Hospitality reopening crucial for Harrogate after tough lockdown

The reopening of bars, restaurants and hotels across the Harrogate District is a vital moment as the hospitality sector looks to recover from the battering of three months worth of lockdown.

Since March, the industry, worth around £200 million a year for Harrogate alone, has borne the brunt of the economic impact of lockdown with furloughed staff, loss of customers and no income.

It’s been three months since the last pint was pulled and hotel doors were closed on an industry that relies on the public to venture out and part with their hard earned cash to survive.

Now, as revellers await that long awaited beer with friends or an evening meal, hospitality owners say they need to make the best of the lockdown relaxations.

Peter Banks

Peter Banks, managing director of Rudding Hotel and Spa in Harrogate.

Peter Banks, managing director of Rudding Park Hotel and Spa, said the sector was entering “the great unknown” this weekend but it was vital for it to reopen.

He said:

“We are delighted that we are allowed to reopen.

“But we do not know what level of demand we are going to see or how customers are going to behave.

“The government has given us guidance that is open to our interpretation and everybody is doing what they think is best.

“It is like going into the great unknown.”

Meanwhile, the sector, which employs around 9,500 people across the district, has reopened at a key time.

Space has already been created by North Yorkshire County Council for some bars and restaurants, with temporary pedestrianisation expected on Parliament Street and Kings Road.

Read more:

Measures to ensure social distancing are also in place with pubs taking bookings for tables ahead of reopening and people registering their details with restaurants before they enter in order to help with track and trace.

But, while some are happy to see the sector reopen, owners are under no illusion that the spring months will be key for businesses to survive.

Simon Cotton, managing director of the Fat Badger pub and White Hart Hotel, told The Stray Ferret recently that for some firms the next three months is crucial to survive the winter period when custom often drops off.

Mr Banks added that some businesses were already looking six months ahead and planning into next year for bookings.

“The next three months will be crucial because people have built up a war chest of income.

“My concern is that from September or October that is going to reduce and the amount of money that will be in circulation will drop and it will be a tough winter.”

With that in mind, as Harrogate’s hospitality sector opens its doors once again, it will be on us to visit our favourite bars, restaurants, hotels and cafes to ensure they survive.

Harrogate hospital reaches 13 days without coronavirus deaths

For the last 13 days, Harrogate District Hospital has not recorded any coronavirus deaths.

It is, once again, the longest time since lockdown that the hospital has gone without reporting that at least one of their patients with COVID-19 has died.

So far, the hospital has reported 80 coronavirus deaths. The last coronavirus death happened on June 18.

Read more:

A further 38 people who tested positive for coronavirus have died in England’s hospitals, taking the total up to 28,832.

Patients were aged between 33 and 96 years old. Two patients, aged 50 and 69, had no known underlying health conditions.

Mass testing reveals higher coronavirus cases in Harrogate district

The number of coronavirus cases in the Harrogate district has doubled overnight after the way in which they were recorded changed.

It was a big shift in numbers as a result of the government adding data from its mass testing programme. Previously it had just included tests in NHS laboratories.

That means that the total cases in the Harrogate district jumped from 325 yesterday to 694 today – an increase of 113%.

Not only that but the rate of coronavirus cases in the district also rose sharply to 432. The rate accounts for population sizes in areas to give a more accurate reading.

The count for each area is divided by the total population and multiplied by 100,000.

Coronavirus cases in North Yorkshire as a whole, in the same period, rose from 1,356 to 2,504.

Read more:

With the attention turning to more local lockdowns this data will play an important role in the decisions of officials.

Looking at the Harrogate district in comparison with other areas it is by no means the worst affected area but it is also not completely out of the woods.

Nearby places like Bradford and Barnsley have much higher rates than the Harrogate district. Find the government’s coronavirus map by clicking or tapping here.

North Yorkshire’s Director of Public Health, Dr Lincoln Sargeant, said:

“This reporting change does increase the figures and may make it look as though there has been a big rise in infection rates. This is not the case. It is linked solely to a change in reporting. New cases in North Yorkshire continue to decline, but we must not be complacent. We all need to play our part to maintain this progress.

“People should stay two metres apart, if possible, or at least one metre and if it is just one metre they should take additional precautions. You should also wash your hands regularly for at least 20 seconds with soap and water. Everyone in North Yorkshire can play their part in helping us return to normality safely by taking these simple steps.”

