Just 11 new covid infections – but R number rises again

Just 11 new covid infections were reported today in the Harrogate district by Public Health England.

The figure is the joint second lowest daily amount since the start of the second wave of the pandemic.

However, yesterday’s figure of 36 was the highest since November 23.

Although the daily statistics have varied considerably recently, the trend in the Harrogate district is definitely upwards.

The R number, which was just 0.4 last weekend, went up again today to 0.7. This means every 10 people infected will pass the virus on to another seven.

The district’s seven-day average rate of infection to December 14 is 93 people per 100,000. This compares with 116 and 235 in North Yorkshire and England.

North Yorkshire remained in tier two today in the government’s first review of the tier system since the second lockdown.

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Harrogate restaurant offers free meals for homeless people

An independent Harrogate restaurant is stepping up to the plate once again and offering free meals for homeless people on Christmas Day.

Portofino Ristorante will open from 2pm to 4pm to serve a full turkey dinner for anyone without a roof over their head.

As well as the food, those in need will also come away with a Christmas gift in the form of gloves, hats, scarves or sleeping bags.

Ozgur Babat, owner of the Italian restaurant Portofino, told the Stray Ferret:

“Many businesses are struggling right now but we are lucky enough to be in a position to help others.

“The response has been incredible, so many people have shared it online so hopefully we can reach those people in need.”

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With the help of charitable people locally the restaurant is already at full capacity for winter clothes and sleeping bags.

The restaurant will serve turkey with pigs in blankets, stuffing, seasonal vegetables, roast potatoes and gravy from its new Christmas menu.

The restaurant has been inundated with donations.

Coronavirus guidelines means that everyone will have to sit on a seperate table, so there will be room for around 25 people.

Since sharing the news on the Portofino Ristorante page, people have shared the post more than 1,000 times.

Council rejects Harrogate Blues Bar’s road closure bid

North Yorkshire County Council has rejected a Harrogate bar’s bid to close the road outside for outdoor tables and chairs.

The Blues Bar, on Montpellier Parade, was forced to remove the tables and chairs from the Stray earlier this year and thought this could be the solution.

However, the county council said the closure of Montpellier Parade would cause issues for emergency vehicles, Montpellier Square car park and deliveries.

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Although Montpellier Parade is a highway it still forms part of the Stray, which is covered by a 1985 Act of Parliament.  In September when the issue of closing the road was raised the Stray Defence Association reminded those involved that using any part of the Stray for commercial gain may contravene the act.

However Melisa Burnham, the highways area manager at the county council, said it had been rejected because of access:

“Following site visits and consultation with the emergency services and adjoining businesses we could not recommend the closure of Montpellier Parade.

“However, the Blues Bar does have additional space on the pavement outside for tables and chairs. We have provided support by suspending parking bays so they can be used by pedestrians.

“We are doing all we can to support hospitality and retail businesses in these difficult times, and all measures are under constant review.

“The site visits confirmed that there would not be enough space to accommodate additional tables and chairs whilst allowing space for emergency vehicles to pass.

“The road is one-way from Parliament Street to Montpellier Hill. A closure would prevent access to Montpellier Square car park, delivery areas and the well-used loading bays.”

The Blues Bar is still able to use the parking bays immediately outside and hopes to be able to use the Stray again when the weather improves next year.

Knaresborough mum: ‘Funding cuts will harm my son’s education’

A mother from Knaresborough fears children’s education at a special needs school will suffer after eight teachers were made redundant.

Kay Heffron’s son Anthony has been at Springwell Harrogate, formerly known as The Grove Academy, for almost two years.

Anthony’s behavioural issues mean he works better in smaller class sizes with more one-to-one attention.

But eight members of staff are leaving at Christmas in the wake of budget cuts and class sizes will increase. It brings the total number of staff lost to 14 in the last two years.

Ms Heffron is worried about the impact of this on the education of her son and other pupils.

She said:

“It will have a long-term impact. He doesn’t want to go back because his favourite teachers are leaving. He will fall back again and his behaviour will likely deteriorate. They will miss out on the education they deserve.

“The teachers were fantastic and always went above and beyond. But now it just isn’t the same because there aren’t as many staff. I’m quite sad that it can’t continue as it was — their education will be affected.”

