An art teacher from Harrogate who has a terminal cancer diagnosis will use her last exhibition to raise money for the staff who tried to save her life.

Sharon Tinayre Carrick is well-known as a teacher at Rosset Adult Learning centre, where she gets students to use art to improve their wellbeing.

The bowel cancer diagnosis doctors gave her last year meant that she had no work to do so needed something to occupy her time. Sharon found that she needed to practice what she had taught.

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Months of treatment did not work for Sharon and resulted in her body rejecting anything the doctors at the Sir Robert Ogden Macmillian Centre would try to treat her with.

Mrs Carrick, who signs her work by her middle name Tinayre, used her experience with cancer and her bucket list and 50th birthday trip to Venice as inspiration.

Gallopers by Tinayre

The “Was I really there!” is a mixture of different mediums from the start of her cancer diagnosis leading up to Sharon’s trip to Venice.

Art in the Mill in Knaresborough will host the exhibition from August 28 to September 11. All profits will go towards the Sir Robert Ogden Macmillian Centre.

Sharon Carrick told the Stray Ferret while on treatment at St Michael’s Hospice:

“We had planned to hold the exhibition earlier in the year but had to postpone because of coronavirus, so that was really tough. My terminal diagnosis came on the same day that I got the date for my new exhibition. I hope that I can make it to the show.”

A high speed police chase in Harrogate last night ended in a crash and the arrest of a 19-year-old suspected burglar.

Earlier in the night, at around 2.45am, burglars entered a house on St Helen’s Road before fleeing in a Mercedes parked on the driveway.

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Just 15 minutes later North Yorkshire Police took a second report of a ‘two in one’ burglary on St Clement’s Road where another Mercedes was reported stolen.

The police started to chase the car which drove off at speed along Hookstone Chase and Forest Moor Road, causing damage to parked cars. It crashed on Thistle Hill in Knaresborough.

@NYPDogSection and @HarrogatePolice assist in area search. We continue patrol and find Male suspected to be involved. #arrested sus burglary and other offences. #OperationalSupport @teamnyp 2/2 pic.twitter.com/65QqOl486Y

— NYP Operational Support Unit (@NYPRoadCrime) August 10, 2020

Shortly after, the police arrested a 19-year-old man from the Harrogate area and took him into custody where he remains for questioning.

North Yorkshire Police has asked anyone with information or footage from last night to call them on 101 or call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111. Use North Yorkshire Police reference numbers 12200137651 for the St Helen’s Road burglary and 12200137663 for the St Clement’s Road burglary,

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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.