knaresborough Archives - Page 180 of 183

Hundreds back campaign against leisure centre at Conyngham Hall

Hundreds of local residents have joined a Facebook group to campaign against Conyngham Hall being used as the site for Knaresborough’s new leisure centre.

The campaigners support Harrogate Borough Council’s plans to build a new swimming pool and gym in the town but would prefer to see the current leisure centre site on King James Road redeveloped.

Conyngham Hall is one of four proposed options for development. The current leisure centre site, Hay-a-Park and Knaresborough House are also under consideration.

Almost 600 people have joined a ‘Hands off Conyngham Hall’ Facebook page. Local resident Craig Arditto set up the page to share information and demonstrate to the council the strength of feeling against developing the historic hall.

He said:

“I didn’t expect it to grow as it has. Our aim is to protect Conyngham Hall from development, it’s an open space and brings in a lot of tourism. I think it would be a waste of the space if it was developed. I agree Knaresborough needs the facilities as a growing town and I am very supportive of the leisure centre plans but a redevelopment of the current site works better.

“The hall is outlined in plans which offer four options in Knaresborough. No site has been confirmed but ideally we want this site taken off the table.”

Campaigners want to protect Conyngham Hall’s green spaces.

The hall is currently used as office space but its grounds are popular for leisure activities.

Hannah Gostlow, Knaresborough town councillor, said:

“I, along with many other residents in our town very much welcome the proposal of a new leisure centre for Knaresborough. However, I object to the proposal of building on this green space. I feel it would spoil the Conyngham Hall grounds and put too much pressure on already congested roads. I would prefer to see a new leisure centre developed on the footprint of the existing site.”

Harrogate Borough Council this month approved plans to overhaul its leisure centres by handing control to a new council-owned company called Brimham Active.

A council spokesman said:

“We are just at the start of the process to build a new combined leisure centre for Knaresborough following the decision to invest more than £26 million improving leisure facilities in Harrogate and Knaresborough. No decision has been taken on where the new leisure centre in Knaresborough would be, or what activities it would be offering.”

Knaresborough sees new pet shop open despite pandemic

Amidst a pandemic, a couple from Knaresborough has managed to set up their new pet shop on the high street in two weeks.

Jack and Carly Atkinson plan to open their shop on August 1. They say that the pandemic hasn’t limited their plans as they would have been classed as an essential shop before lockdown eases.

The Atkinsons believes they have found a niche that is missing in the town as currently people have to travel to Harrogate and Ripon to get their pet supplies.

In just two weeks Jack handed his notice in at another pet shop, rented the premises and began to order stock.

Jack Atkinson said:

“Its one of the businesses where it’s always going to do well because people will always have pets that need feeding. I handed in my notice at another pet shop last week so I could set this up. We’re still on track even with covid, there may be an impact when we open because we will have to restrict the number of people in at a time. We’re setting up in a time when everyone wants us to be here, a lot of people can’t or don’t want to travel to get their supplies.”

Treats and toys for pets displayed in a shop.

The shop’s owners have said that coronavirus hasn’t dulled their plans.

The Atkinson Pet Shop will join Knaresborough’s high street as local organisations are encouraging residents to support smaller, local businesses. Carly Atkinson added:

“We’ve still been getting the stock so the pandemic hasn’t really put a halt to anything, everything has come quite quickly. People are definitely happy we are bringing a pet shop to Knaresborough, a lot of people have said it’s what the town needs. We’re adding to the high street too, round here especially people want to support local businesses which is great for us. We’ve just got to think ahead of what could perhaps stop people coming in to store.

Ripon and Knaresborough market traders face rent increase

Market traders in Ripon and Knaresborough who were hoping for financial help from Harrogate Borough Council, face a rent increase of more than 25% this summer.

Before the coronavirus crisis hit the economy of the Harrogate district, the council had agreed its budget for 2020-2021, which included a rent rise for stall holders, which should have come into effect on April 1st – but was put on hold.

The council’s market rates for Ripon and Knaresborough as published on its website, show that from July, the summer rental for regular traders will rise from £19.50 to £24.50 and the winter rate increase from £16.40 to £21.40. This additional £5 is to cover the setting up of the stalls by the council, and will be charged per stall rather than per market trader.

