Masham council explores measures to prevent traveller camps

Masham Parish Council has said it is exploring measures to stop travellers camping on the town’s village green.

Travellers have pitched up on the green, alongside The Avenue, for many years but after a group arrived last month the council has said it is time to explore tougher measures.

Currently there is a height barrier at the entrance and an industrial lock.

However, when the travellers arrived before Appleby Horse Fair last month the lock was cut off, allowing access to the patch of land. They stayed for about 10 days.

According to the council, litter and human excrement was left behind and a lifebelt, kept on the river bank for emergencies, had been thrown into the River Ure. It was found in the water by fire crews with the rope cut.

Masham Parish Council said discussion were underway to see what could be done, with CCTV cameras among the options being discussed.

Cllr Ian Johnson said:

“It happens each year but this is the first time they’ve cut the lock. It’s an industrial one so it won’t have been easy to remove. We are looking into what we can do ahead of next year.”

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The council will now spend about £100 on a new rope for the lifebelt and look into replacing a missing picnic bench.

The area, known to locals as Shooting Holme, is often used for picnics and exercise.

Masham Sheep Fair to go-ahead this month

Masham Sheep Fair is to go-ahead on September 25 and 26 as planned, the organisers announced last night.

The fair, which commemorates Masham’s rich history of sheep farming, is one of the biggest annual events in the Harrogate district.

It provides a major boost for tourism in the Dales town so the decision to proceed, after last year’s event was cancelled due to covid, will be welcomed by many.

Susan Cunliffe-Lister and other volunteers started the sheep fair 30 years ago, initially as a one-off event to raise money for farmers in Africa. It raised £7,950 and became an annual event, raising £159,000 for Yorkshire charities.

We are pleased to confirm that Masham Sheep Fair WILL take place on 25th and 26th September. Full details on https://t.co/XAIl8VVvI5 Click on image for main features pic.twitter.com/3JoJ0Dy4m2

— Susan Briggs (@Dales_Tourism) September 6, 2021

Attractions include sheep racing, sheepdog demonstrations, craft and fleece stalls, Morris dancers, tours of Masham’s Theakston and Black Sheep breweries and a children’s fair.

There is also a large sheep show in which various breeds are judged and supreme champions decided.

Many traditional Harrogate district summer events were cancelled for a second year running this year due to covid, including Masham Steam Engine and Fair Organ Rally, Ripley Show and Nidderdale Show at Pateley Bridge, which was due to take place less than a week before the sheep fair.

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Masham brewery brings back tours after 18 months

A brewery in Masham has started offering tours again, 18 months after coronavirus restrictions forced them to stop.

Black Sheep Brewery has announced the tours will return on Wednesday next week. The last one took place on March 19 last year.

Tours last about an hour and run daily at 11am, 12.30pm, 2pm and 3.30pm. They cost £9.95 for an adult, £8.50 for seniors and students and £4.95 for children.

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The tour starts with a look at the history of the company, including a short video featuring its founders Paul and Rob Theakston.

They left Masham’s other famous brewery, Theakston, to set up Black Sheep.

The guide then takes people to the brewhouse to show how the beer is made before finishing at the bar.

Spaces are limited so Black Sheep advises people to book in advance by calling 01765 680101 or 01765 680100 for large group bookings.

Improvement expected for Ripon TV viewers after transmitter fire

The operator of Bilsdale transmitter has said it anticipates “significant improvement” to television coverage in Masham and Ripon.

Fire crews were called to the mast last week after reports of smoke was reported coming from the area.

The loss of the transmitter is affecting parts of Harrogate, Boroughbridge, Kirkby Malzeard, Knaresborough, Masham, Pateley Bridge, Ripon and other locations that rely on a signal that serves the Tyne Tees region.

An update issued by the mast operator, Arqiva, last night said that it now expected to be able to give better television coverage to Masham and Ripon.

It said a 15m mast was planned for Arncliffe Wood as part of the response to the fire. However, wider coverage is not expected to return until August 28.

A statement from Arqiva said:

“As per our previous update, we now expect to have completed the improvement of TV coverage from Eston Nab, and also the installation of a further 15m mast at a site in Arncliffe Wood by the weekend.

“These two developments should deliver a significant improvement in TV coverage for viewers in the areas including Darlington, Stockton, Catterick, Leyburn, Masham and Ripon. We will update viewers on any action they need to take with further updates later this week.

“Work on phase 2 of the recovery plan continues. We still anticipate the temporary mast to be effective by 28 August.”

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Meanwhile, Freeview has issued advice to TV viewers who continue to have problems with their coverage.

