Stray Views is a weekly column giving you the chance to have your say on issues affecting the Harrogate district. It is an opinion column and does not reflect the views of the Stray Ferret. See below for details on how to contribute.

Why my friends won’t be returning to Harrogate

Station Gateway: economic concerns need addressing

Independent Harrogate, which represents more than 180 businesses. supports the proposed ‘Station Gateway‘ in general but we do have some serious concerns that it might have a negative impact on the local economy.

The scheme fails to address the need for park and ride schemes, a large number of electric car charging points and extensive safe cycling routes away from traffic that link with low-traffic neighbourhoods, therefore reducing congestion and in turn reducing carbon emissions.

And, to prevent congestion and an increase in carbon emissions, Station Parade must retain its two lanes, with enhanced cycling facilities reserved for East Parade.

We support James Street remaining fully open whilst supporting the narrowing at its junction with Station Parade to aid pedestrians crossing the road.

We urge North Yorkshire County Council to meet groups to discuss the finer details of the proposals.

William Woods, Independent Harrogate

Why is Kex Gill work taking so long?

Given that it is now more than two years since the Kex Gill route was finalised and finance was put in place, it is staggering that North Yorkshire County Council is now warning the scheme could be delayed because it hasn’t bothered to secure the land, in precisely the same way no one thought to consult the Duchy of Lancaster regarding the much-delayed Otley Road cycle path. Do they never learn?

David Howarth, Harrogate

Read more:

• £10.9m Harrogate Station Gateway scheme moves to design stage
• Public inquiry could delay £60m Kex Gill scheme by 15 months

Do you have an opinion on the Harrogate district? Email us at letters@thestrayferret.co.uk. Please include your name and approximate location details. Limit your letters to 350 words. We reserve the right to edit letters.

A Harrogate person went to hospital with a burnt arm yesterday when a barbecue got out of control.

Firefighters from Harrogate and Knaresborough were called to Stone Rings Lane, Rossett Green, at about 5.30pm, as temperatures soared close to 30 degrees centigrade.

According to North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service, flames spread from the barbecue on to nearby hedging and fencing.

Its incident log adds:

“Crews extinguished the fire, with the occupant attending hospital with an arm burn as a precaution.”

Two hours later last night, Knaresborough and Harrogate firefighters responded to calls saying there was a small fire by the side of the A1 northbound near Knaresborough.

However, the incident log says that when they arrived they did not find a fire.

Temperatures are forecast to reach 27 degrees this afternoon and remain high all week.

Read more:

• Firefighters battle blaze at farm in Beckwithshaw
• Dramatic pictures show firefighters tackling Follifoot blaze

Newcastle United are to bring an under-23 team to Harrogate tomorrow rather than a first team squad due to covid.

The Premier League side announced the news this afternoon after goalkeeper Karl Darlow tested positive.

Although every other player and staff member within Newcastle’s first team group has returned negative tests, fellow goalkeepers Mark Gillespie and Freddie Woodman have gone into isolation for 10 days after being identified as close contacts.

Consequently Newcastle will send a first team to York tomorrow and an under-23 team to Harrogate to minimise mixing between the groups.

Magpies manager Steve Bruce said:

“I have spoken to Simon Weaver, who was very understanding, and I would like to apologise to any Harrogate supporters who have bought tickets thinking first team players were coming.

“Ultimately, we have to follow the advice from medical professionals and take proactive steps to protect players and we simply can’t mix up the dressing rooms, which was our initial plan.”

The first ever match between Harrogate and the six-times FA Cup winners was the pick of Town’s pre-season friendlies.

Kick off is at 2pm tomorrow  at the EnviroVent Stadium on Wetherby Road.

Read more:

• Harrogate Town bolsters squad with two more signings
• Rossett students win football scholarships in America

Neil Renton, the headteacher at Harrogate Grammar School, was in Marks & Spencer in Leeds on his wedding anniversary one weekend recently when his phone rang.

He was told a student on a coach trip to Flamingo Land had tested positive for covid and a decision had to be made on which children should isolate the next day.

He called Dr Dora Machaira, a health improvement officer in North Yorkshire County Council‘s public health team, who has been the go-to woman for schools needing advice on covid, and, after numerous calls, made the necessary arrangements.

The episode sums up what life has been like running a school during the last 16 months. Face masks, lateral flow tests, bubbles, test and trace and isolate have become as much a part of the lexicon of education as maths, English and science.

The lowest point came just before Christmas: the second wave was taking off and the school received news of more infections, which meant closing an entire year group. Mr Renton recalls:

“On a Sunday night I was wondering ‘how are we going to tell 290 students that they are not coming in tomorrow?’ There’s nothing more painful than having to go to parents and say, ‘your child will have to isolate’.”

