More than 1,000 solar panels are to be installed on top of Harrogate Convention Centre in a bid to reduce the building’s carbon footprint.

Harrogate Borough Council has approved its own plans for 1,077 solar panels on several buildings at the venue, which is the largest energy consumer of all buildings in the district.

The solar panels will save 24 tonnes of Co2 each year and be paid for with £375,000 of decarbonisation funding from the government.

Energy efficient lighting, air source heat pumps and insulation will also be installed at the venue, which hosted a business conference event as part of the first Harrogate Climate Action Festival on Friday.

A council spokesperson said:

“The grant is enabling the delivery of a fully-funded carbon reduction scheme, supporting the proactive delivery of our carbon reduction strategy and reducing the council’s annual carbon emissions by 70 tonnes per year.”

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Using cash from the same decarbonisation scheme, 420 solar panels and air source heat pumps will also be installed at the Hydro swimming pool in Harrogate in a move that could reduce the venue’s annual Co2 emissions by 577 tonnes.

Harrogate District Hospital also received £14m to reduce its carbon footprint by 25%, while North Yorkshire County Council was awarded just under £2m to improve the efficiency of its buildings.

How the solar panels will look on top of the Harrogate Convention Centre.

Meanwhile, Harrogate Borough Council is pushing ahead with plans for a potential £47m redevelopment of Harrogate Convention Centre after warning it may not survive without major investment.

The 40-year-old venue was struggling financially before the pandemic and was used as a 500-bed NHS Nightingale hospital for almost a year.

It did not treat a single coronavirus patient and the facility was dismantled earlier this year.

A Harrogate thalidomide campaigner has defended local firm Labcorp Drug Development in the row over animal testing.

Guy Tweedy said if thalidomide had been tested on animals in the 1950s, thousands of people such as himself might have been spared birth defects caused by the drug.

Mr Tweedy, who is one of 447 beneficiaries of the Thalidomide Trust, as well as a trustee of Harrogate-based charity Disability Action Yorkshire, said thalidomide was barely tested before it went on sale.

He added:

“If there had been better testing on animals before thalidomide came out in the UK between 1958 and 1962, it might have shown they could have been born with deformities, which would have prevented the same thing happening in humans.”

Harrogate and Knaresborough Conservative MP Andrew Jones is lobbying the government to help the company, previously called Covance, to expand. About a third of the American firm Labcorp’s 4,000 UK staff are based in Harrogate.

The site on Otley Road is frequently targeted by animal protestors. Harrogate Borough Council heard this month that live animals, including Beagle puppies, non-human primates. rabbits, mice and mini-pigs are experimented on in Harrogate.

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Cllr Victoria Oldham, the Conservative representative for Washburn, recently called for a moratorium on animal testing in the Harrogate district.

Her motion was rejected but councillors did agree to visit the site.

Mr Tweedy said he was an animal lover with several pets, including a dog and rabbits, but he nevertheless understood the necessity of testing for non-cosmetic purposes.

“At the end of the day they are doing tests for scientific purposes. If they had done the same for thalidomide I wouldn’t still be campaigning 60 years later.”

Primarily marketed under the brand name Distaval, thalidomide was sold to pregnant mothers in the UK for less than four years before it was withdrawn.

A trial opened today into an alleged murder on Harrogate’s Mayfield Grove.

Daniel Ainsley, 24, of no fixed address, appeared before Leeds Crown Court charged with the murder of Mark Wolsey on March 5.

Mr Wolsey, 48, died at the scene after police arrived at 38 Mayfield Grove at around 10pm.

Ainsley was arrested on suspicion of murder the same day. He denies the charge on the grounds of diminished responsibility due to an “abnormality of mental functioning”.

He appeared before the court this afternoon and spoke only to confirm his name.

Daniel Ainsley

In his opening statement this morning, prosecutor Mark McKone QC told the court that Mr Ainsley had murdered Mr Wolsey by “stabbing him many times with a large knife”.

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The court heard how the two men had been living in Mr Wolsey’s bedsit and had known each other for three years.

Mr McKone said Mr Ainsley had lived in the bedsit after “losing his accommodation”.

The prosecution said that at around 8.40pm on March 5, neighbours “heard arguing” coming from Flat 4 of 38 Mayfield Grove.

A 13-minute 999 phone call made by Mr Wolsey on the night was played to the court. In it, Mr Wolsey was heard asking for officers to come and remove Mr Ainsley from his bedsit.

