The annual Christmas concert at Harrogate’s Royal Hall featuring Brighouse and Rastrick Brass Band will return in December following last year’s cancellation.

The Christmas Fantasy concert will once again see the famous brass band perform with chorus accompaniment from Harrogate Gilbert and Sullivan Society.

It is due to take place on December 18 with both a matinee and an evening show.

The show will consist of original songs from the band, Gilbert and Sullivan classics and some Christmas favourites.

Last year the show was cancelled for the first time since it was first performed over 30 years ago due to covid restrictions.

Carrie Brown, chair of the Harrogate G&S Society, said;

“We want it to be a very special relaunch given that it was cancelled last year. We’re lucky to have some very loyal people who have come to see us year on year and use it as a way to start off their Christmas.”

Read more

• You shall go to the Harrogate panto!
• Knaresborough Feva Festival gets underway

The Harrogate G&S society was formed in 1972 by enthusiasts for the Victorian theatrical duo.

Brighouse and Rastrick Brass Band dates back to 1881 and has performed across the globe.

Tickets are due to go on sale in September with under-16s allowed entry for free.

Royal biographer Elisabeth Basford will be at Goldsborough Hall on Sunday when the stately hall opens its gardens to the public.

The hall, near Knaresborough, was once home to Princess Mary, the Queen’s aunt, in the 1920s. It will be open from 11am to 5pm on Sunday as part of the National Garden Scheme.

Ms Basford has just published the biography Princess Mary, The First Modern Princess. She will bring various objects connected with the princess to talk about as well as signing copies of her book.

She said she was delighted to be returning to the hall, adding:

“Goldsborough Hall is now as spectacular as it was in the time of Princess Mary.”

Clare Oglesby, the owner of Goldsborough Hall, said:

“It’s a wonderful opportunity for our garden visitors to learn more about the princess – and especially in the very place where she lived!”

Tickets will be £5 for adults and free for children. Refreshments and plants are also available for sale with all proceeds going to the charities that NGS support.

To ensure the event is covid safe, all activities will take place outside and a timed ticket system has been adopted to prevent too many people arriving at the same time.

Read more:

• Great Yorkshire Show organisers ‘tired but excited’ for return
• Halls name proves a hit for Ripon department store

The open gardens at Goldsborough Hall

The gardens, which will be open to explore, have a tribute to Princess Mary in the form of a wall of Yorkshire Princess roses that were named after her.

Tickets cost £5 for adults. Entry is free for children.

Further information is available here. 

As the Euros finish, all eyes now turn to the Olympics in Tokyo later this month and Harrogate’s diving talent.

Jack Laugher and Oliver Dingley will be representing Team GB and Team Ireland respectively in the men’s 3m springboard and synchronised diving events.

There are also three coaches from Harrogate who will be working in Japan training other nation’s diving squads. Ady Hinchcliffe and Andy Banks coach Team Australia’s diving team.

Ady has coached eight Olympians through the events over the years. Andy is the coach who trained Tom Daley in the 2012 London Olympic when he won a bronze medal for the men’s platform event.

Read more:

• Harry Gration on Southgate and the England squad
• WATCH Harrogate keeps high spirits despite England’s loss last night

Damian Ball, Jack Laugher and Oliver Dingley at the Fina Diving World Cup in May.

Damian Ball will be representing Team Ireland as he coaches Oliver Dingley during the upcoming Olympics.

In 1999 Harrogate Borough Council named Damian Ball diving development officer and head coach at The Hydro in Harrogate.

Both Jack Laugher and Oliver Dingley were coached by Damian Ball back in 2010.

Leanne Jalland, chair of the Harrogate District Diving Club, said this about the Olympian’s time training in Harrogate:

“What made Harrogate special in terms of diving talent and coaching back in the days when Damian was Head Coach and Jack and Oliver were diving at the club was a combination of hardworking talented coaches and athletes with the resources to allow them to fulfill their potential.”

The 2020 Tokyo Olympic games will start on July 23.

An outdoor cinema company that is due to show films in the district says it isn’t worried about losing its audience once restrictions are lifted.

Blue Sky began screening movies throughout lockdown to give people an opportunity to leave their homes without fear of catching covid.

The company is due to hold eight movie screenings in Harrogate rugby club at the end of the month.

But with government restrictions set to be lifted on July 19, outdoor cinemas could start to see their audiences leaving for mask-free indoor options.