At the same time Kirsty Moat, the associate headteacher who Mr Renton describes as “my co-pilot”, tested positive and about 50 other staff, some of whom were badly affected by the disease, were also absent.

Attendance fell to 47 per cent

Mr Renton thinks about the current academic year in covid phases rather than terms.

During phase one, in September and October, case numbers were low.

“There was a feeling of confidence that we had reopened and things were back to normal.”

November to January was the second and most difficult phase. At one point pupil attendance fell to 47 per cent as more and more children isolated. All of years 11 and 13, which have about 300 students each, were closed at some points.

The January lockdown that followed, which was the third phase, was almost a relief because the school had learned from previous remote learning and felt confident it could cope, especially as every student has an iPad.

The return-to-school fourth phase in March was relatively smooth, with low case numbers. But the fifth phase since half-term has been almost as tough as pre-Christmas. He says:

“We haven’t had any year group closures in the latest phase but today we have 159 students isolating.”

‘Pushed to the limit’

Mr Renton is fulsome in his praise for North Yorkshire County Council’s public health team; but less so for the Department for Education, which he says has “pushed headteachers to the limits” with last minute, complex guidance and U-turns.

“We hear the PM announce something then guidance comes out two days later.”

Read more:

• Record number of Oxbridge offers at Harrogate Grammar School
• Thirty-one Harrogate schools take part in ‘walk to school day’;

Harrogate Grammar, which is one of 13 schools in north and west Yorkshire belonging to Red Kite Learning Trust, is one of the largest schools in the north of England with 2,018 pupils.

Its size means it has been better able to assimilate the financial cost of covid than some smaller schools. It has employed extra cleaners, had to cover for absent teachers and even put up a marquee to improve social distancing.

The remarkable generation

Throughout it all not one child has been seriously ill. Mr Renton mentions several times during the interview how selfless and mature pupils have been in responding to a pandemic that doesn’t predominantly affect their generation.

“We should call them the remarkable generation, not the covid generation.”

He acknowledges, however, there is a “growing sense of frustration” among young people at the sacrifices they’re making, especially when they watch packed crowds at football matches.

Terms ends on Friday and, with covid infections rocketing, he admits the school is “limping” towards the finishing line.

He’s looking forward to a week away during the six-week holiday and, hopefully, a quieter 2021/22 school year when the NHS will assume responsibility from the school for pupil test and trace.

Mr Renton, who hasn’t had covid although his son in year 10 at the school had to isolate for 10 days, started as headteacher in September 2019 in what now seems like a golden bygone pre-covid era.

He chuckles at the memory of an early planning meeting to discuss arrangements for the Tour de Yorkshire.

“Now we look back at that time and laugh because every week we are dealing with much bigger and more complex logistical problems.

“My first two years of being a headteacher has been a crash course in leading through crisis and changing circumstances.”

District residents will be able to get vaccinated without appointments at a number of pop-up coronavirus clinics this weekend.

The clinics will open in Harrogate, Knaresborough and Pateley Bridge tomorrow and Sunday, and are part of a final push to get younger people vaccinated.

First and second doses will be offered to anyone aged over 18, while any care workers and those aged over 50 who have not yet taken up the opportunity to get vaccinated are also being urged to come forward.

The Wesley Centre on Oxford Street, Harrogate will offer first doses of the Pfizer vaccine on Saturday between 10am to 4pm.

In Knaresborough, the Homecare Pharmacy Vaccination Centre at the former Lidl site on York Road will offer first doses of the Moderna jab on Saturday and Sunday between 9am and 5pm.

And in Pateley Bridge, both first and second doses of the Pfizer vaccine will be available at Bishopside and Bewerley Memorial Hall on Park Road on Saturday between 8am and 5.50pm.

Read more:

• Government approves Wetherby Road drive-thru Starbucks
• Knaresborough police officer to ride 106.6 miles in memory of best friend 

Sue Peckitt, chief nurse at NHS North Yorkshire Clinical Commissioning Group, said:

“These walk-in clinics are aimed at those people who have not taken up the opportunity to book their vaccine via the NHS National Booking Service or NHS 119.”

Driven by the faster-spreading Delta variant, Harrogate’s weekly infection rate is approaching record levels with a current average of 416 cases per 100,000 people.

The highest rate on record was 497 at the beginning of January.

The rise in infections has been followed by a slight increase in hospital admissions with five patients in Harrogate on Wednesday, although the hospital has not recorded a Covid-related death in more than three months.

Louise Wallace, director of public health for North Yorkshire, said this was down to vaccines weakening the link between infections and serious illness, as she also urged people to make use of the pop-up clinics this weekend.

She said:

“Vaccination is the most effective way to reduce the risk of developing serious or life-threatening symptoms from coronavirus, as well as protecting others in the community.

