Harrogate district covid rate now almost a quarter of national average

Another 30 people in the Harrogate district have tested positive for coronavirus, according to today’s official statistics.

It means the seven-day average rate of infection for the district is now 97 people per 100,000 — almost four times lower than the national average of 364.

The district’s rate has been gradually increasing for the last couple of weeks but at nowhere near the speed of southern England, where the new mutant strain of covid has been most predominant.

The district’s rate remains the lowest of the seven local authority areas in North Yorkshire. Scarborough is the highest at 234. The overall rate for North Yorkshire is 151.

Today’s figures, from Public Health England, bring the total number of infections in the district since the start of the pandemic to 4,127.

There have not been any covid hospital deaths in the district since December 10.

The district’s R number, which refers to the rate at which the virus spreads in the community, remains at 0.9. This means every 10 people with coronavirus will pass it on to nine others.

Starbeck is the worst affected local area, with 18 positive cases in the last seven days — one more than the figure for Ouseburn, Hammerton and Tockwith.

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R number rises in Harrogate district as tier decision looms

The rate at which coronavirus is spreading in the Harrogate district has increased for the first time in more than a month.

The R number rose from 0.4 to 0.5 over the weekend after falling consistently since early November.

It means every 10 people infected pass on covid to five others, which means the virus is still diminishing in the district but at a slower rate.

The government is due to review tier levels on Wednesday, with any changes taking effect on Saturday.

It seems likely that North Yorkshire will remain in tier two.

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The seven-day average rate of infection for the county is 96 per 100,000 people, compared with an England average of 181.

The figure for the Harrogate district is 78, having peaked at over 300 early last month.

Starbeck has taken over as the district’s covid hotspot, with 21 infections in the lasts even days.

Knaresborough central is next highest with 14, followed by Knaresborough north with 13.

 

Harrogate man finishes 9th at World’s Strongest Man

A Harrogate man is set to dominate TV screens over the festive period after finishing ninth at the World’s Strongest Man.

Luke Richardson’s result in Florida completed a remarkable year that has seen him go from novice to one of the most talked about strength athletes on the planet at the age of just 23.

Luke, a former powerlifter, only took part in his first strongman competition last year. Since then he has finished fourth at Britain’s Strongest Man, won Europe’s Strongest Man and is now ranked ninth in the world.

Channel 5 is due to broadcast coverage of all three events over Christmas and New Year.

Luke does the log lift. Pic courtesy of SBD. 

It’s still sinking in for Luke, who was working as a lifeguard at Starbeck Baths recently and is now a professional strongman with his own gym, multiple sponsors and almost 60,000 Instagram followers. He says:

“It’s been quite a year. But I was actually a bit disappointed with my performance in the World’s Strongest Man final.

“I held my own on some events but some silly mistakes on others let me down. Next year I’d like to get in the top five, then finish on the podium and then maybe win a few.”

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Luke would become the youngest ever winner of the World’s Strongest Man if he takes the title in 2021. Beyond that, he has his sights set on breaking the all-time record of five World’s Strongest Man titles held by Poland’s Mariusz Pudzianowski. He says:

“It’s a tall order but i’ve got age on my side and I love what I do. It’s my passion.”

Starbeck school

Luke has lived in Harrogate all of his life. He attended Starbeck Community Primary School and Harrogate High School and discovered he was “quite strong” when he joined Phoenix Fitness in Starbeck at 18.

North Yorkshire is a strongman hotspot. Darren Sadler, a former World’s Strongest Man competitor who now organises many of the leading events, owns Absolute Fitness in Boroughbridge which attracts many top competitors.

Luke trains there on a Monday night but has opened a gym in Wetherby with his training partner Richard Parish called the LR Strength Shed.

He entered his first powerlifting competition when he was 19 and won three British, two European and one world title before switching to strongman 18 months ago.

He only lost one powerlifting competition and at 21 became the youngest person ever to achieve a total of 1,000 kg in the three powerlifting lifts when he managed a 403 kg squat, 222.5 kg bench press and 385 kg deadlift.

Weighs 150 kg

Strongman is far more multi-faceted than many people realise, which makes Luke’s rapid ascent to the top even more remarkable. Luke, who is 6 ft 3 tall and weighs 150 kg, explains:

“My training has changed massively. You have to be the most versatile athlete: you’ve got to have the strength of a powerlifter and the movement of a Cross-Fitter. You have to be a jack of all trades.

“The guy who can pull 500kg on a deadlift probably won’t be as good carrying five sacks down a course because he won’t be as quick. You have to be fit, fast and big.”

Luke Richardson winning Europe’s Strongest Man. Pic courtesy of SBD. 

