A group of Harrogate residents will march through the town on Saturday to demand action on climate change.

The group, which includes members from Extinction Rebellion Harrogate, Harrogate & District Green Party and Harrogate District Cycle Action, will be meeting at 11am at Library Gardens on Victoria Avenue with the march finishing at the war memorial. Anyone is welcome to join them.

James Smith from XR Harrogate attended the COP26 conference in Glasgow along with 12 other people from Harrogate.

They joined over 100,000 people through the streets of the city, which he said was a “fantastic party atmosphere”. They thought they’d like to bring the same spirit to Harrogate.

Mr Smith said:

“There are young and old in Harrogate who are passionate and prepared to do stuff.

“It may be hard, but people have to realise that change is coming.”

Read more:

• Harrogate’s addiction to SUVs contributing to climate crisis
• Green Shoots: Why Harrogate should be at the vanguard of tackling climate change

The climate crisis has seeped into the public’s consciousness over the last few years. Mr Smith said he wants the march to help keep pressure on politicians and show that the public demands action.

He said:

“If they want to get elected, they need to do something.

“People feel powerless, but even waving a flag you can make a difference.”

Harrogate resident Ian Hallett will also be attending the march after cycling to COP26 and back. He added:

“This is an opportunity for many of the residents of Harrogate to come along and show their support for measures to limit climate change and to mark the end of COP26.”

Protesters braved the rain and wind in Harrogate today to call on North Yorkshire’s Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner (PFCC) to resign over his Sarah Everard comments.

The group gathered near the war memorial at 11.30am to coincide with a public engagement meeting organised by the PFCC’s office, which Mr Allott did not attend.

It comes after Mr Allott said in an interview with BBC Radio York that women “need to be street wise” and that Ms Everard “never should have submitted” to arrest.

Those comments sparked widespread anger. Mr Allott’s name trended on Twitter with calls for his resignation yesterday.

Less than 24 hours later a group of Harrogate residents waved placards and organised a petition to call on the PFCC to step down. They gathered more than 160 signatures in under an hour.

“The Police Fire and Crime Commissioner tells us not to trust the police.”

‘Police need to get to the root of the problem’

Margaret Smith, one of the protesters, told the Stray Ferret:

“I think his comments were totally unacceptable. It was an insult to all women to say that we should be more streetwise to stop this violence.

“It shows what he really thinks. His position is completely untenable, he should resign immediately. This protest should not be necessary.”

Read more:

• Police commissioner trends with calls for his resignation
• Police commissioner apologises for Sarah Everard comments after backlash
• Bishop of Ripon: Crime Commissioner’s position is “untenable”

Freya Kesteven also said:

“In my opinion a lot of violence against women and victim blaming starts in schools, I don’t think girls are safe at school.

“The behaviour is not challenged and I think it can lead to extreme incidents like the Sarah Everard case. So I felt awful reading Mr Allott’s comments.”

They urged people passing by to sign a petition.

Hannah Ruddy added:

“I was very, very shocked. I studied criminal law, I would say that I am intelligent and clued up, I keep myself safe. But I would have got in that car.

“What needs to happen is the police need to start getting to the root of all of this, they need to take complaints more seriously.”

A man at the protest who wanted to show support for Mr Allott, but did not wish to be named, said:

“I think the comments were made with good intent. I don’t think he was trying to demonise or victimise women.

“We all have to take more personal responsibility for our own safety. Like Mr Allott I am only saying that in the wider context, not for Sarah Everard’s case.”

More than 160 people signed the petition.

The Stray Ferret approached the PFCC’s office but it did not wish to comment on the protest today but pointed us back to Mr Allott’s apology on Twitter:

“I would like to wholeheartedly apologise for my comments on BBC radio York earlier today, which I realise have been insensitive and wish to retract them in full.”

A group of parents of St Aidan’s Church of England High School pupils will form a ‘human chain’ outside the school tomorrow to protest against giving covid vaccines to children aged 12-15.

Children will be able to get their first shot of coronavirus vaccine from next week, the government has confirmed. It says this will reduce the chances of children getting covid and reduce the spread of the virus.

However, a group of Harrogate mums and dads angered by the move will hold a demonstration tomorrow. At least 10 parents are expected to take part in the protest on Oatlands Drive at 10.30am.

One of the parents, Laura Brett, told the Stray Ferret that giving vaccines to schoolchildren was “100% not worth the risk” and she hoped the protest would send a message to government.

She said:

“We need to do something. It’s like a bad dream. The narrative the government gives us doesn’t make sense.

