A Cornish Bakery is set to open on Harrogate’s prestigious James Street.

The eat-in or take-out bakery will be based in the former Paperchase unit that closed at the end of May.

Cornish Bakery , which has more than 50 shops in the UK, sells pasties, breakfast pastries, cakes and coffees. It also provides a mail order service.

It is one of six new bakeries planned this year by the firm, which in February announced pre-tax profits of £3.1 million in the financial year ending May 2022. Its nearest store is currently in York.

Agents acting on behalf of Cornish Bakery founder Stephen Grocutt have submitted plans to North Yorkshire Council to display new signs outside the building.

Paperchase closed in May.

Recruitment adverts for positions within the company in Harrogate have also appeared online.

The planning documents do not say when the store will open. However,

The shop will be close to the Cornish Pasty Bakery in the Victoria Shopping Centre as well as two town centre Greggs, which also sells pasties.

Read more:

• Paperchase in Harrogate to close tomorrow
• Traffic order issued to close part of Harrogate’s James Street to vehicles

Pure Gym is to open its newest gym in Knaresborough tomorrow.

The gym, which will employ nine staff, will be open from 6am to 10pm Monday to Friday and from 8am to 8pm on Saturday and Sunday.

It will provide about 40 classes a week free to members.

It has 220 pieces of equipment, a functional zone, a free weights area, cardio equipment and a fitness studio. Certified PTs will be available to help.

Based on the site of the former Lidl supermarket on York Road, the gym will welcome its first customers at midday tomorrow.

A typical Pure Gym layout. Pic: James McCauley

A Pure Gym spokesperson said:

“Our newest gym will offer members high-quality, low-cost fitness facilities and provide them with access to state-of-the-art equipment to use to achieve their fitness goals whenever they choose.”

Tomorrow’s opening means Knaresborough and Harrogate will both have Pure Gyms — but not Ripon. The Stray Ferret asked the company if it had any plans t open in the city.

The spokesperson said:

“We are always on the lookout for new sites that will enable us to provide as many people as possible with access to affordable, flexible fitness.

“We currently don’t have any concrete plans for a site in Ripon, but will continue to keep an eye out for potential locations for our next Pure Gym.”

Pure Gym was launched in 2009 and now has 1.2 million members and 340 UK clubs.

It is majority owned by American private equity firm Leonard Green & Partners.

Read more:

• Pure Gym to open in former Knaresborough supermarket
• New opening dates for Harrogate and Knaresborough leisure centres revealed

National chain Pure Gym has confirmed it will open its Knaresborough branch in May, after a delay from its planned opening this month.

The gym, on the site of the former Lidl supermarket on York Road in Knaresborough, is already inviting locals to sign up for membership.

It has an opening offer of £12.99 per month for the first six months, after which the price rises to £23.99.

Pure Gym first revealed it was planning to take on the Knaresborough site last March. In November, it said it planned to be open by March this year but this has been pushed back by two months.

The York Road site was previously a Lidl supermarket until 2018. During covid, it was used as a vaccination site by Homecare Pharmacy Services until it moved to larger premises on nearby Chain Lane in September.

A Pure Gym spokesperson said:

“Following some delays to building works, we can confirm that our contractors are now on site and doing all they can to get PureGym Knaresborough open as soon as possible.

“The brand-new gym, which is expected to open in mid-May, will provide members with an extensive range of first class fitness equipment including a functional zone, free weights area, cardio equipment, fixed resistance and fitness studio – all available with Pure Gym’s affordable and flexible memberships.

“We look forward to welcoming new members to Pure Gym Knaresborough in the coming months.”

Read more:

• Temporary £300,000 gym at Ripon’s Jack Laugher centre to open next month
• Harrogate man wins landmark disabled settlement against major gym chain

This story is sponsored by Lucy Pittaway.

One of the UK’s favourite artists says she has been “blown away” by the reception since opening her new gallery in Harrogate before Christmas. 

Lucy Pittaway already has four other galleries across the North – in Richmond, Yarm, Keswick and near her home in Brompton-on-Swale – where she sells original artwork and prints of her paintings, which she calls “art that makes you smile” – but wanted a presence a little further south. 

She said: 

“We’ve been blown away by the reception we’ve had in Harrogate – not just from other traders, but from local people coming into the gallery too.The feedback’s been wonderful. The gallery has been really well received, which makes us feel we’ve definitely made the right decision opening here.

“Footfall’s been incredibly strong. We were getting people wanting to come in before we’d even opened. It’s actually been quite challenging, because we’ve had to take on more people just to cope with demand.”

