Improved bus links from Harrogate and Knaresborough to the Yorkshire Dales will begin this weekend.

A new service, DalesBus 74, will run every Saturday from Knaresborough and Harrogate to Ilkley, Bolton Abbey and Grassington. 

The Reliance bus leaves from Knaresborough Bus Station (stand C) at 9.10am and Harrogate Bus Station (stand 2) at 9.25am. It returns from Grassington at 5pm and Bolton Abbey at 5.25pm.

There are also minor changes to DalesBus 59, running between Harrogate and Skipton on Saturdays, from this weekend.  All journeys will return from Skipton five minutes later, and the bus will no longer call at Millstones.

Read more:

• MP Andrew Jones ‘disappointed’ at funding snub for £116m bid to boost bus services
• Harrogate bus plans in tatters after government rejects £116m funding bid

From July 3, a service called Eastern DalesBus 825 will run on Sundays and Bank Holidays from Harrogate to Brimham Rocks, Fountains Abbey, Masham, Leyburn and Richmond.

These services are managed by Dales and Bowland Community Interest Company, which aims to improve sustainable access to the Yorkshire Dales National Park and Nidderdale Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. 

Dales Rover day tickets are £10 for adults and £18 for any group of up to two adults and three children.  Concessionary bus passes for the elderly and disabled are valid for free travel on DalesBus 59 and DalesBus 74.

Tickets are available from the driver.

Drivers in Knaresborough should expect delays as Northern Gas Networks begins work on York Road today.

The company is carrying out work to replace ageing pipework on the street.

Temporary traffic lights will be in place on at the junction with Wetherby Road for the duration of the roadworks.

Engineers will be carrying out the improvements, which are in collaboration with North Yorkshire County Council, for the next two weeks.

Scott Kitchingman, business operations lead for Northern Gas Networks, said: 

“We would like to apologise in advance for any inconvenience caused during these essential works. 

“However, it is vital we complete them in order to continue to maintain a safe and reliable gas supply to our customers in Knaresborough.”

The Stray Ferret has changed the way it offers Traffic and Travel alerts.

We will now notify you instantly through app notifications and flash tweets when there is an urgent alert. This could include heavy traffic, dangerous weather and long delays or cancellations of public transport.

The alerts are sponsored by The HACS Group.

A carousel ride, choir performances and the Easter bunny were among he attractions at today’s Knaresborough Spring Fayre.

Patches of rain didn’t dampen spirits as crowds flocked to Market Place in the town centre for the new event.

From 10am this morning, there were queues of young families waiting to get on the carousel or to have their picture with the Easter bunny.

By midday the Easter parade was underway — children were able to get dressed up and walk around with the bunny.

There were also performances from Meadowside School Choir, All Together Now choir and Studio 3 Dance in Knaresborough.

The carousel was a crowd pleaser, with long queues for most of the day

Dancers from Studio 3 kept visitors entertained.

Read more:

• Six free or low-cost family Easter holiday ideas in the Harrogate district
• Harrogate autism advocate using YouTube to break down barriers

Lots of children enjoyed getting their picture with the Easter bunny.

The All Together Now choir performed just after midday.

There were also local businesses holding stalls.

The Easter school holidays are almost here, but for many families this means two weeks of the children at home and increased costs of keeping them entertained.

This year in particular most of us are feeling the crunch thanks to a huge rise in the cost of living and soaring energy bills.

We have teamed up with parenting website Harrogate Mumbler and put together six free or low-cost ideas for the Easter holidays across the district.

Kayti Mewis, content creator for Harrogate Mumbler, said:

“You don’t always have to spend a fortune to have a fun day out with the kids. For example, we always enjoy a day at Valley Gardens with a picnic over the holidays.”

Free street entertainment in Harrogate town centre – from April 9

Following the success of Harrogate Business Improvement District’s (BID) street entertainers during the October half-term last year, they will be back in the town centre over the Easter holidays.

On Saturday, April 9, Pete and Ged Moss the gardeners will be in town with their ‘Easter Egg Stravaganza walkabout special’.

They will entertain crowds with their musical wheelbarrow, brimming over with colourful Easter eggs of all shapes and sizes – expect lots of audience participation.

On Good Friday, April 15, the Easter Bunny will be taking some time out from his Easter duties to share some early treats with the children of Harrogate. He will be at the Victoria Shopping Centre at 11am, 12pm, 1pm and 3pm.

