Council declines to say if it ignored warnings about Knaresborough wall

North Yorkshire Council has declined to comment on claims it failed to heed warnings about a wall that collapsed in Knaresborough last week.

The wall, which was painted by Knaresborough artist Joseph Baker Fountain last century, crashed on to the road on Thursday.

Nobody was hurt, and traffic lights remain in place at the site on Briggate.

Nearby resident Catherine Rogerson told the Stray Ferret she and other local people reported the wall to North Yorkshire Council last month because it appeared unsafe.

The Stray Ferret asked the council whether it had been alerted to concerns about the state of the wall.

Melisa Burnham, the council’s highways area manager, replied:

“Two-way traffic lights will remain in place until repairs to the wall are carried out.

“We are liaising with residents of nearby properties and are in discussions with contractors to ensure the work is completed as quickly as possible.”

Ms Rogerson told the Stray Ferret last week:

“I said it was an emergency and could collapse, causing a nasty accident.

“Several other local people have also contacted them about it. We all stressed it was in a dangerous state.”

Cllr Matt Walker, a Liberal Democrat who represents Knaresborough West on the council, said he understood the wall was inspected this month.

He added:

“I realise that the council have to use council tax wisely but the obsession with finding the owner of the wall has put the public at risk.

“I’d like the council to review how they assess the safety of walls and have asked to see the survey report that I’ve been told showed the wall was safe when it was inspected last Monday.”

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New children’s cafe opens in Knaresborough

A new children’s cafe has opened in Knaresborough.

The Hungry Caterpillar opened its doors on High Street on Saturday.

The cafe aims to provide a “safe and friendly environment” for young children and adults to enjoy playtime, as well as food and drinks.

It includes a play area with pool pit, toys, books and sensory toys on the wall.

Danielle Bartley-Mould, owner of the cafe, said in a Facebook post:

“My aim when opening this café and doing the refurbishment was to provide a safe and friendly environment for young children and their grown-ups, while enjoying some playtime with some food and drinks.”

The cafe will be open Monday to Friday from 8am to 5pm, Saturday 10am until 5pm and Sunday 10am to 4pm.

For more information, visit the Hungry Caterpillar Facebook page here.

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Bed race and beer festival success lead to grants in Knaresborough

Knaresborough Lions is inviting local organisations to apply for grants.

The Lions organises annual events such as Knaresborough Bed Race and the town’s beer festival and is using funds raised to support organisations in Knaresborough, surrounding villages and the wider Nidderdale area.

The Lions Community Fund will award grants to one-off projects.

The charity advised applications “will be considered only from properly constituted organisations rather than from individuals”.

Knaresborough Lions president Bob Godsell said:

“We have staged similar funding opportunities in the past before the outbreak of covid. Though we maintained help for local people during the restrictions imposed by the pandemic, the effect of these was to seriously reduce our fundraising activity.

“Happily, over the past couple of years, matters have recovered, and we are now once more in a position to help. We welcome applications from any local groups involved in providing services in their community.”

Lions president Bob Godsell (left) and past president Richard Hall.

Applicants are advised to indicate the costs of the proposed project and the amount of grant requested.

There is no upper limit to applications, but, in previous years, requests have ranged from £100 to £1,000.

Applications forms must be submitted by November 30 at 5pm.

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Knaresborough council has ‘long shopping list’ of services it could deliver

Knaresborough Town Council is optimistic it can run services and assets as part of North Yorkshire Council’s double devolution agenda.

North Yorkshire Council has promised to hand more powers to parish councils through its policy of double devolution — and a pilot scheme is set to start next year.

Town councillor David Goode said this week Knaresborough has a “long shopping list” of assets or services it could deliver as part of the programme.

It has already submitted an expression of interest in running the town’s weekly Wednesday market for the double devolution pilot.

Cllr Goode’s comments came during a presentation to North Yorkshire Council’s Harrogate and Knaresborough area constituency committee on Thursday.