Lucy Pittaway graduated from Northumbria University with a degree in Graphic Design, and went on to teach and lecture at Darlington Technical College of Art and Design. It was only after she had started a family with childhood sweetheart Neil that she felt it was the perfect time to pursue her lifelong dream of becoming a professional artist.  

Her pictures, which often feature scenes, animals and characters from the Yorkshire Dales, can now be found in homes and galleries across the UK and beyond. 

She has won an armful of prestigious awards from the Fine Art Trade Guild, including Best Up-and-Coming Artist, Best Art Website of the Year, and the UK’s Most Popular Published Artist in 2018, 2019 and 2022. 

Nevertheless, when Lucy decided to open her gallery in the heart of Harrogate, on Prospect Place at the end of James Street, she had little idea of how local traders would respond – but she needn’t have worried. 

She said: 

“Coming to Harrogate has been really eye-opening. It’s a very welcoming town. From a business-to-business point of view, we were really quite overwhelmed by the help we received from [tourism body] Destination Harrogate. They took a lot of time out to answer all our questions about recruitment, seasonality, advertising and business organisations.

“Other businesses have been very supportive too, and I think that says a lot about the genuine nature of businesses in Harrogate. They want to do the best for their customers and are interested in improving choice on the high street.”

Buoyed by the success of the Harrogate opening, Lucy is now hoping to repeat the achievement in other towns in the region. 

She said:

“We’ve just gone through some major renovation at our head office in Brompton-on-Swale, and have invested a lot in new warehousing and office space, which will help us feed more galleries and expand. 

“We want to bring a vibrancy to the high street to make people smile. We’re planning to open more galleries this year – so watch this space!” 

Find out more:

Discover why Lucy Pittaway is the UK’s most popular published artist by visiting her newest gallery at 21 Prospect Place, Harrogate.

Or check out her latest paintings on her award-winning website, lucypittaway.co.uk.

The YMCA has confirmed it will open a shop in the former Argos unit on the Marshall Way retail park in Ripon.

A spokeswoman for the YMCA, which helps young people, said the shop would sell furniture and electrical goods as well as the usual charity items and donations “would be hugely appreciated”.

She added the opening date had yet-to-be confirmed but it was “looking like early February”.

The spokeswoman said:

“The store will employ a manager and two assistant managers initially and we are looking for volunteers for a variety of roles.

“We will start shop set up work from next week so things will start to happen.”

Argos relocated to the Sainsbury’s site on Market Place East after the covid lockdown was lifted.

Read more:

• Harrogate YMCA shop to close after just two years
• Ripon Salvation Army appeal helped hundreds across the Harrogate district

A sensory garden created purposefully for visually impaired people in Harrogate was officially opened today.

Spenceley Gardens on Station Parade in Harrogate was refurbished in a joint initiative between Harrogate Borough Council, RHS Garden Harlow Carr and Vision Support Harrogate District.

The gardens, which were originally created in 1973 after the land was gifted to the council by Alderman George Spenceley, has been planted with grasses and herbs to create a sensory area. Braille plaques have been installed to help visually impaired people identify the various plants.

Harrogate borough mayor, Councillor Victoria Oldham and deputy lord-lieutenant Simon Mackness opened the site today.

Councillor Sam Gibbs, the council’s cabinet member for environment, waste reduction and recycling, said:

“I’m delighted to see Spenceley Gardens has been given a new lease of life. The Harrogate district is internationally recognised for its horticultural offering and this sensory garden perfectly complements that.”

The new garden was designed by Phil Keesing and planted by a team of horticulturists from RHS Harlow Carr with the support of students, following funding from local resident Patricia Swallow.

A new sign for the garden has also been designed and provided by Vision Support Harrogate.

Herbs in the garden include sage, rosemary, thyme and southernwood.

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Paul Cook, curator at RHS Garden Harlow Carr said:

“A key part of the RHS vision is to enrich everyone’s life through plants and so we wanted to create a garden full of flowers, herbs and grasses that heighten the senses of smell, touch and sound to ensure the garden is a truly immersive experience for visually impaired people to enjoy.

Who was George Spenceley?

Nick, Julian and Adrian Spenceley, grandchildren of George Spenceley, said in a statement:

“Our grandfather, George Albert Spenceley is fondly remembered by all of us.

“His abiding loves were music and gardens and helped establish the Harrogate cultural scene after the war, inviting Sir John Barbirolli and the Halle Orchestra up to perform in the town.

“Setting up the sensory garden was typical of the warm-hearted, generous grandad we knew. He was to pass away just two years after the garden was established, so this was the last public act he performed.

“He would be delighted to see that they have now got a new lease of life.”

Harrogate sandwich shop Nibble & Nosh has reopened after closing for two years.

