Harrogate pensioner appeals for cash to fund ambulance for quake-hit Turkey

A Harrogate retiree is appealing for a rapid injection of funds to buy an ambulance that he will drive to earthquake-hit parts of Turkey. 

John Shackleton, 84, has funded, bought and stocked 34 ambulances over the last three decades, and delivered them to 22 countries – as well as three fire engines and two minibuses. 

Now he wants to buy another, but the only obstacle is money. He said:

“I was going to deliver the next ambulance to Moldova, but then the earthquake struck, so Turkey it is. So I’ve already raised £12,000 by chopping down trees and selling the logs, and I already have a garageful of medical supplies.  

“I just need to quickly raise £6,000 to £8,000 more to buy the ambulance and we can go. It’s not complicated – it’s very simple. I could set off tomorrow if I had the cash.” 

The Kahramanmaraş earthquake struck southern Turkey and northern Syria on Monday, razing buildings across a wide area and trapping thousands in the rubble. The latest estimate is that at least 12,000 people have been killed. Teams of rescuers have flown in from many countries, but their efforts are being hampered by cold weather.

Mr Shackleton said:

“You can rest assured that when it all calms down, the ‘big boys’ will pull out, but our ambulance will still be there, doing its work.”

Mr Shackleton is currently waiting to find out from the Turkish Embassy if the Red Crescent charity will accept a right-hand-drive vehicle. If not, he will fly to Amsterdam, buy a left-hand-drive ambulance at auction – which he has done many times before – bring it to Harrogate to stock it, and drive it south. 

Mr Shackleton was first moved to do humanitarian work when he saw news reports revealing the conditions in Romanian orphanages following the opening of its borders in 1990. He and a band of volunteers went there and installed flushing toilets and showers. 

He said:

“There were thousands of youngsters in appalling conditions. It still haunts me.

“That was over 30 years ago, and now in 2023 there’ll be a lot of injured people in the earthquake zone who will need to be transported. 

“I get the same feeling now that I did back then – it’s a compulsion to help. I’m fit and I’ve got the means to do it – so I have to. It’s very basic.” 

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Harrogate couple’s dramatic escape from earthquake-hit Turkish city

A Harrogate couple have spoken of their shock and devastation after being caught up in the earthquakes in Turkey.

Sharon Cain and her partner Steve were in Iskenderun on the Turkish coast when the first earthquake struck in the early hours of Monday morning.

The pair had been travelling in their motorhome since September, tracking their adventures on their Instagram account, and decided to stay for a few nights in a rented flat.

It was there that they were woken by the earthquake around 3.30am, with the “shaking, swaying and rumbling” lasting more than a minute.

Sharon said:

“You could hear people screaming outside. There was mass panic.

“You could hear doors banging with people fleeing the building. They were all huddled together because it was only three degrees and pouring with rain.”

Sharon, who previously ran Harrogate agency Quest PR, said they had quickly gone to find their motorhome, which was parked just a few minutes’ walk away. On the way, they saw collapsed buildings, and watched more locals sheltering under damaged buildings.

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A post shared by Sharon, Steve, Bracken: travel writer/photography (@leaveworktotravel)


 

Fortunately, the vehicle had not been damaged, and the couple and their dog, Bracken, left the town amid the chaos.

Sharon added:

“People were panicking and driving the wrong way, trying to get out. The emergency services were trying to get through towards the centre.”

Now safe, the couple said their thoughts are still with the people trapped and injured by the earthquake, and those trying to get help to them.

More than 5,000 people are now known to have died, with a second earthquake having struck close to the first later that day.

Sharon and Steve said they hoped support centres had been set up by communities to give residents proper places to shelter. They said they could not imagine how long it will take for the country to recover.

They travelled 100 miles west to safety and plan to go further towards the western end of Turkey over the coming days to visit friends. The risk of earthquakes is much lower close to its coast and the Greek islands.

However, their thoughts – and those of everyone they meet along the way – are still with the people caught up in the tragedy. Sharon said:

“The Turkish people are just beyond themselves for their own people. They’re just heartbroken and devastated by the battering the country has had.”

