Harrogate resident scoops £30,000 on lottery

A lucky Harrogate resident is celebrating winning a £30,000 cash prize on the People’s Postcode Lottery at the weekend.

Every Saturday and Sunday throughout the June draws, one postcode will be announced as a £30,000 prize winner.

All the players in the postcode will win that sum for every ticket they hold.

The winning postcode of HG2 8QA was announced on Saturday.

A media release by People’s Postcode Lottery revealed one person in the Harrogate postcode area won last weekend.

People’s Postcode Lottery ambassador, the TV presenter Judie McCourt, sent her well-wishes to the winner, who asked to remain anonymous.

She said:

“What a fantastic surprise for our winner in Harrogate! I hope they enjoy celebrating this weekend and enjoy spending the cash. Congratulations!”

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The draw costs £10 a month to enter. People play with their chosen postcode and are automatically entered into all draws.

A minimum of 33% of ticket sales goes directly to charities.

Players have helped raise over £700 million to date for thousands of good causes across Britain and internationally.

Teens arrested in Harrogate after Kinder eggs stuffed with heroin found

Police in Harrogate have arrested two boys aged 15 and 16 after finding Kinder eggs stuffed with suspected heroin and crack cocaine.

Plain clothed officers from North Yorkshire Police‘s county lines drug dealing unit Operation Expedite noticed the boys acting suspiciously on Thursday.

The suspects ran away but were caught after a chase on foot.

A police statement today said when officers caught the boys they found two Kinder eggs stuffed with suspected heroin and crack cocaine wraps, as well as knuckle dusters.

Police believe the unnamed boys, who are both from West Yorkshire, are involved in bringing drugs from another county into Harrogate.

Police arrested the 16-year-old on suspicion of possessing class A drugs with intent to supply, possessing cannabis and possessing an offensive weapon.

The officers also arrested the 15-year-old on suspicion of supplying class A drugs.

They were released on conditional bail pending further enquiries.

County lines is where drug dealers from urban areas exploit vulnerable people, including children, and force them to deal drugs in smaller towns.

It takes its name from the mobile phone lines used by dealers to communicate between towns and advertise their drugs for sale.

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Smouldering barbecue sets garage alight in Pannal

Fire crews were called to Pannal yesterday when smouldering ashes from a barbecue set a garage alight.

Firefighters from Harrogate, Wetherby and Knaresborough used breathing apparatus to extinguish the fire and ensure the fire had not spread to the attached bungalow.

The incident happened at Crimple Meadows shortly after 2pm.

North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service‘s incident log said:

“The cause of the fire is believed to be hot barbecue ashes stored in the garage overnight.”

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Harrogate house prices soar in just one year

The average price of a house in the Borough of Harrogate has increased by more than £28,000 in the course of the past year, according to the Land Registry.

This is a 5% rise, which is lower than the national average. The Office of National Statistics reported that house prices in the UK had risen by an average of 10.2% over the year to March 2021.

Demand has also shifted more towards spacious properties, with estate agents reporting an unprecedented shortage of detached family homes.

The trend can be attributed towards housebuyers’ changing priorities over lockdown and more people starting families.

However, certain factors affect the statistics and mean that they may not paint an accurate picture of the whole year.

The stamp duty land tax holiday on properties worth up to £500,000 is set to end on June 30, which will most likely reduce housing demand in later in the year.

Estate agents said that, anecdotally, there has been a post-vaccination rush for some people who now feel more comfortable attending house viewings and going through the moving process.

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Charles Myring of Myrings Estate Agents summed up how the pandemic has changed the housing market in the borough:

“Stock levels in Harrogate were so depressed during the lockdowns, especially on certain properties (bigger family houses with good outdoor space/south-facing gardens/garages etc), which meant there wasn’t always enough quality stock available to buy and to encourage more people into the market.

“As a consequence prices started to edge up every month.”

The Harrogate borough encompasses the city of Ripon and a number of small towns including Boroughbridge and Knaresborough.

David Waddington of Linley and Simpson projected the average price rise to be even higher, at somewhere between 1% and 2% each month.

He agreed that the rise in demand for housing in the borough was also mostly related to covid:

“Harrogate became particularly desirable over lockdown as people realised they no longer had to go into the office and live in suburban areas.

“More people are looking to live in semi-rural areas, because of a subliminal need for space as a result of isolation.”

However he urged first-time buyers and those with mortgages not to give up hope, as the latest iteration of the Help to Buy scheme is still helping people with smaller deposits to take the first step on to the housing ladder.

 

 

Live: Harrogate traffic and travel

Good morning, it’s Leah with you this morning giving you updates every 15 minutes on the road and rail links near you.

Our live blog, brought to you by The HACS Group, will give you up-to-date information on traffic hotspots or where it may be building and the temporary lights in place. We also keep an eye on any bus or train delays.

