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Hot Seat: The Harrogate man leading the way in luxury care

When Graeme Lee was in his mid-20s, he organised a holiday for 24 people in two chalets in France. Tragically, two of them died on the trip.

Devastated, he took a year off from his job as a senior manager at Marks & Spencer. His sabbatical drifted into a second year until it ended abruptly when his mother fell ill and he rushed home to be with her. Within four weeks she was dead.

Thirty years on, Mr Lee is one of Harrogate’s most successful businessmen. His company Springfield Healthcare has six care homes, a £30m turnover and 1,500 staff, including domiciliary care. It wasn’t university or education that forged him, but those early losses.

He says:

“They were two of the most traumatic things that have ever happened to me.

“I can’t tell you how responsible I felt for what happened on the holiday. One of the girls wasn’t going to go and I lent her the money.

“Those two years away transformed me. I learned a lot about the meaning of life.”

It has been some journey. Mr Lee grew up in a small care home his mum and dad owned in Garforth, West Yorkshire, regularly moving bedrooms to accommodate residents and watching TV with them at night.

He then struck out on his own at M&S until his mother’s death proved a turning point. He says:

“Shortly before she died, Mum asked if I would look after Dad and the business and my two sisters. I’ve tried to do that ever since.”

Care homes are light years away from what they were when Mr Lee was young. He says:

“Care homes in the 1970s had bad reputations. Your grandma would say ‘don’t ever put me into a care home’. That’s driven me over the years. I want to change how older people perceive care homes.”

Harcourt Gardens in Harrogate

Today Springfield Healthcare, which has six homes providing 500 beds, is at the forefront of luxury care. Think cinema days, rooftop terraces and gin bars.

Harcourt Gardens, which opened close to Harrogate town centre in December, is registered for 115 residents. Its facilities include a cinema room, gym, hairdressing salon and spa, and landscaped gardens. He adds:

“The most important thing for me is that it’s in the heart of the community. Older people want to live in their community.”

Naturally it isn’t cheap — prices in Harrogate start at £1,250 a week. Mr Lee says his company creates an option for people able to afford the choice and provides value for money.

Harcourt Gardens, which employs 50 staff, took more than seven years to go from vision to completion. Covid and a flooded basement added to the delays.

How does he top that? Another site in Harrogate could raise the bar even higher.

‘Holy grail of care’

Outside Grove House

Three years ago, Mr Lee bought Grove House, a grade two listed building off Skipton Road that was once the home of Victorian inventor, philanthropist and mayor Samson Fox.

Grove House belonged at the time to the Royal Antediluvian Order of Buffaloes, a fraternal movement. A flag showing the initials GLE hung outside, indicating it was the organisation’s grand lodge of England.

So when Mr Lee, whose car number plate bears the initials GLE after his name, turned up to check out the site, there was a sense of fate. That there is a plaque about Samson Fox near his Harrogate home added to this.

He bought the site for £3 million and now plans to transform it into “the holy grail of care”.

He wants to convert Grove House to accommodate 23 independent living apartments and build a 70-bed care home and eight houses providing supported living for over-65s on land alongside it.

Schoolchildren from nearby Grove Road Community Primary School will be invited to participate in activities alongside residents and use the gardens for study and play. The site will also host an annual garden party for the community.

The vision for Grove House.

He says:

“I want to bring Grove House back to life and make it part of the community.

“All of my 28 years in care have led me to this. We are giving back to the community and school. It’s not just about making money; it’s about doing the right things.”

‘Strong regional provider’

Mr Lee, who will be an energetic 57 next month, is eyeing other projects.

He’s bought the former Summer Cross pub in Otley and hopes to get planning permission to convert it into a care home. He’s also looking at a site in Wetherby. But his empire is unlikely to swell much more.

“I don’t want to be the biggest, I want to be the best. I want to be a good, strong regional provider.”

