Charity distances from Harrogate pub caught breaking rules

A disability charity has distanced itself from a Harrogate pub which repeatedly broke the lockdown rules.

Horticap had agreed to work with The Coach and Horses and supply it with plants just before it opened.

The pub dubbed itself ‘The Hanging Gardens of Harrogate’ and planned to open as a “garden centre” serving refreshments when it opened.

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John Nelson, the pub’s landlord, said that he would give all of the proceeds to Horticap. However, the charity said the pub did not tell them about his change of plans to sell alcohol.

The pub has been served a prohibition notice.

Steve Scarre, chair of Trustees at Horticap, told The Stray Ferret:

“John from the Coach and Horses has been a great supporter of Horticap over many years. He said he would be serving tea and coffee over the weekend. That changed on Friday night when unbeknown to us he decided to serve alcohol because the weather forecast looked good. He did not inform us of this and the first I knew was the social media reports on Sunday morning at 7.00am.”

As a result, the charity took out all of its plants and refused to take any money from the pub’s sales. Steve added: “We are not happy about what transpired and have told him so.”

Some of the plants inside The Coach and Horses.

The Stray Ferret approached the Coach and Horses for a comment but the pub refused the opportunity.

Harrogate Borough Council officers served the pub with a prohibition notice because it had repeatedly breached the lockdown rules.

The Coach and Horses has opened again today to sell alcohol but crowds have not gathered in the same way as last weekend.

Harrogate coronavirus deaths in care homes overtake hospital

Harrogate’s care homes have now reported more coronavirus deaths than the hospital.

Up to May 22, care homes have recorded 72 coronavirus deaths. It’s an increase of 12 deaths from the previous week’s figures in care homes compared to an increase of four deaths in the hospital.

Harrogate District Hospital has just gone six days without reporting any new coronavirus deaths until today’s NHS figures.

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Up to June 2, the hospital has reported 66 deaths. So, even with the lag in data of ten days, care homes have reported more deaths.

What is being done to help care homes?

North Yorkshire County Council recently said it was stepping up its support to care homes for the 235 care homes in its area.

The council will support struggling care homes with staffing, PPE, infection control, safe hospital discharge, and more.

Yorkshire Water urges residents to be careful with water use

Yorkshire Water is asking residents to be careful with the amount of water they’re using.

The lack of rainfall and increase in people staying at home is having huge impacts on the water levels in the district, the organisation said.

The Met Office has announced that May was the sunniest month on record for the UK and with many residents at home during this warm weather, water consumption has increased.

Filling paddling pools and watering gardens more regularly has led Yorkshire Water to warn customers to be more vigilant with the amount of water they’re using.

“This good weather has meant we haven’t had much rain over the past few months and the levels of water in our reservoirs are lower than they normally would be.”

Leighton reservoir, near Masham, has changed dramatically over the sunny months, with water levels decreasing.

Leighton reservoir is just one of the reservoirs within the Harrogate district that is low in water.

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New practices are being put in place by Yorkshire Water in order to meet the requirements of the public, many of whom are still at home more than usual.

“We have a team of experts who work hard to make sure we keep Yorkshire’s water supply resilient. We have the ability to move water around our underground grid network and utilise different options to help us keep taps flowing but we need our customers to play their part too.”

As a turn in the weather approaches, Yorkshire Water is confident the low water levels can still cover the needs of the public. But they’re encouraging people to remain cautious and make small changes such as shorter showers.

Harrogate meals on wheels team awarded highest honour by Queen

The Harrogate and Ripon Food Angels are going to be cracking open the champagne later today after being granted the Queens Award for Voluntary Service 2020. It’s the highest award a volunteer group can be given.

The Food Angels, which was set up by Harrogate Neighbours, has provided hot meals for the most vulnerable people in Harrogate and Ripon since 2012.

The non-profit organisation of 75 volunteers have delivered over 150 hot meals every day to the elderly as well as to those unable to prepare meals for themselves.

The Harrogate and Ripon Angels will receive a crystal award, along with a signed certificate from the Queen. Two volunteers have also been invited to the Royal Garden Party at Buckingham Palace in May 2021.

Sue Cawthray the CEO of Harrogate Neighbours, said:

“We’re delighted to have been honoured with the Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service. To be recognised to this degree is testament to our incredible volunteers who work tirelessly to deliver such an important service into our community…I am so thankful to the team at Harrogate Neighbours and the volunteers who continue to selflessly risk their lives to help others.”

The Queens Award for Voluntary Service is given to volunteer groups across the UK who have carried out outstanding work in their local community. The Harrogate and Ripon Food Angels were nominated by Sarah Barry, Managing Director at Stray FM.

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Harrogate MP writes to media bosses to seek assurances over Stray FM

Andrew Jones has written to the parent company of Stray FM to seek reassurances over the radio station’s future.

In a post on his website, the Harrogate and Knaresborough MP said he was “disappointed” that Bauer Media’s “winning formula is set to change.”

Bauer announced five days ago that Stray FM, which has covered the district since 1994, will come off the air and become Greatest Hits Radio. There will be a regional drivetime show for Yorkshire and Lincolnshire but the majority of the programming will follow the national schedule.

