A ping pong parlour has returned to Harrogate’s Victoria Shopping Centre.
The attraction, which was set up by Harrogate Business Improvement District, will be open for seven days a week during retail hours.
It includes four table tennis tables and bats and balls are provided.
The BID is funding the free initiative as part of its mission to encourage people to visit town centre shops.
Matthew Chapman, Harrogate BID manager, said:
“This is ever popular with workers and students alike and evidentially brings people into town. It is open until mid-July before it will take a short break for the Harrogate Floral Summer of Celebrations’ immersive exhibition. It will then return and run through to the autumn.
“Table tennis is a great sport, and anyone can play it, no matter how young or how old. This parlour is for the public to use, free of charge. All we ask is that if there are a lot of people wanting to play, then please be sensible and don’t hog the tables too long. Give others a chance.”
The BID is encouraging people to come along and take part and there will be a monthly competition for those who ‘check in’ through a QR code to win a £50 Harrogate Gift Card.
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What life is like ‘Down Under’ in Harrogate, Australia
You can find koalas, kangaroos and kookaburras in Harrogate — a small rural township in Australia that is named after our district’s original one.
It’s located in the Adelaide Hills on the banks of the Bremer River and is around 55km away from the bustling city of Adelaide.
People who live there are called Harrogations and there are around 300 of them, happily living a more relaxed pace of life than we’re used to here in North Yorkshire.
Things don’t move in a hurry in the Aussie Harrogate and the post is delivered just three times a week. There is one street light and the nearest shop is 14km away, so locals call on ‘good neighbours’ if they run out of any necessities.
The Stray Ferret got in touch with some Harrogate residents Down Under who told us a bit about their town, which has a thriving community that has weathered the changes of time.
Di Gray said:
“Harrogations can enjoy the isolation, relaxation and calm that our town and surround brings to families and households, animals and local wildlife alike.”
Changing times
Harrogate used to be well-known for its old-style dances, tennis and table tennis clubs.
There was a school, church and corner shop too, which are now long gone.
But the tennis and table-tennis club remain and Harrogations enjoy playing games of ping pong against nearby towns such as Woodside and Nairne.
Harrogate has an annual Christmas party as well as a bonfire night when the whole community comes together.
The town rallied in December 2019 when bushfires enveloped Harrogate, and locals have spent the last few years regenerating farmland and helping wildlife heal from the devastation.
People in Harrogate enjoy a game of tennis.
Pamela Dashwood said she especially enjoys all the wildlife on her doorstep.
“We have a lot of birdlife, sulphur crested cockatoos, corellas, magpies, rosellas and galahs. Plus kookaburras who have the most gorgeous laugh.
“We have lots of kangaroos at the moment and the occasional koala. We do have brown and red belly black snakes in summer but I rarely see them. We do have lizards in the garden too sunning themselves on the lawn.”
Di Gray added:
“Families have grown and left and some have returned to raise the next generation here.
“We have all arrived for different reasons and the diversity is part of the charm along with the knowledge that it will never grow too big.”
Who named Harrogate?
Pioneers moved to Australia from Britain in the 19th century looking to find their fortune. Harrogate, Australia historian Shylie McInnes, told the Stray Ferret that three men staked a claim to naming the town.
The first is Thomas Carling who was born in Harrogate, North Yorkshire in 1820. He arrived in Australia in 1850 and tried his luck as a gold miner before marrying a local woman.
Thomas Carling
He tended to horses in the UK and eventually took up the 700 acres of land that became the township of Harrogate.
Carling won prizes for bushels of wheat grown on his land and his house was said to be filled with gold and silver trophies, cups, medals, diplomas and certificates related to farming.
An obituary published in the Adelaide Advertiser after his death in 1903 was called ‘Death of a Pioneer’.
It said “the ideal farmer” was “of a reserved nature was genial and hearty with associates, while uprightness and strict integrity were traits of his character.”
A man called Charles Young also claimed to have named Harrogate. He was employed to survey the land that is currently Harrogate by the Britannia Mining Company.
Gold mining greatly contributed to the development of Australia in the second half of the 19th century
Young was from Devon but claimed to have named Harrogate after its UK namesake.
Finally, the politician John Baker, who was born in Somerset, UK, bought the land in 1858 and authorised the township of Harrogate.
He was a major landowner around Adelaide and was the second Premier of the colony of South Australia.
John Baker
In 1869 he bred a thoroughbred racehorse named Don Juan that won the 1873 Melbourne Cup, which remains today one of Australia’s most famous horse races.
Ms McIness said all three men lived in the area around the same time and she has found documents that leads her to believe that they knew each other, but it’s a mystery which man named the town Harrogate as no official records remain.
Intertwined history
In the years those early pioneers were developing Harrogate, Australia around agriculture, Harrogate in the UK was experiencing a boom of its own thanks to the introduction of the railway in 1848. It helped establish the town as a Victorian spa destination.
In the following 170 years, the two towns have developed at different paces, but will always share an obvious connection.
When comparing the two Harrogates, Facebook shows that 1,825 people have ‘checked in’ at Harrogate, Australia — a lot less than the 550,000 that have visited Harrogate, UK.
And whilst Harrogate continues to grow with new housing developments , restaurants and bars — Harrogate, Australia will probably always be content with its laid-back place in the world.
Last weekend was the 21st Staveley table tennis marathon — a unique event where the village hall is kitted out with tables for games that last from 9am to 8pm on Saturday and Sunday.
The fundraiser was started in the late 1980s by 87-year-old Ken Barker and has raised over £100,000 for charities.
Mr Barker was inspired to start the event to support cancer charity Macmillan as there were some nurses that lived in the village. He thought table tennis was the most weatherproof way to run a fundraiser in the winter months.
Charities that have benefitted from the marathon include Martin House Children’s Hospice, St Michael’s Hospice and Children In Distress, among many others.
Mr Barker said:
“We’ve never stopped since, we’ve kept growing the number of charities we support.
“We’ve gone on nicely. I always try to choose charities for people who want help and can’t help themselves.”
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Mr Barker has lived in the village all his life, except for a couple of years in the 1950s when he served in the military during the Suez crisis.
He’s still sprightly and handy with a racket.
“I might make more tea then I play games these days but I always enjoy a game. I will continue having this marathon as long as i can.”
Last weekend over 60 players took part, including players in the Harrogate league as well as amateurs and villagers.
The marathon is supported by Staveley resident and chairman of the Harrogate Table Tennis Association, Graham Bowland, who managed to play for 19 hours.
Mr Barker said the fundraiser is a great way to meet new people and is an event that everyone in Staveley looks forward to.
This year, all money raised will go towards charities that tackle Parkinson’s disease.
When George Chan was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 2012, he was determined to carry on playing the sport he loves.
The 60-year-old from Harrogate has not just carried on — he’s excelled.
In Berlin over the weekend, George picked up a doubles gold medal and silver medal in the Parkinson’s World Table Tennis Championship.
Last month he also won a gold medal in the Parkinson’s UK Championship.
George told the Stray Ferret that winning the gold in Berlin, representing England alongside American Nenan Bach, was an emotional moment.
“When we won I hit two smashes to win the game, and we both hugged each other. It was two different nations with one common cause. It was very touching.”
Parkinson’s is a brain condition that can cause involuntary shaking.
Table tennis competitions for people with Parkinson’s are played with the same rules as traditional table tennis but with some minor tweaks, such as competitors are allowed to put their non-playing hand on the table for balance.
George went to Harrogate Grammar School before moving to Manchester to raise his family. In 2004 he returned to Harrogate through work and joined the Harrogate Racquets Club table tennis league, a sport he’d played since university.
Read more:
- Young Harrogate tennis star, 12, makes Wimbledon debut
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Playing a decade after diagnosis
He was diagnosed with Parkinson’s in 2012 but was determined to carry on playing in defiance of the disease. He said table tennis helps people with Parkinson’s because you have to think and move quickly.
“When you are diagnosed the world caves in around you, but why give up what I love ? 10 years on I’m still managing to hold my own against able people in the Harrogate league. On the face of it, not a lot of people know I have Parkinson’s.
“And table tennis is the best sport for us, it’s fast for the mind and body. Some of the shots you hardly have time to think so it helps your subconscious.
“The more we can utilise natural remedies the better it is for us.”
George was inspired by fellow competitors during the week in Berlin.
He added:
“The amazing thing was how gutsy some of the players are despite lack of mobility and shakiness. It was quite amazing to see. It’s the biggest group of Parkinson’s people I’ve ever been with and they had a very upbeat outlook on life.
“Once you got onto the table it was surprising how optimistic and alive the players became. There was a common cause to help relieve Parkinson’s and find a cure. Table tennis has brought us together.”
George coaches youth classes table tennis classes at Harrogate Racquets Club on Firs Road. If you are interested in playing visit its website.