Turn your autumn fruit into juice at Ripon Walled Garden

People are being invited to turn their pears and apples into juice while supporting a Ripon charity.

The annual Apple Day event takes place at Ripon Walled Garden on October 9.

Ripon Community Link, a charity that helps young people and adults with learning disabilities, is staging the event.

There will also be craft stalls, food and drink, children’s activities and an appearance by local singer Ian Hepburn.

The event derives its name from the day’s main activity — apple pressing.

Sarah Johnson, fundraising manager for Ripon Community Link, said:

“The team from Old Sleningford Farm, long standing supporters of the charity, bring their apple pressing equipment and help visitors press their own apple and pear crops into juice.

“It’s a great way to use up any excess fruit and prevent it from going to waste and a really interesting and fun process to do, the whole family can get involved.”

Read More:

Ms Johnson added that Apple Day, which didn’t take place last year due to covid, was one of Ripon Community Link’s key fundraising events.

The Ripon-based charity works across two sites: Ripon Walled Garden and St Wilfrid’s Bungalow.

Apple Day is free although the charity suggests a £2 donation per person or £5 per family. For more information call 01765609229 or click here.

Ripon Choral Society returns with Verdi’s Requiem

Ripon Choral Society will perform Verdi’s Requiem in its first live performance for 20 months.

The music was chosen because it fits the theme of remembrance, which the concert has adopted to honour the victims of covid.

Musical director John Dunford said:

“In choosing music for our return to rehearsals, I was conscious of the great loss of life, nationally, across the world, and from within our own membership.”

“The Verdi Requiem is a monumental, moving and theatrical work and few choral works capture the imagination like it.”

The 140-member choir will make its return at Ripon Cathedral on Saturday, November 13.

Read More:

The soloists include Samantha Hay (soprano), Anna Burford (mezzo-soprano), Gareth Daffyd Morris (tenor) and D’Arcy Bleiker (bass), accompanied by Orchestra D’Amici.

The choir welcomes anyone to its evening rehearsals at St John’s Church in Sharow, near Ripon, every Wednesday from 7.30pm to 9pm.

Dunford said:

“I am convinced there are a lot of people who think this is not for them and I am even more convinced they would love what we do if they gave us and themselves a chance to experience it.

“This requires time and is not instant, particularly if you have not done this sort of singing before, but it can all be learnt.”

The concert will start at 7.30pm. Tickets cost £23 for reserved seating or £20 for unreserved.

For more information click here.

Tewit brass band wins national award

Tewit Silver Band has won national recognition for a second consecutive year.

The band, which was only formed three years ago to give ex and current Tewit Youth Band members the opportunity to play in at a higher level, won the third section of the National Brass Band Championships in Cheltenham.

The result promotes the band to the second section next year and means it has now gone from fourth section to second section in consecutive years.

Band member Owen James also won the soloist award for his rendition of the test piece called Kaleidoscope.

A total of 61 bands and 2,000 performers took part in the event.

Tewit Silver Band has now won all but one of the competitions it has entered. The most recent competition pitted it against 15 other bands.

The band has a concert booked at Starbeck Methodist Church on Saturday, November 13 and will also perform its annual carol concert at Stockeld Park.

Colin Gibbs, chairman of Tewit Silver Band, said that the adjudicators gave extremely positive feedback about the band, such as ‘an almost flawless performance’.

Read More:

Jayne Fearnley, Tewit Silver Band secretary, said:

“Like all bands we were unable to play for many months due to covid but we remained a strong unit. Players practiced at home, we met once a week on zoom to address the social needs of our members and we returned to the band room as a full, committed band making this win a very proud moment.

“Tewit Youth Band has long been a successful formula, but once players reach the age of 18, they have to leave. Whilst many of our young members move onto university, plenty stay local. Tewit Silver Band offers the perfect solution: they can continue playing in a safe a secure and familiar setting alongside experienced players who mentor them.”

Tewit Youth Band is holding an open day tomorrow from at The Methodist Chapel in Huby from 2pm to 5pm.

For more information on Tewit Silver Band, click here.

Dame Emma Kirkby to sing at Bach masterpiece in Harrogate

World renowned soprano Dame Emma Kirkby will be one of the soloists at a performance of J S Bach’s Mass in B minor in Harrogate next month.

The event will take place at at St Peter’s Church on October 8.

The combined choirs of St Peter’s Church and Vocalis chamber choir will be joined by the Harrogate Bach Players.

The other soloists include James Micklethwaite, Aoife O’Connell, Emma Stannard, and Andrew Greenan.

Dame Kirkby, who started as an amateur singer, was awarded the Queen’s Medal for Music in 2011.

Read More:

John Longstaff, director of music at St Peter’s, has organised the performance.

He said:

“it’s a wonderful and very difficult piece of music, extremely joyous and celebratory at times.

“I’ve loved it all my life but never had the opportunity to direct it and to perform it with the line-up of soloists and orchestral players who we have joining us, is a dream come true.”

Tickets cost £15. Call 07425161425 for more information.

Local father starts boxing classes for people with autism

A father to autistic children in the Harrogate district has started boxing lessons for people with the condition.

Dean Lund from Knaresborough has two young children who have been diagnosed with autism.  He decided he wanted to teach boxing to both children and adults with autism while studying Sport Coaching and Development at Harrogate College.

Mr Lund called his weekly classes ‘The Zone’ and feels that boxing is a great sport for autistic people to focus on as it helps develop fitness and confidence.

Autism is a disability that affects around 700,000 people in the UK.

Read More:

Mr Lund has a Continuing Professional Development (CPD) certified course in Autism, Sport and Physical Activity.

