A cat from Harrogate has been found after four months in Poppleton, more than 20 miles from his home. One theory is that he caught the train..

Jasper, the black cat, lived with his owners in Harrogate, who adopted him from Harrogate Cat Rescue.

He was last seen on May 13 but was found again this weekend when his owners got a call from a York vet.

Jasper had found his way to Poppleton and was taken in by a family in June. The family mistook him for a pregnant female and took him to the vets this weekend.

When his microchip was scanned they learnt he had been reported missing.

His owner, Anna Whitehouse, said:

“It still feels so surreal having him back. It was heartbreaking at first when he didn’t remember me or his name. We never used to let him out at night but over lockdown it was so much quieter so we did.

When the Minster Vets in York rang us over the weekend it was amazing, we’d spoke the week before about stopping his insurance because he’d been gone so long.If only we had a camera to know what he’d been doing.”

Jasper had been missing for 19 weeks in total. His owners had searched for him for weeks during lockdown and put appeals on local social media groups. Only to find out he never was in Harrogate.

From being in his owner’s art studio to lounging in the sun in Poppleton, Jasper’s lockdown adventure will remain a mystery.

While many of us were having an uneventful lockdown. Jasper had gone on a summer getaway to Poppleton.

Phil Brierley found the cat in June and he became a part of his family. He said:

“He kept hanging round our door and he looked desperate and hungry – he really was on his last legs. I am a die hard Leeds football fan, so even though we thought he was a girl, we called him Bielsa. He was very skittish at the beginning but after a few weeks he was happy to come sit with you.

We were disappointed to send him back because he’s got a great character but I was delighted he had a family that had been missing him.”

Mr Brierley is certain Jasper jumped on the train near his home by Hornbeam Park station and “popped off at Poppleton”.

Neither family will ever know what happened to Jasper on his travels but both are happy he’s safe and sound, once again.

A Harrogate-based equality initiative is launching a campaign to get rid of the stereotype that beer is a man’s drink.

The Beer Glass Project, which is being run by the community interest company Women On Tap, aims to showcase beer as aesthetic and indulgent rather than something “guzzled in a laddish manner”.

Women on Tap will post photos, key facts and articles on social media during the five-week campaign that sets out to challenge perceptions of beer – how it looks, tastes and who it’s for.

A report by women and beer interest group Dea Latis revealed the UK has one of the lowest percentages of female beer drinks in the world at 17%.

The report identified barriers that put women off drinking beer, including male-orientated advertising, judgement from others and the calorie content.

Women On Tap founder Rachel Auty said:

“We need a reset button to enable us to stamp out inequality so that beer is accessible to all.

“We need to change the way it is represented, talked about and marketed.”

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A different style of glassware will be used to present the beer throughout the project.

Rachel added:

“Women want great glassware and are more likely to choose a drink that is presented in a beautiful and aspirational way. Women are strong and independent and they will choose a drink that helps them make a bold statement about who they are.

“I hope to make more women realise there really is no better way to do that than with a great beer in a fabulous glass.”

Harrogate and Knaresborough MP Andrew Jones has told Parliament visits to care homes should be allowed.

Speaking in a Covid debate yesterday, Mr Jones said several constituents “desperate to see their loved ones” had raised concerns about current restrictions with him.

The Stray Ferret reported yesterday that Harrogate woman Judy Bass had joined a group called Rights for Residents that campaigns against restrictions.

Mr Jones said Ms Bass, along with Dr Joanne Ridpath, Helen Owens, Anna McIntee and others had raised the matter.

Mr Jones said:

“These families are just desperate to see their loved ones and have truly heartbreaking stories.

“Balancing wellbeing and isolation is very difficult but the emotional consequences of no visits are absolutely profound.”

North Yorkshire County Council this week advised care homes in the county to end routine visits in October. Thousands more care homes nationally are also forbidding visits.

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The Conservative MP suggested visits could be allowed through glass or windows.

“While this is impersonal, it is clearly better for people to see their loved ones than not.

“Perhaps designated very close family members in limited numbers could be given staff status, which would allow them access to testing and could then allow a degree of home access.

“Nobody is suggesting an open-door policy, but right now, the restrictions are profound.

“The capacity for residents to understand what is going on and why they cannot see their loved ones is almost inevitably limited, yet the need to see their loved ones is so important.’

Mr Jones also said told the debate that civil liberties were being compromised during Covid and decisions needed parliamentary scrutiny. Some backbench Tory MPs have expressed similar concerns. He said:

“A transparent approach to the science and decision making is necessary to ensure that we take people with us. If we do, and if they understand why a decision has been taken, I think we will see greater compliance, allowing people to resume their lives safely.”

