Scope has closed its Knaresborough charity shop after 35 years on the High Street.

The store, which opened in 1988, served its last customer on Saturday.

It stocked second-hand clothing and accessories and was one of 190 Scope retail stores in the UK. Profits fund the charity’s work to campaign for disability equality.

Debbie Boylen head of retail at Scope, said the store was “no longer viable to trade”, adding:

“We were very sad to close our charity shop in Knaresborough, we have had such incredible support from this wonderful and generous community.

“The cost-of-living crisis, coupled with the pandemic, has placed an enormous pressure on stores trading on high streets across the UK, with significant and lengthy closure periods.”

Despite the closure, Knaresborough still has another seven charity shops, including Oxfam and Cancer Research UK, to shop at.

Scope also has a store on Beulah Street in Harrogate.

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A pair of Louis Vuitton shoes donated to Harrogate’s Oxfam shop have appeared in a national campaign to promote secondhand shopping.

Television presenter Miquita Oliver was tasked with giving her mum and grandma a charity shop makeover for an article in The Guardian.

Worn by her grandma, the shoes, priced at £225, are vintage size 7 blue mules from Louis Vuitton of Paris.

They are described as ‘quality leather with the LV embossed in leather’.

The newspaper feature promotes Secondhand September. Now in its fourth year, Oxfam’s annual campaign challenges shoppers to buy only secondhand clothes for a month. It is aimed at promoting sustainability as “fast fashion” continues to dominate the high street.

According to Oxfam, when a new pair of jeans is made, an estimated 16.2kg of CO2 is emitted – the equivalent of driving more than 58 miles in a car.

Thanks to Harrogate’s affluence, volunteers at the Harrogate charity shop, on Montpellier Parade, describe opening every box or bag as a bit like Christmas.

Online shop manager Frances Wood said:

“We get really excited when it’s worth a lot of money. That’s part of the joy of it. You open a bag and you don’t know what it’s going to be. You name it, we get it in here.”

Approximately £29 million is raised each year from selling clothes in Oxfam shops. Designer clothing is a major stream of revenue for the charity and also helps to support sustainability.

While you can find some of it on the shop rails, the more expensive items tend to go on Oxfam’s online store, which lists the location where the piece has been donated.

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The site currently includes a Prada dress, priced at £180, Christian Dior boots, which are £800, and a gold necklace, listed at £1,200 – all donated in Harrogate.

James Smith, Oxfam Harrogate’s bookshop manager, said:

“While we also have a lot in the shop, the prices you can get online are much higher. It’s a big money maker.”

James Smith with a Prada dress and Christian Dior boots, donated to Harrogate’s Oxfam shop.

And it doesn’t stop at clothing, with designer homeware and rare books also donated.

Mr Smith said:

“We get amazing things in here. We sold a designer purse for £1,000. Every week something goes on the website for hundreds of pounds.

“A couple of years ago we had a set of art journals from Paris from 1930, which went for £2,000.”

Oxfam Harrogate is looking for volunteers to help list items online. Call the shop on 01423 565497 or email oxfamshopf0609@oxfam.org.uk to get involved.

A Harry Potter book is set to fetch thousands at auction after it was found in a carrier bag of children’s books at a Harrogate charity shop.

The rare first edition of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone was donated to the Oxfam bookshop on Oxford Street this summer.

The shop’s manager, James Smith, said they received a number of Harry Potter books every week.

However, he had a feeling this one was different.

He said:

“It just came in a carrier bag of kids books. It’s in good condition, but it’s not shiny and new.

“A child has clearly read it and enjoyed it and then perhaps grown up and left home and told their parents to donate it to a charity shop without realising its value.”

Working his way through a ‘checklist’ of identifying features that mark it out as a first edition, Mr Smith said he was shaking when he was able to tick them all off.

The main characteristics of a 1997 first edition first issue are a print line that reads 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 and the crediting of “Joanne Rowling”, not JK.

Mr Smith added:

“On the back of the book the word ‘philosopher’s’ is misspelled in the title.

“On page 53 there is a list of school supplies Harry needs for Hogwarts. The item ‘1 wand’ is listed twice by mistake.

“When you open the first page, usually the Hogwarts crest is there. This one didn’t have it. That is what made me realise there is something different about this one. This is when you have to have eyes in the back of your head. We are always looking as we regularly get amazing things donated in Harrogate.

“When I opened the next page and saw the print line, I thought ‘oh my goodness we’ve got one’. It makes me quiver, just thinking about it.

“When I started looking at prices, there are some going for £10,000.”

The book is waiting to be catalogued at Tennants auctioneers, in Leyburn.

It has yet to be valued, but it has been given an estimation of around £3,000. It is expected to go under the hammer in November.

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Business Breakfast is sponsored by Harrogate law firm Truth Legal. 

Experienced fundraiser joins Harrogate mental health charity

A new head of fundraising has been appointed at a Harrogate counselling and training charity.

Kennie Cheung, whose experience includes time at Oxfam and a cancer charity in her native Hong Kong, joins Wellspring Training and Therapy in Starbeck.

Emily Fullarton, the executive director of Wellspring, said demand for mental health care had risen and was continuing to grow since the covid pandemic. She added:

“In the UK, 1 in 4 people will experience a mental health issue at least once in their lifetime. According to local research, many people in Harrogate assume because it is a ‘nice town’ people don’t struggle with these issues. That simply isn’t true.

