This story is sponsored by Allertons.

A hairdressing brand due to open new beauty rooms in Harrogate this month is looking to recruit more staff across all its branches. 

Allertons’ flagship salon is the highest rated in Leeds, and it also has concessions in John Lewis stores in Leeds and Nottingham, with a third due to open in Southampton in November. The Harrogate salon is due to open its brand-new beauty rooms by the end of October. 

The company currently has 19 vacancies for hairdressers and beauticians, as well as six client concierge roles. 

Nick Nicola, who founded the company in 2014, said there was a constant requirement for hairdressers and beauticians, but that they needed to be attuned to the company’s ethos: 

“We’re looking for people who want to look after their clients. It’s not so much about the service you provide – that’s going to be excellent anyway – it’s more about how you make people feel. We want people who will calm and pamper our clients.” 

Allertons gives 30% of the profit generated for the company to the person who generated it, so a good hairdresser can earn up to £40,000 a year. 

In addition, employees receive health insurance, funded training on new techniques and equipment, free hairdressing and treatments, and a ‘friends and family’ discount. Those working in one of the concessions also get discount at John Lewis. 

Nick said it was important that candidates were able to ditch their ego and maintain an “old school” approach to customer service: 

“Some salons promote certain personalities above others. That’s not us – we want to take a sledgehammer to all of that. We’re not about ego and flashiness, which is why we get on so well with John Lewis. 

“We want to debunk that image of the hairdresser who judges clients and thinks they know best what their client should have. People come to us because we listen when they tell us what they want. We’re not fashion and trend-led – we’re 100% customer-led.” 

More information about the vacancies available can be found on Allertons’ website.

If you’d like to apply for a vacancy at any of Allertons’ salons, email nn@allertonsonline.com, or call 0113 359 3420.

Parents from Harrogate took part in a demonstration yesterday calling for better school provision for children with special educational needs.

SEND Reform England is staging peaceful protests outside town halls across the country this autumn. Parents from Sen Hub Harrogate joined the latest one in Leeds yesterday.

They are campaigning about issues including lack of spaces at special educational schools and unlawful rejections for Education, Health and Care Plans, which set out what additional support is required by young people with additional needs.

Emily Mitchell and Ashlie Charleton, who co-founded Sen Hub Harrogare to help parents of children with special educational needs, were among the Harrogate contingency in Leeds yesterday.

Emily, whose daughter Elsie is autistic and non-verbal, told the Stray Ferret parents should not have to fight for an education for their children. She added:

“I joined the protest due to my own fight with getting my child into education.

“I am currently going through a tribunal process to fight the local authority who aren’t taking my child’s needs into any consideration.”

Read more:

• Huge interest in new group for Harrogate parents of neurodiverse children
• GALLERY: Rachel Daly returns to Harrogate’s Rossett School

This story is sponsored by Tadatuft.

Two friends who embarked on a journey to Leeds for university studies found themselves caught up a lasting love affair with the West Yorkshire city. Two degrees later, the pair have launched the city’s greatest tufting business and see no sign of slowing down their success.

Owners Kai and Lulu first crossed paths at a tufting workshop in their hometown of China in 2019 and later, quite serendipitously, realigned at a house party in Leeds.  The friends had dabbled in tufting before; Lulu sold her fuzzy creations in lockdown, while Kai brought her creative flair from design school to the craft. After graduating, they saw the perfect opportunity to transform their shared love for tufting into a business venture – from there, Tadatuft was born.

Simply put, tufting is akin to painting with yarn and dates back to 5 BCE. It employs a specialised machine to weave colourful threads through a base layer of material, crafting intricate patterns and designs along the way.

Kai and Lulu said:

“Picture it as sculpting a soft, textured masterpiece using yarn as your medium, like making art on a cosy canvas.”

Customers can bring their creative designs to life.

As with many start-ups, Tadatufts journey hasn’t been without challenges – particularly being in a lesser-known industry. Kai and Lulu have taken social media by storm, posting regular tufting tutorials and finished results — amassing thousands of followers along the way.

Just nine months later, the friends now boast a loyal client base and the biggest tufting business in Leeds.

And now the people of Leeds and the Harrogate district can try their hand at tufting! Whether you’re on the hunt for a new rug, tote bag, wall hanging or fluffy mirror, Tadatuft will bring you the ultimate cosy DIY experience.

Located on Park Square East, the small and intimate workshops invite anyone and everyone to begin their creative journey. Suitable for friends, families, colleagues and even wedding parties, Tadatuft provides a session of guaranteed fun and relaxation, while teaching people a new craft and skill to gloat about at Christmas.

Tadatuft welcomes tufters of all ages and ability. No previous skills are required and all materials and guidance will be provided in the workshops.

