North Yorkshire Police is appealing for information after four items of machinery were stolen from a worksite near Harrogate.

The force said in a statement today the “high value” commercial burglary happened at Nidd Gorge, near Bilton Lane, between Friday evening (May 17) and Monday morning (May 20).

One digger and three smaller tracked barrows were stolen.

The statement said:

“We’re appealing for information about any suspicious 4×4 vehicles sighted leaving Bilton Lane over the weekend, potentially with a trailer carrying the stolen equipment.

“Please email ben.wheatley@northyorkshire.police.uk if you have any information that could help our investigation.

“Alternatively, you can call North Yorkshire Police on 101, select option 2 and ask for Ben Wheatley, or contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 or via their website.”

Quote reference number 12240088312 when passing on information.

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Major upgrades to footpaths are getting underway at Nidd Gorge and Bilton Beck to make the woodlands more easily accessible.

The gorge and beck, which are close to Knaresborough and Harrogate, attract many visitors but the woodland suffers from wet and muddy paths for much of year, especially in winter.

Wooden boardwalks have helped over the years but are now ready for replacing. Funding from FCC Community Foundation Ltd means the Woodland Trust can now start doing this.

The work will include installing new stone paths and signage along the route, especially the southern bank of the River Nidd.

According to a Woodland Trust press release today, the project is due to be completed by late spring when the ground dries up and gives better access to machinery needed to complete the operations.

Paul Bunton, from the trust said:

“The woodland is a cherished resource for local people and visitors from further afield, however some of the paths do suffer during the wetter months so the funding from FCC is fantastic news.

“When complete even more people will be able to  enjoy this woodland without having to navigate boggy areas. It also follows on from the tree felling we have had to do over the past couple of years to manage tree disease so there have been lots of changes on the ground however we are aiming to improve the overall woodland experience for all visitors, which will ultimately benefit wildlife too.”

Penny Horne, grant manager at FCC Communities Foundation, which is a not-for-profit business that awards grants from funds donated by waste management company FCC Environment, said:

“It’s always nice to see something we have funded start to take shape. We’re delighted to be supporting such a worthwhile project and we look forward to it benefiting lots of different people across the region.”

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Anyone walking around Knaresborough could hardly fail to notice it’s a beautiful and historic place. But trying to find out more about its rich past isn’t easy.

The town’s first community archaeological festival, which begins today (Saturday), aims to shine some light — and the organisers hope it will be the start of a long-term drive to tell Knaresborough’s story.

Hundreds of people are expected at the free festival, which takes place from 10am to 4pm today and tomorrow and at the same times next weekend at the Centre-on-Gracious Street.

A 4,000-year-old ceremonial axe found at Hopperton will be among the star attractions. People can bring along their own artefacts for experts to examine and Nun Tabbetha will provide some half-term fun by writing medieval pardons for naughty visitors.

Knaresborough Museum Association, which has organised the festival, hopes the event will prove a springboard for further study into the town’s past.

Chair Kathy Allday said:

“There is so much out there that we don’t know much about. Knaresborough remains a bit of a mystery in many ways.

“We hope the festival will create more interest in the archeology of Knaresborough, generate local pride and raise awareness of how fantastic Knaresborough is.”

Knaresborough Museum Association volunteers at a dig.

Former archaeologist Kathy is passionate about Knaresborough and full of tantalising tales, many of which remain shrouded in secrets.

For example, she says a washing tunnel is believed to have existed in a medieval hospital in Spitalcroft. The tunnel in a swollen pool naturally filled with pure, clean water but the site is now part of a private garden. The Trinitarian Priory, which was dissolved by Henry VIII, is known to have been a regional mother church but its full size and significance needs further research.

Two Roman hordes have been discovered in the area. Viking straps and Saxon pins will be on display this weekend. But Knaresborough’s golden age was the medieval period, when Kathy says Abbey Road “was like Piccadilly Circus” because so many people flocked to St Robert’s Cave, the Trinitarian Priory and Knaresborough Castle.

