Latest news with #North Yorkshire
The Independent
16 hours ago
- The Independent
Man killed after car crashes onto train tracks
A motorist in his 70s died after his car crashed onto railway tracks in Harrogate, North Yorkshire. North Yorkshire Police responded to reports at 3:19 PM on Friday, locating a silver VW Golf on the line near Stray Rein. The driver was pronounced dead at the scene after his vehicle left York Place and went down a railway embankment. Superintendent Andy Nunns extended condolences to the man's family and thanked the public for their patience. Police are appealing for witnesses or anyone with dashcam footage from the area to come forward urgently on 101 and quote reference 12250132761. Motorist dies after car crashes on to railway track
The Independent
17 hours ago
- The Independent
Driver in his 70s dies after car crashes on to railway track
A driver in his 70s has died after his car crashed on to railway tracks, police said. North Yorkshire Police received reports at 3.19pm on Friday that a car was on the line near Stray Rein in Harrogate. Officers found a silver VW Golf on the tracks with one person inside. The driver, a man in his 70s, was pronounced dead at the scene. Police said the vehicle was travelling in York Place before it left the road and went down the railway embankment. Officers are 'appealing for any witnesses, or anyone with dashcam footage taken in the area, to come forward as a matter of urgency'. They asked anyone with information to email mcit@ or call North Yorkshire Police on 101, quoting reference 12250132761. Superintendent Andy Nunns said: 'We will continue to work with Network Rail and the British Transport Police to minimise disruption. 'My thoughts at this time remain very much with the man's family and I would like to thank the public for their patience.'
BBC News
12-07-2025
- BBC News
Whitby cliff lift replacement bus service reviewed
The future of the bus service that replaced Whitby's cliff lift is set to be reviewed due to low passenger uptake and high running free service has been in operation since 2022, when the discovery of structural corrosion closed the cliff lift with operating costs of more than £50,000 per season and with an average of only 630 single journeys per month, North Yorkshire Council has launched a public consultation on the bus's leader Carl Les said a decision would then be reached based on "accessibility, demand and financial responsibility". "We understand how important the seafront in Whitby is for residents and visitors alike," he said."However, with the cliff lift currently closed and the use of the replacement bus service low and of great cost to the taxpayer, it's only right that we review the future of the service."According to the council, while it would be possible to restore the lift to working order, this would come at a significant 2024, this was estimated at over £1m, according to the Local Democracy Reporting caused by water seeping into the lift's structure and ventilation issues could also continue to pose challenges in the future, as would the cost of operation and the consultation, a report will be presented to the council's executive members to determine the future of the replacement bus service. Listen to highlights from North Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North.
BBC News
12-07-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Jellycat: Independent shops devastated as brand pulls supply
Jellycat plush toys have been lining the walls at Rumours in Whitby for more than two times, they've taken up a third of the North Yorkshire gift shop's total shelf space. "They've always been a good seller," said manager Joe Orrell, whose father owns the last month, Mr Orrell received an email he "couldn't quite believe".Jellycat, the British soft toy company, told him it would no longer be supplying Rumours. It did not provide a reason."We were absolutely gutted," Mr Orrell said. Sales of the brand's toys made up a "significant portion" of the shop's income. The BBC spoke to owners and managers from four independent shops who said they had been hurt and surprised when Jellycat abruptly told them it would stop supplying them."Unfortunately we're not able to support every shop that wants to stock our products and, after very careful consideration, we recently reviewed our relationship with some stores," Jellycat said in a statement. It put this figure at 100 stores in the UK. "We're truly grateful for their historic support and wish them all the best for the future," it said, adding it still supplied about 1,200 independent stores. Puddleducks, a children's clothing store in Diggle, near Oldham, had been selling Jellycat toys for close to 20 brand had "really taken off" in popularity over the past year, said owner Alison McCabe, and some weeks she sold hundreds of items. She would be "inundated" with messages from customers asking which items her shop had in stock, she after what she described as months of difficulty getting hold of stock, Jellycat contacted her in mid-June telling her it would no longer supply her. The emails to stockists who were being cut off were sent on 18 June and appear to be identical in content, apart from the name of the shop. The owners and managers were not addressed by name, with the emails instead addressed to a "Jellycat stockist"."We're sorry to let you know that, after careful consideration, we'll no longer be supplying Jellycat products to Rumours," the email to Mr Orrell, viewed by the BBC, said. This was related to its "brand elevation strategy", it added."Please do