My Year: Harrogate covid group founder’s hope for community in 2021

Susie Little set up the Facebook group Covid Co-Operation, Harrogate, as the first lockdown began, and has spent the year co-ordinating community support in all sorts of ways. She tells the Stray Ferret about the insight that has given her into the realities of people’s lives.

I was asked the other day what have I missed the most since the start of the pandemic and, without question, it’s hugs.

Not just hugs from the people I love, but the ability to hug all the amazing, kind and generous people I’ve met this year through the Facebook group, Covid Co-Operation, Harrogate, which I started in March, just before the first lockdown started.

If someone had told us before Christmas last year what December 2020 would look like, I don’t think anyone would’ve believed such a year could actually happen.

When creating the group, I thought we might end up with 100 or so people who wanted to help, and seeing it turn into a group with nearly 11k members at its peak, has been quite an experience. The wonderful group admin team and members have helped hundreds, maybe thousands, of Harrogate people over the last 10 months, with everything from shopping to buddy phone calls to furnishing new homes for homeless people who have nothing.

We raised over £11,000 for six very local charities during the first lockdown, and nearly £2,500 for Christmas presents for disadvantaged children during the second. Over and over again, people have stepped up and given their time and money to solve the problems and needs of others without hesitation.

Vaccinations are being given against covid-19

The arrival of the vaccine has given Susie Little hope for the future

News of the vaccine approval earlier this month has had a profound effect, certainly for me, on mental health going into the new year.

2020 has been so difficult mentally for everyone, irrespective of financial status or domestic set-up. Those who live alone crave company; those who don’t crave solitude! Already vulnerable families have become more so, families doing OK previously have dropped into the vulnerable category without warning, and domestic abuse has seen a truly horrific increase.

The vaccine, with enough take-up, gives us freedom to improve living conditions for the most vulnerable in our area. It gives hope and light; a belief that one day soon this will be behind us.

Personally, 2020 has given me an insight into just how difficult everyday life is for so many people, and it has been a privilege to play a small part in alleviating some of that hardship during a year which every single one of us fervently hopes never ever happens again.

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Treacherous conditions on A59 near Harrogate

Reports are coming in of dire driving conditions on the A59 Skipton Road, just a few miles from Harrogate.

Heavy snow has fallen and some vehicles have had to be rescued. A lorry also got stuck.

With sub-zero temperatures forecast tonight, the outlook is unlikely to improve overnight. Indeed, the combination of ice and snow could make matters even worse.

The A59 tonight. Credit: North Yorkshire Weather Updates

The North Yorkshire Weather Updates social media pages have been showing numerous videos and photographs of hazardous conditions, particularly around Blubberhouses and Kex Gill.

Storm Bella brought widespread flooding to the district today also.

Be careful and let us know if you have got caught up in the travel chaos.

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Looking back: Extraordinary effort to build a Nightingale hospital in Harrogate

As 2020 draws to a close, over the coming days the Stray Ferret will look at the news stories that stood out among a year of extraordinary events. 

Today, we reflect on the story of Harrogate’s Nightingale hospital. 

Harrogate found itself in the headlines when its convention centre was commandeered by the NHS to create one of the seven national Nightingale hospitals across the UK. 

On March 30 – one week after the first national lockdown began – the armed forces arrived in town to begin the process of constructing a field hospital in the events venue. 

Over the following days, huge volumes of materials arrived, from scaffolding to hospital equipment, with ambulances seen pulling into the car park and officials given tours of the site. 

Only on April 2 did NHS England confirm the plans, revealing the Harrogate Nightingale would offer 500 beds for covid patients.

Sir Simon Stevens, NHS chief executive, said it was “nothing short of extraordinary” that the new hospital in London had been set up in less than a fortnight, with support from the Ministry of Defence. 

“The NHS, working with the military, has done in a matter of days what usually takes years. Now we are gearing up to repeat that feat at another four sites across the country to add to the surge capacity in current NHS hospitals. 

