The current roadworks at the junction between Wetherby Road and York Road in Knaresborough are causing delays this morning.

The busy junction just past King James’ School and the cemetery has been undergoing resurfacing works for a few weeks and continues to cause delays during rush hour.

The works are expected to continue until August 15.

If you driving in that direction it may be worth leaving a few minutes earlier.

Read more:

• Harrogate Oak Beck Bridge project to cost £1m
• Ex-Knaresborough cadet captains Lancaster bomber in Queen’s flypast

Harrogate Borough Council has rejected plans for a bespoke scuba diving training pool in Knaresborough.

Tim Yarrow, owner of Harrogate-based Diveshack UK, lodged the plan to build the facility at Thistle Hill in the town.

Mr Yarrow said the proposal offered the district a chance to get a “truly unique” facility.

The plan would have seen the pool built at land at Thistle Hill and see the site changed from agricultural land to a deep water diving centre.

However, the borough council refused the proposal on the grounds that the plan would “result in harm to the visual and spatial openness of the green belt”.

Read more:

• First Harrogate church with solar panels on roof wins eco award

• Key planning document delayed for west Harrogate residents facing 4,000 new homes

Council officials added that the site was outside the development limit of any village or settlement.

In a decision notice, the council said:

“The proposal is for a new tourism and recreational use however the application fails to demonstrate that there is a local need for the facility in this location, that the facility is of a scale and nature appropriate to its location and intended purpose, and that the facility is accessible to the community or catchment population it is intended to serve.”

Mr Yarrow, who has been a a scuba instructor around the world for 30 years, told the Stray Ferret previously that the move would help to draw people in from the area and improve access to the sport.

He added that his club, which has been open since 2018, currently trains young and upcoming divers. He said the facility would help to expand this.

Mr Yarrow said:

“The facility proposed will allow access for Diveshack to promote courses tailored to individual needs and timings, taking very little of the land for change of use and no negative impact on the close neighbours of whom all have been consulted and are in support.

“It has been drawn up in a sympathetic way to the environment with materials and energy usage and aims to be the best, most eco designated scuba training facility in the North.

“It will allow access to an amazing sport to numerous people who would maybe never have thought they could ever give it a try.”

Business Breakfast is sponsored by Harrogate law firm Truth Legal. 

Harrogate digital marketing agency rebrands

Kariba, Harrogate’s oldest digital marketing agency, has rebranded as it celebrates its 25th year.

The business was set up by Chris Wilson in 1997, after being asked to build Harrogate Borough Council’s first ever website.

Since then, Kariba has gone on to design and build websites and provide a range of digital marketing services for clients in Yorkshire and across the UK.

Mr Wilson, who is Kariba’s managing director as well as its founder, said:

“Our brand refresh and new website means we have a more current look and feel, and in turn better reflects who we are and what we do today, so that we can appeal to those ambitious, growth-focused companies whom we love partnering with.”

Read more:

• Harrogate pet store celebrates a decade in business
• Harrogate Oak Beck Bridge project to cost £1m

Building society set to move into Knaresborough Library

Knaresborough Library will close today at 5pm for work to accommodate the new branch Newcastle Building Society that is due to go into the building.

Since the last bank in Knaresborough closed last year, North Yorkshire County Council and Harrogate Borough Council have worked with the society to maintain local access to financial services.

Harrogate Borough Council has also worked with Barclays to bring its mobile banking service to the market town.

The library will reopen on Saturday. The building society is expected to open late this month or early July.

Work to accommodate @NewcastleBSoc at #Knaresborough Library will start this week.

The library will close at 5pm tomorrow and is scheduled to reopen at 9.30am on 11 June.

More: https://t.co/6CqfsfCfjY pic.twitter.com/aOYN06L2Dp

— North Yorkshire Council (@northyorksc) June 7, 2022

Cllr Graham Swift, Harrogate Borough Council’s deputy leader and cabinet member for resources, enterprise and economic development, said:

“The issues regarding banking availability in Knaresborough have been well documented, and Harrogate Borough Council has pushed hard to seek a solution.”

