Retailers in the district are reporting an increase in the number of bikes sold since the coronavirus crisis began.

Some bike store owners in the district said they’ve seen more people opt for two wheels, with one reporting as selling as many as seven bikes a day.

It comes as the government urged more people to cycle to work as the lockdown eases.

In Harrogate, Prologue Cycling, which deals with performance model bikes, said it had seen good sales during the lockdown period from people who felt they had more time to upgrade their bikes.

Meanwhile, Damian Brooks, manager at Motor World in Ripon, said he had also seen an increase in sales at his store during lockdown.

He said: “I have never known it so busy. Since the coronavirus, people have become very fitness conscious and we are selling six to seven bikes a day. That’s as many as we were selling in a month before the crisis.”

National outlet, Halfords, reported a “better than expected” month in April where shares in the company jumped by 11%.

Grant Shapps, Transport Secretary, said people should consider taking up two wheels as the commute to work changes  and announced a £2 billion funding package to increase cycling and walking capacity across the UK.

Stray Ferret Focuses on Cycling

Over the next three days, The Stray Ferret will explore the debate surrounding the future of cycling in Harrogate in a Focus On Cycling series.

Each morning we will publish a story which will cover how the debate is shaping and what is being done as the call for more cycling lanes grows louder.

Tomorrow we will look at the projects planned in Harrogate and what progress has been made on them.

Make sure you sign up to notifications from The Stray Ferret so you don’t miss a story.

Harrogate Business Improvement District has backed calls for council bosses to listen to businesses over pedestrianisation plans in the town centre.

The organisation joins Independent Harrogate which has argued for local businesses to be listened to over the town centre which it says faces a serious economic crisis.

It comes as temporary pavement widening measures were put in place by North Yorkshire County Council on James Street, Commercial Street and parts of Albert Street last week to help with social distancing.

But the bollards served to reignite opposition to permanently widen some footpaths and lose car parking as a result of a “gateway” plan for the town.

Sara Ferguson, acting chair of the Harrogate BID, said it backed the call for businesses to be listened to and will also ask the county council to urgently review car parking signs in order to make it easier for people driving into the town.

She said: “The temporary measures to assist with social distancing are both necessary and welcomed. They will help make customers and workers more comfortable about returning to Harrogate town centre.

“However, at the same time, it’s imperative that those driving into town by car know where they can park – both on-street and in car parks – and at the same time are not penalised for doing so.

“Harrogate BID is here to represent every town centre business who, between them employ thousands of people. Any plans for further pedestrianisation need to be carefully considered, and must take into account the views of all town centre businesses.

“Another important factor within this needs to be improving traffic flow, which will enhance everyone’s experience driving in and around the town.”

“Our aim is to make Harrogate a must-visit destination; one that is accessible for people arriving by all means of transport, including on foot, public transport, cars, bicycles and scooters.

“In the meantime, we will be asking our partners North Yorkshire County Council for an urgent review into town centre parking signage.”

The temporary bollards put up to widen James Street in Harrogate to help give space for social distancing have served to reignite fierce opposition to a plan to permanently widen the pavements by losing the on street car parking.

A £7.8m pot from the Transforming Cities Fund was secured in March to create a “gateway”  to connect the bus and railway stations with the town centre making it easier for walkers and cyclists.

The plan fits into a wider strategy for Harrogate drawn up by the borough council in its 2016 Town Centre Strategy and Masterplan. It states:

The council’s preferred option is for the full pedestrianisation of James Street. This option will serve to link the public realm schemes at Prospect Square and Station Square.

The gateway scheme though is still subject to extra funding by the county and district councils and further consultation.

Artists impression of the station square and the top of James St from the town centre masterplan 2016

The loss of on street parking or any pedestrianisation of James St is fiercely opposed by retail group, Independent Harrogate. Yesterday in its mission statement, it argued the plan is out of date and that, post coronavirus lockdown, the town is facing such a serious economic crisis, reducing any on-street parking would be a disaster. It urged the councils to:

listen to their business rate payers and to address the damaged fundamentals of Harrogate before proceeding with their long-term vision; and then do so in consultation with Independent Harrogate’s members and all businesses who trade there.

