Claro Marine model boating club has called on the public to help stop a fountain being installed in the Valley Gardens’ boating pond.

Harrogate Borough Council plans to put the fountain in the pool next year at a cost of £6,000.  The boaters have argued it will stop their hobby as water from the fountain will damage the engines of their model boats.

The club’s secretary, Dave Finnegan, wrote to the council outlining its concerns and earlier this month received a response.

Head of parks and environment services, Alison Wilson, wrote:

“As the body [of the fountain] consists of a base and jets there is little infrastructure involved. Once in place, we will consider any protection required to ensure there is no damage to the jets from boats and vice versa.

“We do not wish to curtail your clubs activities, simply make the area more attractive and usable at other times of the week”.

Mr Finnegan told the Stray Ferret he was unhappy with Ms Wilson’s reply.

“You can’t use a model boat where there is a fountain. If your boat goes wrong or there is some interference with the remote control you can find the boat in the fountain area which damages the boat.

“If there is a fender cutting off the fountain, then you’re cutting off a huge area for the boats to go. It is a small pond really not a lake. The boats need the deeper water which is where they’ll put the fountain. “

Read More:

• Fountain will end model boating in Valley Gardens, says club
• Model boating must continue, says Friends of Valley Gardens

The council has also said it was working on a scheme where the club could disable the fountain but Mr Finnegan said it had additional concerns that in hot weather the fountain water could pose a public health risk. As a result it doesn’t want responsibility for operating it

“The pond is shallow and we’re concerned that if the water temperature rises above 20 degrees celsius the fountain could create the risk of spreading legionnaires disease.”

The council has rejected this, saying the pond will be monitored and tested in hot weather.

The boating pond in Valley Gardens, which is currently drained

The club though has its supporters — retired lawyer, Dr Trevor Dale, wrote to Harrogate and Knaresborough Conservative MP Andrew Jones, outlining concerns for the boaters and raising the legionnaires disease issue.

Mr Jones then contacted Alison Wilson and sent Dr Dale a letter with her response in it.

So the club felt it had got no further and it has left the boaters feeling frustrated and powerless.

Mr Finnegan said:

“We’ve no idea how to change their minds. When you consider it has been used as a boating pool for 98 years, it’s very sad.

“Nobody is helping us so I’d like the public to get involved and write to the council or to Andrew Jones and call for the fountain plan to be cancelled.”

Marks & Spencer is to award ‘golden tickets’ to the first 200 customers at its Harrogate Oatlands foodhall tomorrow to mark the store’s official re-opening.

The foodhall on Leeds Road has undergone a major refurbishment and extension. It is now 60% bigger, and includes a bakery and wine shop — but the customer cafe is much smaller.

Although it is currently trading, tomorrow’s official reopening will see Percy Pig award golden tickets to the first shoppers at 9am. Each ticket guarantees a prize ranging from a free bag of sweets or cookies to a £200 voucher.

Store manager David Anderson said:

“We can’t wait until Tuesday morning when we can welcome customers through our doors.

“It’s been a busy few weeks behind the scenes working hard to put things together and we’re excited for everyone to see what the new store has to offer. Whether you’re looking for a quick lunch on the go or doing your big weekly shop – we’ve got you covered.”

The store, which employs 125 staff on Oatlands Retail Park, is open Monday to Saturday from 8am to 9pm and on Sunday from 10.30am to 4.30pm.

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Ferris wheel goes up as Harrogate Christmas countdown begins

A Ferris wheel has started to be installed in Harrogate as the countdown to the town’s Christmas activities begins.

The 32-metre wheel, which is being assembled alongside the war memorial, will be one of the highlights of Harrogate’s Christmas offering.

Other highlights include an ice rink in Crescent Gardens, a Christmas market featuring about 50 stalls, the Candy Cane Express road train and a carousel.

The wheel, also known as an observation wheel, previously stood in York.

Harrogate’s seasonal festivities are due to get underway on Friday. The market will operate until December 11 but the other activities will continue into the New Year.

Harrogate Borough Council is organising the festivities with a range of partners.

John McGivern, destination events manager at the council’s tourism body Destination Harrogate, told Harrogate District Chamber of Commerce this month the ambition was to “position Harrogate district as a first choice Christmas destination” and to attract high spending visitors on day trips and overnight breaks.

The view from Bettys this morning.

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• Judges cast their votes on Ripon’s Christmas windows

North Yorkshire Police has confirmed that a missing man has been found following an appeal.

Officers said they were “extremely concerned” for the welfare of the 36-year-old.

A police statement said the man was found safe and well.

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• Panto legend Tim Stedman brings Christmas magic to Harrogate again

Two girls from Harrogate will cut and donate their hair to charity to raise funds for The Candlelighters Trust charity.