The town council, which is on the same level of local government as parish councils, currently charges a council tax precept of £25.85 per household a year for band D properties.

This allows it to provide services including Christmas lights, put on some local events and offer grant support to local charities. It also runs assets including two allotments, a playing field and Knaresborough Wellbeing Hub.

Cllr Goode said potential future options under double devolution included running public toilets, car parks, civic buildings like Conyngham Hall and Knaresborough House or leisure facilities like Knaresborough Pool.

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He also said the town council was considering utilising Localism Act 2011 legislation to take control of community assets.

But he added any asset transfer between North Yorkshire Council to Knaresborough Town Council must be supported by residents.

He said:

“If we’re going to keep community enthusiasm for this programme, residents have to see positive results. We need to walk before we can run. We need to balance services that are potential revenue generators with those that are just a cost on the council.

“This assumes any transfer from North Yorkshire Council comes with funding to maintain the current service levels that it’s run at. Where there is potential to invest, the cost has to be justified and taken only after full consultation with local residents.”

In November, North Yorkshire Council will choose up to six councils that will be part of the double devolution pilot.

Choir launched in Knaresborough to ‘keep the voice and brain healthy’

A choir that hopes to improve people’s mental health has launched in Knaresborough.

Singing is Mental had its first meeting on Monday and hopes not only to improve people’s mental health, but also raise money for The Ostrich Foundation – a Harrogate charity which works towards suicide prevention in young people.

Founder Rhiannon Gayle said the choral sessions will be fun and fast-paced, with a wide variety of music genres, ranging from rock music to sea shanties and world music.

The choir will put on a small concert in January, with the hope of hosting a combined concert alongside Ms Gayle’s other choirs in July next year.

The combined concert will focus on Zimbe – a style of African music and song.

Ms Gayle said:

“The main focus of the choir is to keep the voice and brain healthy.”

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Ms Gayle, who was a professional soprano before teaching and running choirs, has been a long-term advocate of the benefits of singing to both physical and mental health and says “singing as a group helps many health conditions and is often recommended by GPs”.

She has over 40 years of choral experience and has run many choirs. She currently teaches singing at Ashville College and runs a girls’ choir, Sonorous, which she hopes could be involved in the combined concert.

Singing is Mental will meet every Monday in the castle room at Gracious Street Church in Knaresborough from 7.30pm to 9pm.

Any age is welcome but children must be accompanied by a parent.

Membership costs £39 per half-term and 10% of the fee and concert profits will be donated to The Ostrich Foundation.

Those interested in joining can contact Rhiannon Gayle on 07752 468102 or email singingismental@gmail.com.

Height restrictor installed in Knaresborough car park

A height restrictor costing £3,250 has been installed in the car park at Conyngham Hall in Knaresborough.

Motorhomes, campervans and caravans often park at the back of the car park overnight even though signs say this is prohibited.

About a dozen vehicles pitched up and stayed for three nights last month.

Cllr Matt Walker, a Liberal Democrat who represents Knaresborough West, said it was the largest encampment he was aware of and renewed his calls for North Yorkshire Council  to clampdown on overnight stays.

The council, which owns the large long-stay car park, has now responded — and pledged more changes to the site.

Last month’s encampment

 

The road leading to the back of the car park.

Steve Brown, the council’s head of parking services, said:

“We are committed to improving the security at Conyngham Hall car park and have recently installed a height restrictor to deter campervans, caravans and illegal encampments.

“During the winter months we will be installing a new pay machine to provide better service to the public as well as a CCTV camera which will provide additional security for the new machine.

“They will be in place for its reopening in the spring.”

Cllr Walker praised the council for responding quickly to his latest request for measures to prevent encampments in the car park.

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Knaresborough resident says council was warned about collapsed wall

A Knaresborough woman has said she and other residents on Briggate raised concerns about an old stone wall that collapsed yesterday.

The wall, which was painted by Knaresborough artist Joseph Baker Fountain last century, crashed on to the road at about 2pm. Fortunately nobody was hurt.

