Pateley Bridge Archives - Page 18 of 43

Pateley Bridge theatre to unveil £120,000 refurbishment

The Playhouse, in Pateley Bridge, is due to reopen this April after a 3-year refurbishment with a production of Phillip King’s ‘See How They Run’.

Fundraising for renovations began in 2020 with an initial aim to raise £75,000, but the eventual expenditure reached £120,000.

The theatre, which originated as a Methodist chapel over 160 years ago, required renovations to legally comply with building regulations and disability access.

Previously, it had no easy access for patrons or visitors with limited mobility.

To sort out these issues, the theatre launched multiple fundraising avenues, including the ‘Give the Playhouse A Lift’ campaign on Justgiving and a Local Lotto scheme.

1964: The building was originally a Methodist chapel

The money raised has funded a rebuild of the lower level of the auditorium – maximising the available space – as well as providing a lift for disabled audience members.

The expansion of the lower level will help people moving between the bar, foyer, and auditorium, and will ensure better ventilation.

The changes will also be in line with new covid regulations.

The new disabled lift (L) and renovated bar area (R)

Eileen Burgess, the most senior member of the Playhouse, said:

“We have long considered the need for improved disabled access and the enforced closure has given us the chance to tackle the issue.”

“It is a complex project, given the layout of our historic building, but we are determined to preserve the unique character of the Playhouse while achieving greater accessibility”.

The theatre still needs a further £20,000 to finish the work.

The theatre’s renovation will be unveiled by Pateley Bridge Dramatic Society’s adaptation of ‘See How They Run’.

The play tells the comedic story of a paranoid spinster, who believes the wife of her beloved vicar is having an affair, and attempts to expose the infidelity.

The Society has promised attendees “a night of non-stop laughter”.

The performances will run from Monday 17 – Saturday 22 April at 7.30pm.

All tickets cost £10 and can be bought here.

Pateley parking permits reduced to £10 a year

Pateley Bridge’s annual parking permits will go on sale on April 1 at the reduced price of £10.

The permit, which is available to residents and non-residents, enables free parking for two hours at the town’s council-run Southlands and Nidd Walk car parks.

The permit cost £12 last year and also included parking at Nidderdale Showground.

But that arrangement ended in December when NIdderdale Agricultural Society, which owns the showground, ended a 21-year lease agreement with Harrogate Borough Council to operate the car park and appointed a private company instead.

The issue caused bad feeling as people who had bought the annual permit in good faith were shocked to discover before it had expired that they were liable for charges at the showground.

The 2023/24 permits, which cover two vehicles, will go on sale at Nidderdale Plus on Station Square on April 1.

Pateley town councillor Mike Holt said the permit was tremendous value, adding:

“The council was bitterly disappointed with the parking situation which occurred at the showground and has been in negotiation with Harrogate Borough Council.

“We are pleased to announce that through these negotiations, the parking permits will still be valid at Southlands and Nidd Walk for £10.”

Cllr Holt said the council received an allocation of 600 permits each year and usually sold 300 to 400 on the day they went on sale and the majority of the rest afterwards.

The incredible rise and rise of Knaresborough tractor run

It started with a few mates from Knaresborough riding a dozen tractors around Tan Hill in 2012.

It is now one of the biggest annual events in the Harrogate district, involving almost 400 vehicles and thousands of well wishers along a 25-mile route.

How did the Knaresborough tractor run become such a beast?

Ramsgill sheep farmer Steve Brown, chairman of the tractor run committee, ponders the question a week after the event’s latest success, which saw 374 vehicles convoy around Harrogate, Knaresborough and Pateley Bridge last Sunday to raise more than £23,000 for Yorkshire Air Ambulance. He says:

“I think it’s a lot to do with the cause. If you work in a rural setting you don’t know when you might need an air ambulance. It’s a cause close to the heart.”

Advertising the cause. Pic: Rachael Fawcett Photography

That might explain why farmers and other rural workers get involved, but why do so many people line the route all around Nidderdale? Steven says:

“Where else can you see 400 tractors in a line? I think it’s that simplicity. Plus it keeps the kids occupied for a couple of hours and it doesn’t cost anything.”

Whatever the reasons, the tractor run has become as much a part of local life as the Great Yorkshire Show, the Knaresborough Bed Race and Harrogate pantomime.

How it started

A family photo of Mike Spink

The fun nature of the event belies its sad foundations.

