The number of covid patients at Harrogate District Hospital has fallen to two, despite a sharp rise in infections in the district.
In a sign that the vaccination programme is working, Amanda Bloor, accountable officer for NHS North Yorkshire Clinical Commissioning Group told North Yorkshire Local Resilience Forum today there are now fewer covid patients at the hospital than last week, when there were three.
The number of cases of the Delta variant in the Harrogate district has nearly quadrupled in the last two weeks. The district’s seven-day rate of infection is now 155 per 100,000, just below the England average of 159.
Despite the steep rise, the hospital has not faced the same pressures as in previous waves. At the peak in February, there were 68 covid patients at Harrogate hospital.
According to the latest NHS England figures, the hospital’s last covid-related death was reported on April 11.
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Ms Bloor also said today that Ripon racecourse vaccination site, which opened in February, is due to close in August.
The closure of the Great Yorkshire Showground vaccination centre in Harrogate this month has seen many people travel to Leeds, York or Bradford for jabs, although there are pharmacy sites in Knaresborough and Pateley Bridge.
Ms Bloor said pop-up vaccination sites could open in the district this year.
She said:
Ripon student wins coveted National Youth Theatre place“We want to be able to flex the programme as sites and vaccines allow.”
Carys Peedell is following in the footsteps of leading British actors by winning a place on the National Youth Theatre summer course.
The Ripon Grammar School sixth form student will be treading the boards where the likes of Dame Helen Mirren, Daniel Craig and Orlando Bloom developed their acting talent.
Carys, 17, won the highly-prized place following a two-stage virtual audition.
As well as entitling her to become a member of the National Youth Theatre company until she is 25, attendance on the course will open the door to casting auditions and opportunities for productions up and down the country.
Carys Peedell plans a career in acting
Carys has dreamt of being a star of stage and screen from an early age.
She said:
“I’ve loved acting for as long as I can remember – when I was little, I would constantly dress up and make films with my sister.”
Being a quiet child, she was only offered minor parts in primary school productions but she confesses she wrote her own version of a play at nine years old to guarantee a leading role.
Through performing, Carys has conquered her shyness. She said:
“I found I could be loud and confident when playing someone else. People saw me in a different light and that’s when I decided I wanted to be an actor.”
The National Youth Theatre now beckons. She said:
“It’s an amazing opportunity and has been the launch pad for many successful acting careers.”
Carys, who studied acting, dance, singing and musical theatre with Upstage Academy in Ripon, achieved distinctions in all her London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art exams, including grade eights in solo acting, duo devising drama and group acting.
One of the highlights of her acting career so far has been, along with acting partner Alfie Davies, winning at the Harrogate Competitive Festival for Music, Speech and Drama last year.
A regular in Upstage Academy’s Harrogate theatre summer musicals, Carys most recently played the part of Elle Woods in Legally Blonde and is now preparing to film High School Musical, in which she is to play Sharpay Evans.
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She is also working on a production of Two by Jim Cartwright with a cast of keen Ripon Grammar School actors, to be performed at Ripon Grammar School on July 19.
Previous school roles include parts in Toy Story, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Oliver and A Midsummer Night’s Dream, for which she also won awards.
‘The roads around Ripon’s Market Square are unfit and unsafe’
Pressure is growing for urgent work to take place to improve the state of some of Ripon’s busiest roads.
Ripon City Council voted unanimously last night to write to North Yorkshire County Council calling for resurfacing work to be carried out as a matter of urgency.
The principal areas of concern are parts of the Market Place roads where block paving has lifted and cracked because of the volume of traffic.
North Yorkshire County Council has carried out temporary repairs by putting tarmac over the worst-affected sections, leaving the surface looking like a patchwork quilt.
Councillors want to see comprehensive repairs to the city centre roads, as Market Square is the focal point of entertainment and activities, including the weekly Thursday and Saturday markets.
At last night’s meeting, two Conservative county councillors joined independent city councillors to call for urgent repairs.