The Knaresborough flower shop on Market Place is set to change hands this month as one florist retires and another takes on the reins.

Tracey Bell has run Ruebery Flowers for four years, she said it was longer than planned but she felt the town needed a florist so said she wouldn’t retire until she found another person to take over her shop.

Ms Bell has worked in floristry for 15 years, for her having a florist in the town is “as important as a bakers and butchers”.

Over the years she’s had some interesting requests, the most memorable was from a Swiss priest who had travelled over to the bless the marriage of an Indonesian couple. Ms Bell said he asked for two colourful garlands to hang round the couple’s necks but was surprised when he said “could you do them whilst I go put a bet on?”

Ms Bell said:

“Being part of this business community is just really lovely, we’re all really supportive of each other.

“There’s almost too many stories to tell but being a part of lots of people’s wedding days or special occasions has been wonderful. A lot of people are willing to be guided and go down sustainable roots, sometimes people are very specific, other times they’re happy for me to arrange the design, either way I love it.”

The florist shop as it stands now

She said covid brought its own challenges, a lot of her customers passed away but there were also many who were unable to see family. She began to do small flower deliveries to around 20 homes each week all ordered from families living away from their Knaresborough relatives.

The florist said for her it was important to be as sustainable as possible, so she removes plastic packaging and foam and purchases her flowers from local growers. This is something the next shop owner, Kirsty Wilson, plans to continue.

Read more:

• Recycle your unwanted electrical items at Knaresborough Market this week
• Ex-Knaresborough cadet captains Lancaster bomber in Queen’s flypast

Ms Wilson has worked in floristry for 15 years and had her own business River & Rose for eight of them. She said having a shop in her hometown seemed like the next step.

She hopes to work with other local florists and businesses to continue what Ms Bell started. Ms Wilson said:

“I’m super excited to carry on what Tracey has started and be a lovely presence in the town. It’s just a lovely location and a really cute shop.

“It’s really important for me to continue supporting other local artists.”

Ms Wilson said her shop will be similar – offering flowers for weddings and events, as well as fresh flowers for people to choose from.

Ms Bell’s last day will be Friday, June 17. However she is finishing with a “full circle moment”  with one final wedding on June 18 at Ripley Castle where she started her floristry career.

Ms Wilson is aiming to open River & Rose on July 1.

A group of Travellers who set up camp on Harrogate’s Stray have now left.

Six caravans and several cars arrived on the section near to Oatlands Drive on Saturday.

It is thought that the Travellers were on their way to Appleby Horse Fair in Cumbria, which starts on Thursday.

Harrogate Borough Council, which is the legal protector of the Stray, was due to begin the eviction process today, according to the Stray Defence Association.

But the Travellers are believed to have vacated the parkland yesterday.

Travellers also parked on the old rugby field at Knaresborough three days earlier and remain on site.

Read more:

• Travellers arrive on Harrogate’s Stray
• Council to start moves to evict Travellers on Harrogate Stray tomorrow

A spokesperson for Harrogate Borough Council confirmed that the travellers in Knaresborough were now subject to a legal process.

The spokesperson said:

“The travellers in Knaresborough are being managed through the legal process and a team will undertake a clear up (if required) once they have gone.”

From street parties to concerts, the Harrogate district celebrated the Queen’s platinum jubilee in style this past week.

Across the district people draped themselves and their neighbourhoods in red, white and blue as part of the four-day bank holiday weekend.

In Harrogate, a jubilee square was set up just for the occasion while Ripon had a feast of celebrations in the market square.

Read More:

• New horn is the jewel in the crown of Ripon’s royal celebrations
• Your memories of how the district celebrated the Queen’s silver jubilee in 1977

Masham featured a parade of floats and fancy dress, and Knaresborough had an array of events to mark the jubilee.

The Stray Ferret was out every day capturing the celebrations and you can watch our montage of how the district celebrated the jubilee below.

