The Harrogate hotels opening up for heroic NHS Nightingale hospital key workers

Guest houses are offering space for key workers ahead of plans for the Harrogate Convention Centre to become an NHS Nightingale hospital.
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Mark and Gillian Church, who run Scotia House on King’s Road in the North Yorkshire town, said they had been “devastated” by Covid-19 and its impact on their trade.

The couple moved from Johannesburg in December for a new life as hotel hosts in England, thinking they could take a run-up to the typically busy summer period.

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Mr Church said: “When my wife found Harrogate, she said ‘That’s exactly where I need to be’.”

Mark and Gillian Church. Picture: Simon Hulme.Mark and Gillian Church. Picture: Simon Hulme.
Mark and Gillian Church. Picture: Simon Hulme.

But since lockdown, like other businesses, they have been “completely and utterly shut down,” he added.

Mr Church added that the couple believed that “if we wake up and we’re still smiling, we’re good,” and they have no plans to “give up” and move back to South Africa.

Tabs Kaur, who runs Ash Grove Guest House nearby, also said she would open up for key workers and offer discounted rates if they needed space.

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She also leads the Accommodation Harrogate association, which represents 30 businesses, many of which are set to offer their services to key workers.

Tabs Kaur. Picture: Simon Hulme.Tabs Kaur. Picture: Simon Hulme.
Tabs Kaur. Picture: Simon Hulme.

The new NHS Nightingale hospital in Harrogate will be able to care for up to 500 coronavirus patients, it was announced previously, as part of plans to provide extra beds if local services need them during the peak of the Covid-19 pandemic.

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