Knaresborough’s Remembrance Sunday parade has been saved after the police decided to stop providing traffic management.
Elliot Foskett, assistant chief constable at North Yorkshire Police, wrote to 32 smaller Royal British Legions in July informing them of what he described as the “difficult but lawful decision” to no longer provide the service.
Larger parades have utilised traffic management companies for many years to ensure public safety.
David Houlgate, vice-chair of Knaresborough Royal British Legion, said the news had left its annual parade in jeopardy.
But today Mr Houlgate said Knaresborough Town Council had agreed to find a traffic management company to oversee the road closure on Sunday, November 12.
This will allow the parade from St John’s Church to the war memorial in the castle grounds to take place as usual.
Mr Houlgate said:
“This is wonderful news for the town and the Royal British Legion but most importantly it enables us all to commemorate in the traditional way and thank those who have lost their lives in the service of their country as well as those who have served and continue to serve to this day.
“It would seem that the sense of community is still very much alive and kicking and we wish to place on record our thanks to Knaresborough Town Council for their intervention. We are extremely grateful to them for this.”
The legion said in a statement it “remained extremely disappointed by the decision taken by North Yorkshire Police”.
Mr Foskett said the decision to no longer provide the service would ensure “police resources remain focused on tackling crime and anti-social behaviour”.
Read more:
- North Yorkshire Police confirms it will no longer manage Remembrance Day traffic
- Harrogate and Knaresborough MP calls for police talks on remembrance parades
Junior soldiers graduate at Harrogate’s Army Foundation College
Junior soldiers from Harrogate’s Army Foundation College took part in a passing out parade yesterday.
More than 500 graduates, who are all under the age of 18 when they joined, marked the end of their initial training by marching off the parade square.
The event was watched by a crowd of around 4,000 family members and friends.
Lieutenant Colonel Simon Farebrother MC, Commanding Officer of the AFC, said:
“These soldiers represent the very best of our nation’s young people. They are now ready for their second phase of training which will hone the skills learnt here and develop those required for their chosen trade.
“They follow in the footsteps of those who have graduated from the Army Foundation College before them and gone onto great careers in the British Army.”
The mascot of the Queen’s Dragoon Guards with his handler, walk down Sir Tom Moore Walk at the Army Foundation College Harrogate as the graduation parade begins.
Members of the public take photos of their loved ones during the graduation parade at Army Foundation College Harrogate.
The parade not only marked the end of the graduates training, but also the 75th anniversary of Harrogate’s Uniacke Barracks.
The Senior Inspecting Officer, General Sir Patrick Sanders KCB, CBE, DSO, ADC Gen, Chief of the General Staff, said:
“There are some moments in a person’s life that they remember forever. These are the moments that matter. This is one of those moments.
“This is an army that is currently mobilising to prevent the spread of war in Europe. It is a task inherently linked to our core purpose – to protect the nation by being ready to fight and win wars.”
The Chief of the General Staff, General Sir Patrick Sanders, gives a speech.
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Harrogate Pride in Diversity cancelled as volunteers sought for 2023
Harrogate’s Pride in Diversity will not take place this year because of a lack of volunteers to make it possible.
Last held in 2019, the event has traditionally begun with a parade through the town centre led by an open-top bus.
It then featured a festival of live music, entertainment and stalls in the Valley Gardens, drawing crowds of up to 26,000 people.
Secretary Poppy Winks said they had considered holding a smaller event, but decided it would be better to focus on delivering a full-scale occasion in 2023.
She said:
“The plan is it will be the same as pre-pandemic. It’s a joyful day: people being together and celebrating who they are, whoever that is.
“To have that space in our town is really important. It’s a really unapologetic event; everybody is there for a reason and it doesn’t matter what that reason is.”
People of all genders, sexualities, ages and races came together for the celebration in 2019.
The cancellation this year means the event will have had a four-year break by the time it returns, having missed two years because of the covid pandemic.
Ms Winks said while there used to be a strong group of volunteers, many had moved on or started volunteering elsewhere.
The remaining team decided to announce their reasons for calling off this year’s event, and it has paid off with a number of individuals and organisations come forward with offers of support. Ms Winks added:
“It was not an easy decision, but being honest about our reasons for cancelling has made people think, ‘this is an event we like and we want to come forward and help make it happen’.
“The beauty is that now we have grown enough that we’re well-known and organisations like the theatre and the Victoria Shopping Centre have said they want to support us.”
Anyone interested in helping to organise next year’s event can contact Harrogate Pride in Diversity via its website.
Read more:
- Exhibition brings Harrogate’s LGBTQ+ stories to the forefront
- Harrogate hospital unveils LGBTQ+ rainbow crossings
St George’s Day parade to return to Harrogate tomorrow
The traditional St George’s Day parade returns to Harrogate for the first time in three years this weekend.
Taking place tomorrow, it will see hundreds of Scouts, Guides, Brownies, Cubs and more join together in uniform to mark the occasion.
After gathering on Coach Road, they will parade into Christ Church for a short service when they will renew their promises.
It is a shorter parade than usual, after the decision to go ahead was only made two months ago. Attendance is also likely to be reduced because the event falls at the end of the Easter holidays.
District commissioner Karsten Hartmann told the Stray Ferret:
“In the past, we have started on Beech Grove, but it was too short notice to get everything into place. We hope to come back stronger next year.”
Read more:
- Harrogate Scouts group could close after 68 years unless new leaders found
- Ripon’s annual St Wilfrid Procession under threat
This year marks the first time the youngest Scouts have been able to take part in the parade. First Pannal Squirrels caters for boys and girls aged four and five, and was set up during the covid pandemic.
The deputy mayor of Harrogate, Cllr Christine Willoughby, and her consort Andrew Willoughby, will also be at the event.
The parade will gather from 2pm with the 45-minute service, led by Rev Matthew Scott Evans, set to begin at 2.30pm.
It will be the first major event in the district’s scouting calendar since 2019. Mr Hartmann said he hopes it will begin to raise the organisation’s profile again, and particularly help to attract volunteers to enable more people to join Scouts and other groups.
For more information about joining Scouts or becoming a volunteer, click here.