Two charities that provide much-needed support for local people are benefiting from the £7,000 raised through the Mayor of Ripon’s annual appeal.

Dementia Forward‘s community fundraiser Amy Senior visited Ripon Town Hall on Tuesday to accept a cheque for £3,500 and the same amount will be presented shortly to Harrogate District Mind.

Dementia Forward, which operates throughout North Yorkshire, opened its flagship community hub in 2017 at George Armitage House in Burton Leonard and a further five have followed across the county.

Ms Senior said:

“This donation is greatly appreciated and will support the day services that we provide through our hub club for people affected by dementia.”

Mind’s Harrogate District association was founded in 1973 and over the past 50 years, the charity run by local people, for local people, has been a constant source of support and confidential services including befriending, counselling and outreach.

The Mayor of Ripon, Councillor Sid Hawke, said:

“We are delighted to support two great charities and have been able to do so because of the generosity of the local community and the tremendous work of the appeal committee, which organised and ran fundraising events throughout the last mayoral year.”

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Harrogate Borough Council has defended installing new bins in Burton Leonard after concerns it is “oversized”.

The council installed the bin on the village green last month as part of changes to waste collection.

More than 250 of the facilities have been put in place across the district, with a further 450 to come.

Council officials said the new bins are able to be collected by waste vehicles, which means more time can be spent on litter picking.

However, residents have said the bins are not wheelchair accessible, are “eight to 10 times” bigger than normal bins and appear unsightly.

Burton Leonard Parish Council objected to the plan to install the bin.

It said:

“The parish council objected on the grounds that the proposed bins would appear incongruous in a conversation area. Other parishes objected on similar-grounds.”

A borough council spokesperson said:

“We want to ensure litter is kept to a minimum across the Harrogate district.

“The new litter bin infrastructure allows street bins to be emptied by our waste vehicles so reducing resource requirements, miles travelled and the associated carbon emissions.

“Meaning we can spend more time litter picking and keeping the district clean and looking its best.

“There are ongoing discussions with the parish council on the final location of one of the bins installed and we will work with them to find a satisfactory solution.”

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A council has denied claims its scheme to ensure high social care standards has been designed to “weed out” some care providers.

Hundreds of residential and home care providers and day services have been asked to reapply to be on North Yorkshire County Council’s approved care providers lists.

It is the first stage of a huge transformation of the social care market in North Yorkshire.

A meeting of the authority’s care scrutiny committee heard while some £160m of taxpayers’ money was spent annually buying social care services in the county, the current system allowed providers to set their own rates and give few details about their coverage.

Although many local authorities have been able to set rates for providing care as they dominate their area’s care market, about half of care services in North Yorkshire are paid for privately, so the county council has regularly been forced to watch some providers’ rates soar.

North Yorkshire County Council’s offices in Northallerton.

Councillors were told contracts with care providers would in future be based on a set of service specifications.

Jill Quinn, chief executive of Dementia Forward.

Committee member Jill Quinn, chief executive of Burton Leonard-based charity Dementia Forward, told the meeting completing the new process to be an approved provider was “onerous”.

She added the process appeared to aim to prevent certain providers from being placed on the lists.

She said:

“We understand why it needed revamping and the need for quality markers. Can we reassure people that are applying that it’s not meant to catch them out and that there will be sympathy and support, otherwise I feel we will lose some good people.

“I’m quite seasoned at this and I’m half-way through doing mine and it really is like quite a job.”

The meeting heard trying to maintain quality standards across 155 care home providers and 225 residential and nursing homes was a huge undertaking for the council.

Cllr Michael Harrison, who represents Killinghall, Hampsthwaite and Saltergate and is North Yorkshire County Council’s executive member for adult services and public health, said the process aimed to identify providers who are able to give the level of service that both the 90,000 residents receiving care and the council could afford.

He said:

“We are wanting to make sure the residents who are receiving social care receive a quality that they and we are happy with. We are absolutely not wanting to weed any providers out. ”

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Cllr Harrison said setting clear standards for care was vital, adding the council had moved people out of a residential care home earlier this month after becoming concerned for their safety.

He said:

“That’s a last resort, but it’s also a good example that we’re not prepared just to take any service just because it’s available.

“It’s got to be a service that is safe and appropriate for the individuals receiving it, which include some of the most vulnerable people in society.”

Cllr Harrison (pictured above)  said the changes would ensure a transparent process for people to bid for contracts from the county council and confirm providers were getting the funding they need from the authority to be viable and sustainable, including paying their staff a decent wage.

He added:

“We need to make sure what we pay for the service is delivering what we need. Whilst we need to go through the process, we need to make sure that we don’t put providers off from coming on to our approved provider list because the process is too onerous.”

He said in response to the concerns, the council would offer support to any providers that found the process difficult.

The temperatures have risen across the Harrogate district this week and that summer feeling has well and truly kicked in.

