Two tourist attractions in the Harrogate district have announced closures and cancellations due to a yellow weather warning for wind.
The Met Office has forecast gusts of up to 50mph locally in the early hours of Thursday morning. The wind is due to strengthen tomorrow night.
Mother Shipton’s, in Knaresborough, announced today it will close as a precaution.
It issued a statement on social media:
“Given our unique location within an ancient forest, ensuring the safety of our visitors is our top priority.
“Consequently, we have made the challenging decision to temporarily close the site on Thursday due to the adverse weather conditions.”
Those with bookings to the site on Thursday have been contacted and will receive refunds, the company added.
One person commented on the statement:
“So gutted this was the only Christmas thing we had planned due to time and budget but understand safety has to come first.”
RHS Harlow Carr
RHS Garden Harlow Carr, in Harrogate, today announced it had cancelled Thursday’s Glow light show event due to the weather.
The horticultural charity said on social media:
“Unfortunately, Thursday’s Glow will be cancelled. This is to ensure the safety of all our visitors, staff and volunteers.“We are very sorry for the inconvenience and disappointment this is likely to cause, and we thank you for your understanding. All bookers for 21 December’s Glow event have been emailed today and will be given a full refund.”
The company said the gardens will be open as usual tomorrow, but added it will “keep reviewing wind speeds and may need to close the woodland and glasshouses”.
It expects tomorrow’s Glow event to go ahead.
The garden will be part-open during the day tomorrow, with the woodland and glasshouses closed.
The weather warning is in place for the north of England, Scotland and parts of Northern Ireland.
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MPs watch: ‘anger’ over partygate and Northern Ireland politics
Every month the Stray Ferret tries to find out what our local MPs have been up to in their constituencies and in the House of Commons.
This month, historic elections in Northern Ireland saw Sinn Fein become the largest party and the Sue Gray Downing Street parties report was finally published.
We asked our three Conservative MPs, Harrogate & Knaresborough’s Andrew Jones, Skipton and Ripon’s Julian Smith, and Selby and Ainsty’s Nigel Adams if they would like to highlight anything in particular that they have been doing this month, but, as usual, we did not receive a response from any of them.
Here is what we know after analysing their online presence.
Andrew Jones, Harrogate and Knaresborough MP.
In Harrogate and Knaresborough, here is what we found out on Mr Jones:
- On May 5, Mr Jones attended the council election count at the Harrogate Convention Centre. He refused to speak with the Stray Ferret when approached for comment on the results.
- On May 12, Mr Jones said in the Commons that he has been contacted by ‘distressed constituents’ who are waiting for their passports. He said: “It can be highly stressful for them to be chasing documents as they approach departure day.”
- He was back in Harrogate the next day to cut a ribbon and officially open the new Carer’s Resource centre in Harrogate.
- On May 17, he met TV presenter and campaigner Quentin Willson to discuss electric vehicles.
- On May 20, Mr Jones told Parliament that cuts to Northern train services will damage business and make it impossible for some commuters to be at work on time.
- On May 22, the MP was spotted campaigning for the Conservatives in Wakefield for the upcoming by-election.
- On May 23, Mr Jones voted for the government’s Public Order Bill. Critics of the bill say it will erode people’s right to protest.
- On May 24, Mr Jones asked Thirsk MP Kevin Hollinrake if the Home Office has promised any extra funding for local services impacted by the Linton-on-Ouse asylum centre. Mr Hollinrake replied: “Apparently there will be a double-manned police car in the village at all times.”
- On May 27, Mr Jones met the group Melanoma Focus and posed for a photo.
- Harrogate & Knaresborough Conservative MP Andrew Jones wrote to a constituent that he feels “anger” over partygate — but would not say whether he has submitted a letter of no confidence in Prime Minister Boris Johnson.
Read more:
Julian Smith, MP for Skipton and Ripon.
In Skipton and Ripon, here is what we found on Mr Smith:
- On May 1, Mr Smith met with the Tory candidates in Ripon for the North Yorkshire County Council elections Cllr Mike Chambers and Thomas Averre. Both candidates failed to win on May 5.
- The MP wrote an op-ed in the Daily Mail following the elections in Northern Ireland that saw Sinn Fein become the largest party for the first time. He warned the union between the UK and Northern Ireland is under threat.
- On May 18, Mr Smith met Pateley Bridge artist James Owen Thomas. Mr Thomas likes to express himself through the beauty of the outdoors.
- On the same day, Mr Smith met Justin Scully, general manager of Fountains Abbey, to discuss the Skell Valley Project.
- In an interview with Politics Home’s podcast The Rundown, Smith suggested there was a “question” over how committed some MPs are to Northern Ireland.
- Mr Smith spoke in the Commons for the first time in two months in a debate about the Northern Ireland Troubles Bill. He said “For Northern Ireland to come to terms with its past, there is a need for acknowledgement from all sides: from the IRA for the thousands of murders; from loyalists for the hundreds of killings; from the Irish Government for their role in the troubles; and for the killings and collusion by UK forces.”
In rural south Harrogate, here is what we found on Mr Adams:
- On May 25, the Boris Johnson ally backed the PM following publication of the Sue Gray report. He tweeted: “He now needs to get on with the job, levelling up the country, tackling global challenges inc cost of living & Ukraine crisis & delivering for the country & for the people who put their faith in him in 2019.”
- On May 22, the MP hit out at London Northwestern Railway following a My Chemical Romance concert in Milton Keynes. He thundered: “Dear @LNRailway a disgrace you have not arranged enough trains to get hundreds of young people home after midnight following a concert in Milton Keynes.”
- The MP revealed himself as a fan of pop-punk act Blink 182 during a discussion about the celebrity wedding of Kourtney Kardashian and the band’s drummer Travis Barker. He tweeted: “To be fair, @travisbarker is one of the best drummers I’ve seen and worthy of his fame.”
- In The Times on May 18, Mr Adams co-authored an article with York Outer MP, and former Harrogate councillor, Julian Sturdy, that said Great British Railways should be based in York.
- He twice criticised Labour leader Keir Starmer over the so-called ‘beergate’ row. “Wowser”, he tweeted. “The hypocrisy of
@Keir_Starmer has been breathtaking and he’ll need some fancy lawyer dance moves to explain this one away.”
Skipton and Ripon Conservative MP Julian Smith has called on the government to negotiate a settlement over the Northern Ireland protocol rather than make changes unilaterally.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson is due to visit Northern Ireland today amid reports that the government is set to introduce legislation that would override part of the Brexit agreement.
The protocol was agreed as part of post-Brexit trading arrangements, but has faced scrutiny following the Northern Ireland Assembly elections on May 5.
Unionist politicians have raised concern about how the measures are working and refused to engage with the assembly, meaning a new administration cannot be formed.
Mr Smith, who was the government’s Northern Ireland secretary from 2019 until 2020, called for ministers to negotiate a settlement.
He told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme this morning:
“The protocol is popular with business.
“There are major technical issues, but business likes the fact that they face both ways to the UK and EU markets.”
He called for both EU and UK government negotiators to come up with a “fudge” over the protocol:
“I think we need the EU and UK negotiators to spend some positive time in a locked room and come up with a deal.
“We need a political deal. We need a fudge.”
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