Details of warm spaces in Harrogate, Knaresborough and RiponThe first blast of winter has left many Harrogate district people worried about the cost of staying warm.
We have therefore compiled information about warm spaces available in Harrogate, Knaresborough and Ripon. If you know of any others in these places or in Boroughbridge, Pateley Bridge and Masham let us know and we will add them. Email contact@thestrayferret.co.uk.
The information has been provided by community groups across the district.
Netmakers, formerly known as Harrogate Hub, is a movement of local churches working together to make a difference in the community.
Its website has details of the following places in Harrogate, Starbeck and Knaresborough offering, warm and welcoming safe places to go.
Information provided by Netmakers
Further details are available here on the Netmakers website.
The community benefit society Knaresborough Connectors has also devised details of warm spaces in Knaresborough. ]
Knaresborough Connectors’ list
More details of the locations, known as public living rooms, are available here.
Numerous public buildings in and around Ripon are throwing open their doors for free in Ripon each day, including Ripon Library and Allhallowgate Methodist Church.
Ripon Cathedral has compiled details here.
Wynn James, senior pastor of Life Destiny Church in Starbeck and trustee of Harrogate District Foodbank said:
“Our doors are open. We want our community to know that we are here to help. By working together across our area we hope to offer spaces in every corner of our community.
“I urge people to use the warm spaces and not to feel alone at this tough time.”
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Links to all of the organisations providing warm spaces, along with details of voluntary organisations that are at the forefront of the campaign to help people who are struggling this winter, are available on the Harrogate & District Community Action website.
Frances Elliot, chief executive of HADCA, said:
“Please do check out where to turn in your area, through churches or through other community organisations and encourage anyone you come across who feels reluctant about speaking up to do so, this particularly hard winter”
Knaresborough business criticises electric vehicle parking ‘madness’A Knaresborough businesswoman has described as “madness” a decision to close 20 parking spaces in the run-up to Christmas.
Harrogate Borough Council has allocated 10 parking bays in Chapel Street car park and 10 at Conyngham Hall for electric vehicles only. But the bays are currently sealed off, meaning no vehicles can use them.
The loss of spaces in a town where it is notoriously difficult to park has angered traders, particularly as it has occurred in the busy run-up to Christmas.
Kelly Teggin, who owns Kelly Teggin Hair and Beauty in Castlegate, said yesterday:
“In the middle of December we have people driving out of Knaresborough because they can’t get parked. It’s unbelievable — total madness.
“I agree we need more electric vehicle parking. But why close these spaces now in the run-up to Christmas so nobody can use them? I lost two customers today and as a small business I can’t afford this.
“I’m part of the chamber of trade and everyone is ringing me saying ‘why are the council doing this at Christmas?'”
Chapel Street car park in Knaresborough
One of Ms Teggin’s customers, called Lynn, described the situation as “ludicrous”. She added:
“It defies common sense. Kelly lost one customer when I was there today because she couldn’t get parked. The town is losing people it needs. We are all a bit gobsmacked this is happening now.”
Ms Teggin’s father, Steve Teggin, a businessman and former president of Knaresborough Chamber of Trade, said:
“Knaresborough has always been drastically short of car parking. Now we have a line of bays empty yet people are driving around trying to get parked up. It’s unfair and where was the consultation?”
100 charging bays being installed
A council spokesperson said:
“To help achieve our net zero-carbon economy by 2038, and to support the demand and rapid uptake of electric vehicles (EV), almost 100 charging bays are being installed across the Harrogate district.
“More than 20 of these will be installed in Knaresborough, including Chapel Street car park, Conyngham Hall and the new Knaresborough Leisure and Wellness Centre.
“These bays account for less than three per cent of the more than 800 spaces available in Knaresborough, not to mention the various on-street disc parking spaces available,, so we are confident that non EV drivers will still be able to find a space.
“These new charging points support the uptake in electric vehicles for both our residents and our visitor economy, and complement other sustainable travel options.”
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Man jailed for setting fire to historic Knaresborough pubA man has been jailed for setting fire to a historic Knaresborough pub and causing £15,000 worth of damage.
Stephen Pearson, of Pinhoe Road in Exeter, was charged with arson at Blind Jack’s pub on Market Place in the town on August 21 last year.
He admitted the offence and was jailed for 31 months at York Crown Court this morning.
Pearson, who had grown up in the area, had been in Knaresborough for a week’s holiday to visit old places from his childhood.
The court heard how, because the weather was poor, the 45-year-old decided to go drinking in Wetherspoons.