“We want to get it right” – district pubs delay reopening

A number of pubs in Harrogate and Knaresborough have taken the decision to not open their doors on Saturday, despite being given the green light to reopen.

This decision comes as many pub owners argue that it is too soon to reopen. They would rather “watch what everyone else does” this weekend. Many pubs said they were too small to open or not financially stable enough.

Blind Jacks in Knaresborough is one pub which has taken the decision not to open on Super Saturday. Owners Christian and Alice Ogley told The Stray Ferret that they do not want to rush into anything.

They said:

“We have ever precaution in place in order to keep it as safe as possible, but we have one chance to get this right from the beginning. We want to make sure we are completely ready.”

Read more: 

North Bar in Harrogate has been running a pop-up beer shop during lockdown but realised that reopening fully on 4 July was going to be a difficult task.

Outside North Bar

North Bar in Harrogate

Debra Przychodna, general manager of North Bar told The Stray Ferret:

“We decided to delay our reopening because we want to avoid risk, people are going to get very excited this weekend. We have had so much support from customers and we are really looking forward to when we can finally reopen.”

Similarly Hales Bar on Crescent Road in Harrogate has taken the decision not to open due to the size and layout of the bar. Manager Amanda Wilkson hopes to reopen next weekend but only from Thursday to Sunday.

No coronavirus deaths for 12 days at Harrogate hospital

Harrogate District Hospital has not reported any coronavirus deaths for 12 days in a row.

That news comes after the hospital discharged one more patient – taking its total of recoveries up to 136.

So far, the hospital has reported 80 coronavirus deaths. The last coronavirus death happened on June 18.

Read more:

A further 35 people who tested positive for coronavirus have died in England’s hospitals, taking the total up to 28,794.

Patients were aged between 54 and 92 years old. Two patients, aged 54 and 84, had no known underlying health conditions.

Harrogate and Ripon hospitals open doors to visitors

Harrogate District Hospital and Ripon Community Hospital have relaxed the visitor rules for all inpatients.

From today the hospitals will allow one visitor per patient as long as they book beforehand by calling the relevant ward.

Visitors will need to complete a coronavirus questionnaire and will only be allowed in the hospital between 2pm and 4pm.

The hospitals have urged people not to arrive on the doorstep without booking, so they can carefully manage numbers.

Read more:

All visitors must also wear personal protective equipment including a mask, a visor and an apron, which will be provided upon arrival.

There is more information for those visiting patients at end of life, with a learning disability, and with dementia, on the hospital website.

The relaxing of rules comes as the hospital has gone 11 days without reporting any coronavirus deaths.

Stray becomes new gym as personal trainers adapt

Personal trainers in Harrogate have had to adapt to new ways of training to continue earning an income during lockdown.

The pandemic has left many of them with fewer clients and needing to adapt to outdoor and online classes.

But with many people currently making their health a top priority, trainers are hoping this could encourage more people to seek their help following lockdown.

The current rules allow for five people to attend an outdoor class with one trainer meaning many are using the Stray as their new workout space. As well as this Harrogate’s trainers are finding their online classes to be popular, with some deciding to continue them after gyms reopen due to public demand.

Gabby Glasby is a personal trainer in Harrogate, she said:

“I started sessions for five people doing three a week in park areas and I’m doing 1-2-1’s in gardens and its just starting to get busier. Its working well, I’ve had to buy some new equipment to make sure its still a full body workout without the gym equipment. I’ve had a few new people start on zoom, some I worked with before and others from elsewhere such as London.”

“I’d hope that many people will realise that your general health can improve your body’s immunity so you need to look after it, that could be a positive for us as PTs.”

Outdoor gym workout for five people run by Harrogate personal trainer.

Outdoor workouts are allowing trainers to continue earning over lockdown.

Read more:

In the coming weeks a further easing of lockdown could mean personal trainers have more freedom to increase their groups or slowly return to indoor training.

Craig Heard another personal trainer in Harrogate is hopeful, he said:

“It has really pushed me to grow my business in a very quick and reactive manner, it is something I always wanted to do but was forced into a corner and with all the time at home and loss of some clients I had the time and urgency to be able to work on things I had only ever planned for in my head before.

“Currently I am delivering one to one online PT, zoom fitness classes and my Train 8 programme. I will remain hopeful, it’s the best way to be. If PTs don’t adapt in this time they will struggle.”

 

Harrogate district has second-highest coronavirus death rate in county

The Harrogate district has the second-highest coronavirus death rate in North Yorkshire despite the fact that it is the least deprived area.

