Stray Views is a weekly column giving you the chance to have your say on issues affecting the Harrogate district. It is an opinion column and does not reflect the views of the Stray Ferret. Send your views to letters@thestrayferret.co.uk.

Is this rewilding eyesore acceptable for our town?

I was interested to read in the Stray Ferret that Harrogate Borough Council has decided to repeat last years exercise of ‘wilding’ the Stray.

The article was accompanied by an attractive picture of wild flowers and grass gently bending in the breeze. It looks idyllic, and just the image that we want to project to encourage people to visit our town.

The grass verge directly in front of 8 West Park (Specialized & OKA) was ‘wilded’ last year and for weeks we had a miserable view of two-metre high weeds, and the odd dandelion amongst the sparse grass.

This year, as my images illustrate, it’s going to be another eyesore. The kind of abandoned verge you wouldn’t be surprised to see on a motorway central reservation but not Harrogate, home of the RHS Harlow Carr and Valley Gardens.

This is on the main walking route into our town, passed by thousands of visitors each year and yet the council seem oblivious to this embarrassment of a ‘maintained’ verge. There were no spring crocuses bursting through. It’s pointless the council cutting the grass because there is as much bare earth as grass. Why has it been forgotten?

I broadly support the concept of ‘wilding’. if the preparation has been done it can look really attractive as it does in neighbouring towns.

I anticipate the council’s response i.e. ‘lack of resources due to covid’ and’ budget restraints’ etc but would it cost so much for a rotavator, some weed killer and grass seed? I would gladly pay for the wild flowers seeds!

Please take a stroll past this verge and ask yourself is this acceptable for our town.

Ian Latham, Harrogate

Sort out this traffic light mess!

I agree with Liz Carnell and the appalling situation with traffic congestion on Skipton Road.

The phasing on all the traffic lights from Bilton Lane right through to Claro Road is completely rubbish.

They all need to be adjusted to time and flow with emphasis on ensuring traffic turning into Skipton Road is not then impeded by red lights, which in turn cause log jams such as King’s Road and Woodfield Road into Skipton Road, both of which allow three cars to turn and immediately into red lights.

As always, local authority make changes at will without understanding the situation in the first place and almost always make the problems worse.

Tony Petrie, Woodfield Road, Harrogate

Do you have an opinion on the Harrogate district? Email us at letters@thestrayferret.co.uk. Please include your name and approximate location details. Limit your letters to 350 words. We reserve the right to edit letters.

The Easter school holidays are almost here, but for many families this means two weeks of the children at home and increased costs of keeping them entertained.

This year in particular most of us are feeling the crunch thanks to a huge rise in the cost of living and soaring energy bills.

We have teamed up with parenting website Harrogate Mumbler and put together six free or low-cost ideas for the Easter holidays across the district.

Kayti Mewis, content creator for Harrogate Mumbler, said:

“You don’t always have to spend a fortune to have a fun day out with the kids. For example, we always enjoy a day at Valley Gardens with a picnic over the holidays.”

Free street entertainment in Harrogate town centre – from April 9

Following the success of Harrogate Business Improvement District’s (BID) street entertainers during the October half-term last year, they will be back in the town centre over the Easter holidays.

On Saturday, April 9, Pete and Ged Moss the gardeners will be in town with their ‘Easter Egg Stravaganza walkabout special’.

They will entertain crowds with their musical wheelbarrow, brimming over with colourful Easter eggs of all shapes and sizes – expect lots of audience participation.

On Good Friday, April 15, the Easter Bunny will be taking some time out from his Easter duties to share some early treats with the children of Harrogate. He will be at the Victoria Shopping Centre at 11am, 12pm, 1pm and 3pm.

On Saturday April 16, ‘Val N Halla’ will be travelling in their musical longboat through the town centre. The two Abba-obsessed Scandinavians will bring “entertainment, mayhem and mirth wherever they go”.

Peter Rabbit and Friends Easter Trail at Swinton Estate, near Ripon – April 9 to 24

Head to Swinton Bivouac for an Easter adventure with Peter Rabbit and Friends.

Help Peter and Benjamin to save Easter by rescuing all of the Easter eggs from the clutches of the pesky Samuel Whiskers.

Solve the clues to crack the code that will open the chest to rescue the egg – and earn an Easter treat for yourself as well.