Times, however, are tough. Brexit, he says, has “not had a significant impact” besides the fact that he now employs fewer European staff, but he describes the impact of the cost of living crisis and rising energy bills as “massive”.

“I’ve never known it as challenging in my 28 years. We have increased pay rates by 11% for domcare and fuel allowance by 33% and it hasn’t even touched the sides.”

By contrast, he says some local authorities have only increased the rates they pay private providers by 3%, which he describes as “absolutely unacceptable”.

The company is also focusing on staff wellbeing and provides a hardship fund for those in need.

The rise in agency staff is another big change in the care sector, which he attributes largely to evolving work patterns.

“Ten years ago, I didn’t have any agency staff. Now people want to work for four to six weeks and then have a month off.”

Care homes are a major part of the Harrogate district economy but most people, says Mr Lee, make the mistake of not thinking about them until there’s a family crisis. Then they are suddenly forced to make rushed decisions. He says:

“There are so many good care homes on your doorstep here in Harrogate. Go and start looking.”

Mr Lee has two grow-up children from his previous relationship. Son Hugo runs a recruitment company and daughter Rafaela is at university. He now lives with partner Heidi and her three boys.

Away from work, he “plays golf, badly” off a 13 handicap, and is a member of Alwoodley golf club in Leeds. He also enjoys mini-breaks.

He’s come a long way but the 1990s are never far from his mind.

He is close friends with the parents of one of the girls who died and he’s still driven by the promise he made to his mum to look after the business and to keep raising the bar on care homes.

“I’m totally committed to providing the holy grail of care. I want it to feel like a hotel when people walk in.”

Harrogate district paddling pools to stay open but flower watering to reduce under hosepipe ban

Watering of public flower displays in the Harrogate district could be reduced over the coming weeks after the announcement of a hosepipe ban later this month.

Harrogate Borough Council said it will be working to reduce its water use in line with Yorkshire Water’s decision, which comes into force on Friday, August 26.

However, the authority said its three public paddling pools will remain open in Harrogate’s Valley Gardens, Knaresborough’s Bebra Gardens, and Borrage Green in Ripon.

A spokesperson said:

“Following the Yorkshire Water announcement about the hosepipe ban, we are looking at what measures we can and should implement to conserve water supplies.

“Unfortunately, this may result in our baskets and floral displays looking a bit the worse for wear but we hope people will understand the reasons why.

“Our paddling pools are currently filled until after the August bank holiday, and we welcome residents and visitors using ours across the Harrogate district rather than their own.”

Harrogate’s famous floral displays could go un-watered.

Meanwhile, North Yorkshire County Council said it would be following the rules when the hosepipe ban comes into force.

Council leader Carl Les, whose portfolio includes emergency planning, said:

“We are looking at our services and where exemptions may apply, and we will be conforming with the rules. We would urge all residents to follow the advice already given out nationally and regionally on how they can conserve water usage, as we will be.

“Let’s also take care in these tinder dry conditions to avoid starting fires, which not only use large amounts of water to extinguish, but can also threaten property and in some cases lives.”

The hosepipe ban is the first to be introduced in Yorkshire since 1995.

People are asked not to use hosepipes for domestic activities including watering plants or grass, washing cars, filling paddling pools or swimming pools, or cleaning outdoor surfaces.

The activities are still permitted if they are carried out without a hosepipe, such as with a bucket or watering can, or if a water butt is used, for example.

Blue Badge holders, people on Yorkshire Water priority services register and those on the WaterSure tariff for medical reasons are exempt from the ban.

The restrictions do not apply to commercial premises using a hosepipe for essential activities.

Planters moved as Harrogate’s Beech Grove reopens

Harrogate’s Beech Grove has re-opened to through traffic.

North Yorkshire County Council introduced an experimental order in February last year closing the road at the junction with Lancaster Road.

The move was initially brought in as a one-year trial but was later extended to 18 months.

It aimed to encourage cycling and walking and there were suggestions the closure could become permanent.

But the council announced this month the order would end.

