A former Rossett School student has recently published a novel that takes place in early 20th Century Harrogate.

Gary Baysinger lived in Harrogate more than 30 years ago and has now written a war-time novella set in the town.

In the space of just ten days, he lost his mother and was diagnosed with skin cancer so took up writing “as a distraction”.

The book, A kind of Homecoming, was inspired by the 1969 film, “Oh What a Lovely War” – a musical about World War One.

A scene in the film depicts the Christmas truce of 1914, during which a German soldier tells a British solider about his love for a British girl he left behind when he went to fight.

Mr Baysinger said:

“The scene left me with more questions than answers; who is this young man? Who is the girl? Did he survive the war? Did they end up together?

“I decided to write a story and answer those questions — I set it in Harrogate because I am fond of the place.

“I think we all sometimes wonder what would have happened if life had gone different at a young age.”

Read More: 

• Ripon museum artworks to tell stories of people with disabilities
• Review: The Cripple of Inishmaan brings dark comedy to Harrogate Theatre

Mr Baysinger’s family moved to Harrogate in the late 1970s, where his father took a position at Menwith Hill. Despite his short stint in Yorkshire – moving back to America in 1981 – he said he “wouldn’t want to be anywhere else” at the time.

He told the Stray Ferret:

“I spent my weekdays at Rossett High School, my Saturdays at Elland Road, and my Sundays kicking a football around a muddy pitch in Hampsthwaite, or on the Stray”.

Mr Baysinger is hoping Harrogate library will keep a copy  so locals can read the war-time novel.

“I recently visited Harrogate for the first time in nearly three decades.

“I met up with some old friends and was astounded by the warmth and hospitality they showed me.”

A Kind of Homecoming is available to buy now on Amazon.

New plans have been submitted to change the use of a former Harrogate shop into flats as the trend towards town centre living gathers pace.

York-based Andrew Farr has applied to create six flats on West Park above the former Orvis store, which closed in April 2022 after 25 years of trading in the town.

It follows similar recent planning applications to change the use of town centre retail units into flats.

The former River Island shop on Cambridge Street is in the process of being converted to 15 flats and similar residential schemes have been proposed for the former main post office on Cambridge Road and the ex-King’s Club strip club on Oxford Street.

Work has begun on converting the former River Island shop into flats.

This is the second time Mr Farr has brought forward the scheme.

He withdrew plans in March to convert the upper floors of the former Orvis to six flats and create bin and bike storage. Planning documents say that application was halted “following the receipt of the comments from the council’s private section housing officer”.

They add the “revised proposal is largely identical” except for amendments to the internal layout.

It would see the upper floors of numbers 21a, 21 and 22 West Park converted.

Since Orvis closed, a bridal shop has opened on the ground floor of the premises.

Read more:

• Muffin Break cafe coming to Harrogate?
• Historic Harrogate home up for auction again with slashed asking price

A planning and heritage statement sent to the council in support of Mr Farr’s application says future residents of the flats would be able to apply for monthly or annual parking pass for West Park multi-storey car parking.

It adds the scheme would “enhance the vitality of the Harrogate town centre” and bring vacant floors back into use “without any identified harm to the character of the host building and the neighbouring Harrogate Conservation Area”. It concludes:

“It is considered that the proposed scheme responds to the constraints of the site, planning policy constraints and its heritage context and should fall within the parameters of acceptable development.”

Harrogate man Paul Ivison is once again opening his garden to the public with the aim of raising money for charity and getting a visa for his fiancé.

Paul has lived on the corner of Mayfield Grove and Mayfield Terrace for more than 15 years. He has changed his garden’s design many times and become something of a local celebrity.

Previous displays have raised money for North Yorkshire Horizons, the Disasters Emergency Committee and many more charitable causes.

This year’s garden will feature a number of themes: mental health, LGBT Pride and the danger of plastic to our oceans.

He said:

“This year’s display… is the biggest I have done in three years”

At the garden’s opening there will be information available on where to get help for those suffering with poor mental health.

As well as this there will be a colourful LGBT section. Gnomes have been painted in the six colours of the pride flag and there will be a number of other rainbow painted  items on display.

On the topic of plastic in our oceans, Paul has installed a fully working bathroom suite which will be filled with plastic waste. Red water will be flowing out of it to symbolise the danger of discarded plastic.

This is all with the aim of raising money for the Samaritans.

He also wants to raise money for his partner, who lives in the Philippines, to get a UK visa and move to Harrogate.

The garden is opening Sunday 25 June at 3pm and Paul has invited neighbours and friends round to enjoy it.

Entrance is free but there will be a box by the gate for any charitable donations. Paul also has a GoFundMe page for his partner’s visa, which you can find here.

Read more:

• Harrogate man gives garden a Ukraine-themed makeover 
• Harrogate man donates money raised from garden display to the Philippines 

Harrogate solicitor Andrew Gray announced today he will stand as an independent candidate in the forthcoming Selby and Ainsty by-election.

Today is the deadline for candidates to put their names forward for the by-election, which will take place on July 20 following the resignation of Conservative Nigel Adams.

Mr Gray is a solicitor who founded the Harrogate law firm Truth Legal in 2012 before a management buyout in 2022.

