A top Harrogate businessman has praised the “amazing efforts” of a Yorkshire charity after returning from an aid mission to Ukraine.

James Rycroft, managing director of Vida Healthcare, was part of a team that drove eight wagons containing aid worth about £2 million for Ukrainian soldiers and citizens who intend to stay in the country.

The five-day mission, which featured a number of volunteers from Harrogate, was organised by Yorkshire Aid Convoy, a charity which has been running overseas aid expeditions for more than 30 years.

‘Really proud’

Mr Rycroft, whose company owns several specialist dementia care homes around Harrogate, said:

“We did it, it was successful and I am really proud of what we have done.

“Yorkshire Aid convoy is an incredible charity and Mark Murphy, who heads it up, lives in Harrogate. He has done it for years and is one of these silent heroes that does amazing things.

“The charity has already delivered 16 wagons. They ran a mission about four weeks before we went.

“It’s really hard work as you drive for 12 to 14 hours a day. It’s a proper mission.”

James Rycroft.

The convoy carried around 100 tonnes of items, including medical equipment, beds and hygiene products.

It is also took a mobile classroom, which was donated by the Knaresborough-based business, Training and Testing Services.

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Mr Rycroft said:

“A man called Dave Wood came with us. He and his company donated a mobile classroom.

“We filled it with aid and they drove it over and then it got put on a train and taken straight to the front line.

“It is now being used as a wounded soldier hospital. It was named after Dave’s late mother Trish.”

‘Trish’, the mobile classroom, is being used a wounded soldier hospital in Ukraine.

The volunteers met Ukrainian military administrators at the border, where they were escorted to a secure hub inside the border to deposit the goods. They then immediately turned round and headed home.

Their 3,000-mile journey saw them travel by ferry from Hull to Holland, then to Germany, Austria, Hungary, Slovakia and into Ukraine and back.

‘So welcoming’

Mr Rycroft said:

“It was just organised so well. It’s so amazing what the charity does.

“I just went along and did my bit because I wanted to feel like I was contributing something tangible.

“The Ukrainian people were so welcoming and grateful for what we did. It was ace. It is a a really great thing we feel we have achieved.

“But I’m a tiny part of it, really it’s the Yorkshire Aid Convoy that has been leading this.”

Mark and Felix Murphy of Yorkshire Aid Convoy.

Mr Rycroft said the experience made the war in Ukraine feel “very real”.

He added:

“People are defiant and life is going on as normal and it almost becomes very normal very quickly when you are amongst it. It’s very strange.

“We felt safe and we were looked after really well.

“It went as smoothly as it possibly could. There are lots of people to be praised for it.

“We feel we’ve made a valid achievement to the effort.”

Harry Gration to speak at charity jubilee dinner

A Queen’s Platinum Jubilee dinner will be held in Harrogate next month to raise money for Ukraine.

Guest speaker Harry Gration will reminisce about his career at the BBC, while a charity auction and raffle will be held on the night.

The event is being organised by Harrogate Brigantes Rotary Club and the Yorkshire Society, of which Mr Gration is a vice president.

It takes place at the Cedar Court Hotel in Harrogate on Friday, June 17. Tickets are £49.50 per person, or £470 for a table of 10, and include a three-course meal with complimentary wine, coffee and mints.

For more information, click here.

Swinton Park nominated for a national award

Swinton Park near Masham has been shortlisted for the title of Independent Hotel of the Year in the national Catey awards.

The prestigious estate is up against Aviator in Hampshire, Glenapp Castle in Ayrshire, Grove of Narberth in Pembrokeshire. The Gallivant in Rye.

The awards will be handed out in a ceremony held at the Grosvenor Park Hotel in London on July 5.

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Two appointments at Roecliffe pub

A new chef and general manager have been appointed at the Crown Inn in Roecliffe, near Boroughbridge.

The 16th century coaching inn was bought by the Coastal and Country Inns Group in September 2020 and was subsequently refurbished.

