My Year: Harrogate pub landlord on a ‘horrible’ year

Coronavirus restrictions have been brutal on Harrogate’s hospitality sector. Marik Scatchard, the landlord of Christies Bar on Kings Road, explains what it has been like running one of the town’s most popular pubs.

New Year’s Eve last year was a busy night and at that point, we had no idea how the year would turn out.

It was terrible when we got locked down in March. We had to throw about £2,000 or £3,000 worth of beer down the drain. That didn’t feel good.

We got the £25,000 grant which the government thought would see us through, but the pub company we are with charged full rent during the closure. It didn’t help us – it just helped the pub company.

I was in favour of the lockdown because nobody knew what was going to happen. The virus is not great for some people.

Because I’ve got three children in school, I’ve had two lots of having to isolate for 14 days, and we all got covid at one point. We were all alright after two or three days. I didn’t really have any symptoms. My partner was rough for three or four days. My little lad, you wouldn’t have known he had it if he didn’t have a test.

Read more:

During the lockdown, I went into the pub to collect post and make sure it was secure. I’ve been a landlord at Christies for 13 years but it was horrible seeing the pub empty. It’s worse now seeing it empty because, before, everywhere was closed, so you took it on the chin.

When the last lockdown happened in November, everywhere was open except hospitality. It feels like we’ve been unfairly treated compared to other sectors. All these shops are rammed but you can’t come into a pub and sit at a distance, it doesn’t make any sense.

Christies Bar, Kings Road.

But when we reopened in July, we spent a lot of money to make sure it was covid safe. We’ve had no cases in the pub and we were very busy in summer. We thought, ‘if it carries on like this, we’ll be alright for Christmas’.

We very much depend on conference trade. There are massive ones in July and September. The British and International Golf Greenkeeping Association conference is usually in January and we can take about £30,000 in just three days. That will be gone next year.

You can’t see an end to it and I don’t think we’ll be open properly until Easter. But I think trade will be good again.

Harrogate charity launches UK’s first meals on wheels loyalty scheme

A Harrogate not-for-profit organisation is launching the UK’s first meals on wheel loyalty scheme to bring the service into the 21st century.

Harrogate and Ripon Food Angels has been providing meals on wheels since 2012.

A total of 120 people are signed up to receive the daily and weekly meals. A main meal costs £5.20 and £6.40 with a dessert.

Under the loyalty scheme, beginning on January 4, anyone buying 20 meals will receive a free teatime treat.

The treat options include a sandwich, soup and crisps, a slice of cake and a pack of tea bags.

Harrogate and Ripon Food Angels is part of Harrogate Neighbours, a charity that provides services for older people.

Sue Cawthray, chief executive of Harrogate Neighbours, said:

“More and more people are having to shield and isolate and perhaps wouldn’t think that a regular hot meal delivery service of this kind is right for them, but we hope that by re-branding it and bringing the service into the 21st century we can appeal to more people in need of this vital service.”

Read more:

Harrogate Neighbours has received a number of awards for its meals on wheels service.

The charity aims to improve the lives of older people in Harrogate. Besides delivering meals, it offers a domiciliary service to prevent isolation.

It also operates two sites; Heath Lodge, a residential care home and The Cuttings, an extra care housing scheme.

To inquire about volunteering, click here.

My Year: Peter Banks recalls confusion, poor communication and curfews in hospitality

In the latest in our series of personal reflections, Peter Banks, managing director of Rudding Park, takes us through the radical changes of his year.

January

Reports of an Epidemic in China. We seemed to think it was a purely Chinese problem.

I attend the Hotel General Managers conference in London on January 20-21; the key note speaker was a futurologist, some bloke who is supposed to be able to tell us what the trends and issues are coming in the future. Not ONE mention of a global pandemic – some futurologist he was. I wonder if I’d get my money back……..

February

Italy suffers really badly with overflowing hospitals and whole towns shut down. We still allow our population to go skiing to Italy. We watch in horrified fascination, a sort of voyeuristic “rubber-necking” at a crash on the motorway. We still refuse to believe it will happen to us.

March

Spain and France are the next countries to suffer and impose severe lockdown and curfews. We follow the “herd immunity” theory and allow Cheltenham races and European football matches to go ahead.

March 16 – Boris throws the hospitality industry under the bus when he tells the population not to go to pubs, restaurants or hotels. 500,000 hospitality jobs lost in one week as a tsunami of cancellations hits us. I convince all of my team to take a 40% pay cut to see us through to the end of June.

March 20 – Guests are leaving on the Friday night, in tears, telling me I should be shut now. The feeling is of a country on the verge of a war.

March 21 – I close the gates of Rudding and the hard work really starts as we try to contact every guest and alter their arrival dates. We try to move dates rather than refund as we are not sure how long we will stay cash liquid.

