Harrogate Town Supporters Trust launches with fan perks

Harrogate Town Supporters Trust, which has had a controversial existence since news broke of the group last month, has launched and will offer several perks to members.

Other football league clubs, such as Sheffield Wednesday and Bradford City already have fans trusts, which are democratically run and governed by the Financial Conduct Authority.

Full membership to the Harrogate Town trust costs £15 a year for an adult and £10 for concessions and under-18s. Members will receive discounts in the club shop on Commercial Street, priority tickets for cup matches, and local business discounts.

Coach travel to away matches will be provided through Murgatroyd of Harrogate.

The trust will also organise a fan base at Harrogate’s Cedar Court Hotel where fans can meet before some home games. There will be food and drink offers for members as well as discounted car parking for fans walking to Wetherby Road.

A spokesperson for the trust said:

“Our mission is to help, maintain, and support the presence of an outstanding, sustainable and modern professional football club in Harrogate by being the democratic and representative voice of the supporters of the club who, through its actions, strengthen the bonds between the club, its fans and the community it serves.

“We are an independent, democratic, not-for-profit, community-based organisation who are family orientated with the aim to provide an excellent fan experience to both home and away matches.”

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The announcement of a trust was welcomed by some fans but many members of Harrogate Town Independent Supporters Club, which has been running for several years, believe it is an attempt to undermine its work.

Leaflets about the newly-formed trust were circulated to Town fans at a pre-season friendly against Newcastle United under-23s at Wetherby Road. This alarmed many members of the supporters club, with some accusing the trust on Facebook of underhand tactics.

There was also anger about the trust’s plans to put on coaches for away games, which supporters club committee member Jordan Ford has organised for many seasons.

However, the chair of the trust told the Stray Ferret that alternative away travel was needed because some fans’ drunken behaviour deterred some families and fans from travelling.

Harrogate motorists face eight-mile diversions due to road closure

Motorists face significant diversions for five weeks from Monday due the closure of a busy road near Harrogate.

North Yorkshire County Council will close the B6161 to carry out work on Pot Bridge in Beckwithshaw. The work will strengthen the arch of the bridge and repair the parapet and surrounding walls.

It means motorists will incur eight-mile diversions via Beckwithshaw, Norwood and the A59, adding about 15 minutes to their journeys.

Cllr Stanley Lumley, member for the Pateley Bridge division on the county council and chair of the transport committee, said:

“The scheme will be welcomed by commuters and residents as the road has become increasingly busier with those seeking alternative routes to the centre of Harrogate.

“The repairs to this well-used bridge are part of our extensive programme to maintain and improve the county’s roads.

“We appreciate the closure will be an inconvenience to many however I would ask the public for their cooperation while the work is ongoing.”

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The roadworks are the latest set of delays for motorists who will also have to contend with a temporary traffic lights on Otley Road from Monday.

More lights will appear slightly closer to the town centre when Northern Powergrid begins work to divert underground cables at the junction with Harlow Oval for 11 days.

Gallery: Eye-catching mural brings joy to Harrogate street

An artist has brought joy and a splash of colour to a town centre street with a huge mural dedicated to Harrogate as a gateway to the Yorkshire Dales.

Harrogate Business Improvement District (BID) is behind the eye-catching project on Cross James Street, between James Street and Market Place.

The painting is the work of Harrogate artist Sam Porter from Mural Minded. This latest piece features blue tits, fields and Crimple Valley Viaduct.

Last month, Sam created a ‘joyous’ wall mural on the side of a house in Cheapside, Knaresborough – featuring swallows and butterflies.

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Harrogate BID chair Sara Ferguson said:

“We are absolutely delighted with the results of Sam’s eye-catching and ambitious mural.

“Cross James Street between James Street and Market Place is a very busy snicket, but for many years has been one of the drabbest streets in the town centre.

“This mural has added a real splash of colour. We have received plenty of comments about Sam’s work and it’s certainly been getting a lot of mentions on social media.

“For an organisation that’s here to improve the town centre environment, this mural certainly ticks that box.”

It’s not the only giant artwork set to give a Harrogate street a makeover. Last month Harrogate residents and businesses were asked to submit ideas to help give Cambridge Place a colourful makeover.

More pictures from Cross James Street:

Harrogate girl, 8, sets up fidget toy business in school holidays

An eight-year-old girl from Harrogate who has set up her own business during the school holidays is already sending her fidget toys across the country.