The group has hired chef Paul Murphy, who previously helped to establish the Timble Inn near Otley into a five-star hotel. He also worked with fellow chef Frances Atkins at the Michelin-starred Yorke Arms near Pateley Bridge.

Paul Bennington will also join the team as general manager.

Mr Binnington, who first teamed up with Paul Murphy at the Station Inn in Birstwith, previously ran the Black Lion in Thirsk.

Chris Hannon, managing director of Coastal and Country Inns, said:

“These two appointments are crucially important for the future of the Crown. The two Pauls, who are both very experienced and very talented, are a true dream team. They work brilliantly together.”

Harrogate’s Duchy Hospital sends medical supplies to Ukraine

The Duchy Hospital in Harrogate has worked alongside a UK-based Ukrainian Doctor to deliver more than 110 tonnes of medical supplies to Ukraine.

Working with the Ukrainian doctors’ union and the British Red Cross, the Duchy Hospital has identified the supplies needed by war-hit hospitals.

The Duchy Hospital is one of 53 Circle Health Group hospitals that has stockpiled supplies such as ventilators, crutches, respiratory masks, scrubs, wound kits and operating tables for Ukrainian hospitals.

The latest delivery contained £185,500 of medical equipment loaded on 35 pallets.

Staff and doctors at Duchy Hospital have raised additional funds with a bake sale, food collection and a 12-hour continuous cycle, which have raised more than £2,000.

A leading Harrogate businessman is expected to cross the border into Ukraine this weekend as part of a major aid mission.

James Rycroft, managing director of Vida Healthcare, is a member of a team taking eight wagons containing aid worth about £2 million for Ukrainian soldiers and citizens who intend to stay in the country.

The journey has been organised by Yorkshire Aid Convoy, a charity which has been running overseas aid expeditions for more than 30 years.

Mr Rycroft said he was travelling in a personal capacity because he felt the need to help. He said:

“It’s a really awful situation for everyone involved. I wanted to do something meaningful to help rather than just make a monetary donation.”

The convoy is carrying a variety of items, including medical equipment, beds and hygiene products. It is also taking a mobile classroom, which will be left in Ukraine.

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Those involved will meet Ukrainian military administrators at the border, where they will be escorted to a secure hub about 20km inside the border to deposit the goods. They will then immediately turn round and head home.

Mr Rycroft, whose company owns several specialist dementia care homes around Harrogate, said:

“I’m apprehensive but positive as I know we have the right people on board.

“There’s an element of risk but it’s a short sprint into Ukraine then back out again.”

Back in UK on Wednesday

Two people in each of the eight wagons are taking it in turns to drive up to 10 hours a day across Europe.

The convoy, which set off yesterday, expects to reach Germany tonight and Slovakia tomorrow before arriving at the Ukraine border on Sunday. The team expects to dock in Hull on Wednesday morning.

Mark and Felix Murphy of Yorkshire Aid Convoy.

Mark Murphy, who founded Yorkshire Aid Convoy, said the mission involved travelling about 2,500 kilometres each way.

He initially ran convoys to Romania but the war in Ukraine has changed the current focus. He said:

“We will meet military administrators and get a police escort to a secure hub.”

A Harrogate husband and wife have taken in two members of a Ukrainian family but say the “crazy amounts of red tape” meant it wasn’t an easy process.

David and Clare Price live in North Rigton and, after seeing the atrocities of war in Ukraine, wanted to try and help.

The pair said the most difficult part was finding a family to match with. Mr and Mrs Price spoke to multiple families but chaos at the Polish border meant they’d lose touch with them as they were forced to move.

Instead the pair found a family through word of mouth when a Harrogate-based lawyer who was trying to find homes for her family, heard of their offer to help.

Mr and Mrs Price have taken in a grandmother and young child from one family – the mother and other young child went to another Harrogate home.

