A Harrogate family whose home was devastated by fire has launched a crowdfunding appeal.

Mikey Donald said his parents’ home insurance had lapsed a month before Friday’s fire, which ripped through the garage and house on Avenue Close in Starbeck.

You can read about the incident here.

In his appeal post, Mr Donald posted photos showing the impact of the fire and said he was “reaching out for support during one of the toughest times my family has faced”.

The car and garage were ruined by fire.

The bedroom

He said his dad Mike Donald, 58, was disposing of paperwork when fire broke out:

“A sudden gust of wind sparked a fire that engulfed our garage and home. Miraculously, no one was harmed, but the flames ravaged everything we held dear, leaving behind only memories amidst the ashes.

“To add to the hardship, we learned that our insurance had lapsed just a month before the incident, leaving us vulnerable and without coverage. Now, we’re faced with the daunting task of rebuilding our home from scratch, a journey filled with uncertainty and challenges.”

Mr Donald said his father’s partner Rhona Andrew, 57, was an NHS nurse who had “devoted her life to caring for others” and was awaiting kidney and pancreas transplants due to declining health.

He added his father, a joiner, was “always lending a helping hand in our Starbeck community”.

Mr Donald said:

“Your kindness and support mean everything to us during this dark chapter. Every contribution, no matter the size, will directly aid my dad in rebuilding our family’s home and restoring hope in our hearts. Thank you, from the depths of our souls, for considering to stand by us in our time of need.”

More than 120 people had donated a total of around £2,500 by last night. You can donate here

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Neighbours have spoken of their shock at the scale of a fire today that ravaged a home in Harrogate and forced a nearby nursery to evacuate.

Firefighters from Harrogate, Knaresborough, Wetherby and Moortown rushed to Avenue Close, off Starbeck High Street, at 9.52am, as reported by the Stray Ferret.

The occupants escaped unhurt but the fire, which is believed to have started in a garage, caused major damage to the two-storey property. However, the fire crews prevented the flames from spreading to an adjoining property.

Firefighters at the scene.

About 60 children from the nursery Nature’s Little Learners, which is also on Avenue Close, were evacuated.

Owner Sam Williams said:

“We followed our fire procedure as soon as we noticed the smoke. The smoke then set off our fire alarm.”

She said everyone had to stay outside for five to 10 minutes until it was deemed safe to return. The nursery had to keep its doors and windows closed to escape the impact of thick smoke.

Lorraine Barnett, who lives in the area, said her three-year-old grandson alerted her to the incident. Ms Barnett added:

“I’ve never seen such big flames. The smoke was up to the roof. Then we heard this loud banging and crashing. Black smoke was coming out for ages.”

Another woman, whose home on High Street is close to the affected property and asked not to be named, said:

“I was in the kitchen and saw the garage was on fire. There was then thick black smoke and flames — it must have happened so quickly. I’ve never seen smoke like it. I called the fire brigade but it had already been alerted by the methodist church.”

Here are two videos taken at the scene, showing the scale of the fire.

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Fire has caused widespread damage to a house and garage in Starbeck this morning.

The blaze is believed to have started in the garage of the property on Avenue Close, off High Street.

Crews from Harrogate, Knaresborough, Wetherby and Moortown, along with the aerial ladder platform from Harrogate, battled the fire.

Harrogate watch manager Nev Scott said crews were mobilised at 9.52am to what he described as a “significant fire”.

Mr Scott said:

“The fire has significantly affected one two-storey property, and there is smoke damage to a neighbouring property.

“The work of the crews has prevented the fire spreading to an adjacent property. Crews will continue to work through the day to dampen the fire and mitigate any further damage.”

He added the occupants had got out of the property by the time firefighters arrived at the scene, and no-one injured. An investigation into the cause us ongoing.

The burnt wreckage of the garage.

A statement by North Yorkshire Fire & Rescue Service said:

“Fire crews were called at around 9:50 this morning to reports of a house fire on Avenue Close in Harrogate.

Crews have been working to fight the fire and stop it spreading to a second property.”

Firefighters at the scene of a house fire in Starbeck.

Paramedics and police were also at the scene.

North Yorkshire Police said in a statement:

“Police are assisting North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service at the scene of a fire at a residential property on Avenue Close in Harrogate.

“The incident was reported at 10.17am.”

Smoke billows from the roof of the fire-damaged roof.

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A new children’s nursery with hand-painted murals is set to open on Harrogate‘s Hornbeam Park.

Nature’s Little Learners, which opened its first site in Starbeck in 2021, will soon welcome children from birth age to four-years-old.

