GALLERY: Harrogate district D-Day commemorationsD-Day commemorations across the Harrogate district5 things to do in Harrogate and the district this weekendNew agricultural group set up for Harrogate district women

A new social group has been set up for local women who live and work in the world of agriculture.

Flock Ladies, founded by Rachel Bain, invites women who have some involvement in the farming industry to get together and socialise.

Ms Bain told the Stray Ferret the new group is for people of “all sorts of backgrounds” and said it is not limited to those who live on a farm.

She said:

“Everyone is welcome: farmers, farmers’ wives or girlfriends, people that work in agriculture, women that are interested in farming or want to get into farming.

“Our members come from all over: Nidderdale, Masham, Ripon, Bedale and the surrounding areas.”

Flock Ladies will host monthly meetings, during which members will visit farms, attend workshops with gamekeepers, host socials, fundraisers and listen to guest speakers.

When asked why she set up the group, Ms Bain said:

“I wanted to create a social group for ladies who understand what it’s like to live and work in agriculture and to create an opportunity for them to get out and socialise. The pressures of farming can be difficult and many of the ladies juggle work, farms, families and are the backbone of their home life.

“Having a group of women who ‘get it’ and that monthly event to look forward to has been really well received. Being a part of Flock means that ladies commit to an evening out of their normal routine to have fun, catch up with friends and do something worthwhile.”

She said the group plans to meet on the last Thursday of each month. Flock Ladies does not have a fixed hub, Ms Bain said, adding that this is due to the group wanting to “get out and about to visit places”.

Ms Bain added:

“Our aim is to have fun, make great friends, learn lots, try new things, do a bit of good (e.g. support local causes) and most importantly have a laugh.

“We’re a newly established group and we’d love to grow our member numbers, so please keep an eye on our social media or get in touch with us to find out what we’ve got planned.

“We’re a really friendly bunch and anyone wanting to find out more is welcome to come along to a meeting before they commit to membership.”

A Flock Ladies membership costs £30 per year, plus £2.50 per meeting.

The group accepts women aged 18 and over.

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Revamped Masham play area to open today

A Masham play area will reopen today following a refurb.

Westholme Court play area, near Leyburn Road, underwent the makeover after the previous equipment was found to be unfit for purpose.

Councillor Flo Grainger, who has overseen the project on behalf of Masham Parish Council, told the Stray Ferret the play area was left “unequipped” after the developer of a nearby housing estate “claimed bankruptcy in the face of providing the play equipment”.

The parish council applied for the Tarmac Landfill Communities Fund, provided by Derbyshire Environmental Trust, to breathe new life into the playground.

Cllr Grainger said the trust’s response was “very positive” and the council secured a £33,995 grant.

Councillors then handed a £3,782 contract to Streetscape, a Selby-based outdoor play equipment firm, to revamp the Westholme Court play area.

The refurb took nine days to complete, Cllr Grainger added.

The new playground includes two animal-themed springers, a roundabout, a large play fort, a seesaw and a new swing-set suitable for toddlers and children.

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Naked walk returns to Ripon

People are being urged to strip off their clothes this summer and stroll around gardens near Ripon.

British Naturism is organising six naked walks in Britain to raise money for the British Heart Foundation.

One of them is being held at the Himalayan Garden and Sculpture Park, which is situated between Ripon and Masham, on Saturday, June 29.

In a press release today announcing the news, British Naturism said participants would “experience the exhilaration of being nude in the great outdoors, boost their mental and physical health, reducing their stress — and have a lot of fun”.

The walks will be clothing-optional, meaning there is no obligation to be naked. More than 80 people took part in a similar event at the same venue last year.

Andrew Welch, national spokesman for British Naturism, said:

“Taboos around nudity are eroding and the health and well-being benefits of going naked are more widely understood, with more and more people wanting to get the exhilarating feelings for themselves.

“We encourage anyone to come and give it a go — and raise much-needed funds for our charity partner, British Heart Foundation.”

Ben Bishop, fundraising manager at the foundation, said:

“There are lots of ways to support the BHF and, thanks to British Naturism, these now include taking your clothes off and enjoying the great outdoors.”

Tickets are available here.

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Masham school pupils don’t receive ‘acceptable standard of education’, says Ofsted

Masham C.E Primary School has been rated ‘inadequate’ by Ofsted.

The findings were published in a report yesterday following a two-day inspection in January.