Nidd Gorge is a key area of historical interest. Kathy says:

“Because we have an ice age gorge that has been cut through we have layers from the past all revealing different artefacts.

“There is evidence of people living there for thousands of years. There are bones and teeth of prehistoric animals. Think Woolly Mammoths.”

A mudlarker called Steve has spent 20 years extracting items from the Nidd. His finds include medieval pottery, a Victorian doll and a jug inscribed with the name John Ingleby, from the family that owns Ripley Castle.

Kathy wants to know more about the Iron Age fort that existed at Nidd Gorge and talks excitedly about the possibility of bringing home Knaresborough treasures currently housed elsewhere, including the Brotherton Library in Leeds and the nomadic Harrison Collection.

For that to happen, Knaresborough needs a larger museum.

The association currently operates Knaresborough Museum at 8 York Place, which is open on Wednesdays and Saturdays. It has served the town well but the ground floor of a house was never likely to be an adequate long-term solution and there are plans to move to larger premises after a bid to use the former Castle girls school fell through.

Kathy is quick to pay tribute to the work of other local groups, including Knaresborough Castle and Courthouse Museum, Claro Community Archaeology Group and Bilton Conservation Group for their work in specific fields.

But she hopes the museum can become the overarching focal point for telling Knaresborough’s story — not only a place to go but also a hub to conduct further research and hold events, including more festivals, that take the town’s story to community groups and schools.

It’s a long-term mission — but few would doubt Knaresborough has a story worth telling.

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This week’s photograph was taken by Andy Furniss, using a long exposure to create an ethereal look to the water at Nidd Gorge.

Andy Furniss

Photo of the Week celebrates the Harrogate district. It could be anything from family life to capturing the district’s beauty. We are interested in amateur and professional photographs, in a landscape format.

Send your photographs to letters@thestrayferret.co.uk for a chance to be featured next week, we reserve the right to adjust and crop images to fit into our format.

The brother of Harrogate woman Sophie Lambert has set up a crowdfunding appeal for her funeral.

Sophie’s body was found in the River Nidd this week, five days after she wet missing from her home in Starbeck.

Hundreds of people took part in searches to find her.

Her older brother Craig Robinson launched a gofundme appeal yesterday to raise £3,000 to pay for ‘the best funeral for my sister Sophie’.

It was already over halfway towards its target last night.

Craig said Sophie was a bright girl who loved to laugh and had two dogs but had battled suffering every day for 10 years.

Craig shared this photo of his sister.

He added:

“This gofundme is for her funeral for us to be able to give her the best send off ever, please don’t feel pressured into donating as we have already set one up before for fuel and other resources,

“Sophie my little sister what can I say, you’ve grown your wings and flown away, I hope you’re safe up there.”

You can support the appeal here.

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Police searching for missing Harrogate woman Sophie Lambert have found a body.

Her family alerted police later that evening and extensive searches were carried out.

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Searches for missing Starbeck woman Sophie Lambert are continuing this evening, as her disappearance goes into a fifth night.

There has been no update from North Yorkshire Police since yesterday, but officers are still out around Nidd Gorge.

The area has been the focus for the search since the weekend, conducted by North Yorkshire Police officers alongside mountain and underwater rescue crews.

Members of the public are also covering as much ground as possible to try to find the 22-year-old.

Sophie’s family has also asked the community to get involved in the search and has invited people to meet at Conyngham Hall car park at 6pm today. From there, people will go out in groups to continue searching into the evening.

Those helping with the efforts have been posting the routes they have taken in a Facebook group dedicated to the search for Sophie, which now has more than 1,600 members.

Anyone who sees Sophie is urged to call 999 and speak to North Yorkshire Police, quoting reference 12230110845.

Meanwhile, posters have been put up across Harrogate and Knaresborough asking people to look for her.

Mountain rescue organisations have also been involved in the search

Sophie left home around 6.50pm on Friday evening and was seen 15 minutes later on CCTV, but has not been seen since.

