Bells are ringing out once more across the Harrogate district today to formally proclaim King Charles III as the new sovereign.

This time it is a celebratory peal to mark the King’s ascension to the throne.

The Reverend Judith Clark, assistant curate on placement at St Peter’s, Harrogate, said:

“When the bells ring out today they will be unmuffled for the proclamation of King Charles III.”

After today, bells will then be muffled again until the day of the Queen’s funeral.

Churches remain open today for tributes, reflection and mourning.

Special services in commemoration of the Queen are also taking place across the district, including at St Peter’s Church, St John’s, Knaresborough, and Ripon Cathedral.

The links between the Queen and the Harrogate district stretch back decades, including a visit in 1952 before her coronation.

They include appearances at the Great Yorkshire Show in Harrogate to her trips to Ripon, including her 2004 visit for another important anniversary – 400 years since the granting of the city’s Royal Charter.

Reflecting on her visit on December 10, 1998, a spokesperson for Harrogate Theatre said:

“Harrogate Theatre fondly remembers her visit and the warmth she extended to our staff and members of the public. Our sincere condolences go out to the Royal Family.”

The Queen visits Harrogate Theatre in 1998. Photo: Harrogate Theatre.

The Queen touched the lives of all those who met her, including residents in the district. Many recalled those occasions just recently, when communities celebrated her platinum jubilee.

Janine Jennings, from Hampsthwaite, said:

“It was her Silver Jubilee 1977 and I was pulled out of the crowd to meet her and as I presented her the flowers, she asked if I had grown them myself. I said yes, but actually, my mum, Mrs Johnson and I borrowed them from the empty police house next to us. So I lied to the queen!

“This picture (below) appeared in the paper, my mum kept it framed in her bedroom. It was really very special to meet the Queen and I remember it clearly to this day and always will.”

Claire H Beresford-Robinson said:

“I was lucky to meet the Queen when she visited the Great Yorkshire Showground and our tent ‘Growing up in North Yorkshire’.

“I attended Woodlands School at the time. It was our moment to shine. The Queen looked at the work I was doing and said “splendid work”. I will never forget this moment.

“Our school was chosen to attend the same day the Queen was coming. I’ll never forget the fabulous feeling at age 11 to be told I was selected to meet the Queen.”

Claire H. Beresford-Robinson also sent the above photograph of the Queen looking at the work of Woodlands School pupils.

She said:

“This is me and my friends at Woodlands School with headteacher Mr Dunmore in the background.”

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Karen Wenham said:

“I remember when I was in my last year at Starbeck CP School and the Queen came to visit in 1977. We all went up to the Great Yorkshire Showground and I took a posy of flowers for her. It always sticks in my mind.

“A couple of years ago I was invited to go to the palace, as I am an ambassador for a charity, and Sophie Wessex was lovely and we chatted.

“We were told the Queen was in residence that night and not to be surprised if she came down with her corgis, as she likes to surprise people.”

Rick Vai sent the photo below of the Queen visiting Knaresborough, which sparked memories from other residents.

Karen Allan said:

“They passed along King James Road, fronting King James School. We were all lined up for her.”

Sarah Brown added:

“I remember this. I was one of those school children lined up outside King James School in Knaresborough.”

A Knaresborough café has played host to its first dog tea party, with both canines and owners getting sweet treats.

Scarlett’s tea room welcomed 25 white and fluffy Coton de Tulears.

The dogs went for a walk around the town with their owners before heading to the tea room to enjoy cake for humans and treats and chews for the dogs.

Sarah Williams, who runs Scarlett’s, called the event “hugely fun.”

The dogs getting treats at the tearoom (photo: Sarah Williams)

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The dogs with their owners (photo: Sarah Williams)

The Coton de Tulear is a small dog which originates from Madagascar.

They are known to be affectionate and playful, and are closely related to the Bichon Frise and Maltese breeds.

The dog owners who came to Knaresborough on Sunday are members of a Facebook group that occasionally meets up to walk their dogs together.

Ms Williams heard about the group through Hayley Goddard, who also works at the café, and said “why don’t you come to Knaresborough.”

25 dogs were at the event with their owners (photos: Sarah Williams)

According to Ms Williams, Scarlett’s team room has long proved popular with dogs. She said:

“We’ve got so many dogs that come into the tearoom. Some of them have to coax their owners in… And the dogs know that they can come get a treat. So as soon as they’re [nearby], they’re in here dragging their owners.”

