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.

Don’t sell Ripon Spa Baths

Let people and businesses enjoy the Stray!

With reference to Barry Adams’ letter about turning the Stray into an ‘uncontrolled beer garden‘.

As a reminder of the past year, we have endured a pretty significant event in our history. Living through a pandemic, through lockdown and (understandably) having limited travel enforcements, it’s been a pretty torrid time. The proposal, which I understand was knocked back by the Duchy of Lancaster, provided a way of establishing some level of normality and relief.

I’m always amazed when people want to prevent the enjoyment of others. Our town is gifted with a huge piece of land, yet some people feel it’s their place to make sure others can’t make full use of it. Grass grows back; we learned this from the after events of the UCI Cycling Championship. You’d never know it took place.

I think it’s a shame that the Duchy didn’t let these proposals go ahead. It would have been an uplift for the town. The Stray needs to be considered an area for common enjoyment, not some kind of area to be looked at from a distance or at speed. It’s great to see folk of all ages using the Stray for whatever sort of celebration. If there was ever a good time to make full use of the Stray, it’s now.

Stu Mitchell, Pannal Ash

Never a better time than now to open up the Stray

The Stray IS for the people’s benefit, surely? We need to be outdoors as much as possible. The alternative? Little space outdoors means more people indoors = more possibility of infection rates going up.

There was never a better reason for opening the Stray than for such a purpose, in my view.

Has this person not heard of the many events held on the Stray where people buy drinks, and food?

Please, Harrogate, let the people use this tiny slither of the Stray for their health, if nothing else.

Teresa Liddell Shepherd, Harrogate

Recycling rules

I queued to get into the Wetherby Road recycling depot with a fridge in a trailer. No trailers were allowed but I managed to get rid of it anyway.

Maybe I have just fallen foul of a rule which has been in for a while but I wonder how the council expects people to get rid of bulky items, which won’t go in a small car or are too dirty, eg too many clippings for the fortnightly green bin collection or too wet and leafy to decently burn and would have gone into the large recycling skips.

Trivial but infuriating.

Pete Dennis, Harrogate

Got 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.

Fifteen years ago Paul Donkin applied for a job as a waiter at the St George Hotel in Harrogate.

Now he is the hotel’s general manager and recruiting his own team of staff ahead of re-opening on May 17.

At 35, Mr Donkin may seem relatively young to hold such a senior position at one of Harrogate’s premier hotels.

But he has worked in hospitality since he was 15, lived in Harrogate for the last decade and a half and is brimming with ideas to revive the 90-bed St George.

The hotel, opposite the Royal Hall, is steeped in history but has had a troubled recent past.

After a multi-million pound refurbishment in late 2018, it closed during the first lockdown 13 months ago and then its owner, Shearings Hotels, went into administration in May.

The St George was one of 39 hotels in the group bought by Coast and Country Hotel Collection under an agreement with management company Bespoke Hotels.

Few people, besides a caretaker, have been inside the building for the past year, so it remains in superb post-refurbishment condition.

Gin bar

Mr Donkin’s plans include changing the menu, re-starting weddings and creating a gin bar.

He also wants to create an afternoon tea room, which seems a brave thing to do in a town not exactly under-served by tea rooms. But he sees an opportunity to entice locals to enjoy a brew beneath the magnificent stained glass domed ceiling in one function room.

He also has plans to improve the Dog and Duck bar, which has lacked the appeal of some other Harrogate hotel bars despite its central location. As part of this, he has been talking to Cold Bath Brewing Company about introducing new beers.

What about reviving the hotel leisure club and swimming pool? The pool has been drained. Mr Donkin says:

“It’s on the radar of the owners. The Majestic and Rudding Park are the only hotel leisure centres so it would be nice to have one.”

Read more:

• St George Hotel in Harrogate set to re-open
• Famous Georgian hotel in Knaresborough goes on the market

Mr Donkin is currently recruiting about a dozen staff for what he calls a ‘soft launch’ in May. He says:

“Once we pick up speed we will be recruiting more.”

What does he think will be the biggest challenge in the new covid world? He replies immediately:

“Customer confidence. Everyone is still a bit nervous about sitting in a restaurant with up to 100 other people.”

‘Harrogate remains a great destination’

At York Pavilion Hotel, where Mr Donkin was previously general manager, he says  more people booked directly with the hotel rather than through websites when it briefly re-opened after the first lockdown in September so they could ask questions about the covid protocol.

He predicts this will continue and there will be more last minute bookings until people feel confident again about going away. He says:

“It’s not going to be easy. But hospitality in Harrogate has always been strong. It’s always been a great destination to come to. We live in one of the most beautiful parts of the country.”