A comedy night, which raised £13,000 last year for a fund set up in memory of a 14-year-old Harrogate schoolboy, will be staged online this year.

Frank Ashton’s family set up Frank’s Fund to raise awareness and funds for Ewing’s sarcoma, which is a rare form of bone cancer,

A comedy night at St Aidan’s school in Harrogate last year raised over £13,000 for the fund, which has achieved total donations of £158,000 so far.

The comedian Maisie Adam, who like Frank attended St Aidan’s, performed at the event and is a patron of the charity. This year’s online event is set to go ahead before the end of the year although a date has yet to be confirmed.

The charity has missed several fundraising events this year due to Covid.

Supporters have found other ways to raise funds, such as running a marathon throughout the month of September.

Maisie Adam, who is among those running marathons, said:

“It’s all about keeping Frank at the forefront of people’s minds. I am devastated the plan isn’t going ahead in Harrogate.”

Maisie is one of several people running a marathon this month to raise money for Frank’s Fund.

She added:

“What shocked me in particular is just how underfunded Ewing’s sarcoma is. Everyone assumes when money is donated to big charities it is distributed evenly but it definitely isn’t.

With Frank’s Fund, all of the money goes to research for this disease.”

To support Maisie’s marathon, click here.

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A Harrogate mum lost £100 on a deposit for a Labrador puppy that she later discovered didn’t actually exist.

Jade Lockyer initially wanted a mobility support dog for her daughter Lacey, seven, who has spina bifida.

However, after struggling to find one she decided to get her daughter a puppy that could then be trained.

Ms Lockyer found an advert on the website Pets4Homes for puppies for £1,000, which she thought was a good price.

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A picture Jade received from the seller over WhatsApp

The seller said she was in Wakefield and when Ms Lockyer inquired she was told there was only one puppy left –  a golden female. She agreed to buy it, subject to viewing. She added:

“She said that I had to pay a deposit otherwise the puppy would go, as they are in such high demand at the moment.

“I didn’t feel too happy about this but my daughter had fallen in love with the photos and the woman really reassured me on the phone. She wanted £250 but we agreed on £100. I paid it and then asked for some more videos as we were so excited. She went very quiet on me and then when she did send a video, I just sensed something fishy.

“My daughter looked on YouTube and the same video was on there from 13 years ago. As soon as I asked her about it she blocked me.”

Lacey was “devastated” when she was given the news, said Ms Lockyer:

“She had named her and everything. Thinking back I actually think the scammer played up to the fact that my daughter was disabled, as I had told her all about what we wanted the puppy for and she knew how badly we wanted one.”

Miss Mollies Rescue charity said puppy scams were increasing due to covid.

Jeanne Thompson owner of the Harrogate dog rescue charity Miss Mollies Rescue, said covid had caused an increase in puppy scams. She added:

“It has risen because people are at home with more time on their hands, decide to get a puppy and there are not enough puppies to match the demand, so scammers are trying to profit on this.”

Ms Thompson advised potential owners:

• Don’t part with any money until you take the puppy home.
• Make sure the puppy is with its mother when you view.
• Remember that anyone who asks for a deposit upfront is probably a scammer

She added:

 “Most of the puppy scammers don’t actually have the puppies but the ones that do actually exist are being brought over from Ireland and abroad, so make sure the mother is there.”

With coronavirus cases set to rise this winter, the charity is urging puppy buyers to be vigilant.

A Pets4Homes spokesperson said more than seven million users looked for a pet on its website each month and it had the most rigorous systems in place of any comparable marketplace in the UK.

The spokesperson added:

“Pets4Homes has a zero tolerance approach to the unethical sale of animals and to any individuals behaving inappropriately.

“More than 225,000 animals were rehomed through Pets4Homes between June and August, and of the 0.1% of issues (concerning various matters) that were raised with its trust and safety team during this time, following investigation, there has not been a single confirmed report of puppy farming.”

The total number of people in the Harrogate district diagnosed with coronavirus since the pandemic began passed the 1,000 milestone today.

Figures released by Public Health England showed another 11 positive cases in the last 24 hours, taking the total to 1,002 since March.

Eleven new cases were also confirmed yesterday.

North Yorkshire County Council announced today it is advising care homes to halt routine visits throughout October to protect residents from Covid.

In Harrogate, a mobile testing site will be in place tomorrow and on Friday at the Dragon Road car park from 11am to 3pm.

