I consider myself a pretty active person and I have given pretty much everything a go – from climbing and surfing to running and roller skating.

But for some reason, I have always been intimidated by cycling.

I’m fine with a stationary bike at the gym. I used to love a bit of spinning and I don’t mind a BikeErg.

But when it comes to letting me loose on the road, the confidence just isn’t there. I have no idea what bike I would get, what size, what equipment I would need. I am utterly clueless when it comes to cycling.

So when I was invited to an event collaboration between The Personal Cyclist, Sweaty Betty, Hustle & Co and the Electric Bike Shop, I snapped up the opportunity. It is about time I conquered my cycling demons.

The Personal Cyclist

I met Kate Auld, owner of The Personal Cyclist, outside Sweaty Betty. Her passion for cycling is truly infectious.

She said:

“The weekend is all about empowering women in particular to feel more confident on bikes. By taking this experience out of a bike shop, it makes it less intimidating. The number of women who ride bikes is really low.

“Harrogate has got such an amazing cycling heritage and it’s a fantastic town to be in the great outdoors, so why wouldn’t you want to try it?”

Kate said the cycling event had revealed that women in particular are nervous of the roads or unsure what to do.

Cycling

She said:

“It is all about confidence and practice, and that can be learned.

“I’ve seen women of all different ages, experiences and bikes. The one thing they have all got in common is a spirit of adventure to try something new.

“With lockdown, a lot of our worlds have become quite small. So just doing this with your hand held a little bit is getting people off to the right start.”

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I was given a shiny blue Raleigh e-bike to ride from the Electric Bike Shop, which opened a store on Harrogate’s Leeds Road earlier this year.

My first thought was it looked far too big for my small stature, but it turns out it’s the battery that makes it look intimidating.

Getting kitted out with an e-bike.

I put on my helmet, which Kate explained needed to fit snugly with space for two fingers between my eyebrows and the base.

We walked the bikes through town to Beech Grove, which was closed to through traffic in February to encourage walking and cycling.

Like riding a bike

I then had a go at actually riding the bike under Kate’s watchful gaze and was pleasantly surprised at how quickly it came back to me. It was like riding a bike…

I actually thought an e-bike was like an electric scooter, in that you pressed a button and it moved. But it actually just gives you more pedal power – perfect for those hilly commutes to work.

I practised gear changes, turns and the all-important breaking, and actually felt pretty steady. I also learned how to stop, come out of the saddle and prepare myself to set off again at traffic lights.

It was actually quite a freeing feeling, empowering almost, and I can see how people get hooked on cycling.

Kate said:

“I don’t want people to feel intimidated. When I first started riding, which wasn’t until my 30s, I didn’t know where to go to get a bike.

“Going into a bike shop can be pretty scary. So actually if I can help people to have a positive experience, it’s great.”

Bike2Work scheme

As efforts continue to combat climate change and also tackle obesity, Kate said she had been approached by companies who wanted to encourage their employees to ride more.

She said:

“The government Bike2Work scheme is fantastic for getting hold of bikes.

“Some of my clients say, ‘I don’t want to use my car as much. It’s costing me an arm or a leg to run the car. I only live a mile from town. I don’t know how on earth I’m going to get in and out of town and navigate the traffic. What do I need? What if it’s pouring with rain?’, and there’s not really necessarily someone to ask.

“I want to help people make that a reality and say, ‘this is what you need, here are some routes’.

“Now one of my ladies, who hadn’t ever ridden a bike, is now doing all her errands on a bike and takes the kids.”

I told Kate that I wanted to get out on a bike with my kids and also to escape from my kids.

Hybrid

She said:

“If you’re sporty and active and you have a sense of adventure, that’s a great head start.

“I would recommend a hybrid. This can be ridden through town and you can ride it on the trails, so it’s great for family bike rides.”

When I rode the bike back to Sweaty Betty – using some of my new stopping-at-traffic-lights skills – Kate analysed my technique. Apparently my head position was great, but I needed to work on the positioning of my feet.

