More crossings should be installed on Oatlands Drive to make cycling and walking safe, says a Harrogate councillor.

Cllr Pat Mash, who represents Stray, Woodlands and Hookston on North Yorkshire County Council, said she welcomed new plans for a toucan crossing on Wetherby Road.

The authority revealed the proposal for the junction at Slingsby Walk this week.

But, Cllr Marsh said more crossings were needed on Oatlands Drive and Stray Rein following the announcement of the Wetherby Road installation.

She said:

“I have been pushing for this for sometime. However it does not go far enough crossings should be created  across Oatlands Drive and Stray Rein to ensure pedestrian and cyclists have safe access and hopefully it would encourage more people to use this as a cycle route. 

“I am not too sure traffic signals are right on such a busy road as Wetherby Road. Maybe a well signposted pedestrian crossing, but then it is about the safety of all. 

“This would have more benefit to the cycling community than the cycle way proposed on Oatlands Drive which is in such isolation from the rest of the community. At least Slingsby Walk would achieve more connectivity.”

North Yorkshire County Council has proposed the Wetherby Road crossing, which would cost £75,000, which it says could “double the number of people using a popular cycling and walking route”.

However, council officers have conceded that it will likely cause further delays for motorists in the area.

Read more:

• Wetherby Road crossing ‘likely to cause further delays’ for Harrogate drivers
• Council plans new crossing on Harrogate’s Wetherby Road

If approved, implementation of the crossing will be subject to a detailed design and safety audit before it could be introduced in 2023/24. 

Funding of £75,000 for the crossing has been secured from Harrogate Borough Council’s sustainable transport budget.

Conservative Cllr Keane Duncan, executive councillor for highways, said:

“We are committed to creating opportunities for people who want to walk or cycle for work, education, shopping or other reasons. This is clear in the Harrogate area through our Transforming Cities Fund gateway project and Active Travel Fund schemes to develop a safe, accessible network for cyclists and pedestrians.

“The Slingsby Walk crossing could offer a significant addition to the town’s infrastructure, providing a safe, formal crossing point for pedestrians and cyclists who might be hesitant about using the link at the moment.

“We recognise concerns around existing traffic congestion on this section of Wetherby Road. While an additional crossing would place extra pressure on the network, this needs to be weighed against the benefit to pedestrians and cyclists that already use this location and those that would if there was a formal crossing.”

Harrogate’s only nightclub the Viper Rooms has announced its sudden closure tonight.

The Viper Room’s owner, Paul Kinsey, said the landlord had taken possession of the venue after they failed to negotiate a new lease.

Around 30 staff work at the venue and have lost their jobs, while all Christmas parties booked will be unable to go ahead.

The following announcement was posted on social media this evening:

“It is with great sadness that I have to announce the immediate closure of the Viper Rooms after 15 years.

“Having tried for nearly 3 years to negotiate a new lease with our landlord in good faith and after spending £350,000 refurbishing the club in 2019 they have taken possession of the site.

“We would like to thank all of our loyal team members and entertainers who have entertained the town since 2007.”

The post went onto say that Mr Kinsey would release a “new venue announcement soon”.

This is a breaking news story.

A North Yorkshire auctioneers with offices in Harrogate sold a 1966 World Cup winner’s medal, shirt and squad cap today for a combined hammer price of £445,000.

The items originally belonged to Alan Ball, who at just 21 years old was the youngest and least experienced member of the legendary 1966 World Cup winning England team.  

His medal sold for £200,000 hammer, his red number 7 shirt fetched £130,000 and his cap sold for £115,000 at Tennants Auctioneers’ toys and models, sporting and fishing sale in Leyburn. 

Lancashire-born midfielder Alan Ball played for Blackpool, Everton, Arsenal and Southampton, and won 72 caps for England. He went on to manage several clubs, including Manchester City and Southampton.  He died in 2007.

Alan Ball’s 1966 World Cup winner’s medal.

