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.

The sun is out as four days of jubilee celebrations get underway in the Harrogate district today.

The Stray Ferret will be covering the festivities and the fun, the street parties and the ceremonies over the next four days in Harrogate, Ripon, Knaresborough, Boroughbridge, Pateley Bridge and Masham, and the villages in between.

We want to hear what’s happening in your town, village or city so email us at contact@thestrayferret.co.uk and we will add it to the blog.

5.24pm: Will it stay dry for tonight’s beacons?

It’s been a warm and sunny opening day to the jubilee celebrations but it is clouding over.

Beacons are due to be lit across the Harrogate district tonight, with most occurring at 9.45pm. According to the BBC weather forecast for Harrogate, some rain is possible.

Spofforth Castle, Ripon Market Square,  Almscliffe Crag in North Rigton, the Army Foundation College in Harrogate, Kirkby Malzeard and Roomer Common in Masham are among the locations taking part.

So too is Knaresborough Castle, where Tamsin from the Stray Ferret will be among the onlookers.

4.35pm: Spofforth hosts children’s party

Fresh from his trip to Blubberhouses, our reporter Tom has been to Spofforth to witness today’s jubilee activities.

You can read his full account here.

4.17pm: Great and the good attend Ripon Cathedral’s civic event

Julian Smith MP

Harry Gration

North Yorkshire dignitaries gathered at Ripon Cathedral today for a service in honour of the Queen.

Those attending included the Archbishop of York, Ripon MP Julian Smith, Grantley Hall owner Valeria Sykes and former Look North presenter Harry Gration.

You can read our Ripon reporter Tim’s full account here.

3.58pm: Human plant pots in Harrogate town centre

Last year there was fake grass in Harrogate town centre — now there are human plant pots. And they’re certainly proving more popular with visitors, who posed for photos alongside them. It’s all part of the jubilee fun. Send us your jubilee pictures to contact@thestrayferret.co.uk.

3.27pm: First street party underway in Pannal Ash

Most street parties are on Sunday but the residents of Castle Hill Glade in Pannal Ash thought today might be a more family-friendly day and, judging by the weather forecast, they may have chosen the right day

Rachel Baskin (pictured far left), who applied for the street closure, told us the party idea evolved from covid, when residents living on the cul-de-sac would have socially distanced meetings on Thursdays.

There’s also an informal group called Ladies of Glade, who meet a glass of wine each week.

Residents in nearby streets are bringing their own teas and sitting outside together to enjoy the occasion.

2.55pm: Bilton’s Party on the Pitch proves a hit

People are pouring into Bilton Cricket Club’s free Party on the Pitch event, which runs until 9pm.

We’ve just been down and there is a wonderful atmosphere, which shows there is a great community spirit in Bilton and a thirst for get togethers like this since the demise of Bilton Gala on May Day.

There’s a barbecue, live music and plenty for children to do. People are just rocking up and having a picnic on the pitch.

Matt Thomas, cricket secretary, estimated about 1,000 people were there an hour ago and the number is growing. He added:

“It’s a great opportunity for the local community to get together and have fun.”

There is a collection for Yorkshire Air Ambulance — a cause dear to the club’s heart after a player had a heart attack on the pitch at an away game last year.

1.20pm: Jubilee shenanigans on Harrogate’s Beulah Street

It’s not every day you wander along Beulah Street and see people dressed like this belting out Land of Hope and Glory. But that’s what the jubilee does to you. It’s that kind of weekend.

What’s happening out in Bilton, Starbeck and Jennyfields, or in Pateley Bridge? Wherever you are in the Harrogate district we want to receive your jubilee news and images. Email us and we will add them to this live blog.

1.12pm: Live music all day in Ripon 

Among those early to arrive on Market Square was four-year-old Aylar and her mum Susannah (pictured), who were blowing bubbles as the free entertainment started on stage with Lily Worth.

Lily sang a selection of songs from musicals, including the Greatest Showman. There is free live music all day in Ripon’s Market Square.

Meanwhile, a giant TV screen next to Ripon Town Hall linked the city to Horseguards Parade in London, where the Trooping the Colour ceremony, broadcast live on the BBC, marked the Queen’s official birthday.