After officers arrived, Mr Ainsley told them that he “just wanted his medication” and that Mr Wolsey was keeping it from him. Police later took him to Harrogate District Hospital to get some, Mr McKone said.

CCTV footage played by the prosecution showed Mr Ainsley leaving the hospital at 9.21pm and heading to Asda supermarket on Bower Road.

Footage from the supermarket then showed Mr Ainsley going to the kitchenware aisle and purchasing a box of knives before disposing of all but one.

Leeds Crown Court. Picture: The Stray Ferret.

The court was then shown footage of Mr Ainsley returning to Mayfield Grove. The prosecution then played a phone call made by Mr Ainsley at 10.06pm to the police where he told the call handler he had “killed someone”.

The prosecution alleges that Mr Ainsley was able to make “rational choices” and had murdered Mr Wolsey.

Mr McKone said:

“The defendant could and did make a rational judgement and rational decision.”

The prosecution will give further evidence tomorrow.

Harrogate District Hospital has recorded another coronavirus death as case rates in the district continue to climb to new highs.

The patient died on Tuesday last week but the hospital reported the death today. It takes the hospital’s covid-related death total to 192.

As of last Thursday, the hospital was treating 14 covid patients – well below last winter’s peak of 67.

Public Health England said today another 147 people have tested positive for the virus in the Harrogate district.

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Case rates in the Harrogate district are so high that North Yorkshire County Council has called an urgent meeting to discuss them tomorrow.

The district’s seven-day rate is now 733 per 100,000 population, which is far higher than the current England average of 448.

North Yorkshire County Council will host the virtual meeting tomorrow from 10.30am until 11am, when health officials will brief the media on the situation.

Santa Claus is coming to town next month as part of the Harrogate Father Christmas Experience 2021.

Harrogate Business Improvement District, which organises the event, revealed today that Father Christmas take up residence in the Crown Hotel after covid scuppered his appearance last year.

Children and families can come along on 15 days between November 20 and Christmas Eve to meet Santa and be part of an interactive elf-training experience hosted by chief elf Tinsel.

In previous years, Santa has made himself at home in Harrogate at Harlow Carr Gardens and Horticap but the centrally located hotel will host his visit this time.

Harrogate BID chair Sara Ferguson said:

“It is going to a truly magical experience for children and families, one that we are looking forward to deliver, and is a major component of our 2021 Christmas campaign.

“Harrogate BID, together with a host of partners, has been working behind the scenes for many months to ensure this will be a Christmas to remember, and one that will support our retailers at what has been an extremely challenging 18 months.

“And in just a few weeks, our Christmas lights will be illuminating more streets than in previous years.

For further details, including dates, click here.

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The Father Christmas Experience is part of what is shaping up to be a major festive offering in Harrogate this year.

The BID, which aims to increase footfall in the town centre, is also co-funding a town centre Ferris wheel, Victorian carousel, helter skelter and festive train.

It is partnering with The Rotary Club of Harrogate for the annual Christmas Shop Window competition and Harrogate International Festivals for its North Pole Post Office.

Public health officials are to hold an urgent press conference tomorrow to discuss soaring coronavirus rates in the Harrogate district.

The district’s seven-day rate is currently 723 per 100,000 population, which is far higher than the current England average of 436.

North Yorkshire County Council will host the virtual meeting tomorrow from 10.30am until 11am, when health officials will brief the media on the situation.

Richard Webb, the corporate director for health and adult services at the council, has urged people in the Harrogate district to think about hygiene. He said:

“Harrogate currently has amongst the highest levels of coronavirus in England. Please keep safe.

“And yes, wash your hands. Wear your face mask to protect others. Think about space and ventilation.”

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Covid case rates in the Harrogate district have been rising since mid September, when the rate was 372.

However, although the number of cases has risen sharply the number of coronavirus patients at Harrogate District Hospital has not risen in the same manner.

As of last Thursday, the hospital was treating 14 covid patients – well below last winter’s peak of 67.

No further details of tomorrow’s meeting have been made available.

A Harrogate family has pioneered the launch of a luxury kitchen appliance brand from Switzerland in the UK with the opening of a new showroom in town.

V-ZUG Harrogate, which is based at Grosvenor Buildings near the entrance to Valley Gardens, opened its doors for the first time today.

Dale Adams and his sons Hayden and Ryan, who are behind the concept, hope to spread the word about V-ZUG, which is well-known in some European countries but less so in the UK.

The new showroom has opened.

