Children at Springwater School in Starbeck have been busy planting fruit trees, edible herbs and wildflowers in a new community garden.

The special needs school on Starbeck High Street offers a modified curriculum for young people aged two to 19 with special needs.

The community garden was the brainchild of Life Destiny Church and Starbeck Community Group, which wanted to collaborate on a new green space in Starbeck where produce can be enjoyed by the local community.

The herbs and fruit trees that were planted will be used in the school’s curriculum cooking sessions. Food will also be donated to the food bank that takes place at the church.

Around 80 students spent a day working on the area last week along with Andrew Hart from Starbeck Community Group and Jeremy Fennings from the church.

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Kelly Tomlinson, RE lead at Springwater School, said:

“It will create a wonderful area of greenery in Starbeck that can be enjoyed into the future. All students shared the common goal of supporting the community in a project that cares for our planet.

“Andrew and Jeremy were fantastic at guiding students throughout the day and we continue to work with them, developing the area further. “

Andrew Hart added:

“A smaller group of Springwater students are now attending the garden weekly with Life Destiny Church and Starbeck Community Group to bring this garden to fruition. The produce will all go to Springwater School and the vulnerable in the community. It’s another great example of the community working together in Starbeck.”

A new owner has taken over the former iconic Farrah’s Olde Sweet Shop in Harrogate after working at the store for more than a decade.

Natalie Moore said she jumped at the chance when she was offered the opportunity to buy the business on Montpellier Parade.

The 31-year-old is now putting her own stamp on the business, which has been renamed Harrogate Olde Sweet Shop.

And while it is no longer under the Farrah’s umbrella, it still remains one of the largest stockists of the historic brand, which makes the famous Harrogate Toffee.

Ms Moore said:

“We are still the number one customer for Harrogate Toffee. We still have one of the biggest ranges of Farrah’s in the country, including Harrogate Toffee gin.

“Even though it’s no longer part of Farrah’s, it is still the original place where it was sold.”

Ms Moore next to the shop’s large loose chocolate counter.

The 31-year-old started working at the shop as a sales assistant when she left school 13 years ago and was eventually promoted to manager.

The shop was previously run by father and son team Gary and Peter Marston for almost 25 years. Peter still own Farrah’s, which is now exclusively a wholesale business based in Starbeck.

Ms Moore said:

“We will continue to be in-keeping with the traditional side of things, but we are going to be giving the interior a bit of a revamp.

“Overall the shop works well, but it’s just really nice to be able to put my own stamp on it.

“All the staff have been here a long time and I’ve been getting them involved, which is really nice.

“For example we have made some tiny changes to the chocolate counter, but it has really made a difference. We have increased the range and also the way we display it and it looks so much brighter.

“As far as I’m aware, we are the only shop in Harrogate that has a loose chocolate counter. When it’s full on a good day, there are 80 different types of chocolate, which are mostly Belgian. We also have some that are made in England.”

The original team of nine staff will continue to work at the shop and Ms Moore said her family also enjoyed helping out.

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Other plans for the future include continuing to increase the range of sweets and promoting the shop’s gift department, which sells a large range of Harrogate merchandise.

Ms Moore also wants to promote the shop more to the town’s residents.

She said:

“We get customers coming in here who have lived in Harrogate all their life and they say they didn’t know it was here or how big it was.

“Tourism is great for us and always has been, but with everything going on through covid, you realise you want to rely on the customers on your doorstep even more.

“That’s one of my goals. To try and put it on the Harrogate map a bit more.”

Residents in Starbeck flocked to Starbeck Community Day today to help raise money for this year’s Christmas lights.

The annual event took place at Harrogate Railway Athletic FC and saw a range of stalls, barbecue, licensed bar and raffle prizes.

Chrissie Holmes, of the Starbeck Christmas Lights Appeal which organises the event, said the goal was to raise £5,000.

She said:

“We are here to raise funds for the Christmas lights, it is an annual event.

“We need to raise £5,000 each year for the cost to put them [the lights] up and to maintain them.”

Starbeck Community Day, which was held today.

The small group of volunteers are aiming to light up Starbeck High Street with the lights, which would run up to Forest Head Lane.

To help in the fundraising effort, prizes and events were on display to raise money.

Strabeck Residents’ Association also had a stall and Starbeck Library were on hand to accept donations for books.

Harrogate and Knaresborough MP, Andrew Jones, also had a clinic at the event to speak with constituents about issues.

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Friends of Starbeck Library held a book sale.

The Starbeck Residents’ Association stall.

A Harrogate police officer pleaded not guilty in court today after being charged with sexually assaulting a woman.

Joseph McCabe, 27, of Starbeck, is currently suspended from duty as a North Yorkshire Police officer based in Harrogate.

The officer appeared before York Magistrates Court this morning charged with sexual assault by touching. The case concerns an alleged incident at a North Yorkshire property last summer.