Thankfully, she added, all the dogs were well behaved.

The dogs first went for a walk around Knaresborough (photo: Sarah Williams)

Business Breakfast is sponsored by Harrogate law firm Truth Legal. 

A new partner has been appointed at Knaresborough-based HPH Chartered Accountants.

Alice Di Domenico joins Adrian Rodaway and Sarah Wearing at the helm of the firm, which has offices at Conyngham Hall as well as in York.

A spokesperson for the company said:

“Alice is the latest to join a succession of partners who have provided accountancy services since the firm’s founding in 1898 and her appointment ensures our ability to look after clients going forward.

“Alice joined HPH in 2016, bringing to the firm a wealth of practical and technical experience, while strengthening our relationship with the next generation of clients; her colleagues within the team value her sunny disposition.”

The company said Alice was bringing a fresh look at its services and a desire to drive it “forward into the 21st century”.

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• Business Breakfast: Harrogate Italian restaurant expands
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Harrogate firms vie for digital awards

Two Harrogate firms have been shortlisted in the Leeds Digital Festival Awards.

Co-Lab Harrogate, based at Harrogate Convention Centre, is nominated in the facilitator of the year category, against NorthInvest, Propel@YH and Sarah Tulip.

And FinancialForce EMEA, on Cardale Park, is competing for the international award against Scaled Insights, Glean, Abstract Tech and COVVI Hand.

The awards will be handed out on Thursday, September 29 at Belgrave Music Hall in Leeds.

Stray Views is a weekly column giving you the chance to have your say on issues affecting the Harrogate district. It is an opinion column and does not reflect the views of the Stray Ferret. Send your views to letters@thestrayferret.co.uk.

Knaresborough Cemetery deserves more care too

I see Mark Anthony Taylor (previous Stray Views) is unhappy with the way the grass is cut at Stonefall. You are lucky. We have had this for the past four years to my knowledge.

Knaresborough has seen even worse service with the grass cutting team regularly pulled off for six weeks at a time from cutting our cemetery grass. The response I got was they are letting it grow for biodiversity.

This was in the “new section” where it was thigh high in places. The team meanwhile were planting pretty flowers in Harrogate. Be grateful your grass is cut.

Jayne Jackson, Knaresborough

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Oak Beck land sale

I totally agree that this should never be sold – it provides a safe place for wildlife, play areas and walks.  

Harrogate Borough Council getting it wrong again.

Gillian Long, Harrogate

Do you have an opinion on the Harrogate district? Email us at letters@thestrayferret.co.uk. Please include your name and approximate location details. Limit your letters to 350 words. We reserve the right to edit letters.

Works are well underway on two major projects to renovate Harrogate Hydro and build a new leisure centre in Knaresborough.

The projects will cost around £28 million in total and are being run by Harrogate Borough Council with construction works carried out by Bristol-based firm Alliance Leisure.

Harrogate Hydro shut to the public in April and has now been stripped out and partly demolished as part of a £11.8 million investment.

The works include the construction of a two-storey extension, as well as a new entrance, cafe, reception area, diving board structure, fitness suite and refurbished changing rooms.

David Hawcroft, project manager at Harrogate Borough Council, told the Local Democracy Reporting Service that the strip out of the building had revealed the need for some extra works, although this was “to be expected” for a project of this size.

Work on Harrogate’s Hydro.

The extra works required include the replacement of corroded steelwork and improvements to the fire protection of the steel frame.

It is anticipated that the project will be completed by next April, with reopening the following month.

Once complete, the Hydro will no longer use gas and will run completely on electricity with the use of air source heat pumps and 420 solar panels.

Read more:

• Harrogate Hydro renovations a long-term gain, says diving club
• Hot Seat: Leading the Harrogate district’s leisure revolution

Meanwhile, foundations have been set at Fysche Field in Knaresborough in preparation for the steel structure of the new £17 million leisure centre which will have a six-lane swimming pool, health spa and fitness studios.

It is being built behind the existing Knaresborough Pool which will be demolished.

The council previously said it aims to complete the new leisure centre next July, before demolishing the old pool by the following October.

Solar panels on the Harrogate Hydro.

The project was approved earlier this year despite concerns over the environmental impact of demolishing a large building to replace it with another.

