Dates for late night Christmas shopping across the districtExclusive Christmas discounts and offers for Stray Ferret subscribersBusiness Breakfast: Ripon introduces loyalty scheme to boost Christmas sales

Are you already thinking of how to reward your employees this Christmas? Why not choose the Harrogate Gift Card?

The Harrogate Gift Card can be spent in over 100 businesses in Harrogate town centre including retail, hospitality and leisure, whilst keeping the spend locked into the local economy.

Complete a corporate bulk order of over £250 and receive 15% discount from November 1 to 15 with the code ‘HGT15’.

Ripon BID is to launch of a loyalty scheme to boost the local economy and support the city’s independent businesses in the run-up to Christmas.

Totally Locally Ripon aims to encourage support for local businesses. Residents and visitors who spend money with participating independent businesses will get their ‘Ripon Passport Poster’ stamped.  Once they get enough stamps on their passport, they’re in the chance of winning cash or vouchers.

The BID is encouraging businesses to get involved. For more details visit the Ripon BID website.

Ripon’s late night Christmas shopping event is on Thursday 30 November.

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Masham based W E Jameson & Son Ltd have celebrated success at The Yorkshire and Humberside Family Business Awards 2023.

W.E. Jameson & Son Ltd provide animal feed, farming services and advice to farmers.

Organised by The Family Business Community, the awards were held at The Majestic Hotel in Harrogate.

WE Jameson were announced as the winner of the wholesale category.

A spokesperson for the company said:

“We are delighted to receive this award on behalf of all the staff. The company was founded by Eddie Jameson, a family man, in 1930. He would be very proud that the company still holds true to his family values and has continued to do business with many farming families over the generations.”

Boroughbridge all set for late-night Christmas shopping tonight

Festive spirit will be flowing in Boroughbridge tonight as the town hosts its annual late-night shopping, Christmas tree lights switch-on and a visit from Santa.

The event, organised Boroughbridge and District Chamber of Trade, will see shops stay open until 8pm.

The night will begin with the official Christmas tree lights switch-on in Hall Square at 5.30pm, followed by carols from three school choirs — Boroughbridge Primary and High School and Roecliffe Primary.

Boroughbridge Lions will host Santa and his sleigh and there will be community stalls, children’s rides and a donkey and miniature horse.

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Festive food and drink will include the Scouts’ roast chestnuts and Brighter Boroughbridge’s mulled wine and mince pies stall. There will also be a hog roast.

The shop window display competition theme this year is A Christmas Panto, with entries to be judged tonight,

The lights on the Christmas tree will be switched on by BBC Radio York’s Georgey Spanswick and the Mayor, Sean Hynes.

Chamber president Derek Hufton said:

“Anyone coming along will find the town buzzing.

“There will be lots of great independent shops to browse and buy Christmas gifts from.

“Santa and his sleigh, along with the kids’ rides, will be big attractions to the younger generation. But wrap up warm!”

Free Christmas parking returns this week at Harrogate’s Victoria Car Park

Free weekday parking is being introduced in Harrogate’s Victoria Car Park this week until early January to attract Christmas shoppers.

Harrogate Business Improvement District is funding the initiative as part of its mission to drive town centre footfall.

From this week until Thursday, January 5 — free parking will be available between 3pm and 7.30pm in the Victoria Car Park on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays.

The ‘free after three’ campaign encourages town centre visitors on quieter days of the week, helping Harrogate’s retail, hospitality and entertainment sectors.

Harrogate BID manager Matthew Chapman said:

“Once again, we are delivering on our pledge to retailers to provide free parking in the town centre during the run up to Christmas, which is traditionally one of the busiest periods in their calendar.

“And whereas in the two previous years ‘free after three’ has ended just before Christmas, I’m delighted to say that this time we are extending it right through to Thursday, January 5, which we know will be beneficial to both visitors and businesses.

“‘Free after Three’ is only available in Victoria Car Park, which has ample space. It links directly to Victoria Shopping Centre, giving easy access to the heart of the town centre and the wonderful shops, bars, restaurants and entertainment venues Harrogate is home to.”

The BID’s 2022 Christmas campaign also includes sponsoring the North Pole Post Office, the Candy Cane Express road train, the Father Christmas Experience, the Christmas Shop Window Competition, and the Christmas lights.

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Late night shopping returns to Pateley Bridge

Christmas late night shopping is to return to Pateley Bridge and Bewerley for the first time since 2019.

A group of local businesses and community organisations have agreed to work together to bring back the event.

It will be held from 5.30pm until about 7.30pm on Friday, December 2.

Shops will stay open late to offer festive treats and community groups will operate stalls along the High Street.

There will also be Santa’s grotto, Christmas music and an angel trail.

Pat Waite, who owns the Sandwich Box in Pateley Bridge, said about 50 traders were supporting the venture. She added:

“The festivities will start as soon as it is dark, with shops staying open into the evening.

“Get your Christmas started in style, we look forward to seeing you there.”

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Pre-covid, Nidderdale Chamber of Trade staged an annual late night Christmas shopping event for about 50 years as a way of shops thanking customers.

Ms Waite said the chamber chose not to attend a meeting to discuss this year’s plans but Tim Ledbetter, chairman of the chamber, denied it had been invited.

