Harrogate Grammar resumes outdoor activities as lockdown eases

More than 200 students have completed outdoor sections of their Duke of Edinburgh’s Award challenges at Harrogate Grammar School this month, in another sign of life getting back to normal.

Eighty year 11 students spent May Day bank holiday weekend completing the practice DofE bronze award expedition, which was called off when lockdown was imposed last year.

They then went straight on to the two-day expedition, which was the final challenge of the award that tests young people’s problem solving, life skills and resilience.

The next weekend an unprecedented 144 year 10 students completed training expedition walks aimed at developing their teamwork, communication and camping abilities ahead of their qualifying DofE bronze award expedition in June.

Neil Renton, headteacher at Harrogate Grammar School, said:

“It’s wonderful to see our students getting back to normal school life, including the Duke of Edinburgh Award challenge.

“Learning is not just about being in the classroom, the skills they develop through our wide range of extra-curricular activities will serve them well for life.”

Teachers Jake Kempton and Laura Chesworth organised the expeditions and said students were delighted to be back outdoors.

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Mr Kempton said:

“Seeing the looks on students’ faces and receiving feedback from parents shows the scheme has had such a positive impact.

“It would have been easy to cancel the expeditions again this year but after the challenging 12 months these young people have had we thought it was massively important to go ahead.

“We were particularly proud to deliver the expeditions this year as it felt like a fitting tribute to the Duke of Edinburgh. As teachers we take great joy in being out there with the students as part of an experience that creates lifelong memories.”

Ms Chesworth said it was crucial the year 11 students completed the outdoor expedition as they had spent the last two years completing the award’s other qualifying sections, which involve physical challenges, learning new skills and volunteering. She said:

“They’ve shown resilience, flexibility and worked hard to adapt their challenges to still meet the criteria during lockdown.

“We wanted to do them justice by seeing them complete the award as a whole.”

To satisfy the demand for DofE expedition places, extra staff volunteered to help supervise, and outdoor adventure organisers the Lupine Adventure Cooperative provided trained and qualified DofE expedition leaders.

Other school trips are now being planned as Harrogate Grammar School eases back towards normal teaching life.

Year 11 and year 13 are both having a day of fun at Flamingo Land next week.

Year 12s studying a BTEC in outdoor education have already resumed their practical studies and are taking part in their own expedition in Swaledale and Wensleydale.

Year 7 are looking forward to the humanities visit to Bolton Abbey and geography fieldwork trips are in the pipeline.

Plans are being made for a year 9 residential trip to the Lake District next spring.

PE fixtures have resumed for the summer term.

Police investigate sudden death of woman in Harrogate

Police are investigating the sudden death of a woman in a house on Kings Road, Harrogate.

The ambulance service alerted police to the incident at 9.15am yesterday.

A man in his 40s at the property was arrested on suspicion of supplying class A drug.

He has been released under investigation while enquiries continue.

There was a heavy police presence throughout yesterday at the home, which is on the opposite side of the road to Regal Fruiterers.

No further details have been released at this stage.

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Police outside the house where the woman died.

‘Heartbreaking’ figures reveal 5,700 children in Harrogate district live in poverty

A report has revealed the extent families across the Harrogate district are facing hardship, where 5,725 children are living in poverty.

The national campaign group End Child Poverty and researchers from Loughborough University have produced the report which is based on figures from 2019/20 before the pandemic hit.

It uses government statistics to calculate the number of children who live in a household where income is 60% below the median household income of £29,900.

For a family of one adult and two children, this would leave them with £280 a week after housing costs.

According to the report, of all the children in the Harrogate district, 20.1% are considered to live in poverty – below the UK average of 31%.

The group is calling on the government to create a “credible plan” to end child poverty which it said must include a commitment to increase child benefits.

Scarily high

While Harrogate has the lowest child poverty percentage in Yorkshire, the figure still represents over one-fifth of all children living here.

Ruth Jackman is a volunteer for The Village in Harrogate which works to alleviate material poverty among families with small children

She said 5,725 children is a “heartbreaking” and “scarily high” figure.

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Ms Jackman said child poverty is often a hidden problem in the area with some women scared or embarrassed to come forward to ask for help.

She said:

“Harrogate comes across as very middle class and wealthy, but there are extremes on both sides.

“In some ways Harrogate is tougher place not to have money. Some people have a sense of shame or embarrasment. It must be incredibly hard.”

Ms Jackman added many young mums who have contacted The Village have particularly struggled during the covid pandemic. She said it’s been harder to find jobs which in turn has made it harder to pay housing costs or bills.

Families in need

The government measures child poverty differently and said over the last 10 years, child poverty fell from 28% (3.7 million) to 25% (3.5 million).

A spokesperson said:

“Latest figures show that the number of children in absolute poverty has fallen by 300,000 since 2010.

“We are committed to supporting families most in need, spending billions more on welfare and planning a long-term route out of poverty by protecting jobs through furlough and helping people find new work through our Plan for Jobs.

