This story is sponsored by HGFace.

When Dr Lynda Allman and Jo Banks met 27 years ago at a party in Harrogate, they formed an instant connection, and a lifelong friendship was born.

After retiring from their respective careers in dentistry and nursing, they felt the time was right to create their own business together.

Realising they shared a mutual passion for facial aesthetics, they launched HGFace in 2021, and have just recently celebrated the business’ first birthday.

The medical aesthetics and skin clinic, located in Harrogate’s Windsor House, offers patients non-surgical treatments with a strong emphasis on professional, ethical and safe methods and techniques.

The wide range of treatments available include consultations for wrinkle relaxation treatments, dermal fillers, lip enhancements, PRP, microneedling, chemical peels and dermaplaning.

Lynda, who owned  her own dental practice, Acomb Dental and Implant Clinic, in York, for 20 years, explained:

“We have been great friends for so many years and we always thought we would do something together when the time was right.

“We both have continued with our professional registrations and with around 70 years of clinical experience between us in our previous careers, this has meant that the transition into facial aesthetics was a natural progression for us.”

Lynda first began carrying out medical aesthetics treatments whilst in a dental practice over 15 years ago.

She said:

“It has long been a passion of mine and ultimately what I have loved doing most.

“Aesthetics itself has evolved enormously in the time since I started out. It’s gone from being the treatment of isolated fine lines and wrinkles, to treating the face as a whole. We’ve continually expanded our knowledge and had the benefit of some world-class training. The subject becomes more and more interesting as the years go by.”

Self-confessed “skin geek” Jo added:

“The science and the psychology are so interesting and there is always so much to learn. It’s a good job that we are both life-long learners!

“Unlike the pressures of our previous careers, we can now give our patients the time that our aesthetic and skincare consultations and treatments require. There is no rushing here.

“Listening and understanding our patients is of great importance. We focus on building rapport and trust to make sure our patients are comfortable with and informed about their choices.”

The friends chose to base their clinic at Windsor House, on Cornwall Road. Both agree it is “a fabulous setting”, which is peaceful, discreet and also has parking available.

Whilst they both offer a full range of treatments, Jo tends to specialise in skincare and Lynda in the injectable procedures, such as wrinkle relaxation treatments and facial rejuvenation with dermal fillers.

Jo said:

“Skin care and injectable non-surgical aesthetic treatments go hand-in-hand.

“Well-proportioned features, along with a glowing complexion are the goal. Our aim is never to change a face, rather to enhance what is naturally there already.

Lynda highlighted the importance of good nutrition, hydration and appropriate supplementation.

She said:

“We retail a great range of supplements specifically for the skin. Jo and I would never be without our supplements now.”

Dr Lynda Allman (left) and Jo Banks.

Women tend to make up most of the patient list at HGFace, but the team are treating an increasing number of men.

Lynda said:

“There is a worldwide increase in men having aesthetic treatments. It’s not just the girls who want to look and feel great and full of confidence.”

A more recent addition to the treatment menu at HGface is Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP) treatment.

This involves harnessing the regenerative powers of natural factors present in our own blood.

A blood sample is taken, centrifuged and the plasma removed. This plasma, rich in natural growth factors can be used in many areas of the body where healing and regeneration are required.

This is proving successful in treating hair loss in both men and women.

PRP can also be used as a great skin rejuvenator. The treatment is pain free and without any down-time.

HGFace is Save Face accredited annually, which means that the clinic has been assessed and has met ‘best practice standards’.

For more information visit www.hgface.co.uk

Business Breakfast is sponsored by Harrogate law firm Truth Legal. 

New expert joins Elstob & Elstob

Rohan McCulloch has joined Ripon based Elstob & Elstob as the auctioneer’s paintings and sculpture specialist.

Mr McCulloch has more than 15 years’ experience at Sotheby’s, Bonham’s and Lyon & Turnbull. He is passionate about paintings, drawings and sculpture and has a particular interest in British and European art, Old Masters and portraits.

Educated at Newcastle University, where he studied archaeology, Mr McCulloch has built up a large following of private collectors, top art dealers and corporate curators who both buy and sell art.

He is also well known for finding ‘sleepers’ – undervalued works of art which have been misattributed in the past.

Speaking about his new role, Mr McCulloch said:

“I am very much looking forward to sharing the whole process with clients – from valuing, advising and selling. It’s such as huge pleasure to tell people about their objects and their histories.