The shop is under new management and has returned to its original location at Station Parade having briefly opened last august inside Harrogate Brunch Club.

A new carvery-based menu will be available alongside cakes and freshly brewed coffee.

Steve Butcher, who is both chef and owner of Nibble & Nosh, said:

“After the widespread effect that covid has had on businesses throughout the pandemic, we are very excited to be back, not only in Harrogate but also in our spiritual home at 11 Station Parade. We look forward to welcoming back customers both old and new.”

Nibble & Nosh has also made itself available online for deliveries six days a week.

Read More: 

• Chocolate project seeks new business links to build on students’ growth
• Harrogate district covid rate halves in three weeks

Harrogate Borough Council has delayed the opening of a new pool in Ripon — again.

The pool was due to be completed in May 2021 at a cost of £10.2 million but it is now eight months overdue and £4 million over-budget.

At the end of November, the council said workers had identified an issue with the lining of the pool and that it would open in January.

But an update by the council today revealed further delays and no opening date.

Read more:

• Ripon leisure scheme racks up additional £1m cost
• Ripon’s delayed leisure scheme more than £3m over budget

It said:

“The pool manufacturer has been carrying out additional work to resolve this issue, at no cost to us, and are continuing to do so.

“We were hopeful the pool would open this month but due to the complexity of the work involved it is taking longer than first anticipated.

“We’d like to reassure you that this has nothing to do with ground conditions and relates to the overflow drainage channel and the membrane around the edge of the pool.

“Once this work has been completed – which we hope won’t be too much longer – we will need to carry out some final testing ahead of opening.

“We are as disappointed as you, but carrying out this remedial work and rigorous testing now will allow you all to enjoy the pool for many years to come.”

The council added that it hopes to have a further update “in the coming days”.

Harrogate’s first food hall is to close just six months after it opened in the former Jamie Oliver restaurant on Parliament Street.

Solita Food Hall Harrogate, which is set over two floors and a rooftop terrace, started serving customers in May.

It has six different stalls, all under the Shoot The Bull brand, and also welcomes other independent businesses on board. It created 30 jobs.

Founder Chris Harrison, chief executive of Shoot The Bull, told the Stray Ferret earlier in the year he hoped Harrogate would welcome the concept with open arms. However, Mr Harrison confirmed today that the Harrogate venue will close at the end of the year.

He added that staff would be offered employment at the next restaurant set to take on the building.

Read more:

• Steakhouse set to open at empty Harrogate restaurant
• First food hall opens in Harrogate next week

Tomahawk Steakhouse, which had been planning to move into the empty Bistrot Pierre restaurant on Cheltenham Parade, is now planning to move into Solita Food Hall’s space.

The steakhouse had planned to open in January but with the change of location it is unclear at this stage when it will open for business.

A post on its Facebook page said:

Co-founder Howard Eggleston has been planning to bring his steakhouse brand to Harrogate for four years.

With a story behind each and every product on the shelves, a colourful new charity shop is preparing to open its doors in Harrogate tomorrow.

Artizan International’s debut store on Oxford Street will sell crafts made by disabled people from the UK, Peru and Ecuador.

The charity, which was previously known as Craft Aid International, was founded by Susie Hart when she returned to Harrogate from Tanzania 10 years ago.

The shop sells bright cushions, lampshades, jewellery, headbands and more made by disabled people. The charity trains them in crafts and gives them a living through the sales.

A new shop in Harrogate on Oxford Street in the former Harrogate Hub.

Picking up a pair of pink earrings off the shelf, Ms Hart explained to the Stray Ferret how the charity changes lives:

“They were made by a young man in Peru called Steven who uses a wheelchair. He had never had a job before and had never been able to support his girlfriend. Things were really desperate for him before he joined us.”

The pink earrings made by Steven.

The new shop on Oxford Street is the former home of Harrogate Hub, which no longer needed the space so offered it to Artizan at half the price.

When an anonymous donor heard about this, they stepped in with £200,000 to help Artizan buy the building.

Read more:

• New barbers opens in Harrogate town centre
• New shop opens in Killinghall today

Juggling the new shop with the charity’s existing work has been a huge challenge over the last few months.

The coronavirus lockdown meant all of the craft sessions and tutorials abroad and at home needed to stop or move online.

Bright and colourful headbands on the shelves.

It also meant all of the Artizan teams in Peru and Ecuador had to stop production. They still have some stock leftover from before the pandemic but Harrogate Scrubbers also stepped in to help fill the shelves.

Artizan plans to open a cafe in the building at the start of next year staffed solely by people with hearing disabilities.

Would you like to spread the word about your shop opening? No matter how small the shop get in touch with the Stray Ferret.