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Steve added:

“We’re just relieved to be alive, and it’s not an exaggeration to say that. The building was rocking by six to nine inches. It was bad.

“It was the aftershocks too – they just kept coming. Then you’re thinking, ‘is that going to bring down the building that’s now been damaged?’.”

Sharon and Steve have been using their Instagram feed to share information about rescue efforts, including the humanitarian response by the Red Cross.

Steve added:

“We heard Britain has sent 75 specialists out to help.

“That’s great, but 75 won’t do one small district in one town that has been hit.

“It’s the biggest ever earthquake in Turkey. It’s not just the cities, it’s the rural areas too.

“It’s going to need all the help available.”

Harrogate cafe offers taste of Turkey

Sirius is a new cafe on Beulah Street that offers homemade food inspired by Turkey.

Istanbul is said to have the world’s oldest cafe culture, and Cuneyt Yazicioglu wants to bring some flavours from his home city to Harrogate.

Dishes at Sirius include kumpir, which is a Turkish jacket potato with a wide range of toppings to choose from.

Homemade sweets include the pistachio-flavored baklava. Turkish coffee and tea are also available.

Inside Sirius on Beulah Street

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Mr Yazicioglu has lived in North Yorkshire for 24 years and previously ran a Turkish restaurant in Ripon.

Pictures of famous Turkish singers, actors and comedians adorn the walls of the cafe, which used to be a card shop and is next door to Costa.

It’s the ‘Turkish breakfast’ that takes top billing on the menu. It’s a twist on the English breakfast and includes feta cheese, olives, Turkish pepperoni and honey.

As well as offering Turkish treats, the kitchen serves English breakfast, sandwiches, pizza, paninis and omelettes.

Sirius is open from 9am to 5pm seven days a week at 9 Beulah Street, Harrogate.

‘It’s no longer all about the traditional turkey at Christmas’, says butcher

While huge turkeys have traditionally been the main centrepiece of the family Christmas dinner, many are now opting for smaller, more convenient versions.

And some are even ditching the turkey altogether.

I spoke to Rachael Hirst at Wetherby-based butchers Sykes House Farm, which supplies meat and poultry to restaurants, cafes and homes across the Harrogate district, about what it’s like to operate during the hectic run-up to Christmas.

This year has been particularly busy for the team, with the business now offering both trade and e-commerce following a boom in online trading as a result of the pandemic.

Founder Martin Smith, with daughter Rachael Hirst and son Robert

Rachael, who runs the third generation family business with her brother Robert Smith, said:

“It has been really hard work this year, as we have got trade and e-commerce, together with a lack of staff.”

The team also has to adapt to the changing needs of customers at Christmas time.

Rachael said:

“Our turkeys are herb-fed poultry and we have loads of different sizes lots to choose from.

“A lot of people are choosing not to get whole birds this year, as people are finding the bones a bit of a faff.

“People’s needs and trends keep changing and we therefore don’t always know what to buy.

“We have to buy it in July in order to raise those birds to have in December. So it’s a bit of a punt every year.”

In November Sykes House Farm, which supplies to the likes of William & Victoria, Betty’s, Three’s a Crowd and Gianni’s Brio, in Harrogate, had already sold 50% of its turkey stock of 300. This was despite them only going on sale at the end of October.

Rachael said:

“Everyone was ringing up non-stop thinking there is going to be a turkey shortage.”

However, she added that many people this year had moved on to ribs of beef and stuffed pork.

She said:

“The tradition of turkey has gone away a bit. The turkey famers do all wonder why turkey is just for Christmas. Eating turkey at Christmas has come from America.

“We do individual portions, like the little turkey parcels, which are like what is sold in restaurants. They are wrapped in bacon and stuffed with cranberry and sage. So if you only have four people coming, you could get four of those rather than having to buy a big turkey, which is what quite a few people have done this year.

“People’s shopping habits have totally changed. However, beef is always really popular at Christmas. We sell more at Christmas than any other time of the year.”