Prosecutor Charlotte Dangerfield said Mr McCabe, was allegedly “trying to stroke” the woman, who cannot be named for legal reasons.

It was also alleged that he was pulling at her hair, added Ms Dangerfield. She alleged that Mr McCabe was trying to have sex with the woman who was unwilling.

The defendant’s solicitor, Mr Hague, claimed the incident was “not sexual in nature” and added:

“He [Mr McCabe] thought there was going to be sexual interaction (but) she rejected it and he respected that”.

The magistrate questioned Mr Hague about the relationship between the defendant and the woman. Mr Hague responded and said:

“It had been a friendship for sometime with regular friendly communication, just a typical workplace relationship.”

Mr McCabe is set to appear before York Magistrates Court again on October 11 and has been released on unconditional bail.

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Harrogate Borough Council has approved plans to convert a former Lloyds pharmacy in Starbeck into an Italian kitchen and takeaway.

Under the plans, the site would be refurbished to include an Italian trattoria on the ground floor and two apartments above.

SSA Architects tabled the proposal on behalf of the developer for the site on Starbeck High Street.

It said that the kitchen would provide employment for between five to eight people.

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The kitchen would be open from 12pm until 12am, according to the proposal.

Meanwhile, both flats proposed as part of the development would be one bedroom.

The developer said in its application:

“The proposal looks to rejuvenate the plot by refurbishing the existing structure within the setting.

“Within this outlined development, the design aims to create an inviting setting for the new residents, and customers for the takeaway business.”

A Harrogate kitchen caught fire yesterday when a dog jumped up to grab some sausages and set a tea towel alight.

Harrogate firefighters were called to Meadow Place in Starbeck shortly before 4pm following reports of fire.

North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service’s incident log says:

“The fire started when the dog of the house attempted to jump up on a kitchen bench to snaffle some sausages and knocked a tea towel onto onto a hob that had just been turned off.”

The incident log adds that the smouldering tea towel caused smoke damage to the kitchen but it is not believed any people — or dogs — were injured in the blaze.

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Claro Enterprises is a Starbeck charity offering those with mental health conditions a real work environment to find a routine and talk to others who may be feeling similar.

The charity was set up 35 years ago by Chris and Sue Brown. Ms Brown’s brother was diagnosed with schizophrenia and they found giving him jobs on their farm would really help him but when the work stopped his mental health would decline.

At the time they couldn’t find any local services to support him so through lots of fundraising the pair set up Claro Enterprises to offer people with mental health disorders the opportunity to volunteer in a real work environment.

Over the years the charity has developed and now runs a workshop and a production line and has contracts with large companies such as Bettys and EnviroVent to make products.

On a daily bases, members might be creating wooden products from scratch, or rebranding or packing products for businesses.

Two men using the charity’s wood shop.

Operations manager, Helen Wilkinson, said:

“We have people who would struggle in a normal work environment but really benefit from having a routine. It works really well for people will mental health conditions and they can choose how often they come.

“There’s a real sense of community here.”

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The charity has around 35 members who can come as regularly as they want to work, it not only helps them but also gives their families a break.

The charity also runs courses throughout the year including self esteem and wellbeing, mindfulness, IT and basic maths and English.

Veterans Woodcraft, a group helping those with mental health issues and disabilities, have helped the charity’s members learn new woodcraft skills.

It is also the base for the Starbeck Men’s Shed and Women’s Shed. These groups are for anyone in the community to learn new skills and enjoy some company.

Ms Wilkinson said the end goal is to get the members “to a point where they can do what they want”:

“Some of our members have gone on to get full time jobs and work experience which is just amazing.”

The charity is always looking for new businesses to arrange work experience placements and provide work for the members to do at their premises to allow Claro to continue to offer their facilities to those who believe they could really benefit.

Miss Wilkinson added:

“It really is the bestest place in the world, we are just one big family.”

A pair of nurses from Starbeck who are cycling across Europe for charity have made the trip even more special — by getting engaged in Paris.

Andy Dennis proposed to Tracey Hill at the foot of the Eiffel Tower, and even had friends on hand to film the occasion and celebrate with them.

He said:

“Everything was perfect: the company was lovely, the place chose itself — there was a view of the tower framed by the trees.”

Tracey said:

“He got down on one knee and it felt like going into an exam you haven’t prepared for.

“I just kept saying, ‘What are you doing? What’s going on?'”

Fortunately, Tracey accepted the proposal, and the newly engaged couple have enjoyed some time in Paris to celebrate.

Staying in a hotel for a couple of nights is luxury compared to some of their other experiences so far. Tracey said:

“We’ve been wild camping on our way here. You’re getting up, you feel sticky, you’re in a field, there’s nowhere to wash yourself except with a handful of water from your bottle.

“You’re packing up and off you go onto the road – it’s so hot from about half past eight, you’re just so grateful when you go through a forest.

“We watch out for each other and push ourselves to drink even if we aren’t thirsty, so we don’t get dehydrated.”

Now, the couple are back on the road towards Geneva.