On Saturday April 16, ‘Val N Halla’ will be travelling in their musical longboat through the town centre. The two Abba-obsessed Scandinavians will bring “entertainment, mayhem and mirth wherever they go”.

Peter Rabbit and Friends Easter Trail at Swinton Estate, near Ripon – April 9 to 24

Head to Swinton Bivouac for an Easter adventure with Peter Rabbit and Friends.

Help Peter and Benjamin to save Easter by rescuing all of the Easter eggs from the clutches of the pesky Samuel Whiskers.

Solve the clues to crack the code that will open the chest to rescue the egg – and earn an Easter treat for yourself as well.

There will also be an opportunity to explore the ruins and follies of Druid’s Temple, built in 1820, reconnect with nature in the woodland of Swinton Estate and take in the views over the Leighton reservoir.

Trail maps are £5, with each completed answer sheet earning a prize. All money from the trail goes directly to the Friends of Grewelthorpe School (FROGS) charity.

The Great Knaresborough Bunny Hunt – April 9 to 24

Organised and presented by Painting Pots Knaresborough, this quirky event is now in its fifth year.

There will once again be 17 ceramic bunnies hopping into local businesses.

The bunnies are hand-painted in vivid patterns, some inspired by characters or recognisable personalities and products. Painted mostly in house by Laura of Painting Pots, and more recently Natasha Gilyard.

A map with the locations of the bunnies is hand-drawn and painted by local artist Helen Salmons, who is known as The Relentless Crafter, while the bunnies themselves are the handiwork of Natasha Gilyard and Painting Pots’ Laura.

The maps can be purchased for £3 from Painting Pots, Castlegate, and the Oldest Chemist Shoppe, Market Square.

Bunny hunters use the map to find the bunnies, fill in their form and hand them back in to receive a sweet treat, a wristband, sticker and entry to win prizes donated by local businesses.

Over the last four years, The Great Knaresborough Bunny Hunt has raised more than £6,000 for local charities. All profits this year will go to Lucie’s Animal Rescue and Inspire Youth.

The event will be officially launched at the Knaresborough Spring Fayre on April 9, where there will also be the first ever Great Knaresborough Bunny Hunt Parade.

Activities at Knaresborough Library – April 16 and April 21

Hoglets Theatre will be performing their play The Sleep Pirates on Saturday, April 16 at 2pm, featuring swashbuckling pirates, flying ships and shooting stars.

The event is aimed at families with children aged four to eight. Places are limited so booking is essential and children need to be library members. Pop in to the library or call 01609 533610 to book your place.

Alternatively, enjoy some arty fun with a print workshop with artist Lana Grindley on April 21 at 2pm.

Children aged 7 to 11 are invited to design and print their own book cover artwork, inspired by their favourite book illustrations. The designs will be displayed at a special exhibition in the library following the workshop.

Book your free ticket here.

There are also some great events at places that offer membership. If you are already a member, these events are usually included, or have a small additional price:

The Giant Easter Egg Hunt at RHS Harlow Carr – April 9 to 24

Enjoy a supersized family adventure this Easter holiday at RHS Garden Harlow Carr.

Go hunting for the larger-than-life hand-painted eggs hidden around the garden on ‘The giant Easter egg hunt’, and from Good Friday to Easter Monday meet the Garden Detectives for more family fun.

The Easter egg hunt sees children equipped with an explorer pack. Follow the trail around the garden to find the giant painted eggs. There are fun puzzles to solve and plants and wildlife to spot along the way.

Children will be rewarded with a free chocolate treat after completing the trail.

The event is free to RHS members and children under 5.

Easter egg hunt at Fountains Abbey and Studley Royal – until April 17

Pick up an adventure trail for £3 and follow the map to complete 10 fun activities during your visit.

See if you can shake like a squirrel, rise like the sun and listen to nature’s orchestra. Complete the trail and earn your chocolate egg reward at the end.

Knaresborough’s Market Place is set to host a new event tomorrow of family activities, food and drink and even farm animals.

The Knaresborough Spring Fayre, organised by Knaresborough Business Collective, is being held from 10am until 4pm tomorrow.

There’ll be fairground rides, a mobile petting farm, the chance to meet the Easter bunny and foam clay and flower crown making workshops.

