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.

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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.

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.

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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 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.

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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.

Knaresborough Civic Society has launched a campaign to pedestrianise Castlegate and the Market Square.

The society feels that both areas are always busy with both cars and people and there isn’t enough space for adequate social distancing.

The Civic Society said its aim is to enhance the public space available and protect the town’s heritage. It also included plans to convert the area currently used by cars on Market Square into extra space for businesses or town events.

The Civic Society chairman James Monaghan said:

“Now is the ideal time to take bold steps to enhance Knaresborough’s public space, improve the pedestrian experience and make our streets safer.

“Castlegate is a popular shopping destination with narrow pavements. On busy days you already find shoppers walking down the middle of the street and maintaining social distancing on the pavements is impossible”.

Scenes such as these have encouraged the Civic Society launch their campaign for pedestrianisation.

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Castlegate business owner Andy Grinter supports the plans, he said:

“Its obvious that without action, we don’t stand a chance of social distancing. Without taking urgent, innovative measures we’re putting lives and livelihoods at risk. It’s clear that pedestrians need more space to walk and queue safely whilst maintaining social distancing.

“Giving customers room between premises and in public spaces will enable shops and businesses to bounce back and recover trade.”

The Society has written to North Yorkshire County Council and is now calling for other local groups to come forward and back their campaign.

St Vincent de Paul’s charity shop is described as a “lifeline” for its volunteers as it reopens this week.

The Knaresborough charity shop is now open for the public to browse and donate their unwanted goods to. Other charity shops in the district are yet to open due to their small shops, but as the St Vincents store measures are in place to open safely.

The shop has a one way system in place and all donations will be quarantined for 72 hours before being placed on the shelves. It has also began selling white goods for customers who may not be ready to venture to large homeware stores.

The charity’s main aim is to tackle poverty, alongside financial help, it also offers emotional support to those who are sick, lonely, in prison, or suffering from addiction.

Annette Haigh is the area manager for St Vincent’s North and West Yorkshire stores, she said:

“All our volunteers were excited to get back, all of them had to pass a back to work check before they returned to make sure they weren’t feeling ill or had been in contact with anyone who has recently been infected.

“Many of our volunteers live alone so it’s a lifeline for them, we’ve never not been in touch over lockdown whether thats a phone call or a coffee over zoom.”

The shop has clear signs for shoppers to keep their distance and all clothes will have been quarantined before going on display.

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The shop, on Knaresborough’s high street, has a sanitising station on entry which all customers are encouraged to used and the shop is cleaned daily. Annette added:

“It was steady the first few days but as more non-essential shops reopen and the market gets busier tomorrow we’re optimistic for more customers. We have a lot of elderly customers and people who are shielding so it may be a bit quiet for a little while until more people get out to the shops.”

A decision on 120 homes on the outskirts of Knaresborough has been deferred to the chief planner by Harrogate councillors.

Harrogate Borough Council’s Planning Committee met yesterday on Zoom and cited concerns from residents over footpaths and a lack of trees facing Boroughbridge Road.

Castleford-based developers Galliford Try Partnerships Yorkshire has proposed a mix of 2,3 and 4-bedroom homes on the site in Scriven, which forms housing allocation K37 under HBC’s Local Plan.

48 of the homes will be classed as “affordable” and will contribute to the district’s need for building 208 additional affordable homes per year, HBC said.

Harrogate Borough Council’s Planning Committee meets on Zoom.

After concerns over pressure on local infrastructure were raised following the submission of Outline Planning Permission, the developers reduced the number of homes from 146 to 120.

The development faced an objection from Scriven Parish Council who said it will result in “saturation” for Knaresborough town and its facilities.

The objection said:

“Knaresborough is under tremendous pressure and the historic market town, which all the residents recognise and enjoy, is being destroyed by over development.

“Currently, there appears to be no provision for additional educational facilities or doctors surgeries to cater for this major influx of population.”

Parish councillor Miranda Armitage spoke to the Committee and said the proposals should be revised to add a mini-roundabout which would make access to the site safer.

She said:

“The entrance/exit is totally inadequate and downright dangerous.”

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A report from HBC said overall the benefits of the development “significantly and demonstrably” outweigh any harm for the area.

Speaking to the Committee on behalf of the developer, Stephen Hughes, said they are happy to look at the changes suggested by the Committee.

He added:

“It’s a key scheme for us, representing an investment of £25million. Despite an unprecedented economic backdrop we see this as a significant scheme.”

From Saturday July 4, pubs, restaurants and pubs will be able to reopen, providing they adhere to COVID- secure guidelines.

This is ‘big news’ for the hospitality sector and with only 10 days to go, establishments all over the district are now in full swing preparing to welcome guests back in a safe way.

Ashleigh Lambert who owns Six Poor Folk in Knaresborough told the Stray Ferret that they ‘cannot wait to re-open.’

