Council decides on Bettys Harlow Carr takeaway hatchHarrogate barista to represent UK at World Barista ChampionshipBusiness Breakfast: Harrogate law firm appoints new associate directorYorkshire Tea blender, Warren Ford, dies aged 90

The man behind the blend of Yorkshire Tea, Warren Ford, has died aged 90.

Born in Lewisham, South London, on May 16, 1933, Warren went to school in London before leaving aged 16.

He worked at Tetley’s tea as a senior buyer, before being sought at by Victor Wild, who built up Betty’s tea room in Harrogate, in the 1970s.

By 1976 Warren had been appointed as a director of Taylors and the following year, along with Victor, Jonathan Wild and Eddie Hardie, was one of the original ‘gang of four’ responsible for the creation, launch and early success of Yorkshire Tea.

Warren became fundamental in establishing the foundations for the future growth of Yorkshire Tea. He even suggested the colour orange for the packaging, recognising that it was the most unused colour on the tea shelf. 

Jonathan Wild remembers that Warren’s ability gave him confidence in the product.

He said:

“Yorkshire Tea took over our lives and compelled us to stretch ourselves beyond the limits of our experience – and inexperience. 

“What gave me confidence was belief in ‘The Tea’ and in Warren’s ability.  We rode our luck well and tempered our ambition with stealthy patience, but I’m not sure that at any other moment in time – before or since – we could have created something so unique and ultimately so successful as Yorkshire Tea.” 

The brand, Taylors Yorkshire Tea, was launched in 1977 and became popular. It received royal warrant in 2009.

Reflecting on the gang of four and the creation of the brand, Warren recalled:

“it was a team effort from the start: Victor’s creativity and prudent financial control, Eddie Hardy’s relationship with supermarkets and determination that we invest in packaging technology, Jonathan’s youthful energy and ambition, and, of course, all the advantages that I brought: an experienced, integrated approach to buying and blending in which we competed to our advantage by selecting rather than collecting our teas. 

“It required all these elements to create success.” 

Warren Ford died on June 21, 2023. 

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Sir Patrick Stewart films Yorkshire Tea advert in Harrogate

Sir Patrick Stewart features in a new Yorkshire Tea advertisement filmed in Harrogate.

The iconic actor, who is known for films and television series such as X-Men and Star Trek, is the latest star to appear in the brand’s “Where Everything’s Done Proper’ TV adverts.

In the one-minute advertisement, he can be seen paying tribute to a colleague on her last day of work.

You can watch it here.

The advert was first broadcast on television yesterday and was filmed in Harrogate with employees from across the business.

Yorkshire Tea is part of the Bettys and Taylors Group, whose brands also include Bettys and Taylors of Harrogate.

Sir Patrick said:

“”No matter where I am in the world, I always make sure I have some Yorkshire Tea with me for a proper brew.

“My career has taken me from the West End to Broadway, from Hollywood to the far ends of the galaxy, but now I’ve returned to where it all began. Yorkshire.”

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Lucy Hoyle, senior brand manager at Yorkshire Tea said: 

“We’re chuffed to bits with this new advert and hope everyone loves it as much as we do. Sir Patrick is an absolute legend when it comes to delivering a heart-felt performance. 

“If anyone is a master of the art of ‘doing things properly’ – something that is central to everything we do here at Yorkshire Tea – it’s Sir Patrick and we’re thrilled he is part of the Yorkshire Tea team.”

Yorkshire Tea’s advert series has featured a number of famous names, including Sheffield’s Sean Bean and the Kaiser Chiefs.

District businesses donate to Ukraine aid convoy

Businesses from across the Harrogate district have shown their support for Ukraine by donating dozens of pallets of supplies.

Neom Organics has given shower gel, soap and hand sanitiser, while Taylors of Harrogate has contributed supplies of tea and coffee.

Children’s shop Milk and Honey donated thousands of pounds’ worth of clothes, from wellies and hats to summer clothes. Other donations have included bottled water and fizzy drinks.

The supplies are being sent to Global Empowerment Mission, which is distributing them to refugee camps as well as communities in Ukraine.

Organiser Whitney Vauvelle said:

“It has been an incredible effort from the Harrogate and Yorkshire community. It really speaks highly of the bread and butter of what this community is about.

“People are going numb on this and we can’t let that happen. Supply chains are severely disrupted into Ukraine so we have to keep donating and sending trucks over.”

A final collection will be held at White Horse Machinery (WHM) on Hornbeam Park on Wednesday, May 18, from 9.30am to 1.30pm, when businesses and individuals can make contributions.

Donations of non-perishable foods are needed, along with clothing including shoes, new underwear, new and like-new trainers, and sportswear for children.

For more information, call Ms Vauvelle on 07860 922600.

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Home care company expands from Harrogate base

A home care company founded in Harrogate in 2018 is expanding to a satellite office in West Yorkshire.

