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Knaresborough Town Council has allocated £7,000 towards training tour guides to promote the town.

Knaresborough is a popular destination but visitors sometimes struggle to find basic information on attractions such as the museum and viaduct.

Cllr Margy Longhurst, a professionally trained tourist guide, began providing free tours last year.

But Cllr Longhurst wants to develop the service, which it is hoped will boost tourism and increase civic pride.

The council agreed this week to budget £7,000 towards training a pool of guides, who will provide free tours on Wednesday market days and at weekends, as well as on special occasions.

Knaresborough-born Sarah Cowling, who is now a professional tourist guide in York who also provides accredited training, will run the courses.

The 13-week training course will start in January and it is hoped the first guides will be in action by autumn next year.

Speaking after the town council meeting, Cllr Longhurst said:

“I’ve found it frustrating doing the tours because trying to do everything myself is just too much. I’ve also sprained my knee.

“We want to have regular free walking tours and when I say ‘free’, I mean ‘free’ — we won’t be asking for tips.”

Besides tourists, she said the tours would also appeal to newcomers to the town by making them “feel part of the community” as well as informing them of Knaresborough’s heritage.

Cllr Longhurst said the council was looking to recruit eight to 10 people with a love of history and Knaresborough who were prepared to undertake training and two exams.

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Green grants

Knaresborough Town Council is to award grants to young people with ideas on how to improve the environment.

The Green Grant will be awarded to school pupils or youth groups with ideas on how to better Knaresborough’s environment and work towards reversing the effects of climate change in the area.

The council said people with ideas on active travel, climate adaptation, improving animal and wildlife habitats, energy reduction and minimising pollution are welcome to apply for a grant, which will be up to £500 per project.

Kit Lacey, chair of the council’s climate committee, said the authority “understands that things cannot stay the same” and is “in need of young people’s help”.

Mr Lacey added:

“It’s the young people of the town who will live with the effects of climate change longer than us councillors.

“This programme is open to all children of the town and welcomes applications from adults and children in schools and all types of youth groups. Examples would be school groups, young climate committees lead by PTA members, scouts and guides.

“We encourage groups to apply even if they are not sure where the group may sit as we, the council, can push them in the right direction of coming under a group that would be eligible.”

Although the scheme is directed at young people, Mr Lacey said the grant must be awarded to an adult in charge of an organisation, so the money can be sent to their account.

Applicants must also disclose the organisation’s latest financial accounts and, if necessary, any permissions required by North Yorkshire Council.

Knaresborough Town Council also said applicants must mention ‘Green Grant’ in their application.

You can apply for the grant here.

Survey highlights Knaresborough’s tourism potential

A survey has discovered Knaresborough is one of the most popular local towns and cities to visit.

The study by research company 56 Degree Insight asked a representative sample of 500 people from a regional pool to rate 10 nearby places to visit.

Knaresborough ranked third with 87% describing it as either OK, good or excellent, behind only York (93%) and Harrogate (91%) — which are both larger and better known.

Knaresborough scored ahead of Skipton (82%) and Ripon (81%), with Otley in West Yorkshire and Thirsk in joint sixth on 76%. Helmsley, Northallerton and Malton filled the last three slots.

The survey also revealed 93% of visitors were ‘very’ or ‘quite’ likely to visit Knaresborough again — higher than anywhere else.

56 Degree Insight also discovered Knaresborough residents’ pride in their town.

They asked 300 Knaresborians to rate where they live and 96% said it was either excellent, good or OK. Only Harrogate residents rated their location higher, at 97%. York was third at 89% and Ripon was seventh at 65%.

The results were revealed at this week’s annual general meeting of business group Knaresborough & District Chamber.

Executive member Peter Lacey said the results indicated that Knaresborough’s already popular visitor economy could be a growth sector.

Speaking afterwards, Mr Lacey said he was still digesting all the results, but the take away message was that there are opportunities for the town to attract visitors and encourage them to stay longer whilst ensuring that the requirements of residents are also addressed.

He said suggestions on how to improve the town, which the survey also covered, attracted positive responses to ideas such as town centre improvements, more benches to sit on and wet weather covers, adding:

“We were also encouraged that whilst sensitivity to design and local impact ideas such as park and ride, a land train and the cliff lift were all considered appealing to both visitors and residents.”

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