Members of Harrogate’s LGBTQ+ community will be holding a free event at Revolución de Cuba on Parliament Street this week. 

One Love, which is organised by Harrogate Pride Events, is intended as an inclusive event where like-minded people can meet up, drink, dance and relax in a safe space. 

Organiser and DJ Craig Joynson told the Stray Ferret: 

“We’re not charging any money for this. It’s really somewhere you can be yourself and relax with other people who are being themselves too. 

“It’s also a way of letting people know that there is an LGBTQ community here in Harrogate.” 

One Love is the latest in a series of such events that have been held at various places around the town, including a packed evening at Major Tom’s Social on the August Bank Holiday, quiz nights at Lilypad and a regular evening at The Disappearing Chin on the first Friday of each month.

Mr Joynson and other members of the LGBTQ community hope these events will all help to focus efforts to put on a Pride parade in Harrogate next year. He said: 

“That’s the ambition over the longer term. There were a few Pride parades held in Harrogate before the lockdowns and they were very successful, so we’d really like to bring them back. 

“We’ve got a committee now, which is in talks about the council about holding an event, but we don’t know yet where or when it will be held, or even if we have permission, so it’s very much in its infancy.” 

One Love will be held at Revolución de Cuba on Friday, November 24, from 7pm. 

Read more:

• North Yorkshire Police urged to say sorry over LGBT+ ‘witch hunt’
• New LGBTQIA+ event planned as Harrogate Pride cancelled again
• Harrogate Pride in Diversity cancelled as volunteers sought for 2023

Harrogate Business Improvement District is preparing to host the town’s first three-day music weekend.

Harrogate Music Weekender will include live performances, street entertainers and special offers to drive footfall to the town’s hospitality venues.

The weekender, from Friday, October 13 to Sunday, October 15, will begin with an Ibiza-themed event at The Yorkshire Hotel, followed by singo bingo — a mixture of bingo and music — at The Crown Hotel the following night.

With more acts to be revealed, visitors can also expect live performances from local musicians and artists at The Den, Piccolino, and Revolucion de Cuba.

A walking DJ booth and immersive street performances will also be on offer over the weekend.

The BID, which is funded by a levy paid by town centre businesses, organises initiatives that boost the town centre.

BID members in the hospitality industry told the organisation trade dips between summer and Christmas – leaving them with a gap ahead of the festive season.

It hopes the event will combat this by encouraging locals and tourists to spend more time in the town centre.

The weekend will be soundtracked by a range of music from rock and acoustic to live DJs and throwback hits.

Bethany Allen, business and marketing executive at Harrogate BID, said:

“A number of our BID members fed back to us that October can sometimes be a bit of a challenging gap between the summer and Christmas.

“With the confidence of a new five-year term, the BID team set about launching a new fun and exciting campaign that will showcase Harrogate in a different light.

“We are very excited to launch the first ever Harrogate Music Weekender and, with around 30 venues showing interest in being involved, it should be a weekend to remember.”

Bobs Cormack, manager at The Den, added:

“It’s awesome to see our town rallying behind musicians, especially the venues that are taking on the challenge of hosting live music for the first time.

“I’ll, of course, be busy down in The Den – I’m very jealous of everyone who gets to explore the town centre, catching the fantastic acts along the way. It’s going to be an incredible weekend.”

The two opening events are ticketed and bookings can be made online.

The rest of the events are free to attend.

Read more:

• Council confirms Harrogate bridge is damaged again
• Major new event aims to revive sports tourism around Harrogate

This story is sponsored by Harrogate BID

A range of Harrogate businesses will be offering residents and visitors various discounts and promotions during the Great Yorkshire Show next week.

The deals come in collaboration with Harrogate BID to attract shoppers to the town centre during the famous agricultural show.

Matthew Chapman, manager of Harrogate BID, said:

“The town centre is quiet during the event, with most people either enjoying the show or avoiding the traffic at home – meaning the town’s economy can take a short-term knock as a result.”

This year, however, Harrogate BID is determined to draw people back to the town and fill the shops, restaurants and attractions with punters.

Harrogate BID aims to maximise the town as a destination and ensure local businesses are thriving, while encouraging people to spend time and invest in the town centre. It aims to “make Harrogate safe, clean and welcoming, and the number one town centre for shopping, eating, and drinking”.

The offers are available to holders of Great Yorkshire Show tickets, as well as those who will not be attending the show this year. From discounted food and drink, to free cinema snacks and cheaper overnight stays, Harrogate BID has ensured there is a deal for everyone.

People can enjoy three for £16 tapas all day, every day at Revolucion De Cuba, a free glass of prosecco and kids eat free offer at Giggling Squid, or even 15% off an overnight stay with Harrogate Lifestyle Apartments.