Andrew Jones, MP for Harrogate and Knaresborough.

Last week, there was a huge outcry on social media from people who have fond memories of the radio station.

That led the Liberal Democrats to launch a petition last week calling for Bauer Media to reverse its decision to replace Stray FM with a national radio station.

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Mr Jones said:

“It’s local, it’s interesting, it’s current and it’s presented by people we know and trust. But it’s more than that. It is a radio station that supports local events and charities. It’s a station that supports the community and the community repays this by supporting the station.”

Harrogate pub ‘breached lockdown rules repeatedly’

A Harrogate pub, which invited customers for takeaway food and drinks, breached the lockdown rules repeatedly over the weekend.

Harrogate Borough Council sent its enforcement team to two pubs on Saturday and reported that people were breaking the rules.

It gave advice to the licensees of both pubs and reminded them of the law.

The next day the Coach and Horses opened again and followed the initial advice before, the council says it committed a further breach of regulations.

As a result, the officers served the pub with a prohibition notice.

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When the officers were on site they were also subjected to verbal abuse from customers.

A spokesperson for Harrogate Borough Council said:

“While pubs are allowed to offer take away food (which may include alcoholic drink), they are not permitted to operate any kind of beer ‘garden’ on their property. This includes putting tables or chairs on, or anywhere adjacent to, their premises for customers to use. We will take all necessary enforcement action if a business breaks the current coronavirus lockdown legislation.”

Patchy reopening from today as schools still have safety concerns

Only a third of North Yorkshire’s primary schools are following government guidance on reopening today as concerns remain over the safety of pupils and staff.

Children in reception, year one and year six could all be back in lessons from today – but not every primary school has chosen to follow the changing advice.

Just 111 schools across the county are planning to reopen to pupils in some or all of those year groups today, according to the county council, and 24 more are expecting to follow next week. Judith Kirk, NYCC’s assistant director for education and skills, said:

“Schools have drawn up a bespoke approach to reopening, appropriate to their circumstances, but we want to reassure parents that when children come into primary schools in North Yorkshire, the first focus will be children’s safety and wellbeing, settling them in and making them feel secure, before we begin teaching the curriculum.

“We are working with schools, headteachers and teaching unions to support each school and the decision made by head teachers and governing bodies.”

Teaching unions told The Stray Ferret last month that they had serious reservations about their ability to keep everyone safe, and it seems those concerns remain. Some schools say they will follow full government guidance, while others say it would not be safe to reopen at all, other than for the children of key workers who have already been attending.

‘Not missing out’

Among those opening for some year groups today is Bilton Grange Primary School in Harrogate, which will welcome back pupils in its reception classes. However, the school has told parents it does not feel it can safely open to years one and six yet – something which has been welcomed by parent Jamie Haslam.

His daughter Erin is in year six at the school, but has been learning at home, alongside older sister Jessica who attends Harrogate High School, with support from teachers and their parents since the start of lockdown. Jamie said he was relieved not to have to make the decision himself about whether it was safe for Erin to return – though he does feel sad she’s missing the final weeks at primary school.

“I remember from last year when Jessica left, it was nice that last bit of primary school. I don’t feel she’s missing out on anything education-wise, she will just miss those nice experiences with her friends.”

Schools across the district will teach pupils taught in smaller groups than usual class sizes. Each small group is being kept apart from others, with measures such as staggered arrival times and breaks introduced, and additional ventilation, cleaning and other measures in place to minimise the risks of infection.

Pupils will be taught in smaller groups, but social distancing will not be enforced within those

North Yorkshire county councillor Patrick Mulligan said:

“All schools have carried out risk assessments looking at social distancing, staffing and hygiene and those that can open safely will be doing on Monday. Not all schools will be open on June 1; we are a large rural county with a relatively high number of small rural schools – including traditional church schools based around small classrooms – where implementing social distancing simply isn’t possible.

“We would like to reassure parents who are sending their children to school that schools are working hard to ensure the safety and wellbeing of pupils.”

The county council is also working to deliver home-to-school transport for those pupils who already qualified for it. Parents in need of transport over the coming weeks have been asked to complete a survey on the council’s website.

Is your child’s school reopening today? How do you feel about sending them back? Contact us with your views.

Large groups of young people flout lockdown rules in Stray sunshine

Large groups of young people have gathered on the Stray in the hot weather – breaking existing lockdown restrictions and new the rules that are due come into force.

From Monday, people can meet in groups of up to 6 people in outdoor spaces like parks or private gardens – as long as they remain two metres apart.

The Stray Ferret witnessed many groups of up to 11 young people on the Stray yesterday evening and today who were lying or sitting close together.  There was no police presence at the time these pictures were taken.

North Yorkshire Police have said their officers would be out and about today and

“continue to engage with members of the public, explain the regulations and encourage people to adhere to them, using enforcement as a last resort”.