This new information seems to defy the national picture where the virus death rate in poorer and BAME communities tends to be much higher.

The director of public health for North Yorkshire’s report revealed that only Craven has a marginally higher death rate than the Harrogate district.

Read more:

The Harrogate district has a crude mortality rate of 108.4 compared to 112.6 in Craven. The lowest mortality rate in the county is in Selby with 48.3.

Dr Lincoln Sargeant’s report points to the high number of care homes and the high proportion of elderly residents in Harrogate to explain the high death rate.

Coronavirus in care homes

All parts of North Yorkshire have care homes and have reported outbreaks but that number continues to grow. Of those outbreaks, 37% occurred in the Harrogate district back in May.

At that time 555 residents had either been in self-isolation or suffering with coronavirus. North Yorkshire County Council has purchased 200 additional beds to provide resilience.

The report also described the testing time in care home settings as a “critical issue.” It added that it is too long to support effective public health actions.

Meanwhile, more recent figures from care homes revealed that there have now been 94 deaths in the Harrogate district.

Lockdown blamed for rise in Harrogate recreational drug use

A drugs advisor has told the Stray Ferret said coronavirus has had a huge impact on the rise of recreational drug use in Harrogate.

As lockdown has eased crowds of people have met on the stray leaving behind drug paraphernalia. Nitrous oxide canisters, in particular, are becoming increasingly popular with young people in the area as they can be easily bought online with no age restrictions in place.

Ruth Watson, a safeguarding and county lines drug trainer, said:

“Covid has played a massive part in the rise of recreational drug use in the area.”

Traditionally used within the catering sector, the canisters are often presumed to less dangerous than other drugs. But side effects can include loss of blood pressure and fainting and in extreme cases nerve damage, heart attacks and death.

Ruth continued:

“People think its safe but it could lead them on to try harder drugs. Nitrous oxide is a growing issue with young people, since lockdown they’ve been cooped up and not allowed out now they have been out they are overcompensating for it.

“It appears to be a bigger issue since lockdown because it’s more visible. The pandemic has been horrendous in so many respects, it’s now making a social issue with young people getting whatever they can I don’t think it would be like this if things were normal.”

Nitrous oxide canister left in the grass

There’s been a visible increase in ‘laughing gas’ canisters in Harrogate.

Read more:

Harrogate has had a long-standing problem with county lines drugs. It has been dubbed the ‘drugs capital of Yorkshire’ and the new issue of recreational drugs over lockdown will only enhance this title.

30 runs, 30 days, 465 miles: Harrogate teenager crosses finish line

An 18-year-old student from Harrogate has staggered over the finish line of his monumental running challenge, completing 465 miles in 30 days and raising over £6,500 for mental health charity MIND.

Morgan Glazier, who is a student at Rossett School in Harrogate, decided to go on a run every day for 30 days (one mile on June 1, two on June 2… up to 30 on June 30).

The Stray Ferret spoke to Morgan just before he set off on his final 30-mile run this morning, and again later in the day as he crossed the finish line. He said:

“I am very, very sore, but that is to be expected after four back-to-back marathons. I have done the distance before but usually with a month’s recovery in between. I’m ready to sleep for a month now.”

The teenager should have been sitting his A levels this year, before enjoying a summer of celebrations for finishing school and turning 18. Instead, when the coronavirus put paid to his plans, he set himself the epic challenge.

Morgan’s mum was there at the finish line, having supported him throughout the challenge. She said:

“He’s been amazing, he started off on his own, he just sort of went off and did it and then the last couple of weeks I’ve been at the start and finish and just making sure he’s getting plenty to eat and drink! But he’s been cheery the whole way through, I really am proud of him.”

Read more: 

Morgan hopes his running will highlight the positive effects that running can have on mental health. He told the Stray Ferret that he chose MIND charity as It has helped so many people:

“I was diagnosed with OCD a couple of years ago, but I had been struggling for while before I got help. I  want to raise awareness and encourage people not to be embarrassed. I Chose mind charity as i know they offer support to anyone struggling. I am running in memory of my uncle who died as a result of his mental health problems, and for everyone who suffers or has suffered from a mental illness.”

Morgan initially set out to raise £100 for Mind, and increased this to £5,000 as people across the district showed so much support. Today, as he crossed the line, the figure stood at £6,600 with donations still coming in.

To sponsor Morgan, click here.

18 year old Student Morgan Glazier running marathon

Morgan Glazier on the final day of his 465-mile challenge