There is also live entertainment throughout the day with the Meadowside School Choir and All Together Now choir, an easter parade at 12pm, a live dance performance from Studio 3 and music from Albert Stott.

Local businesses will also be holding stalls for visitors to buy from and there will be food and drink vendors too.

Organisers Natalie Horner and Annie Wilkinson-Gill said:

“We are super excited as it looks to be a very busy and amazing day, we have things happening all day long and so much love and effort has been put into it, right down to the smallest details.

“We have involved as many local businesses as possible as that’s what this is all about, bringing people to town not taking trade away from shops.”

Read more:

• Meet the women behind Ripon’s royal miles of jubilee bunting
• 700 scooters converge on Knaresborough

People can arrive throughout the day and entry is free. Activities like the fairground rides, easter bunny grotto and face painting are one token per child which can be bought for £3 each.

This is the first event organised by Knaresborough Business Collective. The not-for-profit venture launched in January to stage events and be a voice for businesses. About 30 businesses have signed up so far as subscribers.

Residents in Scotton are mobilising against plans to build a solar farm the size of 150 football pitches that they believe will spoil their picturesque village.

UK energy firm Gridserve is behind a proposal to build the solar farm on fields belonging to Lawrence Moor Farm.

Thousands of solar panels would generate up to 49.9 megawatts of green energy that could power up to 14,000 homes.

The village on the outskirts of Knaresborough has a population of around 600 people.

Scotton resident Richard Tallis, who has lived in the village for 12 years, has distributed leaflets to villagers and said 165 people have responded to say they are opposed to the plans.

Two public footpaths would be surrounded by solar panels if they were passed.

Mr Tallis said:

“We’re not against solar farms, just put them in the right places.

“Agricultural land should be used for agricultural purposes.

“There’s a strength of opinion around the village opposing it.”

Read More:

• Plans approved for 264 solar panels at Bilton caravan park
• Residents submit complaint over South Stainley solar farm decision

The main site where Gridserve wants to put the solar panels is bound by the narrow country roads Low Moor Lane and High Moor Lane. It is also opposite the village primary school.

Mr Tallis said he fears the roads are ill-equipped to cope with eight months of construction traffic whilst the site is built.

He said he is not a “NIMBY” but feels that solar farms should be built on the edge of motorways and away from residential areas.

“I accept there will always be people that criticise us for opposing it.

“But there are other sites that are more suitable, not on the edge of a picturesque green village.”

Net-zero

This morning the UK government published its flagship energy strategy. It wants the country to produce most of the energy it uses through renewables.

It says the UK will increase current solar capacity by five times before 2035.

A spokesperson for Gridserve said:

“Matters of proximity, visual impact and access throughout the construction and operation of the Scotton solar farm will be integral parts of the forthcoming planning and design process.

“We hope we are able to proceed with the next design phases in an open, collaborative approach that involves members of the local community and other statutory and non-statutory stakeholders”

The woman who lost her life in a house fire in Brearton at the weekend was a prominent local solicitor.

Lynda Greenwood, 67, has been identified locally as the victim of the fire, which gutted the village home late on Saturday evening.

She founded Greenwoods Solicitors in Knaresborough in 1991.

The company has confirmed on its website that it will continue to provide legal advice and support to clients, but asked people to bear with the staff during a “very difficult time”.

After posting the news of Ms Greenwood’s death on its Facebook page, the firm received dozens of tributes from friends and clients.

One said:

“Shocking devastating news. A strong intelligent lady with a huge heart, tremendous sense of humour and thirst for life. Gone far too soon. She will be missed immensely.”

Another added:

“We only heard tonight and cannot express how sad we are to hear the tragic news. Lynda was a fab solicitor and a lovely lady – she will be sadly missed by us all. Our sincere condolences to those closest to her.”

Read more:

• Woman dies in Brearton house fire
• Battery believed to have caused last night’s fire at Ripon recycling company

Ms Greenwood grew up in Knaresborough, attending King James’s School while it was still a grammar school in the 1960s. She went on to complete a law degree at Kingston University and practised in Surrey, where she became partner in a law firm.

After having her daughter, she set up Greenwoods Solicitors in her home town. She specialised in commercial property, lasting powers of attorney, wills and probate.

North Yorkshire Police and North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service have launched a joint investigation into the fire which claimed Ms Greenwood’s life. Neighbours in the village called firefighters around 10pm on Saturday but, despite their best efforts, she was pronounced dead at the scene.

