The first day of the Queen’s platinum jubilee has been blessed with warm, sunny weather in the Harrogate district..

There were cakes to judge, events to attend and lots of opportunities to chill with family and friends.

It isn’t over yet — tonight will see beacons lit across the district at 9.45pm as part of a national initiative. But here are five highlights so far.

Our live blog will be back tomorrow with more rolling jubilee coverage. Send us your photos to contact@thestrayferret.co.uk and we will include them in our coverage.

1 Dignitaries turn out in force in Ripon

The city’s cathedral hosted North Yorkshire’s service to honour the Queen. Among those attending were The Archbishop of York, Ripon MP Julian Smith, Grantley Hall owner Valeria Sykes and former Look North presenter Harry Gration, who is also a deputy Lord Lieutenant of North Yorkshire.

2 Bilton’s Party on the Pitch is a big hit

Bilton Cricket Club’s Party on the Pitch attracted a huge turnout of families. It showed there is a big appetite in Bilton for a community event and how much the area misses the annual Bilton Gala.

3 The first street parties get underway

Sunday is the main day for street parties but residents of Castle Hill Glade in Pannal Ash decided they didn’t want to wait that long and got cracking today.

4 Ripon mum wins Bettys Jubilee Bake Off 

The moment Lori (centre) found out she had won.

Lori Hendry’s Victoria sponge beat three other shortlisted entries in the Bettys Jubilee Bake Off.

Three judges deliberated for half an hour before deciding the Ripon mum’s delicious offering was number one.

5 Children flock to Harrogate’s Valley Gardens

The offer of free activities and facepainting was always likely to be a surefire hit with families and that proved the case as families descended on Harrogate’s Valley Gardens today.

There was also the opportunity to watch the BBC’s coverage of Trooping the Colour on a big screen on the Stray.

Read more:

• Harrogate and Knaresborough MP Andrew Jones MP named as Tory ‘rebel’
• JUBILEE LIVE: Dignitaries attend Ripon Cathedral for county service

This live blog of the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee is proudly sponsored by Boundless Networks – delivering quality broadband connectivity at a reasonable cost to homes and businesses in the Harrogate district.

The sun is out as four days of jubilee celebrations get underway in the Harrogate district today.

The Stray Ferret will be covering the festivities and the fun, the street parties and the ceremonies over the next four days in Harrogate, Ripon, Knaresborough, Boroughbridge, Pateley Bridge and Masham, and the villages in between.

We want to hear what’s happening in your town, village or city so email us at contact@thestrayferret.co.uk and we will add it to the blog.

5.24pm: Will it stay dry for tonight’s beacons?

It’s been a warm and sunny opening day to the jubilee celebrations but it is clouding over.

Beacons are due to be lit across the Harrogate district tonight, with most occurring at 9.45pm. According to the BBC weather forecast for Harrogate, some rain is possible.

Spofforth Castle, Ripon Market Square,  Almscliffe Crag in North Rigton, the Army Foundation College in Harrogate, Kirkby Malzeard and Roomer Common in Masham are among the locations taking part.

So too is Knaresborough Castle, where Tamsin from the Stray Ferret will be among the onlookers.

4.35pm: Spofforth hosts children’s party

Fresh from his trip to Blubberhouses, our reporter Tom has been to Spofforth to witness today’s jubilee activities.

You can read his full account here.

4.17pm: Great and the good attend Ripon Cathedral’s civic event

Julian Smith MP

Harry Gration

North Yorkshire dignitaries gathered at Ripon Cathedral today for a service in honour of the Queen.

Those attending included the Archbishop of York, Ripon MP Julian Smith, Grantley Hall owner Valeria Sykes and former Look North presenter Harry Gration.

You can read our Ripon reporter Tim’s full account here.

3.58pm: Human plant pots in Harrogate town centre

Last year there was fake grass in Harrogate town centre — now there are human plant pots. And they’re certainly proving more popular with visitors, who posed for photos alongside them. It’s all part of the jubilee fun. Send us your jubilee pictures to contact@thestrayferret.co.uk.