Government inspectors said the school, which has 71 pupils, ‘requires improvement’ in three categories: behaviour and attitudes, personal development and early years provision.

The report said the quality of education and leadership and management were both ‘inadequate’ and gave an overall grading of ‘inadequate’.

Inspectors said pupils “do not receive an acceptable standard of education” at the school, which was previously rated ‘good’ in 2019, adding the curriculum is “disjointed” and “does not meet the needs of pupils”.

They said:

“Pupils have considerable gaps in their learning and do not achieve well. This means that they are not prepared well for the next stage of their education.

“Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities do not consistently receive the support that they need to access the curriculum. This prevents them from developing the knowledge and skills that they need to succeed.”

The report praised the “polite and courteous” pupils, but said occasional misbehaviour is “not managed well enough”. This prevents pupils from learning, it added.

Inspectors said the school has struggled to address “long-term weaknesses in the structure and teaching”, which worsened due to “frequent changes in staffing”. They added:

“Over time, the quality of education that pupils have received has not been checked well enough.

“Pupils’ performance in reading and mathematics is weak throughout the school. This is beginning to improve in early years. However, there remains much to do.”

The report acknowledged some early years provisions have “improved since September”, adding:

“Knowledgeable adults support the children to learn through play.

“Early mathematics and reading are taught well. However, the legacy of children having a poor experience in early years in the past is affecting access to the curriculum in older year groups.”

Ofsted praised the staff and governors, who “care passionately about the school”, and are “deeply committed to their roles”.

However, it concluded:

“There has been a lack of focus on the most pressing areas in need of improvement.

“The school has not shown the capacity to make a rapid improvement to the educational experiences for pupils.”

Educational visits

Despite the low grading, the inspectors did highlight some positive parts of the visit.

They said pupils participate in various clubs and take on responsibilities, such as leading playtime sports or being a school councillor.

Inspectors also said the pupils take part in “educational visits and community events”, and found pupils’ knowledge of religion and fundamental British values to be “developed well”.

Pupils know they can turn to “any adult in the school” if they have any concerns, the report added.

Council ‘committed to supporting the school’

The Stray Ferret contacted Masham C.E Primary School for a response to the recent inspection.

The school asked us to contact North Yorkshire Council for a comment instead.

Amanda Newbold, the council’s assistant director of education and skills, said:

“We’re committed to supporting the school with the changes already identified for the curriculum, we acknowledge the Ofsted inspectors’ recommendations and value the commitment and passion shown by the school community.

“We are pleased to see that the recent changes made, for example in early years and support for pupils with special educational needs and disabilities, have improved the learning environment of the school and that the arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

“Looking ahead, it is imperative that everyone involved in the school community works together to build on the progress made, which will result in improved education for the pupils.”

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Readers’ Letters: Bins weren’t overflowing when Harrogate Borough Council existed

Readers’ Letters is a weekly column giving you the chance to have your say on issues affecting the Harrogate district. It is an opinion column and does not reflect the views of the Stray Ferret. Send your views to letters@thestrayferret.co.uk. 

This letter follows an article about overflowing bins in Harrogate’s Valley Gardens. Many readers were upset about the state of the bins over the Easter bank holiday weekend.

The problem of overflowing waste bins in Harrogate is a recent problem.

We often commented on overflowing bins when visiting other towns, as it was so rare here. How lucky we were to have Harrogate Borough Council in charge, which took pride in this town.

But it all changed a year ago after our local council disappeared and we had North Yorkshire Council inflicted on us – a change that none of us voted for.

Anne Boodt, Harrogate

More grammatical errors on road signs in Harrogate

This letter is in response to a story about North Yorkshire Council eliminating apostrophes from road signs. The new format will be adopted when signs are replaced.

Regarding the missing apostrophe on St Mary’s Walk, there also should not be a full stop after St (as per one of the signs).

So, vigilantes looking to insert an apostrophe with their marker pens should also paint out the full stop.

Michael Clarke, Harrogate

Are we really planting trees as a tick box exercise?

This letter follows a story about 29,000 trees being planted in Masham to create new woodlands.

I am the last person on earth to criticise a tree planting initiative, as exemplified at Swinton Estate in Masham.

But what drives me to utter distraction is the wholly unnatural and mechanical way in which trees are planted in perfectly straight lines.

Are we seriously doing this as a box ticking exercise or trying to create new natural habitats?

Think about when these trees have matured. It will look ludicrously unnatural and probably end up serving as a sustainable source of wood or paper – NOT a habitat for wildlife or a place for people to enjoy the benefits of nature.