However, police revealed yesterday that her mobile phone, bank card and top had been found by a member of the public near the river at Nidd Gorge in Bilton on Saturday morning.

At a press conference in the area yesterday afternoon, critical incident inspector Graham Waller said:

“We are very concerned for Sophie’s welfare.

“It’s totally out of character for her to be away from home for this long.

“At the moment we don’t have any suggestion she has come to harm but we are keeping an open mind.”

An appeal video was posted by North Yorkshire Police yesterday evening

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A mobile phone, bank card and a top belonging to missing Sophie Lambert have been found, police said today.

The possessions were discovered by a member of the public on Saturday morning near the river at Nidd Gorge, which is the focus of the search for the 22-year-old from Starbeck.

North Yorkshire Police revealed the news at a media call today, at which they said a 30-strong search party consisting of police, mountain and underwater rescues had been combing the 500-metres area around where the items were found in Bilton.

Sophie Lambert

They added helicopters and dogs had also been employed in the operation.

Inspector Graham Waller, the critical incident inspector based at Harrogate, said there had been “no positive sightings” of Sophie in the 72 hours since she disappeared.

Insp Graham Waller pictured at the police search scene today.

He added the search would widen and continue “as long as necessary” during daylight hours if Sophie is not found. He said:

“We are very concerned for Sophie’s welfare.

“It’s totally out of character for her to be away from home for this long.

“At the moment we don’t have any suggestion she has come to harm but we are keeping an open mind.”

Asked what people could do to help, and whether they should take part in search parties, Insp Waller urged people to “remain vigilant” and contact the police if they had any information but said he would “discourage” members of the public taking part in search parties because of the “difficult terrain” in Nidd Gorge.

In today’s update, police said Sophie was last seen at home by her family at 6.50pm on Friday night and then captured shortly afterwards on CCTV camera at 7.06pm.

She was wearing dark trousers, a black top with a white adidas logo and dark shoes with a white sole. She had her hair tied back and was carrying a bottle with a pink lid.

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North Yorkshire Police has released CCTV footage in the search for missing Harrogate woman Sophie Lambert, 22.

Sophie was reported missing from her home in Starbeck at 10.10pm on Friday having last been seen by her family at 7.20pm before she left the house.

CCTV footage taken on the night she disappeared shows she was wearing dark trousers, a black top with a white adidas logo and dark shoes with a white sole. She had her hair tied back and was carrying a bottle with a pink lid.

Concerns are growing for Sophie Lambert.

A police statement said:

“Concerns are growing for her welfare and North Yorkshire Police are currently making extensive house-to-house enquiries to help find her.

“Police searches have continued today in the Nidd Gorge area with assistance from search and rescue.”

Sophie is described as white, 5ft 3in with a slim build

She has a distinctive scar on her forehead which is likely to be noticeable.

The police statement added:

“If you have seen a woman matching Sophie’s description or photograph, please call North Yorkshire Police immediately on 999, quoting reference 12230110845.”

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North Yorkshire Police has today issued a fresh photo of missing Harrogate woman Sophie Lambert, as concerns for her welfare grow.

Sophie, 22, was reported missing from her home in Starbeck at 10.10pm on Friday. She was last seen by her family at 7.20pm before she left the house.

Police issued an urgent appeal for help yesterday by asking anyone with information or possible sightings to get in touch. They said a search and rescue team was taking part in an extensive operation to find her in the Nidd Gorge area.

Police said today concerns were growing for Sophie’s welfare and issued a more recent photo and updated description.

Sophie Lambert

A statement said:

“Sophie is described as white, 5ft 3in, aged in her early 20s, slim build, with long dark brown hair that is possibly plaited or wavy.

“She has a distinctive scar on her forehead which is likely to be noticeable.

“It is unknown what clothing she has on, but her family said she tends to wear jogging bottoms and has dark green Adidas trainers with a white sole.

“If you have seen a woman matching Sophie’s description or photograph, please call North Yorkshire Police immediately on 999 quoting reference 12230110845.”

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