Dave Tomlinson, trades on Knaresborough market and said:

“Its quite depressing really, all the other markets seem to be helping us apart from HBC. It’s pretty appalling and the morale is way down. The council are very shortsighted because if they continue to put the rent up they will lose traders. I know for a fact we’d lose two traders and maybe even two more and thats a lot of money to lose.”

At Wednesday’s full council meeting, Councillor Andrew Paraskos, cabinet member for environment, waste reduction and recycling, whose portfolio covers the markets in the Harrogate district, said that rates would be held at the 2019-2020 level “until the end of July”.

Knaresborough Market, bouncing back quicker than Ripon

The Stray Ferret asked the council when the new rates will come into effect, but was still awaiting clarification at the time of publication.

On Wednesday, Cllr Paraskos pointed out that a number of measures have been put in place by the council to both support market traders and promote the markets, including waiving of fees for traders unable to attend because of government restrictions and promotion of market days on social media.

He added:

“There has been a rumour going around that Harrogate Borough Council is wanting to get rid of the markets. This is not true.”

The Ripon stallholders representative, Brian Murphy, said:

“After the financial struggle many have experienced, including those non-food traders who didn’t earn a penny for 11 weeks of lockdown, any rent increase will feel like a kick in the teeth.”

The discussion on market rents was prompted by Ripon Independent Councillor Pauline McHardy, who submitted a written question calling on the council to follow the lead of neighbouring local authorities. Other local authorities had given rent holidays reductions to help traders post lockdown.

As well as asking for stall holders to be provided with rent-free periods or reductions for a given time, Cllr McHardy, said:

“I hope that the council is not planning rent increases this year or next.”

Cllr McHardy has invited Cllr Paraskos and Cllr Graham Swift, the council’s cabinet member for resources, enterprise and economic development, to visit Ripon Market with her and speak with traders.

Skydiving enthusiast becomes Knaresborough rotary’s new president

Knaresborough Rotary Club’s new president is a skydiving enthusiast and hopes her leadership can encourage more members.

Helen Westmancoat has taken over the presidency determined to encourage new members to join the club. Following over 30 years in the scouting movement she also hopes to support young people in the community through the club’s fundraising.

Helen isn’t just a rotary member she is also an avid skydiver having completed 42 jumps. Her hobby began as a fundraising attempt and now she hopes to introduce it to the scout groups she works with.

She said:

“The diving started in 2011 when I worked at York St John’s and there was a call to do a dive for the student support charity. I can’t do it alone in this country now as I’m over the age limit that it allows but I do hope to more maybe abroad in the future.

The main thing to focus on now is the rotary, raise the profile to encourage more members. We’re open to everyone, all ages.”

Helen wants to use her presidency to increase membership and “look forward”.

Over the coronavirus period the club has continued to meet virtually to plan how it can help the community during and following the pandemic. It is currently working with Knaresborough Connectors to help those in need as well as providing face masks to public facing groups such as Knaresborough food bank.

“We will be doing community things working to support people in the town following the pandemic as well. We did have a plan for which charities to support this year but with everything going on the main for me is Knaresborough Connector’s. It’ll be a challenging year but we are committed to helping people, if we can use this as an opportunity that’ll be great.”

Knaresborough yoga charity needs £10,000 to reopen

A Knaresborough yoga charity that helps people with disabilities needs £10,000 to reopen safely.

Yorkshire Yoga, set up in 2005, said that the coronavirus lockdown has had a “real dent” in its finances so set up a fundraiser online.

The over 60s with disabilities make up a quarter of its classes. Many of them will have been living alone during the coronavirus lockdown.

It also holds classes pregnancy and postnatal classes as well as pilates, chair-based yoga, pilates, dance fitness and children’s yoga classes.

Read more on this story:

As Yorkshire Yoga’s funds mostly come from paid classes, rather than grant funds, the coronavirus lockdown has meant it has had no income for months.

The charity has also been eating into its limited funds to support its most vulnerable clients in their homes.