Mike Spink, a member of Knaresborough Young Famers who took part in the early tractor runs, died in a road accident in 2017 after moving to New Zealand six months earlier. Steven recalls:

“Mike was a dairy farmer and a very big believer in the air ambulance. When he died we got together and thought ‘why don’t we make it a bigger event and raise money in his memory?'”.

So what until then had been a bit of fun on tractors around Tan Hill and Whitby each year suddenly became a more serious affair.

Credit: Rachael Fawcett Photography

Eighty tractors took part in the first event in memory of Mike and next year 134 lined-up. Soon the tractor run had outgrown Knaresborough and the start had to be moved to the Great Yorkshire Showground in Harrogate to accommodate all the vehicles.

This year’s total was 10 fewer than last year’s record 384 and Steven thinks the total has plateaued between 350 to 400. But the tractor run never fails to surprise.

Passing Knaresborough House. Credit: Rachael Fawcett Photography

Not all the surprises are pleasant. This year’s decision to introduce a free livestream, which enabled people to see where the first and last tractors were so they knew when the convoy would be passing, attracted scammers who cloned the tractor run website and urged people to give their bank details. One person lost £1,500 before the ruse was spotted.

There’s also the constant issue of safety, which has put such a big insurance risk on Knaresborough Young Farmers that the committee is increasingly running it as a standalone event. Steven says:

“I always think of the most idiotic thing that can happen and work back from that. We do the best we can —that’s all we can do. Fortunately we’ve never had a major incident but you can never be lackadaisical. Safety is paramount.”

The committee meets about 10 times a year to plan for the event, and its first get-together to discuss the 2024 gathering was due to take place yesterday.

Steven says a “colossal amount” of work goes into planning and trying to work out the best route. The template doesn’t change much but there are always minor improvements and things to consider. Last year the food ran out at lunchtime in Pateley Bridge.

These children brought their own tractor to watch the start at the showground.

But it all comes together gloriously each spring: excited children jump up and down and cheer and even gnarly old farmers get a tingle as they parade like rock stars down Pateley Bridge High Street or through Markington, tooting their horns to large crowds.

It’s seven hours of pure tractor power with a touch of theatre set against the glorious Nidderdale backdrop and there is nothing like it. Whether it’s the biggest tractor run is debatable but few would dispute it’s the best. Steven says:

“We are led to believe it’s the biggest tractor run in the country. Some have more tractors but they don’t do a run like ours, they just go a few miles down the road.”

You can still donate to the air ambulance on behalf of the tractor run here.

Passing through Hampsthwaite. Credit: Rachael Fawcett Photography

Scammers fail to spoil another successful Knaresborough tractor run

Thousands of people turned out across the Harrogate district today to support the Knaresborough tractor run.

The event, which is believed to be Britain’s biggest tractor run, has become one of the district’s most popular annual events.

Almost 400 tractors, including some vintage open station models with hardy drivers braving the elements, tooted their horns, waved and revved their engines to the delight of the crowds.

Organised by Knaresborough Young Farmers, the event raises money for Yorkshire Air Ambulance.

Tractors set off just after 9am from the Great Yorkshire Showground in Harrogate and headed to Ripley and Knaresborough.

Today’s start at the showground.

The convoy then passed Staveley, Burton Leonard and Markington, Bishop Thornton and Glasshouses before stopping in Pateley Bridge for lunch.

The drivers and passengers then continued to Bewerley, Dacre, Darley, Birstwith and Hampsthwaite before finishing in Knaresborough late this afternoon.

The organisers arranged live tracking of the front and back tractors for the first time, which led to some scammers posting a link online asking people to give bank details to follow a live stream.

Some people reported losses before the organisers deleted the links and issued warnings not to use them.

The number of tractors taking part and the sum raised has yet to be confirmed but the event appears to have been another big success.

Start your engines: it’s time for Knaresborough tractor run

About 400 vehicles are expected to take part in tomorrow’s 25-mile Knaresborough Tractor Run.

The tractors are due to set off from the Great Yorkshire Showground in Harrogate at 9am before snaking around the district.

The spectacular convoy will head to Ripley and Knaresborough before travelling to Staveley, Burton Leonard and Markington, Bishop Thornton and Glasshouses.

tractor run 2023

It is expected to arrive in Pateley Bridge at midday for a hog roast and then continue to Bewerley, Dacre, Darley, Birstwith and Hampsthwaite before finishing in Knaresborough at 4pm.

The number taken part won’t be known until tomorrow as drivers can turn up on the day.

Participation costs £20 and an extra £10 for each passenger. You can enter here or turn up at the showground.