Holly, 7, and Heidi, 5, will have their locks removed next month and donate their hair to the Little Princess Trust, which will turn it into real hair wigs.

The two girls have been growing their hair since last November in support of their friend Sophia Felgate, 7, who has acute lymphoblastic leukaemia.

Sophia was first diagnosed in 2018, just a week after her third birthday. She finished treatment in August 2020, however the cancer returned last November.

The idea came from Holly wanting to give Sophia her own hair to “make her feel better”, after Sophia lost her hair due to chemotherapy and immunotherapy.

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• Pateley Bridge turns pink to fundraise for baby Arlo with leukaemia
• Harrogate mum shares daughter’s brain tumour battle

The Candlelighters Trust provides practical, emotional and financial support to families of children with cancer.

They have been helping the Felgate family since Sophia’s diagnosis in 2018. They have provided the Felgates with counselling, family fun days, massages/haircuts/manicures for Sophia and pizza nights.

The fundraiser has already raised almost £1,000. If you would like to donate to the cause you can do so on the JustGiving page.

With Christmas just one month away, many of us are starting to think about our looks for the party season, as well as special gifts to buy or our loved ones.

Fortunately in the Harrogate district we are blessed with some fabulous independent fashion boutiques.

We asked four business owners what was currently flying off the shelves as we approach the big day.

Infinity & Co boutique, Harrogate

Sam Gallagher, owner of Infinity & Co boutique, which has just launched its newly-refurbished store at the Victoria Shopping Centre, said the key word for Christmas was “sequins – and lots of them!”

She said:

“We have trousers, tops, blouses, dresses and jackets in and they are so popular. They can be worn dressed up but it’s also fun to wear them casually too. We have them in lots of metallic shades of gold, champagne, copper black and rose gold, along with some brights too.

“We have also been selling chunky oversized cardigans to wear with boots and PU (synthetic leather) joggers, ideal for walking around a Christmas market.

“Colours this season are lots of neutrals of camel, winter white and black and for the bright colours we have had a strong reaction to raspberry, teal, emerald and cobalt.”

Porters, Harrogate

Andy Shuttleworth, manager of Porters, on James Street, said shirts and dresses were selling fast ahead of the party season.

He said:

“We have got a great selection of occasion shirts and party dresses. They are always very popular this time of year.

“Accessories, which can be bought for gifts and stocking fillers, like socks and underwear, are popular too.

“Brands people particularly like at the moment are Traffic People, which does wonderful party dresses, and shirts from Guide London and Claudio Lugli.

“The trend is currently ‘glitz’ and the shirts are bright and bold – ready for the party season.”

Fennec & Darwin, Harrogate

Aideen Fox, owner of Fennec & Darwin, on Montpellier Mews, said accessories to help you keep warm were currently proving the most popular.

She said:

“I’m finding gift items, such as my slippers and scarves which retail for £19.99, have been my top-sellers on the run-up to Christmas.

“Especially with energy prices going up so much, it’s important to keep warm.”

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Wild Thing boutique, Knaresborough

Dianne Houghton, owner of Wild Thing boutique on Knaresborough’s High Street, said it was currently all about the sparkle.

She said:

“Sparkling dresses are popular at the moment, but they are not just for Christmas. You can make outfits sparkle by accessorising jewellery and layering-up, but still being comfortable.”

Besides Father Christmas, nobody has brought more festive joy to Harrogate this century than Tim Stedman.

This week’s opening of Aladdin marked the start of Tim’s 22nd pantomime season at Harrogate Theatre.

The success of the production is down to the quality of acting and scripts that combine slapstick, double-entendres and audience participation — but it just wouldn’t be the same without Tim.

A youthful 52, he says he is happy to keep playing the fool as long “as long as i can still throw my body on the floor”.

Born in Chester, to a mother from Leeds, he appeared in panto in Hornchurch before getting his chance in Harrogate.

He lives in Newbury and for 10 months of the year is, in his own words, a “jobbing actor” until he heads north in November.

Tim as Wishee Washee. Pic: Karl Andre 

Showbiz isn’t all it’s cracked up to be though. He rents a room in a family house in Harrogate and, with two performances most days, gets little spare time. He says:

“The pantomime is probably the hardest job in acting. We are acting, singing and dancing — and we are not all graced with great amounts of talent in all three — and we are working against a wall of noise. Besides that we are trying to get through a plot and a script and a story.”

But he loves the Harrogate panto as much as the town loves him. What’s the secret to the show’s success?

“I wouldn’t come back unless it was special. The pantomime here has style. First and foremost there is always a good story. If the story didn’t work we wouldn’t be able to keep the kids interested.

“The theatre also employs real actors. I’ve been to so many pantomimes where there might be a celebrity and it isn’t the same.”

