A Harrogate charity chief executive has seen an influx of working requests despite coronavirus.

Disability Action Yorkshire has filled more frontline staff positions in the past two months than in the previous two years.

Jackie Snape, chief executive at Disability Action Yorkshire said:

“One thing coronavirus did was to shine a light on the care sector, and in particular the staff working within it. They have become the nation’s superheroes.

“As a result, the amount of people now wanting to work in the industry is quite extraordinary, it has helped give a shot in the arm to Harrogate’s voluntary sector too.”

The charity and social enterprise has seen a surge in volunteer requests, with an extraordinary number applying to work at its Claro Road care home and Hornbeam Park furniture showroom and training centre.

It is a demand that Ms Snape hopes will continue post-covid.

“Coronavirus has taught how vital the care industry is, and how millions of people rely on the support – and friendship – of its paid employees, and those who give up a few hours a week in a voluntary capacity.”

A 16-year-old girl has been missing from Harrogate for five days and is believed to be in the Leeds area moving around hotels.

Casey Ackerley has been described as white, approximately 5ft 6in tall and of slim build.

She has very long, light, brown hair and was last seen wearing a salmon pink tracksuit and white trainers.

Read more:

• Police warn Knaresborough residents over security after suspicious incidents
• Two teens arrested after burglaries in Harrogate and Knaresborough

North Yorkshire Police has passed the case onto West Yorkshire Police and has urged the public to share any information with the neighbouring force.

To share information anonymously, call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 – quoting 12200132258 as the police reference number.

Harrogate Borough Council is planning to buy 52 homes at the Castle Hill Farm development on Whinney Lane.

In a report due to be discussed by the council’s cabinet next week, the council says the homes would cost £4.5m in total.

Sixteen homes would be transferred to HBC’s housing company, Bracewell Homes, to be sold under shared ownership, and the rest would be made available for social rent.

Developer Stonebridge Homes has planning permission to build 130 homes at the site. Work is currently under way and the first homes are scheduled for completion in November.

HBC says it could recoup between £1.18m and £2.37m from the 16 shared ownership properties, with the council turning a profit on the purchase after at least 13 years thanks to the rental income.

The council said the shared ownership homes will support first-time buyers in the district.

“The acquisition of 16 shared ownership homes by the council or its housing company will provide a great opportunity to meet high demand from potential first-time buyers in the district and will generate a revenue stream to support council services.”

The council also believes the purchase would help ease demand for socially rented homes as there are currently 1,249 households on the waiting list.

However, the council warned there is “uncertainty” over the medium- to long-term future of the housing market as estate agents in the district report a “pent up” demand for housing following the easing of lockdown restrictions.

Read more:

• 270 homes and primary school proposed for Whinney Lane

• County council won’t budge on seven month Whinney Lane closure

The Stray Ferret asked Stonebridge Homes about HBC’s involvement in the scheme but the company had not responded by the time of publication.

There have been signs locally that, since lockdown, housebuilders are being more cautious with developments. Last month, the UK’s largest housebuilder, Barratt Homes, pulled out of a 390-home development in Littlethorpe, Ripon.

Meanwhile, Banks Group submitted plans for 270 homes and a primary school on the opposite side of the Castle Hill Farm site on Whinney Lane.

Whinney Lane is now closed for seven months due to the construction of two site access points for the Castle Hill Farm housing development as well as a new roundabout.

The manager of the Squinting Cat pub told the Stray Ferret that the closure “could kill” the business.

Six cases of coronavirus have been confirmed in the Harrogate District this past week, according to Public Health England figures.

The data has been released by government on a localised map which shows the number of cases at a neighbourhood level across the country.

Between July 27 and August 4, six cases tested positive in the Spofforth, Burn Bridge and Huby area.

Read more:

• No positive coronavirus patients at Harrogate hospital
• Two-week extension for Nightingale hospital as negotiations continue

However, data for areas where fewer than two positive cases have been reported is not included.

So far, 733 cases have tested positive in the Harrogate district from the start of the pandemic with 2,591 in the wider county.

It comes as Prime Minister Boris Johnson said last week that the prevalence of the virus is “likely to be rising” in England and delayed some lockdown easing measures.

Meanwhile, fears of a second spike in areas such as Greater Manchester, Kirklees, Calderdale and Bradford led to Secretary of State, Matt Hancock, imposing a local lockdowns.

The NHS is starting to roll out a coronavirus vaccine trial with hundreds of places available for people in Harrogate.

Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust has launched an appeal for the trial in partnership with Harrogate NHS Foundation Trust.

The trusts are considering different locations throughout Leeds, Harrogate, and York for the trial. They are keen to use spaces like sports halls, away from hospitals.

Around 70 staff will spend three days in each location, aiming to give 250 vaccines with each person having a 90-minute consultation. The trial will start at the end of September.

