Gino D’Acampo claims Harrogate restaurant rebrand was done ‘without my consent’

Flamboyant TV chef Gino D’Acampo has spoken out against the rebrand of his Harrogate restaurant to Piccolino, claiming it was done against his wishes.

This month five restaurants with the Gino D’Acampo My Restaurant name were rebranded by owner Individual Restaurants, including on Parliament Street in Harrogate.

Piccolino is also owned by the same group.

But in an interview with Manchester Evening News to promote a new restaurant in Cheshire, D’Acampo said they were rebranded “without my consent”:

“My dad used to say to me for every action there is a reaction. Those five restaurants, they were rebranded without my consent and this is my reaction, I open new ones.

“When one goes, I say let’s do something bigger and better.”

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The Restaurant Bar & Grill, which was on the site before Gino’s, is also owned by Individual Restaurants.

Press reports from last year said the Gino D’Acampo My Restaurant chain was struggling financially.

The Stray Ferret asked Individual Restaurants to respond to D’Acampo’s claim but we did not receive a response at the time of publication.

D’Acampo’s Harrogate venture got off on the wrong foot when the chef pronounced it was the only “proper Italian” in Harrogate.

His comments sparked a furious backlash at the time from a number of Harrogate’s Italian restaurant owners.

Long-awaited Otley Road cycle lane opens to safety concerns

The first phase of the much-anticipated cycle lane on Otley Road in Harrogate was completed today amid safety fears by a cycling campaign group.

North Yorkshire County Council has now completed the initial stretch from Harlow Moor Road to Arthurs Avenue. It is the first of three phases on Otley Road.

However, the junction with Harlow Moor Road has given Harrogate District Cycle Action group cause for concern.

Kevin Douglas, chairman of HDCA, told the Stray Ferret the cycle route was a “step forward” overall but the junction failed to meet safety standards:

“We can see that they have widened the junction for cars. It is great news for drivers but that was not the point of the scheme.

“In its current form I do not think it meets the minimum safety standards.

“The council is planning to widen the path at the junction by using land owned by Yorkshire Water which would improve the situation but until then it is too narrow.

“Overall I see this as a step forward. The sooner we have cycle lanes that connect houses on the edges of town with the town centre the better.”

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North Yorkshire County Council has been working closely with Mr Douglas and other local cycling groups as part of the consultation process.

Much of the route is shared with pedestrians.

Cllr Don Mackenzie, executive member for access, told the Stray Ferret:

“There has been some criticism about the fact that it is shared access with pedestrians and cyclists, but that has always been part of the design.

“I have had many conversations with Mr Douglas. He is concerned about the pinch point at the Harlow Moor Road junction but we are going to resolve the issue. It’s a fair assessment.

“We have reached an agreement with Yorkshire Water so we can widen that path. I cannot give a date on when those works will start.”

Construction of the second phase, from Cold Bath Road to Beech Grove, is due to start in April. There is still no timescale for phase three, which will connect to Cardale Park.

Mr Mackenzie also raised the prospect of eventually extending the cycle lane to Beckwithshaw. He told the Stray Ferret it would likely receive funding due to the number of housing planned for the area. Developers, as part of planning consent, would be expected to fund the route.

Global adventurer Jamie Ramsay coming to Harrogate

Adventurer Jamie Ramsay will be sharing tales of astonishing feats of human endurance in Harrogate next month.

Mr Ramsay, who has completed more than 43,000km of human-powered adventuring in 31 countries and 25 different adventures, will be appearing at Ashville College as part of the annual Kendal Mountain Tour.

The tour features adventure films and guest speakers at venues across the UK, and Ashville is once again one of the chosen locations.

The highlight of the Harrogate event on February 19 will be Mr Ramsay’s appearance.

He will tell the audience about his Atlantic to Andes cycle touring adventure, which started in São Paulo, Brazil, and passed through Paraguay before entering Bolivia and then saw him cycle over the Andes to the Salar de Uyuni and on to La Paz, covering 3,700km in 28 days.

