The manager of Harrogate Town has paid tribute to Harry Gration, the Yorkshire TV legend who died suddenly last month, saying the club was privileged to have worked with him.

In the past year Harry had taken on the role of match day host for Town. He welcomed corporate sponsors and chaired Q and A sessions with invited guests and members of the team.

Simon Weaver told the Stray Ferret that Harry’s interest in working with Harrogate Town had come as something of a surprise to his father, Irving, who owns the club.

“My dad was nicely surprised to get a letter from Harry saying how much he loved the atmosphere at the stadium and was offering to lend a helping hand.

“Dad got on the phone and Harry become a host. He was very happy to pick up the mike for Q and As. He might ask the odd difficult question but he always did it with humour”

Simon played golf with Harry two days before his death as part of a fundraiser for Harrogate Homeless Project.

He said they were all devastated to learn of his death.

“We were all shell-shocked when we heard the news 48 hours later. Mum and Dad were so upset –he’d quickly became part of the club and part of our home games.

“He gave a feeling of familiarity straight away and made you feel like you could be yourself — as though you were chatting with a friend.

“Harry gave the club something new. It was like having a Premier League host at the club”.

The Weaver family and members of the management team at Harrogate Town attended Harry’s funeral at York Minster on Monday.

Like so many organisations that Harry worked with, they will miss him tremendously.

The funeral of Harry Gration held at York Minster on Monday

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A Harrogate gym has launched strength training sessions for women over 40 in an bid to “change the narrative” around menopause.

The sessions will be held at Eleven Eleven Sports Performance, which launched a studio on Otley Road in May.

The programme will focus on heavy lifting and increasing strength training to stimulate and build muscles to make up for the decline in the hormones estrogen and progesterone. It will also include sprint interval training, plyometrics and stabilising exercises.

Information will also be given on how to lead a healthier lifestyle to help lower cortisol levels, which is known as the stress hormone.

The sessions will be led by coaches Mark Nel and Kelly Loe, who moved to Harrogate from South Africa a year ago.

The couple co-own Eleven Eleven with Liz and Dean Kemp.

Empowering women

Ms Kemp said:

“Lifting weights is going to be good for anyone over the age of 40, but for women specifically because of the imbalances in hormones and the massive impact it has. Estrogen is a muscle-building hormone, so if that’s dropping you need to replace it.

“It’s trying to empower women to say you can do something about it. You can lift heavy and you will get the same effect and you will be able to build that lean muscle mass. This is even more important when you get older.

“It’s turning something negative into something positive. It’s about getting the narrative out there that you can pick up a barbell at any age if you are coached in the right way.”

The semi-private classes are limited to four participants to allow them develop their technique and lift safely.

They are being held on Monday, Wednesday and Friday lunchtimes from 12-1pm and 1pm-2pm.

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New skills

It is hoped that under the guidance of Mr Nel and Ms Loe, who are both skilled weightlifters, the sessions will encourage women to try something new and gain new skills.

Ms Kemp said:

“I turned 50 this year and I’m a control freak. I didn’t like the changes going on in my life without knowing how I could help and take back control. I think that was where it started from.

“You can’t control what your hormone levels are doing, but there are so many ways you can improve your health and body composition.

“I was training with Mark and Kelly and I realised what they were doing is what the over 40s need in their life to create a healthier and fitter lifestyle going forward.

“It’s about changing the conversation and mindset around it and focussing on the positive.

“It’s being in the right environment to be able to train safely and do what we need to do to replace what our hormones used to with nutrition, healthy living, sprint training and jumping and not being scared of doing it.”

Age is just a number

Mr Nel, who has 24 years experience in the fitness industry, said no matter what age you are, you should still be able to achieve the same ability as someone who is younger if you are taught correctly.

He said:

“You might not lift the same weight or speed, but you are not restricted to ‘you can’t do that because you are this age’. To me it doesn’t matter if you take the right approach. There are athletes doing it at 70.”

Mr Nel, who has a string of accolades under his belt in both CrossFit and weightlifting, added that programmes can be modified for individuals depending on their ability.

He said:

“If your ability is just a barbell, you have that option to go through. If you are someone who is a fit 67-year-old and you want a little bit more intensity that option is there as well.”

Foundations

There will be a focus on mastering three basic foundations of bench, squats and deadlifts before advancing further.

Ms Kemp said:

“The other thing that makes it unique is you are benchmarked. So you have your set standard and until you reach the next level you don’t progress. It allows you to understand what your weaknesses are and what you need to work on.”