Read more:

• Harrogate district care home register more coronavirus deaths 
• Two-week extension for Nightingale hospital as negotiations continue

Currently, they have space for 2,250 people to trial the Imperial College London vaccine. With extra demand, the NHS could increase that to 6,000.

If the trials are successful then the vaccine could be offered to everyone in the country as early as next year.

To register interest in the vaccine trial visit the NHS vaccine research website by clicking or tapping here.

Julian Hartley, Chief Executive of Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust said:

“An effective vaccine against the coronavirus is a key strategy to end the devastating impact of the virus. We are working extremely hard to put together plans. Not only to trial vaccines in Leeds but to work alongside our partners in Harrogate and York.”

How close are we to a working vaccine?

The National Institute for Health Research has backed two coronavirus vaccines. Imperial College London is running one and the University of Oxford is running the other.

Imperial College London’s vaccine’s preclinical studies have shown that it helps to produce specific antibodies which fight coronavirus. Mice in the trial were able to neutralise the virus with the help of the vaccine – a positive sign for the battle against covid-19.

The government has pumped more than £40 million into the college’s vaccine development and that fund has been supplemented by £5 million in donations.

How does a vaccine study work?

The NHS may give those who have signed up for the trial a vaccine or a placebo. Either way, participants will need to visit the research site a few times over the next six to 12 months.

At each of those visits, the staff will talk about the research study, take blood tests and answer any questions.

Between visits, participants will need to tell staff about any symptoms and may need to take a throat or nose swab every week while keeping a diary.

A Costa drive-thru will open tomorrow near Pannal with new coronavirus safety measures in place.

The coffee company had planned an earlier opening but the pandemic delayed construction works at the Leeds Road site.

It is a key commuting route into Harrogate from the south of the town.

Most of the work now appears to be complete from the outside with a few workers at the Costa drive-thru today putting in the finishing touches.

Read more:

• New bus service from Harrogate to Leeds Bradford Airport
• More than 100 Eat Out to Help Out businesses in Harrogate district

A Costa Coffee spokesperson told the Stray Ferret:

“The safety of both our team members and customers are our number one priority and ahead of opening we have put in place enhanced safety measures and hygiene procedures that align with government guidelines. We look forward to being an active member of the local community and serving customers a perfectly handcrafted cup of coffee.”

Harrogate Borough Council approved the demolition of a petrol station and shops for the development despite concerns over traffic.

Costa Coffee is taking part in the Eat Out to Help Out scheme so will give a 50% discount on Mondays to Wednesdays throughout August.

This will be the third Costa Coffee in Harrogate with the other two in the town centre and in Starbeck.

Harrogate Theatre has announced it will not reopen until 2021, saying that introducing social distancing in the auditorium would not be financially viable.

The theatre has also warned that 60% of permanent roles may have to be made redundant. It has said this decision is a direct result of the pandemic and the loss of income it has caused.

A theatre spokesperson said:

“We look forward to the day we raise our safety curtain and once again share the magic that live performance in our building brings. Whilst we understand the impact of this decision, as custodians of our organisations we will do everything in our power to safeguard the company to be able to entertain, educate and inspire for the next 120 years.

“We are extremely grateful for the funding received from Arts Council England and Harrogate Borough Council to cover losses incurred from March through to September.”

The social distancing requirements would be too detrimental for the theatre’s finances.

The theatre is heavily reliant on its annual pantomime which is performed over two months in the festive period. Its business model requires 90% of the seats to be sold over the two months, but with social distancing in place only 20% of seats can be used.

The spokesman said the theatre is cautious to invest in any shows this season in case of further lockdowns. It has moved most of its shows for the autumn season into next year and this winter’s pantomime, Cinderella, will go ahead in 2021.

The theatre’s emergency funding campaign, launched during lockdown, will continue.

Read more:

• Knaresborough’s Frazer theatre has to remain closed due to the restrictions inside the auditorium. 
• Harrogate Theatre welcomed further funding but insisted that more support is needed to help the theatre.

Care homes in the Harrogate district have recorded a further two coronavirus deaths – after two weeks of recording none for the first time in the pandemic.

Office for National Statistics (ONS) figures today, which cover up until July 24, show that care homes across the district have reported 106 deaths where coronavirus is the cause of death.

The figures also reveal that there have been five deaths at home, one death at a hospice, and two more deaths at “other communal establishments”, since the start of the outbreak.

Read more:

• When Harrogate district care homes passed 100 coronavirus deaths
• 12 cases of coronavirus in Harrogate district as rates remain low

Meanwhile, Harrogate District NHS Foundation Trust remains at 82 coronavirus deaths and said last week that it was not treating any coronavirus patients in its wards.

For that reason, the Stray Ferret paused its daily reporting of the coronavirus statistics from NHS England. We will continue to monitor the information and report any deaths as they are confirmed.