He said he was standing due to his “dissatisfaction with the current state of British politics” and pledged to  engage with local people using artificial intelligence to find out what they wanted.

Mr Gray said he will use Polis AI to do this, adding AI has been used abroad in politics but this will be the first time it has been adopted in a UK election.

Polis AI allows users to anonymously submit short text statements or comments, which are then sent out randomly to other participants who can click to agree, disagree or pass.

Mr Gray said:

“I want to find these consensus points and use them as my policies.

“My only policy is to take my policies from the people.

“That’s what a representative ought to do.”

Mr Gray has previously been involved as a Conservative, Labour and Liberal Democrat activist, as well running the non-profit Crowd Wisdom Project which has used Polis AI since 2021.

The system will be used in every town and village within the constituency to gauge a general consensus, as well as cross-constituency conversations to discuss national issues.

Read more:

• Knaresborough man to contest local by-election for Lib Dems
• Tories select replacement candidate for Selby and Ainsty by-election
• Labour names candidate for local by-election

Mr Gray said:

“If elected, I will vote in Parliament in accordance with the consensus of the constituency.

“On election, the conversations will continue, and I will vote in Parliament as per the changing desires of my electorate, which means that I can respond to change quickly.

“If mandated, I will vote for the government, or against, or abstain.

“Therefore, by electing me, my constituents are getting more democracy, more power in their hands. Selby and Ainsty will be the country’s bellwether constituency.”

He added:

“Although there is some history in my family in politics, I want to be seen as not so much a political candidate, but a candidate for positive change.

“There is so much that we agree upon: let’s start there. I’m optimistic. Our many problems are fixable.

“Things simply can’t stay as they are. Many of us are rolling our eyes at what is going on in Westminster. Traditional party politics need consigning to the dustbin of history.”

An empty shopping unit in Harrogate town centre looks set to host a Muffin Break cafe.

Notices have appeared in the window of the former Hotter shoe shop on Cambridge Street for a pavement licence application.

The notice says the applicant is FoodCo UK Franchising Ltd, known as Muffin Break bakery cafe.

Muffin Break is a franchise business of FoodCo that originated in Canada and now has about 60 UK outlets. The closest one is in Bradford.

The former Hotter shoe shop

They typically sell muffins, cakes and coffee and also provide breakfasts and light lunches.

The licence application is dated June 9 and says the deadline for comments is June 13 — four days later.

Read more:

• Harrogate High School ‘requires improvement’, says Ofsted
• Historic Harrogate home up for auction again with slashed asking price

The Stray Ferret asked North Yorkshire Council, which determines licence applications, for further details.

The council displays pavement licence applications on its website here. But a spokeswoman said the Muffin Break application was no longer available because the objection expiry date had passed. She added the licence had been granted.

We tried to contact FoodCo UK Franchising but have not had a reply.

The Great Yorkshire Show looks set to be a sell-out for the third year in a row.

The four-day show takes place from July 11 to 14 and all tickets for the Wednesday have already been snapped up. Standard adult tickets cost £32.

Yorkshire Agricultural Society, the farming charity that organises the event, adopted the four-day format and capped the number of tickets at 35,000 a day during covid due to social distancing requirements but has continued with it since. Tickets are now only sold in advance too.

Allister Nixon chief executive of the society, said:

“We have seen unprecedented demand for tickets, selling out Wednesday already and our membership sold out in April.

“It shows the depth of support and love for the show and we can’t wait to welcome visitors in less than three weeks’ time. At this stage, we have tickets remaining for the Tuesday, Thursday and Friday of the show which we do expect to sell out so please, if you are planning to come along, book now to avoid disappointment.”

Huge range of activities

The Great Yorkshire Showground is always packed with stalls and activities during the event and this year will be no exception.

A new free Great Yorkshire Show app, which will be available to download next week, includes an interactive map and schedule of events. 

The Cock O The North competition in the main ring on the Thursday will feature some of the UK’s best showjumpers. The main ring will also host flying Frenchman Lorenzo, who last appeared in 2018.

The best of British livestock will be on show as the Beef Shorthorn, Charolais and Longhorn Cattle Societies all host their national competitions. The show will also feature several thousand sheep, all vying for the top title.

The pole climbing championships is returning and sheepdogs will be held each day .

Read more:

• Royal visitor to Great Yorkshire Show revealed
• Great Yorkshire Show organisers put faith in First 4 IT 

Pineheath, the derelict mansion on the Duchy estate that failed to find a buyer at auction earlier this month, is to be re-offered for sale at a much reduced price. 

The 17,000 sq ft, 40-room house on Cornwall Road in Harrogate was earlier marketed for £3.5 million, but will now be included in FSS’ next auction with a guide price of £3 million. 

Pineheath was built in the 1890s and from 1927 was the Harrogate home of Sir Dhunjibhoy Bomanji, a wealthy Indian shipping magnate who been knighted in 1922 after reportedly donating £1 million to the war effort during the First World War.  

In its heyday as a family home, Pineheath was fully staffed and had gold-plated taps, a centrally-heated garage of Rolls-Royces, and its distinctive glazed cupola is said to have been covered in gold leaf. 