“We’re giving the go ahead to these additional sites, hoping they may not be needed but preparing in case they are. But that will partly depend on continuing public support for measures to reduce growth in the infection rate by staying at home to save lives.” 

During construction, the Nightingale became the focal point for public tributes to NHS staff as part of the weekly Clap for Carers. 

NHS Nightingale Hospital Yorkshire and the Humber, Harrogate.

Work continued for three weeks before the hospital was officially opened on April 21 by Captain Tom Moore, via a video link. 

On the eve of the opening, two videos were produced thanking those who had helped in its construction. The first was created by Harrogate Convention Centre and Cause UK, while the second was made by hotelier Simon Cotton and actor Neil Granger. 

No covid patients

After the hospital was opened, the district waited to see when the first patients would be admitted. 

However, eight months on, the hospital is yet to treat a covid patient, instead being used to offer CT scans through Harrogate District Hospital. It was confirmed in May that the NHS was not paying rent for use of the site, which is run by Harrogate Borough Council.  

The agreement to use the site was initially for three months to the end of June, before being extended for another month.  

As lockdown restrictions eased, hospitality and events businesses called for a decision to be made so they knew whether the venue would be able to host any of its usual conferences in 2020. 

Negotiations continued and rumours cicrulated until, finally, the NHS confirmed on August 17 that the hospital would remain in situ until next March. A break clause at the end of October was not activated. 

It then emerged that the NHS was paying £126,000 per month to HBC in utilities, and that the total set-up costs for the hospital were £27.3m. 

‘Hand it back’

Even when the decision was announced, there were still calls for the convention centre to be handed back to HBC in order to be ready to reopen when restrictions allow, for the benefit of the local economy.  

Lord Newby, the Liberal Democrat leader in the House of Lords, who lives in Ripon, has been a vocal critic of the continued use of the venue. 

He told the Lords in October that the venue will not be able to open safely because existing NHS employees are expected to staff it, rather than additional staff being recruited. Labour MP Yvette Cooper backed up this claim in the House of Commons the following month.

Lord Newby has since called for the venue to be handed back to the council, accepting that it will “never be used”. 

A spokesperson for the NHS Nightingale Yorkshire and the Humber, however, said the venue was on stand-by ready to be scaled up with “the right mix of skills” when needed.  

Meanwhile, the vaccination programme for the district began just a few days before Christmas at the Great Yorkshire Showground. 

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Harrogate district covid rate now almost a quarter of national average

Another 30 people in the Harrogate district have tested positive for coronavirus, according to today’s official statistics.

It means the seven-day average rate of infection for the district is now 97 people per 100,000 — almost four times lower than the national average of 364.

The district’s rate has been gradually increasing for the last couple of weeks but at nowhere near the speed of southern England, where the new mutant strain of covid has been most predominant.

The district’s rate remains the lowest of the seven local authority areas in North Yorkshire. Scarborough is the highest at 234. The overall rate for North Yorkshire is 151.

Today’s figures, from Public Health England, bring the total number of infections in the district since the start of the pandemic to 4,127.

There have not been any covid hospital deaths in the district since December 10.

The district’s R number, which refers to the rate at which the virus spreads in the community, remains at 0.9. This means every 10 people with coronavirus will pass it on to nine others.

Starbeck is the worst affected local area, with 18 positive cases in the last seven days — one more than the figure for Ouseburn, Hammerton and Tockwith.

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White Christmas in Harrogate district – just!

Snow fell on Christmas Day in the Harrogate district yesterday, although it was hardly a deluge.

Most areas experienced a cold, icy day but some parts of the district had a few flakes of snow or even a light dusting.

This image was taken in Blubberhouses on Christmas day afternoon.

Although there was barely enough snow for a snowball fight. it was nevertheless enough to make 2020 a rare white Christmas.

North Yorkshire County Council gritted the main roads in the county yesterday as the cold snap continued.

It is expected to stay cold for the remainder of the year, with sleet forecast in the next few days.