Owner Samantha Williams, who set up the venture with her husband and daughter, said the Starbeck site has been “over-subscribed for a while now” and she wanted to expand locally to meet demand.

The site, which was formerly an office unit in Crown House, offers different rooms catered to age groups, including a baby room, a pre-school room, a toddler room and a garden room.

She told the Stray Ferret:

“We’re a toy-less nursery and offer open-ended resources, rather than giving children a one-dimensional toy they get bored of after a few uses.

“We’re inspired by the children – they are at the forefront of everything we do.”

The pre-school room.

Ms Williams said the Starbeck site enrols a lot of children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), and built a sensory room at the new Hornbeam Site to cater for those needs.

She added:

“It’s all about colour and texture in here. SEND children often get overwhelmed, so a few of them can come in here at one time to relax and regulate their emotions.

“Plus, because they’re not alone, they’ll still be learning in here.”

Ms Williams said the £120,000 refurbishment of the nursery was “inspired by children’s books” as she “wants the children that come here to love reading”.

The baby room.

As well as day care, Nature’s Little Learners will hold football sessions in the garden room, as well as dance sessions and yoga for little ones.

Ms Williams added:

“I’m feeling nervous, but I’m excited to welcome new families and see how the children react to the new space.

“I believe nursery needs to be an extension of home – not a watered down version of school.”

The Hornbeam Park site will also hire around 15 members of staff and can accommodate up to 50 children, she said.

Murals

Ms Williams also hired Sarah Marsh, a mural artist from Boroughbridge, to bring the nursery to life.

Inspired by the characters from some of the women’s favourite children’s books, Ms Marsh painted the walls of each room with a different mural.

These include depictions of The Tiger Who Came to Tea, Room on the Broom and The Wonderful Things You Will Be.

Sarah Marsh with her Room on the Broom-inspired mural.

Ms Marsh, who studied art and graphic design when she was younger, said she was made redundant from her previous job in November last year. After this, she took up mural painting full-time.

She told the Stray Ferret the murals took around two-and-a-half-weeks to bring to life, using a mix of emulsion and acrylic paint.

A mural inspired by The Tiger Who Came to Tea.

Ms Williams said she hopes the new Nature’s Little Learners site will be open by early May, but parents can book tours of the nursery now.

The nursery costs £68 per day, which includes three meals plus two snacks, nappies and wipes, she added.

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Tools were stolen during a burglary at a car repair garage in Starbeck this morning.

North Yorkshire Police today said the incident, which happened at 00.28am, occurred at HG Motors just off Bogs Lane.

The statement said the offender(s) “gained entry to the premises via a roof panel” and stole a number of tools, including an Autel MaxiSys pro diagnostic machine, as well as its black and red case similar to the one pictured.

The force added:

“A Milwaukee Impact tool and grinder in black and red and a set of Franklin and Signet ratchet spanners were also taken.

“If you know where these items are or have been offered one or more of these items, please get in contact.

“We’re interested in hearing from anyone who witnessed any vehicles or people on Bilton Hall Drive around the time of the offence, which is located near to where HG Motors is.

“Please email katie.jacobs@northyorkshire.police.uk if you have any information that could help our investigation.

“Alternatively, you can call North Yorkshire Police on 101 and ask for Katie Jacobs or contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 or via their website.”

Quote reference 12240058918 when passing on information.

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Papa Johns today announced the closure of 43 UK restaurants – including the Stonefall Avenue site in Starbeck.

The news comes after the company, which has 450 UK sites, revealed it was set to close “low-performing” branches as part of a new optimisation strategy.

In a press release today, Papa Johns said a review had identified 43 underperforming locations in the UK that were “no longer financially viable”.

They are set to close by the middle of May.

Chris Phylactou, managing director at Papa Johns UK, said:

“Our priority is our team members, who will be fully supported throughout this process. Our goal is to work with impacted team members and attempt to find redeployment opportunities where available. We understand the impact this will have on our team members and are committed to supporting them during this time.

“While this is a difficult decision, closing these underperforming locations will give us the opportunity to invest back into the right locations with the right partners for long-term growth.”

Papa Johns did not reveal how many staff members will be impacted by the move.

As well as Starbeck, branches in Leeds, Doncaster and Middlesborough are among the nearby locations affected.

Mr Phylactou added:

“We are focused on driving shared profitable growth across our UK restaurants, by continuing to make improvements to our business to ensure that we are well positioned for the future. We have been encouraged by the results so far from these initiatives.”

