To celebrate New Year’s Eve this week, we have a selection of photographs showcasing rainbows across the Harrogate district.

Photo of the Week will take centre stage from January 2 in our new-look nightly email newsletter. The newsletter drops into your inbox every evening at 6pm with all the day’s stories and more. 
To subscribe click here.

Andrew Graham

George Jesper

Parent of Western Primary

Photo of the Week celebrates the Harrogate district. It could be anything from family life to capturing the district’s beauty. We are interested in amateur and professional photographs, in a landscape format.

Send your photographs to letters@thestrayferret.co.uk for a chance to be featured next week, we reserve the right to adjust and crop images to fit into our format.

Nidderdale is known for its fantastic views, which were made even more beautiful this morning when a full rainbow appeared in the sky.

Reader Joyce Liggins captured the optical phenomenon at about 9.30am from her bedroom in Pateley Bridge.

It shows the view looking towards Greenhow Hill — a sight Joyce is familiar with having lived on the same street all her life.

Joyce, who took the photo on an iPad, said:

“If I see something that looks nice, I take a photo of it.”

We love receiving your photos. Don’t forget you can send in your images to letter@thestrayferret.co.uk to be featured in our photo of the week on Sunday.

Read more:

• Ethical dilemmas to be discussed in Pateley Bridge
• Reservoir monument restored and returned to Nidderdale Museum

This week’s photograph was taken by Helen Smith, featuring a striking double rainbow over Ripon Marketplace.

Helen Smith

Harrogate District Hospital has unveiled a rainbow tunnel to celebrate diversity and bring smiles to people walking through it.

The decorated tunnel connects the main hospital building to the Briary Wing and was revamped in time for LGBT+ History Month, which runs throughout February.

Rainbow symbols put in windows to show support for the NHS at the start of the coronavirus pandemic inspired hospital staff to add some colour to the tunnel.

https://twitter.com/harrogatehcc/status/1361695147243810823

Last year the hospital created a rainbow crossing to welcome LGBTQ+ patients, visitors and staff.

Read more:

• Harrogate hospital unveils LGBTQ+ rainbow crossings
• Harrogate hospital gets £14 million to reduce carbon footprint

Steve Russell, chief executive at Harrogate District Hospital, said:

“We love our new rainbow-styled tunnel linking the main Harrogate District Hospital building to our Briary Wing.

“The idea for having a rainbow in the tunnel came about at the time when members of the public were painting and drawing fantastic rainbows to put in their windows at home to show support for the NHS.

“Walking through the arches of the tunnel, we thought it would make a great location to bring those rainbows from the community into the hospital.

“The rainbow is a lasting landmark within the hospital, a symbol for equality and diversity, and as a space to walk through when you need some colour in your day.

“Most importantly – We hope it brings a smile to faces that walk through it!”

As 2020 draws to a close, the Stray Ferret looks at the news stories that stood out among a year of extraordinary events. 

Today, we remember all the ways in which our district’s key workers were shown appreciation, beginning with the weekly Clap for Carers. 

As many of us stayed at home to avoid catching or spreading coronavirus, determined key workers continued to put themselves on the front line. Showing their appreciation, people across the Harrogate district took to their doorsteps each week to Clap for Carers – and they didn’t stop there. 

The Clap For Carers lasted for 10 weeks and, as well as individual households, saw the hospital and care homes become focal points for the community’s appreciation of key workers.  

One of the biggest campaigns to support the NHS in the Harrogate district was started by maths teacher Fran Taylor. 

At first planning to sew a couple of sets of scrubs for Harrogate District Hospital, Fran soon found herself coordinating hundreds of volunteers, thousands of metres of fabric – and donations running into thousands of pounds. 

Fran Taylor made use of her church hall to cut out thousands of metres of fabric for the volunteers

With a supporting team helping her to organise sending out patterns and fabric, collecting completed scrubs and delivering them to where they were most needed, Fran managed to deliver an astonishing 4,000 sets of scrubs – on top of looking after her two young children and teaching her St John Fisher students remotely. 

They were sent to staff across the hospital who would not normally wear scrubs but needed clothing that was easy to wash as soon as they got home from a shift. Requests from other NHS and care providers also came in, and were fulfilled by the dedicated team. 

It wasn’t just scrubs that were in demand, however: in April, other vital PPE supplies were hard to access and appeals were put out by the hospital and North Yorkshire County Council.

Straight away, the community stepped up to help. Among them was the technology department at Harrogate Grammar School, which turned its talents to rolling out visors for key workers. Ashville College was also creating visors and scrubs after donating 200 pairs of goggles from its technology cupboards.  

Dancing in the street

Meanwhile, local residents showed their support from home with displays of bright rainbows in their windows. 

And the community spirit didn’t stop there.  

For three months from late March, the country was placed under national lockdown, with residents largely confined to their homes and their movements restricted.  

That did not stop people in the Harrogate district from looking out for each other, though – including finding inventive ways to keep up spirits in the face of adversity. 

For residents in Harrogate’s Mount Gardens, music was lifting the spirits every week. Derry Jones, best known for playing the piano for diners at Bettys, took his accordion to the pavement as wife Jovita sang, and the neighbours were out and dancing. 

Just a few streets away, 22-year-old Lucy Crocker was using her musical talents to give a concert for her neighbours each Friday. 

Playing the viola, she took requests for songs as well as performing some classical tunes she already knew. Her efforts were appreciated by the rest of the residents of Mallinson Oval, who enjoyed getting outside to see each other and chat from a distance every week. 

Fitness classes were held on Spring Grove, Harrogate

And on Spring Grove, residents came outside daily to take part in Mel Milnes’ exercise classes. 

People across the Harrogate district formed groups with their neighbours to ensure nobody went without what they needed. Though keeping them apart physically, the pandemic brought communities together like nothing before.

Andrew Jones, Harrogate and Knaresborough MP, has praised the new rainbow tribute to key workers above the Stray’s cabman’s shelters.

Speaking in the House of Commons, Mr Jones revealed a private donor and local electrical firm had paid for the tribute.

He then called for a debate on how to celebrate the efforts of key workers.

“Our key workers have kept the nation going throughout lockdown and I want to see local and national celebration of that,” he said on Thursday.

Read more:

• How local bus companies can transport key workers with a government grant
• When the Harrogate district commemorated the work of key workers
• 8,000 Easter eggs donated to children of key workers in Harrogate district

The tribute to key workers in Harrogate.

In response, Harrogate & Knaresborough Liberal Democrats tweeted the MP had “made a career out of refusing our key workers the pay rise they deserve”.

They added: “Many feel unwelcome in the country they call home. But sure, we all love rainbow lights.”