Lily Worth on stage in Ripon today.

The big screen.

1.01pm: Blubberhouses flower festival tells Queen’s story

Our reporter Tom has been to Blubberhouses, where a jubilee-themed flower festival is underway.

You can visit it at St Andrew’s Church in Blubberhouses, just past Fewston Reservoir off the A59, from 11am to 4pm every day over the four-day weekend.

Further details are here.

12.26pm: Bishop leads county service of celebration 

Ripon is pulling out the stops this weekend with activities galore, and Ripon Cathedral is at the heart of things. The Bishop of Ripon has tweeted about a service she led this morning.

https://twitter.com/HartleyHAM/status/1532321794765488128

12.05pm: Ripon mum wins Bettys Jubilee Bake Off 

Ripon mum Lori Hendry (pictured holding the cake) has beaten three other shortlisted bakers to win the Bettys Jubilee Bake Off.

Lori’s Victoria sponge decorated with red, white and blue icing adorned with a crown and Union Jack flags wowed the judges. You can read more here.

11.10am: Free rides, entertainment and face painting in Valley Gardens

Free events are taking place in Harrogate’s Valley Gardens until 6pm. It’s very much a family occasion: kids can meet Elsa, Batman and Cinderella (pictured above), ride on the runaway train, climb a wall, jump on a bungee trampoline, watch jugglers — all for free.

Elsewhere in Harrogate, on a section of the Stray, which has been renamed Jubilee Square, people can watch a big screen of the BBC coverage of the jubilee.

10.27am: Recycling depots open as usual

North Yorkshire County Council tweets that its household recycling centres are open as normal this bank holiday weekend.

All our household waste recycling centres are open, as usual, from 8.30am to 5pm, throughout the Queen's #PlatinumJubilee bank holiday weekend.

Find your nearest site and what items you can take athttps://t.co/llRAH0z30s pic.twitter.com/rASZiF1jhk

— North Yorkshire Council (@northyorksc) June 2, 2022

9.32am: Bishop Monkton choir starts the jubilee weekend

Bishop Monkton kicked off the jubilee weekend last night a community concert given by a choir developed on Zoom during the pandemic.

The choir entertained an audience of 120 in the village hall with a show titled Seven Decades of Song, featuring music from the 1940s to the present day. The concert included hits from musicals like Oklahoma and the Sound of Music as well as more recent numbers from Leonard Cohen and Gary Barlow.

The choir grew out of the village’s Singing for Fun group, which had started just before the pandemic and which kept going through the covid lockdowns by meeting on Zoom. The show included a live rendition of a song called Lockdown, written during covid by the village’s jubilee queen, Pauline Beecroft, to the tune of the Petula Clark 1960s hit Downtown.

The concert ended with the singing of Jerusalem, Land of Hope and Glory and the National Anthem.

Thanks to Colin Philpott for sending us this jubilee news in Bishop Monkton. What’s happening where you are? Message us your jubilee news and pictures at contact@thestrayferret.co.uk.

8.52am: Free music all day in Ripon

The stage is set in Ripon for the biggest royal party of the ancient city’s long history. Lily Worth will kick off a day of free music at 10.30am and she will be followed by Ripon’s own talented singer-songwriter Freddie Cleary.

Later, tribute acts will sing the songs of Stevie Wonder, Cilla Black, George Michael, the Everly Brothers and Katherine Jenkins. For nostalgia lovers, there will be wartime songs of Vera Lynn and others from 4.50pm.

Organisers Ripon City Council are hoping that the blue skies that have started the day will remain over the town hall and stage facing onto Market Square, where large crowds are anticipated.

8.45am: Stray Ferret journalists set to hit the road 

Tim will be in Ripon all day and for the lighting of the beacon.

Tom plans to head to Blubberhouses and Spofforth

John will be in and around Harrogate

Tamsin will be in Knaresborough for tonight’s beacon lighting.

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 and Knaresborough MP Andrew Jones has been named in a Daily Mail article today about Conservative MPs plotting to oust Boris Johnson.

Mr Jones has told constituents asking about partygate that his “anger is not going to lessen”.