“I have great admiration for Elstob & Elstob and have been aware of the strides it has been making within the auctioneering world – so it is fantastic to be joining David and his talented team. It will be a privilege to put together exciting and varied consignments for each auction.”

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• Big names in UK politics coming to Harrogate for conference

Windsor House refurbishment

A Harrogate office building has completed the first phase of an extensive refurbishment.

Windsor House was originally home to the Grand Hotel in the 1900s, then converted into offices in the 1980s.

It is one of the largest office buildings in Harrogate, comprising of circa 75,000 sq ft of flexible workspace and is home to over 115 local, national and international businesses.

Recent refurbishment work on the reception area has been done by Construction North Group Ltd.

The second phase of the work will start soon on the original Palm Court.

Karen Winspear, from Boultbee Brooks said:

“This new look helps give everyone who enters Windsor House a bright, inviting welcome – while preserving the timeless heritage of the building.

“Quality spaces are vital to our wellbeing and collaboration at work. This new renovation encourages our tenants to relax, connect and enjoy our refreshed open areas.

“There is a great community inside Windsor House, and we want to give something back to all of the companies who choose to work here by providing an enjoyable, well-designed, modern environment.”  

An image of the newly refurbished reception area at Windsor House

This article is sponsored by Boundless Networks

Jubilee excitement is increasing across the district ahead of the start of four days of celebration tomorrow,

This weekend will see street parties galore as neighbours and friends come together to commemorate the Queen’s 70-year reign.

Keep us updated on what you’re doing via contact@thestrayferret.co.uk.

4.40pm: 28 street parties in Harrogate district

North Yorkshire County Council has issued orders preventing traffic from entering 28 streets in the Harrogate district over the jubilee weekend.

Most orders are for Sunday, which is the main day for street parties, but there are some for Friday and Saturday.

Remember, many of these events are for residents living on the streets to enjoy so if you don’t live on the street check with the organisers before you attend.

3.56pm: Motorway works in Yorkshire paused for jubilee

Good news if you’re planning to head out on the motorways, including the A1(M) in the Harrogate district, over the next four days.

National Highways, the government-owned company that maintains the motorways, has halted most roadworks.

We’re lifting almost 1000 miles of roadworks ahead of the #Jubilee bank holiday weekend, meaning that 98% of our network will be roadwork free.
Information on the planned closures that are still going ahead can be found here:https://t.co/ytYaVU0s8b#WeAreWorkingForYou pic.twitter.com/UR06U0JHOP

— National Highways: Yorkshire (@HighwaysYORKS) June 1, 2022

1.30pm: Jubilee celebrations begin in Bilton

A jubilee celebration took place this morning at the weekly coffee morning Thirst, held at Dene Park Community Centre in Woodfield and organised by St John’s Church in Bilton.

12.09pm: Weather forecast good – except for Sunday

There won’t be too much sunbathing but at least it will be mainly dry, although the forecast for Sunday doesn’t look great for the street parties.

10.15am: Preparations in place in Ripon

Preparations are also in place in Ripon ahead of the platinum jubilee celebrations tomorrow.

A road closure will be in place around Market Square in readiness for the stage where 24 acts will be performing.

Meanwhile, red, white and blue flags are flying in Kirkgate and across the city centre.

Ripon Cathedral is decked out in finery for tomorrow’s civic service. It will also host jubilee tea party on Friday afternoon with people born in every year of the Queen’s reign in attendance.

Dean John Dobson told the Stray Ferret:

“It’s going to be very busy few days, but everybody is looking forward to this special celebration.”

10am – Fresh bunting on West Park Stray

Fresh bunting has been put up this morning on West Park Stray as excitement builds up for the jubilee.

Preparations for Jubilee Square on the Stray are expected to continue throughout today.

9am: Harrogate Borough Council issues street party bins plea

Waste and recycling collections are happening as usual over the four-day weekend, prompting Harrogate Borough Council to say:

“If you’ve put bunting up in your village or across your street please ensure it is high enough for our vehicles – and emergency vehicles – to get past.”

We're operating a business-as-usual waste and recycling collection service this week.

