Ripon Archives - Page 118 of 154

The Last Night of the Proms – Ripon style

Ripon will go from rock and pop to pomp and circumstance in its final free mass entertainment event of the summer next weekend.

Organised to coincide with the BBC’s Last Night of the Proms at the Royal Albert Hall in London, the city will welcome fans of the more classical style of music to Market Square on Saturday, September 11.

The event, from 7pm until 11pm, features a tribute act singing songs made famous by Welsh mezzo soprano Katherine Jenkins.

Also taking the stage in front of Ripon Town Hall during the evening will be the Dishforth Military Wives Choir.

Live music will be provided by an ensemble of 17 musicians and a fireworks display will provide the finale.

The free weekends of entertainment have been paid for from the Ripon parish precept, which is funded by council tax.

The previous ones brought tribute acts ranging from Queen to the ABBA Forever tribute group.

As well as providing free family entertainment, which has also included fairground rides for children, the intention has been to bring more people to the city centre and drive footfall to benefit local traders.

City council leader Andrew Williams told the Stray Ferret:

“They’ve been enjoyable and trouble-free events that have put smiles on a lot of faces.

“You could see that people are delighted to be finally free of the restrictions that were necessary during the covid lockdowns.”

More free events in Market Square are scheduled for autumn and winter.

During the October half term holiday there will be further family-focused activities, followed in November with the switch on of the city’s Christmas lights.

Bringing the curtain down on 2021 will be the famous New Year’s Eve entertainment — an alfresco party that normally sees hundreds of revellers rocking around Ripon’s obelisk.

Ripon company that played key role in covid marks 50 years in the city

It was many happy returns for Wolseley today, as the company marked 50 years in Ripon with the reopening of its headquarters.

The building on Boroughbridge Road underwent a £500,000 refurbishment during lockdown.

While that was underway, Wolseley continued to supply vital plumbing and building materials to the NHS in its fight to save lives and beat the pandemic.

At today’s family open day, Wolseley chief executive Simon Oakland told the Stray Ferret:

“The NHS required critical building materials and parts for the repair and maintenance of hospitals and we provided them throughout the lockdown.”

The Wolseley UK headquarters on Boroughbridge Road.

The Nightingale Hospital in Harrogate was one of the major infrastructure projects the company supplied.

Mr Oakland said:

“We are proud to have been involved in supplying every Nightingale Hospital in the UK and have also supported the UK mass vaccination programme through the provision of refrigeration equipment.”

New training centre

The company, which opened its headquarters building in 1971, has 280 employees based in Ripon, and a further 120 at its Melmerby distribution centre.

The Boroughbridge Road site provides administrative services, including finance and IT support and UK-wide the company has 500 branches with 5,000 employees.

Ripon City Band provided musical entertainment.

At today’s community party to celebrate 50 years in Ripon and the centre’s reopening, head of office and finance director Mark Stibbards, told invited guests:

“We have some people who have worked for us for 40 years and they are part of a great team.

“We employ locally in this area and have throughout our history, supported Ripon charities and other organisations, including Ripon Walled Garden, Ripon Cathedral Primary School and Ripon City Football Club.”

A new training centre on the site will not only develop the talent of the Wolseley team but also provide opportunities for community organisations that help individuals improve their skills and employability.

Farhan, who works in the IT department at Wolseley is pictured with his wife Samera and their six-year-old daughter Maiza on one of the children’s rides.

Today’s celebration event was attended by the Dean of Ripon the Very Revd John Dobson, representatives from charities, Wolseley employees and their children, former company directors and members of the community.

The Mayor of Ripon, Councillor Eamon Parkin, who cut a ribbon to signal the reopening of the offices, said:

“I was born and bred in this city and have known Wolseley for most of my life.

“The 50 years of investment and employment they brought by selecting Ripon for their headquarters is greatly appreciated.”

Major Ripon employer Wolseley celebrates 50 years in city today

One of Ripon’s biggest employers is set to celebrate its 50th anniversary today.

Wolseley UK, which supplies building materials, is holding a family open day to coincide with the reopening of its head office.

The company, which employs more than 320 people in the city, is set to welcome all employees back today after its offices underwent a £500,000 refurbishment.

Face painting, a coconut shy and a performance from the Ripon City band will take place.

Mayor of Ripon, Eamon Parkin, will cut the ribbon on the grand reopening.