All proceeds are donated to Yorkshire Air Ambulance — a cause close to the hearts of many farmers taking part because of the way it helps people in remote and rural areas.

Last year, a total if 383 tractors took part and the event raised £21,000.for Yorkshire Air Ambulance.

Although the route uses some minor roads, the convoy takes about an hour to file by and traffic delays are possible for vehicles caught up in the event.

The route snakes around Nidderdale

Tractor Run committee chairman and Ramsgill farmer Steven Brown urged anyone with a tractor, farmer or otherwise, to take part, and anyone without one to turn out to support the event. He said:

“Come along and join in the fun. We reckon it’s the biggest tractor run in the UK, so the chances of seeing anything similar elsewhere are slim.”

Prizes will be awarded for tractors in three categories: vintage, classics, and modern.

Council to press ahead with Pateley Bridge Cemetery expansion

Harrogate Borough Council is to press ahead with plans to purchase land near Pateley Bridge cemetery to expand burial space at the site.

Graham Swift, cabinet member for resources at the authority, approved spending £32,500 to purchase 2.5 acres of land in the town.

The borough council said it would now begin the process to purchase the land, which is owned by Pateley Bridge Town Council.

It is hoped the expansion will create enough burial space for the next 300 years.

James Bean, estates surveyor at the council, said in a report that the cemetery is expected to reach capacity for burials in the next two years.

He said:

“The cemetery at Pateley Bridge is soon to reach capacity and a solution for its longer term use needs to be established.

“Colleagues in the bereavement services team have identified an area of land next to the cemetery for possible expansion which would provide burial space for over 300 years.”

Work at the site will require planning consent following the purchase in order for the cemetery to expand.

‘Britain’s biggest tractor run’ set to return to Harrogate district on Sunday

“Britain’s biggest tractor run” will snake along roads in the Harrogate district on Sunday, with up to 400 vehicles coming together in a festival of agricultural horsepower.

Knaresborough Tractor Run lasts for 25 miles from the Great Yorkshire Showground in Harrogate to Knaresborough, with a hog-roast lunch for drivers and sandwich van for spectators in Pateley Bridge.

Participation costs £20 per driver and an extra £10 for each passenger, and all proceeds are donated to Yorkshire Air Ambulance. Last year, the event raised £20,893.

Tractor Run committee chairman and Ramsgill farmer Steven Brown urged anyone with a tractor, farmer or otherwise, to take part, and anyone without one to turn out to support the event. He said:

“Come along and join in the fun. We reckon it’s the biggest tractor run in the UK, so the chances of seeing anything similar elsewhere are slim.

“The thing I always love is all the spectators lining the streets – the support from the public is tremendous. That’s what puts a smile on our faces.”

Tractor Run committee chairman Steven Brown says he doesn’t expect the event to clog the roads.

Knaresborough Tractor Run was first held in 2012 and has grown rapidly ever since.

This year’s event is due to begin at the showground at 9am.

Mr Brown said the route from Harrogate would take in Knaresborough, Staveley, Copgrove, Burton Leonard, Markington and Smelthouses, before arriving at Pateley Bridge showground, where prizes will be awarded for tractors in three categories: vintage, classics, and modern.

After lunch, the parade of vehicles will head to Dacre Banks, Darley and Hampsthwaite, before returning to Knaresborough around 4pm.

The line of tractors is expected to take about an hour to file past, but Mr Brown said motorists needn’t worry about blocked roads. He said:

“We don’t tend to have tailbacks, because we’re never on one road for long enough. We try to head off across country a bit to avoid the main roads.”

Tractor owners wishing to take part in Knaresborough Tractor Run can sign up online, or pay cash on the day.

Ofsted praise for opportunities on offer at Nidderdale High School

Ofsted inspectors have praised the ethos and “high ambitions” at Nidderdale High School in their latest report.

The report, published yesterday, was not a full grading inspection but found the school “continues to be good”, in line with its last full inspection ranking in 2017.

After visiting the school in January, inspectors found pupils felt safe, behaviour was generally good, and pupils with special educational needs and disabilities were well supported.

The report said:

“There is a full personal development programme in place for pupils. This has a clear focus on important issues such as careers education, personal safety and relationships, sex and health education.

“Assemblies focus on developing pupils’ character, supporting their wellbeing and improving their resilience. Leaders have established a programme called ‘Wednesday Flourish’ where pupils access opportunities to support their wider development such as baking, bush craft and sign language.

“Trips and visits have also been re-established. Pupils can go on theatre trips, to Christmas markets and abroad to places such as Berlin and France. Pupils in Years 10 and 11 can also be part of the student council, and leaders have plans to re-establish the key stage 3 student council.