Memories of my cycling proficiency test at primary school started to come flooding back…

Kate’s top tips on buying a first bike:

• Find out if your company is part of the Bike to Work scheme. This way, you only pay a fraction of what bike is worth. If not, try one of Harrogate’s fantastic bike shops like Prologue, Chevin Cycles, Specialized, and the Electric Bike Shop. Alternatively look at second hand options, including Resurrection Bikes. Or you could borrow a friend’s bike and try it. I would advise against buying one online for a first time bike rider. You certainly need to go into the bike shops and have a chat and find out what size you are.
• Think about what you are going to use the bike for. Family errands into town? Big hills? For the Dales I’d take a road bike or gravel bike. For an all-rounder you can’t go wrong with a hybrid.
• You can get your bike tweaked so it’s right for you. Sometimes you overthink these things. You just want to get something that feels comfortable. What you don’t want is to get something you feel wobbly on as you won’t enjoy it.
• Look at things like gear shifters – what type do you need? Look at cycling clothing – the idea you need loads of gear is a myth. You will need a helmet, a puncture repair kit and I would recommend a little pouch with plastic gloves for if your chain comes off.  It’s as expensive as you like. I’d also recommend a Buff, a drinks holder, a rack and pannier if you’re out with the kids, and a waterproof rain jacket.

North Yorkshire Police has said that officers were unable to find anyone with a weapon following reports of gunfire in the Pinewoods last night.

In a statement published just after 11am today, police said that enquiries with residents revealed there had been “no sightings of anyone carrying a weapon”.

Armed officers sealed off the woodland and a police helicopter was deployed shortly after 5pm.

The statement said:

“At 5.01pm yesterday police were called to reports of several “loud bangs” in the Pinewoods area of Harrogate.

“Officers immediately attended and carried out an extensive search in the area. Specialist resources which included a firearms support unit and the police helicopter (NPAS) were brought in to assist.

“Further enquires with the members of the public who made the initial reports confirmed that there had been no sightings of anyone carrying a weapon. Officers concluded their search at just before 7.30pm and no individual

A police spokesman added that they believed the initial report “was made with good intent” and “We take all reports of this nature extremely seriously”.

Numerous residents told the Stray Ferret last night and today they had heard three gunshots.

Read more:

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• Pinewoods gunfire: ‘Children were playing – people were terrified’

Responding to the police statement, one resident remain convinced they heard gunfire.

They also disputed the claim that police, whose Harrogate headquarters is less than a mile away, responded “immediately” and said one man was seen being detained in a police van before being later released.

The woman said:

“I’m surprised by the statement and it should have been communicated last night rather than have residents terrified. We aren’t making this up.”

A woman who heard three gunshots in the Pinewoods last night has said people were terrified when the reality of what was happening dawned on them.

The female, who lives in the Plantation area on Harlow Hill and asked not to be named, said children were playing in the woods as normal at about 5pm.

She said the three shots were fired over the space of about 15 minutes, adding:

“The first shot shook us up. The second time it happened I came out of the house and went into the woods.

“There were children playing in the woods, as usual. Parents had gathered to collect them. They were absolutely terrified.

“There was a longer gap between the second and third shots and when it came it sounded very close. My partner speculated that somebody might have been shooting at us.”

Police arrive at the scene last night.

Read more:

• Armed police close off Pinewoods after suspected gunfire
• Police silent over gunfire in Harrogate’s Pinewoods

North Yorkshire Police has not commented on the incident and the witness, who said she saw an officer carrying. a taser gun, said residents would have appreciated some news that the area was safe. She said:

“It’s not reassuring at all.”

The witness also said the gunshots were categorically not related to a training exercise at the nearby Army Foundation College, as many people have suggested on social media.

“We are a close community and we know what we heard. These three shots came from the Pinewoods.”

Armed police arrive.

North Yorkshire Police has so far remained silent over gunfire heard at the Pinewoods yesterday.

Armed officers closed off the area after residents reported hearing “very loud” bangs at about 5pm.

A police helicopter circled the 96-acre woodland, which is located a kilometre south of Harrogate town centre, for some time afterwards.

The Stray Ferret contacted the police for information last night, but 15 hours after the incident, no information has been released.

Officers at the Pinewoods entrance on Plantation Road said only that a ‘containment exercise’ was being carried out. Armed police were stood down in the area after at about 7.15pm.

Two armed police officers were stationed at the Pinewoods entrance on Plantation Road.

We spoke to several residents in the area who reported hearing gunfire. Many said they heard three shots and then noticed armed police and a helicopter brought in. There were also reports of a taser being brought to the scene.

One woman said she’d heard three gun shots but didn’t think such things happened in Harrogate so she assumed it was a car backfiring and went swimming.

The armed officers on Plantation Road.