Some of the ingredients — an audience singalong, a skit that involves running around the venue and Tim’s gentle humiliation of a man in the front row — are standard ingredients. How does he find his victims?

“If they look normal, that’s why I pick them.”

Favourite character to play

His first Harrogate pantomime was Sleeping Beauty. His favourite character to play is Buttons; this year he is Wishee Washee in Aladdin, which runs until January 15.

Away from the theatre, he likes to visit Fountains Abbey near Ripon and takes his in-laws to Bettys in Harrogate when they visit.

He looks different out of costume and generally moves around town unnoticed but sometimes gets recognised, usually by children.

Read more:

• Tim Stedman returns for 22nd panto at Harrogate Theatre
• Harrogate Theatre misses out on Arts Council funding until 2026
• ‘Irreplaceable’ Harrogate Theatre pantomime director Phil Lowe dies

One of his favourite pantos was when his wife worked backstage and they both stayed in Harrogate. They now have three children and she stays home.

A shadow hung over last year’s show when Phil Lowe, who had directed and co-written the panto since 2007, died suddenly at the age of 44.  A fundraising page has been set up in his memory.

Tim outside the theatre’s Circle Bar.

There are no pantos on Christmas Day and New Year’s Day so Tim will drive home to Newbury on Christmas Eve before heading back to Harrogate on Christmas Day night, and do similar at New Year.

It’s a gruelling schedule at the time of year when most people relax. A keen football fan and Liverpool supporter, he went on stage last night just as England were kicking off in the World Cup. Thankfully, he doesn’t look like stopping anytime soon.

“I do get a little bit typecast. You go to drama school and want to do all these big roles but I guess I’m known for being the silly man, the fool. But that’s OK.”

Tickets for Aladdin are available here.

Two people were taken to hospital following a three-vehicle collision on Skipton Road in Harrogate last night.

Harrogate firefighters were alerted at 7.02pm to the incident, which was also attended by police.

North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service’s incident log says:

“Crews liaised with police on scene and administered initial first aid to occupants whilst awaiting the arrival of ambulance crews.

“Crews stabilised one vehicle to enable the occupant to be assisted out. Occupants of two vehicles transported to hospital via road ambulance. Crews left the incident in the hands of the police to await recovery of the vehicles.”

North Yorkshire Police has not given any details about the incident, which was the second one attended by Harrogate firefighters in little over an hour.

At 5.49pm they were called to Menwith Hill Road to reports of a vehicle fire. The incident log says:

`’Crews extinguished the fire and dampened the vehicle down before isolating the battery and making the vehicle safe. Crews cordoned off the area and left the incident with the police to await recovery.”

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Men live 10 years longer in Harrogate than Knaresborough, according to a new report.

The North Yorkshire Director of Public Health annual report 2021-22, published today, shows male life expectancy in Harrogate is 85 compared with 75 in Knaresborough.

Women live on average to be 87 in Harrogate and 79 in Knaresborough. In Ripon, men and women live on average to 79 and 84 respectively.

The commentary in the report suggests the difference is down to deprivation. It says:

“Large parts of North Yorkshire have better than average life expectancy when compared with England as a whole. However, there are areas where life expectancy is worse, particularly in Scarborough, but also in parts of Selby, Harrogate and Richmondshire.

“The gap in life expectancy between our most deprived and least deprived wards can be as much as 11 years for men and 10 years for women.

An image from the report showing life expectancy.

The report says there was a “marked decrease in life expectancy between 2019 and 2020 for both England and Yorkshire and Humber”, adding:

“This has improved slightly for 2021, but the longterm impact of the pandemic on mortality is yet to be fully determined.”

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In a section on ‘lessons learned’ the report says the rural nature of North Yorkshire presented challenges responding to covid.

It says:

“For North Yorkshire in particular, we learned to adapt our response to the pandemic to ensure that the rural nature of large parts of the county did not create additional barriers to access covid support.

“For example, we had to adapt the standard covid testing model of having a small number of large testing centres in urban areas to provide multiple mobile options that could travel across the county to rural areas.

“Similar issues were seen with access to vaccination sites; more sites opened up across the county as the pandemic progressed, but additional services eg voluntary transport provision were required to expand access to those unable to travel, and weekend clinics were added to help enable working age population to attend.”

Report author Louise Wallace, director of public health at North Yorkshire County Council, said in her foreword:

“The pandemic has had a profound impact on the lives of everyone in North Yorkshire. The ways in which we work, interact, travel, socialise, learn, live, bring new life, experience illness, loss, and death, have all been affected.

“However, there remain parts of our population who experience more than their fair share of the burden of these impacts, with the pandemic only widening pre-existing inequalities across our society.”