More roadworks cause delays at Curious Cow roundabout

Temporary traffic lights will be in place near a key junction in Harrogate for the next week as Yorkshire Water connects a new housing development in the area.

Work to connect developments on Skipton Road is affecting the B6161 Otley Road near the roundabout joining the A59 Skipton Road.

It is causing lengthy tailback at the Curious Cow roundabout on the edge of Killinghall.

The work is scheduled to last until next Friday, April 28, though Yorkshire Water said there will a short break this weekend. A spokesperson said:

“Our teams are on site to complete a connection for a new housing development. Traffic lights are in place to allow this work to be carried out safely.

“We have work closely with North Yorkshire Council highways team and to minimise disruption as much as possible the traffic lights will be removed on Saturday and reinstated on Monday for work to continue. We apologise for the inconvenience this may cause.”

Meanwhile, CityFibre is installing fibre optic cables for broadband along the A61 Ripon Road between Harrogate and Killinghall.

The work, which is being carried out between 7pm and 6.30am, has already begun and is scheduled to continue into next week.

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Opening date for new pay-as-you-feel cafe in Killinghall

A pay-as-you-feel cafe will open in Killinghall next month thanks to food waste organisation Resurrected Bites.

It will run its weekly cafe in the newly-refurbished Killinghall Methodist Church every Thursday from 11.30am to 2pm.

The grand opening takes place on Thursday, May 11, when the team of volunteers will be serving hot meals made using food that would otherwise have gone to landfill.

Customers are invited to pay whatever they can afford for their lunches, as well as a selection of hot and cold drinks, pastries and cakes.

Ian Booth, who has run the kitchen for the organisation’s cafes in Harrogate and Knaresborough for the last two years, previously told the Stray Ferret:

“Often, people don’t come because they think it’s just for people who are struggling. We’re absolutely dependent on people who can afford to give generously.  

“At the same time, it’s great when people come who can’t afford to, knowing that someone who is struggling has had a good hot meal.” 

As well as the weekly cafe, a new toddler and parent creative group is being launched to run in the morning. Therapeutic Creatives will offer creative sessions for children as well as activities for parents and carers, aiming to make the first few years of parenthood easier.

Participants will then have an area set aside in the cafe for them to enjoy lunch together and build new friendships.

Resurrected Bites, a community interest company, also runs community groceries in Harrogate and Knaresborough. They allow people who are struggling to afford food to get a weekly shop for a small sum.

The organisation uses food from supermarkets and other commercial businesses to fill its grocery shelves and create its cafe menus. All the food is still safe to eat, but does not meet the exacting requirements of retailers.

The Stray Ferret supported Resurrected Bites as part of our first ever Christmas appeal in 2022. With support from the public and match funding of £5,000 from Harrogate firm Techbuyer, we raised more than £32,000 in just four weeks.

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Motorhouse owner sad to be retiring from the car trade

The owner of the Motorhouse car dealership on the Ripon Road near Killinghall says he is sad to be selling the business and retiring.

Seventy-seven-year-old John Steele has been trading cars on the landmark site for a quarter of a century, and this week the Stray Ferret reported that the site is to be sold at auction.

Mr Steele said he has loved his work:

“I love what I do – I’ve been here 25 years. I don’t really want to retire but my good lady says we need more quality time together.

“If we sell it, I’ll be sad. The building has been here years and years. Years ago it was a tea room and then a petrol station and then the showroom was added on. It’s a landmark being on the main road.”

Mr Steele’s love of cars began in his childhood. His favourite car is an E-Type Jaguar which as a young man he’d always dreamed of owning. He went on to own quite a few of them.

Over the past 25 years, the trade has changed. He began in 1967 by simply putting a van-for-sale advert in his local newspaper. Now the internet means he’s had buyers from all over the world:

“The farthest we’ve sold a car is to Australia. One was a Ford Cosworth 500 – the other was a BMW. Just from the internet. And also to the Outer Hebrides.

“That’s the power of the internet. I never even met the people who bought the cars.”

As his car dealing career comes to a close at the site, Mr Steele says he recently sold his most expensive car, a Rolls Royce Ghost for £90,000.

Predictably for a man who loves cars, Mr Steele owns a few and plans to enjoy taking them to car shows and doing the odd bit of trade with some friends.

The property is now up for auction with Myrings estate agents – with a guide price of £800,000. Called Harrogate View Grange, it includes Motorhouse’s showroom with garage and workshop, a 25-car forecourt, and a three-bedroom house with undercroft garaging.

Asked what he thinks will happen to the site, he said:

“I think it would suit many other things rather than cars – there is also the house here which is empty at the moment. It would suit many other trades. It’s a landmark..”

The auction is due to close at 2pm on Thursday, April 27.

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Driver fined for seriously injuring pedestrian in Killinghall

A woman has been fined for a collision in Killinghall which left a father of young children with serious injuries.

Susan Marshall hit the man with her car as he used the pedestrian crossing near the Tesco Express shop in the village at around 5.15pm on Monday, January 30 this year.

She pleaded guilty to causing serious injury by careless driving at Harrogate Magistrates’ Court today.