Jonathan Dunk, chief development officer at the council, previously described the 30-year-old Knaresborough Pool as “at the end of its working life” and argued more swimming and exercise space was needed for the town’s growing population.

In Ripon, the city’s new swimming pool at the Jack Laugher Leisure and Wellness Centre has been open for six months and resulted in a big uplift in membership numbers.

Work being carried out on Knaresborough leisure centre.

However, the ongoing refurbishment of the older half of the venue has been plagued with issues caused by underground voids found at the site.

The council’s cabinet recently approved remedial groundworks which will cost £3.5 million and push the total costs of the entire project above £18 million.

The original contract awarded to construction company Willmott Dixon was worth £10.2 million for the project which was originally due for completion in May 2021.

Every month the Stray Ferret tries to find out what our local MPs have been up to in their constituencies and in the House of Commons.

In August, Parliament was not sitting as it was in recess over the summer. Nonetheless, Conservative MPs faced questions over what the government was doing to tackle the cost of living crisis and allegations that they voted voted in favour of pumping raw sewage into rivers and the sea.

We asked our three Conservative MPs, Harrogate & Knaresborough’s Andrew Jones, Skipton and Ripon’s Julian Smith, and Selby and Ainsty’s Nigel Adams if they would like to highlight anything in particular that they have been doing this month, but, as usual, we did not receive a response from any of them.

Here is what we know after analysing their online presence.

Andrew Jones, MP for Harrogate and Knaresborough.

Andrew Jones

In Harrogate and Knaresborough, here is what we found out on Mr Jones:

• On August 3, Andrew Jones welcomed the Treasury’s response to his letter which ensured people connected to LPG gas bottles would get government support with their energy bills.
• Mr Jones strongly criticised claims that he voted to allow the pumping of sewage into rivers and the sea. He said the claims were “simply a lie”.
• Mr Jones called on people to get involved with the “national mission” to beat dementia by signing up to Join Dementia Research.
• The former Rail Minister told Transport for the North that investing in public transport was “going to be a main part of how we recover from the economic problems caused by the pandemic and inflation,” as well as reducing carbon emissions.
• Mr Jones also backed York to be the headquarters of the new government rail body Great British Railways.
• On August 31, he held an advice surgery in Knaresborough market.

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Julian Smith, MP for Ripon and Skipton.

Julian Smith

In Skipton and Ripon, here is what we found on Mr Smith:

• On August 5, Mr Smith welcomed the £11,000 awarded by Historic England to the Ripon Museums Trust to investigate the lives of disabled people in the city’s workhouse.
• Mr Smith regularly tweeted his support for Rishi Sunak in the Conservatives’ leadership election, which ends on September 5.
• Mr Smith held meetings with small business owners in his constituency. He tweeted that it was “clear urgent intervention is also required” for small businesses as well as households.
• On August 1, Mr Smith welcomed the devolution deal signed by North Yorkshire County Council, the City of York Council and the government, as well as Richard Flinton’s appointment as the chief executive of the new North Yorkshire Council.
• Mr Smith tweeted that “the new UK PM & the EU need to listen and step up” over work to secure a deal on Brexit-related issues in Northern Ireland.

Nigel Adams, MP for Selby and Ainsty which includes rural Harrogate.

Nigel Adams

In rural south Harrogate, here is what we found on Mr Adams:

• On August 1, Mr Adams said he was “delighted” by the new devolution deal.
• Mr Adams posted on his website about the consultation to upgrade the A64 near York, on the main route between Harrogate and the North Yorkshire coast.
• Mr Adams also hit back at claims that he had allowed the pumping of sewage into waterways. He tweeted that the “fake news brigade and their gullible followers aren’t interested in facts” relating to the UK’s sewage system.
• It was reported that Mr Adams could be in line for a peerage in Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s list of resignation honours. Such a move would trigger a by-election in his constituency. Mr Adams previously confirmed that he would stand down at the next election.

One million train tickets, including services from Harrogate and Knaresborough, have been made available by Northern for just £1.

The tickets were released at 10am this morning as part of a “flash sale” promotion. They are being sold on a first come, first served basis and are spread over Northern’s almost 2,000 daily services to more than 500 stations.

People can buy the tickets online – on Northern’s website or its app – and tickets must be purchased at least seven days in advance of travel.