The decision proved popular with some residents and motorists, who said it merely increased traffic on neighbouring streets, but upset some cyclists, who had been told Beech Grove would be a central part of plans to create an integrated cycle route between Cardale Park and Harrogate train station.

Today the planters enforcing the closure were removed, two days before the experimental order was due to expire.

A council spokesman said this afternoon:

“Beech Grove and Lancaster Road are now open to vehicles.”

But what happens next is unclear.

North Yorkshire County Council’s executive member for highways and transport, Cllr Keane Duncan, said it will review the situation and then “bring forward a detailed and coordinated plan, connecting active travel initiatives such as Otley Road and Station Gateway together”.

Organisers gear up for first Ripley Show in three years

Ripley Show will make its return this weekend after a three-year break – and organisers say enthusiasm has never been higher.

With a sunny forecast and plenty of advance tickets already sold, the show field at Ripley is set to be packed with visitors on Sunday.

Having last been held in 2019 before the covid pandemic, the show is returning in its familiar format, with livestock and equestrian classes, a companion dog show, and horticulture and craft competitions.

The main ring will feature displays of heavy horses, a hound parade and an “anti-gravity” show from Savage Skills.

Show secretary Tammy Smith said:

“The preparations are going well. We’re all a little bit rusty after three years off and trying to remember what we all should be doing, but everybody’s pitching in and turning up.

“It’s amazing, all the volunteers are incredible – they just arrive and get on with sorting everything out.

“It’s great to be getting back to it.”

Ms Smith said while some of the volunteers had moved on since the last show, there had been a number of new people offering to help and Knaresborough Young Farmers was also bringing its members to keep things running smoothly.

With the forecast looking sunny and hot, with highs of 30C, Ms Smith said the organisers will be keeping an eye on conditions to ensure animals, exhibitors and visitors were kept safe and well.

Tickets for the show are available in advance on the website, which organisers said will speed up entry on the day.

Some tickets will still be available on the gate at £15 for adults and £6 for children aged between five and 16. Family tickets are available and Ripley Show also offers membership, with benefits including preferential car parking.

Prologue opens ‘luxury showroom’ for bikes in Harrogate

Performance cycling business Prologue is to open the bike equivalent of a “luxury car showroom” in Harrogate tomorrow.

The showroom will display some of the finest quality bikes on the market, ranging in price from £3,000 to £15,000.

The showroom is based in Wellington House, the former hotel on Cold Bath Road.

John and Rachael Reid opened Prologue in another unit in Wellington House in 2014 — the year the Tour de France came to the Harrogate district.

Since then Prologue’s distinctive yellow branding has become a feature of Cold Bath Road. It has a shop selling cycling gear and clothing, a workshop, a bike fitting area and a café open to everyone.

But it doesn’t sell many bikes simply because there isn’t space.

The new showroom, in the former White Stone Ski and Sports Store, will address that by stocking up to 40 bikes.

The white lines of a road have been painted in the middle of the showroom and bikes will be displayed there, as well as hung from the walls to create a high end feel.

Mr Reid said:

“It will provide that same level of experience you get in a luxury car showroom.

“If you’re buying a high quality bike you want to enjoy the experience of going through that process of looking at it and trying it and getting that personal service.”

Prologue is expanding on Cold Bath Road.

Harrogate’s cycling hub

Scottish-born Mr Reid, who previously worked in software sales, opened Prologue eight years ago when he was looking for a change of career and lifestyle.

A keen cyclist, he and his wife, who used to work in the same building on Cold Bath Road when it was home to Harrogate Interiors, funded the business themselves.

They now employ eight full-time staff and several part-time and the shop only closes three days a year.

The business has benefitted from a surge of interest in performance cycling and British success in the Tour de France but the couple have worked hard to create a social hub as well as a business.

They quickly forged links with local clubs Harrogate Nova and Cappuccino Cycling Club, whose members often converge outside. They also host talks on subjects such as nutrition and training and have even hold film screenings.

