Work began today to put up the ice rink which will be one of the main features of Harrogate’s Christmas attractions this year.

Crews from Events by Cynosure were on Crescent Gardens this morning setting up the rink, which will open on Friday, December 2 and has been organised by Harrogate BID and Harrogate Borough Council‘s Destination Harrogate marketing team.

The rink will run until Tuesday, January 3, opening every day except Christmas Day, and will be accompanied by an après-ski bar.

It is part of a scheme of attractions around the town which will also see a carousel, a ferris wheel and the Candy Cane Express road train return after a successful first appearance last year. They will all run until January 8.

Harrogate Christmas Fayre, running from Friday, December 2 to Sunday, December 11, will have 50 stalls put up around the town centre featuring a range of traders, including local charities. Installation will begin on Monday, November 28 and the fayre will be open from 10am to 7pm Monday to Saturday and 10.30am to 4.30pm on Sundays.

Meanwhile, the Christmas lights have been switched on across the town centre, with just over five weeks to go until Christmas Day.

For full information on the ice rink click here.

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Ripon’s festive season gets into full swing this week, with late night shopping tomorrow and the switch on of the city’s Christmas lights on Saturday.

Tomorrow, eight independent retailers located on North Steet and Fishergate will remain open until 8pm and there is the opportunity for shoppers to win a hamper.

The participating retailers are: The Castle, The GreenHouse, Memorable Moments. Carlton Couture Bridal, Absolute Bliss Health & Beauty, Eastwick, St Michael’s Hospice and  Halls of Ripon department store.

On Saturday, Ripon Market Square will be a hive of activity from 1pm ahead of the Christmas lights switch on, which takes place at 5pm.

Santa’s reindeer return to Ripon Market Square on Saturday afternoon

The reindeer, which proved popular when they visited Ripon for last year’s switch on will be returning with Santa and once again and there will also be free fairground rides and a climbing wall for children to enjoy.

The Ripon City Council event will also provide free musical entertainment from 2pm with singer-songwriter Freddie Cleary followed by Christmas songs from Tamsin and Kaylie, before the Jersey Beyond tribute act take centre stage.

This year, the council’s festive programme in Ripon is being supported by Ripon Business Improvement District, which is paying for the production and distribution of a Christmas brochure, setting out the events that will be happening in the city between now and New Year’s Eve.

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A long-standing Harrogate business has had its Christmas lights vandalised for the first time in 14 years.

The display at Dangerfield & Keane hairdressers has become an annual highlight for families walking along Cold Bath Road.

It went up on Monday — and on Wednesday night was damaged.

A video of a man, appearing to rip the lights off the shopfront, has been shared many times on the shop’s Facebook page.

An image from the Dangerfield and Keane CCTV footage.

Gerri Dangerfield-Keane, who owns the business, said:

“I’m just dismayed – why would anyone do that? It’s senseless.

“This is the 14th year of doing the same thing and it’s never been touched or vandalised before.”

Mr Dangerfield-Keane said the electric circuit had been destroyed but he was determined to get it fixed and restore the display to full power.

He has also offered to give a free set of Christmas lights to the perpetrator:

“Whoever did it must be so bereft of Christmas lights we will give them a free set.”

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Ripon councillors are determined to ensure festive cheer for retailers, residents and visitors to the city centre this Christmas.

While some towns and cities in the UK are putting plans for seasonal lighting on hold because of concerns over rising energy costs, Ripon will be going ahead with its civic display and switch on event.

However, concerns have been expressed. At Monday night’s full meeting of the council, Liberal Democrat councillor Barbara Brodigan asked:

“With the increasing cost of electricity, could we be seen as being profligate or frivolous at a time when people are having to cut back on their use of power?”

Last year’s Christmas lights switch on in Ripon.

Independent council leader Andrew Williams, said:

“These are indeed difficult times and there there will be more ahead, but we want to ensure that the civic lights are in place to bring some degree of Christmas spirit to the city to benefit our independent retailers and give a lift to residents and visitors.”

This year, the festive programme in Ripon is being supported by Ripon Business Improvement District, which is paying for the production and distribution of a Christmas brochure, setting out the events that will be happening in the city.

Cllr Williams said:

“The council has been paying for the brochure for a number of years and we welcome this support from the BID.”

The Christmas lights are paid for from the parish precept and in 2020, the display  was extended following a £65,000 injection of funding from the city council’s events budget, made possible because of the money that became available after a number of planned public events had to be cancelled because of the covid pandemic.

In 2021 there was further investment in the display, designed to boost the Ripon economy by attracting more visitors.

Last year’s switch-on event on November 19 saw a large crowd gather on Market Square.

While Santa was busy all afternoon, his reindeer also attracted a great deal of attention.

After the switch on, the musical entertainment continued, with a tribute act (pictured below) signing the chart-topping hits of girl bands.

They were followed by a Beatles Tribute act, who provided a fab-four finale to the day’s festive fun.

Father Christmas and a reindeer will be in Ripon Market Square today.

They will be present from 1pm, as the city celebrates the start of the festive season with the switch on of its extensive Christmas lights.

The switch on takes place at 5pm and there will be free live music before and afterwards.

Freddie Cleary will be the first performer to take centre stage on Saturday afternoon

This starts at 2pm with a performance from Ripon-based singer-songwriter and acoustic guitarist Freddie Cleary.