And what better time than to enjoy some of the stunning flora and fauna that our area has to offer.

There are lots of gorgeous gardens to explore over the next few months as part of the National Garden Scheme.

The initiative gives visitors unique access to over 3,500 exceptional private gardens in the UK and raises impressive amounts of money for nursing and health charities. The scheme also promotes the physical and mental health benefits of gardens.

We have put together a list of the participating gardens in our district from now until August:

Birstwith Hall, Birstwith

When: Sunday, June 19, 2pm-5pm

Admission: Adults £5, children go free

About: A charming and varied four-acre garden nestling in a secluded Yorkshire dale.

A formal garden and ornamental orchard, as well as extensive lawns leading to a picturesque stream and a large pond. There is also a walled garden and Victorian greenhouse.

The gardens can also be visited by arrangement.

Yorke House and White Rose Cottage, Dacre Banks

When: Sunday, June 26, 11am-5pm

Admission: Adults £5, children go free

About: An award-winning English country garden in the heart of Nidderdale.

A series of distinct areas flowing through two acres of ornamental garden. There are also colour-themed borders, as well as a natural pond and stream with delightful waterside plantings. Secluded seating areas and attractive views.

The adjacent cottage has a recently developed garden designed for wheelchair access. There is a large collection of hostas and an orchard picnic area.

The gardens can also be visited by arrangement.

Prospect House, Burton Leonard

When: Friday, June 24, 1-.30am-2pm

Admission: Adults £35, children go free

Booking: A limited number of tickets have been made available for this special event. Tickets must be booked in advance here

About: Following a welcome by the owner, there will be talks on the development of the garden, the creation of a cutting garden and colour-themed borders plus demonstration of cut flower arrangements in the potting shed. Buffet lunch included.

Prospect House features a one-acre walled, landscaped garden with ornamental pond, pergola, large oval lawned area, cutting and vegetable beds.

There is a colour-themed herbaceous long border, ‘hot’ borders, and a physic bed. There is also mature hedging, trees and seasonal interest throughout. Additional new planting areas are being established.

A renovated outhouse has been converted into a potting area used for garden workshops.

The gardens can also be visited by arrangement.

Cobble Cottage, Whixley

When: Sunday, July 3,11pm-5pm

Admission: Adults £4, children go free

About: An imaginatively designed, constantly changing, small cottage garden full of decorative architectural plants and old family favourites.

There is an Interesting water garden, containers and use of natural materials. It also features a black and white courtyard garden and Japanese-style garden with growing willow screen.

The gardens can also be visited by arrangement.

Group openings – gardens that open on the same day

Grafton gardens, Marton-cum-Grafton

Well House.

When: Sunday, July 3,11am-5pm

Admission: Adults £6, children go free

About: These two gardens in adjacent rural villages are also connected by a public footpath.

Paddock House is on an elevated site with extensive views down a large sloping lawn to a wildlife pond. A plant lover’s garden where the house is encircled by a profusion of pots and extensive plant collections combining cottage gardening with the Mediterranean and Tropical. A curved terrace of Yorkshire stone and steps using gravel and wood sleepers leads to many seating areas culminating in a cutting garden and small greenhouse.

Well House, in Grafton, nestles under the hillside, with long views to the White Horse. This one-and-a-half acre garden was begun 40 years ago and is constantly changing.  A traditional English cottage garden with herbaceous borders, climbing roses and ornamental shrubs with a variety of interesting species. Paths meander through the borders to an orchard with ducks. Refreshments are available at The Punch Bowl pub, a five-minute walk from Well House.

Dacre Banks and Summerbridge Gardens

Woodlands Cottage.

When: Sunday, July 10,12pm-5pm

Admission: Adults £10, children go free

About: Dacre Banks and Summerbridge Gardens are situated in the beautiful countryside of Nidderdale and designed to take advantage of the scenic Dales landscape.

The gardens are linked by attractive walks along the valley, but each may be accessed individually by car.

Low Hall has a romantic walled garden set on different levels around the historic C17 family home (not open) with herbaceous borders, shrubs, climbing roses and a tranquil water garden. The gardens can also be visited by arrangement.

Riverside House is an atmospheric waterside garden on many levels, supporting shade-loving plants and features a Victorian folly, fernery, courtyard and naturalistic riverside plantings. The gardens can also be visited by arrangement.

Woodlands Cottage is a garden of many rooms, with exquisite formal and informal plantings, and an attractive wildflower meadow which harmonises with mature woodland. The gardens can also be visited by arrangement.

Yorke House has extensive colour-themed borders and water features with beautiful waterside plantings. The newly developed garden at White Rose Cottage is specifically designed for wheelchair users. The gardens can also be visited by arrangement.

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The Priory, Nun Monkton

When: Thursday, July 7,11pm-5pm

Admission: Adults £6, children go free

About: A large country garden surrounding William and Mary house (not open), at the confluence of the River Nidd and River Ouse.