The refugees have been living with Mr and Mrs Price for two weeks now.  They have found a Harrogate primary school for the children to attend and are hopeful their three-year visas will be confirmed this week.

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Mr Price said the British government should make the process easier:

“We couldn’t look away from the images on TV, we knew we had to help. We are fortunate to have space in the house to accommodate people but the process wasn’t easy.

“Our government doesn’t make it easy like others, we should be helping as many people as we can.”

Despite the struggles, Mr Price said it hasn’t put him off offering his home to more refugees. He said once their current house guests have found rental accommodation locally they will be looking to house more Ukrainians.

In the meantime, he is showing the whole family around the Harrogate district which they describe as “gorgeous”.

He said Harrogate and Knaresborough, in particular, have numerous support groups set up for refugees to allow them to talk to each other and share any feelings.

Mr Price, an author and public speaker, added:

“You don’t get trained for this, it’s a lot for people to take on because the families you take in need a lot of support. It’s an incredibly heartbreaking time for them.”

After a number of frustrating hold-ups, Nidderdale Community Welcome (NCW) has finally found a house for a refugee family from Syria.

The group, founded in late 2020, has raised more than £13,000 to fund the initiative and had originally hoped to bring a family here before Christmas.

But the house they had in prospect did not materialise.

Now there is positive news and NCW chair, Peter Wright, told the Stray Ferret:

“A local landlord has kindly agreed the rental of a three-bedroom property in Pateley Bridge for a minimum period of two years.”

With this key element of the resettlement support  programme in place, NCW has submitted its application to the Home Office, uprating from ‘approval in principle’ to ‘final approval.’

Peter Wright of Nidderdale Community Welcome, anticipates that a refugee family from Syria will be arriving in Pateley Bridge this summer

Mr Wright, pointed out:

“It is anticipated it will be granted shortly, with a view to a family being welcomed into the Dale in early summer.”

He added:

“We have decided to stay with our original intentions of welcoming a Syrian family, many from Syria are still in camps in the Middle East whilst the conflict in their country continues.

“We have every sympathy with those from other countries displaced by war, Afghanistan and Ukraine who we hold in our thoughts and prayers, we believe the support we can offer best suits a vulnerable family from Syria.

“NCW will assist the family to sign up for all the allowances they will be eligible for as part of our national response and commitment to those displaced by conflict.

“Refugees are keen to be a valuable part of the community they move into, and to integrate as soon as they are able, but many also wish to be able to return home as soon as conditions allow.”

NCW is working in conjunction with Ripon City of Sanctuary and Harrogate District of Sanctuary, who will be helping the family learn English so they can become self-sufficient and participate in daily life. Courses will be run both locally and in nearby towns.

People from around the dale and further afield have already provided funding, resources, and their time and skills towards making the NCW project a success.

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Harrogate District’s Chamber of Commerce is due to hold its monthly Business Safari event.

The members-only speed networking event will be held next week at St George’s Hotel.

You can sign up to the monthly agenda through the Harrogate Chamber website.

Plant competition for school children hosted by Johnsons of Whixley

Johnsons of Whixley in Harrogate is holding a competition for primary school children.

To celebrate the Queen’s platinum jubilee and gardening, £250 worth of plants will be sent to the winner’s school, including ten plants for their own home garden. Those in second and third place will also win a plant.

Children under the age of 11 can participate by drawing an imaginative Jubilee Garden. The form can be downloaded here.

Children must create a drawing of a jubilee garden as part of the competition

JW is a three-generation run family business which grows and supplies trees, shrubs and plants to UK-wide planting schemes.

The company plays an active part in the community, having collected donations for Ukraine and providing plants to Baby Rainbow Memorial Garden last month.

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Ukrainians who have fled war in their homeland have started to arrive in North Yorkshire, where around 180 households will welcome the refugees into their homes.

Council officials said the first refugees will be housed “very shortly” under the Homes for Ukraine scheme, which allows residents to sponsor a Ukrainian.