If you're unsure you can check your collection day on the In My Area section of our website at: https://t.co/dkWa0QqOBn pic.twitter.com/yLvllUHmSY

— Harrogate Borough Council (@Harrogatebc) May 30, 2022

Kirkby Overblow crafts its own jubilee beacon

People in Kirkby Overblow have come together to make a jubilee beacon.

The beacon has been designed, made and engineered by locals ahead of it being lit on Thursday night.

The groundwork and engineering plans were done by the Moortown group, ran by the McManus family from Kearby. The Oak Pole was made by Yorkshire Oak Frames.

The  horse shoe basket was made from old horseshoes from the Great Yorkshire Shoe by farrier Adam Fox, from Netherby, as a nod to the Queen’s love of horses.

The final step to get it in place was the job of local farmer Rob Parkes.

The village will also host a BBQ on Thursday ahead of the beacon being lit. Organisers say the beacon will be able to be seen as far away as Almscliffe Crag and the White Horse near Thirsk.

Windsor House rebrands as The House of Windsor

The Windsor House in Harrogate has rebranded itself to The House of Windsor ahead of the jubilee.

The period office building, near Valley Gardens, has also been decorated. Passers-by will now see the Queen, in cardboard form, stood alongside the Prince of Wales, Duchess of Cornwall and the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.

Karen Winspear, property manager at Windsor House said:

“We wanted to create something to celebrate the jubilee that the businesses in our building could enjoy, as well as those who will be visiting the number of events planned at Valley Gardens. With a name like ours, we couldn’t resist a royal makeover to mark such a fantastic occasion!”

Queen Mary’s jubilee hat parade

Students at Queen Mary’s School at Topcliffe wore straw hats when they took part in a jubilee hat parade.

Judged by hat maker Jonny Beardsall, the parade also included a performance of the platinum jubilee song.

There was also a picnic and a summer fete.

Read more:

• Jubilee business boom for Harrogate district independents
• From corgis to bollard covers: Harrogate district is getting into jubilee spirit

Belmont Grosvenor School hosts jubilee garden party

“Our BGS Jubilee Garden Party was an afternoon to remember with all our school community, from the youngest in nursery, to our oldest pupils in Year 6, joining in and enjoying all the fun of the fair.

“There was some wonderful baking, and some most impressive artistic creations – thanks to our PTA for staging such a fabulous event.”

The man behind Harrogate’s first ghost walk is writing a book about spooky tales in the town —  and he needs your help finding stories to include.

Paul Forster launched his ghost walk last year, offering an evening excursion around Harrogate’s most haunted locations.

The one-hour trail takes in The Alexandra pub, The Crown Hotel and Hales Bar, among other places.

One of his favourite stories is the time Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, the author behind the Sherlock Holmes novels, held a seance at The Harrogate Club on Victoria Avenue.

Mr Forster has now found a publisher for a book of Harrogate ghost stories and he wants people to submit their tales from the other side.

Since starting his ghost walk, Mr Forster said he’s encountered several unexplained phenomena, including what he believes was an apparition taunting him at the Turkish Baths.

He said:

“I saw a woman’s body peeking out from a cubicle, I went to the cubicle, but nobody was there. The door shut on its own then I heard a woman’s voice that went ‘ha!’ really loud. It freaked me out.

“There was a young member of staff there who said she had heard the same ‘ha!'”

Read more:

• Ghosthunting with a paranormal investigator on the Stray
• Is there a part for you in Ripon Theatre Festival project?

Mr Forster is particularly interested in ghost stories about Windsor House, a large building that overlooks Valley Gardens. It used to be the Grand Hotel during Harrogate’s Victorian heyday.

He said:

“At Windsor House there was a woman who stepped into a lift but it wasn’t there, so she fell to her death in the lift shaft. She’s been seen lots of times. There is also ghost children running down the corridors there and unusual orbs of light. There must be more stories.”

Mr Forster said Harrogate is a hotbed of ghostly activity due to its Victorian past.

He added:

“People kept saying to me there are no ghosts in Harrogate, you need to go to York, but a lot of the ghosts came here from the Victorian era and World War One. Tourists from all over the world left an imprint behind with both fond or bad memories.

“There’s the ghost of a Victorian gent in the Pump Room museum. He’s dressed like a tourist in bowler hat and can be seen disappearing through the wall.”

Do you have any ghost stories? Email Paul Forster here or message him on Facebook.

The latest plan to convert Windsor House, near Valley Gardens, into 94 flats has been approved by Harrogate Borough Council.