There will also be an opportunity to explore the ruins and follies of Druid’s Temple, built in 1820, reconnect with nature in the woodland of Swinton Estate and take in the views over the Leighton reservoir.

Trail maps are £5, with each completed answer sheet earning a prize. All money from the trail goes directly to the Friends of Grewelthorpe School (FROGS) charity.

The Great Knaresborough Bunny Hunt – April 9 to 24

Organised and presented by Painting Pots Knaresborough, this quirky event is now in its fifth year.

There will once again be 17 ceramic bunnies hopping into local businesses.

The bunnies are hand-painted in vivid patterns, some inspired by characters or recognisable personalities and products. Painted mostly in house by Laura of Painting Pots, and more recently Natasha Gilyard.

A map with the locations of the bunnies is hand-drawn and painted by local artist Helen Salmons, who is known as The Relentless Crafter, while the bunnies themselves are the handiwork of Natasha Gilyard and Painting Pots’ Laura.

The maps can be purchased for £3 from Painting Pots, Castlegate, and the Oldest Chemist Shoppe, Market Square.

Bunny hunters use the map to find the bunnies, fill in their form and hand them back in to receive a sweet treat, a wristband, sticker and entry to win prizes donated by local businesses.

Over the last four years, The Great Knaresborough Bunny Hunt has raised more than £6,000 for local charities. All profits this year will go to Lucie’s Animal Rescue and Inspire Youth.

The event will be officially launched at the Knaresborough Spring Fayre on April 9, where there will also be the first ever Great Knaresborough Bunny Hunt Parade.

Activities at Knaresborough Library – April 16 and April 21

Hoglets Theatre will be performing their play The Sleep Pirates on Saturday, April 16 at 2pm, featuring swashbuckling pirates, flying ships and shooting stars.

The event is aimed at families with children aged four to eight. Places are limited so booking is essential and children need to be library members. Pop in to the library or call 01609 533610 to book your place.

Alternatively, enjoy some arty fun with a print workshop with artist Lana Grindley on April 21 at 2pm.

Children aged 7 to 11 are invited to design and print their own book cover artwork, inspired by their favourite book illustrations. The designs will be displayed at a special exhibition in the library following the workshop.

Book your free ticket here.

There are also some great events at places that offer membership. If you are already a member, these events are usually included, or have a small additional price:

The Giant Easter Egg Hunt at RHS Harlow Carr – April 9 to 24

Enjoy a supersized family adventure this Easter holiday at RHS Garden Harlow Carr.

Go hunting for the larger-than-life hand-painted eggs hidden around the garden on ‘The giant Easter egg hunt’, and from Good Friday to Easter Monday meet the Garden Detectives for more family fun.

The Easter egg hunt sees children equipped with an explorer pack. Follow the trail around the garden to find the giant painted eggs. There are fun puzzles to solve and plants and wildlife to spot along the way.

Children will be rewarded with a free chocolate treat after completing the trail.

The event is free to RHS members and children under 5.

Easter egg hunt at Fountains Abbey and Studley Royal – until April 17

Pick up an adventure trail for £3 and follow the map to complete 10 fun activities during your visit.

See if you can shake like a squirrel, rise like the sun and listen to nature’s orchestra. Complete the trail and earn your chocolate egg reward at the end.

Several of the Harrogate district’s most popular visitor attractions are offering free or half price admission until Sunday.

National Lottery Open Week is being staged to thank lottery players for contributing to good causes.

Places that have benefited from lottery funding, including Fountains Abbey in Ripon, RHS Harlow Carr and Ripon Museum Trust are among those taking part.

RHS Harlow Carr

Anyone who presents a lottery ticket or scratch card (digital or physical) at the National Trust-owned Fountains Abbey‘s visitor reception can visit the historic site for free.

Fountains Abbey. Photo: J Shepherd

RHS Harlow Carr is offering 2-for-1 entry for anyone that presents their lottery ticket or scratch card.

Ripon Museum Trust is offering a 50% discount to lottery players on Saturday to individuals and family groups that show a National Lottery ticket or scratch card on arrival at its three venues. They are the Liberty Courthouse, Prison & Police and Workhouse museums

Helen Thornton, museum trust director, said:

“We’ve been fortunate to receive National Lottery funding which enabled us to purchase the Workhouse Museum site and also to progress our future development plans.

