Harrogate’s very own Miss England contestant was rescued after getting lost on one of the Yorkshire three peaks.
22-year-old Chloe McEwen, who was last year crowned Miss Yorkshire, took on the challenge alongside another Miss England finalist on April 22 as part of their pageant campaigns.
The former Rossett School pupil was raising money for Mind, a local mental health charity, which she volunteers for following her previous struggles with bipolar.
The women set off at 9am and started their final climb at 6.30pm. However, by the time they reached the Ingleborough summit at 8.30pm, nightfall and cold weather had begun to close in.
Chloe said:
“It was pitch black at the top and we were terrified we would fall down one of the steep slopes. We were so grateful to get down in one piece.
“We got lost and it meant that we were on top of Ingleborough at night. The batteries on our phones had nearly died and we had no back up map and compass to guide us.
“We could have fallen at any point, and we feel very lucky to have climbed down safely.”
Chloe added her hiking partner, Lisa Ellis, managed to ring 999 before their phones died and emergency services called in a mountain rescue operation.
She said the rescue team was searching for the girls for “hours”, but the pair managed to “navigate their way down the peak safely”.
They eventually reached a farm near Clapham, which was a six-mile detour from their original route, where the mountain rescue team picked them up.
The Harrogate beauty queen also said:
“We are both physically fit and had packed food and warm clothing. Our mistake was setting off too late at 9am, which meant that we did not get to the final peak until nightfall. We were determined to finish the trek for the charities that we were supporting but we should have turned back or had an expert guide to show us the way.
“When our phones were about to die at the top, Lisa felt the safest option was to call the emergency services but we really didn’t want the challenge to end. We did think about bedding down on the top, but it was bitterly cold and we were worried that we might suffer from hypothermia.
“Thankfully we found a safe route down by using our torches and we were so relieved when we got to the farmhouse where we were picked up by mountain rescue. It was six miles from the route we should have taken because we had got lost in the dark. I am very grateful to the emergency services for their help and I would urge anyone attempting the three peaks to make sure they have an experienced walker with them, head home if the weather deteriorates and don’t climb after dark.”
Chloe and fellow Miss England finalist Lisa Ellis during their three peaks challenge.
Despite the ordeal, Chloe raised more than £1,700 for Mind during her three peaks challenge. She added:
“I learnt a lot along the way, too. I know that with a positive attitude, inner faith, gratitude and courage you can overcome your greatest fears and challenges.
“I love working with Mind and have found my purpose helping and inspiring those struggling with mental health.”
Chloe’s work with the charity comes after she suffered a breakdown aged just 16.
She was sectioned for eight months after being diagnosed with bipolar disorder, which led her weight to soar by almost four stone at the time.
She made it her mission to embrace a healthier lifestyle and dedicated fitness regime, leading Chloe to became a personal trainer and is now in the running for a national beauty queen title.
Chloe will compete against 39 others at the Miss England final at the Grand Station in Wolverhampton on May 16 and 17. The winner will qualify for Miss World later this year. You can choose who to vote for here.
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Harrogate football team set for county cup final this weekend
An under-13 Harrogate football team will go head-to-head with York at a county cup final this weekend.
The Harrogate and Craven School Boys team has made it to the final of the Yorkshire Federation Schools’ Football league against York School Boys.
The squad, made up of 24 boys from across the two districts, was whittled down from hundreds of hopefuls at the initial trials.
The boys were put forward by their school PE teachers at the time and all represent a range of local schools, including Ripon Grammar School, Harrogate High School, Rossett School, King James’ School, Ashville College, St John Fisher’s and St Aidan’s.
They have taken on teams from Scunthorpe, Sheffield, York and more during the campaign.
Now, following victories against Rotherham and Wakefield, the U13s will compete in the final at Bridlington Town this Saturday.
Manager Andrew Pears said some of the players have “been signed” or are currently in talks with “a number of professional football clubs”, including Hull City, Bradford City and Huddersfield Town.
He added:
“With a focus on developing young talent and fostering a love for the game, the team is dedicated to honing their football abilities, whilst also emphasising the importance of academic excellence and good sportsmanship.
“Coached by experienced mentors, the players are provided with the guidance and support necessary to excel both on and off the field.
“Throughout the season, the team competes in various tournaments and matches, showcasing their abilities and representing their districts with pride. Their dedication and passion for the sport serve as an inspiration to their peers and a source of pride for the Harrogate and Craven communities.”
Mr Pears also said players who have represented the district at a competitive level will be presented with honour caps at the team’s awards night in May.
Harrogate and Craven School Boys U13s will play York School Boys in the league cup final on Saturday, April 27. Kick-off is at 12.30pm.
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Rossett sixth form back on site in 2024, says trust head
The sixth form at Rossett School in Harrogate will be fully operational from its own on-site facilities from September 2024, the Stray Ferret can reveal.
It was reported earlier this year that the sixth forms at Rossett and Harrogate Grammar School were to merge, but this was not the case, according to Richard Sheriff, chief executive of the Red Kite Learning Trust, which both schools belong to.
Mr Sheriff told the Stray Ferret:
“A merger was never on the cards. It was always about a partnership – both schools choosing to work together in the interests of the young people they serve.”
Over the last year, Rossett School’s Year 13 students – upper-sixth formers – have carried on being taught at Rossett.
But Year 12 students – lower-sixth formers – have been taught at Harrogate Grammar School, because a dip in pupil numbers at Rossett meant there were not enough pupils for the courses.
Mr Sheriff said:
“From September 2024, we’ll have a larger group of students, so we’ll be offering more courses at Rossett for both Year 12 and Year 13 students.
“Rossett and the Grammar School may not both offer all courses, but students at one school may be able to do a course at the other school if it’s not offered at their own. For example, we don’t offer A level PE at Harrogate Grammar School, but we do at Rossett.
“Sharing resources like this allows us to offer a broader curriculum across the two schools.
“The collaboration between the two schools is fantastic. We all have the same values, the same mission, in our DNA. We’re all just trying to do things together for the benefit of the community.”
In recent years, the school roll at Rossett has shrunk from around to 1,500 to about 1,000. But Mr Sheriff said the decline in numbers had been halted and was being reversed. He said:
“We really expect numbers in Rossett’s sixth form to grow as the school grows. Rossett went through a difficult period, but we expect them to rise again.
“We’ve got a great new head in Tim Milburn, a new executive board, and trust is coming back among parents and in the wider community.
“Housing is going up all over the town, and we want those children to have a really good choice of schools. They can’t all go to Harrogate Grammar School.”
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- Harrogate Town to host football development sessions at Rossett Sports Centre
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Rossett School is benefiting financially from the presence of Red Kite Learning Trust’s offices and facilities within its grounds.
The Trust was previously located at Harrogate Grammar School, but there was little free space at the school. In contrast, Rossett’s diminished roll meant it had underused buildings, so the Trust decamped there and pays to use its buildings, giving the school a new revenue stream.
Through its training arm, Red Kite Education, the Red Kite Learning Trust is one of the largest teacher training providers in the country, with more than 160 trainee teachers.
From its base at Rossett School, it offers national professional qualifications for headteachers, executive leaders and middle leaders, early career framework support for teachers in their first two years of teaching, and training and support for business managers and teaching assistants.
As many as 800 adults at 150 different schools are in some kind of training through Red Kite.