A mystery carver is turning felled trees into seats in Nidd Gorge.

Since the weekend, at least two trees have been transformed into seats — and the artisan even appears to sign his or her work.

Paul Haslam, the Conservative councillor for Harrogate Old Bilton on Harrogate District Council, posted about the phenomenon after noticing it twice since the weekend.

He told the Stray Ferret the trees, believed to be conifers, were probably felled as part of a policy to remove non-indigenous species, and they appeared to have been lying on the ground for years.

Both seats that have appeared bear this symbol, which suggests the carver is signing the work.

Cllr Haslam added it appeared the person uses traditional hand tools, adding it was a great use of natural resources.

His job as an executive coach involves teaching people to lead stress-free lives and he said being close to nature could help to achieve this.

He added on his Facebook page:

“Thank you for creating places for people to sit and appreciate the tranquility. Being in nature is vital to our wellbeing.”

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A family whose memorial bench in Nidd Gorge was vandalised on Friday has been informed by Harrogate Borough Council the bench will be replaced free of cost.

Sylvia James, who erected the bench for her late husband Colin in 2016, told the Stray Ferret she received the news from the council this morning.

She said the council had said it would replace the bench for free because the cast-iron end pieces were still intact.

Ms James set up a fundraising page to raise money to cover the cost. Although she set a target of £300, a relative then told her that the cost may be as high as £1000.

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Ms James said the bench was incredibly important to her because of the shared memories she had with her late husband:

“When Colin was really ill we would park the car on Bilton Lane and he could just about manage to walk to the bench round the corner from there and he’d sit there and get his strength back. So obviously I want it in the same place, it’s for the memory that goes with it.”

The fundraiser has raised £540 so far. Mrs James had planned to donate any excess money to Saint Michael’s Hospice, which helped care for Mr James during his illness.

Now she intends to donate the full amount to the hospice. Mrs James said of the hospice:

“They were just marvellous, they really looked after him.”

We did not receive a response from the council by the time of publication.

The people of Bilton head to the ballot box on Thursday to elect a new county councillor for the Bilton and Nidd Gorge division.

The election is being held following the death of Liberal Democrat councillor Geoff Webber.

We spoke to different Biltonians to find out what are the issues that matter to most them.

We will ask each candidate standing in the by-election what they will do to tackle the issues raised and publish their responses tomorrow. Read more about each candidate here.

Debbie Dilasser moved to Bilton with her family in 2006.

She said she “loves living here” but that anti-social behaviour is an increasing problem. She thinks community wardens could be employed to talk to young people who might be mixed up in bad behaviour.

She said:

“Anti-social behaviour is definitely on the increase. There are a lot of suspected drug deals happening on back streets.”

Ms Dilasser said she wants to see councillors active in the local community.

“Councillors should be representative of their constituency and unsettle the status quo.”

She said due to the proliferation of new housing in Harrogate, Bilton gets “short-changed” when it comes to infrastructure. She also thinks councillors can do more to improve other things such as street lighting.

“There’s not a lot of space. Schools and doctor’s surgeries are all full.”

“Street lighting around here is quite bad. If I come back home late at night they are not very good at all”.

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Steve Pepper is a retired businessman and ran the Bilton community and police group until 2010.

He said safety is an important issue to him and praised the late Geoff Webber for his contributions on the issue.

He said:

“Geoff Webber always supported the group and turned up at every meeting.

“We got some good advice from him. He was a typical local councillor and if we can find someone like that who can represent our community on the council then I’ll be happy.”

Mr Pepper said national issues such as the government lobbying scandal won’t be playing on his mind when he votes. He said the national political parties “are all as bad as each other”.

He is proud of the Nidderdale Greenway but said dog fouling is an increasing problem and more action needs to be taken to clean the popular cycling and walking route up from discarded poo bags and mess.

“If horses eat dog poo it can cause them problems. Why people don’t take their bags home, God only knows”.

Andrew Castelow lives in Bilton with his family and said environmental issues are important when he votes in local elections.

He said he was proud of the local efforts to create Long Lands Common and the fight to protect Nidd Gorge from a new “relief road”.

North Yorkshire County Council rejected the relief road proposal in 2019 and Mr Castelow said he hopes the controversial issue doesn’t come back on the table in the future.

“I can’t see the relief road idea coming back as an issue in the next year or two, but in another five years it depends on how rapidly things change with people working from home.”

He said anti-social behaviour and crime is not an issue in the part of Bilton where his family lives, “and long may that continue.”

Congestion on Skipton Road is a long-standing problem and he would like to see more bus services to help encourage car drivers off the road.

“Congestion is an issue. It would be more helpful to see more local bus services”

“The town has done a commendable job getting electric buses, but we have to walk further than we’d like to our nearest stop.”

Vandals who have destroyed two memorial benches in the Nidd Gorge have left the Harrogate families behind them devastated.