Although he welcomes the impending reopening of Harrogate Convention Centre, he says the town’s hospitality sector needs to be less dependent on it and “explore other avenues, such as leisure and corporate travellers”. He adds:

“I don’t think we will ever be back to where we were, with 200 or 300 people regularly attending conferences. People do that on Zoom now.”

Mr Donkin, who is married with two children and plans to run his first marathon in October as part of an ambition to complete a triathlon, clearly has a task on his hand. But he knows what he is letting himself in for.

He has worked at many of the town’s major hotels, including the Cedar Court, Old Swan and Crown, and knows the other hoteliers.

“In York, we knew each other but there wasn’t the same community feel as there is in Harrogate.

“I’ve been very excited since I got the role and can’t wait to re-open.”

A fly tipper has dumped several bags of rubbish near Fewston reservoir as more people head out to enjoy the sun and easing of lockdown.

The rubbish was left on Meagill Lane between Wednesday night and Thursday morning. It is unclear who is responsible.

Harrogate Borough Council, which cleans up after fly tippers, is aware and should be sending out a team soon.

Graham Hebblethwaite, chairman of Washburn Parish Council, told the Stray Ferret:

“It is one of the worst fly tips I have seen in the area. We normally get around three or four bags worth, but this is a lot more.

“There are plenty of ways you can get rid of your rubbish, there’s a recycling centre not too far away so why dump it here?

“When people leave so much rubbish it spoils it for everyone. We try our best to keep the area clean, but people should clean up after themselves.”

Washburn Parish Council has organised a litter pick at 10am tomorrow, but will mainly focus on rubbish thrown out of car windows and dropped on walks.

Read more:

• Council set to retain single-sex sessions at Turkish Baths
• Tea and cakes overlooking Swinsty reservoir set to resume

The owners of a soft play centre in Harrogate have revealed that it is closing after five years in business.

Winkies Harrogate, based in Starbeck, has only been able to open for a couple of months over the last year.

It has been closed since January under the third national lockdown and will not be reopening with other soft play centres on May 17.

With the doors shut for so many months, the owners of the small independent business said Winkies is no longer viable.

Read more:

• Goose play centre set to go into liquidation
• Harrogate empty shops to reveal town’s links to famous faces

A statement by Zoe and Victoria, who run Winkies Harrogate, said:

“To all of our lovely customers, one year ago we never envisaged what the year ahead held for us.

“It is with much sadness that we have to let you all know Winkies is no longer able to open its doors.

“We have loved meeting so many families who have enjoyed not only the soft play centre but have attended our wonderful classes and birthday parties.

“We have tried hard to keep winkies going but quite simply the business is no longer viable.”

The pair also thanked customers and added they will “miss the Winkies community very much”.

When Winkies shared the news on its Facebook page it received more than 200 comments from people sharing memories of the play centre.

It is the second children’s play centre to close recently. Goose, which was based on Hornbeam Park, went into liquidation in August last year.

A Liverpool fan from Knaresborough has recalled the horror of attending the Hillsborough disaster, which happened 32 years ago today.

The Stray Ferret asked David Houlgate, founder of the Harrogate district branch of the Liverpool FC Supporters Club, about his memories of the day that claimed the lives of 96 Liverpool fans in a crush on the Leppings Lane end.

A 2016 inquest ruled the supporters were unlawfully killed due to grossly negligent failures by police and ambulance services.

A total of 43 Liverpool fans from the Harrogate district travelled by coach to the 1989 FA Cup semi-final between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest at Hillsborough Stadium in Sheffield.

The coach departed from Gracious Street car park in Knaresborough and picked up fans in Starbeck, Harrogate and Leeds.

David was 21 at the time and travelled on the coach with his mum Diana, who was the branch secretary.

He was in the upper tier of the stand and saw members from Harrogate pulling people out of the pen where the crush took place. He recalls:

“I was fortunate not to be in the pen but we had some really young lads in there. We were lucky that we all survived.

“When it was happening you saw people starting to climb fences and police pushing them back in. You could see supporters on the pitch resuscitating people. You saw supporters carrying people on old advertising boards. It was clear something dreadful was happening.”

Read more:

• Harrogate footballer’s journey from Killinghall Nomads to Tokyo Olympics
• Football club’s fury at plans to axe Harrogate sports pitch for housing

There was an emotional wait back at the coach for the Harrogate and Knaresborough fans to return. Fortunately, all did. David said:

“You’re suffering from shock and you’re not computing it all.

“Nobody had mobile phones back then and everyone had families with parents sat at home, wondering if we survived.”

David still travels to Liverpool games on the coach with fans from the area. He said he shares a bond with the few fans left who were at Hillsborough and also still go to games.