Anyone with information about the fire is asked to call North Yorkshire Police on 101, select option two and speak to the force control room, quoting reference 12220056029.

The Hydro swimming pool in Harrogate will close for nine months on Friday ahead of a £11.8m refurbishment.

The facility will get a two-storey extension as well as a new entrance, cafe and reception area.

There will also be new diving board equipment, a new fitness suite and the changing areas will be upgraded.

A computer generated image of how the Hydro will look.

The existing gas boilers will be replaced with air source heat pumps and 250 solar panels, as well as new metering and energy monitoring and control systems.

The pool is run by Brimhams Active on behalf of Harrogate Borough Council.

It means until January, the nearest available council-run pools will be in Starbeck, Knaresborough, Patelely Bridge and Ripon. Opening times are available on the Brimhams Active website.

Read more:

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

The project will be carried out in phases, with the refurbished pool hall and changing rooms re-opening in January 2023 and the ‘dry side’ activity space by April 2023.

How the new Knaresborough Pool will look.

Work to build the new Knaresborough Pool will start on April 26. The current facility will remain open.

Wallace Sampson, Harrogate Borough Council’s chief executive, said:

“This investment at both the Hydro in Harrogate and a new facility in Knaresborough follows our investment at the Jack Laugher Leisure and Wellness Centre in Ripon and shows our commitment to providing first-class leisure facilities for Harrogate district residents.”

The list of candidates standing for election to the new North Yorkshire Council in the Harrogate district has been revealed.

Voters will head to the polls on May 5 to elect councillors to the authority, which will replace both North Yorkshire County Council and Harrogate Borough Council.

The Labour Party, Liberal Democrats, Conservatives, Green Party and independents have all fielded candidates ahead of polling day.

Harrogate Borough Council has published a list of election agents and names of candidates. A full list of party candidates will be published today (April 6).

A total of 21 councillors will be elected from the Harrogate district as the council is made up of new divisions.

The deadline to register to vote is Thursday, April 14. You can register here.

List of Harrogate district election candidates

Coppice Valley and Duchy

• Patricia Ann Foxall, Labour Party
• Peter Charles Lacey, Liberal Democrat
• Leighton Anunda Regayre, Green Party
• Graham Kevin Swift, Conservative
• Daniel Jonathan James d`Arcy Thompson, Independent

Valley Gardens and Central Harrogate

• Lucy Jayne Gardiner, Independent
• Samuel John Gibbs, Conservative
• David Johnson, Liberal Democrat
• Paul Ko Ferrigno, Green Party
• Andrew Williamson, Labour Party

Bilton Grange and New Park

• Matthew Robert Scott, Conservative
• Monika Slater, Liberal Democrat
• Tamsin Jade Worrall, Green Party
• Andrew Morris Zigmond, Labour Party

Harlow and St Georges

• John Charles Adams, Labour Party
• Sarah Jane Hart, Independent
• Steven Jackson, Conservative
• Andrew Rickard, Green Party
• Michael John Schofield, Liberal Democrat

Read more:

• No deals expected between Harrogate district opposition parties ahead of election
• Council chiefs promise ‘seamless transition’ to new North Yorkshire Council

Stray, Woodlands and Hookstone

• Helen Burke, Labour Party
• John Radcliffe Ennis, Conservative
• Patricia Ann Marsh, Liberal Democrat
• Anna Rosanna McIntee, Independent

Fairfax and Starbeck

• Philip Anthony Broadbank, Liberal Democrat
• Elizabeth Susan Lumby, Conservative
• Gordon Schallmo, Green Party
• Christopher John Watt, Labour Party

Bilton and Nidd Gorge

• Paul Steven Haslam, Conservative
• Deborah Anne Havercroft, Labour Party
• Andrew Graham Kempston-Parkes, Liberal Democrat

High Harrogate and Kingsley

• Christopher James Aldred, Liberal Democrat
• Geoffrey Ronald David Foxall, Labour Party
• Timothy Ian Myatt, Conservative

Knaresborough West

• David Tom Crosthwaite, Labour Party
• Philip George Ireland, Conservative
• Matthew James Walker, Liberal Democrat

Knaresborough East

• Sharon-Theresa Calvert, Labour Party
• Edward William John Darling, Conservative
• Hannah Gostlow, Liberal Democrat