They must be for journeys taking place between Tuesday, September 6 and Thursday, October 20.

Mark Powles, customer and commercial director at Northern, said:

“This is our way of helping to extend the summer holiday feeling by a further six weeks – getting people through until the start of the October half term.

“Whether it’s for a weekend in the historic city of Chester, a night out in Newcastle; a day at the seaside in Scarborough or a walking holiday in the Lake District – these fares will get you where you want to be for less.”

Between 5% and 10% of its service capacity will be available at the discounted rate.

However, some peak services are excluded from the deal, as are services to events that the train operator already predicts will be busy.

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Harrogate and Knaresborough MP Andrew Jones has strongly criticised claims that he voted in favour of pumping raw sewage into rivers and the sea.

Mr Jones said in the Conservative run Community News website that the environment was “being weaponised, deliberately, cynically, falsely” and that the claims were “simply a lie.”

Images of raw sewage being pumped into waterways reignited a debate around whether MPs had voted to allow it.

265 Conservative MPs, including Mr Jones, voted to stop Amendment 45 to the Environment Bill in October last year.

The amendment would have forced water companies to reduce the amount of sewage they discharged and pay for its environmental damage.

At the time, he said it had been “poorly planned and drafted”.

He subsequently supported a government amendment to make water companies provide a “costed plan” for how to reduce the amount of sewage.

People boating on the River Nidd at Knaresborough

Nidd concerns

Local criticism has concerned the safety of the River Nidd.

The Stray Ferret reported back in 2020 that it had failed chemical tests and that the water contained unsafe levels of chemical sewage.

More recent data revealed that there were around 1,000 sewage incidents in the river in 2021.

The local Liberal Democrats launched a petition on the issue earlier this year calling for a sewage tax to raise money to clean rivers.

The party’s county councillor for Knaresborough West, Matt Walker, said:

“My colleagues and I have spoken to dozens of parents whose children have become violently ill after swimming in our river, something that should be safe for them to do.

“The Nidd is huge draw for locals and tourists, we need to invest and protect what we have and that means tough action.”

However, Mr Jones argued that the practice of using sewage storm overflow drains had been done for a hundred years.

That, he noted, included when the Lib Dems were in government with the Conservatives.

Knaresborough Liberal Democrat councillors Hannah Gostlow and Matt Walker

To that, cllr Walker responded:

“New figures… show a dramatic increase in the amount of sewage released since 2016 – an increase of 2,553%. An increase under a Conservative Government.”

Shan Oakes, a Green town councillor in Knaresborough, said the town council was planning to apply for designated bathing status for a stretch of the Nidd.

She hoped that it would mean that something had to be done about its poor water quality.

Cllr Oakes blamed the government for the current situation:

“With the current situation where water is privatised, the government does not hold [water companies] to account as it should. The government has decimated the Environment Agency.”

What Yorkshire Water says

Yorkshire Water said sewage is not the only issue which affects river quality and that agriculture, businesses and plastics also have an effect.

The Environment Agency regulates discharges and companies must have permits in place.

In a statement, Yorkshire Water said:

“We know that our storm overflows operate more often than our customers, or we, would like and we’re working hard to make improvements across the region. We’re investing £790m to improve rivers across the region, including £137 million by 2025 to enhance, investigate and increase monitoring on storm overflows.”

The water company made an operating profit of £242 million in 2022.

The Royal British Legion Nidderdale branch could close after 96 years.

The branch, which covers Pateley Bridge, Summerbridge and nearby villages, was founded in 1926.

But membership has dwindled to below 20 and the current officers, who are in their 80s, plan to step down at the end of this year.

Paul Darley, who is on the Royal British Legion’s county committee for north and east Yorkshire, said:

“No branch would mean no standard to raise at armistice parades.

“We don’t want that to happen and hope we can get enough people to keep the branch going.

“Anyone can be a member of the Royal British Legion and and annual subscription is less than £20.”

Mr Darley, who is also president of the Knaresborough branch of the Royal British Legion, said the workload wasn’t high, except for activity surrounding the annual Poppy Appeal fortnight in November.

Anyone interested in joining the branch can email Mr Darley at pauldarley@btinternet.com.

Read more:

• ‘We want to disappear,” says Knaresborough British Legion
• Nidderdale campsite owner calls for more regulation of ‘pop-up campsites’