Another person said a residents’ what’s app group had been going crazy with people wanting to know what was going on, as the Pinewoods is a popular local beauty spot.

But so far the police have remained silent and it is not known if anyone was hurt or if any arrests have been made.

Read more:

• Harrogate district people asked for views on police 101 and 999 calls
• Armed police close off Pinewoods after suspected gunfire

Police have closed off the Pinewoods after suspected gunfire was heard this evening.

Someone in the area told the Stray Ferret they heard three “very loud” bangs, which they presumed to be gunshots, at around 5pm.

They said a police helicopter has been circling the woodland since then.

The Stray Ferret spoke to one police officer who said armed police had “contained” the area but did not give any further information. It is not known if anyone has been hurt.

We will have more information on this developing story as we get it.

A pair of nurses from Starbeck who are cycling across Europe for charity have made the trip even more special — by getting engaged in Paris.

Andy Dennis proposed to Tracey Hill at the foot of the Eiffel Tower, and even had friends on hand to film the occasion and celebrate with them.

He said:

“Everything was perfect: the company was lovely, the place chose itself — there was a view of the tower framed by the trees.”

Tracey said:

“He got down on one knee and it felt like going into an exam you haven’t prepared for.

“I just kept saying, ‘What are you doing? What’s going on?'”

Fortunately, Tracey accepted the proposal, and the newly engaged couple have enjoyed some time in Paris to celebrate.

Staying in a hotel for a couple of nights is luxury compared to some of their other experiences so far. Tracey said:

“We’ve been wild camping on our way here. You’re getting up, you feel sticky, you’re in a field, there’s nowhere to wash yourself except with a handful of water from your bottle.

“You’re packing up and off you go onto the road – it’s so hot from about half past eight, you’re just so grateful when you go through a forest.

“We watch out for each other and push ourselves to drink even if we aren’t thirsty, so we don’t get dehydrated.”

Now, the couple are back on the road towards Geneva.

They have told close family about their engagement, and Andy posted the video on his blog about the trip, but it will be many weeks before they can celebrate with friends and family.

They don’t expect to complete the 2,000-mile trip to Gibraltar for three months.

The ride is the couple’s latest fundraiser for Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF), a medical charity providing support to people in conflict zones and other troubled areas of the world.

Andy has completed previous challenges as part of a bid to raise £200,000 for MSF, which he has worked for on four missions: Uganda, twice in South Sudan, and in an ebola centre in Sierra Leone.

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In his day job, Andy is a staff nurse on the intensive care unit at Harrogate District Hospital, where he and Tracey met. She now works as a nurse in dermatology at York Hospital.

Both have been supported by their employers, who have given them time off to complete the ride from Amsterdam to Gibraltar. The couple are funding all the travel, accommodation and food themselves, so all money donated goes directly to MSF.

To follow the couple’s progress, visit Andy’s blog or Tracey’s blog. You can donate to the cause by clicking the links from either of their blogs.

Harrogate business Glawning Ltd has been named microbusiness of the year at the Federation of Small Businesses awards.  

Glawning, which sells awnings and accessories for campervans, was set up in 2013 by husband and wife James and Sarah Martin.

Since then, the company has flourished, and last year turned over more than £500,000.

The annual awards, which celebrate the best of small business and entrepreneurship, attracted more than 3,000 entries from the UK.  

Glawning won the Yorkshire award before defeating 12 other regional finalists at yesterday’s event in Glasgow, which was hosted by TV presenters Clare Balding and JJ Chalmers.

Scotland’s First Minister Nicola Sturgeon was also there to address the nominees.  

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Ms Martin said:  

“We set up our business after identifying a gap in the market and this award is very much a testament to all the work we have put into creating and launching a product that we ourselves need and use.” 

The company now plans to launch in Europe and the USA this year.

Martin McTague, FSB national chair said:  

“This is an example of a small business that recognised an opening for a new product and worked hard to create something that has been a success amongst the campervan community.

“I wish them success as they continue to innovate and create new products and take on the international markets.” 

Harrogate Borough Council’s Conservative leader Richard Cooper has made changes to his top team, 10 months before the local authority is abolished.

Cllr Cooper has appointed Cllr Sam Gibbs, who represents Harrogate Valley Gardens, as cabinet member for the environment, waste reduction and recycling brief on his six-person cabinet.

Rebecca Burnett, who represents Harrogate St George’s, has been appointed chair of the planning committee, which makes decisions on major housing and development projects.