Those who have signed up as hosts will have their homes checked by local councils to ensure they are suitable.

A spokesperson for Harrogate Borough Council said the process also includes background checks on sponsors and arranging education for refugee children.

The spokesperson said: 

“In partnership with our colleagues at North Yorkshire Council County, North Yorkshire Police and the other district councils across North Yorkshire, we are working together to do whatever is necessary to help Ukrainians fleeing the ongoing devastation.

“Early data indicates around 180 households across the county have signed-up and are likely to receive guests, some very shortly.”

The government-led scheme has been criticised for not working quickly enough to grant visas to Ukrainians fleeing the Russian invasion.

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There are also concerns that councils have not been provided all the information they need to run the programme.

Craven District Council has signed up to the scheme and said it was awaiting guidance on when the home checks should take place and how they will work.

It also said it was awaiting more information on how payments will be made to hosts.

Paul Ellis, director of services at Craven District Council, said: 

“Our officers are taking the necessary steps to support our Ukrainian friends escaping the violence in their homeland.

“The government is providing funding of £10,500 per person to councils to enable them to provide support to families.

“This will be reimbursed for paying sponsors £350 per month, tax-free, for up to 12 months. Again, we are awaiting further government guidance on this.”

Unlike other refugee schemes, the government is assuming that all local authorities will participate, rather than inviting them to take part.

As well as individual households – charities, community groups and businesses can also apply to bring Ukrainians to safety, including those with no family ties to the UK.

In the first phase of the scheme, people will need the name of a specific Ukrainian individual or family they wish to sponsor.

The government advises them to “get in contact with them directly, and prepare to fill in a visa application with all their details and yours”.

Those who don’t personally know anyone fleeing Ukraine can still register their interest on the government’s website.

Mackenzies in Blubberhouses to host art exhibition

Yorkshire artist Lynda Logan and her husband Terry are to display their work at Mackenzies Farm Shop in Blubberhouses to raise money for charity.

Ms Logan, who has a studio near Harrogate, was one of the original Calendar Girls in the 2003 film. She played a model and her husband was a photographer.

Their exhibition, which begins on April 9, will donate 10% of all sales to Blood Cancer UK.

Blood cancer is the fifth most common cancer in adults and the most common in children.

Paul Palmer, the owner of Mackenzies, said:

“We’re delighted to have Lynda and Terry exhibiting with us in the gallery. Their previous work for charity has been exceptional and we’re excited to help raise even more.”

Events company brings food festival to Pateley Bridge

A previous event hosted by Lily and Lister.

The first Yorkshire Feastival will take place at Pateley Bridge on June 25 and 26.

The event is primarily a food and drink festival but also has an inflatable village, fun fair and a mini farm.

The event will host multiple small business owners, artists and entrepreneurs from Yorkshire. The event is organised by Lily and Lister Events.

Anna Lister, from Lily and Lister, said:

“With so many amazing producers, food, drink and artists from Yorkshire we wanted to create an event celebrating the best of what Yorkshire has to offer and in exceptional countryside in the heart of Yorkshire.

“It’s a great opportunity to come and support local businesses whilst having an amazing day out.”

Two Harrogate restaurants launch charity menu and easter egg hunt 

Provenance Inns & Hotels Group is launching a charity menu and a large easter egg hunt across all its seven venues.

The venues include the West Park Hotel in Harrogate and The Punch Bowl in Marton-Cum-Grafton. Dozens of eggs will be hidden in and around each venue and customers will attempt to find them using clues posted on Facebook.

Anyone who finds one of the chocolate treats can enjoy a free drink at their local Provenance bar.

The Inns group has also launched a new menu.

Tom Patrick, head of marketing at Provenance, said:

“Our Easter egg hunt is going to be quite epic, with not one but seven of Yorkshire’s finest pubs taking part.”