Police and council staff responded quickly by clearing away debris and installing traffic lights.

But Catherine Rogerson, who lives on Briggate, told the Stray Ferret she reported the wall to North Yorkshire Council last month because it appeared unsafe.

Ms Rogerson said bricks were clearly moving and the wall was buckling. She added:

“I said it was an emergency and could collapse, causing a nasty accident.

“Several other local people have also contacted them about it. We all stressed it was in a dangerous state.”

Ms Rogerson said a woman at the council said she would report the matter but no action was taken.

Recalling the moment it came down, she said:

“My husband and I were in the kitchen and heard what we thought was a thunderstorm and then we realised what had happened.

“The main thing is nobody was hurt — but it could have been nasty.”

A passing motorist pulled over and the police were called. Lights continue to manage traffic.

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Ms Rogerson said she hoped the wall, which has been a feature of Briggate for many years, would be repaired using the same stone.

The Stray Ferret approached the council for a response late last night and will publish its response when we receive it.

 

Knaresborough man needs £6,000 for Ukraine fire engine appeal

A Knaresborough man, who is raising money to buy and send an ambulance to Volodymyr in Ukraine, is hoping to raise the remaining £6,000 of his target through upcoming fundraising events.

Bob Frendt, who is in his 70s, has raised £18,000 of his £24,000 target which will fund one of two fire engines, as well as travel costs for him and four other passengers.

After being stuck at £7,000 for several weeks, Mr Frendt received an anonymous £10,000 donation which boosted the funds significantly.

Mr Frendt, who is a retired truck driver, began his humanitarian work over 18 months ago when the war between Ukraine and Russia began.

He said:

“I saw it on the TV when it started and saw the conditions these people were living in.

“I said to my wife ‘I can’t just sit here; I need to do something to help’.”

He took his first trip to Volodymyr shortly after as a co-driver for another humanitarian worker.

Since then, he has made eight trips to the Ukrainian city and has delivered vital medical equipment.

This time, the Mayor of Volodymyr asked Mr Frendt to supply the city with a fire engine, as the original one is now in use in Kyiv.

He said:

“As soon as the mayor requested that I began searching for a fire engine which I found almost immediately.

“I have bought the vehicle through Angloco Ltd, in Batley, who have been very helpful and extremely instrumental in finding the fire engine to take to Ukraine.”

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Mr Frendt is hoping to raise the remaining money, plus another £4,000 to cover travel costs, before the end of October, so he can set off before the winter weather begins.

He added:

“We still need donations to make sure we can set off before the end of October.

“Any donations will be gratefully received.”

Bob’s Fundraising Events:

Bob is holding a quiz night and raffle at The Empress pub, in Harrogate, on October 5. Tickets will cost £2 on the door.

The following night, Knot Another Choir will be performing a fundraising concert at Trinity Church in Knaresborough. Tickets are £10 and can be bought online or on the door.

A Concert for Ukraine will also be held at the Frazer Theatre in Knaresborough on October, 7, from 7.30pm

A donation of the profits will be made to help fund one of Mr Frendt’s ambulances. Tickets cost £10 for adults and £5 for under 16s

Donations can be made via Mr Frendt’s Just Giving page.

Electric vehicles charging points in Knaresborough car park causing ‘significant harm’

A Knaresborough business owner has claimed 10 electric vehicle charging points installed in a car park have caused “significant harm” to the town and are driving shoppers away.

A petition signed by over 500 people protesting against how EV infrastructure has been introduced in Knaresborough was debated by North Yorkshire Council‘s Harrogate and Knaresborough area constituency committee in Harrogate today.

Ten of the 56 regular parking bays in the town centre Chapel Street car park were turned into electric vehicle-only spaces with charge points at the end of 2022 by Harrogate Borough Council.

A further 12 spaces were given over to EVs in Conyngham Hall’s car park on the outskirts of the town centre but the charge points there have not yet been switched on.