His also said:

“I understand the anger people feel. I feel it too. Most of all I feel intensely depressed that senior people in our political system have pretended, or somehow genuinely believed, that tables groaning with bottles of wine, as we have now seen pictured, were in some way allowed work practices.”

But Mr Jones has not called for the Prime Minister to resign and has not revealed whether he has submitted a letter calling for a vote of no confidence in Mr Johnson to Sir Graham Brady, chair of the backbench 1922 committee. Fifty-four Tory MPs must do so to trigger a leadership contest.

Mr Jones has declined to respond to questions about the matter from the Stray Ferret.

Nevertheless the Daily Mail includes him in a list of 41 Conservative MPs in an article about Tory ‘plotters’.

Read more:

• Andrew Jones MP tells constituent he feels ‘anger’ over partygate
• Andrew Jones MP says Harrogate and Knaresborough train cuts’a bad mistake’

York Outer MP Julian Sturdy is also named, along with former Cabinet minister Andrea Leadsom and former Shadow Home Secretary David Davis.

The article claims the ‘rebels’ could get enough support for a confidence vote next week.

It quotes Home Secretary Priti Patel urging them to “concentrate on doing our jobs” rather than creating a “distraction”.

She adds:

“Writing letters is a sideshow, quite frankly, rather than focusing on the real challenges that we have to find solutions to.’

“Our job is to deliver on the people’s priorities. They won’t thank the Conservative Party for talking about itself at a time when people have anxieties, concerns, apprehensions. Our job is deliver for them.’

Businesses in the Harrogate district have seen a huge demand for jubilee merchandise as residents gear up for four days of celebrations.

We spoke to five independents to find out how business is booming ahead of the four-day Bank Holiday weekend, which starts on Thursday.

Party Fever – Harrogate 

Red, white and blue balloons outside Party Fever.

Residents have been rushing to fancy dress and party shop, Party Fever, on Station Parade, to buy jubilee-themed attire and decorations since Easter.

The shop has now almost sold out of all its jubilee stock, with only a few Union Jack flags, bomber jackets, waistcoats and masks still remaining.  

Sue Savill, at Party Fever, said:  

“We have sold thousands of pieces of bunting, which I think is evident when you walk round the town centre, and also plates and napkins for jubilee street parties”.   

Party Fever currently has a Union Jack flag made from red, white and blue balloons outside the shop, where customers can pose for photos.  

HG1 Bakes – Harrogate

HG1 Bakes owner Charlie Lowe.

Charlie Lowe, owner of HG1 Bakes, said she had been busy with orders ahead of the jubilee weekend.

She said:

“I am supplying Pink Door Café, on Kings Road, with jubilee-themed cupcakes and lots of bespoke orders for jubilee-themed cupcakes too.

“It’s great to see our town of Harrogate getting into the spirit of celebrating the Queen’s jubilee.”

Huttons Butchers – Knaresborough  

Huttons Butchers’ special edition jubilee Scotch egg.

Huttons’ pork pies and BBQ packs have proved popular ahead of the bank holiday weekend, with customers stocking up for street parties and jubilee celebrations.

The butchers has also created a special edition Scotch egg for the jubilee, made from its ‘coronation jubilee’ sausage meat.

Alan Bell, from Huttons Butchers, said:

“We are making them as fast as we can.” 

West Park Antiques and Home Interiors – Harrogate

West Park Antiques manager Lisa Hawksworth.

Customers have been going crazy for bunting, royal memorabilia and Union Jack flags at the antiques store on West Park.

More than 100 packs of vintage-style bunting have been sold in the last week.

A Union Jack wedding dress, made by one one of the traders, has been displayed in the shop window and is catching people’s eyes.

Manager Lisa Hawksworth said:

“People are definitely getting into the spirit. We have had more than 250 people take photographs with our cardboard cut-out of the Queen. We have tried our best to have some fun with our display, with lots of red, white and blue.

“The Union Jack wedding dress is for sale for £600 – but we won’t be letting it go until after the weekend!”

The Union Jack wedding dress at West Park Antiques.

Twisted Cakes – Harrogate  

Jubilee cake decorations have been selling out at Twisted Cakes. 