Read More:

• Is it coming home? Ripon pub regulars give their verdict
• Ripon Amateur Operatic Society prepares to raise the curtains

However, Ian Taylor, managing director of Blue Sky, says he and his team remain positive:

“People have gotten into the habit of entertaining themselves, which has become a problem with a lot of sectors. But opening up allows for people to invite their friends and show them the stuff they’ve been doing during the lockdown.”

Mr Taylor also predicted people will enjoy drive-in cinemas more than indoor ones during the winter:

“Drive-in cinemas are a good option in the winter months when we get closer to October time. You can stay warm but also talk to your family or friends without disturbing anyone, you can bring your own food and drink.”

A milk delivery firm has given its drivers the night off on July 11 so they can watch the Euro 2020 final – and hopefully enjoy the celebrations.

National firm McQueens Dairies delivers milk, eggs and other essential produce to homes in the Harrogate district every week.

An email was sent to customers saying there will be no deliveries on the morning of July 12 due to “our confidence that we will make the final for the first time in 55 years”.

The rescheduling “will allow our staff… to enjoy the celebrations”, the firm explained.

Read More:

• ‘Give Gareth Southgate the freedom of Harrogate borough’
• Is it coming home? Ripon pub regulars give their verdict

“It is fantastic that England are through to the finals and we wanted to treat our delivery drivers the night off to enjoy it.

“Our milkmen and women worked tirelessly throughout the pandemic to ensure people could stay at home and we hope that they will be able to celebrate a win on Sunday with a pint or two – of McQueens milk, of course.”

Harrogate International Festivals has issued an apology for not including any female writers of colour in its 2021 Theakston Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival.

The prestigious four-day festival takes place this month at the Old Swan in Harrogate.

Many leading crime writers, including Pointless star turned best seller Richard Osman, Mick Herron, Elly Griffiths and Ann Cleeves are due to attend and events take place across the four days.

But the lack of diversity among the line-up attracted criticism, which prompted Harrogate International Festivals’ programming committee to post on Twitter:

“It has been brought to our attention that our 2021 crime writing festival programme contains no female writers of colour. It should not have been necessary for this to be pointed out to us.

“We work hard on diversity at the crime writing festival but, although there have been many unique challenges this year, we got this wrong, and we apologise.

“We will be examining our planning processes, changing our practices — including expanding our programming committee — and working hard to make sure it never happens again in future years.”

Read More:

• Programme revealed for Harrogate’s crime writing festival
• And the band played on…

The apology prompted writers A A Dhand and Abir Mukherjee, who were invited to this year’s festival, to release a joint statement, which said:

“We are pleased that the concerns raised over this year’s Harrogate festival programme containing no female writers of colour have been recognised and that constructive conversations have taken place resulting in a welcome change in policy for future literary festivals.”

Their statement added that “Harrogate has always been at the forefront of championing new voices, so the commitment to changing practices and widening the diversity of the planning committee is a very welcome step.”

They added they recognised diversity and inclusion were tricky subjects and that problems were not specific just to the Harrogate festival.

The festival’s crime novel of the year award carries a £3,000 prize.

Team ‘SwimyourChannelswim’ is ready to complete its charity relay across the English Channel after three cancellations due to covid and bad weather.

Friends Andrea Stark and Jacqui Hargrave decided to do the relay for charity but needed two more team members. They convinced Jonty Warneken and Richard Powell to join.

Each swimmer has chosen a separate charity to donate support.

Jacqui Hargrave is donating to Saint Michael’s Hospice, Andrea Stark is donating to the Samaritans, Richard Powell has chosen Combat Stress as his charity and Jonty Warneken is donating to Open Country.

After each cancellation a team is required to complete a qualifying exam in 16 degree waters for 2 hours. The team is determined, however, and has re-qualified for the relay after every cancellation.

The team gets ready in Whitby.

Swimming the English Channel requires great stamina, it can take the team 12 to 14 hours to complete the relay.

According to the Channel Swimming and Piloting Federation, keeping away from shipping lanes and strong waves can add hours and miles to the relay with the longest recorded time being 29 hours.

Other dangers of swimming across the English Channel include sewerage, changes in weather, strong waves, jellyfish stings and hypothermia.

Jacqui said “my biggest worry is seeing a shadow in the water and being like, ‘what is that!'”

Read More:

• Harrogate Railway organises ‘rugby prom’ for charity
• Harrogate district youth service seeks trustees

Jonty preparing for the English Channel

Team leader Andrea Stark said how the team came together:

“Jacqui and I committed ourselves to taking on the Channel Challenge before we got any older and bits of us start falling off. We managed to persuade Jonty and Richard to make up a team – it’s now or never!”