“We also introduced our £269 million Covid Local Support Grant to help children and families stay warm and well-fed throughout the pandemic.”

No covid patients at Harrogate hospital for the first time since August

Harrogate District Hospital currently has no patients with covid for the first time in nine months.

At the peak of the second wave in mid-February there were 68 covid patients at the hospital.

Now, the hospital has recorded zero covid inpatients – the first time since August 28.

Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust tweeted its praise to colleagues for their “immense efforts” over the past year.

It also thanked the local community for doing their bit to suppress the virus.

“And thank you to our local communities for following guidance, making sacrifices, being understanding and doing your bit. Especially if you’ve had the vaccine. Please, keep following the guidance and remain vigilant.”

For the first day since 28 August 2020, we have zero inpatients with Covid-19 in Harrogate District Hospital!

Thank you to our hospital-based colleagues for their immense efforts throughout the past year and a bit. An incredible effort. pic.twitter.com/F2J8cUTLE1

— Harrogate NHS FT (@HarrogateNHSFT) May 24, 2021

There has not been a covid death at the hospital now for six weeks. 179 people who tested positive for covid have died at the hospital since the pandemic began.

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Safety fears over Nab Bridge near Harrogate

Temporary two-way traffic lights on Nab Bridge on the A658 Harrogate Road could be in place for some time yet due to safety fears.

North Yorkshire County Council and Network Rail are currently working out how best to protect the bridge barrier that has been hit nine times in the last 18 months.

They both have concerns about debris falling onto the railway tracks below.

40mph speed signs were placed on moveable frames by the side of the road but they were stolen so NYCC said it is now waiting to erect the speed signs on steel posts concreted into the ground.

It has also commissioned consultants to look at the best long-term solution for the bridge.

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Melisa Burnham, North Yorkshire County Council area highways manager said:

“Temporary two way traffic lights are currently in place until a temporary 40mph can be introduced.

“The speed signs, and then the traffic lights, were introduced as a necessary safety measure to slow vehicles down in order to repair the vehicle restraint barrier (VRS) protecting Nab Bridge.

“Although the barrier and a blocked gully from recent flooding have both been repaired, there has been no further damage to the barrier since the lights have been in place.

“Clearly we have to make sure safety is a priority as we cannot allow the risk of vehicles breaching the VRS and falling onto the main railway line below. Network Rail has placed additional concrete blocks on their land to supplement the VRS barrier. We are now working with Network Rail to find a better long term solution at this location.

“We have commissioned our consultants to look at preliminary designs and costings for safety improvements. We are also in consultation with local residents, including the Nab Bridge riding school about any potential improvements.”

Harrogate hospital will not reopen walk-in service for hearing aid clinic

Harrogate District Hospital will not reopen its hearing aid repair clinic as a walk-in service despite the easing of coronavirus restrictions.

The clinic closed its doors to become a postal-only service early on in the pandemic, a move which has now become permanent.

Hospital bosses said the change had been well received by patients.

If the audiology team is unable to resolve a problem remotely then they will offer a short repair appointment. The team will not be able to help anyone without an appointment.

Anyone who needs a repair or new equipment should call 01423 553320 or send the team an email.

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This postal-only service has been in place for many years in Ripon, York and Scarborough. It brings Harrogate into line with the wider service.

Christine Brindle, the lead audiologist at the hospital, said:

“We’ve chosen to move in line with our wider service across the county and switch to a postal service first and foremost.

“This helps reduce the number of people coming into the hospital who don’t have to. It also means patients don’t have to make the journey to come in.

“Before the pandemic we’d often see queues of 30 to 40 people, which isn’t now appropriate. This change has actually been well-received by the majority of patients.”

Harrogate to get £1.5m to improve net-zero energy infrastructure

Northern Powergrid will spend £1.5 million of government funding in Harrogate to increase the town’s energy capacity and help prepare for future decarbonisation.

The money will be spent on infrastructure upgrades that will support more electric bus use, electric vehicle charging points or other future net-zero needs.

The funding has come from the government’s energy regulator Ofgem and is part of £53 million that will be spent on 14 projects across the north of England.

Patrick Erwin, policy and markets director at Northern Powergrid, said:

“This is targeted investment in the region’s energy networks, which will kick-start projects and increase prosperity across the north.

“We play a critical role powering the everyday lives of the communities we serve. Electricity is one of the most important building blocks for economic growth. In the coming years, our reliance on electricity will increase as we turn to electricity to heat our homes and power our cars.”

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Meanwhile, latest figures from the Department for Transport show that the number of electric vehicles licensed in Harrogate has nearly doubled since 2019.

According to the data, the number registered in the district increased from 446 at the start of 2019 to 863 by the third quarter of 2020.

By comparison, the UK saw the number of vehicles licensed increase from 199,886 to 355,872.

The government will ban the sale of new petrol and diesel cars by 2030.

Mobile testing site opens in Harrogate car park for first time

A mobile testing site has opened in Harrogate today for the first time and is set to be there three days a week “until further notice”.