Ms Loe, who has been coaching since 2015 and specialises in CrossFit, added:

“I think we have created an environment where we respect more of the technique side of it than lifting heavy. We cheer on the person who is coming last and trying the hardest, as opposed to the person coming first. We do not tolerate massive egos.”

Ms Kemp said there was so much information out there about menopause that it could be overwhelming.

She added:

“That’s what we want to strip back to the bare functions of what you can do to take control and turn the difficult transition into something positive.”

A Boroughbridge woman who failed to return home on Friday night has been found.

North Yorkshire Police issued an appeal for help finding the woman after she went missing.

It issued photos and a description and asked people to get in touch with details of possible sightings.

Police said yesterday the girl had been found.

Consequently this article has been updated to conceal the women’s identity.

Harrogate Convention Centre is set to face competition from a proposed events venue in Leeds, which has been backed by the city’s planners.

The plans for the former Yorkshire Bank HQ have been recommended for approval by Leeds City Council, which said it had a “long-term aspiration” to bring a conference centre to the city.

A council report said the venue would be a quarter of the size of Harrogate Convention Centre and “focus on significantly smaller events”.

Yet it also said the venue could divert up to 6% of trade away from the convention centre, with further impacts on Harrogate town centre businesses that rely on events.

The proposals come at a crucial time for the 40-year-old Harrogate Convention Centre, which has planned a £47 million redevelopment after warning it is in “critical need” of an upgrade in order to keep its national appeal.

The venue would not comment on whether it supports or opposes the Leeds plans.

But centre director Paula Lorimer did say: 

“We would need to give careful consideration to any proposed development within the region to understand its likely impact on Harrogate Convention Centre and ultimately the town.

“Our convention centre attracts more than 150,000 visitors a year, has an economic impact of more than £35 million and supports thousands of jobs and local businesses.

“In the meantime, we will continue to press ahead with our own exciting redevelopment proposals and an update report will be presented to the cabinet on 17 August for consideration.”

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Questions over how the £47 million redevelopment could be funded are lingering after cash for the convention centre was not included in a devolution deal for York and North Yorkshire.

The landmark deal was agreed last week, but Harrogate Borough Council leader Richard Cooper refused to sign a letter of support as he said it “falls short of what many of us expected in that it does not deliver guaranteed funding for the convention centre”.

Harrogate Convention Centre.

Separately, the borough council has also bid for convention centre cash from the government’s Levelling Up Fund.

But the maximum amount available per project is £20 million and Harrogate is ranked as a low priority area.

A decision on the bid is expected in autumn.

Meanwhile, the Leeds plans would see the former Yorkshire Bank HQ demolished and the conference venue, as well as two blocks of student accommodation, built in its place if the proposals are approved at a meeting next Thursday.

A report said Harrogate Convention Centre’s performance has been “poor” in recent years and that the proposed venue would “look to capitalise on the high demand Leeds events market” as opposed to diverting trade from Harrogate.

It also said the proposed venue would complement the First Direct Arena, which stands next door to the Leeds site on Clay Pit Lane.

The report said: 

“Leeds currently has no standalone dedicated exhibition space both for business-to business and business-to-client conferences and exhibitions.

“The provision of a multi-purpose events building, able to accommodate conferencing facilities, has been a long-term aspiration of the council.”

A “detailed and co-ordinated plan” to encourage cycling and walking in Harrogate will be drawn up next month.

North Yorkshire County Council said today the plan will connect active travel initiatives such as the Otley Road cycle route and the Station Gateway.

It comes a day after the council revealed the Beech Grove road closure, which was introduced to encourage cycling, will end on August 14.

Beech Grove was seen as a key part of an integrated cycle route from Cardale Park to Harrogate train station.

So the decision to re-open it to through traffic was greeted with dismay by some cyclists and environmentalists.

But that doesn’t appear to be the end of the matter.

A council spokeswoman said today the Beech Grove measures, which cost £10,000, were introduced on a trial-only basis in February 2021, for a maximum of 18 months.

Bollards being installed on Beech Grove last year.

Because the trial is due to end on August 14, the “measures must legally be removed on this date”, the spokeswoman said, adding:

“Throughout the trial period we have reviewed consultation responses, collected traffic survey data and carried out site observations.

“This information and feedback will allow us the opportunity to bring forward a detailed and coordinated plan, connecting active travel initiatives such as Otley Road and Station Gateway together as planned.