It includes using online streaming, such as BBC iPlayer and ITV Hub, and on-demand services.

Freeview said repositioning aerials to pick up service from another transmitter was an option. But the company added that an accredited installer should be employed to carry out the work.

It said:

“Repositioning your aerial so that it takes a signal from a different transmitter may be an option for some viewers who wish to attempt to get some signal back in the short term.

“However, there’s no guarantee that another transmitter is available (reception is highly dependent on several factors such as local geography between you and the transmitter), and the signal quality might be variable.

“If you choose to have your aerial repositioned and pay for an installer to do this, you may wish to then have it repositioned again when service from Bilsdale is restored.

“If you wish to have your aerial repositioned, please do not attempt this yourself.”

Mice found in ‘dirty throughout’ Harrogate district pub

A mice infestation, a dirty kitchen and cross-contamination between raw and cooked food led to the closure of the kitchen at The Black Swan Inn at Fearby, near Masham.

In a statement today, Harrogate Borough Council said a routine investigation by its food safety team found the pub to be “dirty throughout” with “potentially serious hygiene issues”.

Along with the mice and cross-contamination of food, the statement added that staff were unable to wash their hands after handling raw food.

The Stray Ferret revealed yesterday that York Magistrates Court had granted the council an Emergency Hygiene Prohibition Order for the kitchen on Friday. The council will need to be satisfied it no longer poses a health risk before it can reopen.

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The court also ordered the pub to pay £697 in costs to the council on or before September 10.

Conservative councillor Mike Chambers, cabinet member for housing and safer communities, said:

“It is imperative that food businesses maintain hygiene and food safety at all times, even more so during the current covid pandemic.

“The council’s environmental health officers work hard to provide guidance and advice to businesses in ensuring that they can operate safely.

“Any business failing to heed and act on such advice – which then subsequently fails an inspection which identifies a risk to public health – needs to understand that we will, when necessary, not hesitate to take formal action which could well result in prosecution.”

The pub has received ‘good’ or ‘very good’ food hygiene ratings in the past five years from the council.

The Stray Ferret contacted The Black Swan for a response by telephone today but there was no answer.

Council closes kitchen at Masham pub over food hygiene

Harrogate Borough Council has closed the kitchen of a pub near Masham over food hygiene fears.

Magistrates granted the council a Hygiene Emergency Prohibition Order for The Black Swan in Fearby on Friday.

The order entitles the council to prevent the premises trading in any food-related activity immediately.

Such orders are usually granted when an environmental health officer believes serious breaches of standards are putting customers or staff at risk.

York Magistrates Court also ordered the pub to pay £697 in costs to Harrogate Borough Council on or before September 10.

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The pub has received ‘good’ or ‘very good’ food hygiene ratings in the past five years from the council.

It will need to apply for re-inspection before the order can be lifted.

The Stray Ferret contacted The Black Swan today but was told the manager was unavailable.

We also approached Harrogate Borough Council for comment but did not receive a reply by the time of publication.

Masham’s Black Sheep Brewery signs renewable energy deal

Black Sheep Brewery has signed a three-year deal with a biogas company to create renewable energy.

The Masham-based brewery has made the agreement with Warrens Group, which recycles food waste into energy.

Warrens Group will buy items such as spent grains, hops and yeast, as well as food waste from Black Sheep’s visitor centre restaurant, and use them to make biogas and fuel its fleet of gas-powered vehicles.

The partnership aims to support sustainability at Black Sheep and create a new income stream from the by-products of the brewing process.

Warrens Group, which has a recycling facility in County Durham, uses a process called anaerobic digestion to produce gas, which is then used as fuel, either for grid resources such as heat and electricity generation or as biofuels for vehicles.

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Black Sheep said the deal will support the brewery’s ambition to use 100 per cent renewable energy in the production of its range of beers and lager in line with the retail and wholesale industries’ targets for reducing environmental impact from within its supply chains.

Dan Scott-Paul, head brewer at Black Sheep Brewery, said: 

“Demonstrating that 100 percent of our brewing by-products will support renewable energy generation is an important part of our contribution to an environmentally conscious food and drink industry.

“It also puts us on the road to our ambition of brewing using only renewable energy, some of which will be generated by the waste products we provide.”

£300-a-night Harrogate district hotel shamed for paying below minimum wage

The government has named and shamed two organisations in the Harrogate district today for paying below the national minimum wage.

Swinton Park, near Masham, and Harrogate commercial cleaning company SBFM Limited were among the 191 national employers named by the government for underpaying workers.

Swinton Park, which charges around £300 a night, failed to pay £1,751 to 15 staff, according to investigations by Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs between 2011 and 2018.

