Are you already thinking of how to reward your employees this Christmas? Why not choose the Harrogate Gift Card?

The Harrogate Gift Card can be spent in over 100 businesses in Harrogate town centre including retail, hospitality and leisure, whilst keeping the spend locked into the local economy.

Complete a corporate bulk order of over £250 and receive 15% discount from November 1 to 15 with the code ‘HGT15’.

Harrogate estate agent Verity Frearson has won gold at the Best Estate Agent Guide Awards in London.

The EA Masters event is the biggest estate agency leadership conference, exhibition and awards ceremony in the UK, and is attended by more than 1,500 of the leading estate and letting agents and suppliers from across the UK.

Each year, the awards recognise the top talent in the estate agency sector, assessing 15,000 estate and letting agencies across the country. According to a spokesperson, it is the only awards scheme that estate agents don’t pay to enter.

Matthew Stamford, director at Verity Frearson said:

“We are absolutely thrilled to have won the Best Agent Guide Award four years in a row.

“The Best Agent Guide is produced by the Property Academy, supported by Rightmove, and is by far the largest and most comprehensive awards scheme in UK agency.

“Winning this puts us in the top 3% of agents in the UK!”

Mr Stamford and fellow director James Verity attended the glittering event held at Battersea Park in London last week.

Mr Verity said:

“Matthew and I were so proud to collect the awards on behalf of our absolutely fantastic team. It’s a testament to all their hard work and dedication to the company and we can’t thank them enough.”

Lawyer up for northern award

Carmelita Ardren, who is head of family at Raworths Solicitors in Harrogate, has been shortlisted for Private Client Lawyer of the Year in the prestigious Legal 500 Northern Powerhouse Awards.

The awards recognise the array of legal talent across the North and are based on The Legal 500’s extensive independent research for its annual directory.

The nomination comes on the back of a raft of inclusions for Raworths’ team members in the latest Legal 500 guide, which describes Raworths’ Family team as “the leading practice in Harrogate”.

Carmelita said:

“I am honoured to be shortlisted for this award and it’s a real testament to every member of the Family team at Raworths, which consistently delivers high-quality client service and a personal approach tailored to each client.”

Raworths provides integrated commercial and private client services and employs more than 70 people at its offices on Station Parade.

The awards will take place on March 13, 2024 at The Royal Armouries in Leeds.

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A free short stories dispenser has been brought to Harrogate to mark today’s start of the Raworths Harrogate Literature Festival.

The four-day festival, which ends on Sunday, takes place at the Crown Hotel. The line-up includes Sir Ranulph Fiennes, Andy McNab, Gaby Roslin, Carrie and David Grant and Sir Vince Cable.

As part of the celebration of books, local residents are being encouraged to head to the Crown Hotel until Sunday to collect a free bite sized piece of literature from the dispenser.

The stories are selected from a range of over 10,000 short works of literature and cover a range of genres, including romance, drama, crime fiction, thrillers, science fiction, fantasy, comedy, children’s stories and the classics.

At the touch of a button, visitors will receive a short story that will take one, three or five minutes to read. The story is printed on eco-friendly paper to read straight away or take away and read in a spare moment.

Authors range from Emily Dickinson to Lewis Carrol, Ernest Hemingway and William Shakespeare to contemporary stories by lesser-known authors and aspiring new writers.

The annual festival is curated and produced by Harrogate International Festivals and sponsored by Raworths Solicitors.

Rachel Tunnicliffe, senior partner at Raworths, said:

“The short stories dispenser allows us to take a moment to celebrate the joy of reading and storytelling, no matter how busy we are. It’s a fun and engaging way to bring great writing and literature to the whole community.”

The photo shows Ms Tunnicliffe and Dan Siddle, general manager of the Crown Hotel, with the short story dispenser.

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The Stray Ferret Business Awards, sponsored by Prosperis, will be held on March 9 at the Pavilions of Harrogate. The event will celebrate success and business excellence across the Harrogate district. It’s a night not to be missed! There’ll be a fabulous prize draw for all attending and Richard Flinton, the incoming Chief Executive of North Yorkshire Council, is guest speaker. You can purchase tickets here.

Raworths solicitors in Harrogate has announced the promotion of Adam Colville-Robins to an associate in the Dispute Resolution team.

The new role will see Adam continue his work for commercial and private clients on cases involving property or contractual disputes, as well as debt recovery.

Adam’s appointment is the latest in a series of senior promotions over the past year overseen by managing partner, Simon Morris.

Mr Morris said:

“We are committed to nurturing talent across the firm at every level, from working with our trainee solicitors to complete their qualifications to supporting senior team members develop specialist knowledge in their chosen fields.

“In addition to providing legal training and support to its staff, Raworth’s has also trained three of its employees to become ‘mental health first aiders.”

Deborah Boylan, Raworths’ people partner, said:

“It’s a challenging recruitment market and candidates are now looking beyond salaries and client portfolios; it’s also about workplace culture and a supportive environment.”

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Bettys supports Brain Tumour Charity

The Bettys Bakery and Cookery School is raising money for Yorkshire’s Brain Tumour Charity (YBTC), which marks 20 years of supporting patients and carers in March.

The decision to support the charity comes after Bettys employee, Dave Smith, was diagnosed with a grade 4 glioblastoma.

Dave and colleague on walking challenge to raise money

Dave’s colleagues at the cookery school have raised more than £7,000 for YBTC since November, with a target to raise £20,000 by the end of the year.

The £20,000 goal commemorates both the charity’s 20th birthday and the 20 years Dave has worked for Betty’s.

During Brain Tumour Awareness Month, which coincides with the charity’s birthday in March, YBTC will encourage supporters to wear flat caps and meet for a pint or a cuppa as part of their Flat Cap Brew campaign.

Bettys will be hosting their own Flat Cap Brew in the bakery, and running a ‘wear your best hat’ photo competition.

Marie Peacock, CEO of YBTC said:

“We want everyone to get together for a Flat Cap Brew that is bigger, better and more ‘Yorkshire’ than ever to help us celebrate 20 years of funding research and support for patients and families.”

Harrogate business groups set out wish lists for Spring Statement 

Harrogate business groups have given their thoughts on what should be included in today’s Spring Statement.

It has been five months since Chancellor Rishi Sunak announced his autumn budget but since then the country has been hit by rising living costs and now Russia is at war with Ukraine.

David Simister, Harrogate District Chamber of Commerce chief executive, said:

“Businesses are now facing unprecedented challenges in terms of rising bills; raw materials, wages, inflation, taxes, interest rates, fuel and energy bills. The Chancellor can bring some relief by hitting the pause button on increasing National Insurance, which will also benefit employees too.

“It would to be good to see Mr Sunak showing great creativity in approaching this crisis to deliver remedies that suit all with regard to finances.”

Sara Ferguson, Harrogate Business Improvement chair, said:

“As a business owner, what I want is for the Chancellor to announce measures that will help us, and not cause extra financial burdens

“During the covid crisis, Mr Sunak rose to the occasion, and he needs to do the same now. He needs to be bold and demonstrate that he understands the pressures we are all facing.”

Harrogate law firm appoints new managing partner 

Simon Morris has been appointed managing partner of Raworths Solicitors. He succeeds Zoe Robinson, who is stepping down after a decade in the role.

Mr Morris, who is a board member and the head of Raworths’ commercial team, will take on the role in April.

Mr Morris said:

“My priority going forward is to continue building on our strong team culture, delivering high quality work for clients and growing sustainably.”

Rachel Tunnicliffe, the firm’s head of private client, has also been promoted to senior partner with a focus on client engagement.