West Park Care will cover Ilkley, Burley in Wharefedale, Guiseley, Menston, Yeadon and surrounding areas from its new office at Wharfe Bank Mills in Otley.

Founder Tom Page said:

“We’ve got through the pandemic which has been a slog to say the least. We’ve come out of that relatively unscathed and now we’re looking to expand.”

The company offers domiciliary care to private clients in their own homes, and now has 30 staff and 44 clients on its books.

Mr Page said its point of difference was not using zero-hours contracts and paying above minimum wage, which helped it to keep staff turnover low.

Harrogate branded the ‘new Hollywood’ after film crews descend

The Harrogate district is rapidly becoming the new hotspot for film crews with the likes of Matt Smith, Sir Patrick Stewart and even a Barbados fire truck spotted locally this week.

The presence of so many cameras and stars suggests more and more producers recognise the district’s beauty and historic appeal.

Shaw Mills has been taken over by a film crew in recent weeks. Doctor Who actor Matt Smith has been in Nidderdale for a new horror movie, with numerous sightings of him in Pateley Bridge in between filming the adaptation of Andrew Michael Hurley’s novel Starve Acre.

A separate film crew set up on Harrogate’s Cardale Park this week. Phil Sands who works in Mackenzies Deli on the estate said Yorkshire Tea was filming a new advert starring Sir Patrick Stewart.

The actor, best known for his role in the Star Trek and X-Men series, is believed to have been taking part in a two-day shoot for Yorkshire Tea, whose previous adverts featured Sean Bean.

Mr Sands, the manager at Mackenzies Deli, said:

“They were here Wednesday and Thursday and it looked like a big production. Having Sir Patrick Stewart here was pretty amazing. It’s like Harrogate is the new Hollywood!”

The Mackenzies Deli team posted this on Instagram yesterday. Photograph: @mackenziesdeli

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A few weeks ago new Netflix film ‘Bank of Dave’ with Bridgerton star Phoebe Dynevor was filmed at the former Harrogate Borough Council offices in Crescent Gardens.

Today eagle-eyed reader Jonathan Edwards sent us a picture today of a Barbados fire engine driving up Wetherby Road with a camera attached to the front, prompting speculation of yet more filming.

The Stray Ferret has been told a BBC drama is being filmed in Harrogate town centre currently, but it is not known if the fire engine’s appearance related to this.

Photograph: Jonathan Edwards

Strayside Sunday: Putin may end up with the upper hand

Strayside Sunday is our monthly political opinion column. It is written by Paul Baverstock, former Director of Communications for the Conservative Party. 

I spent my school years keenly aware of Cold War realpolitik, and of the unthinkable nuclear consequences, should cold turn hot. 1983, when I was 16, saw the release of nuclear war film The Day After, to be followed in 1984 by the release of the lower budget (British set and made) Threads, bleaker and more frightening in measures equal. My teenage years, and those of my peer group, passed on red alert, with any siren sound in the valley causing a flash of pulse quickening panic. Was this to be the beginning of the end?

I’m reminded of this of course by current events in Ukraine. At time of writing, we are 12 days into Russia’s invasion. Yet, brave Ukraine, led by President Volodymyr Zelensky, resists. Russia’s superior force impeded by courageous and dogged Ukrainian defence and, it seems, handicapped by over ambitious strategic planning, inept military leadership and sagging soldierly morale. We watch helplessly from the side-lines as Ukrainian citizens suffer what seems to be indiscriminate bombardment, but which must be bombardment by cruel design.

We wince, embarrassed by the sure knowledge that, hitherto, we in the UK have turned a blind eye to the dirty Russian money laundering through London and Surrey’s perpetually empty, always modernising mansions and penthouses. So now we applaud our government and those of our NATO and European allies as they move to punish Russia through the imposition of severe sanctions and financial restrictions or economic penalties. We applaud international businesses from Apple and Ikea, to TikTok and Zara, and our local big brands Harrogate Spring Water and Yorkshire Tea -all of whom have ceased operations in Russia.  And we applaud the delivery of our and our allies anti-tank and other weapons to assist Ukraine’s fighters in eking out another hour, perhaps another day of resistance.

What we cannot do for Ukraine, what we must not do, so the orthodoxy goes, is to do what we all know it would take to give them a real chance of victory; we cannot put NATO boots on the ground, nor can we institute a no-fly zone. Why? Because to do so would put us in direct conflict with Russia, a shooting war with a Russia led by an increasingly unstable dictator who has threatened, in none too subtle terms, to use his arsenal of nuclear weapons against us. And, after all, Ukraine isn’t a NATO member, so can’t benefit from Article 5 protections. We dare not risk Putin’s ire nor a nuclear conflagration so, ergo, we send humanitarian aid and military supplies, and we wait. We wait for the inevitable and tragic moment when Russia overruns Kyiv and its sister cities, kills or imprisons Ukraine’s democratically elected leadership, installs a puppet government, and claims the country for its own.  When that happens – although every ounce of my being wishes that it were “if” it happens – when that happens, Russia and NATO will face each other across the European borders of, among others, Romania, Hungary, Slovakia and Poland. And when we do President Putin will know that we in NATO have already failed his test of our nerve. He will hold the upper hand.

