Alan Titchmarsh visits Harrogate’s Horticap today

Harrogate charity and garden centre Horticap welcomed gardening celebrity Alan Titchmarsh today to officially open its cafe area and to tour the new nature trail.

Horticap is based on Otley Road, across from RHS Harlow Carr, and provides training in horticulture and rural skills to adults with learning and other disabilities.

The TV presenter and patron of the charity was invited when the cafe and nature trail first opened last summer but was unable to attend due to covid restrictions so he performed the official opening today.

Mr Titchmarsh also spoke to students and staff about new projects underway at the centre.

 

Phil Airey, operations manager at Horticap, said:

“We don’t really make it public when he is coming because the place gets too busy, but he came down to speak to students and see the new cafe and shop.

“It was great, he really spent time with the students and spoke to them about the projects they’re working on.

“He said he had a lovely time and even visited Bettys to take some Fat Rascals home!”

Cutting the ribbon at Horticap today. Photograph: Horticap

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First Harrogate Christmas Fayre set to showcase local charities

The new Harrogate Christmas Fayre is set to showcase local charities when the festive market comes to town next month.

Organisers Market Place Europe have set aside a stall for 10 charities, which they can use to raise awareness and fundraise.

Across the 10 days, Samaritans of Harrogate and District, Harrogate Town AFC Community Foundation, Bilton and Woodfield Community Library, Dementia Forward, Harrogate Skills 4 Living Centre, Harrogate Easier Living Project, Citizens Advice Craven and Harrogate Districts, Harrogate International Festivals, Harrogate Hospital and Community Charity and Horticap will also use the stall.

A press release today by Harrogate Borough Council, which is organising the event in partnership with Market Place Europe, said the charities ‘were identified through the council’s Local Lotto initiative’, which conducts weekly prize draws that generate money for local charities.

Nick Rhodes, chief executive of Market Place Europe, said:

“Almost 50 coach companies are set to arrive across the 10 days, along with the thousands of Harrogate district residents and regional visitors, so it is anticipated that traders, local businesses and charities are going to benefit from the additional footfall the fayre will bring.”

The organisers hope the stall will help fill the void left by the original Harrogate Christmas Market on Montpellier Hill, which over the last five events contributed more than £90,000 to local charities.

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Gemma Rio, Harrogate Borough Council’s head of destination management, said:

“There is a lot of excitement building for the market, and we are anticipating thousands of people visiting Harrogate this festive period, so I’d like to thank Market Place Europe for donating a stall that will no doubt raise the profile of local charities and The Local Lotto.”

Location and dates for new Harrogate Christmas Fayre

The Harrogate Christmas Fayre will feature around 50 stallholders on Cambridge Street, Market Place, Station Square and Cambridge Crescent.. They will be spaced out wider than usual to encourage social distancing.

Horticap holds open weekend as part of climate festival

Harrogate charity Horticap is holding open days today and tomorrow to encourage children and families to learn how to protect their local environment.

The open days are part of the Harrogate District Climate Change Coalition climate action festival, which is being held in the run up to the UN climate change festival COP26 in Glasgow.

Horticap, a charity-run nursery on Otley Road that provides horticulture training for people with disabilities, is hosting stands by charities and businesses.

The weekend aims to get people involved in environmental efforts and highlight the importance of recycling and protecting local green spaces.

The event is being staged by Horticap and Pinewoods Conservation Group.

Lucy Hind, from Pinewoods Conservation Group, organised rock painting for children and gave information to people on how they can use the green space around them.

She said:

“Horticap come into the Pinewoods a lot to do work for us so we wanted to make sure we were supporting this.

“This weekend is about getting children involved and educating them and getting children out and about.”

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Other exhibitors include Harrogate District Biodiversity Action Group, Essential Needs and Cone Exhange.

Donated scrap

Chris Powell, community champion at Cone Exchange, talked about the Bettys and Taylors community project in Starbeck, which turns donated scrap into usable products and crafts.

Chris Powell with the items made from business waste group’s workshop

“We reuse lots of different business waste and we work to repurpose that with adults with disabilities. We work with the students’ skills to create a product, it could be something as simple as craft items or decorative items out of plastic lids from local takeaways.

“The aim is to get everyone involved and reduce business waste.”

Mr Powell said he was at the event to make people aware of the project and to raise some money for charities with their products.

Phil Airey, operations manager at Horticap, said:

“I just want to promote everybody here and encourage people to get involved in projects locally. So come along!”

The stands will be back open tomorrow 10-4pm.

Horticap’s greenhouse

Harrogate’s Horticap opens revamped free nature trail

A Harrogate nursery has reopened its free nature trail this week after a nine-month refurbishment of the grounds.

Horticap, which is based at Bluecoat Wood Nurseries on Otley Road, is a charity that provides adults with learning and other disabilities training in horticulture, allied crafts and rural skills.

Parts of the trail were badly churned during construction of a new tearoom and shop at Horticap, which opened earlier this year in June.