Alan Ball’s shirt sold for £130,000

His cap fetched £115,000

Ball sold his medal and cap at auction in 2005, when they were purchased by the owner of Bolton Wanderers, businessman and philanthropist Edwin ‘Eddie’ Davies (1946-2018). 

From the same estate came a Pele match-worn Brazil shirt, worn during the first half of the famous Brazil v England 1970 World Cup match, which sold for £33,000.

Tennants Auctioneers’ sporting specialist, Kegan Harrison, said:

“We are absolutely delighted to have achieved such fantastic results for the vendor, who has had a long-standing relationship with Tennants.  

“The 1966 World Cup victory will always be a golden moment in English sporting history, and we have been honoured to have handled the sale of these extraordinary items. It has been 56 years since that incredible match, but it is still very close to the hearts of all football fans.” 

Tennants Auctioneers is based at Leyburn, North Yorkshire and has an office on Montpellier Road in Harrogate, as well as in London.

Christmas is edging closer and there are plenty of festivities taking place over the next couple of weeks.

Among them are a growing number of churches hosting Christmas tree festivals around the Harrogate district.

If you fancy seeing some inspiring, creative decorations, check out our list below of some of the festivals taking place across the district. 

Know of another that’s not on our list? Email the details to us now.

St James’s Church Boroughbridge

Boroughbridge launched the district’s festivals last weekend with some spectacular efforts.

Visitors cast their votes and overwhelmingly selected Kirby Hill WI’s jam jar tree as their favourite (pictures below). The Post Office was in second place and Spar came third.

In the children’s competition, Boroughbridge Scouts came out on top, followed by Roecliffe Primary School and Boroughbridge Junior School Early Years.

The festival concluded with a carol service on Sunday.

St John’s Church, Knaresborough 

The St John’s Christmas Tree Festival returns for another year.  

The Knaresborough Christmas tree festival takes place every year: 70 Christmas trees are decorated by local groups and are displayed in the St John’s Church in the heart of Knaresborough.  

It started last weekend and is running up until the December 23.  

As well as the Christmas tree competition there is live music and festive mulled wine refreshments. 

There will be live music every Saturday of the festival:

• Saturday, December 10
• Saturday, December 17

Admission to the festival is free, but donations to the church and their chosen charity are welcomed.

The event takes place at Vicarage Lane, Knaresborough HG5 9AE. 

St John’s Church, Bilton 

The Christmas tree festival in Bilton got up and running last weekend and continues throughout the month.

It features 20 trees created by community groups, many themed by the teams behind them.

The church is open from 9am to 1pm, Monday to Thursday each week, for visitors to see the trees. They are also on show at services until the end of December.

Entry is free and everyone is welcome at the Bilton Lane church.

Read more:

• Stray Ferret Christmas Appeal: ‘It’s our privilege to care for each other’
• Stray Ferret Christmas Appeal: Ukrainian refugees relying on Resurrected Bites for food in Knaresborough

St Andrew’s Church, Blubberhouses 

Another Christmas tree festival with an amazing variety of trees, a creative and festive event for everyone. 

The festival is open this weekend, Saturday, December 10 and Sunday, December 11, from 11am to 4pm. 

On Sunday, The 4 – a musical quartet will be singing Christmas music and carols.  

There will also be wreaths and Christmas crafts for sale.  

Enjoy a festive atmosphere with mulled wine and refreshments.  

Admission to this event is free and it is taking place at Shepherd Hill Road, Blubberhouses, Otley, LS21 2NU.

Boroughbridge Christmas Tree Festival

St Peter’s Church, Harrogate

St Peter’s Church Christmas Tree Festival returns for its 18th year. 

The festival is running from December 10 to 17 and organisers hope to make this year “bigger and brighter than ever”. 

The opening times are 8am to 5.15pm. 

Charities, local schools, shops, and businesses have been invited to decorate a Christmas tree or wreath, decorations can either be Christmas themed or reflect their organisation.

This gives the decorators an opportunity to tell the community about their activities and achievements and brings the whole community together for some festive fun at the end of the year. 