Jonty Warneken said why he is donating to Open Country:

North Yorkshire County Council has launched its pilot on-demand bus service called YorBus, allowing travellers to book public transport at times to suit them.

People who live in Ripon, Masham, Bedale and the surrounding villages can use the YorBus app to chose a pick-up and drop-off bus stop and travel within the service area at their leisure.

There is a flat fare: adults will pay £1.20 and children aged five to 17 will pay 65p. Those under five travel for free.

Those living in the blue area can access YorBus to travel around it

The service will run from 6.55am to 6pm during the week and 9am to 6pm at weekends. There is no service on bank holidays.

The app allows the customers to keep track of the bus’s location and gauge how long it will take to arrive.

Read more:

• Masham school’s closing exhibition includes 100-year-old memories
• Butterflies and bees inspire hidden gem Pateley Bridge ceramic artist

Customers can download the YorBus mobile phone app from the Apple App Store or the Google Play Store. Those who do not have a smart phone can book their public transport over the phone on 01609 780780.

The council has assured those who struggle with mobility that the service will be fully accessible with low floor and ramp access.

This service is going to be regularly reviewed and, if successful, will inform its decision for a wider rollout within the country.

Two titans of contemporary art, Peter King and Peter Wileman, are showing a collection of works in a joint exhibition at Walker Galleries starting this weekend.

The paintings draw on natural landscapes and still life, and while the artists’ approaches vary in degrees of abstraction, each piece is striking. All the art displayed will be on sale and priced individually.

A spokesperson for the Walker Galleries in Harrogate said:

“We felt that the two artists complimented one another. Both artists concentrate on traditional landscape subjects but give them a slightly abstract ‘edge’.

“Both of the artists are already well established at Walker Galleries and there has already been a lot of interest from regular and new clients.”

Peter King: ‘Winter Light, Arran’ £2,800

Contemporary Scottish artist Peter King takes inspiration from the light and landscape of his homeland, evoking nature through texture and free paint.

He was born in Glasgow in 1953 and studied art, specialising in drawing and painting, at the Glasgow Art School under the tutelage of David Donaldson RSA and Duncan Shanks RSA.

Walker Galleries described King’s style as “a range of motifs which he constantly returns to and reinterprets, focusing on aspects of changing moods of light, weather and season”.

Peter King: ‘Autumn Reflections, Arran’ £2,800

On the other hand, Walker Galleries called Peter Wileman‘s more abstract work “vigorous and full of drama”.

He was born in Middlesex in 1946 and has spent 40 years developing his bold, vigorous style to evoke atmosphere and explore the effect of light, winning many awards along the way.

Peter Wileman: ‘The Kiss of Dawn, Bamburgh’ £3,500

Wileman is a fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, the former president and a fellow of the Royal Institute of Oil Painters, and a member of the Royal Society of Marine Artists and the East Anglian Group of Marine Artists.

The exhibition will be open between 10am and 5.30pm until July 10, and entry is free.

Peter Wileman: ‘Castle Nick, Hadrian’s Wall’ £5,850

Read more:

• Programme revealed for Harrogate’s crime writing festival
• Mystery shrouds Coco Chanel-designed wedding dress at Ripon Cathedral

Horticultural enthusiasts in Birstwith are opening their beautiful gardens for visitors tomorrow in support of two local charities.

The event will run from 10.30am to 4pm and will include directions to a new community garden that has been created at Birstwith Mill, where the Birstwith Show takes place.

Ruth Fisher, one of the organisers, says visitors can buy a map of the 10 gardens for £5, which doubles up as a ticket, from St James’ Church.

A community garden will be opened at Birstwith Mill, which hosts the Birstwith Show

Ms Fisher said participants were looking forward to welcoming visitors after being stuck inside during lockdown:

“We are really excited to be able to offer this event in the village, and everyone has worked really hard to make sure that their gardens are in the best state they can be!”

Plants grown by the residents themselves will be on sale at the church, alongside a cake stall. All stallholders will be accepting cash only.

All proceeds from the event will be shared between two organisations: Birstwith in Bloom, a voluntary organisation that “promotes responsible care of the environment and horticultural excellence in the town”, and Birstwith Horticultural Society, the charity behind community fundraising for the Birstwith Show.

Read More:

• Long Lands Common set to open to members for the first time
• The poppies blow in a field near Knaresborough

There will be refreshments at the church and in each of the gardens.

A previous open garden event at Birstwith Hall, in conjunction with the National Garden Scheme, raised £2,000 for Marie Curie.