Your only job is to choose a dazzling design, send it to Tadatuft beforehand and show up ready to tuft!

They continued:

“At Tadatuft, our mission is simple: we aim to create a welcoming space where you can discover a new skill, while enjoying quality time with friends and family.

“We firmly believe that everyone harbours an innate sense of creativity, and through our unique teaching methods and guidance, we can help you transform your ideas into meaningful pieces of art.

“Whether you’re a confident artist or someone who’s never considered themselves ‘creative’, we’re here to guide you every step of the way.”

If that wasn’t enough, Tadatuft also offer commissions and tufting kits for those that wish to tuft at home or cannot attend a workshop.

Customers simply send in their requested designs and Kai and Lulu can work their tufting magic to bring your cosy rug to life.

Kai and Lulu added:

“Our journey at Tadatuft has been nothing short of amazing. In just nine months, we’ve had the privilege of sharing our passion with over a thousand individuals.

“Witnessing our students’ incredible creations and their smiles of satisfaction continues to be our greatest reward.

“We look forward to many more months and years of creative adventures!”

Tadatuft pricing begins at £55 per person for a beginners’ workshop. They say money can’t buy you happiness, but a Tadatuft workshop definitely can!

In a review, the workshops were described as:

“An amazing experience! It was great to be able to try something completely new and to have such professional and helpful hosts! We were there for 6+ hours and enjoyed every minute of our rug making. The rugs turned out brilliantly – such a great experience and you get to keep your creation forever too!”

Find out more:

To find out more about Tadatuft or to book a tufting workshop, visit https://www.tadatuftuk.com/ or email Kai and Lulu at enquiries@tadatuftuk.com.

This story is sponsored by Park Playground

Leeds recently became home to Yorkshire’s newest virtual reality site, which sees no sign of slowing down its success.

The Park Playground VR began in 2018, in Belgium, and has shot to success – boasting 13 locations across 4 countries in just five years.

The Leeds site, which was the first UK destination, located on Kirkstall Road, opened last December and has since brought the county endless virtual fun and adventure.

Visitors can choose between six different experiences to be enjoyed by a range of ages and immerse themselves into some seriously out-of-this world challenges. From TV game shows and saving the planet to travelling back to Ancient Egypt and zombie hordes, The Park Playground will ensure a day of guaranteed excitement and thrill.

If you’re looking for some family fun, the Mask of the Pharaoh is the perfect rainy-day activity. The game begins as any normal day – although, not for long – as you and your team receive a call from the Professor to say he is trapped in Ancient Egypt! It’s your job to travel back in time to the land of the pyramids, help break the spell of the mysterious mask and return the Professor to modern day. To be enjoyed by 2-6 players, aged 7 and above, enjoy a series of mini games and discover artefacts along the way to help solve this historic puzzle.

The Park Playground is the perfect indoor activity for friends, family and colleagues.

Thrill seekers can enter a world of zombie-hunting in The Hallow. Travel back to the 19th century and combat a world overthrown by a zombie horde to restore what was once a peaceful village. Join forces with your friends, family, and co-workers in this epic journey of mini games and battle – but beware…only the bravest will survive.

If you consider yourself an armchair sleuth, try your hand at The Snitch. In a VR TV gameshow, you and your team will journey across the natural beauties of New Zealand, completing challenges to win a cash prize. However, someone isn’t such a team player and is aiming to sabotage the group’s efforts to keep the money for themselves. Whether you’re the saboteur or walking the plank for some cash, expect suspicion and laughter in this game of non-stop fun.

The site’s newest game, Nanoclash: Focus, allows up to 12 friends to battle it out in a futuristic arena, competing in various challenges until one is victorious! Described as paintball without the pain, this game attracts anyone from gamers and adrenaline-junkies to wedding parties and work colleagues. No matter who you are, enter the arena for the ultimate VR battle.

If one terrifying game wasn’t enough for you, the award-winning Don’t Scream horror-themed escape room will challenge the mind and keep your heart racing. Comedian and evil genius, David Whitely welcomes you to his world of fear where evil lies around every corner. Face your fears and collect the necessary memorabilia to help escape this nightmare, but remember…don’t scream.

Adventure can also be found in Mission Planet X – the ultimate apocalyptic journey. Earth is running out of energy and fossil fuels will soon be exhausted, so it’s up to you, recruits, to save the day before it’s too late! Commander Dawson sends you to Planet X – a world of the unknown – to bring back the powerful Energy Crystal. Work as a team and overcome some intergalactic challenges to return the crystal to Earth and keep our planet alive. Once you’re up in space, there’s no turning back…

Players will battle against each other on an 81 square metre field.

All games include an initial 30 minute starter, helping players get used to the equipment, as well as playing some introductory mini games. After this, teams will share an 81-square metre playing field to compete in your chosen game.

