Harrogate Stray may be devastated but value of UCI championships to Yorkshire must not be underestimated - Yorkshire Post letters

From: ME Wright, Harrogate.
By YP Letters
Published 11th Oct 2019, 17:45 BST
Riders pass the flooded fan zone on the Stray, Harrogate during the UCI World Championships 2019.Riders pass the flooded fan zone on the Stray, Harrogate during the UCI World Championships 2019.
Riders pass the flooded fan zone on the Stray, Harrogate during the UCI World Championships 2019.

I’ve decided to frame Graeme Bandeira’s wonderful ‘Grassgate’ cartoon (The Yorkshire Post, October 5); somehow, the characters seem familiar!

Alas, an unfortunate combination of generous usage and the foulest weather has left West Park Stray devastated.

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Harrogate council to pursue insurance payout to help heal StrayAround 80 years ago, the 1770 legislation was set aside and the entire Stray ploughed for wartime food production. I’m told that it did the job and it recovered.

Thanks to the Borough Council and the Stray Defence Association, it will recover again.

I’m prepared to bet that, winter permitting, the crocuses will greet us all next spring, as usual.

Protectors of The Stray in Harrogate slam 'atrocious' damage to grass caused by UCI World ChampionshipsMeantime, the sharply contrasting UCI experiences for the town’s businesses need to be addressed elsewhere.

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But this wasn’t just about Harrogate. World-wide, 250 million people saw Yorkshire at its worst thanks to the very unfortunate weather.

But they also saw it at its memorably, glorious best. The long-term value of this cannot be expressed in mere numbers.

Related topics:YorkshireHarrogateGraeme Bandeira