“Vaccinating children on school grounds feels totally unethical. It’s a disgrace.”

Read More: 

• Knaresborough vaccine site moves to offer 1,500 jabs a day
• Harrogate law firm leads legal challenge over child vaccines

Another parent, Alexandra Campbell, told the Stray Ferret she was taking part in the protest because she doesn’t believe the vaccine will benefit children.

She added:

“The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation have not recommended it for children but the government are ignoring this and doing it anyway. No one knows the long-term effects so why on earth would anyone want to put this in children’s bodies.

“This should be about choice, not pressure, virtue signalling or guilt.”

The Stray Ferret contacted St Aidan’s but did not receive a response by the time of publication.

Elderly and disabled commuters from the Harrogate district face ‘intolerable obstacles’ under proposed changes to Leeds train station.

Taxi ranks are due to be relocated much further from the station as part of a £39.5m revamp of the station’s main entrance and the adjoining area.

Trade union Unite said today commuters would have to travel 165 metres from the station entrance and use a lift as opposed to travel 45 metres now.

Unite regional officer Darren Rushworth, said:

“This proposal will put intolerable obstacles in the way of disabled people and the elderly who will have nearly four times the length to go to seek a taxi.

“Unite and a wide range of disability organisations want the status quo to continue and for people actually running this development to listen rather than dismissing our legitimate arguments, most of which have been outlined to the local council many times.”

Read more:

• ‘It’s working well’: Campaigner counts cyclists using Harrogate’s Beech Grove
• Rossett school bus ‘chaos’ and ‘shambles’ due to overcrowding

Many commuters use the line to Leeds from the Harrogate district.

Disability campaigners are staging a protest at Leeds Civic Hall at 11.30 on September 14 to lobby councillors to keep the rank where it is. This will be followed by a march from the Civic Hall to Millennium Square.

Leeds City Council, Network Rail and West Yorkshire Combined Authority, which are behind the planned changes, have said the redevelopment will make passenger movements easier.

Around 30 protesters stood for a silent vigil at Harrogate War Memorial today with placards that said ‘Palestine needs our help’.

The protest was organised by Harrogate and District Green Party and the Campaign for the Accountability of American Bases.

Organisers said the aim was to show they stood for peace and justice for Palestinians and campaign for an end to conflict.

The escalation of fighting between Israelis and Palestinians in recent days has brought worldwide attention.

Those who attended wanted to take a stand against the conflict in Israel.

The 30 people stood on the grassy verge at the front of the war memorial for around an hour today.

They stood in silence holding numerous placards calling for peace. People read poems they had written about the conflict and gave speeches about what they believe the next steps need to be.

Read more:

• Knaresborough flowerbed marks the 100th anniversary of the Royal British Legion today
• Protest takes place at Menwith Hill

Shan Oakes, local green party co-ordinator, said:

“When something as dreadful as this is happening in the world, we need to do something about it. We can all do something, write to our MPs and come out here and show we care. There’s a saying ‘evil prevails when good people do nothing’ – people may feel like they can’t do anything by they can.

“Just generally giving solidarity with all the people in the Middle East in this struggle. There are things we can do.”

Lindis Percy, co-Founder of the Campaign for the Accountabity of American Bases, said:

“I think it’s really important that we actually speak out. There are a lot of people that feel desperately about this situation and don’t know what to do. It’s been going on for years but I think it’s very very serious now. It’s terrible some of the stories coming out and we just want peace.”

A protest will take place at RAF Menwith Hill tomorrow as part of the International Day of Action Against Foreign Military Bases.

Campaigners say the day will “show solidarity and opposition” to over 1,000 overseas military bases that exist around the world.

The socially distanced protest is being organised by Menwith Hill Accountability Campaign and Yorkshire CND.

Built in the 1950s on the edge of Nidderdale, Menwith Hill is the United States’ largest overseas surveillance base. Giant radomes, or ‘golf balls’, are a distinctive feature of the site.

Read more:

• Upset and anger at plans to remove MP’s memorial tree at Menwith Hill

• Menwith Hill to expand with new ‘golf ball’

Meanwhile, Harrogate Borough Council is expected to make a decision on the latest expansion at the base soon.

The Ministry of Defence, which owns the site, has submitted plans to add a new visitor centre, vehicle canopy and changes to the road junction on Menwith Hill Road.

However, the application has proved controversial because it would involve felling a memorial tree planted in memory of the late Bob Cryer MP in 1994.