Ditching the heavy backpacks and cables, The Park Playground games are entirely mobile and offer a large wireless area for gamers to roam. Visitors are also provided with state-of-the-art VR goggles to transport you to an alternate reality.

Marketing manager, James Nye, said:

“Laughter, shouting and even screams are a common occurrence at the park.

“My personal favourite is The Hallow – it’s 30 minutes of non-stop heart-pounding action.”

Visitors can also enjoy a drink at the bar and debate who played the best in the cool relaxation lounge.

The site can be transformed for any occasion, from children’s parties to corporate events. The entire venue is also available for hire for large-scale events.

He continued:

“There has been such a buzz in Leeds since we opened in December, and we’ve had multiple local celebrities try the games for themselves.

“Our latest experience is due for release later this year, – I can’t say much now but I’m very excited for the city to see it.”

The Park Playground VR welcomes anyone aged 7 upwards, and team sizes range from 2 – 16 people.

Find out more

To find out more about all that’s on offer at The Park Playground Leeds, visit https://www.theparkplayground.com/en-gb 

Click here to book your discounted game for four.

Three missing girls from Harrogate have been found safe.

North Yorkshire Police confirmed that two 13-year-old and a 16-year-old girl were found in Leeds and returned to their families.

The girls were last seen at 5pm on Thursday (August 10).

One of the 13-year-old girls was found on Friday and the other two were returned to their families yesterday.

A police statement said:

“Protecting vulnerable people is of paramount importance to North Yorkshire Police.”

Read more:

• Harrogate and Knaresborough MP supports housing asylum seekers on barge
• Hot Seat: The man luring shoppers to Harrogate

The body of missing man Jesus Moreno lay undiscovered for more than eight months because it was just outside the 500-metre police search area.

A police search team found Mr Moreno’s body on Friday on land close to the River Wharfe in the Harewood area.

He had been missing since August 1 last year when he got off a 36 bus from Leeds to Harrogate at Swindon Lane near Dunkeswick, just north of Harewood bridge.

The discovery of his body, close to the last sighting, came two weeks after West Yorkshire Police said it had “exhausted every possible line of enquiry”.

Asked why it had taken so long to find the body when it was so close to the last sighting, a police spokesperson said:

“Police can confirm the body of a man found in undergrowth on land close to the River Wharfe in the Harewood area on Friday has been identified as that of missing Jesus Moreno.

“A number of searches by specialist police search teams were undertaken in the Harewood area for Mr Moreno, as part of extensive enquiries conducted into his disappearance.

“The specialist search team initially set a search area of 500 metres radius from Jesus’ last known location. This area was searched with specialist resources.

“Mr Moreno’s body was found just over 250 metres outside that boundary and hidden under thick undergrowth, as part of ongoing work undertaken according to the wider search plan.”

The statement added that enquiries into the death remain ongoing but “there are not thought to be any suspicious circumstances”.

Police images of Jesus Moreno

Piglove Brewing Co, the Leeds brewery Mr Moreno co-founded, said in a statement on social media:

“It is with great sadness that the Piglove family announces that our beloved Jesus’ remains have been found near Harewood bridge, the last place he was seen on the 1st of August 2022.

“Please be thoughtful to our staff and family during this challenging time. It has been a tough eight months for the business but your support through this time has meant the world to us.

Read more:

• Police find body at Harewood in search for missing Jesus Moreno
• D-Day looms for £11.2m Harrogate Station Gateway

The Dales Bus summer service will begin its season this weekend.

The bus company provides access into and around the Yorkshire Dales on a not-for-profit basis.

It operates on Saturdays, Sundays and bank holidays throughout summer until October.

The 74 service from York Railway Station, which goes through Knaresborough and Harrogate and onto Ilkley, Bolton Abbey, Burnsall and Grassington, starts on Saturday.

Another Saturday route, the 59, will help people travel from Harrogate to Blubberhouses, Bolton Bridge and Skipton.

The 875 will depart from York every Sunday and Bank Holiday, starting this Easter weekend.

This year, an additional Sunday and bank holiday service – the 876 – will run from York to Leeds, Otley, Ilkley and Grassington, with onward connections to Upper Wharfedale and Hawes.

The national £2 single bus fare cap, which has been extended until June 30, will apply to Dales Bus services.

Find more information on services and timetables here.

A Brighton firm has hired 23 former staff members of failed Harrogate telemarketing firm Amvoc after setting up a new office.

The company, which was based at Cardale Park, entered administration on Friday after abruptly closing its offices last month citing “covid debts” as the cause.

Up to 450 people lost their jobs as a result of the move.

However, One Family, a financial firm based in Brighton, said today 23 former Amvoc staff had started work at its new call centre in Leeds on Monday.