A launch event for the new showroom at Prologue tomorrow will feature a bike belonging to Tom Pidcock, the Leeds cyclist who represented Team Ineos, the leading British cycling team, at this year’s Tour de France.

Prestigious building on Harrogate’s James Street put on the market

A landmark building on Harrogate’s prestigious James Street has been put on the market for offers over £3.85m.

The freehold of the property — home to the Harrogate branch of department store Hoopers — is being marketed by Green & Partners.

The particulars say the retail business has a remaining lease of two years and eight months, due to expire or be renewed in March 2025.

The description says:

“The property comprises a retail store arranged on ground, basement and three upper floors. Sales accommodation is offered over ground, basement and two upper floors with ancillary accommodation at third floor level.

“There is a main staircase and customer lift to the rear of the property which connects all five levels. The property is serviced to the rear with deliveries taken into the basement level via Market Place. The property lies within a conservation area and is not listed.”

The building, at 28-32 James Street, extends to 1,904m sq and currently generates an annual rental income of £350,000 on a full repairing and insuring lease.

It was previously sold in 2010 for £5.95m, according to the Land Registry. If the guide price is achieved, it would represent a drop in value of more than 35% in the last 12 years.

The sales particulars state that James Street is viewed as “the prime retailing thoroughfare” and cite brands including Oliver Bonas, Joules, Hotel Chocolat and Whistles as examples of its “higher end boutique” shops.

The information also advises that options for the building include negotiating a new lease to Hoopers, or securing vacant possession in order to redevelop the site. The description says:

“Neighbouring properties have achieved planning permission to convert and extend upper parts into residential flats and we believe the subject property lends itself to a full redevelopment (STPP [subject to planning permission]). The property benefits from large and regular floor plates with good natural light.

“The property is also well situated in the town centre for residential occupiers as in close proximity to the train station, which would suit commuters to Leeds and York extremely well. Harrogate house prices are some of the most expensive in Yorkshire highlighting the popularity to live in the area.”

The Stray Ferret has approached Hoopers for a comment but has not yet received a response.

The building was previously home to Marshall & Snelgrove. The late historian Malcolm Neesam wrote about its history for the Stray Ferret’s history walks, available by clicking here.

Firefighters deal with blaze in planter outside shopping centre

Harrogate firefighters were called out last night to deal with a fire in a planter.

A planter on Station Parade, outside Victoria Shopping Centre, caught fire at about 10.45pm.

North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service‘s incident log said the fire was smouldering when Harrogate firefighters arrived.

It added:

“Crews used buckets of water and gave advice to on site security staff.”

Harrogate firefighters also dealt with a fire in the open on Jenny Field Drive yesterday morning at 10.22am.

The incident log said:

“This was a fire to a downed tree. Crews extinguished this using a bucket of water and small hand tools.”

The Harrogate district, like much of the country, is currently rated ‘very high risk’ in the Met Office’s fire severity index.

Plans submitted to add more bedrooms to Harrogate mental health hospital

A two-storey extension could provide additional bedrooms at the Cygnet Hospital on Ripon Road in Harrogate.

Plans have been submitted to add four en suite bedrooms along with two offices to the rear of the building, in addition to the existing 36 beds .

As a result, the mental health hospital would increase its overall floor space by 115.5m sq, bringing the total size of the four-storey building to 1692m sq.

Supporting information submitted with the plans said:

“The Cygnet Hospital Harrogate is a well managed establishment and provides an important function for the community.

“It is essential that this critical piece of healthcare infrastructure can continue to provide the bedspaces required to support the demands of the community and help reduce the national shortage of bedspaces.”

The hospital has two wards – one mixed gender and one female – which both provide 24-hour care for people with acute mental health needs. Patients are referred to Cygnet from both the NHS and private practices.

The plans propose installing a temporary fire escape from the first floor while the work is carried out, which would be removed on completion.