“We will involve residents and interested parties as we draw up plans for a wider package of permanent measures, which we plan to consult in September.”

Read more:

• Beech Grove road closure in Harrogate to end in 10 days
• Harrogate traffic to be counted for £11.2m Station Gateway

A Harrogate teenager has become the youngest competitor to complete a gruelling trail run in the French Alps.

Alex Fennah, 17, was given a special exemption to take part in the ITRA (International Trail Running Association) Trail Marathon Championship in Chamonix, which is usually only open to over 18s, because of his track record in other events.

Setting off from the village of Montroc, the race saw competitors complete a 15.8km section of the 42km Mont Blanc route, with Alex finishing in two hours and 40 seconds.

He said:

“It was really great taking part in the ITRA Trail Marathon Championship in Chamonix. Whilst it’s reserved for those aged between 18 and 22, I was given special permission to take part – and by doing so I have become the youngest person ever to finish it.

“I started running two years ago and trained with the Wetherby Runners, and like everything the more you train the easier it gets. I go out four times a week and will run a total distance of about 70km. I’ve previously run two 100km races back-to-back.

“When I start something I tend to become a bit obsessive, and that includes my running, and my ultimate goal is to complete an ‘iron man’ challenge.”

That ultimate aim — consisting of a 2.4 mile swim, 112m bike ride and 26.2m run — may not be on his calendar yet, but plenty of other events are.

The Ashville student is in training for the 35km Sierre-Zinal in Switzerland and the 66km OCC in Chamonix, both in the same week. He will also run the Double Sahara Marathon – 40km on consecutive days – in October.

Meanwhile, he’s hoping to study experimental psychology at Oxford once he has completed his A levels.

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The owner of a contract cleaning company in Harrogate has accused the police of being incompetent after a man smashed up his staff’s car.

David Whan, who did not want to say the name of his company for fear of being targeted, said a man, who appeared to be drunk, accused two staff members of hitting him with their car when they parked outside the office they were due to clean off Victoria Avenue on the evening of July 19.

The staff members denied hitting him and went into the empty office to clean it.

Mr Whan said the man then returned with an axe and a hammer and tried to break into the office to attack them.

The two cleaners, seeing him return, ran downstairs and locked the front door. When the man couldn’t get into the office, he started to attack their car.

The man smashed the car windows, lights and doors of the vehicle, causing thousands of pounds of damage. The cleaners called the police and the man ran off when they arrived.

Mr Whan told the Stray Ferret:

“Had that man hit anyone, he could certainly have killed them, such was the damage to the car and the force he used.”

Mr Whan said the two staff members gave the police a detailed description of the man and the officer said he thought he knew who it might be, even mentioning his first name.

However, they were later told that there was “insufficient evidence” and there was nothing more they could do.

Mr Whan told the Stray Ferret:

“I call this complete incompetence. I call it lazy policing. Why haven’t they checked for any CCTV? They had a very accurate description yet made no effort to follow it up.

“This means there is someone wandering around who’s done criminal damage and could have killed someone yet they’re doing nothing. How does that make my staff feel?

“I have staff working late at night and in empty offices who ought to feel safe. I can’t accept this, I am really cross.”

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Mr Whan has written to his MP, Andrew Jones, to the Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner and to the chief constable, to get some answers.

In a statement, North Yorkshire Police said officers had checked for CCTV:

“Around 5.45pm on 19 July, officers were called to reports of a man being threatened by another man outside an address on South Park Road in Harrogate.

“Officers attended and took a description of the offender but following a search of the local area, no offender was located. CCTV enquiries were made and found no CCTV covering the location of the offence.

“With very limited further investigative opportunities, the incident was closed.

“When a crime is reported our officers will follow all available lines of enquiry to locate an offender or offenders, as well as providing safeguarding and support to victims.

“Unfortunately, if there are no further investigative opportunities then we cannot take any further action.”

Former Harrogate headteacher Dennis Richards has spoken of his relief at the decision to end the Beech Grove closure.

Mr Richards, who was headteacher at St Aidan’s Church of England High School from 1989 to 2012, lives on Victoria Road, close to Beech Grove.

He said closing Beech Grove to through traffic to encourage cycling and walking was well intentioned but had led to a large increase in speeding traffic on Victoria Road.

So he was delighted when North Yorkshire County Council announced yesterday that restrictions on vehicles using Beech Grove and Lancaster Road in Harrogate will end on August 14.

Mr Richards said:

“The impact on Victoria Road has been traumatic.