Twisted Cakes, on Kings Road, has already sold out of all its jubilee cake decorations, with red, white and blue ribbons, Union Jack flags and printed toppers for cupcakes being the most popular amongst customers.  

Purple ribbons to match the jubilee theme and cake toppers with the official jubilee logo also sold out quickly.  

Debbie Smith, from Twisted Cakes, said:  

“I have noticed a lot of customers coming in to buy decorations for school events.” 

She added that people have been buying the jubilee products for at least six weeks.  

A couple from Knaresborough tried for months to contact their wedding venue only to be told their special day was no longer secure and they should look elsewhere.

Toni Kinder and Michael Shelton were due to get married at Dower House Hotel in Knaresborough this December after booking the venue in August 2021.

The hotel was bought by The Inn Collection Group (ICG) in December 2021 but the couple were assured it would not affect their wedding.

However, after months of not being able to get in touch with anyone the couple rang the St George, another ICG hotel in Harrogate. It was only then, eight months after they made the booking, they were told planned refurbishments meant their date was no longer secure.

Last week, the Stray Ferret revealed a multi-million pound expansion plan would lead to the closure of the gym and spa facilities and the hotel for some time as works got underway.

Ms Kinder said she had picked her food, booked entertainment and imagined her pictures at Knaresborough Castle but said this all had to be put on hold whilst they found an alternative venue.

Ms Kinder said:

“There was never much communication with the Dower House, I only found out because I got a number from a friend for someone at the St George.

“We were set on the Dower House but don’t want to wait any longer to be married, we just have to hope we like the St George.”

The couple, who have been together nearly five years, are due to visit the St George in Harrogate after it said it could offer them the same date and honour the price they paid.

Read more:

• Baby group to bring children and Knaresborough care home residents together
• 10 facts about Knaresborough’s new mayor Kathryn Davies

The couple have four children between them and were left feeling “disappointed and frustrated” by the lack of communication from Dower House.

The ICG has said:

“There is no date for closure of the hotel so they are correct in that there has been no formal cancellation as yet but guests have been advised of possible disruption. We have been offering guests the opportunity to move venues for certainty but at this stage we do not know when the hotel will close.”

Ms Kinder added:

“It’s a shame because we picked there, of course it’s not what we wanted but it’s not a disaster. We had friends who’s weddings were delayed loads over lockdown and we know we will get married on that day it just won’t be at Dower House.”

GPs across the Harrogate district have called for urgent public support to ensure the area’s practices can remain viable.

Local practices have publicly backed national campaign Rebuild General Practice, highlighting the need for urgent reform to keep doctors and patients safe.

Leeds Road Practice in Harrogate and Beech House Surgery in Knaresborough are among those to have shared a letter on their social media pages which highlights the pressures facing GPs.

The strongly-worded letter states that a quarter of GPs know a colleague who has taken their life because of work pressures, and almost 90% say they do not feel safe at work.

“General practice is in crisis. Not because of us, or the staff who work with us.

“It is because of decades of underfunding and neglect, broken government promises and political contempt for you – our patients – that the system is fractured.

“This crisis is putting you – and us – at an increased risk.”

In the Harrogate district, the statutory body representing and supporting GPs, YORLMC, is backing the campaign.

Its medical secretary, Dr Brian McGregor, told the Stray Ferret the district’s GPs are working extremely long hours, often unable to take holidays because there is no cover, and worried about burnout and making mistakes.

The national campaign for reform has been launched in association with Jeremy Hunt. As chairman of the health select committee, Dr McGregor said Mr Hunt believes general practice needs investment and support from the government.

Retention

In 2016, he said thousands of new GPs were needed and a recruitment campaign began. However, Dr McGregor said, they “completely took their eye off the ball” when it came to retention.

“We’re now in the position where we’re about 1,600 GPs down compared to 2016, but providing four times more appointments in a month.”

Some of that increase in appointments being provided is thanks to the rise of virtual and phone consultations during covid. They require less time than face-to-face appointments and are suitable for many patients’ needs, he said.

However, there are many cases where a face-to-face appointment is necessary, but he said demand for those is extremely high following the covid pandemic.

