Call to visitors: 'Please don’t visit the Harrogate district unnecessarily'

As we move forward through these unprecedented times, we must do so with common sense and caution.

Much of the Harrogate District is rural and the very things that make the district so special also make it vulnerable to the consequences of COVID-19.

We welcome the path to recovery, but we are also asking visitors to the region not to travel to the Harrogate District unnecessarily for leisure, as we do not have the capacity to support and welcome them at this time.

It is also important that we do not forget the crucial role that farmers are playing to keep the nation fed.

We are supporting the Yorkshire Agricultural Society’s campaign, which is called ‘Farm To Fork’ and which promotes the region’s agricultural sector.

The campaign champions individual farmers and also champions farm retail business across Yorkshire at a time when the nation is relying on a seamless supply chain to continually restock shop shelves.

The ‘Farm to Fork’ campaign also raises awareness of the innovative ways in which farm shops are safely meeting the social distancing rules to remain open.

By doing so, it highlights opportunities for all of us to access a ready supply of high-quality, fresh British food from local outlets that we may not have used regularly before or even considered as alternatives to supermarkets.

We are incredibly proud in Harrogate of the local businesses who have reoriented their efforts towards feeding and helping the community during the lockdown period.

One such business is Fodder, which along with a home delivery service they have introduced a raft of robust measures which aim to ensure their staff and customers are safe.

This includes limiting the number of people in the shop, social distancing, hand sanitisers, plastic screens at the tills, regularly sterilizing baskets and trollies after each use and card payments only.

Another similar business is Mackenzies Smokehouse who have adapted their business overnight to ensure they can safely continue to serve their customers whilst at the same time setting up a local collaboration with Baltzersens. Despite the current situation our gardens continue to grow and the flowers continue to bloom.

If you’re looking for some gardening inspiration, we encourage you to follow RHS Garden Harlow Carr and the Himalayan Garden and Sculpture Park on social media for fabulous floral updates plus ideas and advice on how you can grow your own at home.

Talking of growing at home, Slingsby have put together a helpful guide to growing your own botanicals, allowing you to create your very own botanical garden at home.

Finally, the lockdown has necessitated changes to one of our most loved ancient traditions in the Harrogate District.

The Ripon Hornblowers are performing their ceremony of ‘setting the watch’ for the city from their own homes instead of from the base of the obelisk in the market square.

You can watch them each evening on Facebook @Riponhornblowers

We look forward to welcoming visitors back to the Harrogate District but only when the time is right for everyone. In the meantime, we will continue to share our stories and updates online

so make sure you check our website regularly www.visitharrogate.co.uk and follow us through our social media channels.