The Hopkins at Horticap cafe is named in honour of former Horticap student Peter Hopkins, who left his house in Bilton to the charity after he and his mother Marjorie died.

The Banks Community Fund, a Durham-based charity linked to The Banks Group, donated £5,000 to make the work possible.

The trail includes additional seating areas, interpretative boards and new pond screening.

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While a new sunken garden has been created to provides a social space that can be used by visiting schools and community groups.

The work has been led by Horticap’s operations manager Phil Airey, supported by local contractors and long-term supporters.

Some of the Horticap students were also able to assist when it was safe to do so.

The charity hopes the new facilities will extend its role in the local community.

Mr Airey said:

“The nature trail has always been really well used by our visitors, and we’ve now created something even better that we’re sure everyone’s going to love.

“It’s a very practical space with lots of interesting things to see and activities to undertake, and the extra facilities we’ve added have made it even more attractive.

“Involving some of our students in making these improvements has helped them develop new personal and workplace skills while also giving them an even greater sense of ownership.

“Without the generous funding that The Banks Group have provided, we’d have just had to tidy up the nature trail as best we could.”

Lewis Stokes, community relations manager at The Banks Group, said:

“Despite everything that’s been going on this year, the Horticap team has done an excellent job in improving what was already a great community asset.

“It’s brilliant to see all their hard work resulting in something so impressive.”

Free, revamped nature trail set to open at Harrogate’s Horticap

Harrogate charity Horticap’s newly revamped nature trail, which is free to visit, will open on Monday.

Horticap, which is based at Bluecoat Wood Nurseries, provides adults with learning and other disabilities training in horticulture, allied crafts and rural skills.

A £5,000 donation enabled it to invest in in making its nature trail more accessible to all.

Full of hidden nooks and places to explore, the new nature trail has been built with a focus on green energy and sustainability.

It includes educational signs telling visitors about the local landscape and the animals living within it.

The aim is to encourage people to look more closely at what is around them.

The trail also has large, communal areas to allow people to just sit and enjoy the peaceful surroundings.

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The charity has also just finished renovating its Hopkins cafe and shop.

The charity was able to use money left by a previous student, Peter Hopkins, to renovate the cafe to bring in extra income and offer students work experience.

‘Cement is the new toilet paper’ as materials shortage hits Harrogate

The operations manager at a local charity has said cement is the new toilet paper as he struggles with a building materials shortage.

With low supply due to problems importing goods into the UK and high demand due to lots of interest in home improvement projects, materials have jumped up in price.

Local suppliers have warned that if someone has priced up a job a few months ago then they should “rip it up.”

As building materials seem to be so difficult to find, it has made it more difficult for those who are in the middle of projects.

Local charity Horticap has just finished work on its Hopkins@Horticap cafe and is currently refurbishing an adjacent garden.

Phil Airey, operations manager at Horticap, told the Stray Ferret:

“For us it is like cement has taken over toilet paper as the hot ticket item of the coronavirus pandemic.

“We have got the posts here ready to go into the ground but no cement to keep it in place.

“The cafe building is now complete but there’s still plenty of work to do at the garden, which we are trying to make more accessible.”

Andy Broadwith, sales director at GH Brooks.

Andy Broadwith, sales director at GH Brooks, also told the Stray Ferret that his company is currently 50% down on building materials into the yard:

“As the UK relies on building materials from abroad, when there is a problem with shipping we will see a shortage.

“With low supply and high demand, it has been horrific for cost.

“Let’s say a couple wants to do a two-storey extension, the average price of all of those building materials has gone up by 32%.

“I do not think it will last though. When people reassess how much the job will cost and see such an increase some will have to cancel.”

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Timber is one of those essential materials that has more than doubled in cost over the last year.

David Gibbs, a manager at Harrogate Timber Ltd, said:

“It really is unprecedented. We have never seen such a rise in price like this before.

“We really just cannot get the stuff in we need right now, it has been really hard work. Everyone seems to be wanting to do work on their homes right now.

“Costs are rising but people are still spending. They still want to do the work they planned.”

Harrogate charity Horticap to open cafe built with former student’s legacy

Harrogate gardening charity Horticap is preparing to throw open the doors and welcome customers to its new cafe in a building built with the legacy of a former student.

Hopkins at Horticap is named in honour of Peter Hopkins, who was a student for more than 20 years and left his house in Bilton to the charity after he and his mother Marjorie died.

It has been a long time in the making. The charity has wanted to expand with a new building for a long time, but it was only made possible when the Hopkins family left their legacy to Horticap.

Peter Hopkins has made a big difference.

Phil Airey, operations manager at Horticap, told the Stray Ferret:

“Peter was a proper gentleman, a lovely guy. He had a great personality and used to do everything.

“It came as a bolt from the blue, the whole estate came to us. Peter’s mum Marjorie felt like we were his extended family, she wanted us to be able to continue to look after others.

“This is why we have built this. This is quite literally the house that Peter built. It was always on the plans, we had been putting some money aside but the legacy made all the difference.

“Not only is this going to be a great revenue stream for the charity but it is going to be a fabulous resource for our students to learn more skills.”

