North Yorkshire County Council has organised several events and launched a new app as part of Libraries Week, which began today.

The app enables library members to view their account, search the library catalogue and reserve and renew books, as well as download e-books and e-audio books.

The week, which promotes libraries, also includes online events and activities.

Despite library closures due to Covid, about 3,000 people joined the library service over lockdown and there was a big increase in the number of e-books and e-audio books borrowed.

In the Harrogate district, the community library in Bilton and the main Harrogate library are offering virtual story tellings on Facebook this week.

Four authors and the poet, Andy Croft, are holding virtual events for North Yorkshire residents.

To find the event schedule, click here.

Bilton and Woodfield Community Library is among the libraries taking part.

Harrogate library is also holding a superhero competition for families. Craft packs can be collected from the library by families and once completed their superhero will go on display in the library.

Read more:

• The home library service offered comfort and a pass time for those isolating through lockdown. 
• The proceeds from Summerbridge author’s first book will be donated to Yorkshire charity. 

Greg White, the county council’s executive member for libraries, said:

“Nowadays, many customers expect services to be available easily on their phone. This app aims to meet those expectations.

“You’ll be able to find a local library, check its opening hours and check whether a book you’re looking for is there.”

Libraries are open to the public but each one has a limited capacity to ensure social distancing.

As well as wearing a mask, visitors are asked to limit their visit to 20 minutes.

A man suffered a punctured lung following a suspected stabbing – but the attacker was spared prison.

Daryl Hart, 46, from Harrogate, was drunk and high on cocaine when he attacked the man with an unidentified weapon.

The named victim suffered several puncture wounds to his back and two to the front, prosecutor Angus Macdonald told York Crown Court.

One of the wounds caused a punctured lung. The others were described as “superficial” but still required hospital treatment.

Hart, of Albany Avenue, had travelled to Scarborough on one of his regular visits to see family in the area and ended up at the West Riding pub on Castle Road, where he had “too much to drink” and started causing bother.

Fight breaks out

He and a named female left the pub to go looking for drugs and were followed by the victim to a flat in the town. The victim forced his way into the flat and attacked Hart, whereby a fight ensued.

Hart used “some sort of weapon” on the victim who suffered multiple wounds, said Mr Macdonald.

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He was arrested and charged with wounding with intent. He denied the allegation but admitted an alternative charge of assault occasioning actual bodily harm.

This plea was accepted by the prosecution, which offered no evidence on the wounding charge. Hart appeared for sentence on Friday.

Bit man’s ear

The court heard that prior to the offence in August last year, Hart had racked up a litany of violent offences.

In 1996, he attacked a man with a stick, breaking his arm. In another incident, he bit a man’s ear, severing it, after throwing him down some stairs.

In a separate incident in 2002, Hart and another male dragged a man out of his flat at knifepoint. The victim was stabbed with a kitchen knife, resulting in yet another jail sentence.

Defence barrister Taryn Turner said that Hart, who had serious health problems due to drink and drugs, had stayed out of trouble for a long time both before and since the incident in Scarborough.

Recorder Paul Reid criticised Hart for his shocking record and his drink and drug-fuelled attack on the man in Scarborough.

Weapon used

He said although the victim was “the first to use any sort of violence”, Hart then used “some sort of weapon” to cause the puncture wounds.

He told Hart: “It is entirely unclear what (that weapon was) and you have never said what it was.

“Normally, an offence like this, where a weapon is used to cause serious harm, would result in immediate prison, but you were not the initial aggressor and pleaded guilty.”

Mr Reid said he had also noted Hart’s “appalling” health, his remorse and the fact that he had otherwise stayed out of trouble and had been trying to lead a “quiet life”.

For these reasons, Mr Reid said he could suspend the inevitable jail sentence.
The 14-month sentence was suspended for 18 months and Hart was ordered to complete a 30-day rehabilitation programme.

A not-guilty verdict was recorded on the wounding with intent charge.

A bull, which escaped from a farm over the weekend, was shot dead yesterday after it roamed on to Pannal Golf Club and became aggressive.

Some players felt the animal’s presence uncomfortably close before the police turned up at about 11am.

