Roadworks are to begin next week on some of Harrogate town centre’s busiest routes.

The work, which is due to start on Monday and last for seven weeks, will see traffic lights on key routes including Parliament Street, Ripon Road, King’s Road and Cold Bath Road.

The disruption will enable gas distributor Northern Gas Networks to replace metal pipes with plastic pipes.

Cold Bath Road could be the worst affected route, with “multiple lights” operating for five weeks.

It is the continuation of road works that were “paused” a year ago following delays.

Northern Gas Networks said last week it would be digging up Skipton Road in a separate scheme over half-term.

Here’s what the company said is involved with the latest work starting next week.

Crescent Road lane closure and traffic lights 

A lane closure will be introduced on Crescent Road and Ripon Road along with four-way lights at the junction of Crescent Road, Parliament Street, Ripon Road and Kings Road for two weeks. The existing lights will be bagged, and temporary traffic lights will be in operation from 7am to 7pm.

Traffic on Parliament Street is likely to be affected.

Montpellier Road (roundabout) & Montpellier Hill Lane closure

A lane closure will be implemented on Montpellier Road (roundabout) and Montpellier Hill Lane for two weeks.

Cold Bath Road traffic lights and parking suspensions

Multiple two and three-way lights will be introduced on Cold Bath Road for five weeks starting from Monday.

Multiple traffic lights will be on Cold Bath Road.

Wellington Square Road closure

A road closure will be implemented on Wellington Square for two weeks.

Northern Gas Networks said traffic lights will be manned seven days a week between 7am and 7pm “to ensure a smooth flow of traffic”.

Scott Kitchingman, business operations lead for Northern Gas Networks, said the work was vital “to continue to maintain a safe and reliable gas supply to the residents of Harrogate” and apologised for any inconvenienced.

He added:

“We completed phase one of this project in autumn 2022. It was a complex scheme during which we faced multiple engineering challenges because of the depth of the gas main.

“This caused a delay to our timescales and meant we were unable to complete the following phase within a reasonable timeframe without impacting customers and businesses during the busy Christmas period.

“Collaborating closely with North Yorkshire County Council, we’ve worked hard to review the remaining work and plan this final phase in a way that minimises impact to residents and local businesses as much as possible.”

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Plans to bring back the original Harrogate Christmas Market on Montpellier Hill this year have been abandoned — but it could return in 2024.

The organisers have had all their suggested dates rejected by the council, on the grounds they clash with events like the Knitting and Stitching Show at Harrogate Convention Centre and the Stray bonfire.

Harrogate Christmas Market was held annually on Montpellier Hill from 2012 to 2019 until it was halted by covid.

Organised by local people, it had 170 traders and 53 coaches booked to attend in 2021 when Harrogate Borough Council refused to grant a licence.

Instead the council organised its own Harrogate Christmas Fayre in conjunction with Market Place Europe, a specialist market company based in Greater Manchester.

The new Christmas market includes an ice rink and the Candy Cane Express road train.

The organisers of the Montpellier Hill event hoped the abolition of Harrogate Borough Council would lead to a change of fortune under the new North Yorkshire Council.

But in an email to supporters today, co-organiser Brian Dunsby confirmed the event will not go ahead this year.

Mr Dunsby said the company submitted an updated event management plan to North Yorkshire Council in April, adding:

“I am sorry to report that in spite of our very best efforts, North Yorkshire Council has finally rejected all our efforts to gain a licence for a resumption of the traditional Harrogate Christmas Market on Montpelier Hill and St Mary’s Walk on any date in November or even the end of October – due mainly to alleged conflicting events.”

He added “some personnel at the former Harrogate Borough Council” appeared to be  “doing all they can” to convince the new council not to allow the event to return.

Harrogate Christmas Market on Montpellier Hill in 2019.

He said Harrogate Christmas Market was told the final two weekends of October would not work because of nearby roadworks; the first weekend of November clashed with the bonfire; the second weekend clashed with Remembrance Sunday; the third clashed with the Knitting and Stitching Show and the fourth clashed with the council’s Harrogate Christmas Fayre.