“This is our way of saying thank you to everyone who has bought a National Lottery ticket, helped us on our journey and made a vital contribution to supporting good causes.”

Read more:

• How has the National Lottery helped Ripon’s museums?
• Why are the Red Arrows flying over Ripon?
  

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Darren Henley, chief executive of Arts Council England and chair of the National Lottery Forum, added:

“The National Lottery Open Week is a fantastic opportunity for hundreds of venues and projects across the UK to say thanks to players who raise £30 million each week for good causes.”

Further details about National Lottery Open Week available here.

As temperatures finally start to reach double figures and we get a glimpse of sunny days ahead, our focus starts to turn towards the garden.

You can’t fail to be inspired by the bursts of colourful crocuses on the Stray and it won’t be long before we see Harrogate’s famous pink cherry blossoms appearing too.

This is usually the time of year I tentatively step out of the back door, have a look at the dire state of the barren landscape before me and then retreat back to the house. ‘I’ll tackle it later’, I tell myself as I metaphorically bury my head in the kids’ waterlogged sandpit.

Therapeutic

I actually really enjoy gardening once I get into the swing of things. I find it really therapeutic. But I usually have no idea where to start and can sometimes it can feel a bit overwhelming.

So I turned to the experts from two horticultural charities to get their tips on how to tackle the garden now spring has finally sprung.

Horticap

Phil Airey, manager of Harrogate gardening charity Horticap, on Otley Road, said:

“It’s March and the garden is coming alive. The bulbs are ready to shine, with snowdrops, daffodils, crocuses and tulips to follow.

“Perennials are just starting to grow, so this is your time to cut away all the old growth from winter. Before you do, just check for wildlife. They might have been using the old foliage as cover, so just check before you remove it.”

Phil said it was now time to cut down any dogwood, also known as Cornus, which are deciduous trees and shrubs.

Vibrant stems

He said:

“Cut it down to one or two buds from the ground so you will leave it stumpy. This will help it grow vigorous shoots, leaving you with the vibrant coloured stems for next winter.”

After being battered by three storms, Phil said it was worth making sure any ripped branches in damaged trees had “clean cuts”.

He said:

“Just use any saw to make a clean cut and this will help protect the tree from infections. This is for small trees, as larger ones must be carried out by a trained tree surgeon.”

I was surprised at Phil’s next tip, as I would usually wait a bit longer to start tackling the grass, but if it helps get rid of messy old leaves, I’m all for it.

He said:

“Have you had your mower serviced? Because you can start cutting your grass. Cut it at your highest setting, don’t cut it too low just yet.

“Doing this will act like a vacuum, sucking up old leaves and twigs. Leaving the lawn looking tidy and free of debris.”

Phil said it was now “all go” at Horticap, which provides training in horticulture and rural skills to adults with learning and other disabilities.

Read more:

• TV architect George Clarke will bring buildings to life at Harrogate’s Royal Hall
• Stray Gardener: March is the perfect time to start planting seedlings

No better sight

He said:

“The summer bedding is here and there is no better sight than a tiny geranium (pelargonium) starting to grow.

“The students are busy getting labels ready and clearing the beds. We are also sowing the veg in the greenhouse, but you can start sowing peas and broad beans directly into prepared beds and pots.

“It’s also time to start “chitting” your seed potatoes. It is a simple process of forcing seed potatoes into growth before they are planted out. You can place them on a window sill or glasshouse.

“It’s getting very busy at Horticap, and that means only one thing. People want to be out in the gardens so this weekend is a great time to start. Spring has definitely sprung.”

RHS Harlow Carr

Over the road at RHS Harlow Carr, which is run by the UK’s leading gardening charity, horticulturists Malcom Dewar and Philip Keesing said it was time to “sit back and enjoy the display of all the spring-flowering bulbs as they start to pop”.

RHS Garden Harlow Carr.

This is something I think most of us are particularly looking forward to after what feels like an eternal winter.