3.27pm: First street party underway in Pannal Ash

Most street parties are on Sunday but the residents of Castle Hill Glade in Pannal Ash thought today might be a more family-friendly day and, judging by the weather forecast, they may have chosen the right day

Rachel Baskin (pictured far left), who applied for the street closure, told us the party idea evolved from covid, when residents living on the cul-de-sac would have socially distanced meetings on Thursdays.

There’s also an informal group called Ladies of Glade, who meet a glass of wine each week.

Residents in nearby streets are bringing their own teas and sitting outside together to enjoy the occasion.

2.55pm: Bilton’s Party on the Pitch proves a hit

People are pouring into Bilton Cricket Club’s free Party on the Pitch event, which runs until 9pm.

We’ve just been down and there is a wonderful atmosphere, which shows there is a great community spirit in Bilton and a thirst for get togethers like this since the demise of Bilton Gala on May Day.

There’s a barbecue, live music and plenty for children to do. People are just rocking up and having a picnic on the pitch.

Matt Thomas, cricket secretary, estimated about 1,000 people were there an hour ago and the number is growing. He added:

“It’s a great opportunity for the local community to get together and have fun.”

There is a collection for Yorkshire Air Ambulance — a cause dear to the club’s heart after a player had a heart attack on the pitch at an away game last year.

1.20pm: Jubilee shenanigans on Harrogate’s Beulah Street

It’s not every day you wander along Beulah Street and see people dressed like this belting out Land of Hope and Glory. But that’s what the jubilee does to you. It’s that kind of weekend.

What’s happening out in Bilton, Starbeck and Jennyfields, or in Pateley Bridge? Wherever you are in the Harrogate district we want to receive your jubilee news and images. Email us and we will add them to this live blog.

1.12pm: Live music all day in Ripon 

Among those early to arrive on Market Square was four-year-old Aylar and her mum Susannah (pictured), who were blowing bubbles as the free entertainment started on stage with Lily Worth.

Lily sang a selection of songs from musicals, including the Greatest Showman. There is free live music all day in Ripon’s Market Square.

Meanwhile, a giant TV screen next to Ripon Town Hall linked the city to Horseguards Parade in London, where the Trooping the Colour ceremony, broadcast live on the BBC, marked the Queen’s official birthday.

Lily Worth on stage in Ripon today.

The big screen.

1.01pm: Blubberhouses flower festival tells Queen’s story

Our reporter Tom has been to Blubberhouses, where a jubilee-themed flower festival is underway.

You can visit it at St Andrew’s Church in Blubberhouses, just past Fewston Reservoir off the A59, from 11am to 4pm every day over the four-day weekend.

Further details are here.

12.26pm: Bishop leads county service of celebration 

Ripon is pulling out the stops this weekend with activities galore, and Ripon Cathedral is at the heart of things. The Bishop of Ripon has tweeted about a service she led this morning.

https://twitter.com/HartleyHAM/status/1532321794765488128

12.05pm: Ripon mum wins Bettys Jubilee Bake Off 

Ripon mum Lori Hendry (pictured holding the cake) has beaten three other shortlisted bakers to win the Bettys Jubilee Bake Off.

Lori’s Victoria sponge decorated with red, white and blue icing adorned with a crown and Union Jack flags wowed the judges. You can read more here.

11.10am: Free rides, entertainment and face painting in Valley Gardens

Free events are taking place in Harrogate’s Valley Gardens until 6pm. It’s very much a family occasion: kids can meet Elsa, Batman and Cinderella (pictured above), ride on the runaway train, climb a wall, jump on a bungee trampoline, watch jugglers — all for free.

Elsewhere in Harrogate, on a section of the Stray, which has been renamed Jubilee Square, people can watch a big screen of the BBC coverage of the jubilee.

10.27am: Recycling depots open as usual

North Yorkshire County Council tweets that its household recycling centres are open as normal this bank holiday weekend.

All our household waste recycling centres are open, as usual, from 8.30am to 5pm, throughout the Queen's #PlatinumJubilee bank holiday weekend.