Rudding Park closes its gates as the coronavirus lockdown approaches

March 23 – Rishi comes to the rescue with the incredibly generous furlough scheme that saves millions of hospitality jobs and means that my team only need to take a 20% cut.

April

We have a skeleton team staying in the hotel for security, grass cutting and fire. I stay one week and start feeling like Jack Nicholson in The Shining. Less “Here’s Johnny!”, more “Here’s Banksy!”. Two of my team start a 100-day stint staying in the hotel. Respect.

We start talking with the bank for CBILS loans and overdrafts. I redo the budget four times before it is satisfactory. Frankly it’s all guesswork anyway as we have no clarity, no plan and no communication from the government. I imagine they are even more up to their necks in it than I am. The daily briefings become a depressing tally of cases and deaths, but there seems to be no clear planned escape route.

The weather is amazing, we would have been heaving at the golf, spa and terrace if we had been open. Heartbreaking. We start taking bets that when we reopen it will start raining.

May

I start going a little crazy as I am not shaving, polishing my shoes or ironing a shirt. This way lies madness so I start coming in to work every morning – in my suit, polished Oxfords and clean-shaven.

We reopen the golf on the May 14, and are given 24 hours to get the course open. Boris announces this in a sort of “off the cuff” manner on Sunday night. Great planning and great communication. Not.

June

Four balls allowed, I have my first contact from the EHO about the external bar at the golf. Apparently guests can bring their own beer from Sainsbury’s and drink it in the car park, or I can sell them beer and they can drink it on the side of the road. I can’t however sell them beer and they drink it on our terrace, or spread all over the estate. Social distance is possible over 200 acres, surely? Apparently not. Them’s the rules.

We try to keep our team engaged with volunteering for Ripon Walled Garden and the “Rudding Pop-up Litter Pick”. We collect over a tonne of rubbish from around Harrogate by hand.

Rudding Park staff went out litter-picking in the summer

July

Hallelujah!!!! We are open!!!

July 4 – Holiday Park reopens.

July 14 – Hotel reopens.

July 25 – Spa reopens.

We have planned and implemented so many Covid secure ways of operating: masks, visors, temperature checkers, apps, sterile cutlery bags, staggered dining times, online check in and out – the list is endless.

Staff return to work in a panic. They don’t know what they are allowed to do, are afraid of talking to guests – daily tears are the order of the day.

Guests are delighted to be back, and are very understanding. I (foolishly) hope that this will be a sea change in guest behaviour towards staff. This good behaviour lasts about two weeks before usual service is resumed. Silly old me, ever the optimist.

August

Steam rooms and saunas are still closed by law. This apparently is our fault and guests get really annoyed. I suggest that they write to Mr B Johnson, 10 Downing St, London WC1.

The world goes mad with the “Eat Out to Help Out” scheme. A month ago we weren’t allowed to see each other, now we are encouraging restaurants and pubs to be full. The irony! Still, we have to join in as we have to take the opportunity to make some money as the bank still needs paying.

Rishi announces a 5% VAT rate on food and accommodation. Tremendously generous and is the difference between many hospitality businesses being solvent or going bust.

September and October

The incredible demand continues and we are so busy. Some guests are Covid deniers and swear and shout at staff when we ask them to wear a mask or tell them what the “rule of six” means. Guests book two separate tables of six and then push the tables together.

The ridiculous curfew starts. Most guests behave and go to bed, some bend the rules by ordering room service drinks, then walking out of their bedroom and sitting in public areas in the hotel. Guests complain, swear and shout when we try to enforce the curfew. Again, a lack of clarity. I wonder whether the government actually asked an hospitality operator how these rules would work in practice. Somehow I doubt it.

November

Here we go again. Closed on November 4. This lockdown is not a real lockdown however – more of a just hospitality and retail closed. We use the time to refurbish the Clocktower restaurant – we can make as much noise as we want and not disturb guests.

December

The impenetrable tier system starts. Guests in Tier 3 are “advised” not to travel, but it is not illegal. This creates great confusion for guests: are they allowed to stay or not? We tell guests that they are “advised” not to travel, but we are open. The Government needs to make some unpopular decisions, that’s what leadership is about sometimes – you can’t always be everyone’s mate.

December 20 – The new variant is announced and the Government is finally forced into making an unpopular decision. At last he acts like a real leader. We have 45 rooms cancel for Christmas, but at least it’s clear. At last the communication is getting better.

We planned a different New Year’s Eve at Rudding. Because of the curfew we decide to be creative and change time! We will give every guest a watch with the time set two hours forward so that 10pm GMT is 12pm RPT (Rudding Park Time)!!! Therefore Champagne and pipers can happen within the rules at Rudding!