My Year: Harrogate district mayor’s year brought one of ‘darkest moments’

The Mayor of the Borough of Harrogate, Cllr Stuart Martin, has had his mayoral year extended after Harrogate Borough Council was unable to hold its annual mayor-making ceremony in May. However, that was just one minor event in what has been an extraordinary year for Cllr Martin and his wife April, as he tells the Stray Ferret:

Little did I know when 2020 started that it would be a year like no other and one that would have a great personal impact on myself and my wife April.

I had been elected to the office of the Mayor of the Borough of Harrogate in May 2019, which was a great honour. A very busy year ensued, with April and I attending many different and varied events. About February, approximately eight months into our Mayoral year, news was circulating around the world of a virus that was making many people seriously ill and unfortunately resulting in many of those infected, dying.

We had our main fund-raising activity planned and it took place in the March, a Black-Tie Ball event raising £10,000 for Yorkshire Air Ambulance. The ball was a magnificent affair and everyone really enjoyed it. We didn’t know it at the time but this was to be our last event before the whole country went into the first lockdown.

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Sadly, the week following our ball, April began to feel unwell – at this stage we were unsure if it was coronavirus. However, within a few days she started displaying symptoms that suggested it was. She had developed an awful hacking cough so we followed the government guidance and self-isolated for 14 days just in case.

As time went on, April became worse, necessitating a call to 111, however the paramedics who visited didn’t feel April was ill enough to go to hospital, which was something April as a former nurse wanted to avoid. However, despite continuing to care for her at home she became so breathless, made even worse by the continued hacking cough. We had no alternative but to call 999; this time April was taken to Harrogate A&E.

This was to become one of the darkest moments of my life. I was told I was not allowed to go with her but I could say goodbye in the back of the ambulance, which I did and I went back inside my house.

This is when I realised, I may never see or speak with April ever again. April was admitted through the emergency department where she was stabilised before being sent to the Intensive Care Unit. We are a close family, but we were not allowed to meet other members of the family. I was left feeling bereft and alone: what do I do, who do I turn too?

Later that night, I had a conversation with the consultant who informed me that April was critically ill and only time would tell if she would pull through.

The turning point was when April came onto a normal ward, still very ill but at least we were able to speak and see each other through modern technology – what a relief and joy that was. In time, April was discharged home and her slow recovery began; in fact, some six months later she still experiences breathlessness and fatigue.

Harrogate’s Mayor Cllr Stuart Martin with his wife April, in their formal robes and chains.

My thanks go to not only the skilled medical staff who did save her life and to whom I will be forever grateful, but also to the ancillary staff who played an enormous part in April’s recovery, many of you who I know offered your own prayers and words of kindness at this terrible time. We were so grateful to those people who dropped off meals at our door and for all the good wishes we received.

Thankfully, we were able to move on with our year, many meetings being held over zoom. We have managed to attend events albeit socially distanced and wearing masks around the district, these included planting of bulbs in the Valley Gardens, visiting an elderly lady for her birthday, attending Remembrance services in a very different way and very early in the morning, to name but a few. However, we now have hope for the future with the vaccine rolling out across the country.

My thoughts are with all of those families who were not as lucky as myself: over 60,000 and the death toll continues to rise. I hold deep in my heart the staff at Harrogate District Hospital. My thoughts also go to the many local and national businesses who have suffered greatly, so many people have lost jobs. Finally, in the festive season, I think about our communities and the efforts and sacrifices made by everyone.

I wish everybody a very Happy, healthy Christmas, stay safe, enjoy the festivities with those you can and look forward to rebuilding our lives in 2021.

Main photo: Andrew Dobbs Photograph

Doorstep jingle founder Mary leads the ringing in Harrogate

Hundreds of thousands of people from Britain and beyond stood on their doorsteps at 6pm tonight and rang bells as part of an idea that started in Harrogate

Bilton woman Mary Beggs-Reid came up with the idea of a doorstep jingle to “spread festive spirit and help Santa’s sleigh fly”.

More than 500,000 people pledged to take part and this week Prime Minister Boris Johnson called Ms Beggs-Reid pledging his support.

