tap here.

The event provides the opportunity for parents/carers of Year 11 students currently attending either of the schools and new students and their parents/carers to meet subject teachers, current Sixth Form students and key staff. There will also be a presentation at which you can find out more about the excellent academic standards and pastoral support available.

Man denies carrying knuckleduster on Harrogate’s Bower Street

A Harrogate man has denied carrying an offensive weapon on the town’s Bower Street.

Ben Hay, 36, was charged with being in possession of a knuckleduster without lawful authority at the back of Harrogate Homeless Project on December 14, 2022.

He was also charged with being in possession of cannabis on the same date.

Mr Hay, whose address was listed as the hostel on Bower Street, appeared before Harrogate Magistrates Court yesterday.

The 36-year-old spoke only to confirm his name and to enter a not guilty plea to both charges.

A trial will be held on February 24 at Harrogate Magistrates Court.

Gym offers free Harrogate classes to boost fitness in January

A free community class will be on offer at a Harrogate fitness studio every weekend this month.

CrossFit Harrogate is inviting anyone who can’t afford gym memberships or who doesn’t know where to begin with a more healthy lifestyle to try its weekly group session.

It will take place every Sunday at 12.15pm, lasting 45 minutes, at the gym’s base at The Zone on Hornbeam Park.

Head coach Anneka Thompson said:

“We want to invite people that are going through financial hardship, parents, grandparents, anyone that wants to exercise but doesn’t know where or how to begin to come into our gym for a free community class every Sunday for the month.

“This is our way of offering help to those that could use some friendly faces and some movement in their lives. If we get a good turn out, we would look to continue it.”

The sessions will run on Sundays, January 8, 15, 22 and 29. To book a place, call Anneka on 07471 697824 or email her by clicking here.

Picket line at Harrogate station as latest RMT strikes near end

A picket line operated at Harrogate Rail Station this morning as the latest wave of strikes by the RMT union draws to a close.

Union members are expected to picket the station again tomorrow before trains begin to run a limited service on Sunday.

No further strikes are currently planned and normal service is due to resume on the Harrogate and Knaresborough line on Monday for the first time in more than three weeks due to strikes, an overtime ban and bank holidays.

Pickets told the Stray Ferret the main reasons they were striking were concerns over passenger safety and working conditions, rather than pay.

An RMT member at Harrogate station today.

They said ticket offices faced closure and safety would be compromised by cuts to staff unless they took action.

Transport Secretary Mark Harper has said “it’s time for the unions to get off the picket line and back round the table” and claimed he has “delivered new, improved pay and reform offers”.

Charity run in Harrogate set to mark 30 years of fundraising

Thirty years of fundraising for Cancer Research UK will be celebrated on the Stray in Harrogate this summer.

The Race for Life will offer participants routes of 3km, 5km and 10km as the national event marks its 30th anniversary.

It has already raised more than £920 million for research into ways to prevent, diagnose and treat cancer.

Cancer Research UK’s spokesperson in Yorkshire, Michaela Robinson-Tate, said:

“We’d love for as many people as possible across Harrogate to join us during our 30th year of Race for Life.

“Race for Life is a powerful way to celebrate and remember loved ones affected by cancer and to raise money for pioneering research.  

“Whether people are living with cancer, taking part in honour of or in memory of a loved one with cancer or signing up to protect their own children’s future, everyone has a reason to Race for Life.   

“Sadly 1 in 2 of us will get cancer in our lifetime, but support through events like Race for Life funds groundbreaking work to see more people surviving cancer. 

“For some, the Race for Life is literally a walk in the park. Slow and steady still wins. For others, it’s a jog. Others may opt to push themselves harder and take part in the 10K distance. But what is for certain is we’re looking forward to welcoming people of all ages and abilities.” 

Taking place on Sunday, July 9, the event is open now for bookings. Anyone who signs up in January can get 50% off the entry fee by using code RFL23NY.

To find out more, visit the Race for Life website.

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Cannabis farms

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‘Complicated accounts’

St Aidan’s Associated Sixth Form Information Evening takes place on Thursday 19 January 2023. For further details and to book your place today, click or tap here.

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Cannabis farms

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‘Complicated accounts’

St Aidan’s Associated Sixth Form Information Evening takes place on Thursday 19 January 2023. For further details and to book your place today, click or tap here.

Read more:

Read more:

Read more:

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St Aidan’s Associated Sixth Form Information Evening takes place on Thursday 19 January 2023. For further details and to book your place today, click or tap here.