Mr Dunsby, however, said he had finally secured a meeting with the new council to discuss plans for a market in 2024 after five months of trying to arrange a date.

He said he was confident this year’s event would have attracted 200 stalls — which would be considerably more than the number the new event has attracted so far.

Read more:

• Polish prisoner jailed after absconding to UK to work in Harrogate hospital
• Christmas market on Harrogate’s Montpellier Hill bids to return this year

A floral tribute to King Charles has been created in Harrogate.

North Yorkshire Council‘s parks team created the eye-catching display on Stray land on Montpellier Hill. It is currently behind railings, which will be removed on Saturday’s coronation day.

The parks team made the royal cypher using a technique called carpet bedding, which involves using plants so compact and tightly knitted that the result looks like a woven carpet. The display will stay in place for 12 months.

Some of the parks team that worked on the display.

A council spokesperson said:

“The display is made up of more than 15,600 plants, including sedum, sempervivum and ajuga, which are all compact plants ideal for this type of display.

“The temporary fencing will be removed first thing on Saturday morning to enable people to enjoy the display fully.”

Read more:

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• Fireworks finale will end Ripon’s coronation day celebrations

Imagined Things bookshop in Harrogate has been announced as a regional finalist in the British Book Awards.

It is one of eight finalists in the independent bookshop category for the north of England.

If Imagined Things wins the regional finals, it will have the chance to go on and contend for the national prize for best independent bookshop.

Georgia Eckert, the shop’s owner, considers the new store location on Montpellier Hill an important reason behind reaching the finals.

After five years in Westminster Arcade, Imagined Things decided to launch a crowdfunding campaign to support the move to the new location, raising over £18,000.

The fortunes of Imagined Things were also improved following a viral tweet posted on the bookshop’s Twitter account in June 2019.

The tweet reported a taking of £12.34 for the day, following which Georgia received a huge wave of support for the shop which boosted its profile in Harrogate.

Commenting on reaching the regional finals, Georgia said:

“Being a finalist really means a lot to myself and the Imagined Things Team. Bookselling is such a rewarding career, but being a shop on the Highstreet is not without its challenges. To get recognition for what we’ve achieved last year in moving the shop and doing what we love is a wonderful boost.”

Read More: 

• Business Breakfast: Small indies to pop up on Harrogate high street
• Business Breakfast: Harrogate company builds robots to help tackle leaking pipes

Econ Engineering opens museum

Econ Engineering has opened a museum at the company’s headquarters in Ripon.

The museum’s collection consists of historic vehicles and farming implements from the last 60 years.

The exhibit looks into the agricultural past of the company, which is known for manufacturing gritters.

Jonathan Lupton, Econ Engineering’s Managing Director, son of founder Bill Lupton, said:

“Like my father, I have a passion for farming, and finding and restoring implements designed and made by him has become a passion, not only for me, but also for members of the wider Econ team.

“We were both of Young Famers’ Clubs, and it’s somewhat fitting that the first visitors to our new museum, celebrating our history, are members of Boroughbridge Young Farmers.”

Pictured inside Econ Engineering’s museum: Jonathan Lupton with members of Boroughbridge Young Farmers

Artefacts from the museum will be exhibited at various shows this year, including Masham Steam Rally, Hunton Steam Rally and Tractor Fest at Newby Hall.

Foreign Secretary Liz Truss breezed into Harrogate today as part of her campaign to be the next Prime Minister.

Local Conservative Party members paid £10 to take part in an Ask Liz event at a private house on the Duchy estate. Attendees didn’t receive the address until this morning.

Those who arrived early made the most of the sunshine by sitting on a wall in front of the property, many dressed in their finest attire.

One woman said Ms Truss had “come across very well” at a recent hustings in Leeds, another said she was there to “see what she’s got to say”.

And there were mutterings that there was no support from MPs in the district, including Harrogate and Knaresborough MP Andrew Jones and Skipton and Ripon MP  Julian Smith. Both are backing rival leadership candidate Rishi Sunak, the former Chancellor of the Exchequer.

Instead Alec Shelbrooke, MP for Elmet and Rothwell, hosted Ms Truss’s visit. He could be seen with other prominent members of the party waiting at the large black metal gates to greet Ms Truss.