The issue at Swinton Park, which is set in 20,000 acres, came to light following a HMRC visit in March 2017.

The hotel said in a statement today the HMRC meeting had highlighted how some staff accommodation deposits had been taken incorrectly.

The statement added:

“As soon as we were alive to the fact, all accommodation deposits were refunded to all staff and any errors were repaid in full, again in March 2017. The company did not receive a fine or any penalty.

“Swinton Park pays above national minimum wage to all staff and we are continually striving to be a hospitality business of choice for employees through our salary and benefits packages.”

Swinton, which has been owned by the Cunliffe-Lister family since the 1880s, is one of the top hotels in the Harrogate district.

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SBFM Limited, which is based at Cardale Park in Harrogate, was also named for breaching the national minimum wage.

According to the government, the cleaning company failed to pay £583.02 to one worker.

The Stray Ferret contacted SBFM for comment but did not receive a reply by the time of publication.

Other notable businesses named on the list include John Lewis plc, Martin McColl Retail Ltd, One Stop Stores Ltd and The Body Shop International Ltd.

Business minister Paul Scully said:

“Our minimum wage laws are there to ensure a fair day’s work gets a fair day’s pay – it is unacceptable for any company to come up short.

“All employers, including those on this list, need to pay workers properly.

“This government will continue to protect workers’ rights vigilantly, and employers that short-change workers won’t get off lightly.”

Funky yellow Masham cafe a ‘hidden gem’ for more than veggies

Life moves at a slower pace when you live in a picturesque market town like Masham. So a cafe like Johnny Baghdad’s is hard to miss and that’s not just because its painted bright yellow.

On a sunny Saturday morning it seems to be the place to be. Colin Blair, the man behind the cafe, often steps out to grab some fresh produce from town to find queues before he has even opened.

So when it gets to lunch time the place is bustling with cyclists, day trippers, veggies and those looking for something a little different in Masham.

Even the famous Brownlee brothers are known to pop in from time to time while training for triathlons.

Colin, whose middle name really is Johnny, started the Middle Eastern inspired venture as a food truck at festivals inspired by the food and vibe of cafes he found on his travels.

The likes of falafel and shawarma may be more well-known nowadays but 20 years ago his customers, especially when he was in Scotland, were more likely to ask for him for chips instead.

Johnny Baghdad’s may have taken on the vibe of the festival culture where it was born but it doesn’t just serve up food for young vegetarians, it has bacon butties too.

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Masham has certainly become more popular in recent years and was recently named in the Sunday Times Best Places to Live. But few place seem to be as busy as Johnny Baghdad’s, so why?

Colin Blair told the Stray Ferret over a fresh bowl of Moroccan spice veg koftas:

“We have a couple of breweries here, it’s a nice market town so close to the Yorkshire Dales. Masham is also about an hour or so away from some big cities as well.

“I don’t know why it’s so popular but it’s a good chilled vibe here, it’s all a bit different with some really good food. We also get all of our ingredients from the local area.”

As if to prove a point, he stops here reminded by the point that he needs to send someone to pick up some bacon from Roger’s butchers shop around the corner.

“I do get asked a lot about the name. We were just sat chatting over a few beers and I just kind of became Johnny Baghdad. My mate was Terry Aviv.

“It was just a bit of banter with the customers but it just kind of stuck. People often call me Johnny even to this day. It is my middle name to be fair.

“There were cafes like this when I was in Europe. I also did a lot of travelling when I was younger, it all opened my eyes really.”

This is part of the Stray Ferret’s ‘hidden gem’ series, highlighting small, independent businesses. They need to be tucked away but growing in popularity with an eye-catching and unique product or approach. Send us an email with your nominations.

Masham needs more homes not holiday lets, says parish council

A planning application has caused debate in Masham after councillors said they would only support it if the building was used as housing rather than holiday lets.

At a Masham Parish Council meeting this month, councillors decided to neither support or object to a proposal to convert a building on Market Place into two dwellings.

The plans would see the former Forrest House Veterinary Ltd practice turned into two semi-detached houses. One would be one-bedroom and the other two-bedrooms.

The building is thought to have been empty for 12 months after the business moved during lockdown.

Masham councillors said they were passionate about fulfilling the demand for smaller properties from local residents.

Cllr Ian Johnson said:

“We’ve just got too many. It wasn’t a problem five years ago but it is now. It’s upsetting when you see people struggling to get a home in Masham because there aren’t any of the right ones available.”

Councillors believe the current 90 holiday lets in Masham were enough.

The parish council will now advise Harrogate Borough Council of its decision.

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