Ticket holders, who may fancy a trip into town after a day of fun at the show, can take advantage of 20% off food at The Alexandra Hotel, 10% off food at Major Tom’s Social, and 20% off drinks at both Cedar Court Hotel and The Den to keep the party going.

Since its birth in 2019, Harrogate BID has locked in over £100,000 into participating businesses through sales of the Harrogate gift card, and hopes next week’s offers will see that figure rise further.

Find out more about Harrogate BID and the range of deals available during the Great Yorkshire Show here.

Find out more:

To find out more about Harrogate BID and all the services provided to the town centre, visit https://harrogatebid.co.uk/ 

A young Harrogate man died when his car left the A59 as he drove home after drinking heavily, an inquest has heard.

Samuel Ronald Gibson, known as Sam, was 24 when the fatal collision occurred in the early hours of March 13 last year.

His Peugeot 208 spun off the road, collided with a tree, lifted up and landed in a ditch close near Poppleton at around 3.30am, today’s inquest was told by a police investigator.

A toxicology report after his death found he had 201mg of alcohol in his blood, against the legal limit of 80mg.

A statement from his colleague and friend Sophie Rothwell was read at the inquest held at the Coroner’s Court in Northallerton this afternoon. She said:

“When Sam was sober, he knew drink driving was wrong. However, when he went out it was like there was no controlling or stopping him and it wasn’t possible to reason with him…

“I would describe [Sam] as an unsafe driver [even when sober]. He drove very fast, exceeding the speed limit and I didn’t feel safe as a passenger.”

The court heard a statement from Sam’s mother, Jennifer Perkins, who said he had “always had a strong work ethic”, beginning with a paper round in his teens. He later moved into hospitality, working at Revolucion de Cuba and then Sainsbury’s in Harrogate.

The former Rossett School student had been manager at the Cosy Club bar in York for three-and-a-half years before moving to the Ivy in early 2022.

After passing his driving test at 18, Sam lost his licence aged 20 when he was convicted of drink-driving. When he had his licence back, Ms Perkins said he was “always very careful and cautious about not driving when he knew he would be drinking”.

However, in the few months prior to his death, she said there had been a couple of occasions when he had driven home after drinking.

Friends also said Sam was known to drive after drinking. Some had tried to hide his car keys to prevent him doing so, and others had stopped socialising with him.

Read more:

• Rossett School pays tribute to ex-student Sam Gibson, 24
• Police plea to call out drink drivers amid increasing Harrogate district incidents

In statements, colleague Sophie Rothwell and her boyfriend Max Bradford said they had been out with Sam in York on the night he died.

They said he had drunk lager, prosecco, wine, beer and spirits between around 8pm on Saturday, March 12 and 1.30am the following day.

Ms Rothwell said:

“He was so drunk that, at one bar, he couldn’t stand up properly and kept falling down.”

Sam stayed out after his friends went home, and he went to a nearby food van for something to eat.

Sam’s car was discovered in a ditch by the A59 around 7am the next morning.

The inquest heard he had suffered a “catastrophic” brain and spinal cord injury, described by the doctor performing the post-mortem as “an entirely unsurvivable event” which would have killed him almost instantly.

Forensic collision investigator PC Richard Barker said Sam had been wearing a seatbelt but the airbags in the car had not deployed, showing signs that they had previously activated and not been properly repaired.

Although he could not say for certain how fast the car was travelling, PC Barker believed it was in excess of the maximum speed at which the car could navigate the bends of the road.

North Yorkshire coroner Jonathan Leach concluded Sam had died as a result of the collision, saying:

“It would appear that Sam was driving along the A59 at speed and, I suspect as a result of the alcohol he had drunk, his concentration and his ability to drive properly was impaired.

“I suspect he over-reacted, left the road and struck a tree, and died at the scene.”

‘Devastation’

In their statements, both Ms Rothwell and Mr Bradford described Sam as a reliable friend and a good colleague who was the “life and soul” of both his workplace and any party.

Ms Rothwell added:

“Sam was the most reliable friend you could have asked for. He was the person you could call at any time and losing him has left a massive hole in my heart.”

Ms Perkins’ statement said Sam was a “nice young man” who had looked after her when she lost her sight and had taken gifts to an elderly neighbour who had moved into a care home. She added:

“While Sam made bad judgements and mistakes in relation to driving, this is the kind of loving, caring person Sam was and how I wish for him to be remembered.”

She added:

“I can’t express in words just how much devastation losing Sam has left behind. The whole family are suffering as a result. I can’t believe he has gone.”