At around 8.15pm, he went to Blind Jack’s pub where customers complained he had been handing out flyers from a bag.
Dan Cowdy, prosecuting, told the court that Pearson had been asked politely by bar staff to leave the premises.
He was described as “smelling of cannabis” and stumbling.
Mr Cowdy said:
“On his way out, he asked if [other customers] had complained about him.”
The court was told that Pearson then went to the Cross Keys pub and missed his train to Leeds.
As a result, he decided to sleep in the castle grounds and woke up at 4am.
‘Woke up cold and angry’
Mr Cowdy told the court that Pearson “woke up feeling cold and angry” and began walking back to Market Place.
On his way, he picked up a bin bag of paper and placed it in front of Blind Jack’s pub.
CCTV shown in court showed Pearson attempting to light the bag multiple times at 4.14am.
He then left and returned with a piece of paper at 4.27am, which he set fire to and used to ignite the bag before leaving the scene.
CCTV footage from the fire, which shows the bin bag in front of the pub.
The fire caused an estimated £15,235 worth of damage to the door, glass and signage of the pub.
The Grade II listed pub is named after Knaresborough’s John Metcalf, the first professional road builder to emerge in the industrial revolution.
The fire service extinguished the blaze and Pearson was arrested and later charged with arson.
Owners left feeling ‘unsafe and anxious’
Owners Christian and Alice Ogley were staying at a friend’s house at the time of the incident.
In a statement read out in court, Mr Ogley said then fire had left them “constantly checking” CCTV and feeling “unsafe and anxious”.
He said:
“We feel that the effect of this incident has made us feel unsafe.”
The court heard how during interviews with North Yorkshire Police, Pearson apologised and described himself as “an idiot”.
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He told officers that he did not intend to set fire to the pub itself, but wanted to leave the bag in front of the building as he was angry.
Mr Cowdy said:
“He assumed that the pub was empty and that no one lived there.”
Mitigating for Pearson, George Hazel-Owrem told the court that the 45-year-old had pleaded guilty at the earliest opportunity.
He added that Pearson had shown “genuine remorse” for his crime and had issues with alcoholism and homelessness.
Mr Hazel-Owrem said:
“It is plain that he has a number of serious issues, particularly with alcohol and as a consequence of that has been homeless for some time.
“He also suffers from depression and anxiety and has had suicidal ideation in the past.”
Sentencing Pearson, Judge Simon Hickey told him that the fire had a significant impact on the victims.
He said:
“As the owners have pointed out, it had a drastic effect of them and a knock-on effect as they came out of covid.”
However, he accepted that Pearson had shown remorse for his actions.
Pearson was jailed for 30 months for arson, plus an extra month to be served consecutively for assaulting an emergency worker in Devon while on bail for the Blind Jack’s offence.
He will serve half the sentence before being released on licence.
No Harrogate and Knaresborough trains for five days as walkout beginsNo trains will run from Harrogate and Knaresborough to Leeds and York for five days this week.
RMT Union members will walkout from today until Saturday (December 17) in a dispute over pay and conditions.
The strikes will be the latest to hit the Harrogate district rail network this year.
Northern, which operates services from Harrogate and Knaresborough towards Leeds and York, has warned passengers not to travel as no replacement bus services will be running.
Services will resume on Sunday (December 18), but Northern has urged passengers to check before they travel.
Meanwhile, no LNER services from Harrogate to London King’s Cross will run until Sunday.
A table issued by Northern warning passengers of days with industrial action.
It said in a statement:
“On strike days, only travel by rail if necessary and if you do travel, expect severe disruption and plan ahead – especially the first and last trains of the day.
“If you do decide to travel, there will be very limited services running across the whole rail network so remember to check your entire journey as other train service providers may be affected.
“There will be no rail replacement buses on strike days for Northern services and some Northern stations may be closed or have reduced hours due to the limited staffing and services.”
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Plans resubmitted for Starbeck micropubPlans to open a micropub in Starbeck are back on the table.
IT consultant Kevin Jones has resubmitted the proposal for the High Street after previous plans fell through.
Mr Jones abandoned a prior attempt to get permission to open a pub at 67d High Street after the landlord offered the space to a different tenant.
At the time, he criticised Harrogate Borough Council for taking six months to consider the plan.
However, Mr Jones has now resubmitted the plan for next door at 67b High Street — which he intends to rename The Office Ale House.
He told the Stray Ferret:
“I wanted to open a place where people who are wandering home after work can call in.