The man, who was named in court, had to be taken to hospital by ambulance. His ankle was broken in several places and he had significant bruising to his hip, as well as a haematoma on his brain.

He had to have an operation to insert two plates into his ankle and was kept in hospital for four days for observation.

The cast on his ankle had only recently been removed and he was still having physiotherapy, the court heard.

Prosecutor Alison Whiteley said:

“He was previously very active and athletic. Now, of course, he has difficulty walking, let alone running, and it impacts on his driving ability.

“He needs to drive as part of his job. In addition to that, he lives alone with young children and of course he needs his car to ferry them about and look after them.”

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The court heard the collision took place in the dark in heavy traffic, when weather conditions were good. Ms Marshall, 56, pulled out of the Tesco car park to turn right and travel north on the A61 towards Ripley.

A passenger in the car behind said the lights on the pedestrian crossing ahead of her turned red, but Mrs Marshall failed to slow down. She collided with the pedestrian, who was knocked to the ground.

Defending, Andrew Coleman of Watson Woodhouse solicitors said Ms Marshall’s record to that point was otherwise unblemished, without even any points on her driving licence.

Describing the collision as a “momentary lapse in concentration”, he said:

“She was concentrating on the traffic and she didn’t see the red light.

“She stopped immediately and went straight to the victim to see if he was OK. She didn’t realise the extent of his injuries.

“She shouted immediately for someone to assist in calling an ambulance. She stayed until the emergency services came.”

He told the court she had worked as a carer for 30 years and, faced with losing her licence, was determined to continue in her job, despite a two-mile walk from her home in Town Street, Shaw Mills, to the nearest bus route.

Magistrates imposed a £500 fine, £200 victim surcharge and £85 costs on Ms Marshall, along with a 12-month driving ban.

They said compensation for the victim was not for the court to decide and would be arranged through their insurance companies.

Landmark Harrogate business put up for sale

A Harrogate family business has been put up for sale after 26 years of trading from its landmark location. 

Motorhouse has been selling used cars from its premises on Ripon Road between New Park and Killinghall since 1998, but now owner John Steele has decided to sell up. 

The property, called Harrogate View Grange, includes Motorhouse’s showroom with garage and workshop, a 25-car forecourt, and a three-bedroom house with undercroft garaging. 

Motorhouse

An aerial view. Pic: Myrings

It is being sold via online auction by Harrogate estate agent Myrings, with a starting bid of £800,000. The auction is due to close at 2pm on Thursday, April 27.

Myrings’ description says:

“Motorhouse is a successful family business since 1967, and offers a unique and rare opportunity to acquire a prime car supermarket site and adjoining period three-bedroom house with undercroft garaging.”

Mr Steele started out in the motor trade in 1967, with a van-for-sale advert in his local newspaper. As his business expanded, he acquired sites in Leeds and Wakefield, before eventually moving to the current premises in 1998. 

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Harrogate man jailed for assaulting three police officers in Ripon

A man from a village near Harrogate has been jailed for six months for assaulting police officers.

James Ashley Gibb, 34, initially denied attacking three police officers in Ripon Market Place on October 28 last year.

But Gibb, of Ripon Road, Killinghall, changed his plea and was sentenced at Harrogate Magistrates Court last week.

Court documents say he was jailed due to the seriousness of the offence and also “because of different kinds of assaults including biting, kicking and threat of spitting and committed whilst on post-sentence supervision”.

The offence was aggravated by the defendant’s record of previous offending, the documents added.

Ripon Market Square arrest

The incident in Ripon Market Place last year

Gibb also pleaded guilty to using racially aggravated threatening or abusive words.

He was also given a concurrent four-month prison sentence for threatening a person on Station Parade in Harrogate on January 14 this year.

Besides being jailed, he was fined £275.

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Killinghall Nomads opens cafe named after ex-player Rachel Daly

A Harrogate district football team has opened a cafe named after its former player — superstar Rachel Daly.

Nomads Daly Brew Cafe is situated at Killinghall Moor Community Park, which is the home of Killinghall Nomads Junior Football Club. A mural of Rachel playing for England is on the wall.

Rachel, who was part of England Lionesses’ success at UEFA Women’s Euro 2022 last year, started her career at Killinghall Nomads and still has strong connections with the club.

Her mother, Louise, lives nearby and Rachel did a zoom call with girls during lockdown and has paid for kit.

Nomads Daly Brew Rachel Daly

Mary Beggs-Reid, social media officer for the club, said the club was trying to arrange for Rachel to attend an official opening in the next few weeks, and there was the possibility of England men’s manager Gareth Southgate also attending.

Mary said Rachel was thrilled when the club asked if she would be happy for the cafe to be named in her honour, adding:

“She’s absolutely over the moon about it. Some people get streets named after them but nothing had been done for Rachel.”

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Mary said the club committee got permission from Harrogate Borough Council to build the cafe at its clubhouse, which already had a kitchen. It cost £50,000 which was paid for by club funds and a grant from sports charity the Football Foundation.

The cafe is currently open on Saturday and Sunday mornings and most mornings during the week, but the times are a bit ad-hoc until the cafe officially opens.