“Patients want good access to general practice but, as the numbers drop down and the demand has gone up, it’s not that the GPs aren’t working, it’s that the appointment you want has gone to your neighbour who called a bit quicker than you.”

Read more:

• Knaresborough GPs operating at ‘clinical capacity’
• Patients urged to be kind as abuse prompts GP staff in North Yorkshire to quit

Dr McGregor said the situation in the Harrogate district has been exacerbated by house building, putting pressure on existing practices to accommodate more patients.

He said although housing developers have put money into pots for infrastructure including GP services, no new practices have been built or even planned across the district.

He added:

“Historically, Harrogate has been very attractive as a place to work compared to other areas in North Yorkshire which have struggled to recruit.

“Now, everywhere is struggling. Practices in Harrogate are advertising two, three, four times for places they can’t fill.

“In Scarborough, they were 1.5 GPs down per practice three or four years ago. Now Harrogate is getting to that position too.”

Backlog

While hospital waiting times have been in the headlines repeatedly since the beginning of the covid pandemic, Dr McGregor said the number of hospital doctors has actually risen by around 20% in that time – while GP numbers have dropped by up to 4%.

Hospitals and secondary care have been allocated £20bn of government money to deal with the backlog of work caused by covid, he said, but general practice has received nothing.

Now, through the Rebuild General Practice campaign, GPs are calling for the workplace plan, promised by the government in 2019, to be created.

It would set out how the problem of falling GP numbers would be tackled, focusing on retention as well as recruitment, and ensuring GPs can work in a way that is safe for both them and their patients.

“It’s really about recognising GPs are doing their best in very difficult circumstances. Just a simple ‘thank you’ rather than some of the aggression and abuse they are getting would help.

“Your GPs are working as hard as they can and providing as much access as they can and trying to keep everybody safe.

“We want to support patients in every way we can, but it’s about letting them know we are running on empty.”

A baby group is being held at a Knaresborough care home in a bid to build community links between generations and combat loneliness.

Tiny Tots and Tea Cups will see elderly residents at The Manor House encouraged to sing and play with babies and toddlers.

Activities co-ordinator Katie Pickering is organising the free event with her colleague Joanne Meredith.

She was inspired after talking to a friend who had a lockdown baby, and also witnessing the positive effect of taking her children to visit her grandparents.

She said:

“We have been looking to get more involved in the local community now covid restrictions are lifting.

“I had a friend who had a baby in lockdown, who said it was one of the loneliest experiences she’s had. So I thought it would be a good idea to run a parent and baby group here. People from all generations can suffer from loneliness.

“Children can sometimes connect to people on a level that adults can’t. I took my daughters to see my grandparents and my grandad later told me it had been such a boost for my grandmother.”

Kathryn Davies was elected Knaresborough’s new mayor last week.

Cllr Davies, a Conservative, had not been a town councillor before then and she said she was excited and ready to “jump in at the deep end” in her new role.

Green Party councillor Mark Flood will serve as her deputy.

Cllr Davies, who moved to Knaresborough 16 years ago, said she had got more involved in local campaigns over the last five years and felt the role of mayor would help her become more integrated in the local community.

Here are 10 facts about Knaresborough’s new mayor:

1 She has lived in Yorkshire all her life and used to visit Knaresborough for “a day out in the summer” as a child.

2 She met her husband, Rob, 25 years ago at a dinner in Nottingham and they married eight years later. She now has two step-daughters and two grandchildren.

3 Cllr Davies reached senior level in the civil service, working for the Department for Work and Pensions, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and finally the Food Standards Agency.

4 She has completed a year-long accountancy course with the army and leadership training with the SAS.

5 Her areas of focus for the town will be housing and, as a lover of the outdoors, she wants to help preserve the town’s green space.

Read more:

• New Ripon mayor joins a rollcall rich in history
• Final Harrogate borough mayor takes office

6 She is a keen supporter of the weekly market and independent shops and tries to do all her shopping locally instead of at supermarkets.

7 During her term, she will be fundraising for Cliff House Community Support Services, a charity that helps older people live independently. She is also looking for a mental health charity to support. During her A-levels, Cllr Davies was involved in a serious car accident that left her deaf in one ear. It took her 10 years to overcome the trauma and she wants to use her experiences to help others.