Graham Swift thanks people for attending.

Harrogate Borough Council deputy leader Graham Swift, who the house is believed to belong to, was also spotted at the event.

Read more:

• Liz Truss set to speak to Conservatives in Harrogate tomorrow
• Rishi Sunak ‘warmly received’ in Masham

Stickers and signs emblazoned with the words ‘In Liz we Truss’ and ‘Liz for Leader’ were given out to visitors, as they were directed to a garden at the back of the house.

The press weren’t invited to attend, however the Stray Ferret captured a video of Ms Truss arriving in a black Range Rover, before she was whisked into the property by security, which included the Metropolitan Police.

Although the event was billed for 90 minutes, Ms Truss left after about 30 minutes and then made a fleeting visit to Harrogate town centre.

Liz Truss leaving the venue with her security entourage.

After a walk up Montpellier Parade, she was shown the sights of the Stray and the town’s war memorial, which was surrounded by people enjoying the 25 degree heat.

From there, the leadership hopeful headed into Bettys Tea Rooms armed with her entourage, before swiftly leaving to head down Parliament Street.

Passing the queue at Bettys. Pic: The Stray Ferret

With that she was gone on to the next leg of her campaign to defeat Sunak when party members vote to choose the next leader.

The result of the race to replace Boris Johnson will be announced on September 5.

Riverdale actress Camila Mendes is filming in Harrogate today.

Film production vehicles have been parked on Beech Grove alongside the Stray today.

The vehicles included an actor’s trailer and double decker bus.

Crew members told the Stray Ferret the production company was called Upgraded, which may also be the title of the film.

Camila filming on The Stray in Harrogate today.

They said Ms Mendes was one of the stars of the movie, which is being produced for Amazon Prime and is set in the modern day.

They added that it would be shot on the Stray at the top of Montpellier hill, as well as in the town centre.

They also said they would be filming at a hotel in the town tomorrow and the film was also being shot around Leeds and Bradford.

Filming on The Stray.

Camila Mendes is an American-Brazilian actress and singer. She made her debut portraying Veronica Lodge on the teen drama series Riverdale.

Her Instagram story shows the actress recently visiting Fountains Abbey, near Ripon.

Harrogate Thalidomide campaigner Guy Tweedy has laid a wreath to pay tribute to victims of the morning sickness ‘wonder drug’.

Mr Tweedy placed the wreath at the foot of a copper beech tree planted on the Harrogate’s Montpellier Hill in 2012.

The tree was the UK’s first-ever memorial to those who died as a result of their mothers being prescribed the drug in the early stages of pregnancy.

The wreath commemorates the 60th anniversary of the Thalidomide Society, which was formed in 1962 by the parents of children affected by the drug.

Mr Tweedy, who turns 60 in June and is himself a Thalidomider, is a prominent campaigner for the society.

The society was formed by parents of children affected by the drug in order to provide mutual support and seek compensation.

At least 2,000 babies in the UK were born due to Thalidomide, and more than half of them died within their first year. An unknown number also died in the womb.

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Common deformities included missing or shortened limbs, blindness, brain damage and missing internal organs.

442 UK Thalidomiders still alive

There are a total of 442 Thalidomiders aged between 56 and 63 still alive in the UK today.

Over the last two decades, Mr Tweedy – who sufferers from shortened arms and fingers fused together, has helped secure hundreds of millions of pounds from the government for the ongoing care of fellow survivors.

He said:

“A decade ago, we planted this tree to commemorate those who died from this hideous drug. Thalidomide was the worst man-made disaster in peace time history.

“It killed thousands of babies in the womb and in their first years of life. It left thousands more with terrible deformities and affected the lives of thousands of families around the world.

“For the last ten years I have watched the memorial tree grow – and it will be here long after I, and all the other Thalidomide survivors, have passed away.

“The Harrogate district has seven thalidomide survivors, and since its inception 60 years ago the Thalidomide Society has fought our corner and championed our welfare.

“Whilst this wreath is to commemorate the victims of this tragedy, it’s also to recognise the ongoing work of the Thalidomide Society which aims to ensure the impact of thalidomide is never forgotten.