The Stray Ferret went to St John’s Grove, Bilton, where Ms Beggs-Reid lives, to witness the phenomenon.

Mary Beggs-Reid

TV crews from the BBC and Sky were due to be present but the signing of the Brexit trade deal prompted them to change plans.

But the Stray Ferret was there to capture the moment when Mary led the countdown. After two minutes of jingling, carols were sung.

Mary’s inspiration for the event came from the film Elf, where New York folk sing together to power Santa’s sleigh with their Christmas spirit.

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Doubts about future of 2021 Great Yorkshire Show

The future of next year’s Great Yorkshire Show is uncertain as the Harrogate venue that hosts the event begins a huge mass vaccination project.

The NHS began the programme on Tuesday at the showground. It is expected to last several months, which raises questions about the viability of the 2021 show, which is provisionally scheduled for July 13 to 15.

Heather Parry, managing director at Yorkshire Event Centre, told the Stray Ferret is is “looking at all the options at the moment” for the 2021 event.

Ms Parry said:

“It’s a changing picture. It’s obviously a big event with lots of people so whether we do it the same way or a different way, we are keen to do something if we can.

“We don’t know how many months we’re in this for. We would like to run a Great Yorkshire Show, absolutely, whether it’s the same or different, we don’t know. We are doing lots of planning.”

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Ms Parry said none of the contingency plans involved moving the event, which has been held at the Great Yorkshire Showground since 1951, to a different site.

The show was cancelled in 2020 due to coronavirus. A virtual event took place instead with three days of video footage.

Ms Parry added that at least 200 other events have been cancelled this year at the Yorkshire Event Centre and the Pavillions of Harrogate venue, which is also on the showground, due to the pandemic.

26 more coronavirus cases as Harrogate remains in tier two

Another 26 coronavirus cases were confirmed in the Harrogate district as the area escaped tougher tier restrictions today.

The number takes the district’s total amount of cases since the start of the pandemic to 4,056, according to Public Health England data.

The district’s seven-day case average to December 20 has increased to 93 infections per 100,000 people but remains the lowest in the county.

The county wide average stands at 142 compared with the national rate of 341.

Ouseburn, Hammerton and Tockwith is the worst affected part of the district, with 20 infections recorded in the last seven days. Harrogate West and Pannal is the next highest, with 15.

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It comes as Matt Hancock, the health secretary, announced that more parts of England will be moved into tier four from Boxing Day.

Minsters discussed further restrictions today amid fears that a new variant of coronavirus is spreading.

However, North Yorkshire will remain in tier two.

Harrogate district escapes tier change in latest review

The Harrogate district is to remain in tier two as millions more people in England learned this afternoon they will be put under tougher restrictions on Boxing Day.

In a 3pm government coronavirus update, Health Secretary Matt Hancock announced that huge swathes of the country will be moved up tiers on December 26.

Essex, Norfolk, Sussex, Surrey, Oxfordshire and Hampshire will go into tier four.

Bristol, Gloucestershire, Somerset, Swindon, Isle of Wight, New Forest, Northamptonshire, Cheshire and Warrington will enter tier three restrictions.

And Cornwall and Herefordshire will move into tier two,

Minsters discussed further restrictions today amid fears that a new variant of coronavirus is spreading.

Mr Hancock said this wasn’t the news he wanted to deliver at Christmas. He added:

“Just as we have got a tiered system in place, we have discovered a new more contagious virus, a variant which is spreading at a dangerous rate.”

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Mr Hancock also announced all data on the Oxford vaccine has been submitted to the UK’s medicine regulator for approval.

Public health bosses in North Yorkshire warned this week people should brace themselves for the new variant.

They also warned that Scarborough’s case rate could see the county moved up to tier three if not brought under control.

Scarborough has the highest case rate in the county with 269 infections per 100,000 people; the Harrogate district has the lowest at 89.

The county’s seven-day case average currently stands at 139 per 100,000 people, below that of the England average at 319.