Some V-ZUG appliances, such as a clothes cleaning cabinet, can go for as much as £15,000. But some of the hobs are priced closer to the £800 mark.

The new Harrogate showroom has been kitted out with appliances from the excellence line, which also includes steam ovens, coffee centres and wine coolers.

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Ahead of the launch, Dale Adams told the Stray Ferret:

“Harrogate has been chosen for the UK launch, not because people have money here but because people will travel here.

“We are speaking to people already who have no problem coming to Harrogate. They will make a weekend of it to enjoy the town’s history and beauty.

“This is for people who are seriously interested in cooking. There are lots of those people about now, cooking at home has become a big thing.”

VZUG is a luxury brand.

His son and business partner Hayden added:

“The level of technology allows someone with basic cooking skills to produce really great results without too much effort.

“So we would like to think that this would allow someone who is just interested in cooking evolve into a bit more of a chef.

“With these ovens you can put in a joint of beef and tell the appliance what time you need it ready and it will utilise the steam, oven and grill for the perfect result.”

Find the showroom at Grosvenor Buildings.

Harrogate and District Foundation Trust has rebranded some vehicles with messages that encourage people to talk about donating their organs.

The trust began the campaign following a recent change in the law around organ donation.

Since May last year, all adults are now considered to have agreed to donate their organs when they die, unless they record a decision not to do so, are in one of the excluded groups, or have told their family that they don’t want to.

However, relatives are still consulted before organ donation and the trust believes opportunities to donate are being missed because families aren’t sure what to do.

The campaign therefore aims to get people talking about the subject and leave relatives certain of their wishes.

Dr Sarah Marsh, clinical lead for organ donation at the trust, said:

“Knowing what your relative wanted, helps families support their decision around organ donation at what is often a difficult time.

“We need more people to talk with their loved ones about organ donation to give them the certainty they need to support their organ donation decision. We hope seeing our organ donation branded vehicles will encourage people to have this conversation.

“Your loved ones will still always be consulted before organ donation goes ahead. Please don’t wait. Speak to your family about organ donation and let them know your decision today.”

To register your decision about organ donation click here.

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Northern Gas Networks has yet to reveal what caused a huge gas leak in Harrogate that left 3,000 homes without supplies for two days.

The company, which distributes gas, opened an emergency hub at Styan Community Centre in Jennyfields on Saturday to help people without hot water or cooking facilities.

It gave away thousands of electric heaters and hot plates and distributed £10 meal vouchers.

The company’s rapid response earned praise from locals but it has yet to say what caused Friday’s leak, which could be smelt for miles around.

John Richardson, director of customer operations at Northern Gas Networks, said:

“We will be carrying out a full investigation into the cause of the escape in Ripon Road, and it is not possible to comment further at this time.

“Our priority right now is to get the remaining properties reconnected to the gas.”

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Temporary lights have been in places near the Hydro on Ripon Road since September 9. The work was scheduled for four weeks so it had already overrun before Friday’s incident.

People were evacuated from the Hydro on Friday.

Asked what the works were for, why they were delayed and when it would finish, a Northern Gas Networks spokeswoman said:

“This is essential gas mains replacement works to modernise the gas network.

“The scope of works changed after the project began, which extended the duration of the work.

“We’ll advise on a completion date as soon as possible, but traffic management is likely to be in place for another couple of weeks.”

Harrogate College is to host free taster sessions for adults in November.

Dubbed the “Have a Go Fortnight”, the sessions will be held as part of a Festival of Learning.

Run between November 1 and 12, the events aim to inspire adults to take up learning and get a  taste of the college’s curriculum areas.

The sessions come as Luminate Education Group, which runs the college, was given £17 million from West Yorkshire Combined Authority to improve adult skills.

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The taster events at the college will include hairdressing, still life drawing, soundscapes film and animation, ceramics and print and computer software interior designs. 

Danny Wild, principal at Harrogate College, which is on Hornbeam Park, said: 

“Adult education has been one of the hardest hit sectors following the pandemic. Therefore, we’re committed to working with adults in our community to provide life-changing opportunities through quality education, which is tailored to meet the needs of our local employers.

“Over two weeks, we’re inviting adults aged 19 and over to come into college to discover our range of diverse subjects as part of an employer-led curriculum. Our nurturing and inclusive environment will allow adults to find their spark by learning something new, enhancing employability and improving wellbeing.”

To find out more about the sessions, visit the Harrogate College website.