“The vaccination programme in this country has been a huge success and the numbers of people becoming seriously ill, or dying, as a result of contracting the disease have fallen dramatically.

Conservative MP for Harrogate & Knaresborough, Andrew Jones, has called for long-term support for the events sector, which he said has been “severely impacted” by covid in Harrogate.

Speaking in the House of Commons yesterday, Mr Jones said it was “fantastic to see” the Great Yorkshire Show taking place this week but warned that the events industry will take some time to get back on its feet.

He mentioned Harrogate International Festivals, which is due to host the Theakstons Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival next week. The charity’s chief executive Sharon Canavar told the Stray Ferret last month she has had to make some “nerve-wracking” decisions due to uncertainty over when restrictions will be eased.

Mr Jones said:

“There are other important events and event organisations, such as Harrogate International Festivals, that have been severely impacted.

“I am aware that we have talked about this sector before, but events and circumstances are evolving, so could we have please a further debate on long-term support for the events industry? It adds so much to the quality of life in the United Kingdom and it may need extra help in the future.”

Read more:

• First events at Harrogate Convention Centre to be government pilot

• Andrew Jones MP should be ‘shaking in his shoes’, says local Lib Dem leader

Leader of the House Jacob Rees-Mogg responded by saying that the Harrogate Convention Centre is to host two test pilot events for conferences next week, which will help inform how the sector moves forward.

He added:

“The government know how badly the sector has been hit by the pandemic and will continue to encourage and engage with people to monitor the situation and try to support a recovery plan.

“I accept that this will be a longer-term effort, but I think that beginning to get back to normal from Monday will begin to be helpful.”

Back in February, Mr Jones also called for a debate on the sector which he said was “central to the economy” of both Harrogate and Knaresborough.

Two Harrogate district companies have paid tribute to Captain Sir Tom Moore at a newly unveiled memorial.

Horticultural services provider Ray Skelton (Harrogate) and Johnsons of Whixley, a nursery, both sponsored the walkway, which was opened at the Army Foundation College in Harrogate this month.

Captain Sir Tom’s daughter Hannah Ingram-Moore, her husband and children, visited the college on Pennypot Lane to cut a ribbon and unveil a plaque that includes details of his life.

Ray Skelton (Harrogate) commissioned Kris Elvidge, a local stone mason, to engrave the stones that can be found at the front and back of the college headquarters.

Meanwhile, Johnsons donated two Magnolia ‘Double Diamond’ 200-250 110L trees and 50 Hydrangea arborescens ‘Annabelle’ worth a total of £765 to the memorial.

Read more:

• Trees planted to honour Captain Tom at Harrogate’s army college

• Harrogate pupils plant roses in memory of Captain Tom

• Captain Tom memorial walkway opens at Army Foundation College

Stuart Skelton, director of Ray Skelton (Harrogate), said: 

“It has been an honour and a privilege to be involved in the Capt Sir Tom Moore Memorial. Hopefully, this will continue to inspire future generations of junior soldiers”

Eleanor Richardson, Johnsons of Whixley’s marketing manager, said: 

“We were delighted to be part of this fitting tribute to Capt Sir Tom Moore, who was a true inspiration. 

“The donation is particularly fitting as the magnolia is native to Asia, where he served during World War Two.”

Captain Sir Tom was made an honorary colonel of the Army Foundation College in Harrogate last year.

He later visited the college to speak to junior soldiers and was invited back for their graduation in September.

He raised almost £33m for NHS Charities Together by walking lengths of his garden in Bedfordshire, hitting the headlines in the process. He died aged 100 in February this year.

Harrogate charity Horticap’s newly revamped nature trail, which is free to visit, will open on Monday.

Horticap, which is based at Bluecoat Wood Nurseries, provides adults with learning and other disabilities training in horticulture, allied crafts and rural skills.

A £5,000 donation enabled it to invest in in making its nature trail more accessible to all.

Full of hidden nooks and places to explore, the new nature trail has been built with a focus on green energy and sustainability.

It includes educational signs telling visitors about the local landscape and the animals living within it.

The aim is to encourage people to look more closely at what is around them.

The trail also has large, communal areas to allow people to just sit and enjoy the peaceful surroundings.

Read more:

• After three previous cancellations this Harrogate group is hoping to finally swim the channel for charity this August
• Yorkshire Cancer Research set to open new shop in Ripon

The charity has also just finished renovating its Hopkins cafe and shop.

The charity was able to use money left by a previous student, Peter Hopkins, to renovate the cafe to bring in extra income and offer students work experience.

A major project to realign the A59 near Kex Gill could be delayed by 15 months if a public inquiry is called.

The £60 million North Yorkshire County Council scheme will see a section of new road built between Harrogate and Skipton to divert traffic away from the landslip-prone part of the route.