Lucy Chesters, who has just finished Year 3 at Ashville College, set up her business called Win at Life Kids on Thursday last week.

Fidget toys are the latest craze for children. They can be squeezed, stretched, flipped and can help to distract who are anxious or stressed.

In just a few days she has already restocked after sending toys to customers in Newcastle, Bradford and Leeds.

While she is following in the footsteps of her mum Louise Chesters, who owns Dizzy Duck on Albert Street, Lucy has also been doing things her own way.

As well as setting up a website and stall in her mum’s boutique, Lucy has also started her own TikTok channel where she shows off her products.

Those videos have already been seen hundreds of times, something which has helped her reach customers outside of Harrogate.

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Lucy told the Stray Ferret:

“I think they are popular because they feel nice, I like the texture, the sounds and the colours of them.

“Maybe schools should teach more about business then it might inspire others.”

Her mum Louise Chesters is very proud of her daughter. She said:

“I am really proud of Lucy and how proud of how quickly it has developed and progressed.

“She started a couple of weeks ago filming TikToks for Dizzy Duck. But Lucy and her friends are interested in fidget toys so it has evolved from there.

“Lucy has done really well, she is really excited about it. I really just wish we had helped her with it sooner because she has taken a great interest in it.”

Harrogate Christmas Market: council refuses meeting with organisers

Harrogate Borough Council has told organisers of the Harrogate Christmas Market it will not meet to discuss plans for the event on Montpellier Hill.

The market organisers called for a meeting at the end of July after the council declined to issue a licence for the event, placing it in jeopardy.

A total of 170 traders and 53 coaches had booked to attend the market, which was expected to attract 85,000 people to the town from November 18 to 21, boosting its economy by £2.5 million.

But in an email seen by the Stray Ferret, Wallace Sampson, chief executive at Harrogate Borough Council, told Brian Dunsby, one of the three market organisers:

“To be clear, the council will not meet to discuss the reasons for declining a licence for Montpellier Hill as the reasons have already been set out to you in writing.”

Mr Dunsby told the Stray Ferret last night:

“We had no response to our request for a meeting until today. I think Mr Sampson’s position is immoral.

“Since the news broke about Harrogate Christmas Market we have been inundated with messages of support from both traders and retailers.

“We believe that there is no viable alternative location near to the town centre – which is vital in terms of attracting visitors into the town centre.”

If Montpellier Hill is no longer an option, the organisers may have to consider moving the event to a different location although they have insisted they do not believe there is a viable alternative.

Harrogate Borough Council has said it is working on alternative festive arrangements and may consider doing so without the current organisers. It has said it has already received “a number of expressions of interest” from potential partners.

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Recruitment crisis forces Bettys in Harrogate to close early

The Harrogate branch of Bettys is closing four hours earlier than normal due to the worst recruitment crisis in the company’s recent history.

Bettys usually stays open until 9pm but has recently closed at 5pm.

The 102-year-old Harrogate institution said today the covid pandemic was still having a huge impact on business even though lockdown restrictions have been lifted.

Bettys, which has six stores in Yorkshire, currently has 53 job vacancies, 39 of which are in Harrogate. Of the 39, 16 are for its cafe on Parliament Street, 13 for its cafe at Harlow Carr and 10 for its bakery.

Branch director Nicky Sellers said the recruitment crisis was being felt across the hospitality industry but in the past three to four months it had become a particular difficulty for Bettys.

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Ms Sellers said lockdown had brought huge amounts of uncertainty with the industry opening and closing over the past 18 months. She said some staff had left to pursue more secure careers, adding:

“The lockdowns have certainly impacted recruitment in the hospitality sector and Bettys isn’t the only one feeling that. We know from the industry body UKHospitality that other restaurants, cafes and bars across the country are in the same boat.

“The branches are really busy at the moment, which is terrific for us, but without the full compliment of staff we’re struggling, and we’re not even back to full capacity in the café tea rooms.

“We haven’t experienced a recruitment crisis like this in our recent history.”

Ms Sellers added the company didn’t know how long the current predicament would last but she hoped the industry would be able to stabilise again and “people recover their confidence in cafes being secure and fulfilling places to work”.

Are you looking for a job? Check out our jobs page for vacancies in the Harrogate district.