£1 from each Chicken Kyiv dish sold at Provenance venues will go to the Red Cross Ukraine crisis appeal.

Every month the Stray Ferret tries to find out what our local MPs have been up to in their constituencies and in the House of Commons.

This month the war in Ukraine dominated the news, with constituents across the district raising money, donating goods and offering their homes to refugees.

We asked our three Conservative MPs, Harrogate & Knaresborough’s Andrew Jones, Skipton and Ripon’s Julian Smith, and Selby and Ainsty’s Nigel Adams if they would like to highlight anything in particular that they have been doing this month, but, as usual, we did not receive a response from any of them.

Here is what we know after analysing their online presence.

Andrew Jones, Harrogate and Knaresborough MP.

In Harrogate and Knaresborough, here is what we found out on Mr Jones:

• Mr Jones spoke about the Ukraine war nine times in the House of Commons this month. On March 2, he said: “My constituents have told me that they want to see the government continue to support the Ukrainian resistance in three ways: humanitarian assistance in the region; welcoming refugees here; and military aid.”
• On March 1, the Conservative leader of Harrogate Borough Council, Richard Cooper, who is also Mr Jones’ office manager, told a council meeting that the MP had written to Boris Johnson to ask if council housing stock could be used to house Ukrainian refugees.
• On March 4, Mr Jones met with the new acting chief executive of the Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust, Jonathan Coulter, to discuss catching up on elective care and visiting arrangements at the hospital.
• Writing on his Community News website, Mr Jones praised the local fundraising efforts in Harrogate and Knaresborough for Ukraine. He wrote: “Locally, the outpouring support is typical of the generous and compassionate nature of our communities.”
• On March 22, the MP voted in favour of Clause 9 of the Nationality and Borders Bill. The clause is controversial and gives the Home Office the right to strip people of UK citizenship without warning. A petition calling for its removal received 325,000 signatures.
• Following news that rail operator Northern would be cutting several train services from Harrogate station, Mr Jones wrote to the company’s chairman urging it to ‘rethink’. Despite his plea, Northern announced on March 29 that the cuts would be staying.
• On March 24 Mr Jones called on the government to tackle fake ads that purport to be from consumer journalist Martin Lewis.
• On March 29, Mr Jones posed for a picture at a Sight Loss Councils event in Westminster. The group briefed MPs on issues affecting blind and partially sighted people.

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Julian Smith, MP for Skipton and Ripon.

In Skipton and Ripon, here is what we found on Mr Smith:

• The Ripon MP praised Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky following his speech to MPs at the House of Commons on March 8. “Incredible leadership and resilience,” he tweeted.
• On March 9 in the Commons, Mr Smith called on the government to “look again” at its approach to Ukrainian refugees.
• On March 14, he thanked his “many constituents” for offering their homes as part Homes for Ukraine scheme that launched that week.
• The former Northern Ireland secretary attended a St Patrick’s Day event at the Ireland Embassy in London on March 16.
• Eight of his 11 tweets were related to Northern Ireland.
• On March 14, Mr Smith voted against a Liberal Democrat amendment to the government’s Animal Welfare Bill that would force the government to publish the number of animals killed by sewage dumping in rivers every year.
• Posting on his website on March, 18, Mr Smith said he was pleased to hear that work on the A59 at Kex Gill is expected to start at the end of this year.

In rural south Harrogate, here is what we found on Mr Adams:

• On March 30, the MP praised the bravery of fellow Tory MP Jamie Wallis for coming out as trans.
• Whilst attending the Conservative Party spring conference in Blackpool, Mr Adams had another confrontation with ‘Stop Brexit Man’ Steve Bray. The MP said in a video: “I see a village has lost its idiot”. Last year, Mr Adams told Mr Bray to f*** off outside Parliament.
• On March 20, the MP met the Ukraine ambassador to the UK, Vadym Prystaiko, in Blackpool. He said it was “great to see him join the standing ovation for Boris Johnson”.