December 30 – Well this really is the icing on the cake. Nine hours’ notice to close as we go into Tier 3 at Midnight tonight. New Year’s Eve we should have been full. All of the food (turbot, venison fillet, lobster) all wasted, the time spent preparing the dishes, the administration of New Year’s Eve, The watches, the recovery packs, the marketing collateral for our Rudding Park Time – all wasted. They must have known this was going to happen, but to give us nine hours’ notice? I understand the danger of the virus – but a little more notice would have been appreciated. Nine hours? Really? If I ran a company like this – I would be out of a job – pronto. For a year of poor planning and poor communication this has got to be the absolute gold star award. No wonder the Prime Minister got Matt Hancock to deliver the news. Poor old Matt – always Boris’s Stooge…….

We decide to have New Year’s Eve on December 30, rather than 31. They might have cancelled New Year’s Eve, but not at Rudding!!!!! Music, balloons, time change, smoke machines, Champagne – this is our Dunkirk, I reckon.

 

Overall, a chastening year – battered, but still standing. Still trying to look after our guests, trying to understand the impenetrable fog of directives coming from government and trying to tread the thin line between financial success and failure.

What a year. Leadership, Communication and Resilience have been the watchwords of the hospitality industry.

If there’s one thing I’ve learnt in 35 years at the sharp end of hospitality, it’s that no matter how bad today has been – the world will continue to turn, the sun will come up. The key is how we frame tomorrow. As leaders that is our responsibility – let’s kick 2020 into touch and frame 2021 with energy, enthusiasm and positivity.

Bring it on.

Woodlands pub could get controversial new name and £200,000 facelift

The Woodlands Hotel pub on Wetherby Road could be renamed West Riding Harrogate and given a £200,000 refurbishment.

Star Pubs and Bars, whose parent company is Heineken, has applied to Harrogate Borough Council for permission to overhaul the premises to give it a “fresh, modern appeal”.

According to the pub company’s website, £196,136 would be spent on the plans, which include creating a new covered seating area.

However, the proposed name change is proving controversial.

Pat Marsh, the Liberal Democrat borough councillor for Harrogate Hookstone, said local people were attached to the Woodlands name and she hoped the owners would rethink plans to change it.

Cllr Marsh told the Stray Ferret she believed there had been a pub called the Woodlands on the site since at least the 1940s. She said:

“I welcome the investment as it’s a very good local pub in the heart of the community but please don’t change the name.

“Why would they want to name it West Riding? We’re in North Yorkshire. The logic of that name doesn’t chime with me so I’d be very disappointed if it happens.

“They’ll do themselves a disservice and they need the local community to support it.”

A computer generated image of how the pub might look.

Read more:

Star Pubs and Bars is advertising for a landlord to take over the pub, which it says has an annual turnover of more than £600,000.

Its website says:

“The pub has the ability to attract both the local community and visitors, which combined with the right food and drink offer provides excellent opportunity for the new operator to drive trade and build the pub’s reputation.

“The refurbishment will allow for distinct trading areas for both dining and casual drinking. It will also be given a fresh, modern new look to maximise its appeal.”

The Stray Ferret contacted Star Pubs and Bars for a response but did not receive one by the time of publication.

Harrogate district residents recognised in New Year Honours

The New Year Honours list has been published tonight and a number of residents in the Harrogate district have been recognised for their services to charity and the community.

OBE

Linda Grace Shears, from Harrogate, has been made an OBE for services to charity in her role as co-founder of the Shears Foundation.

The foundation is a charitable trust that providers grants for projects that develop arts and culture, educational opportunities and the protection of the natural environment, as well as other areas.

Since it was set up in 1996, the trust has awarded £12 million in grants.

Janet Sheriff, from Harrogate, has been made an OBE for services to education in West Yorkshire. Ms Sheriff is headteacher of Prince Henry’s Grammar School in Otley.

Ms Sheriff was appointed headteacher in 2009. She became the first female head in the school’s 400-year history and Leeds’ first BME secondary school headteacher.

Read more:

BEM 

John Richmond, from Ripon, has been awarded a British Empire Medal for services to the community in Ripon.

Mr Richmond is well known in the city after becoming the youngest person to be appointed mayor in 1975 at just 39 years old. He has also taken part in the city’s traditional hornblower ceremony.

Mary Chapman, from Great Ouseburn, has also been awarded a British Empire Medal for services to children with special educational needs and disabilities.

Ms Chapman founded the charity Nuzzlets, which gives children with special educational needs and life-threatening illnesses the chance to meet animals.

Nuzzlets now hosts about 200 visits each year and supports 4,000 young people. Ms Chapman and her volunteers carry out visits to hospitals, nursing homes and local community groups as well as hosting visits on the farm.

