A rewards card that gives people incentives to shop in Knaresborough is being launched today.

The community website Knaresborough Online is behind the Love Knaresborough Rewards Card initiative.

It hopes the card will boost footfall in the town centre after a difficult 12 months for businesses.

The card offers a wide range of discounts, such as a free flake and sprinkles on ice cream, two for one cocktails and a free yoga class. Seventy-five businesses are taking part in the scheme.

The card costs £10 to buy and is valid until March 31 2022. Knaresborough Online is holding a stall on the market today selling the cards it is also available in 10 other designated sellers.

Susanna Lewis, owner of Knaresborough Online, said if each of the 13,000 adults living in Knaresborough spent £5 a week in the town it would bring an additional £3.4million into the town’s economy. She added:

“We have researched and visited over 30 other similar card schemes within the UK to try and develop the best possible card scheme for Knaresborough.

“We want the scheme to be attractive to both consumers and businesses and we hope the card will help encourage confidence in local shopping once more.”

A European funded post-covid recovery grant was used to fund the initiative.

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One of the designated sellers is Alex Chaytor, owner of The Black Mulberry on Waterside, said:

“As a business owner in Knaresborough I am really excited about this new card scheme. It has been a difficult year for us all, but this project gives us positivity and hope for the future.

“Anything that helps increase footfall through the town is welcome and I am excited to see the launch of this card.”

Knaresborough Online has worked throughout the pandemic to work with local businesses offering them support via social media, writing press releases and promoting the area.

Premier League striker Oli McBurnie has been released on bail after an altercation with a man in Knaresborough on Saturday.

McBurnie was arrested last night after a viral video showed a confrontation between the 24-year-old Sheffield United striker and a 21-year-old man on High Street in Knaresborough, towards Bond End.

The incident happened at about 8.20pm.

McBurnie has now been released on bail pending further enquiries.

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North Yorkshire Police is appealing for witnesses to the alleged assault.

A statement this afternoon said:

“Detectives investigating this case would like anyone who saw the incident to get in touch.

“It is believed that two cars passed the incident, and there was also a woman pedestrian on the other side of the road who saw what happened.

“Officers are appealing to the driver of those cars and also to the woman to please get in touch.

In addition, anyone in the area at the time who might have dashcam footage, is asked to contact police.

“Dial 101, press 1 and speak to the Force Control Room. Please quote reference number 12210115038 when passing on information.”

Premier League striker Oli McBurnie has been arrested after allegedly attacking a young man in Knaresborough over the weekend.

A viral video clip appears to show the 24-year-old confronting a 21-year-old man on Knaresborough High Street after he mentioned Sheffield United’s relegation.

North Yorkshire Police said in a statement last night:

“A 24 year old man from Knaresborough has been arrested in connection with an incident, which involved another man being assaulted.

“The 21 year old victim sustained facial injuries during the incident, which happened shortly before 8.30pm on Saturday 8 May on High Street in Knaresborough.

“The 24 year old arrested man remains in custody at this time.”

The force has asked any witnesses to call them and quote reference number 12210115038.

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Sheffield United has said in a statement:

“Officials at Sheffield United are aware of the video circulating on social media.

“We are currently investigating.”

Scotland international Oli McBurnie was ruled out with a fractured foot in April. The Blades have won just five game this season and have been relegated to the Championship.

When the world started to unravel at the beginning of last year, people of all ages picked up a ball of wool and a couple of needles to try to knit it back together again. The owner of this hidden gem of a Knaresborough knitting shop has been there with supplies and a big smile to help them along their way.

Diane Watson, who opened Knitting Pretty on Castlegate ten years ago, started off with limited stock but has built up a real cornucopia since then. Alongside the wool are products and presents that her customers have made and the shop displays with pride.

Knitting, Diane explains, is in her blood. Both her parents knitted and she often looks fondly on a picture of her grandmother, who would often be found knitting near the fire in a rocking chair.

While her grandmother firmly resembles the knitting stereotype, Diane believes that her craft is on the same paths of baking and gardening which are no longer seen as reserved for older women. Younger people have taken up the needles and made it much more fashionable.

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The last year has only sped up the spread of the knitting bug. With people stuck at home, many have struggled with their mental health and turned to knitting.

Diane has had to fight her own battle and told the Stray Ferret:

“Lockdown was really, really tough. I got paranoid thinking the worst of everything. I though the worst of covid, the worst could happen to my loved ones and the worst could happen to the shop.

“The first lockdown wasn’t too bad. The sun was shining and we tried to make the most of it. But the last lockdown was awful. I even lost my knitting mojo.”

“I was just sitting, not doing a thing. There was too much going around my head, I wasn’t sleeping well. It was scary. But coming back to the shop has made me feel so much better.

“So I have learned I do not want to retire. In fact I have just signed another five year lease.”

Diane has been able to open and has also been out as much as possible to deliver to her more vulnerable customers, no matter how small. It’s not secret that she is a people person and has thoroughly missed her group sessions in the shop, which she has called “knit and natter.”