“There is a huge demand in Harrogate for our services and it’s increasing. The NHS, which is responsible for mental health care, simply can’t cope.”

Wellspring offers affordable counselling from just £5 per hour to people who cannot afford to pay for private appointments and who face long waiting lists on the NHS.

Clients can have short-term support or a long-term course of sessions with a qualified counsellor, depending on their needs.

Kennie said:

“This is a dream job for me. The political situation in Hong Kong, combined with the fact that our son Samuel is studying at University of Leeds, meant that we wanted to relocate to England and, in particular, Yorkshire.

“Harrogate is the most wonderful town – and I count myself incredibly blessed to have found a job here, which is suited to my skills and which is so worthwhile. I look forward to making new friends and contacts here and to reach out to individuals and businesses who are keen to help such a brilliant mental health charity like Wellspring.”

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Great British Menu chef appointed at Ripon hotel

A leading Yorkshire chef has been appointed to lead the pan-Asian restaurant at Grantley Hall.

Samira Effa will be head chef at Bar & Restaurant EightyEight, joining the five-star hotel from TRUEfoods where she was a senior production chef.

She is widely known for competing in the 2019 and 2020 series of Great British Menu, showcasing Yorkshire produce as well as her love of diverse cooking techniques and flavours thanks to her Iranian mother and Nigerian father.

The Huddersfield-born chef said:

“I’m honoured for the opportunity and so excited to be joining the Bar & Restaurant EightyEight team and know that with my breadth of knowledge across the industry, I’m ready to showcase some exciting flavours and bring new ideas to the EightyEight menu.

“I’ve always had a passion for food and with my parents’ rich backgrounds, it was common for us at home to cook together using traditional Iranian and Nigerian recipes – both of which are bursting with flavour. I can’t wait to get stuck in at EightyEight and bring my own flair to the restaurant which I know is a popular spot for hotel guests and diners alike.”

Simon Crannage, executive head chef at Grantley Hall, added:

“We’re thrilled to welcome Samira to the Grantley Hall family and are very excited to see what she brings to Bar & Restaurant EightyEight.

“Samira has an exceptional culinary track record, along with having a genuine passion and love for food that I know will translate into her dishes for our diners to enjoy.”

Ripon’s Oxfam shop to reopen for the first time in a year

Ripon’s Oxfam shop is reopening for the first time in more than a year today.

The charity’s premises on Fishergate has been shut since the first covid lockdown last March.

Walter de Buck, area manager for Oxfam’s retail outlets in North and East Yorkshire, told the Stray Ferret:

“It has been frustrating being closed for this extended period of time. We are pleased to be reopening in Ripon and thank our supporters for their patience.”

Doors will open at 9am.

Newly appointed shop manager Arlene O’Hara said:

“We are raring to go and excited that the day has finally come.”

Ready to reopen – Victoria Smith, manager of The Salvation Army shop

Among her tasks will be to recruit a team of volunteers willing to lend a hand.

Mr de Buck explained:

“The principal reason for being closed for so long is because many of the volunteers we rely upon have been shielding during the pandemic.”

Anybody considering volunteering can email oxfamshopf0620@oxfam.org.uk or call 01765 601441.

Also on Fishergate, Victoria Smith, manager of The Salvation Army charity shop, has been putting the finishing touches to her window displays.

She said:

“We have received 1.5 tonnes of spring and summer clothing and have been putting selected goods out on the rails in readiness for reopening.”

The donated items have come from clothing banks in and around Ripon and the surrounding area.

Following the pre-Christmas opening of the Martin House store, the city now has 10 charity shops.

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Each plays a role in raising much-needed funds for causes ranging from end-of-life care for children and adults to supporting disabled people and the treatment of animals.

District charity shops have been overwhelmed with donations from the public, with some having to put an appointment system in place with a three-week wait.

As charity shops have reopened, people have flocked to donation spots, leading the shops to bring in new measures.

Some Oxfam shops have had to introduce appointment slots but, due to high demand, some customers are having to wait to make their donations.

The Oxfam Bookshop in Harrogate remains open for donations during opening hours without an appointment slot.

Walter de Buck, North Yorkshire area manager for Oxfam, said:

“We have three months’ worth of stock coming at once and we have to quarantine it. We are working with lower staffing levels, more donations and some donors are waiting three weeks for an appointment in some shops. We don’t like to say ‘can you bring it another time’ because we need the money these donations bring.

“We have had days with 200-300 bags coming into some shops which causes challenges. We understand it’s not ideal to be told to wait but we’ve not had to do it before. Some donors have been angry or disappointed, but it’s measures that we have to take seriously to ensure the safety of our volunteers.”

Saint Michael’s Hospice has seen huge numbers of donations.

Meanwhile, Saint Michael’s Hospice has had to stop any donations from the public. The drop-off facility will remain closed for 12 days to sort through the high volume of bags it has received.

The chief executive of Saint Michael’s Hospice, Tony Collins, said:

“Over the last 4 weeks we have been overwhelmed by the generosity of our community and the huge number of donations received. With items arriving faster than we could distribute them, we had to pause temporarily. Our donation drop-off point will reopen at 10am Monday, August 17.

“The planned launch of booking slots will allow us to continue to take receipt of shop donations from August 17 onwards, whilst adhering to the strictest Covid-19 guidelines for the safety of everyone.”