Biggest daily covid increase in Harrogate district for 6 weeks

Another 53 people in the Harrogate district have tested positive for coronavirus — the largest daily increase for six weeks.

Today’s figure from Public Health England is the highest since November 16, when 69 infections were recorded.

The highest figure since the start of the pandemic remains 95 on November 9, shortly after the second lockdown began.

In another worrying development, the district’s R number has increased again from 1.1 to 1.2, which means every 10 people infected will pass the virus on to another 12.

Read more: 

The seven-day rate of infection for the district has risen to 126 people per 100,000. It remains the lowest in North Yorkshire.

The county average is 189 and the England average is 387.

The news comes on the day North Yorkshire moved into tier three restrictions, forcing the closure of all pubs and restaurants, except for takeaways.

Weather warning issued for Harrogate district tonight

The Met Office has issued a weather warning for snow and ice in the Harrogate district from 6pm tonight until 2pm tomorrow.

A yellow warning is in place, which is less severe than amber and red warnings, but nevertheless has potential for disruption.

Temperatures are forecast to fall as low as minus three degrees centigrade, causing widespread frost.

Some wintry showers, including snow, are also forecast — but conditions are unlikely to be anywhere near as bad as they were on Boxing Day evening when the A59 at Blubberhouses and Kex Gill, and nearby roads, were treacherous.

The cold snap is expected to continue into 2021, with temperatures not set to rise above five degrees centigrade at all in the next fortnight.

However, no significant snow showers are forecast after tomorrow.

Read more:

 

Harrogate district to move into tier 3 at midnight

The government has announced that the Harrogate district will move into tier 3.

The decision, which comes into effect at one minute past midnight, means pubs and restaurants will only be able to provide takeaways.

It will force many people to change their New Year’s eve plans.

Health Secretary Matt Hancock made the announcement this afternoon as part of a review of the national tiers.

Tier rules are based on factors such as infection rates, particularly in the over 60s, and pressure on hospitals.

North Yorkshire was previously in tier 2 but rising rates, especially in Scarborough and Hambleton, prompted the decision along with concern about the spread of the new mutant strain of covid.

The Harrogate district’s infection rate has also risen considerably over the last fortnight, albeit less dramatically.

Public Health England confirmed another another 47 positive cases yesterday and the R number rose above one for the first time in over a month.

Health Secretary Matt Hancock made the announcement this afternoon.

Read more:

What are the rules in tier three?

Do you recognise these people? Police issue plea for help

North Yorkshire Police has appealed for help identifying three people who may have information about the theft of scratch cards in Harrogate and Knaresborough.

The force issued a statement today saying it was investigating ‘several incidents’ of stolen scratch cards in October, November and December.

The incidents involved two men and a woman and occurred in stores in Harrogate, Knaresborough, York and Northallerton. The statement added:

“Officers are asking members of the public to get in touch if they recognise the people in the images as they believe they will have information that will help the investigation.”

Anyone with any information can contact North Yorkshire Police on 101, select option 2 and ask for Lucy Tate or email lucy.tate@northyorkshire.pnn.police.uk

If you wish to remain anonymous, you can pass information to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

Quote reference number 12200197512.

Read more:

 

NHS insists Harrogate Nightingale ‘can take patients if required’

The NHS has insisted the Harrogate Nightingale hospital is able to take patients despite concerns it lacks the capacity to do so.

Many people are wondering why the building remains on standby at a time when the new mutant strain of covid has sent infections soaring and put tremendous strain on hospitals.

A record 53,000 people were confirmed to have covid yesterday and hospital admissions have surpassed the peak of the first wave.

The Health Service Journal even reported yesterday there were plans to transfer patients from overloaded London hospitals to Yorkshire.

But the Harrogate Nightingale, which was set up at the town’s convention centre at breakneck speed in spring for covid patients in Yorkshire and the Humber, has yet to treat a single person with coronavirus. It has been used for CT scans.

Ripon peer Lord Newby, the Liberal Democrats leader in the House of Lords, has said the Nightingale “simply does not have the staff available to allow it to operate safely”.

Conservative MP John Redwood has called for ministers to explain why they are not using the Nightingales.

Read more:

The NHS has repeatedly declined to issue more than a brief statement in response to questions from the Stray Ferret about the Nightingale or requests for interviews.

It did so again yesterday when we asked if there were still plans to use the hospital, particularly in light of reports that the London Nightingale was being dismantled.

A spokesperson for the NHS in the north east and Yorkshire said:

“The Nightingale hospitals in the north east and Yorkshire has been running a clinical imaging service since June with more than 3,000 patients receiving a diagnostic test or CT scan, and can take patients if required.”