Editor’s Pick of the Week: Royal surprise for Knaresborough while feathers fly in Ripon

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There semmed more chance of local paddling pools being filled this week than a royal visit.

But on Tuesday, King Charles III made an unannounced visit to Knaresborough Castle for reasons that are still not entirely clear.

A crowd of wellwishers gathered and as Charles strolled by, Kathy Allday, chair of Knaresborough Museum Association, shouted ‘god save the king’. 

Charles’ face lit up and he walked over, where Ms Allday told him about the campaign to improve the state of the castle, which he owns through his Duchy of Lancaster estate.

Another woman told us she was not going to wash her hand for a week after the king shook it.

For all the excitement, there are no reports of anyone getting a tattoo on their thigh to commemorate the occasion, unlike actor Kiefer Sutherland’s visit to Knaresborough some 18 months ago.

The king also visited Harrogate Ladies’ College but the strict royal protocol surrounding the monarch means the college hasn’t been able to say anything about it yet.

Charles departed by helicopter from the Stray rather than catch the train at Knaresborough or Harrogate and change at Leeds on his way home to London. 

Perhaps he’d read Phill Holdsworth’s guest column this week about the need for better rail connections between here and the capital.

While Knaresborough and Harrogate laid out the red carpet, a farm near Ripon is preparing to lay out giant poultry units to accommodate 2.7 million chickens a year.

The Stray Ferret revealed this week that a company has submitted plans to open a mega chicken farm near Melmerby, in a move that has caused a bit of a flap.

Feathers continue to fly in Burton Leonard over the decision two years ago to fell a 30-foot topiary cockerel that stood for more than 100 years.

Community spirit was more apparent at Hell Wath this week following an attempt to remove the area’s own Lady in the Van. Charlotte Hartley has run Lottie’s Vintage Coffee Van at the nature reserve for almost three years but has been threatened with eviction. A happy ending, however, does appear to be in sight.

It’s doubtful whether the same could be said for Brierley Homes, the council-owned housebuilder whose forecast of a £700,000 profit this year has crumbled, and it is now expected to turn in a loss of £7.5 million. There are growing fears that a £27 million loan might not be paid back in full.

In a classic case of marking your own homework, the council announced it was bringing in internal audit company Veritau — which it part owns — to investigate.

The following day opposition councillors called for the Tory-run council’s decision to put aside £7 million in case the loan isn’t paid off in full to be called in.