Danny Bryan, employee engagement officer at Wolseley, said:

“Naturally, we’re incredibly excited about this step forward for our business, and it is sure to have a profound, positive impact on the local community worth shouting about.”

The company began life in Ripon in 1971 as The Wolseley Hughes Group.

It was based on Boroughbridge Road, where it remains to this day, and was made up of three companies OBC, Yorkshire Heating Supplies and Granville Controls.

In 1985, the company expanded its site and by 1996 was known as Wolseley Centres.

Parent company Ferguson sold Wolseley UK to a private equity firm, Clayton, Dubilier & Rice, for £308m in January.

Ripon to get two CCTV cameras after ‘mini crime wave’

North Yorkshire’s police, fire and crime commissioner has pledged to pay for two CCTV cameras in Ripon following a “mini crime wave”.

The two cameras are set to cost £10,000 each, but Philip Allott, the county’s police, fire and crime commissioner, has said his office will foot the bill.

It follows a spate of anti-social behaviour in the city, including an alleged knifepoint robbery of a teenage boy Bondgate last month. A 17-year-old boy and a 21-year-old man were later charged and remanded in custody.

Mr Allott told a meeting of North Yorkshire County Council‘s Skipton and Ripon Area Constituency Committee today that his office was willing to pay for the extra cameras, but warned that other measures would have to be taken to bring down crime.

He told councillors that police already had resources to investigate and apprehend offenders and that other measures to take kids off the streets were needed.

Mr Allott said:

“In Ripon where there has been a mini crime wave, primarily thanks to four families where the perpetrators have been held on remand pending court appearances. We need to work with partners.

“I can make sure the police have resources and indeed in Ripon they have, to investigate and apprehend offenders but we need to look at diversion stuff we can do.

“The city council yesterday evening is keen to get not one but two extra cameras from the borough council. We will fund that and the cost is £10,000 each.

“But somebody has to do that application to my office, I cannot do that application alone.

“Equally, we do need councillors in particular to help in terms of local partnerships and safety hubs to help us with the diversion stuff that we can provide to take kids off the streets.”

Harrogate beauty queen sets sights on UK crown

A 23-year-old supermarket worker has been crowned Miss Harrogate Galaxy and is now ready to take on other beauty queens in the final of Miss Galaxy UK.

Victoria Hind, from Sharow, near Ripon, was crowned Miss Harrogate in her first pageant last month and will now compete in November’s final.

Ms Hind said she always wanted to compete in pageants but prior to lockdown didn’t think she had the confidence.

After suffering with anxiety for some years, she is hoping this competition will boost her confidence and teach her to “grab every opportunity that comes my way”.

Pageant life is a little different to Ms Hind’s day job at Sainsbury’s in Ripon.

The Miss Galaxy UK final at the Park Hall Hotel in Lancashire consists of four rounds; an interview round, an evening wear round, a fashion wear round and a swimwear round.

If she wins she will have the chance to travel to America to compete in the Miss Galaxy International final next summer.

Ms Hind said:

“I’m really excited, its something I’ve wanted to do for a while but I was too nervous.

“It’s not just a beauty pageant; it’s about girls supporting girls. This gives me a reason to step out my comfort zone.”

Ms Hind has already made an appearance as Miss Harrogate Galaxy at Ripon Races and is looking forward to attending more events during her reign.

She also plans to use her platform to raise money for the charity Dogsforgood, which trains dogs to live as assistance dogs in people’s homes.

The charity helped find her step-dad, who suffers from multiple sclerosis, an assistance dog so she is determined to raise as much as she can.

Ripon’s Curzon cinema finally looks set to reopen

There are finally positive signs that Curzon is planning to reopen its Ripon cinema, but the company says that the date is not yet known.

The premises on North Street have been closed since the first covid lockdown in March last year.

At present, Ripon is not listed among the 13 locations on the Curzon website, but a recruitment advert in the cinema’s windows suggest it is gearing up for a reopening.

However, when approached by the Stray Ferret about the duty manager position being advertised under the heading ‘We Are Recruiting’ a member of the Curzon customer service team, said:

“I can confirm that we are reopening but we do not have a date set yet for this to happen.”

The duty manager’s role is described by the cinema chain as involving ‘work alongside the general and assistant managers on all aspects of running the cinema.

This is currently the only role in Ripon being advertised on the jobs section of the Curzon website.

The advertisement in the windows at North Street says the company is seeking a person who, among other things, has ‘strong communication skills’ can ‘lead by example to provide top class customer service at all times’ and is willing to ‘act as an ambassador for Curzon at all times.’