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Rossett School in Harrogate has confirmed one of its sixth form students has tested positive for coronavirus.

The year 12 student will now isolate at home for 14 days. A further 30 year 12 students have been identified as being in close, prolonged contact with the student and have also been asked to isolate.

The school said its sixth form centre has had a “deep enhanced” clean after being identified as the only area used by the student concerned.

The school added all other pupils could return to school.

Parents and guardians received a letter from the school this weekend to remind them of the protocol if a child develops symptoms.

Helen Woodcock, the headteacher, said:

“In our preparation for reopening we planned for a variety of scenarios, we were well-rehearsed and prepared for it. We followed all the necessary national guidance and protocols.

“We have checked that the child is safe at home with their family. The last three weeks have been a fantastic reminder of the importance of education in the lives of our young people.

“We have reinforced with the students the need for them to consider what they do outside of school, where they go and who they see, and how they can contribute to limiting the spread of the virus.”

Ms Woodcock added staff training and school hygiene rules were also in place to help prevent the spread of the virus.

Yesterday, a further 11 cases of Covid were reported in the Harrogate district.

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Care homes in Harrogate have been advised to halt routine visits throughout October to protect residents from covid.

North Yorkshire County Council director of health and adult services Richard Webb has written to every care provider in the county asking them to introduce the restriction from Thursday due to rising coronavirus infection rates.

Mr Webb recommended that families and friends visiting residents at the end of their lives should still be allowed to do so.

A similar restriction was brought in earlier this month for seven days.

Mr Webb tweeted:

“This is a step I was very reluctant to take but against a backdrop of rising community infection rates, we need to act now.”

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Mr Webb said in future he would like care homes to operate a nominated visitor scheme whereby a named visitor gets tested regularly so they can continue visiting.

However, he said national problems with testing availability “make that unrealistic at the moment”.

Mr Webb added on Twitter:

“We will look at alternative options to see what we can do to help providers find a better way forward. Balancing #Covid protection versus residents’ #mentalhealth is one of the toughest dilemmas.”

Mike Padgham, chair of the provider organisation The Independent Care Group, said:

“It is regrettable that home visits have to stop but we have to do everything we can, with North Yorkshire County Council, to prevent the spread of coronavirus to the older and vulnerable people we care for.”

A Harrogate woman has sent a letter to the government urging ministers to change the care home restrictions which she says are harming her father’s mental health.

Judy Bass’s father lives in a care home and she hasn’t seen him since March.

Her father, who has dementia, needs constant care and she argues that his mental health is continuing to deteriorate without visits from his family.

Judy has joined  ‘Rights for Residents’ – a group campaigning for a change to current restrictions. Their petition has over 125,000 signatures.

Judy, alongside others in the group, have sent letters to Helen Whateley, Minister for Care, saying:

“Current guidelines will not protect residents from the risks of contracting the virus but they will continue to heighten the risks of them dying from loneliness, depression and other damaging mental health conditions.”

Judy Bass and her brother would visit their dad every day before March. She said:

“I just feel like I’ve let him down. What’s he living for at the moment? Hardly anything. He will just give up.”

Judy and her father, a few years ago.

In the letter the group asks why the government cannot try to alleviate some of the distress placed on residents and their families.

“Why have the Government not found a more humane and nuanced solution that balances the risk of contracting Covid-19 against the devastating mental and physical deterioration we are witnessing?”

The letters ask the government to:

• Develop a detailed plan with clear guidelines to ensure care home residents are reunited with their families.
• Remove the burden of responsibility from individual care home managers to decide on visiting policies as they are frozen by the fear of litigation.
• Support care providers and home managers with tests for relatives and public liability indemnity for care home providers as it has done for the NHS.

The Prime Minister’s announcements suggest that restrictions could continue for a further six months. This would mean Judy wouldn’t see her father for a year.

She added:

“He may not have much time left, he is 99. I can’t get my brain around not seeing him for a year. I don’t think I am any more risk than his care workers who are still going out.”

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A further eight positive cases of coronavirus have been confirmed in the Harrogate district in the last 24 hours.

Today’s figures from Public Health England take the total number of cases in the district since the start of the pandemic to 982.

This is the first weekend bars and restaurants in England will have to close by 10pm. Boris Johnson announced the curfew in an attempt to prevent further increases in cases.

Yesterday, further restrcitions were announced for Leeds. Household mixing within houses and gardens is now banned and socialising in indoor venues such as pubs is strongly advised against.

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