OVER the last year the toll of the coronavirus pandemic has stretched far beyond the physical impact of the disease, with lockdowns, shielding and isolation affecting many people’s mental health. Some have found their confidence battered to the point where they are reluctant to resume routine activities like shopping or meeting with friends. In Skipton a new organisation has emerged to help, with assistance aimed at gently re-acclimatising people to familiar activities while enjoying life outdoors. The Ground Yourself in Green project has grown from the Skipton Step into Action group, which was appointed as a community support organisation by North Yorkshire County Council at the start of the pandemic.
THE number of Covid-19 patients being treated at Airedale General Hospital doubled in a week, figures have shown. The data was released by the West Yorkshire and Harrogate Health Care Partnership on Thursday, January 14, which said 62 patients who had tested positive for the virus were being treated at Airedale, up from 31 patients the previous week. The same data showed a combined total of 788 Covid patients currently in hospitals across West Yorkshire and Harrogate. Of this total, 70 were in intensive care. At the weekend, NHS England said there had now been 202 Covid-related deaths at Airedale Hospital since the pandemic began. A spokesman for Airedale Hospital NHS Foundation Trust confirmed the patients being treated are all from the local district.