Attendees will vote for their favourite Christmas tree, and the winner will be announced at their 9.30am service on December 18.  

The trees each have their own frame with details of who the tree is sponsored by and the name or theme of the tree. 

It takes place at St Peter’s Church, Cambridge Road, Harrogate HG1 1PB. 

A thief has stolen a laptop and cash from food waste community group Resurrected Bites.

The culprit took the items from the organisation’s give as you can cafe at West Park United Reformed Church in Harrogate on Wednesday while volunteers were helping people in need.

Resurrected Bites works with local businesses and suppliers to divert food from landfill and converts it into meals in its cafes in Harrogate and Knaresborough. It also operates a community groceries scheme.

Michelle Hayes, founder and director of Resurrected Bites, said:

“We are gutted and hope the person will do the right thing and return what they took.”

Read more:

• Stray Ferret Christmas Appeal 2022: Help ensure nobody goes hungry this Christmas
• Food waste organisation Resurrected Bites warns it could close

Ms Hayes said no personal data had been compromised but added the incident had been a “wake-up call”:

“It was an opportunistic thief at lunchtime. We will have to be a lot more vigilant on security going forward.

“We are a naturally trusting group of people and it’s very sad that someone would steal from us.”

The Stray Ferret is running a Christmas appeal to raise money for Resurrected Bites, after it issued a plea for funding to keep its services alive.

The target was originally £5,000, which was achieved in days, and has since been raised to £20,000. The current total is £12,800. You can donate here.

Harrogate woman takes command of Royal New Zealand Navy ship

A Harrogate woman has taken command of a Royal New Zealand Navy ship.

Yvonne Gray is a former student of Bilton Grange Primary School and Harrogate Granby High School.

She moved to the pacific with her wife Sharon 2012 after falling in love with the country following a camper van holiday.

She initially trained as a teacher, but joined the Royal Navy and then moved onto the Royal New Zealand Navy.

As the Commanding Officer of the RNZN’s Mine Counter Measures Team she participated in activities all over the world, and her role in maritime evaluation has seen her help ‘work up’ ships and crews to peak efficiency.

She said her eyes lit up at the thought of taking command of HMNZS Manawanui, which entered service with the Royal New Zealand Navy three years ago.

Commander Gray said:

“Sure, for a lot of warfare officers, that’s the pinnacle of their career to get to ‘drive’ a ship. I prefer to think of my career as a ridgeline, sometimes the view is good and sometimes it is better.

“When I’ve really enjoyed a job it’s because I’ve made a difference, where things are a little bit better than they were before. With Manawanui, it’s not just about the command. This is an opportunity to take a ship still in its infancy and further the capability of that ship, and influence and help those who carry our Navy into the future.”

Read more:

• Junior soldiers graduate at Harrogate’s Army Foundation College
• Details of warm spaces in Harrogate, Knaresborough and Ripon

The vessel HMNZS Manawanui is based at Devonport Naval Base in Auckland. Manawanui is Māori for ‘steadfast’ or ‘big heart’.

The ship is the first Commander Gray has taken charge of in her career.

Commander Gray took charge the ship this week.

The Royal New Zealand Navy’s dive, hydrographic and salvage vessel HMNZS Manawanui at sea.

She joined the Royal Navy in 1993 as a warfare officer and signed an eight-year commission.

“The idea was at the end of eight years you got £23,000. I was really into cooking at the time and I thought do eight years, get £23,000, open my own restaurant.”

But several years in, she knew the Navy life was for her.

“I was really enjoying myself. I could see it was an organisation where I fitted well.”

An instructor at Harrogate’s Army Foundation College is to appear before a court martial next month accused of sexual offences.

The college, on Penny Pot Lane, provides 23-week and 49-week basic training courses to junior soldiers aged 16 to 18.

It was rated ‘outstanding’ by Ofsted last year but has been dogged by allegations of misconduct.