Councillor Stuart Martin, who is chairman of North Yorkshire County Council, and Cllr Mike Chambers, are also Ripon city and Harrogate district councillors.
They said they have been pushing for repairs to the Market Place East and West roads and other roads in the city.
Councillors say roads around Ripon Market Square are unfit and unsafe
Speaking about the long-term calls for repairs, Cllr Martin, who represents Ripon South on North Yorkshire County Council, said:
“You can’t defend the indefensible. We have been consulting about the east and west carriageways for some time and they need to be sorted out.”
Cllr Chambers, who represents Ripon North at County Hall, added
“We have been pushing for repairs to the road surfaces and will continue to do so.”
The county councillors were responding to a call from city council leader Andrew Williams for North Yorkshire County Council to use reserve funds to pay for work.
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Last week, in response to Stray Ferret questions about the state of city centre roads, Barrie Mason, North Yorkshire County Council’s assistant director for highways and transportation, said:
“Ripon Market Place is being considered for future funding within our forward programme for 2022/23.
“A number of the areas of most concern are associated with poorly performing utility reinstatements and we are seeking urgent action on these from the companies concerned.”
But Cllr Williams told last night’s meeting:
“We can’t wait until next year. The roads around Market Square are unfit, unsafe for motorists, cyclist and pedestrians and unacceptable.”
The square will also be a key venue for next year’s events celebrating the queen’s platinum jubilee.
15 buildings damaged by thieves at Ripon allotmentsNorth Yorkshire Police is appealing for witnesses after at least 15 sheds and storage units were broken into at allotments in Ripon.
Thieves struck at Fisher Green allotments, which has 80 plots close to the city’s racecourse, overnight between Friday night and Saturday morning.
Tools were stolen although not all the buildings suffered losses.
A police statement said the culprits also caused “considerable damage” to windows and doors when breaking in.
They are asking for anyone who might have witnessed the incident or has been offered tools for sale to get in touch by dialling 101 and quoting reference number 12210147470.
You can also email James.Skaith@northyorkshire.police.uk.
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Yorkshire Cancer Research set to open new shop in Ripon
There will be one fewer empty store on Ripon’s high street with the addition of a Yorkshire Cancer Research charity shop.
The charity, which was founded in 1925, raises funds to help prevent, diagnose and treat cancer in the county.
Its fourth branch is part of plans to open a network of stores locally. This is the second in the Harrogate district, after the Knaresborough shop opened in 2019.
Taking over the former Fulton’s Foods premises at The Arcade, the shop is expected to raise more than £100,000 a year.
The size also means it can accept and sell small furniture and household items.
The charity is planning to open the shop in autumn 2021 and is inviting local volunteers to register their interest.
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Juliet Glendinning, director of brand and relationships at Yorkshire Cancer Research, said:
“We are thrilled to be opening our latest shop in this fantastic location in the heart of such a thriving community.
“They become a key part of the community, providing both employment and volunteering opportunities and contributing to a busy high street by putting otherwise empty premises to good use.
“As well as boosting skills, our volunteer roles help to combat isolation and loneliness in local communities.”
The store will sell clothing for men, women and children as well as toys and home furnishings.
State of roads in Ripon comes under spotlightIndependent Ripon councillors have accused North Yorkshire County Council of getting its road repairs priorities wrong.
They have asked the highway authority to explain the rationale behind resurfacing rural lay-bys instead of repairing city centre roads.
Ripon City Council leader Andrew Williams told the Stray Ferret:
“Along a 16-mile stretch of road between Hawes and Leyburn, lay-bys have been re-surfaced to a very high standard, while many roads in Ripon are in desperate need of major work.
Pictured above is one of the recently re-surfaced lay-bys on the A684 Hawes to Leyburn Road and below is a section of Market Place East in Ripon
Barrie Mason, North Yorkshire County Council’s assistant director for highways and transportation, said:
“The improvement work to lay-bys is funded by the government’s Safer Roads Fund, which has the aim of reducing the number of people killed and seriously injured on the county’s roads.