Ed Darling, who was elected in Knaresborough Castle, is the new chair of the 12-person licensing committee, which can grant or refuse alcohol and Hackney cab licences.

Sam Gibbs

Cllr Gibbs, who has represented Valley Gardens since 2018, will replace Cllr Andrew Paraskos.

Collecting household waste is one of the council’s biggest responsibilities and this year it will be trialling wheelie bins for housing recycling.

According to the Richmond Conservatives website, Cllr Gibbs is employed as the constituency agent for Chancellor and Richmond MP Rishi Sunak.

He is also a county councillor, winning the Valley Gardens & Central division in this month’s local elections.

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Rebecca Burnett

Rebecca Burnett replaces Cllr John Mann as chair of the planning committee.

Cllr Burnett has been a councillor since 2014 but will be stepping down from local politics when the council is abolished in April 2023.

She was the cabinet member for planning from 2015 until 2020, during the formation of Harrogate district Local Plan 2014-35, which allocates over 13,000 new homes for building in the district up to 2035.

Other appointments

Ed Darling will become the new chair of the licensing committee, replacing Cllr Victoria Oldham, who will become the council’s final Mayor.

The Stray Ferret asked Cllr Gibbs, Cllr Burnett and Cllr Darling for comment but none responded.

The committee memberships will be confirmed at next week’s full council meeting. Read the full list here.

Bettys will close its tea rooms early today as staff gather to celebrate the end of two difficult years.

The ‘Big Get Together’ will see all 1,600 staff from Bettys & Taylors invited to mark the hard work done by the company’s individuals and teams since 2020.

Today will be the first time everyone has been able to get together for what has been an annual celebration since the start of the covid pandemic.

Organiser Victoria Turner said:

“Every year we hold our internal Honours Awards which recognise the achievements and successes of our people over the 12 months.

“This year also marks the 60th anniversary of Bettys & Taylors coming together as Group, so it’s a special opportunity to bring everyone together to celebrate and reconnect after the challenges of the last two years.”

The tea rooms at Harrogate, York, Northallerton and Ilkley will close at 3.30pm today, while Harlow Carr closes at 4pm, to allow staff to join the celebrations.

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Harrogate and Knaresborough MP Andrew Jones has told Parliament that cuts to train services in the towns will damage business and make it impossible for some commuters to be at work on time.

The two early morning weekday services from Harrogate to Leeds were axed this week, meaning the earliest commuters can arrive in Leeds is 7.28am

Speaking in a Commons transport debate yesterday, Mr Jones said it was a “bad mistake” to think that the decline in passenger numbers due to covid was now at a fixed level and “service levels can be cut back accordingly”.

He added:

“We have seen some of the implications of this locally on the Leeds-Harrogate-Knaresborough-York line.

“The services that have been cut back are the early morning services to Leeds, although many people from Harrogate commute to Leeds for work.

“Some will now find it impossible to be in work on time. For other service users, it is now impossible to connect with the Leeds to London services that get into our capital before 10am.

“That is not good enough for business people, and Harrogate has significant conference business at its convention centre, with many people travelling to it from across the country.

“Other rail cuts have created long gaps in the evening services and an earlier finish on the Knaresborough service. These cuts are obviously bad for our night-time economy.”

Mr Jones, a former transport minister, said the cuts were “not great to see” because rail services had been “making such great progress after all of the years of Labour’s no-growth northern franchise”.

He cited the six daily direct London services and better rolling stock as examples.

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• Harrogate commuters frustrated as early trains axed today
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Mr Jones said he’d had a “very positive meeting” with Robin Gisby, the chair of rail operator Northern, who he said “recognised the significance of the services that have been cut, and he is working on reinstatement for later this year”.

One of the key issues, he added, was training more drivers.

Praise for local buses

Mr Jones also used his speech to praise the “excellent leadership” of Don Mackenzie, who was the North Yorkshire county councillor in charge of transport until the local elections on May 5, for securing £8m from the government for a scheme with Harrogate Bus Company to bring 39 electric buses to Harrogate and Knaresborough.

Mr Jones added:

“The bottom line is that the new electric buses are very popular, and the customer response has been excellent.

“I have checked this with the bus company and with passengers. People like the ride quality and the quietness, alongside the fact that the vehicles are bright, airy and pleasant to be in. They are obviously also emission free, which is highly popular.”