In 2023, all four of Harrogate’s twinning relationships reach significant milestones, and events this year were planned with this in mind.

 

APRIL 2023 – IT ALL HAPPENED AT ONCE!

• Harrogate Spring Flower Show – 20 to 23 April 2023 Visitors to the Harrogate Spring Flower Show were able to see a specially designed Community Garden organised by HIP, which celebrates these twinning links and milestones. Based around a tall, colourful, four-sided obelisk which stood out in the showground, each face represented one of the twin towns with the respective garden reflecting landscape and planting from that area. It received a gold award from the Flower Show judges, and Mayor Alex Nuttall of Barrie Ontario was able to visit and admire it for himself.

• New Zealand Garden Refurbishment – opening ceremony 22 April 2023 The New Zealand Garden within Harrogate’s Valley Gardens was formally opened on 21 June 1954 in the presence of the Deputy Mayor of the City of Wellington, and included plants supplied from New Zealand and brought over by ship. In 2010, the New Zealand garden was refurbished by the Friends of Valley Gardens, again with plants donated from New Zealand, and the splendid Maori Pou Fennua carving was brought from New Zealand and blessed in a Maori service with a local choir.
  • Over the years time started to take its toll on planting and some wooden sculptures, and so for 2023, the New Zealand garden has again been refurbished. This has included a newly commissioned stone Maori Pikorua sculpture supported by generous private donors with further support from North Yorkshire County Council, plus a locally crafted bench donated by Wellington City Council. As well as new planting, and a specimen bush donated by the Royal New Zealand Air Force, a number of the original bushes and trees have been retained. An updated information board was also added, with kind donations from the family of Tony Sissons who designed the 2010 garden.
  • It was re-opened formally on 22 April 2023 in the presence of a representative from the RNZAF, local dignitaries, the generous supporters, and a number of the people who had worked so hard on the refurbishment including the sculptor, horticulturist, and the installation team, with music from the local Tewit Youth Band and a solo singer from a local school leading the national anthems.

• ANZAC day commemoration – 23 April 2023 On 23 April, the nearest Sunday to ANZAC day 2023, HIP commemorated ANZAC day at the Commonwealth War Graves Cemetery at Stonefall, Harrogate. Representatives from both the Australian and New Zealand Air Forces joined other distinguished guests at the ceremony.

• Visit from the Mayor of Barrie – 21 to 24 April 2023 On 21 April we were delighted to welcome Mayor Alex Nuttall from Barrie for a few days, celebrating 10 years since the signing of the twinning agreement between Harrogate and Barrie. As well as seeing the town and visiting the Harrogate Flower Show to view the twinning community garden exhibit, he attended the New Zealand Garden reopening, and had meetings with local business leaders including the Chamber of Commerce and Harrogate BID. He also met Sir Thomas Ingleby to tour Ripley Castle and the Church where Sir Robert Barrie was laid to rest. He also laid a wreath at the ANZAC commemoration in memory of the 660 Canadian aircrew buried at Stonefall, and another wreath on the grave of Flying Officer William Porritt from Barrie.

• Food author – visit to Luchon Also in April, Harrogate International Partnerships helped Kay Atkinson from Yorkshire Appetite with contacts to meet up with in Luchon, which she was visiting as part of her research for a book on French food and her food tours business. Kay reports a very helpful and enthusiastic reception, and a lovely, enjoyable and useful visit.

JUNE 2023 – MORE ACTIVITY!

• Visit to Barrie In early June, following on from Mayor Nuttall’s very successful visit to Harrogate in April and a reciprocal invitation, Harrogate was represented in Barrie to celebrate 10 years of twinning. Michael Newby from HIP (who signed the twinning agreement 10 years ago) was accompanied by Matthew Chapman from Harrogate BID. The visit included Sir Robert Barrie Day on 7 June, marked with the raising of flags in Harrogate and Barrie, and the Barrie Air Show the following weekend, as well as being presented at a meeting of the City Council, and giving words of greeting from Harrogate at a large formal dinner attended by many local dignitaries plus the “Snowbirds” Display Team (the Canadian equivalent of the UK’s Red Arrows). It also gave an opportunity to make and follow up contacts with local civic and, in particular, business leaders which explored common interests, identified similar business sectors, and discussed challenges, opportunities, and ideas.