There have been several similar applications to convert the office block on Cornwall Road in recent years.

In 2014 the council approved an application from landlord Boultbee Brooks to convert the building to housing under permitted development rights.

However, a condition was attached that said the conversion must be completed within three years.

When the 2014 application lapsed, the landlord submitted another application in 2017, which was again passed.

Three years later in 2020, with building work still yet to begin, a new application was submitted but this time it was refused because the council said some rooms would have inadequate natural light.

Revised plans in March that dealt with the lack of light have been accepted by council planning officer Mike Parkes.

First introduced in 2013 as a way to mitigate the UK’s housing shortage, office-to-residential permitted development rights make it easier for owners of office blocks to convert them into homes.

Read more:

• Plan to convert Windsor House into 94 flats refused

• Bid to convert Windsor House into 94 flats

Last year, the Windsor House application received an objection from a tenant of the building, who said the conversion would “drive businesses out of Harrogate”.

The objection said:

“It took us months to find office space in Harrogate within a reasonable walking distance of town. Please think of business in Harrogate, it can’t all be about residential. We need places to work too, Harrogate needs commercial business.”

Windsor House, which is located in the Duchy estate area, is one of the most distinctive landmarks in Harrogate.

Built in 1900 overlooking Valley Gardens, it was originally the Grand Hotel and became offices in the 1980s.

The Stray Ferret contacted Savills, the agent acting on behalf of Boultbee Brooks, to ask if it planned to start work on the conversion within the next three years but we did not receive a reply by the time of publication.

A plan to convert the Harrogate office block Windsor House into 94 flats has been refused.

A Harrogate Borough Council report said not all of the flats would benefit from adequate natural light.

Owner of the building, Boultbee Brooks, wanted to turn the seven-storey building on Cornwall Road into 94 flats consisting of 14 one-bedroom and 80 two-bedroom properties.

There have been two previous applications to convert Windsor House into flats, in 2014 and 2017, which were both approved under permitted development rights.

However, a condition was attached to both applications that said the conversion must be completed within three years.

First introduced in 2013 as a way to mitigate the UK’s housing shortage, office-to-residential permitted development rights make it easier for owners of office blocks to convert them into homes.

With the building still being used by local businesses, a fresh application was submitted in 2020, which would have given the owner another three years to complete the conversion.

But this time, the council’s chief planner, John Worthington, deemed it not applicable for permitted development due to what he said was a lack of natural light in some of the rooms.

Read more:

• Plan to convert Little Ouseburn pub into housing
• County council housing company accused of avoiding building affordable homes

The Windsor House application received an objection from a tenant of the building, who said the conversion would “drive businesses out of Harrogate”.

The objection said:

“It took us months to find office space in Harrogate within a reasonable walking distance of town. Please think of business in Harrogate, it can’t all be about residential. We need places to work too, Harrogate needs commercial business.”

Windsor House, which is located in the Duchy estate area, is one of the most distinctive landmarks in Harrogate.

Built in 1900 overlooking Valley Gardens, it was originally the Grand Hotel until it became offices in the 1980s.

The Stray Ferret contacted Boultbee Brooks for a response but did not receive one at the time of publication.

Plans have been submitted to change the use of Windsor House in Harrogate from offices to flats.

Under the plans, the seven-storey building would accommodate 94 flats consisting of 14 one-bedroom and 80 two-bedroom properties.

Windsor House, which is located in the Duchy estate area, is one of the most distinctive landmarks in Harrogate.

Built in 1900 overlooking Valley Gardens, it was originally the Grand Hotel until it became offices in the 1980s.

Now agents Savills, acting on behalf of Boultbee Brooks (Harrogate), the limited liability partnership that owns the 3.5 acre site, has applied to Harrogate Borough Council to change its use again.

The site, off Cornwall Road, falls within Harrogate Conservation Area and many of the trees in its boundary are protected by this or by tree preservation orders.

The site contains car park spaces for 288 vehicles.

Read more:

• Plan to convert Little Ouseburn pub into housing
• County council housing company accused of avoiding building affordable homes

Most of nearby Windsor Court has been converted from offices to flats in recent years.

A letter by Savills accompanying the planning application says:

“The location of the site is extremely sustainable, being within walking distance of all public transport options
and all of Harrogate’s main services and amenities.”