Dean said a qualification from the National Autistic Society was important:

“I needed to know the parameters of autism, how my own boys fall within that, and what to expect when it comes to teaching boxing outside of college.”

“I really want to expand the autism sessions. As its an area that isn’t provided enough, considering how many people have autism”

The Zone provides a safe spaces for people to take a break if their autism is triggered and also teaches boxing in lanes, allowing participants to have their own space.

Parents can come along to do the session with their autistic child.

For more information about ‘The Zone’ click here or email deano@fighting-fit-coaching.co.uk.

Saint Michael’s urges Harrogate district to ‘go purple’

People in the Harrogate district are being urged to ‘go purple’ next month to support Saint Michael’s Hospice.

Saint Michael’s, which is based at Harrogate’s Hornbeam Park, has adopted the idea for Hospice Care Week from October 4 to 8.

Hospice UK, the national charity representing UK hospices, organises Hospice Care Week annually to raise awareness and funds.

It has suggested dressing purple, purple-themed bake sales and purple-themed work days as possible ideas to raise money during the week.

The Victoria Shopping Centre in Harrogate will be lit up purple for the event. Other businesses, schools and individuals are being encouraged to join in.

Saint Michael’s, which has 11 charity shops in the Harrogate district, spends £6 million on end-of-life services each year.

Read More:

Tony Collins

Tony Collins, chief executive of Saint Michael’s, said:

“This is a great opportunity to get creative and have fun whilst raising funds to ensure Saint Michael’s can continue to help local people living with terminal illness and bereavement.

“We hope that as many people as possible take part, spread the word and raise money for their local hospice.

It is hoped Go Purple will become an annual event if successful.

Further information is available here.

Starbeck special needs school opens new sixth form building

A special needs school in Starbeck has refurbished a former children’s centre over the road into two new sixth form classrooms.

Springwater School, which offers a modified curriculum for young people aged two to 19 with mainly multiple needs, was given the disused building by North Yorkshire County Council.

The school has grown rapidly in recent years. It currently has 98 students — an increase of about 30 over the last six years.

Head teacher Sarah Edwards said she hoped the new classrooms would provide an opportunity for sixth formers to develop their independence skills.

She added:

“The building creates a high quality educational environment that will be used as classrooms for the really important independence and employment sixth form pathway.”

Read More:

The listed building given to the school is next door to Starbeck war memorial on the High Street.

Springwater School is also seeking teachers and volunteers, including governors. Anyone interested can contact Ms Edwards at head@springwater.n-yorks.sch.uk.

 

 

Harrogate’s Local Lotto raises over £160,000 for good causes

The Local Lotto celebrated its third birthday at the weekend having raised over £160,000 for local causes

Harrogate Borough Council set up the lotto to raise money for local voluntary sector organisations.

Players have won a combined total of £41,000.

Every 60p in £1 goes to 108 local causes, including Autism Angels, Harrogate Easier Living Project (HELP), and Woodfield Millenium Green.

Beneficiaries paid tribute to the fund.

Low Harrogate Crown Green Bowling Club said in a statement the Local Lotto had “provided a revenue stream that has enabled the bowling club to invest in new equipment”.

Ripon Community Link added the initiative had provided “a regular, reliable income stream when charitable income can be erratic, especially in such turbulent times”.

Read More:

A pie chart showing where the money goes

Cllr Sam Gibbs, chair of Harrogate Borough Council’s voluntary and community sector liaison group, said:

“These vital funds can sometimes be a lifeline for smaller community groups and I’d like to thank everyone for getting involved and signing up to play the Local Lotto.”

The Local Lotto takes place every week, with the winning draw every Saturday night.

For more information, see the local lotto’s website.

Race for Life returns to Harrogate today

The charity fundraiser Race For Life is set to return to Harrogate today after being cancelled last year due to covid.

Five events will take place on the Stray to raise money for Cancer Research UK. There will be three, five, and 10 kilometre runs. plus two muddy obstacle courses.

Some groups have already generated significant sums ahead of the race, including Tracy and Lorraine’s Angels, which has raised £1,200.

The group. which met through their involvement in the Dishforth Military Wives Choir, will be taking on the pretty muddy obstacle course. Out of the eight in the group, two have been affected by breast cancer since 2020.

Dishforth Military Wives Choir where Tracy and Lorraine’s Angels met

Read More:

Tracy Seavers said:

“I was the 1 in 2 to have a cancer diagnosis and spent all of 2020 and the beginning of 2021 undergoing treatment.

“It has been a long hard slog but made easier by all those people who have gone before me trialling medications to make treatment kinder. Without research I would not be where I am today.”

Pretty Muddy 5K

All five events will be held on The Stray, starting with the 10 kilometre run at 9.30am and ending with the pretty muddy five kilometre obstacle course at 1.15pm.

Oatlands Drive will be shut today for the event.

Adult entry is £19.99 and child entry is £10. Men have been able to join in since 2019.

For more information about Sunday’s race for life in Harrogate, see Cancer Research UK‘s website.

Harrogate library set to host activities fair

Harrogate library will host an activities fair from 10.30am to 2pm on September 23.

The fair will feature activities such as arts and crafts, dancing and photography. Anyone can drop in.

Cllr Greg White, executive member for libraries at North Yorkshire County Council, said:

“Getting out, taking part in activities and meeting people is a really good way to boost your mood and combat loneliness.”

Groups taking part include Harrogate Chess Club, St Paul’s Art Group and Harrogate Photographic Society.

Read More:

Groups that are unable attend on the day will still have information available for those attending to see.

The library, on Victoria Avenue, hopes the activities fair will be an opportunity for Harrogate district residents, especially retired people, to meet new people and learn new skills.

For more information see the Harrogate Library Facebook page.