The Stray Ferret spoke to a golfer, who asked to be referred to as Shed, who had to play a shot a mere 30 yards from the bull. He said:

“We saw how the bull had been racing around the course. There were marks all over. Then we got to the 12th and we saw the bull in the woods. I needed to play a shot from quite close and it was starting to scratch at the ground in agitation. I still managed to hit the ball and it was quite a good shot.”

The bull’s owner, who had been keeping a close eye on the animal from a quad bike, told police it had pre-existing health conditions.

According to North Yorkshire Police, the farmer suggested the “most humane course of action was to put it down”.

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• Could cars be banned outside primary schools in Harrogate?
• Harrogate’s Muslim community raises £85,000 for first Mosque

The police cleared the golf course and sent everyone to the club house before officers worked with a slaughterman to kill the bull.

A spokesperson for the force said the bull had pre-existing health conditions, adding:

“The animal was clearly distressed and was becoming aggressive towards members of the public. Officers were worried it could injure someone or cause a serious collision if it ran onto the main road nearby.”

A further 23 coronavirus cases have been confirmed in the Harrogate district in the last 24 hours.

Latest Public Health England figures take the total number of cases since the start of the pandemic to 1,094.

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• Plea for people in North Yorkshire to return home after the 10pm curfew
• Harrogate Mind increases services as demand for support grows

These figures have come out later than usual due to a technical issue the government says is now resolved. A notice on the coronavirus statistics page added:

“This means the total reported over the coming days will include some additional cases from the period between September 24 and October 1.”

Yesterday North Yorkshire’s Local Resilience Forum, a partnership between public agencies, called for people to go home safely this weekend following the 10pm curfew at pubs and restaurants.

The forum made the call in an effort to avoid crowds in towns across the county.

Pictures from York last weekend showed crowds gathered in the city centre streets following the 10pm closures.

Stray Jewels is a monthly column written by BBC Antiques Roadshow jewellery specialist, Susan Rumfitt. Susan started her career working for Christie’s auctioneers in Glasgow before establishing her own jewellery department, The Gallery in Harrogate.

In 2006, she joined the Antiques Roadshow and has since built up an extensive knowledge of and passion for fine jewellery. 

In my new column ‘Stray Jewels’ I will be bringing you the hidden gems of Yorkshire. From auction house highlights and Yorkshire museum treasures to the fabulous pieces I have access to at my gallery and through travels. You will have a first-hand insight into the fantastic world of jewels through The Stray Ferret.

The world of gems and jewels brings with it passion, scandal, history and power, often in equal measures – in fact even if someone doesn’t like wearing jewellery they are often interested in the design, the maker and the story the jewels may have.

As a jewellery specialist on the BBC’s Antiques Roadshow, I’m often asked ‘how did you get into jewellery?’ The answer to that would be, that it was quite simply by chance and after 25 years, I have never looked back.

A multi-gem set locket.

So how did my career begin?

Summer 1991: work experience at Sotheby’s Harrogate. This was when I knew I wanted to be in the auction world; fuelled by many years watching Love Joy and the Antique’s Roadshow on a Sunday night. There was a buzz in the air – Castle Howard were having an ‘Attic Sale’. I was enthralled by it all. The auction world was for me.

I was just about to start at Reading University to study History of Art and Architecture and as far as I was concerned a career as an Art Specialist was what I was going to pursue. When I graduated, I went on to do a Post Grad degree in Decorative Arts at Glasgow University in association with Christie’s Auctioneers. I found out I still loved art but I was now drawn to the magic of silver. At the end of the course I became a trainee in the Silver Department at Christie’s in Glasgow and was in an office which was shared with the Jewellery Specialist – I became hooked and a career in jewels began.

Would you like Susan to review one of your antique pieces?

Whether its a family heirloom or a piece you bought at an auction, Susan would like to hear from you. If you’d like her to review your jewellery, send her an email to: contact@susanrumfitt.com.

After Christie’s, I went on to work at Phillips Auctioneers. It was intense but utterly exciting. Travelling around the world as well as running my own jewellery department in London. More importantly every day was full of learning about gems and jewels. Despite the excitement I always knew Harrogate was meant to be home. In 2002 I came back to Yorkshire and had three very happy years as the Jewellery Consultant for Tennant’s Auctioneers.