Cllr Don Mackenzie, the county council’s Executive Member for Access told The Stray Ferret that their aim was to keep everyone onboard and to make it easier for shoppers:

“North Yorkshire County Council and Harrogate Borough Council both know that when you talk about pedestrianisation some people get anxious. Some are in favour, others see it as terrible. At this stage re-allocation of the road means taking away car parking spaces and widening the pavements.”

When the consultation starts it’s hard to see how either council will be able to win Independent Harrogate over without significant changes to the proposals.

The money awarded to the project in March has to be spent within 3 years.

Individual schools in the Harrogate district will be left to decide whether it is safe for them to reopen next month.

North Yorkshire County Council said it will give schools their full support and bespoke advice. Each school will need to take a risk assessment.

It comes after the Government set out its road map which involved schools welcoming back some classes from June 1.

Some schools in the Harrogate district may be ready to reopen by then but the council thinks that many will stagger their openings.

There will not be any punishments for parents who decide against sending their children to schools.

More than 200 schools across North Yorkshire have stayed open to vulnerable children and the children of key workers during the coronavirus lockdown.

Stuart Carlton is the Corporate Director of Children and Young People’s Service at North Yorkshire County Council.

He said: “We are advising schools to prepare to be open from June 1 at the earliest, awaiting Government confirmation that they will.

“We are here supporting schools and headteachers as best we can to make the correct and safest decisions in line with Government advice.”

Some councils have taken a different view. Calderdale, Bury, Liverpool, and Hartlepool have all advised against a wider school reopening.

If you are a parent, teacher, or headteacher and have concerns about the schools reopening then please get in touch with the Stray Ferret by  sending us an email.

The number of jobless claims in the Harrogate district soared by around 150% at the start of the coronavirus lockdown.

ONS data shows that on March 12 there were 1,010 claims in Harrogate and Knaresborough and that increased to 2,570 by April 9. Ripon and Skipton saw a similar rise from 745 claims to 1,935.

In the UK, the claims rose at a record month-on-month rate by 69.1% to 2.1 million from March 12 to April 9, 2020.

That’s according to new data from the Office for National Statistics, which can be found here.

Both the Harrogate and Knaresborough as well as the Skipton and Ripon constituencies saw a much higher rise of 150% in claims than the UK average.

Harrogate and Knaresborough MP, Andrew Jones, warned on his website that the unemployment figures could rise as more data becomes available.

“It would be wrong to view these figures as a one-month phenomenon. As the effect of lockdown continues to run through our local economy, as furloughing ends and as lockdown eases we are likely to see more shocks in the unemployment figures.”

It comes as the number of people using Harrogate’s food bank more than doubled when the coronavirus lockdown was introduced.

The RHS Chelsea flower has been cancelled for the first time since World War Two.

Instead there will be a virtual flower show about “sharing gardening knowledge” which will go online to the public tomorrow.

With this in mind, The Stray Ferret gained access to the RHS garden at Harlow Carr to provide a virtual tour of the secret paradise that lies behind closed doors.

Parking restrictions have been introduced across the Harrogate district, with signs suggesting they could be applied for more than four months.

James Street, Commercial Street and parts of Albert Street in Harrogate town centre have been roped off, along with parking bays on Knaresborough High Street. Pateley Bridge’s High Street and Ripon’s High Skellgate and Westgate have been reduced in width to a single lane.

North Yorkshire County Council’s signs say the restrictions are designed to enable social distancing and are in place until the end of September. However, the authority confirmed on Twitter the parking bays will be closed this weekend, with monitoring in place to determine how effective the measures are.

While shops, cafes, bars and restaurants are not currently allowed to open, the government has said the restrictions could be eased in the coming weeks. NYCC has not confirmed whether the weekend’s restrictions will be extended, though the signs suggest they could be in place until the end of September.

The notices on James Street suggest restrictions could be in place until the end of September

Richard Flinton, chief executive of NYCC, said in a message to residents:

“We are doing our best to limit crowds in those places where lack of space is particularly concerning such as Whitby, Filey, Scarborough and Harrogate.

“We are closing a number of streets, shutting certain car parks and suspending parking in a number of areas. We will also have highways crews looking out for any issues of concern over the weekend and ready to take the action open to us, to respond.”

