I’M full of it today.
You may suggest I’m always full of it, whatever ‘it’ is.
But this morning I’m full of new found knowledge about Harrogate following a wet walking tour of the North Yorkshire spa town yesterday evening.
The invitation came from James Haddleton who runs the eponymous law firm Haddletons which is based in Harrogate.
I bumped into James, who I have known since his days working for DLA Piper, when I compered the Greens2Blue charity ball in June.
We caught up over a coffee a few weeks later at his offices which are in the impressive Windsor House which was originally built as The Grand Hotel in 1903.
That’s a photo of James and his colleague Jacqui Swift recounting some of the history of Windsor House to guests following the ‘Historic Harrogate: Walk, Talk and Connect’ event that they hosted along with insurance broker TL Dallas.
I should warn you that apparently the building is haunted by the ghost of a former female hotel guest who, when the service lift doors opened, stepped through them but fell straight down the lift shaft because the lift wasn’t there.
Spooky.
Now apparently her ghost plays havoc with the elevator at the back of the building.
Although James opined that perhaps it is a good excuse for the lift being out of order.
The evening started with a drink at Harrogate Brewing Co on Royal Parade which used to be the popular Old Bell pub.
The four-strong team at the local brewery has renovated and redecorated the venue and provide a warm welcome in its smart but cosy interior.
It was great to bump into Emma Mortimer, who runs Candid PR with colleague Steve Wright and who I’ve known since my Yorkshire Post days.
Emma’s husband Tim is commercial director of event co-hosts TL Dallas.
Tim was slightly nervous that his dress sense might get a mention in this blog given he knows Richard Doyle whose sartorial bent featured in last week’s blog.
But I assured him that his waxed jacket, sturdy shoes and umbrella were appropriate for such a showery evening.
Given I lived in and around Harrogate for over two years I did think I knew plenty about the historic town.
Most people know that Agatha Christie mysteriously went missing while staying in Harrogate in the 1920s.
They are aware of some of its history as a spa town where the healing powers of the waters beneath it were discovered by William Slingsby in the 16th century and later saw the Victorians flock to the town on the Stray to enjoy the restorative baths.
But thanks to Harry, the well known local historian and guide who takes visitors on free walking tours around Harrogate, I now know a lot more about the place.
With brollies poised, we headed out of the pub and around some of the many sights, including the place opposite the Royal Hall where one of the world’s first cycling clubs was founded in 1878 as the Bicycling Touring Club and which became what is now the campaign group and charity Cycling UK.
Harry, who has done incredible research about Harrogate and brings its history to life in a very entertaining way, also told us that during the Second World War Harrogate was a major operating centre for the Royal Air Force.
Trenches were dug on the stray to stop German aeroplanes landing and most of the major hotels and big buildings in the town were requisitioned by the RAF as bases for its operations.
Apparently the local newspaper, the Harrogate Advertiser, was shut down during the war years and only five known photographs of the town exist from the period 1940 to 1945 such was the secrecy surrounding the RAF’s work and the need to prevent the Nazis uncovering information about it.
It was then on to Valley Gardens where Harry pointed out what looked like the base of a stone pillar carved into the shape of a tree stump.
According to Harry, who brought an eminent geologist, Professor Colin Waters, to Harrogate to investigate, this unremarkable stump ignored by the daily dog walkers who pass it, is actually the remains of a petrified tree that is 320 million years old.
That’s five times older that the Tyrannosaurus Rex.
The mind boggles.
You can find out more on Harry’s YouTube channel, called ‘Harry Does History’.
As the rain became heavier, we headed out of the gardens and across the road into Windsor House for a glass of wine and some cheese and nibbles.
It was nice to catch up with other guests on the tour, brand expert Stuart Brown and Richard Fox, who has recently joined Yorkshire based car finance business Oracle as marketing director.
I met Richard and his wife Verity years ago when Paul Snape of Appeal PR in Harrogate introduced me to a lively group of people who lived in the town.
At that point I knew nothing about Harrogate’s history but had done plenty of research on its pubs and bars.
As James Haddleton recounted the story of the ghost in Windsor House I pondered the prospect of getting trapped in a lift with a scary lady.
I think I’d rather take my chances with a Tyrannosaurus Rex.
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THE quote: “Good judgment comes from experience, and experience comes from bad judgment,” is credited to either US actor and social commentator Will Rogers or Winnie the Pooh creator AA Milne.
If it was AA Milne, then I bet Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer is feeling a bit like Winnie the Pooh’s pal Eeyore this morning.
Less than a week after Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner was forced to resign over the issue of underpaying stamp duty when buying a flat, the PM had to sack British Ambassador to the United States Lord Mandelson over his links to the late convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein.
I won’t repeat all the details of either case because I’m sure you know plenty already.
But what I will do is question the judgement of our Prime Minister, a man, remember, who pledged to clean up British politics and crack down on cronyism when he came to power.
You could argue he is fiercely loyal to his colleagues and that perhaps we don’t know all of the facts.
But having a housing minister who underpaid tax on a property is not a good look and it ultimately proved untenable for Angela Rayner to carry on in her roles.
As for Peter Mandelson, the information that emerged about his dealings with “best pal” Jeffrey Epstein were humiliating and disturbing.
His admission in a media interview that more embarrassing revelations were almost certainly going to emerge was damning and pretty much set the clock ticking on his departure from Washington DC.
But Sir Keir Starmer didn’t see it that way and continued to defend the New Labour fixer-turned-diplomat in the House of Commons.
Yes you can say that is loyal, but then to do a full reverse ferret and sack him the next day only suggests weakness and poor judgement.
Particularly given that Mandelson has previous for being drawn to those with power and money like a moth to a flame and has had to resign from government twice before because of it.
I provide crisis communications and reputation management advice and I constantly analyse every crisis I read about – whether in politics, business or those that consume high profile individuals – and consider what my counsel would be to a client caught up in similar circumstances.
What I concluded in the case of Angela Rayner and Peter Mandelson is that both were toast well before they did eventually depart stage left but neither realised it.
As for Sir Keir Starmer, who still has a huge Labour majority in Parliament, he has been further weakened after 14 months of missteps, sackings and unpopular economic policy set against a background of what feels like global turmoil.
I think we’d all welcome a period of stability, not least Sir Keir Starmer.
The odds are that that ain’t going to happen.
Is this a Prime Minister whose reputation is holed below the waterline or can he row back from the brink?
I suspect we won’t have to wait long to find out.
HISTORY and beer seems to be the theme this week as I spent last Friday afternoon in the ruins of Kirkstall Abbey at the Leeds International Beer Festival.
What a venue for such an event.
The remains of the Cistercian monastery that was founded on the banks of the River Aire in 1152 are in pretty good nick and the beer tents and tables for drinkers are set in and around the ruins.
With much of the beer coming from local breweries and food served by excellent local restaurants such as Bundobust, it was a cracking afternoon and I’m grateful to Nathan Lane of Campfire PR for inviting me.
The photograph below was taken by fellow guest Terry Gilligan, another quality public relations practitioner.
I’m not sure about the relic in the foreground, but the Abbey provides a majestic backdrop.
Have a great weekend.