“It has been very dangerous, particularly at the top end where it runs into Otley Road, especially during term time.

“Since Beech Grove closed, Victoria Road has become a race track so I’m delighted from a safety point of view.”

Read more:

• Beech Grove road closure in Harrogate to end in 10 days
• Harrogate traffic to be counted for £11.2m Station Gateway

Being a former headteacher, Mr Richards said he sympathised with the aim of creating a low traffic neighbourhood to improve the environment.

But he said the scheme was “half-baked” because it had the unintended consequence of making the surrounding roads worse.

Victoria Road, he said, was particularly badly affected because the narrow section from Lancaster Road to Otley Road, where Mr Richards lives, doesn’t have any speed bumps to slow motorists. He said:

“Harrogate Grammar School is only 150 yards up the road and this will make the roads safer.”

Trial restrictions on vehicles using Beech Grove and Lancaster Road in Harrogate are to end in 10 days time.

Measures aimed at encouraging more walking and cycling in Harrogate were introduced on a trial basis in February 2021, for a maximum of 18 months.

It saw the temporary installation of signage, bollards and planters in the two streets – the first initiative of its kind in the county.

The 18-month experimental order will lapse on August 14, meaning the measures must legally now be removed.

Feedback from the trial will now be considered before a wider package of permanent measures to promote environmentally-friendly travel is drawn up and consulted upon in September.

North Yorkshire County Council’s executive member for highways and transport, Cllr Keane Duncan, said:

“It is fair to say these trial restrictions have been controversial. We have received significant feedback – positive and negative – and we’ve learnt a lot over the past 18 months.

“We know that more people are now using this route to walk and cycle, which is encouraging and in line with our aim of promoting sustainable travel. However, we are also aware of negative impacts affecting those living nearby.

“Now the trial period is over, it is only right that we review in detail what’s worked and what could work better.

“This will allow us the opportunity to bring forward a detailed and coordinated plan, connecting active travel initiatives such as Otley Road and Station Gateway together in the best way while addressing many of the objections raised by local residents.

“We will be seeking input from local councillors, active travel groups and the public to ensure we are developing the most effective possible plan for this area.”

The amount of traffic in Harrogate is to be monitored as part of the £11.2 million Station Gateway scheme.

Speaking at a consultation event today on the latest designs for the scheme, Richard Binks, head of major traffic and infrastructure at North Yorkshire County Council, said it had asked consultants to count the volume of traffic.

Mr Binks said current forecasts were based on pre-covid surveys and it was likely traffic had reduced since then.

North Yorkshire County Council said last month the scheme would extend the average journey time around town by 73 seconds at peak times.

Mr Binks said this had now been amended to 50 seconds because plans to reduce two approaches to the Odeon cinema to single lanes had been abandoned.

He said he suspected the traffic count would further negate the argument that the scheme will slow down traffic, even though it will reduce part of Station Parade to one lane.

Mr Binks said it was a common misconception that reducing the number of lanes around town caused congestion. He added that having more efficient junctions, with upgraded smart traffic lights on Station Parade, would improve traffic flow.

He said:

“We are working towards submitting a full business case in the new year so we have about six months to finalise designs.”

Today’s consultation event was the first of three in which people can see the latest designs.

A document displaying the latest designs at today’s consultation event.

In another development today, Mr Binks said the taxi rank on Station Parade would now remain the same length, after the county council indicated last month it would be shortened.

Mr Binks was one of four officials at today’s consultation event answering questions on the latest designs, which were on display.

Further events will be held tomorrow and Saturday from 11am to 4pm at Victoria Shopping Centre.

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Mr Binks acknowledged there were concerns but he said the overwhelming sentiment today was positive and he detected a “softening” of attitudes towards the scheme, which would reduce part of Station Parade to single lane and part pedestrianise James Street.

Station Parade

Business groups have expressed concern about the impact on trade but Mr Binks said the regeneration of the town centre would make it more attractive and encourage shoppers, as well as making it better for cyclists and pedestrians.

He added the loss of a small number of parking spaces would not have a significant impact because there was “an abundance of car parking in Harrogate”.

Mr Binks also said the scheme remained affordable despite the increase in cost of raw materials over the last year.

You can take part in the consultation online here.

What is the Station Gateway?

The project is one of three in North Yorkshire, and 39 nationally, being funded by the Department for Transport’s Transforming Cities Fund to promote active travel.

North Yorkshire County Council, Harrogate Borough Council and West Yorkshire Combined Authority all support the gateway.

Work is due to start in late spring next year.