6,000 calories a day

Luke trains five days a week for four hours a time. He eats 6,000 calories daily in five meals.

By strongman standards, he’s quite small. Hafþór Björnsson, the Icelandic former World’s Strongest Man and Game of Thrones star, is 6 ft 11 and 205 kg. Luke says:

“We are emerging out of the era of mass giants.  You don’t have to be 200kg to win these days.”

It isn’t easy for strongmen to blend in but Luke still walks around Harrogate largely unnoticed. Does he ever get recognised?

“Sometimes when I’m in shops. I don’t mind. It’s nice to be recognised when you try hard to achieve something.”

After this month’s strongman TV coverage, it may happen more often.

 

 

Starbeck cash machine explosion: two males sentenced

A 16-year-old teenager and a man aged 38 who caused an explosion at a cash machine in Starbeck were sentenced today.

Frederick Squires, of Castleacre Road, Swaffham, Norfolk and the teenager from Doncaster, who cannot be named, targeted cash machines across Yorkshire and Leicestershire whilst driving a stolen vehicle.

Squires was sentenced to eight years and six months in prison at York Crown Court and was disqualified from driving for seven years and three months.

The 16-year-old received a two-year detention and training order.

Both men were charged with conspiracy to commit burglaries and conspiracy to cause explosions. Squires was also charged with aggravated vehicle taking.

Lit a fuse

The offences, which began on March 4, were caught on CCTV, which showed them driving the stolen vehicle using cloned registration plates.

The men pumped gas into a cash machine at the post office in Shepshed, Leicestershire at 12.30am and then lit a fuse to cause an explosion.

This attempt was unsuccessful so they moved on to the Jet garage in Adwick, near Doncaster at about 3.15am. Using the same tactics they stole £35,130 in cash cassettes.

Two days later they targeted the cash machine at the Co-op on the High Street in Starbeck shortly after 1am. This attempt was unsuccessful.

At about 2am on March 10, North Yorkshire Police officers spotted the stolen vehicle near York.

100mph chase

In a 100mph chase, the vehicle drove the wrong way round a roundabout before travelling along the wrong side of the A64 dual carriageway and shortly after crashed into the car park barriers at the York Designer Outlet.

Officers were unable to locate the suspects until a helicopter spotted a heat source close to the River Ouse. Officers located the suspects hiding in a tree trunk and they were subsequently arrested.

Squires pleaded guilty to all charges and the 16-year-old youth was found guilty following trial. A third man, who cannot currently be named for legal reasons, plead guilty to all charges but will be sentenced at a later date.

Detective superintendent Fran Naughton, of North Yorkshire Police, said:

“The sentences given to these two individuals today are a clear demonstration that this type of crime will not be tolerated, either in North Yorkshire or across the country.

“Setting off an explosion inside an ATM is extremely dangerous, particularly one on a fuel station forecourt, and showed no regard for the safety of local residents in the properties nearby.

“Added to all of this are the highly irresponsible actions of the driver as they fled from the police, endangering the lives of many road users and causing further damage.”

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Sarah Staff, head of SaferCash, the security initiative hosted by the British Security Industry Association, said: “This series of ATM attacks were potentially extremely dangerous to the public and had a significant impact on local communities that rely upon these services and their access to cash.

“The outcome of today’s sentences will be a strong deterrent to those involved in similar offending.”

 

Three men to appear in court following raid on Starbeck ATM

Three men are due to appear in court next week charged with conspiracy to steal and aggravated vehicle taking after they targeted three ATMs, including one in Starbeck.

The men targeted the ATMs between March 4 and March 10 and started with an attack on one in in Doncaster where large amounts of cash were stolen.

They subsequently targeted another in Shepshed, Leicestershire and one in Starbeck, Harrogate – both of these attempts were unsuccessful.

Police arrested the men following a high speed pursuit in York in the early hours of Tuesday, March 10. 

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The stolen vehicle they were driving, a white Seat Leon, was later found abandoned in a hedge near the York Designer Outlet shopping centre.

The three suspects were found in a tree shortly afterwards when they were spotted by the NPAS police helicopter.

They will appear before York Crown Court on Thursday, November 26.

CCTV appeal after car stolen in Harrogate burglary

Burglars stole a car from outside a house on Stonebeck Avenue after breaking in and taking the keys in the early hours of Sunday.

It happened between 1.30am and 2.30am, and the car was found abandoned with damage the following day.

A spokesman for North Yorkshire Police said:

“Officers are appealing to anyone who saw or heard any suspicious people or vehicles in the area on Saturday night or Sunday morning, and in particular are appealing to any residents who have CCTV or smart doorbells that might have captured the suspects on camera.”