Harrogate and Knaresborough Conservative MP Andrew Jones has said he will vote against Prime Minister Boris Johnson in tonight’s confidence vote.

Sir Graham Brady, chairman of the 1922 committee of backbench MPs, confirmed this morning that a ballot will be held at 6pm today.

The move comes as the threshold of 15% of the parliamentary Conservative party seeking a vote of confidence in Mr Johnson was met. He will need the support of 180 MPs this evening to remain as PM.

In a statement published in various media outlets, the MP said he will not be supporting the PM due to the partygate scandal.

The MP said he has received emails from “hundreds of people” in Harrogate and Knaresborough, with most of them calling for the PM to resign.

The statement said:

“There were many harrowing stories in those emails where people couldn’t visit elderly relatives or mourn them at their funerals. These were people following the rules the Prime Minister set and championed.”

The Stray Ferret has asked Mr Jones for a copy of the statement but we did not receive a response.

The statement in full is below:

Credit – Yorkshire Post

Read more:

• MPs watch: ‘anger’ over partygate and Northern Ireland politics
• Harrogate and Knaresborough MP Andrew Jones MP named as Tory ‘rebel’

A former Knaresborough cadet played a major role in the jubilee celebrations when he captained the Lancaster bomber that flew over Buckingham Palace.

Flight Lieutenant Paul Wise was in charge of the aircraft that flew over the palace following Thursday’s Trooping the Colour parade.

Flt Lt Wise joined the RAF’s 1953 (Knaresborough) squadron in 1993.

Paul Wise (centre) Pic courtesy of Tim Holderness

After leaving cadets in 1999, he joined the RAF and flew the C-130 Hercules for many years before becoming a qualified flying instructor with 45 squadron at RAF Cranwell, training the next generation of RAF multi-engine pilots and crew.

He still performs this role with the RAF, however in 2018 he also joined the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight as a Dakota captain and co-pilot for the Lancaster. This year he became a captain of the Lancaster.

Flt Lt Wise said:

“I still remember visiting Battle of Britain Memorial Flight as a cadet whilst on Easter camp with Knaresborough ATC.

“Never did I think that one day I would be in the privileged position to captain the Lancaster for the Queen’s platinum jubilee flypast.”

The flypast started in the Wash and included much of southern England, including the palace.

Read more:

• Last remaining Sam Smith’s pub in Knaresborough closes
• How did a First World War bomb end up in Knaresborough?

This live blog of the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee is proudly sponsored by Boundless Networks – delivering quality broadband connectivity at a reasonable cost to homes and businesses in the Harrogate district.

A feast of street parties is set to bring the jubilee weekend to a close. We will be praying for fine weather and covering the festivities in Harrogate, Ripon, Knaresborough, Boroughbridge, Pateley Bridge and Masham, as well as the villages in between.

Our reporters will be out and about but please let us know what’s happening where you are and send us pictures so we can add them to this blog. DM us on Facebook or email contact@thestrayferret.co.uk.

5.35pm: Jubilee reunion for sisters of 1977

Three sisters who celebrated the 1977 silver jubilee waving flags did the same thing today on the same street where they grew up.

Their parents, David and Nelda, are one of two original families still living on Carr Close in Ripon.  The couple, aged 82, celebrated their diamond wedding anniversary this year.

They bought the house new in 1973 and all three daughters live around the corner.

That seems like a fitting way to end our four days of live jubilee coverage. We hope you enjoyed it. Thanks for all your photos of beacons, street parties, pig races and everything else.

We will publish a jubilee photo gallery tomorrow.

4.46pm: Ripon rotary clubs unite

The family day provided a meeting point for friends from the Rotary Club of Ripon and Rotary Club of Ripon Rowels, whose charity work can be seen all over the city. They were joined by major Ripon benefactor Michael Abrahams (left).