Ex-UFC fighter opens mixed martial arts gym in Harrogate

Former UFC fighter Ian Entwistle has started teaching mixed martial arts at Harrogate Amateur Boxing Club in Starbeck.

Entwistle had three fights with the UFC between 2014 and 2016. He fought in New Zealand, the United States and Croatia and his first round submission victory in America earned a performance of the night bonus.

He retired after he left the UFC but made a comeback in Bahrain last year with Brave Combat Federation, a Middle East promotion.

He has also fought on Cage Warriors, which is the biggest MMA promotion in Europe, and coached in Thailand and Australia.

Weighing in under the gaze of UFC boss Dana White (left).

Entwistle, who was born in Accrington, told the Stray Ferret his sister lived in Harrogate and he was in the process of relocating here.

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He will run classes five days a week that include wrestling, Brazilian jiu-jitsu, boxing and Muay Thai, as well as one-to-one private sessions.

Anyone from the age of 14 upwards can attend.

He said:

“I am keen to work with students of all levels whether they are a beginner or a professional and help them achieve the success they seek.”

Classes times are:

Tuesdays 6-7pm
Thursdays 6-7pm
Fridays 5-6pm
Saturdays 10:30am-12pm
Sundays 10:30am-12pm

Second set of roadworks coming to Harrogate’s Otley Road

A second set of roadworks is set to bring more delays for motorists on Harrogate’s Otley Road this month.

Temporary traffic lights are already in place at the junction with Harlow Moor Road, where Northern Gas Network is carrying out work until September 3.

More lights will appear slightly closer to the town centre when Northern Powergrid begins work to divert underground cables at the junction with Harlow Oval for 11 days from August 16.

These utility works are the final step before the start of the delayed Otley Road cycle lane. Phase one, which is expected to last a few months, is due to start on September 6.

The scheme will see an off-road cycle route created between Harlow Moor Road and Cold Bath Road.

The project will also require widening Otley Road on the approach to Harlow Moor Road as well as the creation of a designated left turn lane on the western approach to Harlow Moor Road and designated right turn lane on the eastern approach.

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Ferrari towed away in Harrogate in police supercar clampdown

Police ordered a Ferrari sports car to be towed away outside Harrogate Convention Centre over the weekend as part of a supercar crackdown.

Operation Chrome, which North Yorkshire Police launched this summer, targets speeding, illegally modified vehicles and vehicles that shouldn’t be on the road.

The Ferrari driver was reported on suspicion of driving without insurance and failing to display a front number plate.

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Operation Chrome launched this summer with a police pledge to keep up on “the irresponsible behaviour of some drivers which is not only unsafe but also highly disruptive”.

Harrogate often attracts drivers, sometimes in modified vehicles, racing around the main roads, particularly during summer.

Superintendent Steve Thomas said:

“Residents and visitors should not have to fear for their safety or have their days blighted by this excessive noise.

“We are taking a zero tolerance approach to this dangerous behaviour.”

 

Harrogate district event organisers welcome government-backed insurance

Two event organisers in the Harrogate district have welcomed news of a government backed insurance scheme to protect them in case coronavirus restrictions return.

Both the chief executive at Harrogate Theatre and the organiser of Knaresborough Christmas Market saw the move as a step in the right direction.

Insurance has been a barrier for many planning to hold events as many insurers do not cover coronavirus related problems.

The organisers behind the annual bonfire and firework display on the Stray previously told the Stray Ferret that this year’s event would be a “huge gamble” without any coronavirus insurance.

Rishi Sunak, Chancellor of the Exchequer, announced the insurance scheme and said he hoped that it would help organisers plan events with confidence through to next year.

The £750 million scheme, which the government has partnered with Lloyds to set up, will cover events between September 2021 and September 2022.

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It will see taxpayers cover 95 per cent of costs incurred in the event of cancellation due to the event being legally unable to happen due to government covid restrictions.

David Bown, the chief executive at Harrogate Theatre, told the Stray Ferret:

“As we were moving forward we still had that threat of cancellation hanging above our heads.

“Insurance has been a concern for us at the theatre for a while. The insurance just don’t have a coronavirus clause in their policies. So this is very welcome.”

Hazel Haas, organiser of the Knaresborough Christmas Market, also told the Stray Ferret:

“This new government backed scheme sounds to be a very good idea for the events industry.

“I have not looked at the fine details of it just yet but this is certainly positive news.”