Mr Cryer campaigned for transparency at Menwith Hill and secured a debate in parliament a few months before he died in 1994. He claimed the aim of the base was to “assert and retain United States supremacy”.

Mr Cryer’s widow, the former Keighley MP Ann Cryer, told the Stray Ferret she was “very upset” at the proposals.

Campaigners gathered at Valley Gardens yesterday to protest against Harrogate Spring Water’s expansion into the Pinewoods.

It was organised by Harrogate & District Green Party who had members on hand to provide information to the public about the proposals alongside activities for children and live musicians.

Harrogate Spring Water, which is now owned by multinational firm Danone, was granted outline planning permission in 2017 to expand into Rotary Wood in the Pinewoods.

Danone recently bid to vary the terms of this by increasing the size of the bottling plant even further into the woodlands. Harrogate’s planning committee rejected the proposal in January after almost 400 people objected.

Many objectors were jubilant at the outcome but the original outline permission in 2017 still applies. 

Read more:

• Harrogate Spring Water’s Pinewoods expansion refused
• Harrogate Spring Water to ‘consider options’ following expansion refusal

A Green Party spokesperson said:

“We were able to inform people of the proposals and how to object to the Danone/ Harrogate Spring Water compensation plans and highlight the tragic potential loss of woodland habitat in our community. 

“Many people don’t realise the planning application could still go ahead – and we feel strongly they should be able to understand the process and the potential outcomes – and importantly make their voices heard.

“It was fantastic to see so many people enjoy the weather, and families and children get involved with learning more about nature and share how they feel about trees. The community came out together to share the goal of saving our trees and highlighting the plight of Rotary Wood.”

A primary school teacher is to spend several hours every Friday dressed as a tree outside Harrogate Borough Council’s offices as a protest against plans to extend a bottling plant in the Pinewoods.

Sarah Gibbs, who lives in Knaresborough, does not want the council to approve Harrogate Spring Water’s expansion plans, which would include felling trees.

Ms Gibbs began her one-woman protest at the council from 8am to 3.30pm on Friday and intends to repeat it every Friday for the foreseeable future.

Being a lone protester in the cold winter months will be tough but Ms Gibbs is passionate about the cause.

Dressed as a tree outside the council building and moving to keep herself warm, she told the Stray Ferret:

“I was here last Friday, I am here today and I will be here every Friday to demonstrate the importance of this issue.

“I just felt that I had to do something else and make more of a stand so I have planted myself here.

“There are lots of different groups working on this so I am hopeful they will take that into account and reject the proposal.”

A council decision on whether to grant Danone permission to extend its water bottling plant has been delayed from December until the new year.

The delay is to allow further discussions between Danone and environmental groups about the company’s plans to compensate for the loss of trees and biodiversity.

It means Ms Gibbs could be protesting for many weeks to come.

Read more:

• Harrogate Spring Water Pinewoods plans: decision delayed
• Greens petition against Harrogate Spring Water’s Pinewoods plans

A spokesperson for Pinewoods Conservation Group told the Stray Ferret it hoped the extra time would result in a plan that is “acceptable to all parties”.

The spokesperson said:

“We welcome the pause on this planning application and the offer from Harrogate Spring Water for further discussion on this important topic.

“There was a clear condition on the original planning application that there must be replacement land and trees to compensate for the ecological loss to the area.”

A life of campaigning and activism

Not only does Ms Gibbs protest against Pinewood but she is also a fierce critic of the high speed train line, HS2.

If the project, which has a £44.6 billion budget for its first phase, goes ahead Sarah believes it would be an environmental disaster.

She feels so passionately she travels around the country and ties herself to trees to get her message across and put pressure on government.

“It might not be happening outside my doorstep but my local environment is connected to the rest of the UK and the world. I wanted to see the truth of HS2 for myself. There’s absolute devastation taking place.

“I think that HS2 will result in ecological collapse. Those animals will return to their habitats but they will no longer be there. It is just insanity, none of it really makes sense to me. Without the protesters there we fear what they will do.”

The government disputes Ms Gibbs’ claims and believes HS2 is critical for the UK’s low carbon transport future.

The high speed rail line will connect the likes of London, Birmingham, Leeds, Manchester and Edinburgh.

However, Ms Gibbs believes the economic and environmental cost of the project is too high.

Some projections put the full cost at £230 billion. The Wildlife Trusts found that it would risk the loss of 693 wildlife sites and 108 ancient woodlands.

A before and after picture of Rugby Road where Sarah protested against HS2.