“It will be dog friendly as well. It is about getting pubs back to what they used to be years ago.”
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Mr Jones, who lived in Starbeck but has moved to Knaresborough, said he hoped to open the pub in March, if planning is approved.
The pub would included seating for between 15 to 20 people.
It would serve local ales, lagers and have a rotating cask ale on sale. It would be open between 12pm and 8pm during the week.
Harrogate Borough Council will make a decision on the plan at a later date.
Christmas tree festivals 2022: guide to events taking place in the Harrogate districtChristmas is edging closer and there are plenty of festivities taking place over the next couple of weeks.
Among them are a growing number of churches hosting Christmas tree festivals around the Harrogate district.
If you fancy seeing some inspiring, creative decorations, check out our list below of some of the festivals taking place across the district.
Know of another that’s not on our list? Email the details to us now.
St James’s Church Boroughbridge
Boroughbridge launched the district’s festivals last weekend with some spectacular efforts.
Visitors cast their votes and overwhelmingly selected Kirby Hill WI’s jam jar tree as their favourite (pictures below). The Post Office was in second place and Spar came third.
In the children’s competition, Boroughbridge Scouts came out on top, followed by Roecliffe Primary School and Boroughbridge Junior School Early Years.
The festival concluded with a carol service on Sunday.
St John’s Church, Knaresborough
The St John’s Christmas Tree Festival returns for another year.
The Knaresborough Christmas tree festival takes place every year: 70 Christmas trees are decorated by local groups and are displayed in the St John’s Church in the heart of Knaresborough.
It started last weekend and is running up until the December 23.
As well as the Christmas tree competition there is live music and festive mulled wine refreshments.
There will be live music every Saturday of the festival:
- Saturday, December 10
- Saturday, December 17
Admission to the festival is free, but donations to the church and their chosen charity are welcomed.
The event takes place at Vicarage Lane, Knaresborough HG5 9AE.
St John’s Church, Bilton
The Christmas tree festival in Bilton got up and running last weekend and continues throughout the month.
It features 20 trees created by community groups, many themed by the teams behind them.
The church is open from 9am to 1pm, Monday to Thursday each week, for visitors to see the trees. They are also on show at services until the end of December.
Entry is free and everyone is welcome at the Bilton Lane church.
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St Andrew’s Church, Blubberhouses
Another Christmas tree festival with an amazing variety of trees, a creative and festive event for everyone.
The festival is open this weekend, Saturday, December 10 and Sunday, December 11, from 11am to 4pm.
On Sunday, The 4 – a musical quartet will be singing Christmas music and carols.
There will also be wreaths and Christmas crafts for sale.
Enjoy a festive atmosphere with mulled wine and refreshments.
Admission to this event is free and it is taking place at Shepherd Hill Road, Blubberhouses, Otley, LS21 2NU.
Boroughbridge Christmas Tree Festival
St Peter’s Church, Harrogate
St Peter’s Church Christmas Tree Festival returns for its 18th year.
The festival is running from December 10 to 17 and organisers hope to make this year “bigger and brighter than ever”.
The opening times are 8am to 5.15pm.
Charities, local schools, shops, and businesses have been invited to decorate a Christmas tree or wreath, decorations can either be Christmas themed or reflect their organisation.
This gives the decorators an opportunity to tell the community about their activities and achievements and brings the whole community together for some festive fun at the end of the year.
Attendees will vote for their favourite Christmas tree, and the winner will be announced at their 9.30am service on December 18.
The trees each have their own frame with details of who the tree is sponsored by and the name or theme of the tree.
It takes place at St Peter’s Church, Cambridge Road, Harrogate HG1 1PB.
Laptop and cash stolen from Harrogate community group while it helped othersA thief has stolen a laptop and cash from food waste community group Resurrected Bites.
The culprit took the items from the organisation’s give as you can cafe at West Park United Reformed Church in Harrogate on Wednesday while volunteers were helping people in need.
Resurrected Bites works with local businesses and suppliers to divert food from landfill and converts it into meals in its cafes in Harrogate and Knaresborough. It also operates a community groceries scheme.
Michelle Hayes, founder and director of Resurrected Bites, said:
“We are gutted and hope the person will do the right thing and return what they took.”
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Ms Hayes said no personal data had been compromised but added the incident had been a “wake-up call”:
“It was an opportunistic thief at lunchtime. We will have to be a lot more vigilant on security going forward.
“We are a naturally trusting group of people and it’s very sad that someone would steal from us.”