One Family was a customer of Amvoc before it entered administration.

Matthew Ellis, sales and marketing director, said:

“We were saddened to hear of the closure of Amvoc, which is a company that we have worked with for three years.

“We were worried about the talented team who had been working so hard for us during that time. We wanted to help them and swiftly put plans in place – sending colleagues to Leeds to find new office space, meet the team, unpack kit and make the seemingly impossible possible. We set up a fully operational call centre in just eight days.

“It was a very quick turnaround, but I’m absolutely delighted to welcome our new Leeds team members to One Family.”

Read more:

• Law firm to represent about 100 staff at failed Harrogate firm
• Hundreds of job losses as Harrogate company goes under
• Collapsed Harrogate firm Amvoc set to enter administration

The move comes as Leeds-based Lewis Business Recovery and Insolvency has taken over as administrators of Amvoc.

Director of the firm, Gareth Lewis, and Matthew Russell have been appointed joint administrators.

Law firm Atticus said in the days after Amvoc’s collapse it has been contacted by 145 former employees.

The law firm says it is investigating the circumstances of the company’s collapse and concerns around how the redundancy process was managed, as well as whether ex-staff are eligible to claim for compensation. 

An insolvency firm has been appointed to handle the process of placing failed Harrogate firm Amvoc into administration.

Staff at the telemarketing firm were left shocked on Tuesday night when they received a late night email from chief executive Damian Brockway saying “all our offices are closed with effect from tonight”. It went on to blame “covid debts”.

Law firm Aticus Law has now been contacted by 145 former employees as it investigates the circumstances of the company’s collapse and concerns around how the redundancy process was managed, as well as whether ex-staff are eligible to claim for compensation.

Gareth Lewis, director of Leeds firm Lewis Business Recovery and Insolvency, said today it was handling the administration process.

He said:

“I can confirm that following the directors’ decision to make all employees redundant on Tuesday evening, this firm was engaged on Wednesday to assist with the process of placing the company into administration.

“It is anticipated that the company will be placed into administration in the coming days, and we are now collating all financial and employee information to enable us to perform our duties.

“We have contacted former employees through our agents IPERA, who will assist employees with the process of making their claims through the government’s Redundancy Payments Service”.

Founded in Dacre

Mr Brockway set up Amvoc, the trading name of A Marketing Vocation Ltd, from a small office in Dacre in 2010. It sold telemarketing services, initially in the legal sector, and grew rapidly, moving first to Pateley Bridge and then to large offices at New York Mills near Summerbridge. 

It opened a new head office on Cardale Park in Harrogate in 2015, a facility in Leeds in 2018 and an office in Manchester in 2022.  It also had plans to expand to London.

Amvoc’s clients included BP, Barclays, Virgin Media, Leeds Beckett University, and both the Conservative and Liberal Democrat parties. 

Its website said it employed 450 staff but the Stray Ferret believes the figure at the time the company collapsed was under 300.

Read more:

• Law firm to represent about 100 staff at failed Harrogate firm
• Hundreds of job losses as Harrogate company goes under

We again attempted to contact Mr Brockway today. An immediate emailed response said:

A Harrogate plasterer is set to skateboard to his former home in Barry Island to raise money to help his mother.

Daniel Katchi’s mum, who is 50, was diagnosed with motor neurone disease last October after experiencing speech problems and loss of mobility in her arm.

Her son hopes to raise money to fund a speech machine controlled by eye movement and a stair lift for his parents’ home in Barry Island, near Cardiff.

Daniel, 32, moved to Harrogate from Barry Island three years ago and plans to complete the 300-mile route with a fellow skateboarder who lost his mother to motor neurone disease.

As a young boy, Daniel was gifted a skateboard by his neighbour in South Wales and fell in love with the sport immediately. He has represented the UK nationally and internationally in skateboarding.

Daniel said:

“I am determined to complete this journey.

“It’s a case of me feeling helpless and all I want to do is help my mum.”

Read more:

• Eight fire engines tackle blaze at former Kimberley Hotel in Harrogate
• Killinghall Nomads opens cafe named after ex-player Rachel Daly

Setting off on Wednesday, May 4, the pair aim to cover around 50 miles per day and anticipate the journey will take 5 days. They hope to cross the finish line on Sunday, May 7, and will be greeted by his family.

The two skateboarders will ride over to Leeds from Harrogate, where the journey will officially start. They aim to stop in Sheffield, Birmingham, Cheltenham and Bristol before completing their journey in Barry.

Daniel established a route that will predominantly follow bike paths and some pavements.

They have encouraged fellow skateboarders to join a leg of their journey and free merchandise will be given to those who do.

To follow Daniel’s progress, visit his GoFundMe page.