Top tips

They offered the following top tips:

• Finish cutting back grasses and perennials if you haven’t already done so, to make way for this year’s growth.
• Trim winter-flowering heathers as they finish flowering, to prevent them from becoming leggy.
• Deadhead winter pansies and violas to encourage them to keep on blooming into the spring.
• Deadhead daffodils as they finish flowering and let the foliage die back naturally.
• Sow some seeds.
• Trim up overgrown hedges and ivies before the bird nesting season.
• Carry on cutting back herbaceous perennials, weeding and tidying flower beds as you go.
• Repair any paving or hard surfaces in the garden that may have been damaged from snow and ice.

The main borders at RHS garden Harlow Carr.

This article is sponsored by Children’s Corner Childcare. 

An innovative new nursery – complete with a refurbished loft space and a breakfast bar for parents – is opening its doors near RHS Harlow Carr Harrogate.

Launching in April, Children’s Corner will be based at Central House, on Otley Road, making it an ideal location for parents who work at the business park.

It will also serve commuters to and from Harrogate, as well as those living in nearby villages, including Beckwithshaw and Pannal.

Lesley Anne Dawson, CEO and owner of Children’s Corner Childcare, said:

“This purpose-built nursery is the first of its kind in the area. Bright and spacious, the modern open-plan space will allow plenty of opportunities for children to explore.

“Beyond the welcoming reception area are two large rooms divided into nursery and pre-school, with staff and activities tailored to different ages and abilities.

“We also have a beautifully-refurbished loft space that local baby and toddler classes will be using throughout the week. The nursery also benefits from a wonderful outdoor space which will be used for outdoor learning and play.”

The family-run nursery, set to open on April 4, will be able to welcome up to 50 children from aged six weeks to five, from 7.30am to 6pm all-year-round. It will also offer 15 and 30-hour funded places.

Its many stand-out approaches to childcare include a sustainable, eco-friendly ethos, a focus on outdoor learning and flexibility for parents in a modern working environment.

Lesley added:

“We have commissioned sustainable wooden play equipment for both in and outdoors, and lean towards open-ended natural resources to encourage children to create their own play. There is also a covered area to allow for all-weather play and outdoor learning.

“Spending lots of time outdoors has proven benefits to children’s health and development. Our garden is surrounded by mature trees and we will be encouraging wildlife – the animals and insects we share our home with provide endless opportunities for learning.”

To make drop-off run as smoothly as possible, the nursery’s welcoming reception area is aimed at helping to set families up for a happy day ahead.

Lesley said:

“On arrival, children will go in for breakfast and parents can stay for a coffee while they catch up on emails at the breakfast bar.

“There are ample parking spaces right outside. The Children’s Corner operations manager will also be based onsite, so parents always have a point of contact.

“We are keen to be an integral part of the local community and we are offering our lovely loft space to local baby and toddler groups, who will be offering classes throughout the week. We plan to work with local schools to offer wraparound care.”

Lesley said an emphasis was also placed on mealtimes, which is seen as a chance to sit down with friends, develop communication skills and learn healthy eating habits.

She added:

“Our seasonal dishes are always freshly prepared and we explore different aromas, tastes and textures every day, helping young children understand what good food is, how it grows and that it tastes delicious.”

During the pandemic, the nursery, which has six other branches in Leeds, created a unique ‘Flexi-Day Pass’ to support parents who were juggling childcare and working from home.

Lesley said:

“We wanted to offer parents reassurance during a difficult time of uncertainty.

“The pandemic has changed the way we work. Now that many companies are returning to the office or adopting the hybrid approach, we aim to continue to offer flexible childcare with just 24 hours notice.

“Parents book a minimum of three days per month, and can choose those days flexibly. As long as we have availability we will do our utmost to provide the days requested.”

The nursery follows the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) framework and practices ‘in the moment planning’, which means that children are able to follow their interests.

Matthew Dawson, director of Chidren’s Corner Childcare, said:

“We cannot wait to open our first Children’s Corner nursery in Harrogate.

“Our goal is to offer the highest quality childcare to our families whilst also meeting the flexibility requirements parents need in the modern working environment.

“We want Children’s Corner Harrogate to feel like an extension of your own family and we will be running social events for parents who might not have been able to meet other parents because of the pandemic.

“We are a family-owned and operated business and love having that personal connection to all of the families in our care.”

The nursery is holding a series of open days in March, starting with an exclusive Central House show-round on Friday, March 11, where tenants can drop in for lunch between 12 and 2pm and meet the nursery manager.

