What are the best children’s toys and games, and are they worth the money?

Those are questions parents ask themselves every Christmas – but an old TV clip recently released from the BBC Archives provides some answers from Harrogate primary school pupils. 

The video was first broadcast on December 10, 1975, when schoolchildren from Bilton Grange County Primary School (as it was then) took over from the regular presenters of BBC Nationwide’s Consumer Unit, Valerie Singleton and Richard Stilgoe, to offer their expert opinions on the best children’s games to buy as Christmas presents. 

Archive footage from Bilton Grange Primary School, which was broadcast on BBC’s Nationwide.

Among the toys ranked by the retro reviewers were Mouse Trap, Monopoly, Snakes and Ladders, Haunted House, Baby Alive, Super Striker, Scalextric, Action Man, Frustration and Campaign.  

The schoolchildren will be in their late 50s by now, and many may well still live in the area. Are you one of them? Do you know someone who is? Let us know – we’d love to hear from some of them, nearly half a century on. Let us know by emailing contact@thestrayferret.co.uk. 

You can watch the video on the BBC website here.

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Harrogate Borough Council has been criticised because it plans to promote its latest Maltkin consultation through social media and video, rather than at in-person events in Green Hammerton, Kirk Hammerton and Cattal.

A draft development plan document (DPD) has been drawn up by officers at HBC that includes a vision for how the 3,000-home settlement called Maltkiln will eventually look. The developer Oakgate Group would build the homes.

It is the biggest housing scheme in HBC’s Local Plan, which sets out where development can take place until 2034, and it is likely to change the face of the three small villages off the A59.

No exhibitions

The draft DPD is set to go before councillors at a meeting on September 21.

If approved, a six-week public consultation on the document will take place, beginning on October 6.

However, an email from a senior planning manager to councillors and stakeholders, seen by the Stray Ferret, says the consultation will only be promoted through social media, posters and an ‘explanatory video’ that sets out what the DPD is.

The email says:

“Please note that we are not holding a public exhibition as we feel that the explanatory video will have a broader reach and be more appropriate given the nature of the content of the DPD.

“During more detailed master planning, when visual options are being presented and design codes discussed, then public exhibitions may be more appropriate.”

Cllr Alex Smith, of Kirk Hammerton Parish Council, said he felt this was unsatisfactory, particularly for residents who struggle to navigate the council’s website.

He said:

“By deciding not to exhibit in the affected villages, HBC are excluding those residents who are unable to navigate the depths of the consultation site, something which is challenging, even for experienced users.

“Council leader Richard Cooper went out of his way to promise residents that the consultation would be genuine and inclusive, but this feels like neither.”

The layout for Maltkiln, which is centred around Cattal Station

Read more:

• ‘Let’s make the best of it’: Hopes and fears for 3000-home Maltkiln settlement
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Cllr Smith compared the proposals to develop Maltkiln with Harrogate’s Station Gateway, which has seen several rounds of in-person public consultations organised by North Yorkshire County Council. He added:

“You only have to compare what’s happening with the Station Gateway, which, even on its third consultation, is getting three days of public exhibitions. 

“For the ‘New Settlement’ – a much more significant development – the council have managed to switch preferred options, chosen the site, and even named it, without so much as setting foot in one of the local village halls.

“Some consultations are more genuine and inclusive than others, it would seem.”

In response, a HBC spokesperson said:

“This is the latest consultation regarding the new settlement in the Hammerton/Cattal area of Harrogate district, known as Maltkiln. And follows a number of earlier stages of consultation and engagement that have helped shape the Development Plan Document (DPD), which we are now consulting on.

“The DPD is a sizeable policy framework that will allow us to manage how the new settlement is developed moving forward, and due to its nature, it is more appropriate to host an online consultation to ensure all information and documents – of which there are many – are easy to view and digest.

“To ensure the public is made aware of this consultation we will be producing a video, FAQ document, issuing press release(s), social media posts, a Residents’ News article, as well as informing the community liaison group and printing leaflets and posters to raise awareness of the consultation.

“During more detailed master planning, when visual options are being presented and designs discussed, public exhibitions may be more appropriate.”

Brimham Rocks has gone viral in a bizarre TikTok video in which National Trust staff tell a mobile DJ he is unable to film there.