Find your nearest site and what items you can take athttps://t.co/llRAH0z30s pic.twitter.com/rASZiF1jhk

— North Yorkshire Council (@northyorksc) June 2, 2022

9.32am: Bishop Monkton choir starts the jubilee weekend

Bishop Monkton kicked off the jubilee weekend last night a community concert given by a choir developed on Zoom during the pandemic.

The choir entertained an audience of 120 in the village hall with a show titled Seven Decades of Song, featuring music from the 1940s to the present day. The concert included hits from musicals like Oklahoma and the Sound of Music as well as more recent numbers from Leonard Cohen and Gary Barlow.

The choir grew out of the village’s Singing for Fun group, which had started just before the pandemic and which kept going through the covid lockdowns by meeting on Zoom. The show included a live rendition of a song called Lockdown, written during covid by the village’s jubilee queen, Pauline Beecroft, to the tune of the Petula Clark 1960s hit Downtown.

The concert ended with the singing of Jerusalem, Land of Hope and Glory and the National Anthem.

Thanks to Colin Philpott for sending us this jubilee news in Bishop Monkton. What’s happening where you are? Message us your jubilee news and pictures at contact@thestrayferret.co.uk.

8.52am: Free music all day in Ripon

The stage is set in Ripon for the biggest royal party of the ancient city’s long history. Lily Worth will kick off a day of free music at 10.30am and she will be followed by Ripon’s own talented singer-songwriter Freddie Cleary.

Later, tribute acts will sing the songs of Stevie Wonder, Cilla Black, George Michael, the Everly Brothers and Katherine Jenkins. For nostalgia lovers, there will be wartime songs of Vera Lynn and others from 4.50pm.

Organisers Ripon City Council are hoping that the blue skies that have started the day will remain over the town hall and stage facing onto Market Square, where large crowds are anticipated.

8.45am: Stray Ferret journalists set to hit the road 

Tim will be in Ripon all day and for the lighting of the beacon.

Tom plans to head to Blubberhouses and Spofforth

John will be in and around Harrogate

Tamsin will be in Knaresborough for tonight’s beacon lighting.

Say hello if you see us in our Stray Ferret hats and please send us your photos to contact@thestrayferret.co.uk and we will do our best to upload them on to our blog throughout the day.

Harrogate and Knaresborough MP Andrew Jones has been named in a Daily Mail article today about Conservative MPs plotting to oust Boris Johnson.

Mr Jones has told constituents asking about partygate that his “anger is not going to lessen”.

His also said:

“I understand the anger people feel. I feel it too. Most of all I feel intensely depressed that senior people in our political system have pretended, or somehow genuinely believed, that tables groaning with bottles of wine, as we have now seen pictured, were in some way allowed work practices.”

But Mr Jones has not called for the Prime Minister to resign and has not revealed whether he has submitted a letter calling for a vote of no confidence in Mr Johnson to Sir Graham Brady, chair of the backbench 1922 committee. Fifty-four Tory MPs must do so to trigger a leadership contest.

Mr Jones has declined to respond to questions about the matter from the Stray Ferret.

Nevertheless the Daily Mail includes him in a list of 41 Conservative MPs in an article about Tory ‘plotters’.

Read more:

• Andrew Jones MP tells constituent he feels ‘anger’ over partygate
• Andrew Jones MP says Harrogate and Knaresborough train cuts’a bad mistake’

York Outer MP Julian Sturdy is also named, along with former Cabinet minister Andrea Leadsom and former Shadow Home Secretary David Davis.

The article claims the ‘rebels’ could get enough support for a confidence vote next week.

It quotes Home Secretary Priti Patel urging them to “concentrate on doing our jobs” rather than creating a “distraction”.

She adds:

“Writing letters is a sideshow, quite frankly, rather than focusing on the real challenges that we have to find solutions to.’

“Our job is to deliver on the people’s priorities. They won’t thank the Conservative Party for talking about itself at a time when people have anxieties, concerns, apprehensions. Our job is deliver for them.’

An eight-year-old boy has become the latest person to require rescuing at Brimham Rocks.