It will be followed by two events for parents, who can enjoy a tour of the setting, on Saturday, March 12 and 19, between 10am and 2pm.

• To register for the event, click here, and the nursery team will get in touch to book your slot. There will be activities to entertain the children.
• As well as the opportunity to meet the staff and ask any questions, if you enrol during your visit, you will save 50 per cent off your first month’s fees. You must sign up on the day and your child must start by September 2022.
• The nursery is currently recruiting talented team members to help launch in Harrogate, including deputy manager, qualified early years practitioners, a nursery cook and nursery apprentices. Please email a CV to recruitment@childrenscornerchildcare.co.uk

A new market due to be held in Harrogate on Sunday has been cancelled as the district prepares for another storm.

Yellow weather warnings are in place for snow and wind in the Harrogate district tomorrow.

Real Food Markets, a community interest company that has organised a food market in Ilkley for six years, was due to host its first market in Harrogate’s Crescent Gardens on Sunday.

But tomorrow’s impending arrival of Storm Eunice has prompted organisers to cancel it.

A statement from Real Food Markets said:

“We are sorry to announce that our market for February 290will not take place due to dangerous weather conditions.

“Our first Real Food Harrogate will therefore take place on March 20. We sincerely hope to see you there. 10-3pm, Crescent Gardens, Harrogate.”

Read more:

• Harrogate Hydro reduces opening hours due to staff shortages
• New monthly food market coming to Harrogate

Network Rail is advising people not to travel by train in Yorkshire and the north-east tomorrow.

Matt Rice, north and east route director for Network Rail, said:

“We have extra workers out on the network at key locations, ready to react quickly to Storm Eunice and repair the railway wherever it’s safe to do so.”

RHS Harlow Carr announced on social media today that its gardens will be closed tomorrow.

⚠️ CLOSED Friday 18th Feb: Unfortunately, due to the forecast of more high winds, we've taken the decision to close the garden tomorrow. This is for the safety everyone.

We will be monitoring the situation and hope to open on Saturday, so please check back for further updates. pic.twitter.com/Cl8KhpJI8Z

— RHS Harlow Carr (@RHSHarlowCarr) February 17, 2022

Fountains Abbey said its deer park will close, along with higher paths in the water garden.

The Abbey and Water Garden are open on Fri 18 Feb for quick walks 10am-12pm only. Car parks will close at 1pm. Studley Deer park is CLOSED all day. Visitor centre restaurant (reduced menu) and the shop open 10am-12pm. The higher paths in the water garden are closed all day. pic.twitter.com/KWlUY50zKa

— Fountains Abbey & Studley Royal, National Trust (@fountainsabbey) February 17, 2022

The Stray Ferret will bring you up to date with Storm Eunice developments tomorrow. Keep us informed with developments near you by emailing us at contact@thestrayferret.co.uk.

Police are appealing for information and witnesses after a man exposed himself at Harrogate’s RHS Garden Harlow Carr.

According to a statement by North Yorkshire Police today, the man exposed himself to members of the public in the gardens at about 2.40pm on Tuesday last week.

The gardens are frequently used by children and families.

Police described the man as white, in his 40s and having a pale complexion. They added he has an athletic build with dark/grey cropped hair. They said:

“On the day of this incident the man was seen wearing a tight fitting baseball cap, blue baggy trousers or short and dark shoes.”

Read more:

• Calls for police in Bilton to tackle ‘yobs on bicycles’
• Police seize ‘substantial amount’ of drugs in Jennyfields

If you saw the man or have any other information, you can contact the police by emailing ryan.rudd@northyorkshire.police.uk or calling 101, pressing option 2 and asking for PC 791 Rudd.

If you’d rather remain anonymous, you can pass information to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

Quote reference number 12220022840.

This article is sponsored by Berwins

It was a first for me this week, as I sat down for an exclusive interview with Father Christmas’s chief elf.

Tinsel is currently delighting children and grown-ups alongside the big man himself at The Crown Hotel, as part of a new interactive Christmas experience organised by the Harrogate Business Improvement District (BID).

And following a festive tour of the Elf School and workshop, which looks truly magical, I grabbed a cuppa with Tinsel – aka Suzanne Kaye-Vaughan, so I could get to know more about the woman behind the elf.