“The Safer Roads Fund can only be used on certain roads within the county which meet the strict government criteria and is not to be used for routine maintenance.
“We have a comprehensive programme of planned maintenance schemes based on annual surveys of the whole road network that has produced a long-term trend of improving road condition.
“Ripon Market Place is being considered for future funding within our forward programme for 2022/23.
“A number of the areas of most concern are associated with poorly performing utility reinstatements and we are seeking urgent action on these from the companies concerned.”
Cllr Pauline McHardy said:
“We want all roads in the county to be safe and it is my view that the four roads around Market Place and other parts of the city centre are a danger to motorists, cyclists and pedestrians, because of the state they are in.”
Her fellow city and Harrogate district council colleague, Sid Hawke, added:
“We keep asking for proper repairs to be done and while we wait, the road surfaces get worse and worse by the day.”
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For next year, Ripon is planning a major programme of events to celebrate the Queen’s platinum jubilee.
Mayor of Ripon, Cllr Eamon Parkin, said:
“I just hope that the roads in and around the city centre have been fixed by then.”
New community curator for Ripon’s three museums
Dr Laura Allan has been appointed as community curator of Ripon Museum Trust, which runs the city’s three museums.
Her role will involve working with local organisations, community groups and residents to increase engagement, promote creativity and generate a sense of place and improved mental health and wellbeing.
Dr Allan joins from Severndroog Castle in Shooter’s Hill, London, where she was employed as heritage manager. The castle is a community-run organisation and she was hired to reopen the building to the public after being closed for 30 years.
She has also worked and volunteered at various museums, including the Durham Light Infantry Museum, Leeds Museums and Galleries, the Old Royal Naval College in Greenwich and Whitehall (a Tudor house) in London
Dr Allan will increase community engagement with Ripon’s museums
Helen Thornton, director at Ripon Museum Trust, said:
“We’re delighted to welcome Laura to our team. She brings a wealth of experience and ideas to her new role.
“Her skills in community engagement will be a huge asset to us at the trust, and to Ripon generally, as we work together with local people and organisations to recover from the pandemic.”
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Dr. Allan said:
“I grew up in County Durham and have been looking forward to moving back up north to be closer to my family.
“I can’t wait to explore the North Yorkshire countryside through walking and other outdoor activities. Combining this love of nature and the arts is really important to my work, promoting positive wellbeing in our local community.”
Dr Allan studied for a BA in history at Sunderland University, a MA in art gallery and museum studies at Leeds University and completed her PhD in the public history of the criminal justice system with the Open University.
She has presented at conferences in New Zealand, Vienna and Scotland, discussing the differences between academic and museum interpretations of criminal justice history.
Ripon’s Workhouse, Prison and Police and Old Courthouse museums are open from Tuesday to Sunday.
Ripon school earns national recognition for supporting refugees
Moorside Primary School and Nursery has become a nationally recognised School of Sanctuary after demonstrating an understanding of refugees.
The Schools of Sanctuary programme is a network of over 300 primary and secondary schools committed to supporting refugees in the UK.
Schools join the network if they can prove over a period of time that children learn what it is like to be a refugee and this is embedded in the curriculum in subjects such as geography, history and religious education.
They are then reassessed on a three-year rolling basis.
Other schools in the Harrogate district to have achieved School of Sanctuary status include Grove Road Community Primary School, St Joseph’s Catholic Primary School, Springwater School, and Outwood Primary Academy Greystone.
Moorside’s award certificate was presented during last week’s national Refugee Week.
Claire Rowett, headteacher at Moorside, said:
“At Moorside, we have established an inclusive and welcoming ethos, where the importance of safety is embedded across the curriculum.
“Learning about people across the world and their contrasting environments and experiences to our own in Ripon, has taught our children that our one rule, to be kind, is not just associated with school, but is a rule for life, and that nobody should feel alone.”
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Schools of Sanctuary is organised by City of Sanctuary UK, an organisation established in 2005 to promote the UK as a welcoming place of safety for all.