In 2006 I was asked to join the ‘BBC’s Antiques Roadshow’. I had always wondered, could it happen, could I ever be on that programme as a ‘Specialist’? Yes it could happen and it did happen, dreams can come true!

In 2007 I set up ‘The Gallery’ not only as a place from which clients could buy jewellery but as a place in which to hold presentations and share my passion and interest in the history of jewellery. The Gallery has become a place for all to share a love of jewellery. Many people have said The Gallery is itself a gem within the heart of Harrogate. That gem is now brought to you all through The Stray Ferret.

Join me next month when I look at saleroom highlights in the region and consider the world of Emeralds, the stone of love and hope.

A Columbian Emerald ring never fails to please.

Do you have a piece of jewellery you would like to know more about? If so, feel free to contact Susan at contact@susanrumfitt.com. Susan will answer all your enquiries regarding jewellery. Please do not send any information regarding your jewellery by any social media platform.

Find out more about Susan’s career by clicking here.

Harrogate’s growing Muslim community has raised £85,000 to open the district’s first Mosque.

The Harrogate Islamic Association (HIA) normally meets in Christian churches or community centres but soon could have a space to call its own.

While the group does not expect to have a big meeting soon, it hopes to have the former Nidderdale Children’s Resource Centre in Starbeck ready for Ramadan next year.

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The group, which was established in 2011, has been looking for a place to convert into a Mosque for years until it found the “Goldilocks” building.

It was just the right size and the Muslim owner offered it to the group at a sizeable discount.

With 80% of the asking price already accounted for and a deadline of the end of September, the HIA went public with a fundraiser just a few weeks ago.

This former children’s centre in Starbeck could soon become a Mosque.

Zahed Amanullah, the fundraising campaign organiser, said the HIA saw an “amazing response” with some individuals donating thousands of pounds. He told the Stray Ferret:

“The building is perfect for us. We would only need to knock down one wall and decorate. We still need to get through planning but the dream is to have it open and in use by around March to April next year for Ramadan.”

The HIA plans for the Mosque to be a welcoming space for the entire community and has already had discussions with its future neighbours about how they could use it.

A new Harrogate-based provider will take over Henshaws residential services as the charity struggles with its finances.

Homes Together, which has run care homes for the last 16 years, will now run the service which includes seven homes in Harrogate and one in Knaresborough.

The Henshaws Residential Care service provides 24/7 for disabled adults.

It is different to the part time care of Henshaws supported living services, which North Yorkshire County Council is preparing to run.

North Yorkshire County Council is said to be supportive of the Residential Care transfer.

Read more:

• County council proposes taking over Henshaws homes service
• Henshaws Hundreds fundraises for struggling charity
• Family feels ‘let down’ by Henshaws senior management

The chief executive at Henshaws, Nick Marr, said today that the charity was “very distressed” to cease operation of the homes service:

“But we can no longer sustain the costs of our residential services. We will do everything we can to ensure continuity for our residents. It is critical to Henshaws that the service remains intact and continues with a recognised provider.

“Therefore, we are very pleased that a decision has been made to transfer the services to Homes Together.”

Steve Jones, who runs Homes Together, was previously the principal at Henshaws College. Many of his former students now live in the residential service.

Henshaws has invited its service users, parents and carers to take part in face-to-face or virtual meetings to raise any questions they might have.

All staff who currently work in the homes service have the opportunity to transfer on their existing terms to Homes Together.

Mr Marr added that despite “months of effort” Henshaws was unable to make the homes service sustainable.

The charity’s latest financial accounts detailed how in the year up to August 2018 it spent £12.3 million – which is £1 million more than its income.

No further accounts have been published by the organisation. The Stray Ferret has approached North Yorkshire County Council for a comment.

A local care organisation has started an initiative to support staff who have endured months of hard work and pressure during the pandemic.

Harrogate Neighbours’ Care for Carers scheme will provide regular wellbeing workshops and other support to its care staff.

The initiative aims to address any anxieties or mental health issues brought about by the pandemic.