not place more orders as they will not be fulfilled," the email continued. "Our decision to conclude the business relationship is final and not open to negotiation."Jellycat did not explain in the emails why it cut the businesses off."We can only think that we're not good enough," Mrs McCabe said, adding she did not know if she could make any changes to encourage Jellycat to start supplying her group of store owners, who Jellycat says are among the 1,200 still being supplied, were told they would not be what Jellycat called an "official stockist" but their accounts were "unaffected". The BBC understands this means Jellycat would still supply them with stock, where available, but would not given them an Official Jellycat Stockist sticker to display in their shop in this group was Erica Stahl, owner of Pippin, a gift shop in Edinburgh. She told the BBC she was "speechless" when she read the email and that she chose to close her told the BBC: "We select our stockists carefully so that we know customers will receive a joyful experience in their stores, and so Jellycat characters can be found throughout the country." Jellycat became a TikTok hit Shop owners told the BBC Jellycat's toys had always been a stable seller, bought as gifts for newborns or by children saving up pocket money. Then, last summer, the brand boomed in store owners credited this to the toys becoming hugely popular on TikTok and Instagram, with collectors showing off their toys have also been a growing trend among "kidults" - adults with a strong interest in toys and childish ephemera, such as Lego and Sonny Angels dolls. In recent years, Jellycat has become increasingly focused on the theatricality of presenting its products, with big "immersive" displays at some large department stores. At Selfridges in London, toys are displayed around a pretend fish and chip van and wrapped up like a take-away by staff. Jellycat also opened a "diner" in New York City and a "patisserie" in Paris - all in gentle shades of blue, with shelves of neatly arranged toys, which fans began to post about on social brand said presentation was just one factor it considered when reviewing partnerships with stores. Jellycat also told the BBC it had visited all its independent stores in person. 'Dribs and drabs' of stock However, with Jellycat's rise in popularity, came changes to the availability of stock, the shop owners approximately the last 12 months, since the toys became more of an online trend, Mr Orrell said stock would only arrive in "dribs and drabs" and his shop had had to reduce the size of its Jellycat display. Collectors visiting his store were getting "more and more disappointed" with what was Kenyon, co-owner of JAK Hanson, a department store near Wigan, said he would wait months for some orders, or they would arrive incomplete. Customers would travel from around the UK to buy Jellycat toys from his store, but he couldn't advise customers on when stock was arriving as he didn't owners and managers said they felt Jellycat was prioritising its relationships with bigger retailers."It became nearly impossible to even order any of the bestselling stock," said Miss Stahl."Small independents like myself are only allowed to order from a list of random mismatched odds and ends that the big shops clearly didn't want," she said. Charlotte Stray, of Keydell Nurseries in Hampshire, agreed. Independent stores were "pushed to the back of the queue" for stock, she Keydell Nurseries got the letter in June saying Jellycat would no longer be supplying it, "we weren't happy, but we'd been disappointed in the last six, eight months over the supply anyway," Mrs Stray said."We've been increasing our supply to both types of stores - small independents and national retailers - at the overall same rate," Jellycat told the BBC. "Keeping all our partners well stocked remains a challenge, and we're constantly working behind the scenes to improve how we plan, allocate and deliver stock as fairly and thoughtfully as we can."The company said independent stores would continue to be "as important in our future as they've been in our past". 'It's left a really sour taste in my mouth' Mrs Stray said that by cutting off some stockists, Jellycat was "crushing independent stores", who had supported the brand from the start and relied on it for a big portion of their have said they are not happy about how Jellycat has treated independent stores, with negative comments flooding the brand's recent social media posts. A post by Miss Stahl on her shop's Instagram account about Jellycat telling her she did not qualify as an "official stockist" has nearly 50,000 likes, with many commenters criticising the brand's conduct."I think they've really let themselves down," Bex Christensen, 38, a photographer from Nork Yorkshire, told the BBC. She's been collecting Jellycat toys for more than 20 years and "it's always been from independent shops", she also buys the toys for her two children and estimates that, between them, they have about 100 Jellycat toys at home."As a purchaser, it's made it really difficult because my kids love it - but it's left a really sour taste in my mouth," she said. "Jellycat grew off independent businesses."Jellycat told the BBC it was doing more than ever to support the independent stores it works with, and was planning new initiatives and stores the BBC spoke to said they were going to stock different plush toys Orrell is optimistic about the future of his business."We'll certainly survive," he said. "We've been going a lot longer than Jellycat have. We're not too concerned."