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Festival director Steve Scott will compere the event, which anyone can attend,

Anna Rakusen-Guy, Ashville’s events and lettings manager, said:

“It’s superb to be welcoming the Kendal Mountain Tour back to Ashville College next month, with what promises to be another evening of superb films and fascinating talks.”

Tickets are available here.

Traffic and Travel Alert: Bus delays due to Killinghall temporary lights issues

The Harrogate Bus Company has revealed that its 36 service will be delayed this morning due to issues with the temporary lights in Killinghall.

Long queues either side of the village have been a regular sight since temporary traffic lights were installed on Monday but particularly from Ripley heading south.

Northern Powergrid is laying cable for an electric vehicle charger outside the new Tesco Express.

Three-way traffic lights have been installed at the junction with Otley Road. Buses and lorries are unable to turn in and out of Otley Road from Ripon Road.

That work was due to last until February 4. But residents say they had not been informed of further works due to take place from February 7 to 11.

The Stray Ferret has changed the way it offers Traffic and Travel alerts.

We will now notify you instantly through app notifications and flash tweets when there is an urgent alert. This could include heavy traffic, dangerous weather and long delays or cancellations of public transport.

The alerts are sponsored by The HACS Group.

Former Knaresborough vaccine centre to become gym

Planning permission has been granted to convert the former covid vaccine centre and Lidl supermarket in Knaresborough into a gym.

The Lidl on York Road closed in 2018 when the supermarket relocated to a larger site nearby.

In February 2021, the site was taken over by Homecare Pharmacy Services, which administered thousands of covid jabs from a building in the car park until it moved in September to larger premises on Knaresborough’s Chain Lane.

Planning consultants Lichfields said it was not able to say which gym operator will be moving into the building at this stage.

Knaresborough is currently served by a variety of gyms, including Black Wolf Fitness, XS Fitness Club and Red Strength.

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Mystery surrounds Harrogate’s wave of smiling graffiti

A wave of graffiti featuring blue smiling faces has been popping up around Harrogate.

Readers of the Stray Ferret have got in touch to say they have spotted the faces at various locations in town, especially in west Harrogate and Harlow Hill.

They all feature a blue outline of a smiley face — but what the face means and who the artist is remains a mystery.

Planters and street signs are among the items to have been sprayed blue.

The planter above, which was installed on Lancaster Road last year as part of the new Beech Grove Low Traffic Neighbourhood, is among the objects that have been targeted.

Harrogate Business Improvement District employed a new street ranger this month to remove graffiti as part of his job keeping the streets clean.

If you know more about the graffiti, let us know at contact@thestrayferret.co.uk.

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Families invited to explore top independent school Cundall Manor

This article is sponsored by Cundall Manor School.

It is ranked in the top nine per cent of independent schools in the UK and is situated in an idyllic part of rural North Yorkshire.

Now, prospective families are being invited to explore Cundall Manor School as it opens its doors for two special events in February and March.

The open days will take place at the “friendly, supportive and caring” school, which offers provision for boys and girls from the age of two to 16.

The first will be held on the morning of Saturday, February 5, followed by another on Saturday, March 26.

Amanda Kirby, who has been the headteacher at the school for almost 10 years, said:

“We hold open days to invite prospective parents to the school with the opportunity to see the school facilities and to get a feel of the Cundall experience. It allows them to meet the pupils ask them questions but also talk to the teachers as well.”

Mrs Kirby said the events provided an opportunity for the school to get a feel for who the prospective families are and in return parents and children are able to inspect the facilities and chat with pupils and staff.

She said:

“Parents can get an insight into our school culture, the curriculum and the type of pupils we produce. It also allows parents to meet our fantastic senior leadership team and they can establish a relationship.”

In terms of what the school has to offer, including state-of-the-art facilities, Mrs Kirby said Cundall Manor is “proof that the world of Enid Blyton can be at one with the 21st century”.

She added:

“Seeing is believing. Rather than driving success we promote success on an individual basis. We are not afraid to push pupils out of their comfort zone, cultivating a ‘yes’ mentality which prepares children to embrace the world and to think and act independently and without inhibitions.

“We possess excellent grass pitches for rugby, football and cricket. We have a 4G astro turf that is used for hockey, netball, football and tennis. We also possess a 20-metre, four-lane swimming pool.