Mr Ledbetter wished the new event well but said the chamber would not be involved because it was unsure if it would be approved by its insurers.

He also said the chamber wouldn’t revive its late night Christmas shopping event because “there clearly isn’t room for two events”.

Ripon’s Christmas lights spending criticised

Ripon City Council has defended spending £65,000 more on Christmas lights this year after a businessman suggested some of the money could have been used to help local firms.

The lights were switched on last weekend in the middle of a second lockdown that has closed the majority of Ripon’s retailers, restaurants, cafes and heritage attractions.

Local business owner John Warren said money allocated on expanding the lights, which now cover three miles of streets, could have been better spent.

He told the Stray Ferret:

“I emailed all city councillors to question the appropriateness of this huge expansion, when there are so many other priorities during a national emergency.”

Photograph of Merry Christmas sign in High Skellgate

Ripon’s Christmas lights extend across three miles of the city this year.

Mr Warren accepts the council did not know a second lockdown would start at the start of the key Christmas trading period when it decided to spend the additional money on lights.

However, he said:

“Even without the lockdown it is stretching credibility to believe that an extension of the lights will attract significantly more people to shop in Ripon over the festive period to help the local independent traders.”

“I am not a killjoy, but feel that some of the £65,000 could have been directly channelled to help struggling local businesses, such as supplying grant aid for shop front improvements that would provide a long-term means of enhancing the appearance of the city centre.”

Ripon City Council leader, councillor Andrew Williams, said:

“Whatever decision the council takes it is not going to please everybody and you are always likely to have those who will criticise via social media — but at the same time, we have also been thanked.

“Using money from the events budget that we could not spend this year because of cancellations caused by the coronavirus crisis is, we believe, a good investment that will benefit the city this year and for years to come.”

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The council’s events budget is normally used to support public activities, such as the Saint Wilfrid’s Day celebrations in August, Battle of Britain Sunday in September, Remembrance Sunday in November and turning on the Christmas lights.

This year, money was also set aside for the 75th anniversary celebration of VE Day in May – but it, along with other civic events, were either scaled back or cancelled to avoid large gatherings.

Councillor Williams added:

“The covid pandemic has made it a gloomy year for everybody and by making Ripon more attractive, the intention is to give our traders a boost, while lifting spirits.”

 

 

 

Date set for Ripon lights switch-on

Ripon’s largest-ever display of Christmas lights and decorations will be turned on on the evening of Saturday November 14.

Ripon City Council agreed to the switch-on arrangements this week after an update from council leader Andrew Williams.

Cllr Williams said North Yorkshire County Council had carried out the necessary adjustments to street lighting around the city to accommodate three miles of decorations.

This will take in Ripon’s main retail core and extend as far north as the Victoria clock tower on North Street – a principal route into Ripon.

Ripon Mayor Eamonn Parkin

The Mayor of Ripon, Councillor Eamon Parkin at the Victoria Clock Tower junction, where Christmas lights will welcome visitors

Cllr Williams, told the Stray Ferret:

“For the benefit of traders and residents, we would like to have the extended display turned on as soon as possible after Remembrance Sunday (November 8).

“This will give time for the superb displays put in place by the Ripon Community Poppy Project to be taken down.”

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The council has approved £65,000 of additional spending on the Christmas decorations.

The major extension, which now takes in side streets including Allhallowgate, Bedern Bank and Skellbank, ensures lights are in place on all gateways into the city centre, while also providing a circuit around a mixture of retail and residential streets.

Funding for the scheme is coming from the council’s events budget, which had originally been intended to support a programme of community events throughout the year in Ripon.

These included the 75th anniversary celebrations for VE and VJ Day, and the St Wilfrid’s Day procession, that had to be either cancelled or scaled back because of the coronavirus crisis and social distancing restrictions.

Councillors, who unanimously supported the switch on plans, hope that the extended lights will provide an end of year boost for retailers, by attracting greater footfall.

The Mayor of Ripon, councillor Eamon Parkin, said:

“The covid pandemic has made this a very gloomy year for many people and we hope that the lights display will give everybody a lift by adding to the attraction of the city over the festive period.”

Christmas late night shopping cancelled in Pateley Bridge

The annual Christmas late night shopping event in Pateley Bridge has been cancelled due to coronavirus.

The event, which is usually held on the Friday night of the second weekend of December, is one of the highlights of the Nidderdale town’s year.

Shops open late and serve mulled wine to customers; charities have stalls in the street and there is live music, including a brass band.

Pateley Bridge at Christmas

Tim Ledbetter, chair of Nidderdale Chamber of Trade, said:

“I know the announcement will not come as a great surprise but I am sure it will still be a disappointment to the business and community of Nidderdale.

“The chamber will of course still be organising the Christmas trees, lights and decorations that help make Pateley Bridge High Street look the magical place we all know it is to visit.”

Mr Ledbetter said Pateley Bridge has staged late night Christmas shopping for at least 20 years.

He said the cancellation would be felt by shops and the wider business community, such as bed and breakfasts, which are usually busy over the weekend.

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Mr Ledbetter, who owns outdoor equipment shop Sypeland Outdoor in Pateley, said he usually took a day’s takings on the Friday night.

But he said the main loss was to the wider community, adding:

“The whole town participates in the night. It’s a real shame but realistically we can’t encourage people in vast numbers to the town and into shops.”