Anyone with information should call North Yorkshire Police on 1010. select option two, and ask for Mark Nursey, or email mark.nursey@northyorkshire.pnn.police.uk.

To report information anonymously, call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111. Quote North Yorkshire Police reference 12200165204.

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Starbeck roadworks cause ‘worry and stress’ for wheelchair user

A Starbeck woman who uses a wheelchair has told The Stray Ferret that recent roadworks carried out in her area caused her a lot of worry and stress when they blocked her driveway with no notice.

FibreNation, a network provider, and SCD, a construction contractor, have carried out work in the Starbeck area.

Although pedestrian walkways were put in place, disabled users were not able to access them due to the lack of dropped curbs and narrow walkways.

Charlotte Claydon from Starbeck told The Stray Ferret that the recent roadworks have been a “nightmare”. She said:

“When they blocked off my driveway, I couldn’t see any workers in sight. Thankfully a passer-by in their car stopped and got out and went to find the nearest workman.”

Image showing the entrance to her driveway blocked off.

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The recent roadworks have also affected her everyday activities and have caused significant stress. She added:

“I walk my dog everyday and at one point I was unable to get onto the pavement because the temporary walkways weren’t wide enough. It makes my leisurely dog walk a bit of a nightmare. It adds to my stress, I get anxious anyway and having to plan my route even more makes it more difficult.”

Pedestrian walkways put in place are too narrow for her wheelchair.

When asked about this issue, SCD, which was carrying out work at the time, said their teams leave sufficient room for wheelchair and mobility scooters at entrances and walk boards and said that they “maintain wheelchair access at all times”.

Fibre Nation who were also carrying out works at the time has since told The Stray Ferret that they were not aware of any concerns that were raised. They said:

“In order for FibreNation to put the Starbeck community at the forefront of connectivity, our works must be undertaken in accordance with legislation, specifically the New Roads & Streetworks Act 1991. We adhere to a code of practice which outlines the specific requirements for the establishment and maintenance of work sites when carrying out our vital works.

FibreNation, Build Partners and the local authority all conduct frequent works inspections to assure compliance however should there be any concerns about a specific work site then contact should be made to our Careline, providing as much detail as possible so we can address any issues as quickly as possible.”

‘I will not close Starbeck Baths’, vows council leader

The leader of Harrogate Borough Council has said he will not close Starbeck Baths after approving a shake-up of the district’s leisure services.

Residents in Starbeck vowed to fight any future threat to the 150-year-old baths after a council officer report suggested the facility’s future “would need to be considered”.

But council leader Richard Cooper said he has made it clear that it will not close under his leadership.

It comes as the borough council’s cabinet voted to set up a new company to run services, including Starbeck, as part of an overhaul of leisure and sport.

The council said the move would help to save around £400,000 a year on services. Starbeck Baths were among the facilities which increased in cost year on year.

Harrogate Borough Council’s cabinet addressed the fears over Starbeck Baths at a virtual meeting on YouTube last night.

A Freedom of Information request by The Stray Ferret showed the bill for running the baths increased from £234,193 in 2018/19 to an estimated £239,370 last year.

In a report before cabinet, the council estimated that it would save around £191,000 a year without Starbeck following investment and redevelopment of its other leisure facilities.

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Cllr Cooper said at the meeting streamed live on YouTube that he would not close the facility and the authority was being open with the costs of the baths:

“While I sit here, we are not closing Starbeck Baths and in any case it is not part of the plans. 

“It is just telling people how much things cost because we want people to know.”

Meanwhile, Michael Constantine, head of culture, tourism and sport, said the move was not a “stalking horse” and that any closure would need a separate council decision.

But Pat Marsh, leader of the Liberal Democrat group, said the she would rather Cllr Cooper had made a whole council commitment to Starbeck:

“I am pleased to hear the comments and to give the people that reassurance, but are we still going to have him as leader in a few years’ time?

“It would have been better if he had said: ‘This council will not close Starbeck Baths’.”

Last night, senior councillors voted to set up Brimham’s Active to run its leisure services which cost the taxpayer £3.5 million in the last financial year.

The authority will also borrow £26 million from the government’s Public Works Loans Board to fund an investment strategy into the Harrogate Hydro and a new leisure centre in Knaresborough.

The new company is expected to be operating by August 2021 and will cost the council £300,000 to set up.

Drake’s Fisheries make special delivery to Harrogate Neighbours for VE Day

 

Harrogate Neighbours overcame the problem of social distancing to put on a special day of VE Day celebrations for the residents of The Cuttings in Starbeck and Heath Lodge in Harrogate. Drake’s Fish and Chips in Knaresborough arrived with an appropriately-dressed team to deliver lunch.