Bringing joy

Suzie Fairy, as she is known to most children and parents in the Harrogate district, has been bringing joy and magic into people’s lives for almost two decades.

And when you meet her, it’s impossible not to be inspired by her passion for helping people of all ages “to shine bright”.

The actress got her first professional contract at one of Deborah Meaden’s holiday camps in Cornwall, long before BBC’s Dragon’s Den aired, where she performed her own cabaret act.

She was then offered a place at drama school at Bretton Hall, near Wakefield, which saw her move to Yorkshire after growing up in Wales.

She said:

“That’s where I did three years theatre acting and I really shaped my passion for educational theatre, and using my skills as a performer to make change, particularly helping children shine bright.

“I love creating immersive adventures for children that they would learn from, not realising they are learning, and making learning fun. I thought this was just magical.

“And so I started doing fairy parties as a side-line to my acting when I first graduated in 2004, and then that grew into doing loads of other different themed events, which then grew into working with lots of attractions, helping them enhance customer experience through immersive theatre.”

Suzanne’s company was previously known as Make a Wish Entertainment and her educational theatre company was known as Fantasy Kids Clubs.

After lockdown, she merged her companies under one banner and created Enchantica’s.

Well-known

The actress is particularly well-known in the Harrogate area for running fairy and hero camps since 2005, with some of the children who attended now working for her as performers, which she describes as “really special”.

Suzanne has played a number of characters over the years

Suzanne said:

“Now people come to me with their objectives saying, ‘We need to entertain this age group. We have got this celebration to do. This is our learning objective’. And then my skill is that I bring that and make it a wow factor experience for people.

“So that’s anything from opening parties, to children’s attractions and private events. A lot of my work is private events, which I don’t often share as they are confidential.

“I’ve been an elf for the Royal Family before down in Ascot and have also performed in a castle for French royalty.”

Under her various alter egos, including the fairy Enchantica, Tinsel the elf and the Queen of Hearts, Suzanne has worked at a number of attractions and events across the district.

Family events 

Recently they have included the UCI World Championships, where she ran free family classes in the Fan Zone, an enchanted forest Easter walk at Newby Hall and the Discovery Zone at the Great Yorkshire Show. She has also run events at Harewood House and Stockeld Park.

Easter fun at Newby Hall

This year she also brought ‘The Garden Detectives’ to RHS Garden Harlow Carr, where the objective was to engage children in horticulture.

Tinsel the elf

She has also regularly appeared as Tinsel the elf at the annual Father Christmas event at the gardens, which has long been one of the hottest tickets in town, but isn’t taking place this year due to Covid safety restrictions.

She said:

“Father Christmas at Harlow is such a tradition for so many people, and those traditions are something that we’ve had to find new ways around. I think that Covid has made us look at what else can we do.

“So this year we put the feelers out and teamed up with a magical team of other elves from Harrogate BID, Harrogate International Festivals and The Crown Hotel and formed a bit of a ‘Christmas Council’ to create an experience that we all thought was missing from the town centre.

“What has been lovely about being involved this Christmas, is it has been really great to work with a big team of people who are passionate about making Harrogate great for families.”

Suzanne said she hoped to return to The Crown Hotel with Father Christmas in future years and had been delighted with the demand.

Read More:

• Christmas markets 2021: The best festive events around the district
• Christmas Events: Diary of festivities in the Harrogate district 

Little helper

Suzanne’s passion has been further fuelled by her four-year-old little boy, Dante.

She described how when he was a baby, she would perform with him on her hip. He now loves to perform and help her with her events and classes, even assisting with decorating and transforming spaces.

She said:

“Kids like being involved. During lockdown he delivered shows with me online and it gave us a really nice structure to our week connecting with families, and he will now perform with me.”

And as a mum who understands how precious time with little ones can be, Suzanne runs a number of wellbeing classes at her studio, Enchantica’s Workshop, on Beech Avenue, which she created just before the first lockdown.

An online class with Suzanne and her puppet Beatie

They involve music, song, yoga, speech and language development, using her drama and children’s performing arts coaching skills and she even took them online during the pandemic.

Future plans

Buzzing with ideas, I could see Suzanne’s eyes light up as she told me about what she would like to do next.

She said:

“What was amazing about the UCI event is we created a hub in the middle of Harrogate and had this lovely festival vibe where families could come and play, be entertained and connect. I think it would be lovely to have something like that again.