“Morale among staff is high. They feel valued by members of the leadership team, who are mindful of their workload. All staff who responded to the staff survey said that they were proud to work at the school.”

Inspectors particularly praised the Pateley Bridge school’s ‘Niddventure’ programme, with outdoor learning opportunities such as hill climbing.

They said the way it was set up enabled pupils to choose their own activities and was inclusive of all pupils.

The report cited two key areas for development. Firstly, it said the school did not work closely enough with alternative providers where some of its students were enrolled, and should be visiting them regularly.

Secondly, it found there was still work to do in developing the curriculum across all subjects. The inspectors said:

“Pupils generally behave well in lessons and around school. In some lessons, there is some low-level disruption. Teachers follow the behaviour policy to refocus pupils on their learning.

“Where behaviour is not as strong in some lessons, learning activities are not as challenging as they could be. Leaders know this and have plans to review curriculum planning in subjects where the curriculum requires further development, including in mathematics.”

‘High ambitions recognised’

Nidderdale High School, which has just under 400 pupils aged between 11 and 16 on its roll, has welcomed the latest report.

Headteacher Kath Jordan said:

“We were delighted to see the importance of strong relationships highlighted through our emphasis on Ready, Respectful and Safe.

“The many strengths of our school in providing support, care and guidance for individuals are highlighted as well as some of the more unique and innovative aspects of our school curriculum, including NiddVenture and Flourish.

“The new inspection framework places great emphasis on curriculum development and we were very pleased that the school’s ‘high ambitions’ were recognised and that our ability to provide a ‘wide curriculum offer’ is also noted.

“Our teaching staff are passionate about their subjects and about providing the very best opportunities for all of our young people. This is recognised in the ‘shared vision for ensuring that the quality of education continues to improve’.

“From an already good position we will continue to strive for excellence in all that we do at Nidderdale High School.”

Ofsted carries out interim visits to schools rated ‘good’ or ‘outstanding’ to ensure they are still of the same standard, without giving a new rating.

If inspectors find the school would now achieve a higher or lower ranking, they will carry out a full grading inspection, usually within two years.

Council to consult on Nidderdale Children’s Centre closure

North Yorkshire County Council is set to consult on the closure of a children’s centre in Nidderdale.

The authority has proposed to close five centres across the county as part of cost cutting measures.

Among them is Nidderdale Children’s Centre, which is based at St Cuthbert’s Church of England Primary School in Pateley Bridge.

The council has recommended consulting on closure of the facility, which it says has not reopened since the covid pandemic.

Instead, officials have proposed giving the space back to the school in a bid to save the authority £13,400 a year.

In a report due before a children and young persons meeting, Stuart Carlton, director of children’s services, will say:

“Previously used on an occasional basis for service delivery, the Nidderdale Children’s Centre building was unused during the pandemic and has not re-opened. There has not previously been any partner use of the building which connected to the school.

“The proposal is to release the space back to St Cuthbert’s Church of England Primary School, with an agreement that the premises would be used for direct work with children attending the school.”

The centre opened in September 2010 as a designated children’s centre. It was backed by £590,715 worth of Sure Start funding from the Department for Education.

The county council said it does not anticipate that the government will request any of the money back.

Centres in Eastfield, South Craven, Kirbymoorside and Wensleydale will also be considered for closure.

County councillors will discuss the proposal at a meeting on March 7.

Pateley Bridge Cemetery set for expansion

Harrogate Borough Council looks set to buy land near Pateley Bridge Cemetery to increase burial space for the next 300 years.

Graham Swift, cabinet member for resources at the authority, will be asked next week to approve spending £32,500 to purchase 2.5 acres of land in the town.

James Bean, estates surveyor at the council, said in a report that the cemetery is expected to reach capacity for burials in the next two years.

He added that land next to the current cemetery, which is owned by Pateley Bridge Town Council, would be suitable to expand the site.

Mr Bean said:

“The cemetery at Pateley Bridge is soon to reach capacity and a solution for its longer term use needs to be established.

“Colleagues in the bereavement services team have identified an area of land next to the cemetery for possible expansion which would provide burial space for over 300 years.”

The land earmarked for purchase next to Pateley Bridge Cemetery.

Mr Bean added that the site would require planning consent following the purchase in order for the cemetery to expand.

A decision to acquire the land will be made at a cabinet member for resources meeting on March 7, 2023.

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How it started

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‘High ambitions recognised’

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