Ms Gibbs’ experience of campaigning at Rugby Road (pictured above) near Leamington Spa at the end of August until the beginning of October had a major impact. She said:

“The space they are clearing is phenomenal. When you start looking into it you think ‘I can’t not do something’ even if it is just signing a petition online or going to a camp. Any small or big actions can make a difference.

“I have seen some real brutality against the protesters. People have had their fingers broken but it doesn’t deter me. If anything it makes me feel more determined and makes people want to fight against HS2 more.”

Hundreds of demonstrators gathered on the Stray today as part of a rally to support the Black Lives Matter movement.

Observing social distancing, with many also wearing masks, they spread across the top of Montpellier Hill to hear a series of speakers sharing their views and experiences.

Heavy showers as the event got under way did not deter audience, who were supported by car horns sounded by passing drivers. Speakers referenced everything from the history of slavery in the British Empire to what residents can do today to eliminate racism in the Harrogate district.

Organiser Josephine Caven told the crowd:

“The black voices and lives have been ignored for too long. And we have been silent too long. Our silence is violence on the black community, we cannot be complacent or silent any longer, because if we don’t be strong and listen and speak, it will be our neighbour, friend, relative that suffers.

“Now is the time to learn, speak and fight for change that will create true equality for the black community. We must be allies to this cause. Now being an ally won’t be easy, you have to admit your failings, have difficult conversations with yourself and others. We will also stand corrected and try really hard to eliminate the ingrained beliefs and biases we have within ourselves thanks to institutionalised racism that we all grow up and accept.

“But this learning curve will bring us all together with the love and respect we have for each other and we will stand united strong and never divided.”

Read more:

• Extinction Rebellion takes to two wheels on the streets of Harrogate
• Harrogate history: Does the town have a connection to slavery?

A small number of people had gathered separately by Harrogate’s war memorial, following attacks on statues commemorating historic figures associated with the slave trade and people who held racist views. However, the 45-minute demonstration by the Black Lives Matter supporters passed off peacefully, with police officers observing both groups from nearby.

It ended with applause and chants of “Black Lives Matter”. As supporters dispersed, Josephine told The Stray Ferret the atmosphere had been positive, with the rain adding weight to supporters’ determination to stand against racism.

Individuals and groups of family members joined the protests

A few people had gathered at Harrogate’s war memorial while the rally took place

Supporters had brought home-made banners for the demonstration

Protestors came out despite heavy rain at the start of the rally

Participants were largely observing social distancing between households

Supporters clapped and cheered as the protest ended.

Extinction Rebellion’s Harrogate branch is planning a bike ride in the town centre to highlight the need for change as the coronavirus lockdown eases.

The group, which only formed in Harrogate in January, says its aim is to highlight the issues facing the town, under the title No Going Back.

The bike ride will set off from Library Gardens on Station Parade at 10.30am on Sunday and complete two laps of the town centre, finishing at the war memorial. Organisers have asked participants to ride in groups of no more than six from the same household, and keep their distance from others who are not in their family group.

Anyone not able to cycle is encouraged to show their support with banners, bells and whistles, and to take photographs of the event. Organiser Vicky Wild said:

“During lockdown, an awful lot more people are cycling and walking. We don’t want to go back to the way it was.

“I’m someone who goes to work and the ships on a bike. I’ve lost count of the number of people who say, ‘I would love to do that, but I don’t feel safe’.

“It’s just trying to change the conversation a bit around public transport in Harrogate. Personally, I have certain routes I go on that I know are fairly safe. For some people, there are certain roads you just don’t want to go on.

“When I was cycling round during the lockdown at the beginning, it was heaven – it was lovely. I went twice round the Prince of Wales roundabout just because I could, because there were no cars on it. I don’t think I’ve ever been round it before.”

With traffic already heading back towards pre-lockdown levels, the group is keen to draw people’s attention to how different things have been and urge them to consider what can be done to make long-term changes.

It is also holding an online meeting tonight to discuss setting up a citizens’ assembly for Harrogate. That body would be made up of members of the public, rather than political party representatives, to look at facts and make decisions about the future of the town.

The group had held one event – a stall on Cambridge Street highlighting climate change, pictured above – before the coronavirus lockdown put paid to its plans for the year. Now, members are looking at action they can take safely in the coming months. Vicky added:

“The idea of Extinction Rebellion is things should be fun and inclusive and family-friendly. We’re trying to do things that won’t alienate people but will get people on board and asking questions.”

Full details about the citizen’s assembly meeting and the bike ride can be found on the Extinction Rebellion Harrogate Facebook page.