Due to lockdown, he is currently working from home and said time alone can trigger painful memories.

He remembers the 96 people who lost their lives as well as the countless others who were affected by the tragedy.

He added:

“I’m sat at home now thinking about it. It’s with you all the time and impacts on how you look at life.”

Traders at Harrogate Farmers’ Market reported good sales today when they returned after the easing of lockdown restrictions.

The market was held on Cambridge Street for the first time since January and featured 25 stalls selling everything from a hog roast to woollen blankets to vegetables.

The market, organised by Yorkshire Farmers’ Markets, is normally held on the second Thursday of each month but it moved this month to coincide with the reopening of shops.

The town centre was busy today, with people enjoying a walk around the shops and a coffee in the sun.

Ryan Jepson, who pitched his cheese stall at the top of the street, said sales were comparable with pre-covid levels:

“Today’s back to where it was before really. It’s good to be back here. Of course, the more markets that reopen the better for us.

“The town looks different with places closed now. As cafes open indoors it’ll get busier again. It’s interesting to see how different people are shopping, using card over cash, keeping away from the stall etc.”

Read more:

• Harrogate’s empty shop windows are getting a new lease of life to show the town’s connection to some famous faces.
• Council leader says Harrogate’s footfall could decline if there isn’t change.

One of the outdoor market’s longest-serving traders, John Piercy, of Piercy’s Pork was also pleased with how it went:

“Yes it’s been really good today, a lot of our regulars are back. Every market we get fresh customers and I hope they all cotton on to our product and come back. People are wanting to support local now. It’s nice to be back out again.”

Fran Cawthorne, from Yorkshire Blankets, was happy to be outside again after moving to online sales over lockdown:

“It’s been quite busy — we’ve done alright, it’s been a good day. It’s nice to be back out and chatting to customers again.

“We love coming to Harrogate, people have been buying a lot of blankets from us today for when people are sat outside in beer gardens.”

During 19 days this summer there will be no covid vaccinations at the Great Yorkshire Showground due to other events taking place at the site including the Great Yorkshire Show.

The Yorkshire Event Centre at the showground has been the district’s mass vaccination site since the inoculation programme began in December. The NHS has an agreement to use the site until August 13.

Yorkshire Agricultural Society revealed last week that the GYS will take place over four days from July 13 to 16.

A spokesperson for the NHS North Yorkshire Clinical Commissioning Group said they will schedule vaccine delivery and appointments around the dates when the site is unavailable.

They added other sites such as the former Lidl in Knaresborough and Ripon Racecourse will still be available on these days, supply permitting.

A spokesperson said:

“We have a lease agreement in place for the Yorkshire Events Centre which retains the site until August 13. During this time we will schedule clinics at the YEC in line with available vaccine supply and demand as we have done so far in the programme and these will not necessarily take place every day, particularly as demand reduces as we move through the vaccination cohorts.

“Up until then there will be 19 days on which we will be unable to use the Hall for vaccination clinics and we will schedule our vaccine delivery and appointments to accommodate those dates. However other sites such as the Knaresborough Pharmacy site and Ripon Racecourse will still be available on these days (supply permitting) so there will continue to be flexibility of vaccine delivery across the Harrogate area.”

Read more:

• No covid vaccines for under-50s at Great Yorkshire Showground in April
• ‘It’s been superb’: Nidderdale welcomes Pateley Bridge vaccination centre

Heather Parry, managing director of the Yorkshire Event Centre, added:

“We are very proud to serve the NHS during the pandemic by providing a safe and secure space for the vaccination centre at Yorkshire Event Centre.

“Our agreement with the NHS has always been based on the understanding that when it was safe for events to resume at the Showground, we would work together to find the best solution and I’m delighted that we have been able to do so.

“I’m full of admiration for the NHS staff whose efforts mean thousands of local people have benefited from the vaccination programme here so far.”

The Liberal Democrat group on Harrogate Borough Council last night walked out of a special meeting on local government reorganisation, branding it a “waste of time and money”.

Councillor Pat Marsh, leader of the Lib Dems, said she “could not genuinely understand” why the virtual meeting called to submit a consultation response on how the future of North Yorkshire councils should take shape was needed as the authority had already made an official bid five months ago.

All seven Lib Dem councillors left the meeting halfway through in what the Conservatives described as a “stunt” – with council leader Richard Cooper accusing them of a “total abdication” of their responsibilities as councillors.

He said:

“I do not think when you are elected, walking out is a very constructive move – that is not what the public elected you for

“Stepping away from the debate, stepping away from the consultation and stepping away from the discussion when you are elected to have that discussion on behalf of your constituents is a total abdication of the responsibilities placed on councillors.