This current road has a history of unsafe driving conditions and delayed journeys, as well as high maintenance costs.

Work on the project could start as early as this autumn. Earlier this year, the government declined to have a final say on the scheme, clearing the way for it to begin.

Read More: 

• Half-a-million pounds to offset environmental damage of new Kex Gill road
• Government approves A1 service station after fourth appeal in 25 years

However, Cllr Don Mackenzie, executive county councillor for access, has said the project could face delays if objections are lodged against the compulsory purchase orders required for the scheme.

In a statement expected to be made to a full council meeting next week, he will say:

“The compulsory purchase and side roads orders have been published with a formal consultation period until the end of August. 

“The project programme without a public inquiry indicates that construction could start this autumn. On the other hand, if a public inquiry is required, the start of works could be delayed by up to 15 months.”

Construction work on the project is expected to take 18 months.

The government has committed up to £56 million in funding for the Kex Gill project, with the county council covering the remainder of the cost.

More than half-a-million pounds is also to be given to Nidderdale Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty for environmental and tree planting project in an effort to offset “irreversible damage” of the project.

The Stray Ferret is running a live blog of the Great Yorkshire Show brought to you by Lister Haigh. We will keep updating this page with stories from the showground throughout the event. 

The second day of the Great Yorkshire Show saw another day of glorious weather. Here’s a look at the highlights.

George Eustice MP arrived this morning as secretary of state for environment, food and rural affairs to answer your questions. Read what he had to say below.

This year’s show will run for an extended period until Friday. It will mean that the maximum capacity of 26,000 a day can spread out for social distancing.

Visitors are encouraged to take a lateral flow test before they arrive to prevent the spread of the virus.

4.45pm – A proposal to remember

It was a special day for Ben Atkinson and Georgia Jackson today in the main ring as Ben proposed to his girlfriend.

Ben popped the question following today’s performance by Atkinson Action Horses.

https://twitter.com/greatyorkshow/status/1415312848792825861?s=20

4.22pm – Plenty of horsing around at this year’s show

This afternoon saw show jumping horses presented for visitors at this year’s show.

4pm – The people trying to keep a 2,000-year-old tradition alive

The Dry Stone Walling Association was at the Show today. The wallers passion for the skill was clear to see.

Watch our interview with waller Brian Hartley.

1.40pm – George Eustice MP answers your questions

George Eustice MP visited the Great Yorkshire Show today and took out time to answer questions at a press briefing. The secretary of state for environment, food and rural affairs said:

“I do think the government is doing enough on climate change. We are working on some plans about how we can achieve net zero and obviously agriculture has a role to play in that.

“There are a number of interesting technologies such as new feed additives that can cut methane gases from livestock by about 30%.

“We were the first country to set a legally binding target of achieving net zero by 2050 and a number of other countries are following us.

We asked local farmers what they would like to ask the cabinet minister earlier today. Their main concern was the impact of setting aside land for eco-friendly projects on those with a small amount of land. He said:

“The key thing is, while farmers have always been the recipients of the so-called area-based subsidy, they have not been the only beneficiary or even the main beneficiary.

“Once we start to unravel that we will see a number of those things come back into order. What we want to do alongside that is make sure there is a profit margin in what we pay farmers to do for the environment.

“We have increased the payment rates by about 30% on what the old EU payments were. For the work we want farmers to do for the environment, we are going to pay to more generously than anyone before.”

1.20pm – Pigeons show off their good side for the camera

It’s not just farm animals at the Great Yorkshire Show, over 350 colourful and distinctive pigeons are on display. These include …

Modena pigeon

Indian faint tail pigeon

Old Dutch Capuchine pigeon

12.40pm – Hats for a hot day at the show

For £10 you can pick up a proper Yorkshire hat. There are lots of visitors looking very dapper wearing them across the site.

Do you fancy trying on a Yorkshire Show Hat?

10.15am – What is the weather going to be like for the rest of the show?

After a couple of weeks of unsettled weather the sun is set to shine down on the rest of the Great Yorkshire Show.

The Met Office has predicted both today and tomorrow will be partly cloudy with temperatures reaching highs of 23 degrees and 20 degrees respectively.

Friday is set to be the hottest day of the show. Forecasters have predicted clear skies with the temperature hitting a high of 25 degrees.

The pollen count is also set to be very high in Harrogate today and on Friday and high on Thursday.

9.30am – Photo gallery from morning of day two at Great Yorkshire Show

8.40am – Send in your questions for cabinet minister George Eustice

George Eustice MP is expected to visit the Great Yorkshire Show today. The Stray Ferret will send down a reporter to ask him your questions.

Are you a farmer from the Harrogate district? Then send in your questions for the cabinet minister by clicking or tapping here.

George Eustice MP, Secretary of State for Environment.