One extra car park space would be created in the grounds as a result of landscaping under the plans for the former hotel.

To view or comment on the application, visit Harrogate Borough Council’s planning website and use reference 22/02799/FUL.

Refilling Station eco-shop in Harrogate to close

The Refilling Station is to close after three years of trading in Harrogate.

The plastic-free shop attracted a lot of goodwill when it opened because of the way it promoted sustainable shopping.

Customers bring their own containers for products to reduce packaging waste.

The business initially welcomed customers on Grove Road before moving to larger premises on Cold Bath Road.

Owner Kirsty Dodds said it had a core of loyal customers, but wider support had dwindled over the last two years.

She said the Refilling Station did well during covid when people were reluctant to go to supermarkets and it was able to source products, such as flour, which were in high demand.

“When covid was at a peak people described us as a lifesaver but unfortunately many people didn’t stick with us.

“As soon as the supermarkets caught up they went back to their old shopping habits.”

Ms Dodds said she had really enjoyed running the business but the outlook was bleak for independent shops. She said there was a misconception that supermarkets were cheaper and this, combined with their convenience, made it difficult to compete. She said:

“A lot of people have supported us in concept and on social media but not in person. It is sad but we do have staff and overheads to pay.

Ms Dodds, who lives in Leeds, said the Refilling Station will probably close mid-September but she had yet to finalise a date. She will then focus on another business venture outside Harrogate.

She said she still thought Cold Bath Road was the ideal location for a business like hers. But she feared for the future of independent shops in Harrogate.

“I walked through the town centre recently and yes it was bustling but the shops weren’t that busy and the rents would be far more expensive than Cold Bath Road.

“I find it difficult to imagine a world where independents will survive. A lot will find the next 12 months tricky.

“The outlook is terrifying. I have family too and I feel the pinch. It’s a bleak picture if things keep going the way they are.”

Business Breakfast: Harrogate hearing company expands to second practice

Business Breakfast is sponsored by Harrogate law firm Truth Legal.

A Harrogate health business is set to expand to a second branch after four years of success in the town.

The Hearing Suite will open a new practice at No 6 The Grove in Ilkley following growth at its premises on East Parade.

Founder Emily Woodmansey, pictured, set up the practice alone but has expanded to offer a team of three audiologists and an ENT consultant.

Having grown up in Ilkley, she recognised that many of her current patients are making the journey to Harrogate and a closer practice would be more convenient for them.

She said:

“Our Harrogate practice is thriving, our ethos is firmly grounded in having a small group of very happy people, and right now Ilkley doesn’t have a full time, dedicated audiology practice.

“The pandemic has reminded people how precious communication is and I’m excited to share our brand of audiology with the people of my home town.”

The practice will have a dedicated wax removal room on the ground floor, along with a full testing suite on the first floor.

The Hearing Suite’s employee Olivia, a former NHS senior audiologist will be the practice’s head of service and it will offer the same services as the Harrogate branch including wax removal, hearing consultations, tinnitus management and hearing aids.

Ripon BID considers joint trade waste provision

Businesses in central Ripon could benefit from a collective trade waste contract if plans by the city’s Business Improvement District are supported.

The BID is currently asking businesses for their views on the plans, which could also be opened to businesses which don’t pay the levy in exchange for a fee.

In a message sent out with the survey, BID manager Lilla Bathurst said:

“Ripon BID is seeking to save money for levy payers, improve the waste services they receive and enhance the appearance of local streets by procuring a waste collector to offer a high quality, low cost waste and recycling service.”

The organisation said a central contractor could improve reliability and frequency of collections, as well as reduce the costs to BID levy payers. It could also increase the amount of waste sent for recycling instead of going to landfill.

There is also the potential to improve the city centre environment by making more frequent collections and reducing the number of vehicles being used to complete them, said the BID.

‘Holy grail of care’

‘Strong regional provider’

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Harrogate’s cycling hub

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Ripon BID considers joint trade waste provision