The Stray Ferret is running a Christmas appeal to raise money for Resurrected Bites, after it issued a plea for funding to keep its services alive.
The target was originally £5,000, which was achieved in days, and has since been raised to £20,000. The current total is £12,800. You can donate here.
Knaresborough all set for Winter Fayre tomorrow
Christmas festivities continue in Knaresborough this weekend with a Winter Fayre in the town’s market place.
Tomorrow’s event, organised by Knaresborough Business Collective, follows on from the success of the Spring Fayre in April.
Annie Wilkinson-Gill, from The Crystal Buddha, and Natalie Horner, from Sid Horner and Son, founders of the business group, said the event would feature a host of attractions.
They include children’s rides, a Father Christmas grotto, reindeer, face painting, Punch and Judy shows, live entertainment and music, food and drink stalls and free craft workshops, as well as a local artisan market.
The fayre will be opened at 10am by town crier Roger Hewitt and will continue until 4pm.
To accompany the event, the group is also hosting a Christmas window competition, which will see businesses in the town create displays with a festive theme. Prizes will be awarded to the top three best dressed windows.
Ms Horner said:
“We are so excited to be doing the collective’s fourth window competition this year, they have been a huge success and make town look fantastic.
“Knaresborough’s window displays have been such a hit they’re actually becoming a tourist attraction that people are travelling to town to see.
“They will contribute to a fantastic atmosphere for our Winter Fayre on Saturday – an amazing fun-filled day for all the family.
“We have so many things planned including fairground rides, reindeer, Santa’s grotto, a mulled wine tent, free craft workshops, face painting and local artisan market. After the success of the Spring Fayre we are so excited!”
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Andrew Jones MP ‘confident’ of achieving bathing water status for River NiddHarrogate and Knaresborough MP Andrew Jones has said the campaign to improve water quality in the River Nidd at Knaresborough is “gaining momentum” and he is “confident” of success.
Mr Jones’ comments came after he discussed the matter with environmental quality minister Rebecca Pow this week.
According to his Community News website, Mr Jones briefed Ms Pow about water quality issues in the Nidd and his proposal to designate the Lido in Knaresborough as an area of Bathing Water Quality.
Concerns about Nidd water quality increased in summer this year following reports of numerous people falling ill after entering the water.
Knaresborough Lido
If the bathing water bid is successful, the Environment Agency would be obliged to put plans in place to monitor and protect the water. The River Wharfe in Mr Jones’ native Ilkley is currently the only inland water in the UK with bathing water status.
The Conservative MP said:
“Next May is the critical time as that is when the evidence must be collected to make a Bathing Water Quality application to DEFRA. In between now and then I am ensuring that we have the maximum support possible lined up behind the application.
“I’ve spoken to residents and businesses, councillors, MPs in Commons debates and now directly to the minister. It feels like the campaign is gathering momentum and I am confident that we will be successful.”
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Following her meeting with Mr Jones in the House of Commons, Ms Pow said:
“It was very good to learn more about Andrew’s campaign and see the passion to improve water quality on the River Nidd.
“I was particularly pleased to see the depth of community interest and support.
“Improving water is a priority for the government, and we are actively encouraging communities to apply for bathing water status. There are so many elements to our work, but team working and local passion are at the heart of making progress.”
Harrogate district train passengers warned not to travel for five days next weekNorthern has warned passengers not to travel for the majority of next week amid more industrial action.
RMT Union members are expected to stage another walkout from Tuesday (December 13) until Saturday (December 17) in a dispute over pay and conditions.
The strikes will be the latest to hit the Harrogate district rail network this year.
Northern, which operates services from Harrogate and Knaresborough towards Leeds and York, has warned passengers not to travel after Monday next week as services wind down.
The operator said it expects to run a “very limited service” during the days of strike action.
A visual issued by Northern
It said in a statement:
“On strike days, only travel by rail if necessary and if you do travel, expect severe disruption and plan ahead – especially the first and last trains of the day.
“If you do decide to travel, there will be very limited services running across the whole rail network so remember to check your entire journey as other train service providers may be affected.
“There will be no rail replacement buses on strike days for Northern services and some Northern stations may be closed or have reduced hours due to the limited staffing and services.”
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Northern is also expecting disruption over Christmas as the RMT Union announced further planned demonstrations.
The union is planning to stage a further walkout from Christmas Eve until December 27.
Northern added:
“We’re working on what that means for services, please check before you travel as your usual train may not be running.”