If it is safe, please get in touch on 01423 276197 if you experience any delays.

9am – Full Update 

That is it from me this morning, Connor will be back with you from 6.30 tomorrow with updates every 15 minutes. Have a lovely Monday.

Roads

The traffic is starting to build in the Harrogate and Knaresborough town centres this morning, keep checking for today’s traffic hotspots.

Traffic Hotspots:

Traffic is building here:

Temporary traffic lights are in place here:

Trains

 

8:45am – Full Update 

Roads

The traffic is starting to build in the Harrogate and Knaresborough town centres this morning, keep checking for today’s traffic hotspots.

Traffic Hotspots:

Traffic is building here:

Temporary traffic lights are in place here:

Trains

Buses

 

8:30am – Full Update 

Roads

The traffic is starting to build in the Harrogate and Knaresborough town centres this morning, keep checking for today’s traffic hotspots.

Traffic Hotspots:

Traffic is building here:

Temporary traffic lights are in place here:

Trains

Buses

 

8:15am – Full Update 

Roads

The traffic is starting to build in the Harrogate and Knaresborough town centres this morning, keep checking for today’s traffic hotspots.

Traffic is building here:

Temporary traffic lights are in place here:

Trains

Buses

 

8am – Full Update 

Roads

The traffic is starting to build in the Harrogate and Knaresborough town centres this morning, keep checking for today’s traffic hotspots.

Traffic is building here:

Temporary traffic lights are in place here:

Trains

Buses

 

7.45am – Full Update 

Roads

The traffic is starting to build in the Harrogate and Knaresborough town centres this morning, keep checking for today’s traffic hotspots.

Traffic is building here:

Temporary traffic lights are in place here:

Trains

Buses

 

7.30am – Full Update 

Roads

The traffic is starting to build in the Harrogate and Knaresborough town centres this morning, keep checking for today’s traffic hotspots.

Traffic is building here:

Temporary traffic lights are in place here:

Trains

Buses

 

7.15am – Full Update 

Roads

The district’s roads are looking clear so far this morning, keep checking for today’s traffic hotspots.

Temporary traffic lights are in place here:

Trains

Buses

 

7am – Full Update 

Roads

The district’s roads are looking clear so far this morning, keep checking for today’s traffic hotspots.

Temporary traffic lights are in place here:

Trains

Buses

 

6.45am – Full Update 

Roads

The district’s roads are looking clear so far this morning, keep checking for today’s traffic hotspots.

Temporary traffic lights are in place here:

Trains

Buses

 

6.30am – Full Update 

Roads

The district’s roads are looking clear so far this morning, keep checking for today’s traffic hotspots.

Temporary traffic lights are in place here:

Trains

Buses

 

Stray Views: Harrogate park and ride was a great idea – what happened?

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.

What’s happened to the park and ride?

Have I missed something or has the sensible idea of a park and ride for Harrogate been shelved?

While the council continues to charge blindly forward with idiotic cycling/single file traffic schemes thinking that the traffic will disappear, a park and ride really would help reduce cars in the town centre.

So where is it?

Judy Rowson, Harrogate

Encouraging cyclists will make motoring better

Bob Hankinson makes several strawmen in his letter, making the argument that if “everyone shifts to bikes” when clearly not everyone will.

But hopefully enough will that the various roads in Harrogate are relieved of traffic at least to enough of a degree that it isn’t an utterly ridiculous proposal to actually drive into and through Harrogate as it currently is.

Bob is clearly not a cyclist given his complaint about hills and rain, which to most cyclists is neither a problem nor an obstruction. As, I assume, a car driver (his letter has all the hallmarks of someone who spends all morning sat immobile in their car trying to get to work).

Surely Bob would welcome less cars on the road — it would make Skipton Road, Leeds Road and Wetherby Road more of a road and less of a car park from 8am to 10am, wouldn’t you agree Bob?

Alastair Moore, Bilton

What about dog muck, Philip?

It’s great that Philip Allott, the new crime commissioner, is concerned about dog theft. Will he also be stamping out dog muck?

Nigel Heptinstall, Darley

The Stray Ferret is underselling itself

Meeting people on my daily walk, I ask if they receive the Stray Ferret. To those that don’t, I explain how simple it is to sign up and that it’s free.

Invariably this is a surprise to them so the purpose of this letter is to suggest your advertising on shop windows, roundabouts etc should contain the word ‘free’.

My grandfather started the first advertising agency in the north and he instilled into me how strong the word ‘free’ is in marketing. Many years later as a retailer in Harrogate I used this magic word in my advertising with great success.

Keep up your very good work!

David Hill, Harrogate

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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.

Harrogate author tells forgotten stories of women war heroes

A Harrogate academic has published a book detailing the escapades of a team of female special agents during the Second World War.

Author, academic and historian Dr Kate Vigurs documents the heroic acts of the renowned Special Operations Executive (SOE) in Mission France: The True History of the Women of SOE.