Find the fundraising page by clicking or tapping here. So far 26 people have raised £1,400 of the £10,000 target.

Chris Cox, Yorkshire Yoga’s manager, said:

“We believe this will be a lifeline to ensure that people have access to free physical and mental wellbeing practices which will maintain some kind of normality during an unprecedented time of stress and anxiety. We provide a much loved and valued service for the community.”

Knaresborough’s landlords nervous and excited to reopen

Pubs and restaurants in Knaresborough reopened today after months of lockdown. Landlords were feeling “quite anxious but a little bit excited too”.

Knaresborough’s pubs were beginning to fill up around lunchtime but many saw fewer numbers than the same time pre-lockdown.

The town’s pubs were offering drinks and foods on a mainly pre-booked system, with walk-ins allowed if there was space. Many of the landlords had to reduce seating and menus to accommodate current guidelines, but all of them were excited to finally reopen their doors.

Tony Robb, one of the landlords at Mother Shipton Inn, said:

“I’m feeling a bit nervous we just wanted to make sure everything was in place with the tables and sanitiser. We’ve got plenty of space but we’ve still taken a few seats away. We’ve been looking forward to it though, we’ve been waiting for this day. I think people want to get back to some normality and get out and socialise.”

Sam Small from the Mother Shipton Inn, added:

“Its a complicated feeling, I’m quite anxious but a little bit excited too. We just want to make sure everyone feels safe, we’ve done everything we can. Its quiet for this evening but looking good for tomorrow. I don’t think its going to take off straight away but I’d rather it was a little steady.

Owner Ashleigh Lambert turning over the open sign for her restaurant in Knaresborough.

Turning over the open sign came with much excitement this afternoon, as pubs and restaurants prepared to serve once again.

Ashleigh Lambert, owner of Six Poor Folk said:

“We’re open and it’s lovely. It’s taken a lot to get to this point and it’ll be nice to see our regulars again. We’ve got quite a lot of bookings for this afternoon, and then we’re fully booked from 6pm. It’s just getting used to the different measures, hopefully it’ll all come together.”

Customers were also pleased to return to their local pub, Gary Stafford has been waiting to return to Mother Shipton Inn. He said:

“We’ve been waiting for this day its just great to come back, I feel very comfortable. I missed just being able to chat to someone a bit different.”

“We want to get it right” – district pubs delay reopening

A number of pubs in Harrogate and Knaresborough have taken the decision to not open their doors on Saturday, despite being given the green light to reopen.

This decision comes as many pub owners argue that it is too soon to reopen. They would rather “watch what everyone else does” this weekend. Many pubs said they were too small to open or not financially stable enough.

Blind Jacks in Knaresborough is one pub which has taken the decision not to open on Super Saturday. Owners Christian and Alice Ogley told The Stray Ferret that they do not want to rush into anything.

They said:

“We have ever precaution in place in order to keep it as safe as possible, but we have one chance to get this right from the beginning. We want to make sure we are completely ready.”

North Bar in Harrogate has been running a pop-up beer shop during lockdown but realised that reopening fully on 4 July was going to be a difficult task.

North Bar in Harrogate

Debra Przychodna, general manager of North Bar told The Stray Ferret:

“We decided to delay our reopening because we want to avoid risk, people are going to get very excited this weekend. We have had so much support from customers and we are really looking forward to when we can finally reopen.”

Similarly Hales Bar on Crescent Road in Harrogate has taken the decision not to open due to the size and layout of the bar. Manager Amanda Wilkson hopes to reopen next weekend but only from Thursday to Sunday.

Number of reptiles at Knaresborough rescue centre doubles

The number of reptiles handed in to a rescue centre in Knaresborough has doubled over lockdown because owners can’t afford to look after them.

Knaresborough exotic rescue has seen the number of animals given to them double over the past three months to 40 animals. Pet owners have said it is due to financial strains caused by coronavirus.

Daniel Holmes, owner of the rescue, said:

“A lot of people are scared because they don’t know how they’re going to feed their animal.”

Snakes, snails and hedgehogs are just a selection of the animals the rescue centre has taken in over lockdown.