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Rachael puts the change in shopping habits down to people cooking more in lockdown and therefore wanting more variety in their dishes.

She said:

“A lot of chefs were born at home due to lockdown, so I just think people have got more inventive. As a result we have found that people who come in the shop are asking for totally different things.

“For example ox cheeks have become a thing. All the offal – pigs cheeks things like that – are very popular on menus now.”

When it comes to Christmas people are still ordering turkeys alongside beef and pork, however many are now opting for an easier option to save time in the kitchen.

Rachael said:

“People have been ordering the most of stuffed lattice turkey breasts for sure.

“They still want the turkey, but without the hassle of the bird in the oven. And it visually looks really nice because of the lattice on top.

“They don’t have to do stuffing as well, because it’s inside it. It’s a shortcut but it still gives you the Christmas dinner and it’s easy to carve.

“Everybody also loves pigs in blankets and people seem to order more and more every year. We sell them on trays of 20, which is quite a large number, and if you’re a family of six we would expect you to just have a tray – but people ask for two.”

Another alternative that is popular, according to Rachael, is a turkey ballotine, a boneless turkey breast, which has a partridge or pheasant inside it and then a duck or pigeon inside that.

She said:

“It’s a gamey three bird roast. They are really popular. People don’t want the faff of doing those at home. It’s quite time consuming making them. It takes 20 minutes per one. We do everything onsite. All the prep.”

Turkey ballotine

Stray Kitchen: Christmas Hacks the Stray Kitchen way

Stray Kitchen is our column all about food written by renowned local produce expert, food writer and chef, Stephanie Moon. Stephanie is a champion of food produced in the UK and particularly in Yorkshire and the Harrogate district. 

I love, love, love this time of year, and the feeling of festive fun is really growing in tempo this Christmas…

So how do we make Christmas easy? This is a question I always get asked, and truthfully, I don’t think catering for a large group at Christmas is easy at all. But there are some ways we can make it as pain free as possible.

Mulled wine: Everyone has a mix they love, and for me it is a bottle of Malbec red wine, shot of brandy, shot of sloe gin, a clove studded orange, three cinnamon sticks, and three star anise, brought up to the boil with two glasses of lemonade and a glass of cranberry juice. Sweeten it up to taste, and for a real trick, pour it into a slow cooker so the mulled wine is warm and ready to go when your guests arrive.

Nibbles and dips: I love a quick homemade hummus. Boil two tins of chick peas with the aqua faba (chick pea juice inside the tin) until the juice evaporates. Add crushed garlic and tahini with some Ras El Halenout (spice mix), rapeseed oil, a splash of water and lemon zest and juice. For something to dip into the hummus, try my simple recipe for Harrogate blue cheese straws.

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Ingredients

Method

Starters: Jazz up your prawn cocktail with some cooked lobster and a few slices of locally smoked salmon for a real treat. For the Marie Rose classic, try adding some finely chopped soft apricot pieces. Or, if you fancy a tropical alternative, why not add some fresh mango pieces and a light curry powder to your mayo.

Time to bring in the turkey! Steph is pictured here with London based chef Valentina Harris and her assistant Cher, at the Ideal Home exhibition.

Main: The turkey is the main event. Everyone cooks their’s differently and has their own favourite stuffing mix, but the gravy often gets left to last minute. Show your gravy some love this year and really glaze the turkey tray properly, removing the fat to get all that extra flavour into your gravy. To make a light roux, whisk this onto your flour and butter mix and cook out well with a good splash of red wine and stock; add a little redcurrant jelly for sweetness and hey presto, you’ve got a lovely turkey gravy.

Pudding: To flambe or not to flame, that is the question. If you do, make sure it is on a robust serving platter: one year I had a disaster at home, when the platter broke and flambe juices ran down the dinning table! Always warm the alcohol before pouring over the hot pudding, then set it on fire just before you enter the room… making sure decorations and long hair is well out of the way!

Have fun, and remember it is your Christmas to enjoy too!

Ho Ho Ho

Steph x