Ms Heffron’s daughter, Abbie, who has autism, also attended Springwell Harrogate for two years but now goes to another specialist school.

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The school came under the management of Wellspring Academy Trust in April 2020.

The trust has said changes to funding occurred before it took over and it has been restructuring. It added:

“All the changes that have been implemented at Springwell Harrogate are in line with Wellspring’s standard delivery model across the trust and have been proven highly effective in our seven successful alternative academies.

“This includes the adult – pupil ratios that are benchmarked against Department for Education best practice. The ratios at Springwell Harrogate meet the DfE’s recommendations.

“Leaders at the school are always happy to talk with parents and carers who have any concerns and will always consider the individual learning, social and emotional needs of Springwell Harrogate pupils.”

Christmas meals for older people in Harrogate district

About 85 meals will be delivered to the doors of older and vulnerable people in the Harrogate district on Christmas Day.

Harrogate and Ripon Food Angels has been providing meals since 2012 but this is the first time it is providing the service on December 25.

Staff and volunteers dressed festively will cook, pack and deliver a traditional Christmas dinner, Christmas pudding, mince pie and a cracker for those in need of a meal and some cheer.

Harrogate and Ripon Food Angels is part of Harrogate Neighbours, a charity that cares for older people.

It cooks 100 to 150 meals daily at its Starbeck base for beneficiaries, whose needs have been assessed.

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In previous years, the food angels have delivered double their daily quota of meals on Christmas Eve to prepare people for Christmas Day.

But Sue Cawthray, chief executive of Harrogate Neighbours, told the Stray Ferret this year’s long Christmas bank holiday weekend meant some people would be alone for long periods, hence the decision to venture out on the 25th.

She added:

“Our priority is to tackle social isolation and to support those most in need in our community all year around, but particularly on special occasions.

“When we received the requests for our meals on wheels service to run on Christmas Day, we quickly reached out to some volunteers who agreed without hesitation to deliver meals on the day.

“We’re incredibly lucky to have such dedicated and supportive volunteers and we look forward to feeding the community and spreading some Christmas joy to those who may be on their own for the first time this Christmas.”

To volunteer to deliver meals, or to support Harrogate Neighbours through donating, fundraising, sponsoring an event or to join the team, visit www.hnha.co.uk or call 01423 888777.

Police search for Bilton flasher

Police are searching for a man who exposed himself to members of the public in Bilton yesterday.

The incident, which occurred near a pond close to the sandy banks of the River Nidd, off Bilton Lane, was reported to the police at 2.42pm.

Police have stepped-up patrols in the area to try to find the man, who it is believed has indecently exposed himself previously this year.

North Yorkshire Police is asking people to come forward with possible sightings of the man – either clothed or unclothed – or with details of any suspicious behaviour along the riverbank or in nearby woodland between 2pm and 4pm yesterday or recently.

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The man is described as white with a short dark-brown beard, aged in his 30s or 40s, about 6ft tall with a muscular build. He was wearing a mid-blue baseball cap.

Inspector Alex Langley, of the Harrogate neighbourhood policing team, said:

“This is clearly very worrying and disturbing behaviour and we are doing all we can to locate the suspect.

“If anyone has information that could assist the investigation, please get in touch immediately so we can take action.

“It is always best to make a report straight away and to provide as much detail as possible about the location so we can target our searches. Ideally, this will include accurate data from smartphone maps or apps such as What3Words.”

Anyone with information can contact North Yorkshire Police on 101, select option 1, and speak to the force control room.

Alternatively, contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111 or via www.crimestoppers-uk.org.

Quote reference number 12200232879.

Five arrests after thieves hit Harrogate building sites

Police have arrested five people after thieves targeted building sites in the Harrogate district.

Officers travelled to South Yorkshire to make the arrests and seize property this morning after a string of thefts between March and November.

The thieves stole newly-installed boilers as well as machinery and tools.

In North Yorkshire alone, criminals struck at abound 40 housing developments when the homes were close to completion. A number of the developments were in the Harrogate district although precise details are not known.

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Detective Inspector Chris Stone, of North Yorkshire Police, said:

“These incidents clearly involved high-value, organised crime, and had a significant impact.

“Not only businesses within North Yorkshire, but house buyers due to move in to their new properties.