Seven members of Upper Wharfedale Fell Rescue Association were called to the National Trust-owned site near Pateley Bridge when the boy got stuck at the top of a rock outcrop.

The association’s website says:

“He had managed to jump the gap to get onto the rock before realising that the jump back would be much harder.”

North Yorkshire Police summoned the rescuers at 11.30am on Monday and they managed to assist the boy to safety.

The volunteer-run association has attended several incidents at Brimham Rocks already this year.

Read more:

• Second climber rescued from same rock at Brimham Rocks
• Daleside Garage in Pateley Bridge to relocate this year

A decision on whether to create a Harrogate town council is unlikely to be made until at least 2024, a meeting heard last night.

Wallace Sampson, chief executive of Harrogate Borough Council, outlined the lengthy legal process to members of Harrogate Civic Society.

Mr Sampson said North Yorkshire Council, which comes into existence on April 1 next year, would have to undertake a community governance review before any changes to Harrogate’s governance can take place.

This would involve two stages of consultation, likely to take place next year, followed by a final recommendation on whether to approve a town council.

If approved, a legal order would be made, followed by other processes before implementation.

Last night’s meeting.

Speaking at last night’s packed meeting, at which he and Councillor Graham Swift, deputy leader of Harrogate Borough Council, discussed local government reorganisation and devolution, Mr Sampson said:

“It’s really difficult to say how long that process will take but our best guess is 15 months to two years. If it happened by 2024 that would be a good timeframe.”

Mr Sampson also said elections for a mayor for the combined North Yorkshire and York regions would “probably” take place in 2024.

Read more:

• Harrogate town council: What is it and what would it cost taxpayers?
• Key planning document delayed for west Harrogate residents facing 4,000 new homes

Last night’s meeting discussed the implications of the momentous changes brought about by North Yorkshire devolution and local government reorganisation.

Harrogate Borough Council and six other district councils, along with North Yorkshire County Council, will be abolished next year when the new North Yorkshire Council comes into being on April 1.

8,000 council staff

Eight thousand staff will be brought together into what will be one of the largest councils in the UK, in a move estimated to save about £30m a year.

The loss of Harrogate Borough Council has led to concerns that Harrogate may lack a political voice after the changes, with most key decisions set to be made by North Yorkshire Council in Northallerton.

Last month Pat Marsh, the Liberal Democrat leader for Harrogate and Knaresborough, called for the process to create a Harrogate town council to begin “as soon as possible, within the next couple of months” but this seems unlikely to happen.

Philip Broadbank, the Liberal Democrat councillor for Harrogate Starbeck on North Yorkshire County Council, attended last night’s meeting and said afterwards the party would continue to push for the process “to be done as quickly as possible” but he accepted it would take time.

Cllr Swift told the meeting that Harrogate Borough Council’s civic centre at Knapping Mount “won’t be a white elephant” after the authority is abolished and would continue to be used by staff employed by North Yorkshire Council. He said:

“It’s going to continue to save you £1m a year forever.”

Bilton Working Men’s Club is to be renamed Bilton Club in an attempt to broaden its appeal.

The club revealed last month it planned to change its name for the first time since it was founded in 1913.

Names such as The Bilton and The Club @Bilton were among those suggested.

But Alan Huddart, the club treasurer, said the choice of Bilton Club was almost unanimous and would probably come into effect at the start of July. He said:

“We want to make the club as inclusive as possible.”

Read more:

• Bilton’s Peter the Peacock living his best life in Lancashire
• Nazi symbol outside Harrogate home leads to police visit

The club has also appointed Phil Smith to the newly created post of manager.

Mr Huddart said Mr Smith, who previously managed Sports Direct in Harrogate, would be responsible for the day-to-day running of the club, which is on Skipton Road.

He will also be involved in moves to convert some of the unused space on the first and second floors into commercial and residential use.

Mr Huddart said the club was expecting “huge increases” in its energy bills and needed to find ways to generate more income.

Anyone can visit the club but members, who pay £10 to join and then an annual £10 fee, are entitled to 50p off the price of a pint. Membership costs half as much for seniors.