Recruiting, but no confirmed reopening date as yet for Curzon’s Ripon cinema.

The London-headquartered BAFTA award-winning integrated film company was founded in 1934.

Alongside its cinemas, members can view film at their homes through its streaming service.

As the covid lockdown restrictions on cinemas and live theatre were progressively eased by the government earlier this year, Curzon issued confusing and contradictory statements about its plans for the two-screen Ripon venue, when approached by the Stray Ferret for updates on its plans.

Curzon’s opening in Ripon in November 2013, provided film lovers in the city and the surrounding rural areas, with their first cinema since the closure in 1982 of the Palladium Picture House on Kirkgate.

Post lockdown, those seeking the cinema experience have been able to see films screened at Harrogate’s Odeon and Everyman.

Rare heather moorland holds up TV transmitter replacement

Plans to replace the fire-damaged Bilsdale transmitter and restore TV and radio signals for large swathes of the Harrogate district are being held up by the transmitter’s location within a rare heather moorland.

The blackout of Freeview TV channels and loss of radio signals has affected thousands of homes, particularly in the northern part of the district, after a major fire on August 10 put the 1,030 ft mast out of action.

Patience is wearing thin among many people, who have now been affected for three weeks.

Stray Ferret follower Lynette Cooper, who lives in central Harrogate, summed up the mood when she said:

“I’m totally fed up. For weeks now, I haven’t been able to see any of my favourite programmes.

“It’s the same for my daughter Helen at her home in Pickering and a friend told me that some elderly people at a Harrogate nursing home she goes to, just sit there with nothing to watch.”

The Bilsdale transmitter, built on the moors near Helmsley in 1969, is one of the most powerful transmitters in the UK, serving hundreds of thousands of viewers and listeners from North Yorkshire to the North East and beyond.

Fire crews were called to Bilsdale mast near Helmsley this afternoon after reports of smoke coming from the area.

The Bilsdale mast’s moorland location.

In a statement on August 13, transmitter operator Arqiva said:

“Our plan involves the erection of an 80m temporary mast at Bilsdale and we have been surveying the site to identify the best alternative locations within the restrictions we have.

“Included in this is the fact that Bilsdale is a Site of Special Scientific Interest, meaning we have to seek agreement to place any additional equipment.”

In its most recent update since the fire incident, the company could still not provide a likely date when services would be restored. It said:

“We continue to work through the process to enable access to the Bilsdale site to build the temporary mast.

“There is no specific new detail to share at this point but we are continuing to work round the clock to find a way forward.”

The transmitter’s location within a government-protected area of 44,000 hectares of moorland continues to be a stumbling block.

The area was designated a Site of Special Scientific Interest for its heathland habitat and breeding birds. Special permission needs to be granted for access across it.

Natural England says on its website:

“Heather moorland is rare on a worldwide scale – there is probably less heather moorland in the world than tropical rainforest.

“One of the largest continuous expanses of upland heather moorland in England and Wales is here in the North York Moors – a sheep could wander from Egton to Bilsdale without leaving it. Moorland covers a third of the North York Moors National Park and most of the higher ground is covered in heather.”

The area is also a designated Special Area of Conservation — a status reserved for important plant habitats in Europe — and a Special Protection Area because of its importance to breeding birds.

Although the access issues are yet to be resolved, Aquiva said last week some Freeview services had been restored for those who receive signals from smaller relay sites. None of them are in the Harrogate district.

A TV Licensing spokesman has said customers unable to receive TV coverage for more than a month will be eligible for a refund or free extension of their TV licence.

Bid to resettle refugees in Nidderdale takes major step forward

Attempts to resettle a refugee family in the Pateley Bridge area have taken a significant step forward.

Nidderdale Community Welcome, a community group set up to sponsor a refugee family in Nidderdale, has found a house and raised more than £12,000.

Peter Wright, who heads the organisation, said:

“We can expect a refugee family to be selected by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and for the family to be with us in about four months time.”

With funding and housing in place, the application to bring the family to the Dales now needs Home Office approval, which should be a formality.

In preparation for the resettlement, Nidderdale Community Welcome is to hold a meeting at Pateley Bridge Methodist Church between 7pm and 9pm on Tuesday next week. For further details email wrightpandh@gmail.com

The search for a house in the Pateley Bridge area for a refugee family has been successful.