The group works with elderly people in Harrogate, offering fresh meals and social interaction while trying to keep them in their own homes.

As winter sets in, there are concerns that groups like Harrogate Neighbours will have more pressure on services.

JK Change Work, a local therapeutic coaching company, will provide the workshops. It says the sessions will offer support and emotional coaching, improve wellbeing resilience and teach people how to deal with ongoing challenges.

Sue Cawthray, chief executive of Harrogate Neighbours said:

“With restrictions and guidelines changing almost daily, care staff across the country are feeling the pressure and often find it hard to cope day to day. It’s more important than ever that we support and look after their mental and physical wellbeing.

“We also have plans to reach out to the wider care community in Yorkshire to care for all carers who are sacrificing so much in these uncertain times.”

The first session was held last week. Staff were in bubbled in groups of six for a happiness and laughter session.

Read more:

• Harrogate Neighbours is praised for its response to coronavirus with an award.
• Only seven weeks remain to reach the target for a community woodland between Harrogate and Knaresborough.

Just seven weeks remain to raise a further £115,000 to build a community woodland between Harrogate and Knaresborough.

So far, the volunteers behind the Long Lands Common project have raised £186,000 towards their £300,000 goal.

If they manage to pass that figure by November 20 they will consider trying to raise another £75,000 to improve access to the woodland.

Long Lands Common is 30 acres of open farmland surrounded by fields and hedgerows between Bilton Triangle and The Avenue in Starbeck.

A duck pond, wildflower meadow, sensory garden and woodlands craft area are all included in the plans.

Read more:

• Public support vital for Harrogate’s first community woodland
• Take a look at what might be Harrogate’s first community woodland

It is an ambitious target but the organisers behind the project remain confident they will reach it.

Chris Kitson, one of the organisers and a teacher, told the Stray Ferret:

“We are confident but we are not complacent. It is going very well but we need people to buy more shares. There are 700 people who have put down a pledge but not yet bought any shares.”

To increase support, the organisers plan to deliver 48,000 leaflets and have asked volunteers to come forward.

Anyone interested in volunteering can email Long Lands Common by clicking or tapping here.

Shares in Long Lands Common need to be bought by people aged over 16 in £50 lots, with the minimum amount set at £50 up to a maximum of £37,500.

To learn more and buy shares, go to the Long Lands Common website.

The project received help recently in the form of £35,000 match funding from the Community Shares Booster Programme.

The chairman of Harrogate Town has warned the club faces financial difficulties as fans continue to be banned from grounds.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson has said current Covid restrictions could last for six months.

For football clubs like Harrogate Town, this means having to face up to the prospect of empty stadiums for the foreseeable future.

This presents a big financial challenge for Town chairman Irving Weaver.

Mr Weaver said the uncertainty meant Town and other clubs faced a “cliff edge scenario”.

He said:

“When crowds mean 30% of revenue that’s a black hole. The furlough scheme was a big help but in the next six months we are looking at a problem that all clubs need help with.

“The subsidy grant we received was really helpful and the income from our games on TV wasn’t budgeted for so these two things have got us on our way. Our streaming figures are growing too, which we also didn’t budget for. All of this has helped make up for a loss of crowds.”

The club has has raised its concerns about the impact of playing without fans for a further six months.

The club’s recent promotion to the English Football League was its second in three seasons. But fans have only been able to celebrate the club’s recent successes at home or socially distanced in pubs, and missed out on a trip to Wembley.

With no idea when fans will next be able to attend, Mr Weaver is concerned some may not return.

He added:

“We need to grow our fans, especially if we want to attract players who want a big crowd.

“We are probably worrying more than most, but missing all this excitement is a big loss for fans. I think the solid fans will stay but we also want new people, which becomes difficult when they can’t experience the roar of a crowd at a match.”

Read more:

• The Chairman describes this time as “cliff edge” as clubs prepare for another six months without fans.
• The club is heading to Wembley .. again

Mr Weaver assured fans that these tough times will be overcome. He said:

“I want to say that ‘we are still kicking and we really want you to come back!’

“We will keep going and keep the atmosphere. We want to maintain our desire to succeed”