Located in a magnificent 28-acre site in the Vale of York, between Ripon and Thirsk, Cundall Manor School mainly attracts pupils from a 20-mile radius, including the Harrogate district.

Mrs Kirby said:

“We attract pupils from a Harrogate as we have an extensive bus routes and one of the routes goes through the town centre.”

The open days will see parents greeted by some of the school’s prefects, before being accompanied to a welcome tent.

They will then be taken on a tour of the whole school by a prefect and will be invited to ask questions about the school and life from a pupil perspective.

Mrs Kirby said:

“During their tour of school, they will visit our Wild Wood, this will showcase some of the extracurricular activities we offer such as axe throwing, fire building and much more.

“They will then go onto our school field, which is a magnificent 26-acre field containing rugby, football and cricket pitches.

“We also have a new 4G astro turf, which allows us to mainly play hockey, but we also use it for netball and tennis.”

At the end of the tour, parents will be taken back to the tent where they will have the opportunity to speak with Mrs Kirby and her deputies. They will also have the opportunity to talk to the school’s new headteacher, Christopher James-Roll, who starts at the school in September.

Mrs Kirby added:

“Open days give prospective parents the opportunity to see Cundall in ‘full-flow’. We are not just the sum of our stunning surroundings, enriching curriculum, and extra-curricular opportunities. Parents say they can tangibly feel the friendly and purposeful atmosphere when they meet our pupils and staff. It is always wonderful to see everyone engaged in learning activities.

“Pupils lead our tours, giving prospective families a real insight into what it is like to be a pupil at Cundall Manor School. Some of these pupils have been here since they were in nursery and have many wonderful anecdotes of their time at school.

“Chatting over refreshments after the tours allows prospective families to meet with our head, head of admissions and deputies, affording parents a relaxed environment to ask any questions as they arise.

“Families leave feeling they’ve had a snap-shot into life at Cundall Manor School, ready to make informed decisions about the next steps to joining our family community.”

To register for one of the school’s open days click here to fill out a contact form or call 01423 360200.

‘Waste of money!’: Harrogate council criticised for spending £700 on social media influencer

Harrogate Borough Council has been roundly criticised for spending £700 on a social media influencer whose posts about the town received little attention.

The Stray Ferret reported yesterday that the council paid Bristol travel blogger Heather Cowper to praise its new Harrogate Christmas Fayre.

But her post about it on Facebook received just two likes, which included one from the council itself. Her post on Twitter generated no likes but a series of posts on Instagram performed better, generating up to 65 likes.

Liberal Democrat councillor for New Park, Matthew Webber, who sits on the council’s audit and governance committee that scrutinises council spending, told the Stray Ferret he was “appalled by this waste of money”. He added:

“I would have thought it was possible to arrange to pay social influencers by their results and clearly this time the results were extremely disappointing.”

Cllr Matthew Webber

Cllr Webber said the council should have used local residents to promote the town instead.

“It probably received less likes on the various social media platforms than we could have got from just posting a similar article ourselves or other local residents who have social media profiles.”

‘I’d have done it for free’

Mary Beggs-Reid is a Harrogate resident who runs a Christmas page on Facebook that has over 500,000 members. She told the Stray Ferret she would have promoted the Christmas Fayre on the page for the council for free.

Ms Beggs-Reid, who found fame for starting the Christmas jingle, said she posted a video of Knaresborough market traders in the group that received 14,000 views in an hour.

“I’d do anything for my town. I’d have done it for free.

“But they’ve paid an out-of-towner to promote us. The council don’t look into what’s going on in our town”.

Mary Beggs-Reid

‘Online vanity project’

The £700 spend was also criticised by the national group Taxpayers’ Alliance, which campaigns for a low tax society.

Harry Fone, its grassroots campaign manager, said:

“Taxpayers will be absolutely livid at this terrible waste of money.

“The council should be ashamed that it has spent public cash so poorly.

“In future, town hall bosses should focus on frontline services rather than online vanity projects.”

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It wasn’t all criticism, however. One reader contacted the Stray Ferret to say the article was unfair as Facebook is not Heather on her Travel’s primary channel.