If restrictions on town centre parking remain in place after shops are allowed to re-open, they are likely to cause concern for businesses already affected by declining footfall before lockdown began. Independent Harrogate, which represents small businesses in the town, has been campaigning for free parking to encourage more shoppers to visit and bolster the local economy.

Environmental campaigners argue the quiet roads and increase in cycling and walking over recent weeks should be part of the Harrogate district’s plans for the future. Zero Carbon Harrogate has said now is the ideal time to improve infrastructure for low-carbon transport and encourage people to choose options other than cars.

More visitors were seen in Harrogate’s Valley Gardens today

Visitor attractions

Fears had been raised that, over the first weekend since changes to lockdown advice from the government, crowds could descend on town centres and attractions, making it very difficult for people to keep their distance.

Harrogate’s Valley Gardens today appeared much busier than it has been over recent weeks, with no parking restrictions nearby. Organisations including Yorkshire Water and the Yorkshire Dales National Park issued advice against travelling to potentially busy places.

Mr Flinton added:

“We hope this is reassuring, but you all have a part to play in this, too. Of course, enjoy the outdoors; there is no finer place than our county in my, perhaps biased, view.

“But, please, access open countryside rather than paths, narrow lanes or town and village centres. If you can do so close to your home all the better, and be prepared to change your mind if where you are heading looks busy. Protect yourselves and your family by avoiding crowds and encourage anyone you know who is thinking of coming – to wait until we can offer them a real North Yorkshire welcome in the future.”

What are your experiences of the new restrictions and social distancing across the Harrogate district this weekend? Email us with your views.

Bride to be, but when?

Julie Yeoman, was meant to be walking down the aisle today to marry her fiance, Troy Scott. However, due to coronavirus, they are left in a ‘waiting game’, with no real certainty of when the ceremony will be.

Julie and Troy who live in Harrogate were due to get married at St John’s Church in Bilton today, then on to the reception which was to be at the Old Swan Hotel in Harrogate.

However, with all weddings put on hold because of the ban on gatherings of more than two people to stop the disease spreading, their big day can not go ahead.

Julie told The Stray Ferret that it has been one long waiting game:

“We spent a lot of time waiting to see what would happen as if we cancelled ourselves we would have to pay… Once the church and venue cancelled, we postponed it to February next year, but we have since found out that our marriage licence runs out at the end of June this year.”

Jade Edwards and Henry Stam were meant to tie the knot on May 9, at Rudding Park, but due to coronavirus, their big day has been postponed.

To make matters worse the couple weren’t even able to spend their ‘not wedding day’ together as Henry works as a doctor in A&E at Harrogate Hospital. Jade told the Stray Ferret that the whole thing has been very sad:

 It was meant to be such a special year, it’s just so sad… Henry has moved into an apartment in Harrogate as he is very much on the front line of the pandemic and we have an 11-month-old daughter so he didn’t want to put her or me at risk, so we couldn’t even spend the day together… a few other couples we know got dressed up and had a nice meal at home, but we couldn’t do that.

Henry isn’t very emotional, but even he said that at 1pm last Saturday he was looking at his watch thinking about where we should have been… But it’s out of our control, we will just have to look forward to next year.

The couple initially postponed the ceremony to the 4th July, but as time went out they realised that, even if it could go ahead then, that it wouldn’t be the wedding they wanted.

I didn’t want everyone to be in face mask or for my older relatives to not be able to come, so we thought it was best to just push it back until next year… The venue have been brilliant, they have just dealt with the whole thing for us, nothing was an issue.

Laura Lindsay who is a wedding planner in Harrogate, usually organises 50 weddings between April and September. She told the Stray Ferret that this is not something the industry ever imagined having to go through :

 Everything up until august is out of the window for most of my brides… and anyone who is holding out is looking at a different style of wedding day… this is no longer 100 guests it’s on a much smaller scale.

2020 brides will have bought their products, personalised them with their dates date, sent out invites… they are now having to do this twice which is an added expense.

With the majority of weddings this year being moved over to 2021 Laura advised that people secured their dates quickly. She went on to say:

I just want to remind you all when you’re feeling down that your wedding will happen and when it does it is going to be an amazing celebration,  there will be people that won’t of seen each other in such a long time and the whole day will be valued so much more.