From 4.10pm a tribute act will sing Christmas songs, followed by hits made famous by girl bands.

The entertainment comes to a climax at 6pm, when a Beatles tribute act takes to the stage in front of Ripon Town Hall.

Adding to the festivities, free fairground rides for children will be operating throughout the afternoon and into the evening.

The event is being staged by the Ripon City Council and paid for out of the parish precept, with the aim of attracting more visitors to Ripon, while providing family-focused entertainment for local residents and those from further afield.

Last year £65,000 was spent by the council to upgrade and extend the city’s Christmas lights, which can be seen in the retail core of Ripon and adjoining streets.

The finalists in the search to find the Harrogate district’s community champion were invited to perform the official Christmas lights switch-on in Harrogate last night.

Lauren Doherty, Greta Knight, Susie Little, Helen Mackenzie, Mark Oldfield and Cath Wilson asked to perform the duties outside the Victoria Shopping Centre at 5pm.

Mark was unable to attend but the five others were there, along with representatives from Harrogate Business Improvement District.

Those selected are finalists in Harry’s Heroes — an event run by the Stray Ferret in conjunction with former BBC Look North presenter Harry Gration and Harrogate Spring Water to find the people in the district doing exceptional things to help others in the community.

The BID, which organised the switch-on, did not publicise it in advance this year to avoid any covid risk caused by crowds gathering.

The BID, which is funded by a levy on businesses, aims to increase footfall in Harrogate town centre and boost trade.

It is also involved with this year’s Christmas Shop Window contest as well as the Father Christmas Experience at the Crown Hotel.

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A lady from Hutton Conyers, near Ripon, has earnt the title locally as Mrs Claus after organising Christmas lights displays on her house for the past decade.

Rosamund Robinson, known as Roz, lives with her husband Bill and is a Christmas fanatic.

During the festive season you will often find her dressed in a sparkly jumper or even as a reindeer going round the village delivering presents to children.

Christmas is her favourite time of the year and despite being a 77 year-old retiree she has no plans to slow down.

She says she “has a good few years left of lights in me” and with the help of her family, including three daughters, she will continue putting on her light displays.

Roz was nominated for the Stray Ferret’s Christmas Lights Competition by her granddaughter Lauren Kelly. The competition was sponsored by Yorkshire Lighting and Electrical Services.

She was announced as the winner on Tuesday night.

She said:

“I think it’s brilliant, more people have come to look at the lights which means more donations for the hospital. Even the bin men that came this morning recognised me from the Facebook live!”

Roz was “so pleased” to win the Christmas lights competition.

This is the first year Roz has put a collection box out for the lights. She wanted to raise money for Ripon Hospital as a way to thank them for looking after several members of her family in previous years. She added:

“They’re amazing at the hospital every time I visit I feel like I’ve known the staff for years. They are so lovely and this year they have worked so hard that they deserved a little boost.”

Her collection pot currently stands at £1,000.

For winning the competition Roz was gifted a £150 Lights4Fun voucher which she said is also going to the hospital to allow them to buy some new lights for next Christmas.

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The lights were put up on November, 1 and are lit up from 4.30pm to 9pm every day.

After New Years Day Roz brings a team together to bring them all down, which she says takes a few days.

“I’ve already started thinking about next year’s display. After doing it for so long people expect me to keep it going. I just really love Christmas and the fact I’ve been able to raise money doing something I love is great.”

The search is on to find the best lit house in the Harrogate district this Christmas! With the help of Yorkshire Lighting and Electrical Services, the Stray Ferret is looking for those who’ve gone that extra mile to make Christmas 2020 more magical than ever.

The competition will launch on Facebook on Monday 23 November, and anyone can nominate themselves or a neighbour.

Glen Molloy from Yorkshire Lighting said:

“I’m delighted to be working alongside the Stray Ferret to try and bring some Christmas cheer in these hard times. It’s been a difficult year for everybody, and I’m hoping this will bring some joy to those neighbourhoods that get involved. I’m really looking forward to seeing all the hard work that goes into lighting up so many houses for Christmas 2020.”

Aside from the pride of the title of ‘Best Christmas Lights in the Harrogate District’, the winner will receive a £150 voucher from Harrogate company Lights4Fun – so they can go even further next year!

Simon Norton, Marketing and Customer Experience Director at Lights4fun said:

“This year more than ever before, the home is at the heart of Christmas. There are many ways in which lighting has lifted our spirits, from outdoor displays that brighten the evenings of those passing by to placing candles in windows in support of key workers. As a Harrogate business we are proud to partner with the Stray Ferret in their search for the best dressed Christmas house. We truly care about our community and are always so proud to support our local causes and businesses.”

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While the pandemic means the festive season will be different this year, it has not stopped the traditional Christmas lights switch on in the Harrogate district.

Although there was no host or crowds to mark the occasion and the shops are closed, Harrogate and Ripon were still lit up ahead of Christmas.

In Harrogate, custom lights have been strung between buildings, around lampposts and in trees, including those in front of the war memorial at the top of Parliament Street.

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Ripon Christmas lights were switched on last night.

Meanwhile, Ripon has spent £65,000 on its decorations and lights which has been dubbed the city’s largest ever display.

Despite the lack of a traditional switch on with celebrity guests, we have been out filming so you can enjoy them.

If you want to support Harrogate retailers and buy your Xmas gifts locally go to our new Shop Local section