DJ Zach Sabri, better known online as SUAT, claims he is “just trying to make the world dance” — something he seeks to do by blasting out rave music in unusual places.

His latest video, which appears to be his most successful yet with more than one million views in just 24 hours, sees the DJ dance and sing in precarious places at National Trust-owned Brimham Rocks.

He also appears to lick one of the rocks.

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Soon though two National Trust staff, who look taken aback by Mr Sabri, ask if he has permission to film before explaining he would need an activity licence.

In the interaction which ensues the TikTok star asks: “I am just wondering what you categorise this as?” That question gets the response: “well, I don’t know.”

@suatism

Karen never lets me rock climb… #karen #climbing #dancemusic #nationaltrust #harrogate

♬ original sound – SUAT

The DJ appears to relent in the end as he tells staff he will leave — although, he ignores their warning not to play music or film on the way out.

TikTok is a social media app popular with young people. The National Trust may not have welcomed DJ SUAT’s appearance but his video will have introduced a lot of people to Brimham Rocks, which is near Pateley Bridge.

With near empty streets today, Harrogate is clearly a town in lockdown.

Shops selling goods deemed non-essential are closed for the next month so there are fewer reasons to visit.

Some people are still walking and driving around town but there has a dramatic shift over the last 24 hours.

We filmed at the same spots in the town centre at about 3pm yesterday and today to see what had changed.

Harrogate at the same time on Wednesday and Thursday. The day before and first day of lockdown.

Diners will be able to get 50% off their bill from Mondays to Wednesdays at certain restaurants during August, but how do people in Harrogate feel about this?

This comes as the government announced its new scheme “Eat Out To Help Out” earlier today. The scheme aims to encourage more people to eat out at restaurants as lockdown measurers ease.

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The Stray Ferret asked the general public in Harrogate whether they will be running out to get their discounted meal.

There was a mix of emotion with some people more inclined to go out and others not.

The coronavirus crisis could help “drag the council into the 21st century,” according to the leader of one of its committees. 

Coun Chris Aldred, who chairs the Overview & Scrutiny Commission at Harrogate Borough Council, said he hopes an enforced move to online meetings will lead to more modern ways of working in the long term. 

He put forward a proposal for committee meetings to be available to view online in December, but it was turned down by the General Purposes Committee in January. Now, HBC is looking into setting up online meetings in order to allow its work to continue during the coronavirus crisis. 

Coun Aldred, the Liberal Democrat representative for Fairfax ward, said: “It’s a slightly different scenario to what I was envisaging. If it does drag us into the 21st century, like a lot of things we will find when we return out of this present scenario, things will change in all sorts of ways.  

“Some kinds of meetings where the public don’t have to physically come into the same place is a good thing – giving people more access to the decision-making.” 

Rescheduling meetings

Earlier this month, the government issued new guidance to local authorities encouraging them to set up virtual meetings to enable routine council work to continue. Now, the council is working to find ways for officers and councillors to meet online. 

A spokesman for HBC said: “Following the government go-ahead, we are now looking at what software would be appropriate to allow remote meetings to take place at Harrogate Borough Council.  

“We hope to have this in place in the coming weeks and will begin with rescheduling some of the previous meetings that had to be postponed. Once we have a clear timetable it will be made available on our website and on social media.” 

Coun Chris Aldred

Rejecting the streaming proposal in January, the General Purposes Committee said the cost would be too high to justify with the expected low take-up from the public. It also argued that, with attendance usually very low, putting meetings online would only discourage people from coming to meetings in person. However, Coun Aldred – who chairs the Overview & Scrutiny Commission – rejected that argument.

“I thought it was idiotic, to be honest.The more access we can give people and they see councils in particular, but government in general, that can only be a good thing.

“We’re quite a big district, from Pateley Bridge to Boroughbridge,” he said. “These meetings are traditionally held at not the best time for people who have a job to come and see what’s going on.  

“[With online streaming] people could dip in and out and see the bits they want, such as planning – people are interested in planning decisions. They could see what’s happening and what the arguments are. 

“I really don’t think there’s anything controversial about it. Other councils are already doing it by putting their meetings on YouTube. I can only see it being a good thing.”