“So I’m looking to work on some sort of family wellbeing festival.

“Harrogate BID and Harrogate International Festivals are so on board with that kind of vision, it’s just a really exciting time for the town.

“I feel like this Christmas is just the start of a lot more magic. It’s been such a great success and families are enjoying it so much, why would we not want to make more?”

And on this festive note, Suzanne revealed that the elves would be helping at the Harrogate Christmas Fayre in the town centre, which launched on Friday.

She said:

“The elves will be there to help guide people if anyone has any questions and to just have a bit of a chat with the kids.

“If someone doesn’t know where something is, they can ask the elves, who are all theatrically trained or are specialists in children’s theatre.”

Make a wish

When Suzanne isn’t heading up a team of elves, she is diving into her warehouse full of a vast array of costumes and props – and lots of glitter – ready to make someone’s wish come true.

Requests have included everything from a lavish Halloween house party, which Suzanne brought to life at a family’s home upon their return from holiday, to a child’s Worst Witch-themed party in a village hall.

When it comes to adventures, it’s safe to say, Suzanne never knows what she is going to do next.

She said:

“People ask what I do and I say I’m a fairy, which is met with a laugh.

“But I do think I make magic as we do bring ideas to life, whatever they may be.

“What I love to do is help people shine bright. That’s what my purpose is.”

Hospitality students from Harrogate College are helping to devise a menu for the the cafe due to open at the former Harrogate Arms pub.

The horticultural charity RHS Harlow Carr, which owns the former inn, plans to open the cafe in summer 2023.

The students have been asked to use their culinary and creative skills to come up with a concept for the long-closed venue and a sustainable menu.

Fresh produce grown at the RHS gardens will feature prominently in the dishes.

The students, who are being led by seven Level 2 professional cookery students, recently visited the site to be briefed on their task.

Harrogate College students being briefed on their ‘design a menu’ challenge at RHS Garden Harlow Carr.

The initiative represents the start of a closer partnership between the college and Harlow Carr.

Jason Parry, the college’s cultural, contemporary and heritage studies programme manager, said:

“It ticks so many boxes for us in terms of the college’s values and aspirations — sustainability, ‘food to fork’, carbon reduction and seasonality — along with menu and service design, work experience and responding to a client brief.

“The project will be followed up throughout the year with Harlow Carr, who will do a progress check with the students in January.

“Ultimately it will end up with the students giving a Dragon’s Den style pitch to Harlow Carr staff, with small groups presenting their ideas around the menu, and the service, and showing how they have worked to meet the client’s brief.”

The college recently launched a sustainability pledge which sets out its commitment to becoming net zero carbon by 2030.

Read more:

• Harrogate College meets local firms to fix skills gap
• Harrogate Civic Society has ‘many concerns’ about Station Gateway

Dog walkers in the Pinewoods have been warned to keep their dogs on leads after a spate of attacks left four sheep dead.

The attacks took place in a field behind RHS Harlow Carr.

The charity Pinewoods Conservation Group, which promotes the maintenance and conservation of the Pinewoods, is to put up temporary signs reminding dog walkers to keep their animals under control.

A spokesperson said:

“We are very disappointed to hear about the killing of four sheep adjacent to the Pinewoods. We would remind all dog walkers to keep their animals under control at all times.

“This does not only protect these sheep, but also our many visitors and varied wildlife. Temporary signage will be erected on the main path from RHS Harlow Carr to Harlow Moor Road to enforce this message.”

Read more:

• ‘Just use a bin’: volunteers appeal over increasing litter in the Pinewoods
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Dogs can kill or injure sheep, even if they don’t catch them, because the stress can cause sheep to die or miscarry lambs.

Sheep fleeing from dogs are often killed or seriously injured by their panicked attempts to escape, causing damage to fences and field boundaries in the process.

Figures from farming organisation the NFU said that the cost of farm animals killed by dogs rose by over 10% last year to an estimated £1.3m.

Rebecca Davidson, rural affairs specialist at NFU Mutual, said:

“Dog attacks are easily preventable if owners keep their pets under control and on a lead when livestock may be nearby. Doing so keeps sheep and their lambs safe from harm and stops a country walk turning into carnage.”