They have told close family about their engagement, and Andy posted the video on his blog about the trip, but it will be many weeks before they can celebrate with friends and family.

They don’t expect to complete the 2,000-mile trip to Gibraltar for three months.

The ride is the couple’s latest fundraiser for Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF), a medical charity providing support to people in conflict zones and other troubled areas of the world.

Andy has completed previous challenges as part of a bid to raise £200,000 for MSF, which he has worked for on four missions: Uganda, twice in South Sudan, and in an ebola centre in Sierra Leone.

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In his day job, Andy is a staff nurse on the intensive care unit at Harrogate District Hospital, where he and Tracey met. She now works as a nurse in dermatology at York Hospital.

Both have been supported by their employers, who have given them time off to complete the ride from Amsterdam to Gibraltar. The couple are funding all the travel, accommodation and food themselves, so all money donated goes directly to MSF.

To follow the couple’s progress, visit Andy’s blog or Tracey’s blog. You can donate to the cause by clicking the links from either of their blogs.

Starbeck dad Gordon Schallmo has criticised Transdev‘s “unreliable” Number 1 bus service, which he said is regularly making his daughter late for school.

Mr Schallmo’s 14-year-old daughter is a pupil at King James’s School in Knaresborough.

Each morning she gets the number 1 from Starbeck, which is one of the company’s busiest bus routes in the Harrogate district, running up to seven times an hour.

But well-documented staffing issues have forced the company to cancel services, sometimes at short notice.

Mr Schallmo said his daughter is currently late for school at least once a week after buses failed to turn up.

He said:

“Its hit and miss when they arrive. She’s often been left standing there.”

Can’t all fit on

The number 1 route is served by single-decker buses.

But with schoolchildren sharing the bus with rush-hour commuters, it means if a bus doesn’t turn up they can’t always all fit on the next one.

Mr Schallmo added:

“It’s not good when I have to run her in and call the school to say she will be late again because the bus hasn’t turned up.”

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Transdev has had difficulties hiring new bus drivers since the covid pandemic.

The company recently launched a campaign offering qualified drivers a £1,000 bonus if they joined.

Mr Schallmo said he was also frustrated to see the company recently increased the cost of a weekly ticket on the number 1 from £4.30 to £6 whilst offering a service his daughter can’t rely on.

He said:

“It’s getting beyond a joke. I know they have bus driver shortages but they don’t seem to be doing anything about it.

“What frustrates me is they don’t have an answer. It’s been terrible.”

Transdev’s response

Steve Ottley, general manager at The Harrogate Bus Company, which is a division of French firm Transdev, said:

“Firstly, it’s disappointing and we apologise that Mr Schallmo believes we haven’t given him an answer he would like but we would invite him and anyone else who may wish to, to engage with us via email to customer.services@transdevbus.co.uk or via many other contact points as found at harrogatebus.co.uk.

“We fully realise how frustrating it is for our customers on the occasions when we are unable to provide the high standard of service expected. We are doing a lot behind the scenes to respond to current industry-wide challenges around recruitment and retention of drivers — including by offering increased salaries to new and existing drivers, and by promoting opportunities to join us on the front of all our buses, on billboard advertising and via social media.

“This approach is already delivering positive results – we currently have 15 new colleagues preparing for new driving jobs in Harrogate at The Academy, our own in-house training facility in Starbeck.”

Mr Ottley also explained why the company has increased its prices:

“Everyone will be aware that the price of almost everything is rising at the moment, especially fuel and energy, and unfortunately, we are also not immune to these increased costs — price changes are a common factor across many businesses at the moment. Along with many other transport operators across the country, we have now reached a point where we need to ask our customers to share some of this with us.

“We have held prices down for a while now. This will be our first fares change since September 2019 – and our tickets are still good value, especially compared with other forms of transport, including the car.

“These changes will allow us to continue recovering from covid, increasing timetables back to pre-pandemic levels, investing and improving wage rates — all after almost three years of holding down fares. We’ve also taken this opportunity to simplify our ticket range where we can to make travel easier, while still offering flexibility to our regular customers.”

A Starbeck computer shop owner has swapped microchips for chocolate chips and opened an ice cream parlour.

Jim Ghazani has converted part of PC City, on High Street, into his new venture, which launched this week.

Café Gelato offers 10 flavours of Italian ice cream in cones or tubs, as well as milkshakes and soft drinks.

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Mr Ghazani, who has owned PC City for 20 years, said:

“It’s a bit different to computers. I prefer working here as I can eat all the ice cream!

“People can come and get an ice cream on a walk to Knaresborough. There’s also a school near here, so we thought children might like one on their way home.

“We wanted to add something to the community and local high street and ice creams are always popular – especially in summer.”

The shop opens daily from 1pm to 6pm during the spring and summer months.

Mr Ghazani, who lives in Harrogate, said:

“My favourite flavour is the coconut Bounty one, but the kids like the bubblegum flavour.”