A British Army spokesman said:

“We are aware of a number of alleged incidents, some of which are historical, at Army Foundation College Harrogate. These are being investigated.

“Those who are guilty of wrongdoing will be held accountable for their actions. It would be inappropriate to comment further.”

The Telegraph reported this week the instructor is charged with more than 20 offences, including at least five counts of alleged sexual assaults of 16-year-old girls.

Defence Secretary Ben Wallace told the newspaper the government was drawing up plans to ensure army instructors who have sex with their students faced criminal prosecutions.

Read more:

• Abuse allegations at Harrogate Army Foundation College raised in House of Lords
• Junior soldiers graduate at Harrogate’s Army Foundation College

Business Breakfast is sponsored by Harrogate law firm Truth Legal. 

Today is the final Business Breakfast of 2022. It will return in the New Year.

A Harrogate branding agency has appointed a new technical director.

Dan Martin has joined Impression Studio, which is based on Albert Street, after spending two years at creative agency Jaywing.

Mr Martin has 20 years of experience in a range of industries including electronics, HR, education, and a variety of web agencies.

On joining Impression, he said:

“I’m just so excited to have this opportunity. 

“I know I have skills and experience that will benefit Impression but it’s also a chance for me to take the next step in my career and test myself at a new level. 

“I was happy in my previous role and could have stayed there forever, but this was just too good to miss and I’m really looking forward to seeing where we go together.”

Mr Martin will be tasked with overseeing all technical aspects of the work produced. At a strategic level he will be setting the direction of the agency in terms of the technologies used and the approach taken.

Charlie Hartley, managing director of Impression, said:

“Dan brings a wealth of experience delivering complex technical solutions for Enterprise level brands looking to innovate digitally.

“He’ll be implementing Headless CMS & React development solutions to position the agency as one of the leading web development agencies in the north of England.”

Read More:

• Business Breakfast: Experienced solicitor returns to Harrogate law firm
• Business Breakfast: Harrogate firm acquires Ripon advertising company

Boroughbridge company appoints new director

Boroughbridge-based firm Reed Boardall has appointed a new director.

Norman Hartley, who has been with the firm for 16 years, has been promoted to transport operations director.

Previously head of transport operations, Norman joined the business in 2006 and has progressed through various positions including operations shift manager and planning manager.

In his new role, Norman will be responsible for reviewing and developing processes to drive efficiency and achieve organisational growth.

Marcus Boardall, chief executive, said: 

“Norman is a confident leader who has constantly demonstrated his ability to manage, motivate and develop teams to deliver operational excellence.

“He’s a fantastic example of one of our many long-serving colleagues who, through hard work and talent, has built a career with us. This latest promotion is well-deserved recognition of his commitment to the company and we believe he will make a valuable contribution in his new role.”

A Harrogate company has been fined £170,000 after one of its employees contracted a blood infection working at a lake contaminated with sewage.

The man was working for Alder and Allan Ltd, which is based on Station Parade and employs 1,250 staff, during a clean-up operation at a lake near Churchbridge, Cannock, Staffordshire, in June 2019.

Alder and Allan, which was founded in 1926, specialises in environmental clean-ups on behalf of public and private sector companies.

The employee had been working at the lake for two weeks before contracting leptospirosis (Weil’s Disease) and became seriously ill.

Dead fish had to be cleaned out of the lake after it was contaminated with sewage when a nearby pipe burst.

‘Serious risk of ill health’

An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive, which regulates workplace health and safety, found there was a serious risk of ill health to employees at the site as there were inadequate hygiene provisions in place to suitably guard against bacteriological and pathogen infection.

The man was left with a rash across his whole body meaning he had to limit contact with his family. His kidney and liver also had to be monitored. He was given antibiotics and did not make a full recovery for around four months.

It was also found that no on-site toilets were provided and workers were forced to use a local supermarket to wash and go to the toilet.

There was also a lack of supervision at the site, with the company also failing to conduct a suitable risk assessment and implement an appropriate system of work.