It features species trees, calm swathes of lawn, clipped yew, beech and box, formal rose garden and mixed borders.

There is a new area of soft perennial planting and informal parkland. There area also kitchen gardens with a greenhouse and swimming pool where teas will be served.

The Nun Monkton Ferryboat will be running a special service on this day, connecting Nun Monkton with Beningbrough and Moor Monkton, from the riverbank next to The Priory.

Markenfield Hall, Ripon

When: Tuesday, July 12, 2pm-3pm

Admission: Adults £5, children go free

Booking: By guided tour only (max 10 people). Tickets must be booked in advance here

About: The work of the hall’s owner Lady Deirdre Curteis and gardener Giles Gilbey.

Mature planting combines with newly designed areas, where walls with espaliered apricots and figs frame a mix of hardy perennials.

In 2018 the farmhouse border was replanted to eventually blend seamlessly with the hall’s main east border.

Goldsborough Hall, Goldsborough

When: Sunday, July 24, 11pm-5pm

Admission: Adults £5, children go free

About: An historic 12-acre garden and formal landscaped grounds in parkland setting around Grade II*, 17th-century house, which was the former residence of HRH Princess Mary, daughter of George V and Queen Mary.

Goldsborough Hall boasts Gertrude Jekyll inspired 120ft double herbaceous borders, a rose garden and a woodland walk.

There is a large restored kitchen garden and glasshouse which produces fruit and vegetables for the hall’s commercial kitchens.

Greencroft, Littlethorpe, Ripon

When: Sunday, August 7, 12pm-4pm

Admission: Adults £5, children go free

About: A half-acre informal country garden created by the owners. It features long herbaceous borders packed with colourful late summer perennials, annuals and exotics culminating in a circular garden with views through to large wildlife pond and surrounding countryside.

Special ornamental features include a gazebo, temple pavilions, formal pool, stone wall with mullions and gate to pergola and cascade water feature.

The gardens can also be visited by arrangement.

A public footpath in Burton Leonard is set to be closed after an application by North Yorkshire County Council.

The authority argues the path — which is adjacent to Burton Leonard Church of England Primary School — is not needed for public use.

The village is situated between Ripon and Harrogate.

The 118m stretch of path runs north-east from public footpath 15.18/12 at Dolly Walk to emerge next to the primary school’s western end, joining footpath 15.18/22.

If approved, the proposal would see public footpath 15.18/10 extinguished and the definitive map modified.

Comments about or objections to the proposed extinguishment order should be made by April 28 to Steve Metcalfe, North Yorkshire County Council, County Hall, Northallerton, North Yorkshire, DL7 8AD, stating the grounds for objection or support.

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Two Harrogate district soldiers killed during World War One have finally been laid to rest today with full military honours.

Their bodies were among nine sets of human remains found during civil engineering works in the Belgium town of Beselare three years ago.

Archaeologists from the Flanders Heritage Agency subsequently discovered the remains of the trench, a bomb pit and a separate bomb pit outside the trench.

Eight of the nine bodies found inside the trench are believed to have died at the same time as the result of an explosion in October 1917. The ninth was found separately.

Through a combination of military research, anthropology and DNA, Ministry of Defence ‘war detectives’ managed to identify seven of the nine soldiers by name.

The men included 21-year-old Lance Corporal Stanley Blakeborough from Pateley Bridge and 28-year-old Private Harry Miller, who worked as a farm labourer in Burton Leonard.

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An eighth casualty, who remains unknown, is believed to have served with the same regiment (11th Battalion, Northumberland Fusiliers) whilst the ninth and final casualty is unknown by name or regiment.

The service in Belgium today. Credit: Ministry of Defence

Nicola Nash, from the Ministry of Defence said:

“After working on this case for nearly three years, it gives me an immense feeling of pride to see these men finally being laid to rest. It has been wonderful to share this emotional day with so many of the family members, who have travelled as far as Australia to attend.

“The sacrifice these men made will never be forgotten.”

Today’s service was organised by the MoD’s Joint Casualty and Compassionate Centre and was held at the Commonwealth War Graves Commission’s Tyne Cot Cemetery near Ypres in Belgium.

The MOD war detectives also traced the relatives of some of the men, with five different families attending the service.

The Duke of Kent attended the service in his capacity as the Colonel-in-Chief of the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers and President of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission.

Sixteen sheep died when they fell through broken ice on a pond in Burton Leonard yesterday.

North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service was called to the village at 5.30pm, when much of the Harrogate district was covered by ice and snow.

The service’s incident report said:

“A number of crews attended a large quantity of sheep that had wandered on to a frozen pond, causing the ice to break.

“Crews worked to rescue the sheep using two inflatable walkways, raft, lines, lighting, thermal imaging camera and crew power.

“Unfortunately of the 19 sheep rescued, 16 were dead.”

Rising temperatures have seen much of the snow and ice thaw today but many minor roads and pavements remain treacherous.