The new ONS data revealed that there have been five extra deaths at the hospital where covid is mentioned on the death certificate. However, they are not part of the official statistics, which only include cases where the virus is the cause of death.

The contract for Harrogate’s Nightingale hospital has been extended for two weeks to allow for talks between the NHS and the council to continue.

The NHS contract was due to expire last Friday, July 31, with no announcement made at the time about whether it would be extended or the field hospital would be decommissioned.

Now, Harrogate Borough Council has said it is continuing talks with the NHS over the future of the site. If the hospital moves out, Harrogate Convention Centre would be able to host events and conferences over the winter, in line with covid guidelines.

A council spokesman said:

“We continue our discussions with colleagues from the NHS about their future plans, and a two week extension has been granted to the current agreement to allow those discussions to continue. However, at this stage, nothing has been decided.”

The delay is likely to cause concern among businesses in the town. Andrew Manby, a director of events company Joe Manby Ltd, previously told the Stray Ferret the NHS needed to make a decision to enable local businesses to plan for the future.

Hospitality in the town, including hotels, restaurants and bars, is heavily reliant on people visiting the convention centre for trade and public events. As the rest of the country begins to reopen, Mr Manby said Harrogate could be left behind if the Nightingale continues to occupy the whole venue.

The convention centre owners and managers are still planning ahead for future events whilst the future of the Nightingale is uncertain

The convention centre team, meanwhile, have been preparing measures to enable events to go ahead safely as soon as they are possible. Additional space could be offered free of charge, one way systems introduced, and even cameras allowing organisers to measure crowd density around the halls.

Longer days and additional dates could also be offered to event organisers to allow more people to visit over longer periods, supporting social distancing.

Read more:

• The construction of Harrogate’s Nightingale hospital cost almost £15 million 
• Kings Road B&Bs and bars are trying to stay positive despite losses 

The two-week extension comes after the Prime Minister announced a £3 billion fund to support the seven Nightingale hospitals until the end of March. Since then, however, the one hosted at Birmingham NEC has been scaled back, allowing the venue to resume events from October with a smaller standby hospital in another part of the site.

The Harrogate Nightingale Hospital is yet to treat any coronavirus patients, but has been used as a facility for outpatient CT scans since early June. The NHS is not paying any rent to the council for use of the convention centre.

The Stray Ferret has previously reported the convention centre is under financial strain. The council is this week due to vote on a £1m investment which would pave the way for a £46.8 million renovation project.

Captain Sir Tom Moore visited Army Foundation College in Harrogate today in his first visit as its Honorary Colonel.

The World War II veteran looked around the college, met and chatted with junior soldiers. The college also gave Sir Tom Moore his new Colonel’s rank slides.

He raised £38.9 million for the NHS after completing 100 laps around his garden during the coronavirus lockdown – becoming a national treasure.

Read more:

• Captain Tom Moore appointed Honorary Colonel of the Army Foundation College Harrogate
• Portrait of Col Tom Moore donated to Harrogate Army Foundation College
• Capt Tom Moore opens Harrogate NHS Nightingale hospital

Captain Sir Tom Moore said he was pleased to visit the college today:

‘‘It is a real honour to have been made Honorary Colonel. The skills I learnt in the army benefitted me throughout my life and it was wonderful watching the training in action today and speaking with the junior soldiers just starting out, I wish them all well.”

Captain Sir Tom Moore stands for a group photo.

Harrogate AFC prepares 16 and 17-year-olds for a career in the army. It appointed Captain Sir Tom as Honorary Colonel when he turned 100-years-old.

Lieutenant Colonel Simon Farebrother MC, the College’s Commanding Officer, said:

“We were absolutely thrilled when Capt Sir Tom became our Honorary Colonel and this visit is the icing on the cake. He is an inspirational figure for the College Staff and Junior Soldiers who, like him, are fulfilling their potential in the British Army. A wonderful day!”

Captain Sir Tom Moore talks to some trainees during a visit to AFC Harrogate.

Junior Soldier, Daniel Barker, from 11 Platoon, Cambrai Company, stated:

“Sir Tom is an inspiration to me as I have seen first-hand the goodness that the NHS can do. In 2018 my Grandad had cancer. The treatment was unsuccessful, but the NHS were successful in every way. The money Sir Tom Moore raised will go to help families like mine. Speaking to him was an honour”.

Captain Sir Tom Moore engages with a senior officer during a visit to AFC Harrogate.

Lewis Sharpe, also a Junior Soldier of 11 Platoon, Cambrai Company, said:

“The inspiration that Sir Tom has demonstrated has inspired me to push myself further. Coming from a difficult background myself, the hard work Sir Tom has shown has proven to me what you can achieve with sheer determination. It was a privilege speaking to Sir Tom today”.