The rescue centre cares for huge reptiles such as reticulated pythons, which can grow to 30 feet, down to smaller animals such as mice.

The centre tries to adopt out as many of the animals as they can, but lockdown has made that more difficult. It hopes to continue their adoption scheme as lockdown eases.

Harrogate gym owner loses 65% of revenue over lockdown

Gyms in the Harrogate district have lost clients and money as they remain closed during the pandemic, one reported a 65% loss in revenue.

Indoor gyms are having to remain closed with no indication as to when they can reopen. Some local gyms have had to find new ways to adapt. Gym owners in the district have had to reduce their prices and move online or outdoors to continue to support their clients.

The workout sessions online or in local parks have proved popular with those clients who have missed their normal workout routines. But some are still wary that it may not return to normal for a while as clients regain confidence to return.

Innovate gym in Harrogate focuses on group sessions for women in the district, the owner Chris Lupton said:

“Due to only being able to provide online sessions we reduced our pricing to £50-60 so we lost about 65% in revenue. If it wasn’t for the job retention scheme people would have had to go or had their hours reduced.

“We are planning to continue online training as half of the clients said they want to have a mixture of gym and online classes in the future. I don’t think things will be normal for a year or so now so it’s necessary to find new ways to make money and work with clients.”

Ryan Tansley, owner of CrossFit Harrogate, has also moved his workouts online to maintain a section of his client base. He said:

“It was certainly not a good thing, we lost a few members after they were furloughed or worried about financial problems. But we still have to pay the rent so the government grant really helped.

“We’ve decided to halve the membership price as we know we can’t offer it all through our online programmes.”

Online workouts will have to continue as gym owners wait to hear when they can reopen.

Sarah Jordan owns Red Strength gym in Knaresborough, it specialises in personal training and decided to close entirely with all of the staff furloughed. She said:

“It’s been terrible, I’ve had to furlough everyone its been really difficult. We are completely closed, I am sure others are the same. Personally, I went to work in a care home for 6-8 weeks for extra income and to get a level of interaction but since outdoor PT has been allowed I’ve don’t that. Everybody is happy to train outdoors and its also brought a lot of new clients in too.”

Knaresborough Delivers scheme puts £50,000 into local economy

Knaresborough Delivers continues to grow as it changes its focus to give more back to local businesses and encourage people to shop local.

The scheme was set up to help local businesses sell their products online during the pandemic. It allowed customers to order food parcels and greeting cards amongst other products from the comfort of their homes.

But as lockdown eases its focus has shifted to putting more money back into the local economy. The online shop will continue to serve local people but it will now give back 90% of the price to the local business.

Previously 30% was taken to cover the website and delivery costs but now the customer will pay a small delivery charge. This ensures the local business receives as much profit as they can.

The scheme’s efforts are appreciated by local businesses as they have found a new platform to sell their products. Aron McMahon from Turning Point brewery said:

“Knaresborough Delivers was a revelation for us, we had an online site but we didn’t have the human resources to run it and as a new business to the area people still wouldn’t know us. We’ve done really good out of this and its help us get closer to our local customers which is really important to us and we hope it can keep going.”

Ashleigh Lambert, co-founder of Knaresborough Delivers told The Stray Ferret:

“We are going to start doing recipe boxes, cocktail boxes and protein boxes by working with local chefs. Since the start of lockdwon we have put £50,000 into the local economy and supported 15 local businesses and given work to three local poeple who have been furloughed or out of work. The new pricing strategy means 90% goes straight back to the business and the other 10% will be used to cover our costs.”

The scheme has found ways to support several businesses in the area with themed boxes including afternoon tea.

James Hirst, owner of Hirsts Bakery who also uses the platform, said:

“It was a really nice addition to what we were doing in the shop, it helped us still get our products to those customers who couldn’t come out.”

Knaresborough Delivers is a scheme that has found a way to prosper through the pandemic and hopes to continue supporting the town’s economy. It plans to move to bigger premises to allow people to have a shop to use as well as the online site.

Read more:

Read more:

Read more:

Read more on this story:

Read more:

Read more:

Read more:

Read more:

Read more: