Network Rail responds to criticism over ‘out of date’ Starbeck crossing technologyKnaresborough Chamber to bid for £40k to help visitors see town as it used to beMorrisons explains reason for empty shelves at local supermarketsHelp fund life-changing tech for ‘little diamond’ Harrogate teen

The parents of a Harrogate teenager with cerebral palsy are aiming to raise £10,000 to fund a “life-changing” piece of equipment.

Piran, 15, is non-verbal and lives with agonising muscle spasms which he is unable to explain to his parents, John and Maria Smith.

The family is hoping to buy a Tobii Eyegaze, which would recognise Piran’s eye movements and enable him to communicate, as well as using learning apps and social media.

Maria told the Stray Ferret:

“It’s something he has used over the years, but it’s not very easily funded by the local authority. We’ve had a trial and borrowed it in the holidays, and he’s used it at school.

“They’re a lot of money, but they’re really worth it. If you can imagine never having told anybody anything, shared any feelings or concerns – even choosing is really difficult for him.

“It’s literally going to give him a way to share his personality with the world. It’s really life-changing kit.”

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Piran was diagnosed with cerebral palsy after being born three months premature.

He was able to speak when he was a toddler, and could walk with a frame when he was young. He attended Willow Tree Primary School up until year six.

Now a pupil at Springwater School in Starbeck, Piran especially enjoys swimming.

However, as his body as grown, he has lost some of his abilities and is now in a wheelchair. He has also developed other health issues over the years including dystonia, which gives him cramps and spasms throughout his body.

Maria said:

“He isn’t in a good way physically, but he shines like a little diamond. He is the most bubbly, cheeky, wonderful boy, and he has a wicked sense of humour.

“At Willow Tree, he made friends with everybody. He loves music – he listens to everything from The Doors to Iron Maiden to Pavarotti.”

Maria Smith with son PiranMaria and Piran

The couple’s first fundraising event was a walk of more than 40 miles, covering the Harrogate and Knaresborough Ringways.

It took place last weekend, during heavy thunderstorms, and saw them camp out over night in a two-man tent along the route.

Maria said:

“It’s a long, tough, hard battle as a family. You’re doctor, physio and everything else – you wear lots of different hats through the day. You do feel quite lonely, and every disabled family feels the same.

“For the first walk, everyone said, ‘we’ll do it with you’, but we wanted to do it alone.”

However, there are plans in place for a group walk in September, this time covering just 20 miles, and Marian and John have opened it to anyone who wants to take part.

Next year, she’s hoping to draw on her experience in motorsport to organise more events to raise funds and awareness for people with conditions like Piran.

To find out more about upcoming events, visit the Walk for Piran Facebook group. To donate to the family’s fundraising, visit the Go Fund Me page.

ASE Computers disaster planning ‘invaluable’ for clients

This story is sponsored by ASE Computers.

Nobody likes to think about worst-case scenarios. But from a business perspective, planning for disaster isn’t just a good thing to do if you have the time. 

It’s an absolutely vital measure to protect the future of your business – and failing to do so could be catastrophic. 

One man who knows all about the importance of disaster planning is Chris Dickinson. 

Running IT sales and services company ASE Computers for almost 30 years, he has seen plenty of disasters in other businesses and has done more than his fair share of work to fix them. 

However, he says, some simple planning could save a lot of pain and cost if the worst should happen.  

Chris said: 

“When people go into business, they tend to focus on the positives – they don’t consider what might happen if things go wrong. 

“But it can happen so easily. A simple mistake or a fault can kick of a chain of events that lead a business into real trouble.” 

While most people don’t know where to start when it comes to planning for a potential disaster, Chris has a thorough approach to ensuring every possibility is considered.  

He begins with a series of questions: 

“What happens if your IT systems go down? Or your phones or internet supply? What if you can’t access your bank account?

“Is your data secure? What happens if it comes under attack or you lose access to it?

“If you can’t use your office because of a flood or a fire, what then? What if a key person is suddenly unable to work for any reason? 

“If something goes wrong, is there a system in place for reporting it and dealing with it? Who’s in charge? Who takes responsibility for what?

“All these sorts of questions really do need to be asked if you’re to protect yourself from the worst-case scenario.”

Disaster planning for payroll clients with 90% digital process

For one of ASE’s clients, putting in place a disaster plan has proved invaluable. 

Pay Me asked Chris and his team to do some research into the company’s IT infrastructure and produce a disaster recovery document. 

The firm offers payroll for companies around the UK, a process which is 90% digital. 

Once the review was complete, the ASE team put together a series of recommendations, explaining how each would benefit Pay Me and assist if the worst should happen. 

Once the IT system was in place, other aspects were considered: phones and internet, as well as staff responsibilities and hierarchy.  

The disaster recovery plan was put to Pay Me’s board for the final sign-off, which they were happy to do. 

Not only did it mean peace of mind for everyone from the directors down to the staff, it could also be used for Pay Me’s insurers. ASE produced an executive summary of the plan to demonstrate how prepared the company was for any eventuality.  

Chris said: 

“It might seem like a luxury to have a thorough disaster recovery plan, but if the worst should happen, you need to be prepared.

“The arrival of the covid pandemic and the need for everyone to stay at home shows just how quickly something can happen that affects how you operate.

“Companies with an effective plan were able to put actions in place quickly, getting their team members up and running at home, and therefore minimising any losses to the business in terms of productivity.

“While we hope we never have to face that kind of situation again, having a disaster recovery plan in place is absolutely vital to protect you from any eventuality.”

 

To find out more about how ASE Computers can help your business to be ready for anything, click here. 

Harrogate commuters set for fewer ‘leaves on the line’ delays?

Rail operator Northern is fitting new technology to its trains to combat leaves on the line, which can cause autumn frustration for commuters.

Leaves stick to damp rails and are compressed into a smooth, slippery layer, reducing the trains’ grip.

This can delay services so Northern is fitting what it describes as ‘leaf-busting’ technology to 16 of its 170 passenger trains operating between Leeds, Harrogate, and York.

Routes between Sheffield, Doncaster, Hull and Scarborough will also be upgraded. The locations were chosen because they are some of those most affected by leaves.

The technology – Water-Trak – creates rainy-day conditions on the rail surface by spraying a small amount of water from the train onto the track when a slippery rail is detected.

While this might appear counter-intuitive, researchers discovered that leaf-coated rails only become slippery when damp, and that trains stop safely in heavy rain.

Rob Cummings, seasonal improvement manager at Northern, said:

“This is the next step in finding a solution to tricky autumn conditions. One of the biggest risks to our performance during October and November is leaves on the line, but by helping to develop new innovative technology we aim to deliver the very best service for our passengers.”

Two of Northern’s Class 319s fitted with Water-Trak have been successfully operating in passenger service since late October 2021. The trials with Northern are being run thanks to funding from Network Rail’s performance innovation fund.

John Cooke, co-founder at Water-Trak, said:

“We are really excited to be working with Northern to show how Water-Trak can help to solve the age-old problem of leaves on the line.”

Private Harrogate hospital drafts in robot with £250,000 investment

A private hospital in Harrogate has drafted in a robotic surgical assistant and made improvements at the building with a £250,000 investment.

BMI The Duchy Hospital, based on Queen’s Road, is now the only hospital in the Harrogate district with the ROSA Knee System.

The robot is designed to help surgeons carry out more personalised procedures with a greater degree of accuracy.

It has a robotic arm that is guided by the surgeon. The robot also analyses data to help surgeons plan, carry out and assess the knee replacement.

This investment comes as the private hospital, which is part of the Circle Health Group, continues its work with Harrogate and District Foundation Trust to help ease NHS waiting lists.

Orthopaedic surgery among the most in-demand services in the NHS.

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Professor Nick London, Mr David Duffy, Mr Jon Conroy and Mr Mark Farndon have used the new system.

Professor Nick London said:

“So far we’ve had excellent outcomes for patients. As we continually strive towards getting 100 per cent of patients the best outcome from their surgery, there is a significant group who may benefit from the advantages the ROSA robot brings.”

Rick Sanders, executive director at BMI The Duchy Hospital, said:

“We are delighted that robotic-assisted knee surgery is now available here in Harrogate. It gives our highly experienced consultant surgeons the option of using this state-of-the-art equipment.”

The investment also means new camera system for surgery, new LED lighting and redecorated interior.

Mr Sanders added:

“As patient activity at our hospital increases and we continue to work closely with the Harrogate District Foundation Trust to ease their waiting lists. The improvements will help us offer the best experience possible for our patients.”

Harrogate undertaker says online funerals help grieving families

With social distancing restrictions in place, the coronavirus crisis has impacted on the way in which families and friends are able to say their final farewells to loved ones.

Harrogate Crematorium currently permits a maximum of 10 people to enter the chapel building for a service, but funeral directors are using the technology to ensure that meaningful services can still be held while ever lockdown limits reduce attendance at cremations and burials.

Sarah Jones (pictured) founder of Full Circle Funerals, of Skipton Road, Harrogate said:

” In recent weeks we’ve seen lots of innovations successfully enter the industry that would have been unheard of a couple of months ago.

“We are now helping to organise online ceremonies, using video conferencing software, which has been very successful. Friends and family can also provide messages, drawings, flowers from their garden, or even personal items to go on or in the coffin, which can all play a profound and significant part in the grieving process. It also helps people deal with the fact that they are not able to carry the coffin for the person who has died, which many people have struggled with.”

The technology means celebrants can still lead ceremonies, or people can do this themselves and share the event online and include as many friends and family in it, regardless of where they are in the world.

The family of father of four and grandfather of seven, Bruce Hammond, who died from Covid-19 aged 89-year-old, arranged his funeral through Full Circle.

Daughter, Jo Hammond, said that after considering the social distancing restrictions that would limit the number able to celebrate his life:

“We decided to fully embrace what we could do, rather than thinking about what we couldn’t do.

“As the hearse left the family home, family and neighbours lined the street. We then held a service using Zoom that approximately 60 people logged into, with a couple of people watching on each screen, and one of his grandchildren logged in from Germany.”

In 2018, Sarah Jones wrote and published Funerals Your Way: A Person-Centred Approach to Planning a Funeral, and the book quickly became a successful seller on Amazon.