NHS test and trace staff set up the site this morning at West Park car park on Tower Street.

The car park will close on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday each week for testing.

It comes as workers continue to dismantle the permanent testing centre in the Dragon Road car park near Asda, which closed on Sunday (May 23).

Health officials announced in March that the Dragon Road site would close as the Harrogate Convention Centre. The centre said it needs the space for parking.

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The move from a permanent centre to a mobile unit is a further sign that the emergency response to the pandemic is scaling back.

Matthew Robinson, head of resilience and emergencies at North Yorkshire County Council, said:

“The advantages of mobile testing sites is that we can flex and strengthen as we go.

“If cases are increasing in a particular area we will continue to provide more frequent testing in that location.”

The site at the Dragon Road car park is now closed.

This follows news that the vaccination centres in Harrogate and Ripon will also close in August.

Local pharmacy sites in Knaresborough and Pateley Bridge will play a larger part in the vaccine roll out.

For more information on testing go to www.northyorks.gov.uk/book-coronavirus-covid-19-test-if-youve-got-symptoms

Harrogate taxi firm refusing to pay £25,000 for unfair dismissal

In June 2020, Tracey Lee won an employment tribunal against Airline Taxis after they sacked her in January of last year.

But she has given up hope of ever receiving the £25,501 a judge ordered the company to pay her.

Almost a year on from the tribunal she is yet to receive a penny from the taxi firm and described the “horrible” process of trying to get her money back through the courts.

She said the system is stacked against individuals who have been unfairly dismissed.

The tribunal

Ms Lee worked on the phones for the taxi company, which is based on East Parade on Harrogate, on and off for around three years.

She said the work environment soured due to a change in management and, following a disagreement, she was sacked.

She challenged the decision in an employment tribunal in June 2020, where she was successful.

Airline Taxis failed to turn up to the hearing, but the judge ordered the company to pay Ms Lee £25,501, which included loss of earnings.

She said:

“The way they treated me was diabolical. It’s not fair what they did.”

Money struggles

In July 2020, Ms Lee went to Huddersfield County Court to try and obtain a court order to get her money back.

The court ordered bailiffs to try and recover the money from Airline Taxis. However, they have tried and failed to reclaim money or assets from the company on two separate occasions, the latest being in March 2021.

In an email sent to Ms Lee, the bailiffs said: “As suspected, there has not been a good outcome to your file” as “there was nothing to levy upon or apply pressure”.

This is because the company has no assets, including its taxis. They are instead in the name of its sole director Mohammed Suleman.

Ms Lee said she was even advised by a solicitor to “not waste any more money” on the case. She is now resigned to not seeing any of the money she is owed.

She said in the months following her dismissal, she struggled to find a new job and went into rent arrears.

“I had to sign on, it was horrible”.

Ms Lee has since found another job in Harrogate but is angry that the company has been able to avoid paying her the money, despite the employment tribunal, county court ruling and visits from bailiffs.

She added:

“The sting in the tail is that they are still trading. It’s disgusting. They are driving around like they don’t have a care in the world.”

The Stray Ferret asked Airline Taxis to respond but we did not receive a reply.

Harrogate Clothes Bank needs help to save it from homelessness

A Harrogate charity is in need of new premises to continue supporting struggling families across the town.

The Harrogate Clothes Bank offers free clothing to those in need and is currently based at McCarthy’s Storage World on Ripon Road.

The charity’s home is being let out from August so it is on the hunt for a unit of between 1,000 to 1,500 square feet it can use for free, or somewhere it can rent for well below market price.

The clothes bank is run entirely by volunteers and was set up in 2016. Families in Harrogate who find themselves in financial difficulty can get in touch with the charity on Facebook and let it know what they need.

Before the pandemic the charity was supporting 60 to 70 families each month but it says since April this has dropped to 30 to 35 families. It said this is because organisations that handle referrals could be unaware it is running fully again.

The charity expects numbers to rise again in coming months.

Co-ordinator Mike Procter said:

“There are many reasons why people may need our help, it could be due to long-term financial issues or a crisis situation causing critical need such as escaping an abusive relationship.

“We will continue to help as many people as we can.”

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The charity has said location is important. Ideally it would be based on Knaresborough Road around Starbeck or Ripon Road near Jennyfield.

Mr Procter added that if no location was found the clothes bank would have to work out of several smaller spaces and offer a delivery service.

This would mean people’s options would be vastly reduced as they would be unable to come in and choose their clothes.

It is currently in need of summer clothing donations for children and adults.

The centre is open on Saturdays between 10.30am to 12.30pm for donation drop-offs and pick-ups. It is holding a pop-up clothing sale at St Mark’s Church, Harrogate, on Sunday to raise funds.

Harrogate Clothes Bank works closely with other charities including The Village, which offers free baby clothing in Harrogate. The charity shares its space with the Canaan Trust that provides free white goods and furniture.

Another partner is Resurrected Bites in Knaresborough, which makes meals out of food headed for landfill.