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Work started more than three years ago and the cafe would have likely opened much earlier this year or even last year, but coronavirus delayed the construction.

But the cafe opens for the first time on Monday and will start by serving hot drinks and cakes. It will soon expand the range to include sandwiches and more.

Chris Walsh, head chef for Hopkins at Horticap, also told the Stray Ferret:

“I’m a little bit nervous but I am excited to open and get the reputation we want for good quality food, drinks and local ingredients.

“The students will be involved as soon as possible. They will be in the kitchen preparing food, serving customers. They are all looking forward to it.

“It might sound simple but it can be a big achievement to our students to be able to make a barista coffee, that’s what it’s all about.”

Horticap students ‘absolutely gutted’ at new lockdown

The new lockdown has delivered a fresh blow to Horticap’s dedicated team of students, who have been unable to work at the popular garden centre on Otley Road since March.

The charity was established 37 years ago to offer adults with learning difficulties the chance to learn practical, personal and teamwork skills through gardening.

However, because many of their students have underlying health conditions, it’s been decided that it would be safer for them to stay at home until the pandemic ends. Now, the charity’s leaders fear the latest lockdown will have an even greater impact on mental health.

Phillip Airey, operations manager at Horticap, told the Stray Ferret:

“They are getting so down with it all really, as they are usually so active here. They want to be working. They are absolutely gutted and they keep asking us why they can’t come back.

“They do understand there’s a virus but it’s been really, really difficult for their mental health. When they are here, it’s great for them. As soon as we can get them back the better, really, for their own wellbeing.”

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With Christmas approaching, the students would be normally be helping prepare for one of Horticap’s busiest times of year, making holly wreaths and helping out in the new shop. Phillip said the staff are just about managing to keep the place ticking over until they come back, as normally, “the students basically do everything”.

There have been dissenting voices on social media who have questioned why garden centres have been allowed to stay open, whereas other sectors have not. But Phillip said gardening has been crucial to people in Harrogate during this difficult year.

He added:

“Gardening is therapeutic. It’s the best thing you can do. We all believe that. We use horticulture as a therapeutic aid for our students. It does them, and me, no end of good.

“The customers get so much out of gardening, especially knowing that our students have grown the plants.”

Harrogate shops launch team hampers for Horticap

A group of Harrogate shops on Otley Road has launched a hamper raffle to try and raise £1,000 for Horticap.

Nicola Jones, the owner of Harlow House and Beauty, has organised the raffle along with other shops on the street.

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All money raised will go towards fitting out Horticap’s new cafe. The charity, which helps adults with learning disabilities, hopes to open it in the next few months.

There are six prizes in total which include vouchers, fruits, beauty treatments, hair treatments and cakes in hampers.

Nicola Jones is the owner at Harlow House of Beauty.

People can buy tickets at £2 a strip from the Wharfedale Fruiterers, Harlow House and Beauty, The Kitchen, The Sandwich Deli and Le Salon.

It has been a difficult few months for Nicola Jones from Harlow House and Beauty after she had to cancel treatments. She told the Stray Ferret:

“The first couple of weeks was great because everyone was desperate to get back and we were approaching August 1 when we were expecting to start with face treatments. But we had a day’s notice to tell us that we actually couldn’t start with those treatments again and we still don’t know what’s happening.”

Harrogate rallies around Horticap for major lockdown projects

Harrogate has rallied around local charity Horticap to help transform its garden as well as its new cafe and shop ready for the return of students.

The charity helps adults with learning disabilities to train in horticulture and crafts but they have not been able to attend since the start of the coronavirus lockdown.

Coronavirus has been tough for Horticap as it has missed out on key fundraising events. However, the people behind the charity have used it as an opportunity to grow.

The new cafe and shop building at Horticap.

Using a legacy left by a former student of 20 years, Peter Hopkins, Horticap has built a brand new shop and tea room. To go along with the build, the charity planned to flatten the garden and pond but had no funds to get the job done.

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That is where local businesses have come in. Phil Airey, the operations manager at Horticap, has called in all his favours to get the help the charity needs.

“Coronavirus has hit us hard, but it has hit everybody hard. We are very fortunate that people are coming together for us. I have been blown over by it all. There was a point where we didn’t think we could pull it off and then everything came together.”

The garden plans with coronavirus in mind.

The charity has not yet been given the go-ahead to welcome students back but the managers hope that, when they do, they will be able to surprise them with a new garden ready for the students to help with planting.

It will make a big difference to those with physical disabilities as the garden will be made accessible to all. The garden will also have pods for people to sit and enjoy the space.

Nicholas Edward Fryer is overseeing the project. Johnsons of Whixley, New Park Trees, Johnny Clasper, Creation Sculpture, Sherwood Carving, Marshalls, GH Brooks, Castacrete, Plasmor, Millboard, HACS, and Green Tech are all donating time and/or materials.

Horticap was established 35 years ago after the charity bought the land from a farmer. Its patron is Alan Titchmarsh, who is planning to visit the site soon.