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The Starbeck community has created a mosaic dedicated to supporting mental health after three young people from the area died from suicide last year.

Starbeck Post Office has funded and erected the large mosaic for a wall on Camwal Terrace, Harrogate. The mural reads ‘Mental Health Matters’ and is surrounded by brightly coloured tiles.

Postmaster Andrew Hart, who runs the Red Box in Starbeck commissioned the artwork. He said:

“The mosaic remains our tribute to the memory of three young people the community lost.”

The Red Box Starbeck

The artwork was commissioned from Artizan International and created by Liz Cluderay, director of Artizan’s cafe and creative space in Harrogate. Ms Cluderay and her students set to work creating the art piece last summer.

Ms Cluderay said:

“It took us a number of weeks to complete it is a huge project, now it is up it looks tiny but it was huge. All of the Artizan community got involved in the art, from the design to completion.

“The students especially liked the messiness of grouting. It is really important for disabled artists to be recognised by the public for their work and to beat stereotypes.

“We were grateful to be commissioned by The Red Box, the mental health mosaic is an important topic and it was good for us to have important conversations about mental health with our disabled artists. It is good to raise awareness so they can be aware of their own mental state, often disabled people can feel isolated but this opened up important communication.”

Liz Cluderay and Andrew Hart

Starbeck Post Office commissioned a large mosaic rainbow for the same wall, which Henshaw’s created. The rainbow mosaic is dedicated to local medical staff, carers and key workers who worked during covid.

Then last year a mural of Bees for the High Street was commissioned, dedicated to the king’s coronation. It was painted by Sam Porter of Muralminded.

Starbeck rainbow mosaic

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A local Labour Party activist has announced he is seeking the party’s nomination to contest Skipton and Ripon at the next general election.

Starbeck man Chris Watt, 46, has worked for the NHS for 15 years and is involved in a range of community organisations. He previously worked in Westminster for a minister in the last Labour government.

Candidates have until January 10 to put forward their names to stand against Conservative Julian Smith, who has held the seat since 2010.

Announcing his candidature today, Mr Watt said he used to work for the health trust that runs Ripon Community Hospital and community healthcare across the area.

Skipton and Ripon has been held by the Conservatives since it was created in 1983.

It has been designated a “non-battleground” seat by Labour, which is believed to be focusing more on Keighley.

But local Labour members were boosted by political forecasting website Electoral Calculus recently claiming it had a 53% chance of gaining Skipton and Ripon.

Mr Watt said:

“I’ve really enjoyed being out on the doorstep already with the Skipton and Ripon Labour team, talking to local voters about their concerns. It’s clear that tackling the cost of living crisis, improving public services and tackling anti-social behaviour are at the top of people’s minds.

“The latest polls show that it’s all to play for in Skipton and Ripon, with Labour poised to give Julian Smith and the Tories a real run for their money and potentially take the seat.

“So I think we need a candidate who not only has a track record of organising excellent campaigns, but who is dedicated to public service and can hit the ground running to deliver a brighter future for the area should they be elected by local people.”

Brian McDaid, a Skipton town councillor who finished runner-up to Mr Smith in 2019 with 11,266 votes, has already announced he intends to seek the party nomination again.

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A pedestrian is seriously ill in hospital after a crash on the A59 outside Shaws Trailer Park at Starbeck.

Emergency services were called to the A59 Knaresborough Road at 7.45am yesterday (Monday, December 18).

North Yorkshire Police said last night:

“A SsangYong Korando in grey which was travelling in the direction of Harrogate collided with a man in his 50s as he was crossing the road at the pelican crossing.

“The pedestrian is currently in a serious but stable condition in hospital.

“The driver of the SsangYong is assisting officers with their investigation.”

Officers are appealing for witnesses and dashcam footage.

You can email joseph.moore@northyorkshire.police.uk or dial 101 and ask to speak to the force control room.

If you wish to remain anonymous, you can pass information to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

Quote reference number 12230239213.

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Trains between Harrogate and Knaresborough were disrupted this morning due to a trespasser near the line at Starbeck.

Northern Rail alerted commuters on social media at 9.18am, saying a “trespass incident” was causing delays.

Network Rail and British Transport Police both attended the incident, which happened at around 8.20am.

In a statement, British Transport Police said:

“Officers were called to the line near Starbeck railway station at around 8.20am today (18 December) following reports of concern for welfare.

“Officers attended and a person has been taken to a place of safety.”

Lines have re-opened but Northern said disruption is expected until 12.45pm.

No further details have been released.

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