“Significant resources have been deployed into this investigation, leading to today’s arrests.

“We are actively pursuing further lines of enquiry, and will continue to robustly investigate these offences.”

The police arrested a man in his 40s from Doncaster and three men in their 30s from Barnsley on suspicion of conspiracy to commit burglary and transferring criminal property.

Officers also arrested a woman in her 20s from Barnsley on suspicion of conspiracy to commit burglary

All remain in custody at this time while the police conduct the investigation.

Lonely this Christmas? Harrogate group urges older people to join

A Harrogate community group has issued a plea to older people who are feeling lonely to get involved with its activities.

The Harrogate University of the Third Age, which has about 1,000 members, helps people over 50 pursue activities and develop new interests.

Anyone over the age of 50 and no longer in full-time work is able to join.

Although covid has prevented its usual monthly meetings taking place face-to-face, members are still meeting online.

They hope to do so twice a month from January before actual coffee mornings and summer outings, like the one pictured above, return as soon as possible.

Christmas can be an isolating time for some people, especially older people, so the group is urging people not to hesitate to get in touch.

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Alison Harris, the publicity officer at Harrogate U3A, said:

“Many people, especially older people, can feel very lonely at Christmas, but loneliness is not just for Christmas.

“If you are feeling socially isolated maybe Harrrogate U3A has something to offer you. We are a self-help charitable organisation run by and for its members.”

The subscription price is £12 per year. More details are available on the Harrogate U3A website.

Vaccine to be given at Great Yorkshire Showground next week

The Great Yorkshire Showground in Harrogate is to be used for the vaccine rollout from next week.

The first vaccination is due to be given on Tuesday and the programme is expected to last for several months.

The government has asked the 17 GP practices in Harrogate and the surrounding district, including Ripon, Knaresborough, Boroughbridge, Pateley Bridge and Masham to oversee the rollout.

The practices are appealing for volunteers to marshal the car park and signpost patients through the vaccination site at the showground, which is owned by the Yorkshire Agricultural Society.

No details have been given to the media about the rollout but a post on the Harrogate covid co-operation Facebook group yesterday on behalf of the GP practices revealed the news. It said:

“Harrogate and rural district are working together in order to plan for delivering a mass vaccination programme and we need to ask primary care staff and volunteers to help.

“We will need staff and volunteers to undertake a variety of roles and we need to plan for vaccinations to be carried out seven days a week, 8am-8pm, including bank holidays.

“This is a huge ask, but we would like volunteers to indicate if they would be willing to help in some capacity.”

The 250-acre showground has ample car parking and is used to staging large events, most notably the three-day Great Yorkshire Show, which was cancelled this year.

But nothing in the Yorkshire Agricultural Society’s 183-year history compares with the task in hand.

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The GPs’ post today said it required 18 volunteers a day. Morning sessions will start with an 8am briefing and the first jabs will be given at 8.30am.

Morning sessions will end at 1.15pm and afternoon vaccinations will take place from 2.30pm to 6.15pm.

The GPs’ post said:

“Unfortunately we aren’t able to offer vaccinations to volunteers at this stage as we have to prioritise certain patient groups.

“Next week is the first stage of the vaccination programme and we are going to need volunteers from the New Year onwards to fulfil the same types of roles for probably a number of months.”

Anyone interested in volunteering is invited to register their interest and complete the questionnaire here.

Burglars leap fence and climb ladder in Harrogate house break-in

Burglars jumped over a garden fence then climbed a ladder to break into the upstairs of a home in Harrogate.

North Yorkshire Police today appealed for information about the incident, which happened in Woods Court, Harrogate at about 6.15pm on December 1.

The force is unsure whether one or two criminals were involved. It said in a statement:

“The suspect(s) are believed to have accessed the rear garden via jumping over the fence and used a single-section ladder to gain access to the upstairs of the property.

“They are also believed to have exited over the same garden fence to make their escape.

“We are requesting the public’s assistance to help establish the full circumstances surrounding the incident.”

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Anyone with information can contact North Yorkshire Police on 101, select option 2, and ask for Jonathan Cleary. You can also email Jonathan.cleary@northyorkshire.pnn.police.uk

If you wish to remain anonymous, you can pass information to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

Quote the North Yorkshire Police reference number 12200214547.