Killinghall, Hampsthwaite and Saltergate

• Edward Charles Clayson, Labour Party
• David Ryland Goode, Liberal Democrat
• Michael Harrison, Conservative
• William James Rigby, Green Party

Oatlands and Pannal

• Justin James Peter Chan, Liberal Democrat
• Gillian Rosemary Charters, Green Party
• John Mann, Conservative
• Margaret Smith, Labour Party

Boroughbridge and Claro

• Andrew Bell, Liberal Democrat
• Noel Frank Evans, Independent
• Clark Pearson, Green Party
• Jonathan William Starkey, Independent
• Robert Windass, Conservative

Read more:

• How the Harrogate district’s wards will change ahead of local election
• Dispute over Harrogate council by-election raised in House of Lords

Spofforth with Lower Wharfedale and Tockwith

• John Philip Hall, Yorkshire Party
• Alexandra Graham Marsh, Green Party
• Andrew John Paraskos, Conservative

Pateley Bridge and Nidderdale

• Alison Harris, Yorkshire Party
• Stanley Lumley, Conservative
• Andrew James Murday, Liberal Democrat

Ripon Minster and Moorside

• Thomas James Averre, Conservative
• Thomas Mark Cavell-Taylor, Liberal Democrat
• Andrew Williams, Independent

Ripon Ure Bank and Spa

• Barbara Jean Brodigan, Liberal Democrat
• Robin John Burgess, Green Party
• Michael Geoffrey Chambers, Conservative
• Sidney James Hawke, Independent

Washburn and Birstwith

• Ian Roger Galloway, Independent
• Nathan Roger Hull, Conservative
• Paul Geoffrey Trewhitt, Green Party
• Thomas Watson, Liberal Democrat

Wathvale and Bishop Monkton

• Nicholas Malcolm Brown, Conservative
• Hannah Katherine Corlett, Green Party
• Christopher James Knight

Ouseburn

• Richard Musgrave, Conservative
• Arnold Francis Warneken, Green Party

Masham and Fountains

• Margaret Edna Atkinson, Conservative
• Felicity Clare Cunliffe-Lister, Independent
• Judith Mary Hooper, Liberal Democrat

Harrogate Borough Council has refused a bid to build a luxury eco-resort with 350 lodges on the former Flaxby golf course.

The plans included a hotel, outdoor swimming pool, spa and sports area as well as a pub/cafe, farm shop, gift shop and activity hub.

The developer Flaxby Park Ltd had previously said the resort would attract “the most discerning visitors” and would have a focus on sustainability to allow families to “reconnect with nature”.

But council planning officer Kate Broadbank said the development would have a negative impact on the district’s natural environment as well as harming views from the nearby Temple of Victory, which is Grade II* listed.

The golf course, off the A59 and A1(M), closed in 2014 and has been derelict ever since.

Ms Broadbank wrote:

“The scale and layout are considered to have an unacceptable adverse impact upon the district’s natural and historic environment.

“In addition, the application site is not considered to be accessible to local services nor is it demonstrated that an acceptable connection to public utilities can be achieved.”

Read more:

• Flaxby parish council calls for government to reject eco-homes
• Business park near Flaxby that could support 2,000 jobs approved

The application generated 31 objections, including one from Knaresborough Town Council which feared the hotel would never be built and the site would be re-marketed as a residential development.

An aerial computer generated image of the proposal. The A1 (M) is to the east and the A59 is to the south.

The council added:

“The applicants seem to have no experience of running a holiday park, have no proven business case and have not considered the constant traffic noise from the adjacent motorway.”

The Stray Ferret has approached Flaxby Park Ltd for a response but we had not received one by the time of publication.

History of the site

In 2008 The Skelwith Group bought the site from farming family the Armstrongs for £7m. It published plans for a 300-bedroom five-star hotel on the site that it touted as the future “jewel in Yorkshire’s tourism crown”.

But in 2016 the company went out of business after these plans never materialised.

Flaxby Park Ltd is a company made up of businesswoman Ann Gloag and regeneration specialists Chris Musgrave and Trevor Cartner.

It bought the 260-acre golf course site from administrators in 2016.

Its original proposal for the site was to build 2,750 homes and a rail link at Goldsborough. But these plans ended after the council chose the Green Hammerton area as the site for a new settlement in the district.

In October 2020, the developer challenged the council’s decision in the High Court but was unable to overturn it.