However, at Chapel Street there have been reports of the spaces reserved for EVs laying empty, which has caused consternation to traders particularly on market days.

A statement was read out to councillors on behalf of hairdresser Kelly Teggin who launched the petition. The statement said:

“Like any market town there’s a recognition of the need for transition and charging points are attractive to residents and tourists if introduced at the right time and place.

“However, in this case, implementation of changing points at Chapel Street car park and at Conyngham Hall have been badly-handled in terms of consultation and choices made. They’ve caused significant negative impact on traders in the town centre, attractiveness to visitors and increased congestion.”

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A report prepared by officers ahead of the meeting said just five vehicles a day were using the charging spaces at Chapel Street.

But the council forecasts that after five years this will have increased to 22 cars a day and by year eight it will be 30 cars.

Electric vehicle EV Chapel Street car park parking

Electric vehicle charging bays in Chapel Street car park.

Dedicated EV bays require traffic regulation orders to restrict access to EVs only, which according to reports the spaces at Chapel Street do not have.

Matt Walker, the Liberal Democrat councillor for Knaresborough West who supports the petition, said any non-EV motorist who had received a ticket for parking in the reserved spaces should contact him as he would be “happy to defend and get those revoked”.

Arnold Warneken, the Green Party councillor for Ouseburn and an EV driver,  said he was “shocked and surprised” the council decided to put the spaces in Chapel Street, which is one of the town’s busiest car parks.

But he warned against an increasingly hostile movement against EVs on social media. He added:

“I’m totally behind having EV charging points. There’s an anxiety that infrastructure is not in place for people that drive EVs but there’s a movement out there that’s anti-EV”.

Paul Haslam, the Conservative councillor for Bilton and Nidd Gorge, said there was a “lack of understanding” about EVs but he hoped North Yorkshire Council used the changes in Knaresborough as a “learning opportunity on how we can do it better next time”.

Cllr Walker proposed a motion with nine different points, including a call for a full review into parking in Knaresborough and an assertion that the EV infrastructure had been implemented poorly in the town. It passed by six votes to four.

The area constituency committee is, however, only an advisory body to the Conservative-controlled council.

Business Breakfast: Goldsborough Hall appoints new Head Chef

Goldsborough Hall hotel in Knaresborough has appointed Daniel Ife as the hotel’s new Head Chef.

He joined the team over six years ago and helped the previous head chefs achieve a 3AA rosette and a feature in the Michelin guide.

Owner of Goldsborough Hall, Mark Oglesby said:

“Behind the scenes, Daniel has been running the kitchens at Goldsborough Hall now for many years, so we are very proud that he has finally agreed to take on the role of Head Chef.

“Over the many years he has been with us he has demonstrated passion and creativity which has helped to win us many prestigious awards.

“With his wealth of experience and innovative approach, we are confident that Daniel will continue to lead our dining experience to new heights.’

Mr Ife added:

“My style is seasonally driven, using modern techniques and styles with a classic French undertone.

“It is a real privilege to create dishes that befit the majesty of the hall’s historic dining room, where former Kings and Queens have dined.”

Masham brewery secures listings in 100 M&S stores across UK

 T&R Theakston, in Masham, has secured a listing to supply Theakston Old Peculier ale to 100 M&S stores across the UK.

The brewery has seen a value growth of 4.5% in the Off Trade market versus a bottle ale market decline of 6%.

Following the deal with M&S, the ale is now stocked in all UK major supermarket chains.

Simon Theakston, joint managing director, said:

“Theakston Old Peculier is a flagship beer for us and for the town of Masham, with its name a tribute to the unique ecclesiastical status of the town as a ‘Court of the Peculier’, first established in medieval times.

“It’s great to see the continued growth in popularity Old Peculier underpinning its status as one of the country’s most well-known and loved ales.

“As a result of this new M&S listing, it’s fantastic to be able say this beautiful brew is now listed in all UK major supermarkets, meaning that fans have the opportunity to enjoy the taste of Old Peculier from both their local pub and within the comfort of their own home.”

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