Plans have been approved to build another 800 sq metre unit at an industrial park on the outskirts of Harrogate.

Harrogate Borough Council has given permission to Teakwood Investments to expand Harrogate West Business Park, which is situated at the junction of Burley Bank Road and Pennypot Lane, opposite the Army Foundation College.

Planning permission was first granted to build the site in 2020. Construction is currently underway and ventilation firm EnviroVent is set to base its headquarters there.

Another 11 units have also been granted planning permission since then.

A council report says:

“The development of Harrogate West Business Park will significantly support Harrogate district’s sustainable economic growth and covid recovery.”

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*Warning — this article contains details some readers may find disturbing.

A 64-year-old man has been jailed for three years for the sexual abuse of a young girl in the 1970s and 80s.

David Weatherald, from Knaresborough, waged what amounted to a campaign of sexual abuse of the girl in Harrogate when he was in his 20s.

The victim, now middle-aged, was so traumatised by the abuse she tried to take her own life, York Crown Court heard.

Prosecutor Kitty Colley said that despite the offences happening so long ago, Weatherald’s previous conviction for possessing indecent images of children in 2019 showed that he had “harboured a (sexual) interest in young children” for many years. 

The victim of the sexual abuse, which occurred about 40 years ago, did not make disclosures to police until September 2019 after an article appeared in the press about Weatherald’s conviction for possessing indecent images.

Ms Colley said:

“She herself contacted police and reported (that) she had been sexually abused by him as a child.

“She said that having read about him in the paper, she (decided to) come forward.” 

The victim, who was just six years old when the abuse began in the 1970s, was sexually assaulted on “many” occasions.

Weatherald, who was 19 or 20 years’ old when it began, vehemently denied the allegations following his arrest and told police they were “all lies”.

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He was initially charged with seven counts of sexual offences but denied them and the case was listed for trial in December last year, but Weatherald ultimately admitted five of those charges, including four counts of indecent assault and one of indecency with a child under 14 years of age. He appeared for sentence on Thursday.

Torrid childhood

The court heard that the victim, who cannot be named for legal reasons, had endured a torrid childhood.

Ms Colley said:

“She said she felt ashamed about what (Weatherald) did to her.”

The victim said the abuse had affected her “very deeply” all her adult life.

She said that at the time of the abuse she had “minimal” understanding of what was happening to her and she was now “reliving the trauma through this case”.

She said the abuse made her “feel like I was not worth anything” and resulted in a suicide attempt. 

She added:

“The experiences I have gone through left me physically and mentally shattered.

“My life was stolen from me when I was six years of age and there is nothing that will get those years back.”

Ms Colley said that Weatherald’s previous conviction for possessing indecent images included 11 videos rated Category A – the worst kind – featuring “very young children, some aged seven”. The images included penetrative sexual activity with children.

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Weatherald, of Fossdale Close, was given a 10-month suspended prison sentence and made subject to a 10-year sexual-harm prevention order for those offences in 2019. 

Three-year sentence

Nick Cartmell, mitigating, said Weatherald was deeply remorseful and at the time of the sexual abuse he too was an “isolated, immature” young man who had his own difficulties.

Judge Sean Morris, the Recorder of York, told Weatherald: 

“This offending came to light as a result of you possessing, or looking at, the most dreadful illegal images of children. 

“It’s quite clear that this offending…shows that your interest in children harks back some considerable time.”

Weatherald will serve half of the three-year sentence behind bars before being released on prison licence. 

Mr Morris added a further prohibition to Weatherald’s sexual-harm prevention order which bans him having any advertent contact with children under 16 years of age.  

North Yorkshire’s plateauing vaccination rates have been raised as a concern by health officials as all remaining covid legal restrictions come to an end today.

A meeting of the North Yorkshire Outbreak Management Advisory Board today heard that while vaccine take up has been “pretty good” across the county, more than 41,000 people have yet to receive a first dose.

That represents around 10% of the population – and areas in Harrogate and Scarborough have been highlighted as lagging behind.

Sue Peckitt, chief nurse at the NHS North Yorkshire Clinical Commissioning Group, told today’s meeting:

“We continue to offer vaccines as an evergreen offer and have been running a number of pop-up sites across the locality including in Harrogate, Scarborough and other areas where we have had very little take up.

“We are now putting out a plea that if those people still want their vaccine, we have plenty available.

“We recently ran a pop-up clinic in Eastfield in Scarborough and had two people attend all day. And two weekends ago we ran another for two days in Harrogate and received 24 people for vaccination. We are just not having people come forward now.”

Ms Peckitt said vaccine take up was lowest amongst 18 to 29-year-olds, followed by 30 to 39-year-olds.

Her plea comes as Harrogate’s Great Yorkshire Showground vaccination site prepares to shut in March. The site at Ripon Races closed last weekend.

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Vaccines are now being redirected to pharmacies and GP surgeries where an additional booster dose will be offered to all adults over-75 and the most vulnerable over-12s this spring.

An autumn booster programme, aimed at a wider group of people, is also planned later this year.

Pharmacies and GP surgeries will also be used to vaccinate children aged five to 11 from April.

This extension of the rollout comes after months of deliberation over the benefits and risks before official scientific advice concluded the move would help protect the “very small” number of children who become seriously ill with covid.

No legal requirement to self-isolate

As of today, all remaining legal covid restrictions in England have been removed as part of the prime minister’s Living with Covid plan.

It means people who test positive are no longer legally required to self-isolate, although they are still advised to do so.

The decision has come as a surprise to some health officials who have questioned what the changes will do to the spread of the virus.

North Yorkshire’s weekly infection rate is currently at 412 cases per 100,000 people – its lowest level since mid-December.

Dr Victoria Turner, public health consultant at North Yorkshire County Council, described this as a “much improved” picture at today’s North Yorkshire Outbreak Management Advisory Board meeting.

She also said although many people will have some immunity from vaccines or previous infection, people should still be cautious about the virus now all restrictions have ended.

Dr Turner said: 

“There is a very high proportion of the population that will have a degree of immunity, whether through vaccination, direct exposure to the virus or both.

“What that doesn’t mean though is you are therefore immune from getting the virus again.”

Nine colourful mosaics that spell out the word ‘Harrogate’ have been installed on a town centre street.

The mosaics, which were created by disabled artists at Harrogate charity Artizan International, are now on the side wall of the Boots building on Cambridge Place.

The idea came from Harrogate BID, which funded the project. It asked businesses and residents what they felt best symbolised the town.

The responses, which included Bettys, cycling, Yorkshire Tea and The Stray, were given to Douglas Thompson, who is a local mosaic artist and freelance creative at Artizan.

One of the mosaics

Harrogate BID chair Sara Ferguson said the mosaics have given the drab street a much-needed lift.

“Now in place, the mosaics look absolutely fantastic, and they have given the much-used passage between Cambridge Street and Oxford Street a real lift.

“This has been a fantastic partnership, the result of which is now bringing some much-needed colour to Cambridge Place at the same time as enhancing the area.”

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Susie Hart, founder of Artizan International said the artists enjoyed creating the mosaics:

“Our members and volunteers spent many hours creating each of the nine letters. They have taken great pride in their work, and thoroughly enjoyed the challenge.

“And each time they journey along Cambridge Place, they will have the satisfaction of knowing they have made these letters which are now adding a positive contribution to the town centre.”

Picture caption: BID Chair Sara Ferguson, sixth from left, Artizan International Founder Susie Hart MBE, fourth from right, and Douglas Thompson, third from right, pictured with Artizan International members and volunteers in front of their Harrogate letters.

Harrogate business owners say soaring energy bills are a “kick in the teeth” in the wake of the pandemic.

They are calling for more government support, however they say they “are not holding their breath”, after receiving little help over the last two years.

And there are fears that it will be the final nail in the coffin for some, with the price hike affecting every business – from big to small.

Bills have doubled

Andy Preston, co-owner of F45 Harrogate gym on Albert Street, said it had just received its electricity bill and the amount had doubled.

He said:

“At the end of the day it adds an extra financial burden on the business that we have no control over realistically. It’s an extra overhead that we don’t really need.

“There’s nothing we can do, because it’s the world as it is right now. However, we are getting stung by it.

“It’s just another kick in the teeth after everything we have had to deal with over the last two years. We didn’t get much financial help during the pandemic. The government needs to step up and help businesses now.”

F45 Harrogate owners Andy Preston, left, and Matt Goodall.

Across the road at Thug Sandwich Co, owner Daniel Bell said he was waiting to find out just how much it was going to impact his business.

He said:

“I’ll have to tighten up in other areas. I’ll have to make sacrifices in my personal life – not pay myself as much. I’ve just put my prices up at the beginning of the year anyway, which is something I fought for three years.

“I can’t do that again because then I’m not competitive anymore. So it’s just going to affect my personal life more than anything.

“It’s just another thing to deal with after covid. I definitely wouldn’t hold my breath for any government support. Especially with the amount we got over the covid period. It just seems we are borrowing from Peter to pay Paul. It has got to come from somewhere.”

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Extra blow for hospitality

Brett Lee, director and executive chef at Italian restaurant Stuzzi Harrogate, on King’s Road, agrees that it is an extra blow for the hospitality industry.

He said many restaurants have had to put up their prices already due to a large increase in food and import costs caused by a combination of Brexit and the ongoing effects of the pandemic.

Mr Lee, who also owns Stuzzi Leeds, said:

“It feels like another big obstacle on the road to recovery.

“Every household in the country will now be reviewing how they are spending money due to the rise in energy costs. This may push people to only visit their favourite restaurants once a month instead of a more frequent affair.

“It also means people have less disposal cash to spend in different sectors like retail. This doesn’t help our struggling high streets either and could also have a dangerous effect on restaurant lunch trade across the country.

“But we can’t take a negative approach, we must continue to adapt to the circumstances given to us, work hard, be creative and use our initiative.”

Brett Lee, director of Stuzzi Harrogate.

An ‘unwelcome burden’

Sue Kramer, owner of Crown Jewellers and head of the Commercial Street Retailers Group, described the situation as “worrying”.

She said:

“Whilst many of our shops may be small on Commercial Street, the financial impact of the energy crisis will undoubtedly affect every business – from the smallest up.

“The worrying part is that we have little control over what is going to happen, and basically have to accept whatever is thrown at us. Clearly having endured the uncertainty of covid for the last two years, this is an extra and most unwelcome burden.”

Sue Kramer, owner of Crown Jewellers and head of the Commercial Street Retailers Group.

The price hike comes after the energy regulator, Ofgem, lifted the maximum rate that suppliers can charge for an average duel-fuel energy tariff by £693 — an increase of 54 per cent.

This is to reflect the fourfold increase in energy market prices over the last year.

Over 300,000 people lined the streets of the Harrogate district for the 2014 Tour De France Grand Depart, but MPs have been told the event has provided no lasting benefits to the region.

The Grand Depart saw riders given a royal send-off by the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry at Harewood House.

Almost 200 cyclists took part, racing through Masham, Ripon and Killinghall before a sprint finish in Harrogate. It memorably saw Mark Cavendish crash off his bike on Parliament Street.

Since the event, other major cycling events have been held in the Harrogate district, including the 2019 UCI Cycling Championships, which has divided the town ever since.

At an MPs select committee on Tuesday, Caroline Cooper Charles, chief executive of Screen Yorkshire, which champions the film and TV industry in Yorkshire, gave evidence about promoting the UK as a tourist destination.

Asked by Labour MP Clive Efford if the Grand Depart had a lasting impact on tourism in the county, she replied:

“In all honesty, I don’t think it did.

“It certainly put the spotlight on Yorkshire and people came to see the race. Probably for a short amount of time hotels were booked up and restaurants were full. In terms of long term impact no, I wouldn’t say so.”

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In 2014, Gary Verity, then chief executive of Welcome to Yorkshire, the tourism body that played a major role in bringing the event to Yorkshire, said the event “will have a lasting impact on visitor numbers and businesses for years and years to come”.

But Ms Cooper Charles said Yorkshire as a county had failed to capitalise on the success of the event.

A Harrogate Borough Council report published in 2015 claimed £19m was spent in the district thanks to the race. A Welcome to Yorkshire report claimed £100m was spent across the county.

Ms Cooper Charles said:

“Once the bikes are gone, what’s left? It’s the roads.

“In terms of a campaign to sell the rest of Yorkshire around the Tour de Yorkshire leg, i don’t think that happened. If it happened there would have been a longer-term impact.”

The Stray Ferret asked Welcome to Yorkshire to respond but we did not receive a response by the time of publication.

Lynda La Plante, Paula Hawkins and Tess Gerritsen are among the authors set to appear at this year’s Theakston Old Peculiar Crime Writing Festival.

Hosted by programme chair and award winning novelist, Denise Mina, the event will return to Harrogate’s Old Swan Hotel from July 21 to 24.

The event, organised by Harrogate International Festivals, offers an international audience the opportunity to discover the next big names in crime fiction and hear giants of the genre discuss their work. It includes panels, workshops and talks.

Among those appearing will be Lynda La Plante, creator of Prime Suspect, and Paula Hawkins, author of the global phenomenon Girl on the Train.

Michael Connelly, CL Taylor, Lucy Foley, John Connolly and Kathy Reichs will also appear as special guests.

Channel 4 journalist and broadcaster Steph McGovern, who lives in Harrogate, will also be speaking with actor and author Charlie Higson about his new crime novel Whatever Gets You Through the Night.

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Meanwhile, festival favourite Val McDermid will be returning with her New Blood panel, showcasing four exciting debut crime writers to look out for.

‘Greatest crime-writing event of the year’

Denise Mina, bestselling author of the Garnethill trilogy and the Paddy Meehan novels, said: 

“The Theakston Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival is the greatest crime writing event of the year so it is a very real honour to be chairing it, to work with the programming committee and to have the chance to attend all the thrilling events. 

“After the difficulties and hardships of the past two years we are all very much looking forward to all of the writers and readers coming together in Harrogate once more.”

Sharon Canavar, chief executive of event organisers Harrogate International Festivals, said: 

“We look forward to announcing the full programme in the coming months, and sharing the exciting weekend we have planned for our attendees.”

Weekend break packages for the festival are on sale now.

A full programme for the event will be released in spring.

For more information and to book tickets, call +44(0)1423 562 303 or email info@harrogate-festival.org.uk.

Harrogate charity and garden centre Horticap welcomed gardening celebrity Alan Titchmarsh today to officially open its cafe area and to tour the new nature trail.

Horticap is based on Otley Road, across from RHS Harlow Carr, and provides training in horticulture and rural skills to adults with learning and other disabilities.

The TV presenter and patron of the charity was invited when the cafe and nature trail first opened last summer but was unable to attend due to covid restrictions so he performed the official opening today.

Mr Titchmarsh also spoke to students and staff about new projects underway at the centre.

Phil Airey, operations manager at Horticap, said:

“We don’t really make it public when he is coming because the place gets too busy, but he came down to speak to students and see the new cafe and shop.

“It was great, he really spent time with the students and spoke to them about the projects they’re working on.

“He said he had a lovely time and even visited Bettys to take some Fat Rascals home!”

Cutting the ribbon at Horticap today. Photograph: Horticap

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Three companies have been awarded a share of a £20 million contract to help progress major transport schemes in Yorkshire, including Harrogate’s Station Gateway.

The West Yorkshire Combined Authority, which works in partnership with local authorities to improve transport and stimulate economic development, advertised a contract to bring in a strategic development partner for its Transforming Cities projects.

The projects include the £10.9 million Station Gateway scheme in Harrogate, which was approved last month, and similar schemes that promote sustainable travel in West Yorkshire, including a new bus station for Halifax town centre.

Leeds-based companies Jacobs UK Limited, Ove Arup & Partners Limited and WSP UK Limited have now been commissioned to help move the schemes forward.

This includes support to help “ensure that all necessary technical work and tasks are completed to enable projects to complete full business cases”.

Business case earmarked for August

Works on detailed designs of the Harrogate project – which includes reducing a stretch of Station Parade to single-lane traffic and a part-time pedestrianisation of James Street – are now continuing ahead of a final business case being submitted around August.

The business case will then be presented to West Yorkshire Combined Authority, which is overseeing the project funding from the government’s Transforming Cities Fund.

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Subject to its approval, a contractor will then be appointed to carry out the works, as well as similar projects in Selby and Skipton.

The Harrogate gateway scheme is one of numerous schemes being funded by a £2.45 billion central government fund to boost active travel in towns and cities.

Work on the scheme was due to begin in spring this year and take a year to complete. But North Yorkshire County Council, the lead partner, has said work can continue longer. Business groups have expressed concern that roadworks could affect Christmas trade.

As previously reported by the Stray Ferret, following final approval, work on the scheme could continue into 2024 after the Department for Transport advised council officials that the deadline could be extended.

One chant was sung loud and proud by Harrogate Town supporters at Valley Parade last night.

Inspired by a song sung by Liverpool fans, it describes how they have been there from the days of National League North, beating minnows Telford and Darlington along the way, and references past heroes Joe Leesley and Dom Knowles.

“We are the loyal supporters and we come from Harrogate!

“Allez Allez Allez!”

When Town fans entered Bradford City’s stadium, they sat down opposite the imposing JCT600 Stand. It wouldn’t look out of place in the Premier League, nevermind League Two of the English Football League.

It showed how far the club has come, and seemed to spur the record number of Town away supporters to sing the song about the journey up the divisions even louder.

Valley Parade’s imposing JCT600 Stand.

A memorable night

Four Stray Ferret reporters were among over 700 Harrogate fans who made the short trip to West Yorkshire for what was one of the most memorable nights in the club’s history.

They made more noise than the relatively docile 13,000 Bradford City fans, which promoted the playful Town faithful to goad them with: “Is this a library?” and “Shall we sing a song for you?”

But when the home side took the lead in the first half it threatened to dampen the party atmosphere in the away end.

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For a while it worked, until Warren Burrell scored in first-half injury time to change the direction of the game.

In the second half, Town took the lead thanks to a Beckham-esque free-kick from Lewis Page. A cooly-taken finish from Jack Diamond made it 3-1.

Jack Diamond’s goal sparked mass celebrations.

It prompted an evacuation of Bradford City fans towards the exit doors and full throttle singing among the Town fans.

Special moments

Covid has robbed Town fans of many special moments — Wembley trips, glamorous away days and seeing the club play league football at the revamped EnviroVent Stadium.

After the final whistle, the bond between the playing staff and fans was evident. The squad, led by manager Simon Weaver, applauded the travelling fans, signed shirts and took selfies with young supporters.

It was a proud day for Jordan Ford, who organises away day coach travel for fans on behalf of Harrogate Town Independent Supporters Club.

Yesterday there were over 200 fans on his coaches — a far cry from the 25 or so when he first started several years ago.

Town player Jack Muldoon took to Twitter after the match to pay tribute to the fans.

https://twitter.com/J_muldoon11/status/1496280985389912064?s=20&t=5SoSRoWdTANHtOYDUxzXbA