He is pictured with, from the left: Peter Race (Rotary Club of Ripon) Josie Suddards (Inner Wheel of the Rotary Club of Ripon Rowels) Janet Race, Jenny Moss and Audrey Long (all members of the Inner Wheel of Ripon Rotary Club) and, front David Suddards of the Rotary Club of Ripon Rowels, which gave platinum jubilee pennies to every pupil at the 17 primary schools in Ripon and neighbouring villages.

After such a busy week for event stewards Elaine Reed (pictured left) and Cat Midgley, you might have expected them to be flagging, but there were smiles from them right until the end of four fantastic days that underlined Ripon’s status as one on the most royal and loyal places in the land.

3.55pm: Ripon’s big weekend draws to a close

Ripon’s packed programme of jubilee events is coming to an end. Our city-based reporter Tim has been at the heart of things for the last four days.

It was a day for both waving and wearing the flag, as the curtain came down on Ripon’s platinum jubilee celebrations with the focus on families, as epitomised by the fact that great grandmother Hazel Barker, of event organiser The Ripon Community Poppy Project had four generations of her family present, including grandson Martin Wright and great grandchildren Evie (aged 6) and cousins Alana and Imogen aged 5.

For Martin, it was an opportunity to dress to impress, with his Union Jack jacket, trousers and hat.

Ensuring that activities went off safely, was Andy Langford (pictured left) the safety manager overseeing four days of revelry in Ripon Market Square and this afternoon’s family day in Spa Park. He is pictured with Stuart Martin of Ripon Community Poppy Project, who told the Stray Ferret:

“The city-wide celebrations have been amazing and Ripon has done Her Majesty proud.”

3.05pm: Neighbours sing along to Sweet Caroline

This is what it’s all about… dancing in the street with neighbours to Sweet Caroline.

Almost 100 people from Carr Close in Ripon and invited guests got together this afternoon after resident Jennifer Spurgeon applied to close the street.

The gathering included a couple from Australia, who are friends with people who live on Carr Close.

June Wren, 91, wore a hat her mother made for the coronation in 1953.

There was a Queen’s pudding tent, line dancing and badminton.

2.40pm: Maypole fun in Burton Leonard

2.15pm: Band starts family fun in Ripon’s Spa Park 

The Ripon City Band kicked off Spa Park’s Platinum Jubilee family day with an ABBA medley..

1.40pm: Huby gets in the swing

There’s a fabulous party going on in Strait Lane, Huby. Below are some images we’ve been sent.

Send us pics of your jubilee events today and we will include then in our blog. DM us on Facebook or email contact@thestrayferret.co.uk.

1.25pm: Street parties underway!

Valerie Sanderson, 99, was invited to cut the ribbon this afternoon to start the street party in Almsford Oval, Harrogate.

The street is having a bake-off at 3pm organised by resident Karen Loughran.

Here’s a video and some images of the party.

Jake Crossfield who is 3 years old sent the Queen a letter and drew a picture of her majesty on it to tell her the street was having a party. She wrote back to thank him and wished him a lovely time!

Jean Whinnett who organised making the banner with her husband Alan said:

“We wanted to include all the children in the street – around 20 children were involved. The youngest was 6 months! We have an amazing community here. Everybody takes part”

1.02pm: Ripon Spa Park hosts family afternoon

From 2pm to 5pm today, Ripon Spa Park will be the main focus of the city’s final jubilee celebrations. The family day includes an afternoon tea along with music and children’s entertainment, including face painting, jubilee crafts and a treasure hunt led by Ripon Community Poppy Project. Members of Ripon City Band will performing its version of Last Night at the Proms.

12.32pm: Spitfire flypast at Newby Hall cancelled

Bad news – the weather has put paid to today’s Spitfire flypast at Tractor Fest at Newby Hall, near Boroughbridge.

@thestrayferret @your_harrogate @HgateAdvertiser @yorkshirepost Unfortunately bad weather in the South means no Spitfire flypast over the show today. Still lots of tractors and engines to enjoy though on our final day! #ripon @visitripon #yorkshire #tractor #tractors

— Tractor Fest (@thetractorfest) June 5, 2022

12.23pm: Picnic on the Stray in Harrogate

A picnic has just got underway on the Stray. Later in the day it will broadcast the films Encanto and The Greatest Showman on the big screens at 3pm and 5pm respectively.