“I find it astonishing that this debate about the future of services for people has been reduced to a stunt – and not a very effective stunt at that.”

The government-run consultation follows an announcement last summer that North Yorkshire’s two-tier councils will be replaced by a unitary structure in order for the county to unlock a devolution deal.

Harrogate Borough Council – along with six other districts – has submitted a bid for two unitary councils split on an east/west basis, while North Yorkshire County Council is behind proposals for a single authority for the entire county.

Read more:

• 100 businesses back east/west model to replace North Yorkshire councils
• Devolution campaigns ramp up amid consultation

Speaking last night, councillor Pat Marsh said the meeting was not only a “waste of time” but also a “waste of public money” as the districts have already spent more than £200,000 on consultancy company KPMG to produce a report making their case to the government.

She said:

“Back on 4 November 2020, this council made a decision to submit to the government an east/west model. So why are we here tonight being consulted on something we have already made a decision about?

“This meeting is not only a waste of time but a waste of public money. The KPMG report that this council paid for made the points the council wanted to make and no matter what is said tonight the responses will not change.”

It was agreed last night that the council would submit two responses to the consultation – one in support of the east/west model and one opposing the single council bid.

A final decision on which path to take will be made by Local Government Secretary Robert Jenrick this summer and subject to Parliamentary approval.

It is expected that any new unitary council would be fully operational from April 2023 with transitional arrangements and elections expected to be in place in 2022.

The consultation is open to anyone and will run until 19 April.

To have your say visit here.

Transdev has agreed to buy the West Yorkshire-based Yorkshire Tiger bus service from Arriva UK Bus.

The French company, which operates the 36 route between Ripon, Harrogate and Leeds, announced the preliminary agreement today. It did not return inquiries from the Stray Ferret about the cost of the deal.

The sale is expected to be completed in summer.

A Transdev statement said  Arriva’s 163 employees will transfer to Transdev Blazefield, which employs over 1,200 people at eight operating centres across the north of England.

Local bus services would not be affected, it added.

The sale includes Arriva’s two depots at Elland, near Halifax and Waterloo in Huddersfield, as well as 61 buses.

As part of the deal, Arriva’s 163 drivers, engineers, cleaning and support staff at the two depots will join Transdev, which employs 1,200 people at eight centres in the region, including Starbeck.

Read more:

• Harrogate buses are the best, says Transport Secretary Grant Shapps
• Harrogate’ rural bus services not good enough, says councillor

Transdev Blazefield chief executive Alex Hornby said:

“We are thrilled to be growing our team and our company, and are really looking forward to serving this part of West Yorkshire for the first time.

“This demonstrates Transdev’s long-term commitment to develop our business here in the north of England, building on a clear track record of success.

“At this critical time for the bus, we believe it can play a key role in enabling our economic recovery, both locally and nationally.

Yorkshire Tiger’s day and season passes are expected to be integrated into Transdev’s range of travel tickets, and travel company West Yorkshire Metro’s range of tickets will continue to be valid on all its services.

The sole exceptions to the deal are the 231 and 232 Huddersfield to Wakefield routes, which are planned to remain within Arriva as part of its Yorkshire business.

Empty shops in Harrogate are to get a new lease of life by telling the story of the town’s links to famous people.

Harrogate Business Improvement District , which aims to drive footfall into the town centre, has collaborated with Harrogate historian Malcolm Neesam on the project.

It has already installed the first window vinyl in the former Hotter store on Cambridge Street.

The window features Sir Edward Elgar, The Beatles and Louis Armstrong, who all have connections with Harrogate.

The Beatles played at the Royal Hall in March 1963 and Louis Armstrong performed at the same venue in October 1933.

Elgar was a regular visitor to the town. He would often stay at the Crown Hotel and the Majestic Hotel. A walk in Valley Gardens is named after him.

Read more:

• Footfall in Harrogate will decline without change, says council leader
• Free walking tours back with new focus on Harrogate people

Over the coming weeks Debenhams on Parliament Street and Swarovski on James Street will also be transformed.

These will tell the stories of Harrogate’s connections to Agatha Christie, Sir Winston Churchill and Charles Dickens.

Creative agency The Lift Agency, and signs and graphic experts De-signs are also involved in the project.

Harrogate BID chair Sara Ferguson said:

“I think the first window looks absolutely fantastic, and will help instil pride in our town, and also give people another reason to visit.

“There is nothing worse than seeing empty shops and what we are doing is helping to create a town that is a fabulous place to shop, eat and drink, one that is interesting, and one that is proud of its history and heritage.

“I would like to thank Malcolm Neesam for penning the words, and our two other partners in this project, De-signs, and The Lift Agency for creating these superb vinyl graphics.”