Following the death of Sir Dhunjibhoy’s daughter in 2012, Pineheath was sold for £2 million to developer Jason Shaw.  

The house currently has planning permission for conversion into 12 flats, and the lot includes the adjoining former chauffeur’s cottage, which has been refurbished into a pair of semi-detached coach houses yielding rent of £51,000 a year.  

Simon Croft, partner at Harrogate estate agent FSS, said: 

“The front runners at the June 8 auction have not been able to finalise funding and we cannot delay the sale any further so it has been included, with a much-reduced guide price of £3 million.  

“This will, we believe, bring in a fresh impetus of buyers and should also allow parties to potentially sell the two already modernised coach houses if vacant possession is obtained, thus recouping capital and leave them with Pineheath as a standalone project. 

“At around £1.6 million this could then be converted to a single residential house, though of course the already implemented planning consent for 12 apartments could also be continued.” 

A 0.545-acre parcel of land behind the site, on Rutland Drive, is believed to be the last undeveloped parcel on the Duchy estate, but also failed to sell at auction for its £1.85 million guide price. 

Mr Croft said: 

“The building plot on Rutland Drive will not be publicly offered at this time as it became clear parties interested in the plot wanted to know Pineheath had sold and would therefore be developed and improved.

“So we will market it again, subject to a successful sale of Pineheath, although a fruitful purchaser of Pineheath will be able to negotiate a purchase of the plot post-sale if desired.” 

Pineheath will be re-offered at auction by FSS on July 13. 

Read more:

• Historic Harrogate house fails to sell at auction
• Unbeatable views for sale as Georgian windmill goes under the hammer
• Harrogate auction house sees 50 year old bottle of whisky fetch £12,000

Police have confirmed that a missing Harrogate boy has been found.

The 12-year-old went missing from his home in Harrogate on Wednesday (June 21).

North Yorkshire Police has since confirmed that the boy has been found safe and well.

Read more:

• Search group set up for missing Harrogate boy
• Council spends £2m on consultants for Harrogate’s Station Gateway

Police have confirmed that a missing Harrogate boy has been found.

The 12-year-old went missing from his home in Harrogate on Wednesday (June 21).

North Yorkshire Police has since confirmed that the boy has been found safe and well.

Read more:

• Urgent police appeal to find missing Harrogate boy, 12
• Fire ravages home in Harrogate

Lauren Crisp is a book editor, writer and keen follower of arts and culture. Born and raised in Harrogate, Lauren recently moved back to North Yorkshire after a stint in London, where she regularly reviewed theatre – everything from big West End shows to small fringe productions. She is now eager to explore the culture on offer in and around her home town.  You can contact Lauren on laurencrispwriter@gmail.com

Whilst the somewhat indelicate title of this Irish tragicomedy may have you doing a double take, don’t think twice about buying a ticket – it’s a performance not to be missed.

Written in 1996 by celebrated playwright Martin McDonagh, who has since found big-screen success with films such as In Bruges and The Banshees of Inisherin, The Cripple of Inishmaan centres on orphan Billy Claven, a disabled youngster living on the remote island of Inishmaan, off the west coast of Ireland, in 1934.

Plagued by the incessant ridicule of his neighbours, he is referred to by all (despite his protestations) as Cripple Billy.

This even extends to his own foster ‘aunties’, who love him like a son, yet apply the same casual cruelty that is the very lifeblood of this play. Whilst pondering their sickly ward’s future, his aunt, Eileen, doubts he’ll ever be kissed, “…unless it was by a blind girl”.

When a Hollywood film director arrives on a neighbouring island (to film the real-life documentary, The Man of Aran), Billy finally sees his opportunity to escape his miserable existence.

An outrageously dark comedy, the play mixes hilarity, cruelty and kindness with great dexterity, its writing electric, with one uproarious quip after the other.

The Harrogate Dramatic Society cast, under Stuart Kellett’s direction, performing their opening night last night, knew exactly how to deliver every line – particularly impressive for what is a challenging play, jam-packed with dialogue.

This is a pleasingly rounded story with a satisfying arc, but it is also made or broken by the ability to draw its cast of characters, whose absurdity and colourfulness lie at its core; there is no disappointment here, with the HDS’ small yet mighty cast of nine. The Irish accents were out in full force, and the performers’ efforts to maintain these throughout were truly commendable.

Engaging and thoughtfully chosen, the cast proved consistently comic and dependably droll. The play’s sole non-comic player, outcast Billy, was handled by Adam Naylor with great earnestness and vulnerability.

A play like this was made for the simplicity of the studio at Harrogate Theatre. It is one without fuss; a neat piece which hops from scene to scene with real deftness. A clean, no-frills set with few distracting props, this production is really all about its players, who capture both the play’s sentimentality and its more outlandish threads, providing an evening as punchy as potent poteen.

The Cripple of Inishmaan is on tonight and tomorrow evening at Harrogate Theatre, and twice on Saturday. More information is available here.

Read more:

• Review: Chitty Chitty Bang Bang in Harrogate filled with charm and heart
• Harrogate man appointed UK ambassador to Iraq