This is part of the Stray Ferret’s ‘hidden gem’ series, highlighting small, independent businesses. They need to be tucked away but growing in popularity with an eye-catching and unique product or approach. Send us an email with your nominations.

A £100,000 government grant has enabled the charity Henshaws to reopen its arts and craft centre in Knaresborough this month.

Henshaws announced last year the centre would be closed for the “foreseeable future” because it was no longer economically viable.

However, it received a grant from Arts Council England in the second round of funding awards from the government’s £1.57 billion Culture Recovery Fund, which helps organisations affected by covid.

Henshaws which supports disabled young people with special educational needs is inviting disabled people to come forward and apply for places as art makers.

The centre, which runs a range of workshops including music, crafts, pottery and horticulture, will remain closed to the public for the time being.

Henshaws chief executive Nick Marr said:

“Covid has had a massive impact both on the arts and crafts centre and the charity as a whole and we have been working tirelessly to continue to support those who need it most, so I am absolutely delighted that we are now able to take this major step forward.”

About 2500 people signed a petition in June to keep the centre open.

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The charity is hosting a virtual tour on May 12 between 10am and 2pm to give potential art makers and their families a taste of what is on offer.

In October, the charity announced a Harrogate-based provider, Homes Together, would take over its residential services due to its financial situation.

A further planning application has been submitted for the re-development of one of the oldest inns in Knaresborough.

The building and land already has permission to be converted into three flats, three houses and a hospitality venue.

However, if approved, the new application would see an extra two one-bedroom flats built within the current building.

The plan is the 10th planning application for The Board Inn found on 3 High Street in its history.

The property was sold in August last year by Harrogate estate agents FSS Property after eight months on the market. It sold “very close” to the guide price of £325,000, according to the estate agents.

The residential units are intended to be rented out rather than sold. It is hoped the hospitality space will reopen as a restaurant or micro-pub.

The building near the bus station has lain empty for a number of years with the design consultants at MAS Design Consultants Ltd hoping this development will offer a “positive change”.

It is unknown when the works will begin but planning responses can take around 12 weeks.

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Across Britain the number of empty shops has risen again, but the Harrogate district has enjoyed a boost in businesses opening over the past 12 months.

In March 2020 8.6% of the district’s retail units were empty, but in March 2021 this had dropped to 6.8%.

Research by the British Retail Consortium published by the BBC found that one in seven shops in Britain were empty, with the north of England said to be the most affected.

But the Harrogate district is bucking this trend – despite the repeated lockdowns to tackle the pandemic.

Tina Parker opened a French furniture store, Once Upon A Time, in Killinghall in September and said she would never look back:

“We did feel like we were a little crazy at the beginning but we thought people would go back to supporting local after the pandemic and they have!

“It’s been fantastic, people have been really supportive.

“Of course it has been difficult having to close twice but luckily we did get some grants so it worked out well.”

Liz and Richard Hawkes with Anna Martola (left) from the Watermark Gallery.

Liz Hawkes, owner of the Watermark Gallery on Royal Parade in Harrogate, opened her premises just as the first lockdown was imposed last March. She said:

“We had already signed the lease and done the refurb just as lockdown was enforced but I’m glad we did open then otherwise I never would have done it. The independent scene in Harrogate is really strong and getting stronger.

“It’s been a positive experience for us and encouraged use to be more creative with our space, windows and how we serve our customers.”

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David Lombardi opened his music shop, The Music Bank, in Knaresborough in October and said although he has not been open as much as he would like, the local support has been great. He said:

“We kind of thought it was an opportunity and prior to the pandemic people were moving online so it was risky then too.

“I think we are stronger than we would have been if we stayed open because we had the time to work on the business.”

Harrogate and Knaresborough Conservative MP Andrew Jones has urged care minister Helen Whately to review care home guidance on outdoor trips.

The guidance says residents that leave homes must isolate for 14 day except for medical appointments or exceptional circumstances.

It has been widely criticised nationally and locally, including by care home residents, the Bishop of Ripon and the director of health and adult services at North Yorkshire County Council.

Nick Moxon, 32, who has cerebral palsy and is a resident at Disability Action Yorkshire‘s care home on Claro Road, Harrogate last week told the Stray Ferret he feels “trapped” and “treated like a lesser being” because of the guidance.

Now Mr Jones has described it as “too restrictive and not in the best interests of the health and wellbeing of our care home residents” and urged Whately to act.

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Mr Jones revealed the news not on his official website but on Community News, a website he runs featuring local Conservatives.

He said “slow but positive improvements” meant care home residents could now receive two nominated visitors and hold hands with them

But he added the same could not be said for outdoors visits, which particularly impacted younger care home residents:

“New guidance says that when they leave their homes for any reason, as they often do to exercise in the fresh air, they must self-isolate for 14 days thereafter. This is said to be necessary to keep other residents safe.

“Whilst I support the government’s motive, this is undoubtedly too restrictive and not in the best interests of the health and wellbeing of our care home residents.

“I have written to the Minister for Care, Helen Whately, to ask for the guidance to be reassessed and reconsidered and I hope this will be acted upon quickly.”