Yvonne Jefferies, the lead for Schools of Sanctuary at Ripon City of Sanctuary, which is part of City of Sanctuary UK, said:
Plans to convert Ripon garages into homes approved“This award is not given lightly. Schools work very hard to demonstrate that they understand what it means to be a refugee and to arrive here in the UK, likely friendless and very anxious.”
Plans to build three council houses at the sites of two disused garage blocks in Ripon have been approved.
Harrogate Borough Council’s housing team will build the properties at North Road and Church Close where many of the council-owned garages have sat empty for years and the majority are currently not in use.
The council said the plans would help tackle the desperate need for affordable homes in the district, although some residents raised concerns over the impact on the nearby roads.
At North Road, a garage block will be converted into a three-bedroom bungalow but nearby resident Christine Shepherd said she was worried about what the development would mean for traffic in the area.
Speaking at a meeting today, she said:
“Parking for the proposed building is opposite my gate where my disabled access is. It is a narrow part of road on a bend and we have to dodge cars coming out of the gate and the access road to the rear of Fremantle Terrace.”
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In response, an architect for the council said the development would in fact reduce the number of vehicles in the area due to the removal of seven garages and that highways officials had not raised any concerns.
At Church Close, a garage block will be demolished to make way for two three-bedroom semi-detached properties.
A petition against the plans, which had the support of 34 residents, was handed into the council with similar concerns over the loss of garage parking and increase in vehicles.
But council planners argued there was no demand for these garages and that although the roads can get busy with parked vehicles, a nearby council-owned car park provided for residents was underused.
Also at today’s meeting, a decision on separate plans to build three social rented homes at another site of disused garage blocks at Russell Dixon Square was deferred after a nearby resident raised concerns over access to her home.
It was agreed that the proposals would be revised before being brought back to the council’s planning committee at a later date.
Dresses fit for royalty adorn the aisles at Ripon CathedralA Century of Wedding Gowns at Ripon Cathedral features dresses from 1885 until the present day.
The collection includes a copy of the dress worn by Katherine Worsley for her marriage to Edward, Duke of Kent, at York Minster in 1961.
The exhibition’s curator is Kevin Thornhill, who worked for David and Elizabeth Emanuel on the famous long-train dress worn by Princess Diana for her wedding to Prince Charles in 1981.
On July 29, to mark the 40th anniversary of that royal wedding at London’s St Paul’s Cathedral, there will be two fashion shows at Ripon Cathedral.
These will feature a copy of the dress and tiara worn by the late princess.
The exhibition illustrates the nuanced changes in wedding gowns and accessories over more than five decades
Mr Thornhill said:
“During my time working with David and Elizabeth Emanuel in London, I was given the absolute honour of being a member of the team who made the wedding gown.”
The finale of next month’s fashion show will include copies of the gowns from the royal collection, including those of the Duchess of Cambridge, Princess Margaret and Princess Anne, along with exact copies of the tiaras worn at the weddings.
Something old, something new …
As well as royalty, the exhibition has a local theme.
It includes the dress worn by Christine Wood on her big day, in May 1964, when she married at Ripon Cathedral. Mrs Wood, who lives in Harrogate with her husband, Tony, contacted the organisers after hearing about the exhibition and donated her gown for the display.
She said:
“Having thought that I had lost my wedding dress during a house move, it turned up in a box in the loft years later and I love the fact that my wedding dress will once again be inside the cathedral after 57 years!”
Christine Wood and her husband Tony, with the dress she wore on their wedding day in 1964
Other items that will be on show until September include a gown donated by Kleinfeld, New York – known for the TV programme ‘Say Yes to the Dress’.
Fans of TV show Downton Abbey will be able to see a copy of the Crawleys’ Downton Tiara, alongside a wedding gown from 1898.
A 1923 winter velvet wedding gown, handmade by Coco Chanel for a family friend, will also be among the 50 on display.
The exhibition will run until September and shows are being supported by the cathedral’s business partner, Raworths Solicitors of Harrogate.