The reader said Ms Cowper’s posts about Harrogate had performed better on Instagram although she added she wasn’t suggesting it was good value.

Destination Harrogate

The decision to use a social media influencer to promote the town was made by Destination Harrogate, the council’s tourism body.

The organisation is headed up by Gemma Rio who was appointed in September 2020. A job advert from when before Ms Rio was appointed advertised the role for a salary of around £60,000 a year.

The Stray Ferret has requested an interview with Ms Rio on three separate occasions. These have all been refused.

Gemma Rio

‘Digital landscape has changed’

The council sent a pre-written statement from Ms Rio in response to our story yesterday.

“The digital landscape has changed significantly in the last few years with around 80% of adults (53 million) using social media daily, with the average user spending almost two hours on these platforms.

“Like many other destination management organisations – as well as most businesses – Destination Harrogate is keen to capitalise on this incredibly effective marketing tool to target specific audiences, especially around the tourism and travel sector.

“Heather Cowper was chosen as she regularly appears on the lists of top 100 travel blogs worldwide and has established herself as one of the best traveller bloggers. Regularly receiving thousands of views every month on her videos, photos, podcasts and blogs.

“Heather’s content is also incredibly well written – having spent many years sharing her own travel experiences and insights – and also attracts our target demographic.

“The joy of using social media as a marketing tool is that it is often more cost-effective and engaging than traditional advertising, as we can utilise photography and video as well as words. All adverts and promotions can also be evaluated extensively; whether that’s reach and engagement or driving traffic to our website, for example.

“We can also continue to adapt and tailor our approach to future campaigns, attract new visitors, as well as understand the behaviours of our target demographic to ensure a return on our investment.

“Social media advertising and the use of influencers to increase brand awareness looks like it will continue to be one of the most beneficial marketing tools. We’re keen to continue using it to showcase what the Harrogate district has to offer and stand out amongst competitor destinations.”

Inquest to explore how Harrogate boy, 16, died in adult homeless hostel

An inquest will investigate how a 16-year-old Harrogate schoolboy, who was exploited by county lines drug dealers and struggled with mental health issues, died in a homeless hostel for adults.

Benjamin Nelson-Roux, a student at St Aidan’s Church of England High School, died in Harrogate on April 8 2020. His body was found by his mother, Kate.

The North Yorkshire Coroner’s Office held a second pre-inquest review in Northallerton today to review the evidence ahead of a full inquest.

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Jon Heath, senior coroner for North Yorkshire, listened to submissions from lawyers acting on behalf of the family as well as the various agencies involved in the case. Mr Heath said:

“In the full inquest I must consider the risk to Benjamin and the responsibility Harrogate Borough Council and North Yorkshire County Council had for him.

“He was placed in this hostel because it was staffed 24 hours a day. The hostel is for adults. Benjamin was 16-years-old. He was deemed to be ‘at significant risk of death’ just two days before he died.”

Mr Heath revealed that he would call 23 witnesses at the full inquest, which is due to be heard over 12 days on a date to be determined before July.

Harrogate hospital trust appoints new board chair

Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust has appointed Sarah Armstrong as the new chair of its board.

Current chair Angela Schofield announced she is retiring having been in the role since November 2017.

Ms Armstrong, a former director of operations at Healthwatch and chief executive of York Centre for Voluntary Service, will take up the role from April 1.

She is also a non-executive director at Harrogate Integrated Facilities, a wholly-owned subsidiary company of the hospital trust that looks after its estate.

Ms Armstrong said: 

“I am delighted to be appointed chair of HDFT. Being a non-executive director over the last few years has enabled me to understand the work that the trust does, and the difference it makes. I feel extremely proud to be part of HDFT and very much look forward to undertaking this new role.”

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Steve Russell, chief executive of HDFT, said: 

“Sarah’s vast knowledge and experience has been invaluable since she joined the trust’s three years ago and I am looking forward to working with her in her new role.

“The energy and enthusiasm she brings is infectious and her inquisitive, challenging nature keeps us on our toes and ensures we are always striving to provide the best possible healthcare for our community.”