What’s your experience of being out in the sunshine today? Have you felt people are abiding by the lockdown rules and staying 2m apart? Get in touch: contact@thestrayferret.co.uk  or follow us and comment on social media @TheStrayFerret

 

COLUMN: The excitement and nerves of being the first voice on StrayFM

This column is written for The Stray Ferret by Steve Parsley. Steve’s voice was the first heard on Stray FM almost 26 years ago. This week it was announced that StrayFM will be turned into a national radio station, Greatest Hits Radio. The journalist-turned-copywriter reflects on its history – and the future of local media:

 

Memories of that first broadcast on launch day on July 4 back in 1994 are not as clear as they might once have been – largely because there were plenty of other events at the station after that which were ultimately more challenging.

There were nerves on that first day of course – enough to convince us to record the first-ever news bulletin at 7am in advance. We were that determined that there shouldn’t be a single stutter, cough or blunder to mar a watershed moment which had been years in the planning.

But the rest that morning were done live and, once the pressure was off, we were already beginning to enjoy ourselves – and, indeed, that’s how I’ll remember the first few months that the station was on air.

Stray FM’s roots were as an amateur operation run on a part-time licence during the Harrogate International Festival from a Portakabin on the car park at St Aidan’s School.

But, within a few weeks after its full-time launch, it had already become a popular community service; there was no doubt about that. The station’s minute-by-minute coverage of the first snows of the winter, the dramatic story of the animal rights fire bomb attacks on a gaggle of town centre stores and its determination to include local folk in its programming saw to that.

The groundswell of support was tangible and the presenters – and even the news team – began to realise they even had a little local celebrity. They were definitely exciting times.

However, the euphoria began to wear a little thin when the inaugural team’s enthusiasm and relative inexperience ran up against the commercial realities of financing and running a radio station.

Within a year, a new management team had taken the helm, there were departures among stalwarts who had been with the Stray FM brand right from its very inception and even a sad and devastating suicide among the presenting team.

However, slowly but surely, the station put a rocky first anniversary behind it, remained true to its principles – if not its original format – and cemented a place for itself as a source of local entertainment and information and as a new cheerleader at many of the Harrogate district’s local events.

Run on a shoestring in years two and three and now focusing as much on sales as content, Stray FM shrugged off its reputation for an amateur but well-meaning approach to broadcasting to become a proper RAJAR contender.

Some established names from rival commercial stations in Leeds even began to appear in its presenter line-up. News too was revamped to include a half-hour drive-time programme and live Saturday coverage.

But, perhaps predictably, the station’s success was noticed eventually by the larger players and, in 1999, Stray FM was to be acquired by GWR – then the owners of Classic FM – for a cool £3m.

The purchase certainly offered a great return for shareholders who had invested in the early days of the station, helping to get it off the ground. I remember staff being assured their jobs were secure and glasses being raised to a job well done.

But, for me personally at least, the magic was over. Important decisions were no longer made in the meeting room in Harrogate but in a distant boardroom. The station was also expected to conform to the GWR format. However, the final straw was an instruction not to focus so much on news but “infotainment”. From that moment, my own departure was inevitable.

Nevertheless, I remained a supporter and was as pleased as anyone when, in 2008, Stray FM was given an Arqiva Award as the best station for its size. I claim no credit whatsoever, but I still remember hearing the news with some pride. It was the same too when the station appeared more than once on the Sunday Times Best Places To Work list.

I will always remember my six years on the team with fondness. Indeed, my parting gift – a framed montage of some of my favourite sayings (which, sadly, I can’t repeat here) and commemorating the weird way I wore my headphones – still hangs on the wall in our smallest room at home.

It is therefore with great sadness that I heard the news this week of the station’s demise. I‘ve grown used to seeing newspapers I worked for become shadows of their former selves in a world where information is now gathered mostly for free on the internet and on social media.

But, for me at least, commercial radio was somehow insulated from the ravages on the online world. I thought it was still a place we went in our cars, for local news and content or for music on Sunday mornings.

The decision made by Stray FM’s new owners suggests I’m wrong and I have no hesitation in admitting that is both a shock and source of considerable sadness. For me, it’s also another step towards a grey and uniform world where automation is more important than character and content. But that, perhaps, is the modern reality.

Read more about this week’s news story on Stray FM:

Harrogate BID creates social distancing posters for businesses

Harrogate BID has created social distancing posters to help customers keep two metres apart ahead of shops reopening in June.

The series of posters, called “Harrogate Welcomes You”, will be made available for free to all businesses in the town.

The “Harrogate Welcomes You” pack will be made available to businesses.

It comes as car showrooms will reopen from Monday and non-essential shops, such as clothes stores and electronic outlets, will open on June 15.

The pack provided by the BID will include a window graphic, six posters, six floor two metre stickers and six queue stickers.

Floor stickers will help to show customers where to stand two metres apart.

Harrogate BID Interim Manager Simon Kent said:

“We have used the slogan ‘Harrogate Welcomes You’ which is a simple, yet powerful, message which we believe will strike a chord with businesses and customers alike.

“With the town gradually coming back to life in the next couple of weeks, these packs will be available, free of charge, for all businesses within the BID district.

“They have been designed to work in any businesses environment, be it shops or offices, and as well as reminding people what they should be doing to minimise the risk of contracting Covid-19, they include the strong welcoming message.”