During my school days it was widely held that MAD (the doctrine of mutually assured destruction) kept the nuclear peace.  Rational actors bound inaction by the fact that war would mean the end of everything. I worry now that we will face a new asymmetrical nuclear threat, one in which the main protagonist is willing to play a game with the highest of all stakes, while we will not. If we get to that point, as well we might, we may yet regret saying no to a no-fly zone for Ukraine.

Meanwhile there is more than a hint of bathos in the story of retired and decorated Harrogate fireman Bruce Reid. Mr. Reid flew to Poland this week and made his way to the Ukrainian border, intent on volunteering his firefighting services. Told that he should instead find his way 30 miles across the border to the Yavoriv military base, where he would be equipped and taught to fight, Mr. Reid turned back, returning to his 10-year-old granddaughter and the rest of his worried-sick family. No matter, Mr. Reid’s status as a hero is already cemented in my view by his years of bravery in the Fire Service, and by his willingness to volunteer those special skills in the service of Ukraine.

Against this backdrop of heart-breaking world affairs, it seems somehow small to have a go at an obviously failed British politician.  But I’m so blood boilingly angry about the announcement of a Knighthood last week for Sir, yes Sir! Gavin Williamson that I can’t help myself. Mr. Williamson was a serial failure in government. But as an ex-whip he knows where Boris’ bodies are buried so needs to be kept quiet. He doesn’t deserve it and it thoroughly demeans the honours system.

If we are going to face another Cold War then we will all have to believe in our way of life and government to face down Russia.  To ask that level of commitment and sacrifice, to ask us to follow the example of Ukraine, requires our system of government to retain its moral authority. Giving a gong to this man does not help build confidence.

That’s my Strayside Sunday.

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Harrogate Spring Water and Yorkshire Tea suspend trade with Russia

Harrogate Spring Water and Yorkshire Tea said today they will cease trade with Russia with immediate effect.

The two Harrogate-based companies issued statements in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which has so far claimed about 13,000 lives and forced two million people to flee their homes.

A Harrogate Spring Water spokesperson said:

“Harrogate Spring Water has made the decision to stop all exports to Russia with immediate effect.”

Russia has been one of Harrogate Spring Water’s biggest export markets in the past, according to multiple articles published in 2013.

An article in The Business Desk, published in 2013, said water sales in Russia has increased by 40% year-on-year.

The company itself tweeted an image of Russian President Vladimir Putin drinking a bottle of its water in 2013.

https://twitter.com/HarrogateSpring/status/375589127275560960?s=20&t=DQo5_CMsbRdj8AltJnys1g

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Yorkshire Tea is owned by Taylors of Harrogate, a 130-year-old company founded in Harrogate. It has a distributer in Moscow.

A spokesperson for Taylors of Harrogate said today:

“Like everyone, we’ve been deeply shocked and saddened by the invasion and our thoughts are with all those impacted.

“Our ethical trade and human rights policy states that our values guide how we work with suppliers, customers and distributors, including the provision that we will not trade with individuals, entities, regions or countries where UK sanctions have been applied.

“While Russia has been an export market for some of our teas for several years, as a result of the invasion and the subsequent sanctions we’ve suspended trade.”

All brands owned by Taylors of Harrogate, which also include coffee products, will no longer be exported to Russia.

Harrogate Spring Water ends sponsorship with Yorkshire County Cricket

Harrogate Spring Water has ended its sponsorship with Yorkshire County Cricket Club.

The company follows Yorkshire Tea, which is also based in Harrogate, in cutting ties with the club.

Yorkshire, which has many members and supporters in the district, has been fiercely criticised for saying it didn’t plan to take any disciplinary action against individuals following an investigation into the allegations by former player Azeem Rafiq.

Now, Harrogate Spring Water, which was among the club’s main commercial partners, has confirmed its sponsorship will end with “immediate affect”.

In a statement, the company said:

“We were deeply concerned at the details that have emerged in recent days surrounding the treatment of Azeem Rafiq at Yorkshire County Cricket Club and the way in which the club’s current leadership have handled the important issues that have been raised.

“As a result, Harrogate Spring Water has taken the decision to end its sponsorship agreement with the club with immediate effect. We will be making no further comment on this matter.”

Harrogate Spring Water first became the official water of the club in 2014.

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Both Harrogate companies follow Emerald Publishing and Anchor butter in ending their association with the club. David Lloyd Clubs said its sponsorship had been “put on hold a few weeks ago” and would not be reinstated.

Mark Ellis, chairman of Masham Cricket Club, told the Stray Ferret this week that the county club’s actions “sent mixed messages” to grassroots cricket and that the club was “extremely disappointed” in Yorkshire’s actions.

Senior Yorkshire officials and Rafiq are due to appear before MPs on the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee later this month.