• Valley Gardens Flower Bed A floral display was installed in Valley Gardens by the North Yorkshire Council’s local horticultural and parks team, commemorating the anniversaries of the town’s twinning agreements. Maintaining Harrogate’s reputation as a floral town is central to their work, and requires a huge ongoing effort – for this bed alone, a total of 3,475 plants were put in place by hand, creating flags and national symbols for the four countries involved with Harrogate’s twinning.

• Visit to Montecatini Also during June, a representative of HIP had a meeting at the Municipio (town hall) in Montecatini while visiting the area on a private visit, delivering greetings from Harrogate.

AND EVEN MORE IN JULY and AUGUST 2023!

• Floral displays around the town centre Harrogate’s Floral Summer of Celebration, a two-week long campaign organised by Harrogate BID (Business Improvement District) ran from July 21st to August 4th. It included ten unique floral displays around the town centre, celebrating the four twin town/city locations and various other international links. This also formed a central part of the town’s presentation for the visit by the judges for the RHS Britain in Bloom UK Finals – Harrogate was selected as one of three finalists in the category for BID entrants, and judging took place on 26 July – with a long wait until the awards ceremony in London in October – see below for the fantastic result!

• Rugby visit to Barrie At the end of July, the first leg of an under 16s rugby exchange between Harrogate and Barrie saw the Harrogate team head off to Canada. Aside from the competitive rugby matches themselves, and the wonderful opportunities to make new contacts and friends, the local organisers had included some amazing visits and activities, including visit to the spectacular Niagara Falls and the CN Tower in Toronto, time at a swimming park, and a taste of canoeing on the up-country lakes and rivers. In Barrie itself, they visited the Spirit Catcher which overlooks the bay, met Alex Nuttall the Mayor in the Council Chamber, and helped to mark Yorkshire Day on 1 August with the raising of the Yorkshire flag in Barrie. There was much local coverage, including on the evening television news.

• Visitors from Wellington and Luchon
  • Towards the end of July, we were pleased to meet Richard Leverington and his wife Jane from Wellington City Council who called into Harrogate briefly.
  • At the beginning of August, we also welcomed Jérémy Casat to Harrogate. He runs the Services d’Animation (events and cultural team) at the Marie (Mayor’s office) in Luchon, which helped to strengthen links and confirm arrangements for the forthcoming Luchon en Fleurs festival.

• Luchon en Fleurs At the end of August, the fantastic local Tewit Silver Band headed to Luchon for this event and also to give other concerts in the area. At the same time, another team headed out to build the Harrogate flower exhibit.
  • The flower team included language students from Harrogate and HIP volunteers, and linked up with students from the Lycée (high school) in Luchon. Harrogate was asked to decorate the large floral display in pride of place at the top of the main street.
  • The parade was spectacular with multiple bands, dancers, and even horses and vintage cars taking part. Tewit was in the thick of it, entertaining the crowds and even stopping to play outside their favourite bar/restaurant to get the locals dancing and clapping along!
  • That was followed by a wonderful Tewit Silver Band concert on the Sunday in a village church up in the nearby valley – the church filled up and the whole village seemed to be there – the locals said the village had never seen (or heard!) anything like it. As ever, the sheer quality of musicianship shown by Tewit was clear for all to see, and the standing ovations went on and on!
  • And finally on the Monday, the language students and other visitors from Harrogate were given a guided walk up part of the Chemins de la Liberté (Paths to Freedom) – following one of the routes used during the second world war to smuggle refugees and airmen across the Pyrenees between France and Spain. It features newly restored paths and new explanation boards which tell the moving and poignent stories in a very powerful and sobering way, and honour the memory of those involved.

AND TO ROUND OFF AN AMAZING YEAR…!

In October, at the national RHS Britain in Bloom awards ceremony in London, where Harrogate was a finalist in the BID category ….

…. and after the four twinned locations had formed a central part of the town’s floral displays around the town centre which were visited by the competition judges in August ….

…. Harrogate was awarded the RHS BRITAIN IN BLOOM GOLD AWARD!!

Very well done to the BID team and all involved!