Here’s a pic from last night’s big screen broadcast of the jubilee party at Buckingham Palace.

11.41am: Thunderstorm weather warning removed!

The weather forecast continues to inch in the right direction. The yellow weather warming for thunderstorms in the Harrogate district has been removed and the maximum temperature forecast has crept up to, er, 14 degrees centigrade!

Good news!

The yellow thunderstorm warning that just crept in to our district for today has been cancelled. While we may still see rain there are currently no weather warnings in force for the HBC area and the flood risk is very low.

Have a grand Sunday. pic.twitter.com/BzUb9SeTXl

— HBCEmergencyPlanning (@HBCPrepared) June 5, 2022

11.26am: Free electric buses today

The electric service on the 2A, 2B, 3 and 6 are free today as part of a joint initiative between the Harrogate Bus Company and Harrogate Business Improvement District.

https://twitter.com/harrogatebus/status/1533347639856484352

10.20am: 3,000 people party in Ripon as new horn handed over

Ripon’s impressive bank holiday celebrations continued yesterday when about 3,000 people attended the Market Square celebrations, which included 12 hours of live music.

Last night also saw the new ceremonial horn handed over. You can read more here.

9.47am: 500 people expected at Bishop Monkton street party 

Bishop Monkton is preparing to stage one of the biggest street parties in the Harrogate district today. The throne which will transport the village Queen at the head of a ‘seven decades’ fancy dress parade is ready and the village is expecting to have an even bigger event than the last jubilee in 2012 with almost 500 people, about two thirds of the population, booked to attend.

9.27am: Free entertainment for kids about to start in Valley Gardens

It’s your last chance to catch the runaway train, bungee jump on trampolines and enjoy numerous other rides for children. There will also be magicians, a choir, juggling and face painting.

9.22am: Weather forecast improves!

We’ve had three days of mainly pleasant jubilee weather. Today’s forecast has looked a bit iffy for a while and although you’re unlikely to need your sun cream, with temperatures struggling to get above 14 degrees centigrade in Harrogate, the threat of rain has receded sightly.

It was due to rain from about midday but according to the latest update from the BBC, it might hold off until this evening. There’s also the small matter of a yellow weather warning for thunderstorms in place, but let’s not worry about that just yet.

9.15am: Where the Stray Ferret reporters will be today

Tim will be covering events in Ripon.

John will be in and around Harrogate.

Tamsin will be covering events across the district.

Say hello if you see us in our Stray Ferret hats and please send us your photos to contact@thestrayferret.co.uk and we will do our best to upload them on to our blog throughout the day.

Harrogate Borough Council looks set to begin legal moves to evict Travellers on the Stray tomorrow.

Six caravans and several cars arrived on the Oatlands section of the Stray yesterday.

Three days earlier Travellers also parked on the old rugby field at Knaresborough.

The council, which is the legal protector of the Stray, has not replied to the Stray Ferret’s request for information about what action it is taking.

But Judy d’Arcy Thompson, chair of the Stray Defence Association, said the council had informed her that is is “aware and prepared to serve papers on Monday if required with a court hearing already scheduled for Thursday. Unfortunately due to the legal process, this is the fastest we can progress the situation.”

It is thought the Travellers are on their way to Appleby Horse Fair in Cumbria, which begins on Thursday.

Read more:

• Travellers arrive on Harrogate’s Stray
• JUBILEE LIVE: Harrogate district set for street parties

Ms d’Arcy Thompson said the council had informed her that its street cleaning team was “prepared to check the area and clear any waste left behind”.

She added the council appeared to be doing everything it could to resolve the situation, adding:

“With experience of similar events in the past we appreciate the complexity of the legal process.

“We naturally hope that they respect our Stray and that the minimum of mess and damage is left behind when they depart.”

The Stray Defence Association was founded in 1933 to safeguard the Stray against building and encroachment.