A group set up to protect the area found the benches in a sorry state yesterday and posted pictures of the remnants on the “Keeping Nidd Gorge Gorgeous” Facebook page.

The sight of the broken bench is too much to bear for Sylvia James, who bought it to keep the memory of her husband Colin James alive.

Colin died when he was 55-years-old from cancer in 2015. He was born in Manchester but moved to Harrogate to be with Sylvia and loved to go on dog walks in the Nidd Gorge.

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For that reason Sylvia bought the bench and she often goes to sit on the bench to be with her husband. She told the Stray Ferret that she will replace it as soon as possible:

“What a way to find out. I haven’t been up to see the bench and I can’t go there because I think it would tear me apart.

“It’s just such mindless devastation. This is a memorial, it is there for a reason. When I go up there and sit there I am with him.

“The bench has been there since 2016 and it has been fine. I didn’t know that people would even do a thing like this.”

Steven Worrell-Shaw, Sylvia and Colin’s son in law, set up a fundraising page with a £300 target to replace the broken bench

Within a day generous people have beaten that target and have donated £450. Sylvia says any money not needed will go to St Michael’s Hospice, a charity which cared for Colin before he died.

North Yorkshire firefighters came to the rescue of a Labrador called Henry when he fell 15 metres into a ravine at Nidd Gorge yesterday.

Henry fell from a path at the popular dog walking spot but fortunately landed on a ledge.

Henry’s owner tried to scramble to his rescue but was unable to reach him.

North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service was summoned to help at 11.15am.

Crews from Harrogate, Ripon and Tadcaster came to his aid in the gorge woodland, to the west of Knaresborough.

Using specialist rope equipment known as a gotcha pack, a firefighter was lowered into the ravine to save the dog.

The firefighter wrapped Henry in a salvage sheet and brought him back to safety.

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Police have issued photos of a man they want to trace after a report that a man performed a sex act on himself near the River Nidd in Knaresborough.

The incident happened in view of members of the public in a wooded area near the river in Nidd Gorge while a number of people, including children, were nearby.

It took place on the afternoon of August 10 last year, but North Yorkshire Police has only today issued the photos.

The man is described as white and aged between 50 and 60. He was naked apart from dark-coloured hiking boots, a baseball cap and a black watch. Police said he had noticeable tan lines around his legs and was carrying clothing in his left hand.

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Officers now want to speak to the man in the photos as they believe he will have information to help with the investigation. A spokesperson for North Yorkshire Police said:

“The incident is one of a number of similar incidents reported over the past year and officers are looking into whether or not the incidents are connected.”

Anyone who can help to identify the man in the photos is asked to contact North Yorkshire Police on 101, select option two and ask for Alex Langley, or email alex.langley@northyorkshire.pnn.police.uk.

Alternatively, to report information anonymously, call Crimestoppers on 0800 555111 and quote reference number 12200150877.

Police are appealing for help to identify a man after a car window was smashed and a handbag stolen at Nidd Gorge car park.

North Yorkshire Police released a CCTV image of the man yesterday and said it wanted to speak to him.

The man is described as bald and around 5ft 8ins to 5ft 10ins tall. He was captured on camera wearing a green jacket, possibly a wax/Barbour style, and black trousers.

Nidd Gorge is a popular beauty spot often frequented by dog walkers.

A woman’s car rear window was smashed while she was walking her dog between 9am and 10.10am on November 3.

North Yorkshire Police said in a statement it wanted the public to “help establish the full circumstances surrounding the incident”. It added:

“In particular, we are appealing for information about any suspects that might have been seen in the car park on the morning of the incident.”

Anyone with information can contact North Yorkshire Police on 101, select option 2, and ask for Daniel Fawkes or email daniel.fawkes@northyorkshire.pnn.police.uk

If you wish to remain anonymous, you can pass information to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

Quote the North Yorkshire Police reference number 12200193289

Bilton Conservation Group has criticised horse riders for damaging a boardwalk in Nidd Gorge.

The group, whose responsibilities include repairing footpaths and boardwalks, has urged dog walkers to avoid the area until repairs are complete.

George Moore, membership secretary of the group, said a witness saw horses crossing the boardwalk on the cross path intersection of Milne’s Lane. He added:

“This was thoughtless damage caused by unknown horse riders in the Nidd Gorge.

“Bilton Conservation Group has a backlog of repairs to carry out in Nidd Gorge and this unwanted damage will cost us dearly in time, effort and cost.

“Whilst the boardwalk is still passable with due care it is not recommended for folk with dogs to use at this present time.”

The group, which was set up in 1982 to protect the rural environment of Bilton, hopes to complete the repairs next week.

They are predicted to cost £50 and require 20 hours of work.

In the meantime the group has asked walkers to be wary in the vicinity.

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