The club belonging to the Harrogate and district branch of the Royal Air Forces Association is to close after 56 years.

The local branch of the charity, which supports the RAF community, formed at a meeting in August 1945 at Harrogate YMCA.

Membership has dwindled in recent years and trustees felt they could no longer justify the expenditure required to retain the current three-storey building on Harrogate’s East Parade.

A special general meeting agreed to sell the club and donate the proceeds to the national RAFA charity.

A farewell party will be held on June 25 at the club. Members and their family and friends are welcome to drop in between noon and 10pm for a cup of tea, a light buffet and some comradeship.

Harrogate air cadets will also be in attendance during the afternoon.

Philip Crebbin, chairman of the branch, said the club was simply no longer viable.

He said the branch had 100 members but few of them visited the club often, particularly as the building wasn’t suitable for some older members.

But he said the branch would continue to operate and meet monthly at new premises.

Read more:

• Cuts to Harrogate fire crews would ‘put money before lives’, says ex-firefighter
• £41,000 given to 14 community groups in Harrogate district

History of the club

RAFA members in the early years met in several places in Harrogate, including the North Eastern Hotel and the Home Guard Club.

Towards the end of 1957 they moved to ‘The Rear Turret’ at the back of Albert Street, which was a rented cottage, and transformed it into headquarters.

Membership increased and eventually the thriving branch and club moved into its current premises, at 6 East Parade, in 1966.

Me Crebbin, a retired squadron leader, said:

“Although the club is closing, Harrogate’s RAFA branch will endure and will continue to undertake its charitable endeavours including welfare support and charity collections.

“The branch will also continue to provide representation at association conferences and parades as well as holding numerous activities, including its flagship annual events: the Battle of Britain commemorative parade at Stonefall Cemetery and the annual dinner.”

An elderly woman had to be freed from her car by firefighters after a crash in the Harrogate district last night.

Both Harrogate crews were called to reports of a two-vehicle collision at Spring Lane, Kearby at about 8.20pm.

According to North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service‘s incident log, two elderly occupants of a Volkswagen managed to get out the car but returned to the vehicle to await the emergency services.

A man in his 20s, who was also involved in the incident, was out of his BMW when the firefighters arrived.

The incident log adds:

“The elderly male then exited the car and after assessment the ambulance crews requested the roof removal of the VW to extricate the elderly female due to suspected injuries.

“All occupants were transported to hospital for treatment mainly for minor injuries. Fire crew used 2 sets of e-draulic cutters, stabilisation blocks, windscreen cutter, sharps kit and crew power.”

Kearby is near Kirkby Overblow, between Harrogate and Wetherby on the fringes of the Harrogate district.

Read more:

• Cuts to Harrogate fire crews would ‘put money before lives’, says ex-firefighter
• Two teenagers arrested after six deliberate bin fires in Harrogate

A log burning stove is believed to have caused a fire at a former dairy building in the Harrogate district.

Firefighters from Harrogate and Knaresborough were called to the building at North Rigton at 4.45pm yesterday.

Harrogate fire station said in a social media post last night:

“Crews extinguished the fire using breathing apparatus, hose reel jets, thermal imaging camera, Harrogate’s aerial ladder platform and Tadcaster’s Water Bowser.

“Fire was believed to be caused by a log burning stove.”

More pictures from the scene taken by Harrogate firefighters

Read more:

• Five Harrogate firefighters could lose jobs in plans to reduce service
• Dog trying to eat sausages causes Harrogate house fire

A Harrogate kitchen caught fire yesterday when a dog jumped up to grab some sausages and set a tea towel alight.

Harrogate firefighters were called to Meadow Place in Starbeck shortly before 4pm following reports of fire.

North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service’s incident log says:

“The fire started when the dog of the house attempted to jump up on a kitchen bench to snaffle some sausages and knocked a tea towel onto onto a hob that had just been turned off.”

The incident log adds that the smouldering tea towel caused smoke damage to the kitchen but it is not believed any people — or dogs — were injured in the blaze.

Read more:

• Harrogate set to have just one fire engine at night
• Harrogate district schools get in jubilee spirit