“We are looking at practical ways… so collection from stations, increased cleaning, perspex screens where needed, but doing it in a way where it doesnt put people off coming in. We will have mirrors on the stairs so you can see when someone is coming, a one in one out of the toilets. Our staff can wear PPE if they want to, but we have other things in place so this isn’t essential. It’s about being secure but also realistic.”

The last remaining bank in Knaresborough, Halifax, was expected to close on 13 May but will now stay open if it attracts enough customers.

The initial decision to close the Halifax was made due to a 10% reduction in customer counter transactions from 2019.  It sparked real concern in the town and a campaign was launched to stop the closure.

However following the pandemic the bank remained open to support local customers. Halifax has told The Stray Ferret that they plan to keep the branch open during the pandemic but will continue to review its position in the future.

A spokesperson for Halifax said:

“We do not intend to permanently close any branches in the midst of this challenging period. Our priority at this time is keeping as many branches as possible open, so that customers can continue to access cash, and ensuring that those who are vulnerable or in financial difficulty can speak to colleagues.

We continue to review our presence to ensure that our branches are located in the right places and any future closure decisions will be driven by customer behaviour.”

The future of this bank will be “driven by customer behaviour”.

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This decision will come as a relief to local residents as the closure of the Halifax bank would have left the town with no banks and only three cash machines within the town.

The Knaresborough Chamber of Trade were pleased to hear of this development. Its president Steve Teggin said:

“The towns people will be elated with the news as we’ve saved a bank and now we still have one in the town. It’s a triumph for us but we’ve also saved a cash machine too. Halifax have now got to give us some confidence that they will stay and I think that will encourage people in Knaresborough to open up accounts with them. But for residents and traders too this is great news.”

Harrogate Borough Council will set up a new company to run leisure in the district as part of a shake-up of the service and press ahead with borrowing £26 million to invest in facilities.

Senior councillors on the authority’s cabinet last night voted to create the company, called Brimham’s Active, to run services such as the Harrogate Hydro.

The authority will also look to approach the government’s Public Works Loans Board to borrow £26 million to fund two capital projects, which include a refurbishment of the Hydro and a new leisure centre in Knaresborough.

It follows a council consultation which saw nearly half of respondents disagree with the move and residents in Starbeck vowing to fight any future threat to the area’s 150-year-old baths.

Councillors said the investment strategy and the new company go “hand in hand” and will help to reduce costs on maintenances and running leisure and sport.

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Stan Lumley, cabinet member for culture, tourism and sport at the authority, described the decision to set up the company as a “major decision” for the council.

He said: “It is the biggest financial decision for the council for many years and the investment strategy is crucial to enhance services.

“The company does what it says on the tin. It is not a privatised company, It is something I have been pushing for these past two years to make clear that it is administered by the council.”

Harrogate Hydro is among the facilities which will be run by the new leisure company.

Among the facilities that will be run by Brimham’s Active will be the Harrogate Hydro, Ripon Leisure Centre and Nidderdale Leisure Centre.

Leisure services in the district currently run at a loss of £3.5 million a year and some facilities have increased in cost year on year.

The council will spend £300,000 to set up the company through project start up costs and it is expected to operate from August 2021.

The decision will now go to a full council meeting to be rubber stamped.

Knaresborough Unlocked is the action plan, set up by Knaresborough Chamber of Trade, to help the town reopen following lockdown.

After months of planning by chamber members, the Knaresborough Unlocked initiative was formed. Its main aim is to support local businesses as they make preparations to reopen.

The plan has a number of action points including engaging with voluntary organisations such as Knaresborough delivers to arrange a coordinated response from several of the town’s businesses.

The scheme has also allowed the chamber to keep businesses informed on funding opportunities, including discretionary grants, to ensure they receive all the necessary support. The main message that has been promoted throughout planning has been ‘shop local stay safe’.

A further focus of the action plan was to offer expert health and safety advice for smaller businesses who may not have formal training. The chamber partnered with local health and safety experts Cenheard to create a coronavirus safe pack which offers free health and safety training, guidance and posters for all local business owners.

These measures have been rolled out throughout the town to encourage its visitors and workers to social distance. Bill Taylor added:

“There’s still work to do and people’s behaviour towards the 2 metre distance is changing. There are so many questions about the distance and even though it might change its so important to keep it in the front of people’s mind. We’ve encouraged our shop owners to take part in the formal health and safety training to make sure the return is as safe as it can be.”

The Knaresborough Unlocked scheme aims to keep business owners and visitors safe.

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To promote their ‘shop local’ message further, the chamber has offered their support to a ‘Shopappy’ initiative set up by York and North Yorkshire Local Enterprise Partnership, which will be live in the coming weeks. This scheme gives the town a portal in which local businesses can sell their products or services online.

Bill Taylor, Secretary and Treasurer of Knaresborough Chamber of Trade told The Stray Ferret:

“Shopappy allows customers to buy direct from them or arrange to click and collect from the store. The local enterprise partnership supports towns such as Knaresborough and offers the portal for free for a year. It is great because those businesses without an online platform are given the chance to get orders online.”