Read more:

• Two men jailed for vicious attack in Ripon
• Harrogate man jailed for three years for ‘savage’ attack
• ‘We will prosecute if we have to’: On the road with Harrogate’s traffic police

The company pleaded guilty to breaching the Health and Safety Act 1974 and Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992 and were fined £126,100 and ordered to pay costs of £43,494.

HSE inspector Lyn Mizen said: 

“This serious ill health matter could have been avoided if the clearly foreseeable risks and dangers had been appropriately controlled and managed, right from the outset.

“Portable welfare units can be easily sourced and are clearly needed for heavily contaminated work situations such as this.

“HSE will not hesitate to hold duty holders to account if they fall short of appropriate welfare standards.”

‘Significant efforts were made to address the risk’

A spokesperson for Adler and Alan Ltd said:

“We have received a judgement in a health and safety case, relating to an incident in 2019.

“Following work on a client site, an employee of Adler and Allan contracted leptospirosis.

“It was ruled that although significant efforts were made to address the risk, a short delay in getting a welfare van to site meant we did not meet the high standards we set ourselves on this occasion. We cooperated fully with the Health and Safety Executive following the event and undertook all required rectifying work.

“The health and safety of our people is one of our core values. We take this extremely seriously, continually investing in our SHEQ capability, ensuring that all relevant policies are in place and adhered to, the correct PPE is issued and used, and employees are provided with training that always meets or exceeds regulatory requirement.”

A councillor has said Harrogate Borough Council’s decision to relocate its horticultural nursery from Harlow Hill will mean a “big, sad loss” for the area.

The authority’s cabinet met yesterday to rubber stamp buying land for a larger nursery elsewhere in the district.

The move paves the way for a sale of the current facility at Harlow Hill to a housing developer, with 62 homes mooted.

The council grows flowers for its displays across the district at the site on Nursery Lane. It also sells plants to members of the public to bring in revenue.

Officers prepared a report that does not disclose the specific location of the land the council wants to buy, citing a confidentiality exemption, only that it’s in the Killinghall and Hampsthwaite ward and is valued above £250,000.

Liberal Democrat member for Harlow & St Georges Division on North Yorkshire County Council, Michael Schofield, told the Local Democracy Service the move away from Harlow Hill will be keenly felt by residents as many have walked there to buy plants for decades. 

He said:

“You’re forcing people who live here to drive their car elsewhere. That could be detrimental and it’s not very eco-friendly.”

Read more:

• Harlow Hill and Pannal Ash residents bracing themselves for ’15 years of disruption’
• Plans for housing at Harlow Nurseries emerge
• 62 homes set to be built at council’s Harlow Nursery

Cllr Schofield is also landlord of the nearby Shepherd’s Dog pub and he decorates the pub with plants bought from the nursery.

He said many people enjoy buying plants there and walking through the Pinewoods and Valley Gardens afterwards.

He added the nursery also serves as part of a horticultural trail as it connects with RHS Harlow Carr and the charity-run nursery Horticap. He said:

“I understand what people may call progress but we have three fantastic horticultural sites all within walking distance of each other. That inspires people. Residents living here will be very sad to see it go.”

‘Need to move on’

Harlow Hill is not represented on Harrogate Borough Council after Conservative Jim Clark resigned in October. There will not be a by-election as the council will be abolished on March 31.

The council argues in the report discussed last night that a move to a larger site will enable greater commercial opportunities.

The Harlow Hill nursery is a significant earner for the council with its 2020/21 annual report stating it brought in income of £153,477.

Conservative cabinet member for environment, waste reduction and recycling, Cllr Sam Gibbs, told cabinet that the move away from Harlow Hill is “the right next step”. He said:

“We will be aware of all the good that the Harlow Hill nursery does but also its shortcomings, particularly around size and commercial opportunities going forward. Therefore, there’s a real need to move on from Harlow Hill as we look to the future.

“The land identified seems to tick all the boxes and I’m fully supportive if all other members are.”