8 Over the past five years she has worked with other residents and Harrogate and Knaresborough Conservative MP Andrew Jones to raise the issue of flooding by the River Nidd and to get a tree preservation order on a section of woodland near Waterside.

9 Since retiring a decade ago, she has taken a number of two-year courses at York University including creative writing and Spanish.

10 She is a member of Harrogate and District Naturalists Society, the Royal Horticultural Society and English Heritage. She also supports a nature reserve at Farnham.

A traffic order to reduce the number of cars and encourage other forms of transport has been brought in on two Knaresborough streets today.

North Yorkshire County Council has introduced the new traffic regulation order on Eastfield, a residential street off Chain Lane, and Cardinal Way, part of the new development near Aldi.

The stretch of roads affected is separated by Frogmire Dike and will now only be open to motorists who live in the area, emergency services vehicles, wedding or funeral party transport, or people carrying out building works.

In the statement of reasons released by the county council, it says the decision has been made to reduce danger and encourage the use of other means of travel, such as public transport and walking.

The order comes in today, under the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984. A map showing the road affected can be viewed at Harrogate Library until June 24 or online here.

Read more:

• Harrogate council opens applications for energy rebate to more households
• ‘Lifeline’ Dower House gym and spa in Knaresborough to close

A log burning stove is believed to have caused a fire at a former dairy building in the Harrogate district.

Firefighters from Harrogate and Knaresborough were called to the building at North Rigton at 4.45pm yesterday.

Harrogate fire station said in a social media post last night:

“Crews extinguished the fire using breathing apparatus, hose reel jets, thermal imaging camera, Harrogate’s aerial ladder platform and Tadcaster’s Water Bowser.

“Fire was believed to be caused by a log burning stove.”

More pictures from the scene taken by Harrogate firefighters

Read more:

• Five Harrogate firefighters could lose jobs in plans to reduce service
• Dog trying to eat sausages causes Harrogate house fire

Nigel Adams is the only Harrogate district MP to comment so far on the publication of the long-awaited Sue Gray report.

The senior civil servant found that many of the parties in Downing Street “should not have been allowed to happen”.

The report included details of vomiting and parties lasting until 4am whilst the UK was under covid restrictions.

Mr Adams, whose Selby and Ainsty constituency includes several Harrogate district villages, is a member of the cabinet and a key ally of Prime Minister Boris Johnson. He tweeted this afternoon:

“The Prime Minister welcomes Sue Gray’s report and has apologised again.

“He now needs to get on with the job, levelling up the country, tackling global challenges including the cost of living and Ukraine crisis and delivering for the country and for the people who put their faith in him in 2019.”

Other cabinet ministers including Rishi Sunak, Dominic Raab and Nadine Dorries all tweeted similar messages of support for the Prime Minister at the same time.

The Prime Minister welcomes Sue Gray’s report & has apologised again.

He now needs to get on with the job, levelling up the country, tackling global challenges inc cost of living & Ukraine crisis & delivering for the country & for the people who put their faith in him in 2019.

— Nigel Adams (@nadams) May 25, 2022

What have Andrew Jones and Julian Smith said?

The Stray Ferret asked the two other Tory MPs in the district, Harrogate and Knaresborough’s Andrew Jones and Skipton and Ripon’s Julian Smith for their response to the report but we did not get a reply.

In January during a Commons debate, Mr Jones said the Sue Gray report should be published in full.

In the same month, an email to a constituent revealed Mr Jones thoughts on ‘partygate’ scandal. The MP said: “I take the maxim ‘lawmakers can’t be lawbreakers’ seriously.”

Mr Jones said if criminal actions were found then “consequences must flow from that”.

“In respect of the investigation announced by the Prime Minister in December, if this finds wrongdoing, and the police find that these actions were criminal, then consequences must flow from that.”

Julian Smith is yet to comment publicly on the report.

Read more:

• Harrogate council chief scolds councillor for calling influencer a ‘waste of money’
• Home Office asylum centre near Harrogate district an ‘abuse of power’, says MP