Mr Wright said:

“We are now moving from the planning to the implementation stage and need to put together small teams to assist the family with benefits, schooling, language, etc.

“The meeting will allow people to hear what is involved and to help us by signing on to one or more of the teams.”

The steering group is also looking at the possibility of establishing a community investment scheme to purchase a house for the longer term of this project.

People able to invest between £5,000 and £40,000 in a fixed-term scheme with an anticipated return of two percent per annum would have a proportionate share in the capital of the house.

John Tarrant, treasurer of Nidderdale Community Welcome, can be contacted at johntarrant@leakhb.plus.com for further information.

Since the Taliban took control of Afghanistan, the refugee focus has switched from those displaced by war in Syria to Afghan nationals fleeing their country.

While Nidderdale Community Welcome, which was set up in November, plans for its first refugee family, Ripon City of Sanctuary has already resettled a number of Syrian families and is ready for another.

The group, established in 2016, has been fundraising since April, in anticipation of bringing another Syrian family to the city.

It has raised 85 per cent of the money needed and a has identified a suitable house.

Nicola David, chair of the Ripon group, said:

“We have been trying to build a little Syrian community here.

“Some Afghan interpreter families are currently being assisted to resettle in the UK, and a very small number have arrived in the Harrogate district.”

Ripon groups urged to bid for £20,000 grants to tackle crime

Organisations concerned about crime in Ripon are being urged to apply for grants of up to £20,000.

Ripon has been blighted by anti-social behaviour in recent months. In one of the latest incidents, a teenage boy was robbed at knifepoint in Bondgate a fortnight ago.

The North Yorkshire Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner‘s office operates a Community Fund specifically for local organisations, groups or individuals who need money to help fund a new community safety project or scheme.

The fund, which awards sums between £500 and £20,000, is only available for new projects and is aimed particularly at areas in the county suffering high crime.

Philip Allott, who was elected North Yorkshire Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner this year, told the Stray Ferret he encouraged funding applications from groups and individuals in Ripon.

‘Funding can be used for setting up community activities like a youth club, theatre group, sports club, car maintenance, gardening group etc. The most important aspect is that the activity is designed for young people aged 11 – 17.

“I would particularly welcome enquiries from those looking to offer activities in Ripon as it will provide diversionary activities to stop young people getting sucked into low level criminal activities.”

Mr Allott is due to give Ripon councillors a briefing on Wednesday about disorder in Ripon.

Crowds flock to Ripon’s weekend of entertainment

The sun shone during the day and the tribute acts sparkled at night, as Ripon staged its second weekend of large-scale entertainment since the easing of lockdown.

By dawn yesterday, the city centre was swept, tidy and ready for dozens of stallholders at the Little Bird Artisan Market.

With its locally-made goods, the market remained open until 3pm, sharing the square with two fairground rides and a climbing wall.

The market opened prompt at 10am.

The entertainment, paid for from Ripon’s parish precept, aimed to support the city’s retailers, cafes, restaurants, pubs and heritage attractions, by driving additional footfall.

Saturday night’s crowd was larger than the one attracted by the Yorkshire Day Weekend tribute acts at the start of the month.

ABBA Forever, performing songs made famous by the Swedish supergroup, brought the curtain down on the musical entertainment, which also featured the Big Boyband Reunion whose repertoire ranged from The Backstreet Boys to Take That.

In between acts, in the shadow of the obelisk, Allison Clark from Ripon’s own ‘fab four’ team of hornblowers, performed the city’s ancient ceremony of setting the watch.

A spin beside the obelisk

Many of the children allowed to stay up late and join family groups on Market Square had, earlier on Saturday, ridden the Thomas the Tank Engine train, climbed the wall or enjoyed the uplifting experience of the Mini Paratrooper ride.

For three-year-old Scarlet, pictured above, with her grandmother Catherine, the train was the ride of choice, while a long line of older children, queued for their attempt at scaling the wall.

Today, the city’s Bank Holiday of free entertainment continues at Ripon Racecourse, which is holding its last family fun day of the season.

Gates open at 11.15, with complimentary entry for accompanied children to the course enclosure.

The activities include a performance by the National Festival Circus, a Punch ‘n’ Judy magic show, barrel train ride, cub karts, an inflatable assault course with giant slide, balloon modelling, face painting and sand and slime modelling.

Action on the track includes Ripon’s only listed race of the season — the EBF-sponsored Champion Two-Year-Old Trophy.

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