Trees do not grow in straight lines.

You might as well be part of a planting scheme along a motorway verge if that’s the approach you condone. Totally ignorant of natural habitats, but nonetheless giving oneself a pat on the back.

I am so frustrated by these examples of mass tree planting…

Mark Fuller, Harrogate

Do you have an opinion on the Harrogate district? Email us at letters@thestrayferret.co.uk. Please include your name and approximate location details. Limit your letters to 350 words. We reserve the right to edit letters.

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Community group agrees price to buy Grewelthorpe pub

Campaigners have taken a major step towards buying a pub between Masham and Ripon.

Friends of the Crown, a not-for-profit group, is working towards buying the Crown Inn at Grewelthorpe and converting it to a community pub.

The group was formed following the closure of the Crown Inn last year.

The pub is owned by Admiral Taverns, which owns 1,600 UK pubs. However, the company accepted the campaigners’ offer on Monday to buy the pub subject to funding.

The group now aims to raise a minimum of £450,000 to fund the purchase and refurbishment.

It has applied for a grant of up to £250,000 from the government’s community ownership fund, which is a four-year scheme to support groups in purchasing community assets at risk of being lost.

In addition, group chair Martin Glynn told the Stray Ferret it would then require a further £200,000 of community donations.

He said the group conducted a survey to find out how many people supported the initiative shortly after the pub’s closure.

It revealed a total of 96% of the 120 responses supported the idea of a community pub, and the group has since received £177,000 of pledges from the local community, Mr Glynn added.

He added:

“The fund opened this time around with a much shorter window than anybody anticipated so it was a huge amount of work to get our bid ready, but we managed it — with an hour to go!

“I’d just like to say a very big thank you to everybody who helped – it really was a team effort. We just want our pub back in Grewelthorpe, and this week has seen us make big strides to achieving that.”

Friends of the Crown hopes the new pub will “service community needs” and provide a “welcoming destination for locals and visitors”.

The campaigners say they want to provide good food and drink, rather than just a “drinkers den”, and provide work and training opportunities for local people.

The group said it expects to hear back about the funding application in a few months’ time, adding it will then fundraise for the remainder of the money in the months following.

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Harrogate gallery owner creates woodland in memory of Sycamore Gap tree

An artist with a gallery in Harrogate has created a woodland in memory of the felled Sycamore Gap tree.

Lucy Pittaway painted an image of the famous tree with a Northern Lights backdrop after being moved by its destruction in September.

In December she vowed to plant a tree for every print sold and sought the help of a landowner to use the trees to create a public woodland. Almost 2,400 paintings have been bought so far.

The newly created Lucy Pittaway Sycamore Gap Trail near Masham will be publicly accessible and aims to bring new life to an area of the Swinton Estate devastated by larch tree disease.

Visitors to the trail will follow a pathway formed by chippings from the felled larch trees on a woodland walk which will also feature artistic installations, areas to relax and education boards.

Lucy Pittaway at the easel with her Sycamore Gap Tree painting.

Ms Pittaway, whose Harrogate gallery is on James Street, said:

“Like everyone else I was so saddened to hear about the felling of the tree, to now see this new woodland coming to life is wonderful and I’m so grateful to everyone who has helped us come this far.”

Felicity Cunliffe-Lister, owner of the Swinton Estate, answered the call for the help of a landowner and she joined Ms Pittaway in planting the first of the new saplings.

Ms Cunliffe-Lister said:

“Like many areas of the countryside we have lost so many trees from larch blight and so regenerating the area through this project is a perfect fit, I think we are appreciating more and more the importance of conservation and the positive impact that trees and the countryside have on our well-being.”

Lucy Pittaway (left) with Swinton Estate owner Felicity Cunliffe-Lister.

The first 600 saplings will be planted during April, mainly sycamore along with oak, rowan, hazel and other native trees. The estate’s forestry team will then plant hundreds more saplings over the coming months and more mature species from the autumn.

The new woodland will regenerate part of the plantation that surrounds a 200-year-old folly known as the Druid’s Temple. In recent years the area has lost many trees to the fungal disease phytophthora ramorum that has ravaged trees across Britain.

Ms Pittaway added:

“I hope this is an area that can be used for relaxation for generations to come, If it can inspire people’s interest in art and the countryside then the legacy of the Sycamore Gap tree will be a positive one.”

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