People hoping to receive a first dose of the coronavirus vaccine in the Harrogate district may have to wait until June, a letter leaked to the Stray Ferret has revealed.

The Harrogate district had made good progress with the vaccination programme. According to the latest NHS England figures, more than 95,000 jabs have been given.

But as the national rollout focuses on people aged just over 40, it seems the NHS has cut vaccine supply to the Humber, Coast and Vale Integrated Care System, which oversees the vaccine programme in the Harrogate district.

A letter signed by Amanda Bloor, accountable officer for North Yorkshire Clinical Commissioning Group, and Beverley Geary, chief nurse at Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, and leaked to the Stray Ferret, revealed the supply problem. The letter says:

“We were informed earlier this week that there would be no first dose vaccination supply for the ICS until June.

“The situation is still developing and there may be some Pfizer vaccine available earlier in May. This is a huge disappointment to everyone who has worked on the vaccination programme in the ICS.

“We know you will all be concerned about the impact of this national supply issue on your own ability to continue to deliver the programme, the impact on patients as well as the reputational risk.”

The letter, dated April 22, was sent to senior health officials in the region as well as large scale vaccination sites and community pharmacies.

It says Humber, Coast and Vale ICS is “extremely concerned about the proposed national campaign for the vaccination programme due to start next week”, when the focus is likely to be on over 40s.

“We have expressed our surprise at such a disjointed approach at the national level and the impact that this will have on local areas managing patient expectations.”

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The pharmacy-run vaccination centres in Knaresborough and Pateley Bridge have not held a vaccine clinic since April 17 and because of supply problems do not have a date for the next one.

Since it opened at the beginning of the month, the Pateley Bridge centre has only been able to give 400 coronavirus jabs.

Samin Khan, who runs Pateley Bridge Pharmacy, told the Stray Ferret:

“We have only managed to hand out 400 vaccines since opening because we have not been given any coronavirus vaccines.

“Other places are getting a supply. The NHS is sending people out to York and Leeds when they want to get a jab in their local area.

“It seems like because the Harrogate district has done so well with the coronavirus vaccines that we have been penalised.”

Ms Bloor told a North Yorkshire Local Resilience Forum press briefing today that first dose supply was “getting low.” She added:

“I think it is fair to say that throughout the vaccination programme there have been peaks and troughs in vaccine supply.

“It is a bit lumpy, some weeks we get more and some weeks we get less. At the moment, we are getting slightly less in terms of first doses than we have been previously.

“But, actually, what that means is we can really focus on getting people through for second doses because we have got that guaranteed second dose supply.

“We are also assured that we will still be on track to deliver first doses to all of those aged over 18 by July 31 in line with the government guidance.”

A Knaresborough couple are campaigning for changes to maternity services after ‘avoidable delays’ in delivery led to their baby daughter’s death.

Whitney Pickup went into labour at Harrogate District Hospital on July 2, 2018.

She was advised by doctors to proceed with a natural delivery even though her first child was delivered via emergency caesarean section at another hospital.

Following an unsuccessful forceps delivery, her daughter Matilda was born by caesarean section with severe brain damage.

Matilda was admitted to a neonatal intensive care unit at Bradford Royal Infirmary before being transferred to Martin House Hospice, where she died at nine days old.

Ms Pickup, 33, and husband Andy, 35, subsequently instructed medical negligence lawyers at Irwin Mitchell to investigate the care provided by Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust.

An investigation, carried out by the trust, found “there were avoidable delays in achieving the delivery of Matilda which caused or materially contributed to her sad death”.

Among the problems identified by a subsequent Root Cause Analysis Report was a failure to obtain previous maternity and delivery notes, which would have alerted doctors to the risks involved as well as avoidable delays in the operating theatre and communication issues.

The couple are now campaigning for Matilda’s Law to make it mandatory for hospital trusts to share antenatal, maternity and labour records if the mother is under the care of a different trust in future pregnancies.

Ms Pickup, who is also mother to Charlie, five, and Isaac, one, believes her daughter’s death could have been avoided if the hospital had requested her medical records. She said:

“It’s still so difficult for me and Andy to accept that Matilda is no longer here and she didn’t get to experience any sort of life.

“What makes it worse and all the more upsetting is knowing our daughter’s death could have been avoided had the hospital simply requested my medical records, making them aware of the risks.

“We will never forget Matilda and she will always be part of our family.  We now want to honour her memory by it being law for trusts to share relevant information to improve patient care and ensure staff are aware of any potential complications.

“If we can prevent this happening to anyone else than at least we can take something from what we’ve had to go through.”

An inquest into Matilda’s death, which is expected to last for four days, started in Harrogate yesterday.

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Victoria Moss, the specialist medical negligence lawyer representing the couple, said:

“Through our work, we sadly come across too many families left to pick up the pieces following the death of a baby following avoidable failings.

“We would urge trusts to always work in partnership, not only by sharing patient records so the best possible care plans can be put in place, but also by sharing best practice. This we believe would reduce the number of mother and babies either seriously injured or killed.

A spokesman for Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust said it would comment after the inquest.