Member Article

Expanding Harrogate charity's old home on the marketfor £150,000

The Starbeck home of Wellspring Therapy and Training, the leading Harrogate mental health charity, is for sale with a guide price of £150,000.

2 Prospect Road, very close to Starbeck Station, is being marketed by the Harrogate office of global property consultancy Knight Frank as premises ideal for conversion into two residential apartments.

Wellspring is relocating from Prospect Road to nearby premises in Knaresborough Road (the former St. Andrew’s Vicarage) because of hugely increased demand for its services. Founded in 2003, the charity provides affordable short and long-term counselling, particularly for the Harrogate and district community.

Wellspring anticipate moving in June this year after an extensive £250,000 refurbishment made possible by many, many generous donors and volunteers, not least The Liz and Terry Bramall Foundation who have been the catalyst to acquiring the new building.

Daniel Rigg, partner and head of office at Knight Frank in Harrogate, explained: “2 Prospect Road was originally a barbers and home, built around the turn of the century, which was converted into offices by Wellspring. But it is essentially a residential property and would easily convert into two smart apartments. That is what has happened next door.

“We are expecting a good deal of interest in the property. It is competitively priced in an excellent location, just a stone’s throw from Starbeck Railway Station on the York-Leeds line. The immediate area has undergone a renaissance with the conversion of the old Henry Peacock pub into a smart and successful mix of flats and retail outlets.

“Overall, the current 859 sq ft building would divide easily into two separate apartments each with their own private entrances. It is estimated that the newly formed apartments would have a combined internal floor area of circa 1,200 sq ft, provided the roof area was fully utilised. I believe it would make an excellent investment for a builder or developer to create two affordable, modern flats in an up-and-coming area.

“As a firm, we are delighted to help Wellspring, a charity which does exceptional and much-needed work in the Harrogate area. Mental health is a very important issue today and it is something that we at Knight Frank take very seriously indeed,” said Mr Rigg.

Moira Start, the chair of Wellspring’s trustees, said: “We are very grateful indeed for the work Knight Frank is doing on our behalf. It is very helpful to have such a well-respected property agency marketing our property.

“These are exciting and rewarding times for everyone associated with our charity. We are now transforming the former St Andrew’s Vicarage into the first-class training and counselling centre to cope with demand for our services in the Harrogate area.

“This demand is growing fast, which is why we need to expand. We have been very happy with our premises at Prospect Road, but they simply aren’t big enough now.”

Emily Fullarton, director of Wellspring, explained: “16 million people struggle with mental health issues in the UK. NYCC’s Young & Yorkshire’s report describes North Yorkshire as a county of contrasts with some areas ranked within the 10 most deprived in England. Higher rates of drug and alcohol abuse are hidden behind ‘affluent Harrogate’. .

“There is a huge demand in Harrogate for our services and it’s increasing. The NHS, which is responsible for mental health care, needs our support. In 2017, for example, 55 per cent of clients were signposted to our service from the NHS.”

“What makes Wellspring’s work unique is that we offer affordable long-term, open-ended counselling where needed. Unfortunately, this type of therapy is not currently widely available from the NHS. Most private counselling typically costs between £40-60 for each session, but many of our clients are unable to afford this. We are also committed to increasing our community’s awareness to mental health issues through coordinating over 15 training sessions a year to schools, churches, businesses and individuals”

Emily Fullarton concluded: “We will miss our old home, but our new premises are very special. Apart from being so close to where we are now, which is a massive bonus for our clients, and large enough to cope with demand, they were also the home of our founding Director, Elaine Wainaina, so it all seems like an answer to our prayers.”

Rebecca Bletcher of The Liz and Terry Bramall Foundation said: “We are thrilled to provide support to Wellspring to enable them to pursue their expansion plans. Their ethos and aims tie in with the Foundation’s objects perfectly; to help and support people from all backgrounds. We feel honoured to be part of the team.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Robert Beaumont .