Killinghall Moor is popular with dog walkers who can call in for refreshment. There is free WiFi and snacks such as bacon sandwiches as well as drinks. Mary said:

“It’s for the club and the community. Everyone is welcome.”

Nomads Daly Brew Rachel Daly

A Facebook group here has further details.

After winning Euro 22, Rachel moved from Houston Dash to Aston Villa Women, who are fifth in the Women’s Super League. She is the league’s second highest scorer with 10 goals.

Killinghall Nomads, which was formed in 1987, offers football coaching and competition from under-6 to under-16, including dedicated girls’ age groups from under-7 to under-16, as well as a pan-disability section.

‘If you swim with sharks, you get bitten,’ judge tells Harrogate cocaine dealer

A Harrogate drug pusher has been jailed for over two years after police caught him with over 50 grammes of high-purity cocaine.

Robert Marsh, 27, was stopped by a plain-clothed officer near his home on Burley Bank Road, Killinghall, in March last year. 

The officer found just over two ounces of cocaine inside Marsh’s car, prosecutor Adam Walker told York Crown Court.

Marsh was arrested and a subsequent search of his home revealed a cornucopia of drug items including weighing scales and dealer bags, the court heard.

Police also found cocaine inside a Tupperware box and £90 cash inside a cupboard, added Mr Walker.

He said the 55g of cocaine found inside the vehicle had a street value of up to £5,550. The value of the drugs and the period of time that Marsh had been dealing suggested he stood to make “significant” profits.

Police also seized two mobile phones from Marsh, which showed he had played an “operational or managerial” role in the drug racket. He had been giving people drugs “on tick” and was “managing a customer’s debt”.

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Defence barrister Susannah Proctor said Marsh, of Pinemoor Caravan Park, had never been in trouble before and was easily led due to his vulnerabilities. 

She said Marsh “struggles intellectually” and found himself hanging around people he met at house parties who had persuaded or coerced him to deal drugs for them, although the prosecution didn’t accept this claim.

Gambling debt

Ms Proctor added Marsh had a £7,000 gambling debt at the time and sold drugs to try to pay that off. He had struggled to pay his rent due to his gambling and moved into a caravan owned by his parents.

She added:

“He’s going to lose his home (and) he’s going to lose his job.”

Judge Sean Morris, the Recorder of York, told Marsh: 

“Prior to starting drug dealing you had been going to house parties and you realised there was more money to be made and got involved in drug dealing as a means to an end.

“That involved having money put into your bank account, giving people cocaine on tick and being caught by police (with) very-high-purity cocaine in your car, which on the street would be worth thousands of pounds.” 

He said Marsh was “not the most robust of characters” and now found himself in a “nightmare” of his own making. 

Mr Morris added:

“Cocaine is an absolute scourge.

“If you swim with sharks, you are going to get bitten.”

He said Marsh “had to go to prison because Class A dealers must go down, otherwise people might be tempted to earn a little extra cash like you”.

Marsh was handed a 30-month jail sentence of which he will serve half behind bars before being released on prison licence.

Curious Cow roadworks near Harrogate to end tomorrow

Roadworks that have caused lengthy delays near Harrogate for the last month are due to end tomorrow.

Four-way traffic lights were installed at the roundabout near the Curious Cow at Oaker Bank, Killinghall to allow Express Utilities to put in utility infrastructure for a nearby housing development.

The roadworks were due to continue until Friday but Matthew Ross, operations director at Express Utilities, said today:

“I am able to confirm that Express Utilities have progressed with our planned work at this location ahead of schedule.

“We are now due to complete and remove all of our traffic management set up by Monday 13th February.”

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Safety audit to be carried out at Killinghall junction

A formal safety audit is to be conducted at a Killinghall junction after a pedestrian was hit by a vehicle last week.

The news was revealed at a packed meeting last night of Killinghall Parish Council, at which residents vented frustration about safety at the notorious Ripon Road and Otley Road junction.

Michael Harrison, a Conservative who represents Killinghall, Hampsthwaite and Saltergate on North Yorkshire County Council, told the meeting:

“I have a commitment from the county council to do a formal safety audit. It will be proper highways modelling to see what options they will come up with.”

Cllr Harrison added the county council, which is the highways authority, had said it would come up with proposals in three months.

He said he shared residents’ concerns about the junction but admitted he didn’t know the solution, adding.

“If it was obvious there’s no doubt we would have done it.

“I don’t think anyone in this room knows the solution, unless it was a bypass, and I have to say there isn’t support for that.”

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Parish council chairman Anne Holdsworth said plans were approved for a Killinghall bypass in 1937 and the village had been campaigning unsuccessfully for one ever since.

One resident told the meeting the person injured on the crossing outside the Greyhounds Inn last week had suffered a broken ankle and was on crutches.

Most people at the meeting agreed speed was a problem at the junction and in the wider village but there was little consensus over what to do.

Opinions included a 20mph limit, a mini roundabout and traffic lights. There were also concerns about the location of the pedestrian crossing and the bus stop as well as the new Tesco Express entrance.