While a few of the 39 women involved are recognised as war heroes, many have been forgotten.  The ‘group biography’ tells each individual’s story.

Missions for these ordinary women-turned-agents involved parachuting into enemy lines, planting explosives, and fighting on the front lines. They were the only women in the Western Allies to bear arms during the entire war.

One such hero, Paris-born Noor Inayat Khan, was a poet, musician and writer. When the war came, she trained to become a wireless operator here in Harrogate and went on to be a notorious agent, evading the Gestapo for three years before her eventual capture in 1943.

Read more

Dr Vigurs has been studying the Special Operations Executive for a number of years and wrote her PhD on the topic;

“I wanted to tell all 39 stories in one book as a sort of group biography; looking at their past lives, and the ways they interacted with each other. They were ordinary people who were taught to do extraordinary things. Many were housewives, thrust into a world of war.”

She has worked on a number of historical projects including writing television and stage scripts for historical adaptations and speaking on the national news.

She said she hopes to continue to study the SOE in the future and look into the lives of the many other agents who were a part of it.

The book has been praised by Military History and was also named book of the month by History Revealed. More about the novel can be found on Dr Vigurs’ website.

Harrogate couple in ‘frantic rush’ to get home from Portugal

A Harrogate couple who went for a delayed honeymoon in Portugal have been forced to cut their celebrations short.

The government announced yesterday that Portugal would move to the amber list next Tuesday, meaning anyone returning from that date will need to isolate for 10 days.

To avoid the isolation period and extra cost that comes with additional tests, Britons in Portugal are trying to fly home before the change comes into effect.

However, with so many people trying to get back at the same time airlines have increased the cost of tickets.

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Hamish and Gemma Coventry got married on March 21 2020 and had to cancel their dream honeymoon to the Maldives.

They jumped at the chance to go to Portugal when it was on the green list and enjoyed the week so much that they booked in for another week.

But Gemma was on the beach when she found out that Portugal was moving off the green travel list. She told the Stray Ferret:

“We have made the most of the holiday and have had a lovely time but it was stressful when we were trying to book flights back.

“If we kept the original return flights we would have to isolate for 10 days and Hamish would miss the start of his new job.

“So we needed to get a flight back urgently. So many people have been scrambling for flights and the prices have jumped up astronomically.

“I don’t understand it. There was plenty of room on the flight out but now we are all cramming on to a full flight back to the UK.”

The couple did manage to secure new tickets, although they said prices had jumped up by £400, and should be returning to the UK on Sunday.

 

Harrogate DJ-turned-plumber eager to return to music on June 21

A Harrogate DJ who has turned to plumbing over the last year is anxiously waiting for the moment he can get behind the decks again.

Ed Marshall has kept a keen eye on the coronavirus numbers recently, particularly in the run-up to the full lifting of lockdown on June 21.

Like many in the industry, the past year has been hard for Ed. He has been a DJ for 25 years but has lost thousands of pounds in cancelled events due to coronavirus.

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When coronavirus first hit he suffered more than 30 cancellations in one day. Soon his packed schedule had been reduced to nothing.

Instead he has thrown himself full-time into his brother’s plumbing business Andy Marshall Plumbing and Heating.

The government has not yet confirmed all restrictions will be lifted this month but many of Ed’s clients are confident and have booked him for events. He told the Stray Ferret:

“It’s all I have known, going out and doing parties so the last year has been a nightmare.

“I think people are looking forward to it. I mean the first event I have got booked is a young farmer’s 21st birthday so it’s going to be absolutely mental.

“Well I thought maybe it’s nice to have a couple of months as a break but nobody was expecting more than a year.

“I have got a really good day job but for people out there who rely on the entertainment industry, they have been forgotten.”

Are you in an industry keen to get back to work on June 21? Tell us your story by sending an email to contact@thestrayferret.co.uk.

Harrogate residents call for action on speeding cars outside schools

Harrogate residents have called for the 20 mph speed limit outside four schools in the town to be enforced.

So far more than 150 people have signed an online petition, which can be found here, urging safety action on Pannal Ash Road.

Pannal Ash Road used to have speed activated signs but they were removed to save money last year.

The petition highlights a North Yorkshire County Council survey that found 80% of drivers exceeded the speed limit on Pannal Ash Road.

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In just one day, the council found that out of 3,974 drivers only 366 drove at the 20 mph limit. The majority drove between 20 and 30 mph but 613 drove between 30mph and 50mph.

Ruth Lily, who created the petition with her neighbour Jenny Hayward, told the Stray Ferret:

“Ten years ago my daughter was walking to school and her friend was hit by a car. They thankfully made a full recovery.

“After that the council put in some measures to control the speed but the signs were removed last year.

“Ever since then I have noticed that cars have started to drive at increased speeds on Pannal Ash Road.”