Ripon Amateur Operatic Society, is determined that its show will go on.

The society, which is celebrating its 80th anniversary this year, was due to stage ‘Oliver’ at Harrogate Theatre – a major production that would have brought much-needed revenue to support other activities.

Committee member Hannah Ruddy, told The Stray Ferret:

“We were due to have a four-day run at Harrogate Theatre in April and eight weeks beforehand had sold 40 percent of the tickets for our performances – a very healthy position to be in two months ahead of the opening curtain, but then COVID-19 meant that we had to postpone.”

Harrogate Theatre, itself in lockdown, announced last week that it had raised £40,000 in an emergency fundraising campaign and has agreed alternative dates next April, when the society, will be able to come back once more with its ‘Oliver’ production.

The society, which moved to its new base in Allhallowgate, Ripon in 2015, where there is a maximum seating capacity of 120, has been staging its major productions at Harrogate Theatre for many years. It had other fundraising activities cancelled, including an 80th anniversary dinner scheduled for next month, so the search is on for other funding sources.

The fingers of members are tightly crossed in the hope that the lockdown will have eased sufficiently later this year, for the musical ‘Chicago’ be staged between 23rd and 29th November at the Allhallowgate venue.

To off-set the cost of holding eight performances over seven days, a fundraising  page has been set up at www.gofundme.com/f/ripon-operatic-society for anybody wishing to make a donation.

In addition to looking forward to the re-start of rehearsals and future performances, the society is in the process of making its Allhallowgate base a community arts hub, providing a rare space in the city that other performing and artistic groups can use.

Hannah pointed out:

“Though we have been temporarily held up in our plans, I think about Oliver and the first line of the musical, which asks: ‘Is it worth the waiting for?’  and I know that the answer from all of our members is a resounding yes!”

The Bishop of Ripon, the Rt. Rev Dr Helen-Ann Hartley, she says she’s received a call yesterday evening from the city’s MP Julian Smith.

Dr Hartley, told The Stray Ferret that ” it was good of him to be in touch” but did not want to share more details of the conversation.

The call from Mr Smith came at the end of a day which saw the Mayor of Ripon Councillor Eamon Parkin, and two of his mayoral predecessors Councillor Pauline McHardy and Councillor Stuart Martin all united in their condemnation of an email to the Bishop that read, ‘keep out of politics, or it will be the death of you’.

This death threat and similarly-worded threats made to the Bishop of Newcastle Christine Hardman and John Inge, the Bishop of Worcester, have been reported to the police in their respective diocese.

The Bishop, who took over her role in Ripon in 2018, received a number of hateful messages, alongside ones of support, after saying in a tweet that she disagreed with the way in which Prime Minister Boris Johnson had condoned the actions of his key adviser Dominic Cummings, who travelled 260 miles with his wife and young son from London to Durham at the height of the coronavirus lockdown.

Mr Cummings has subsequently come under fire from almost 40 Conservative MPs, who  have found his actions unacceptable and called for him to be dismissed. Among those making that call is Harrogate and Knaresborough MP Andrew Jones.

Following our initial story on Tuesday, the majority of Stray Ferret readers posting on Facebook, said they supported the bishop and her right to speak on the impact that politics has on people’s lives.

Dr Hartley, said:

“I am encouraged by the kind words that I have read and heard.”

News that local radio station Stray FM will be coming off the air later this year has been met with dismay.

The station, based at Hornbeam Park, has been serving the district for 26 years, but owner Bauer Media, which purchased Stray FM from UKRD last March has announced it will become part of a national network with “nationally known presenters” and will continue to provide news, travel, weather and other local information under the Greatest Hits Radio brand.

The change is a particularly heavy blow to Knaresborough Lions, which has been running Knaresborough Bed Race for many years with Stray FM as its media partner.

Kevin Lloyd, who is the Lions’ Bed Race Chairman, told the Stray Ferret:

“This is terrible news for us and other charities and organisations across the district, as a community-focused radio station, they have been fantastic advocates for all kinds of causes from their local heroes awards to the incredible support that they have given us over the years in making the Bed Race the highly successful and much-enjoyed event that it is today.”

The Knaresborough Bed Race draws in lots of visitors. Photo: Andrew Hawkes/Knaresborough Bed Race

Mr Lloyd, says that lines of communication are being kept open with Bauer Media, which has supported the development of the Virtual Bed Race to be held in place of the real event on Saturday 13th June. However, he doesn’t know if there will be a continuing relationship beyond this year, as Stray FM becomes Greatest Hits Radio.

John Fox, chair of Harrogate at Christmas, said he was devastated by Bauer’s announcement, which affects Stray FM and nine other local radio stations in the UK.

He, said:

“Stray FM is deeply-rooted in the Harrogate Community. In times of flooding, or disruptive weather, we could count on Stray FM to keep us informed, to get us safely to work or home. They are always there to promote and support community events.”

One such event, was the annual switch on ceremony for the Christmas lights in Harrogate at which Stray FM’s team were ever-present to support and cover the official start of the festive season in the town.

Mr Fox, pointed out: “Audiences grew from around 300 to thousands.”

Mark Smith, managing direction of the Ripley-based HACS construction group has been a listener for many years and said:

“Stray FM  have been a great asset to the local community, supporting many events across the locality from Knaresborough Bed Race to the Great Yorkshire Show, as well as many charities – they will be sorely missed.”

Three Mayors have spoken out in support of the Bishop of Ripon, the Rt Rev. Dr Helen-Ann Hartley, following news that she received a death threat after commenting on the way in which Boris Johnson, supported Dominic Cummings’ decision to travel from London to Durham at the height of the coronavirus lockdown.

Current Mayor of Harrogate and former Ripon City Mayor, Councillor Stuart Martin, along with Mayor of Ripon Councillor Eamon Parkin and three-times mayor of the city, Councillor Pauline McHardy, were united in their condemnation after Dr Hartley received an email  which read ‘stay out of politics, or it will be the death of you’.

Cllr Martin, whose wife, April  is recovering well after being seriously ill and hospitalised with coronavirus, told The Stray Ferret:

“Irrespective of the whys and wherefores of what the bishop had to say, we have a right to freedom of speech and people should be able to express their views without fear of retribution.”

Cllr Parkin said:

“As soon as I heard the news, I contacted Helen-Ann to offer her my support. I was shocked to read that she had been threatened for saying what she honestly believes. She is a very good friend to me and a very good friend to our city.”

Those sentiments were echoed by three-times Ripon Mayor and Harrogate District Councillor Pauline McHardy, who added:

“It is horrific to think that such a wonderful and highly-respected person as Bishop Helen-Ann should be threatened and frightened in this way. I’m absolutely appalled.”

While civic leaders in Ripon spoke out in support of Dr Hartley, constituency MP Julian Smith remains quiet. He was approached by The Stray Ferret yesterday morning and again this morning for his reaction to the threat made to the bishop and also asked whether he feels that Mr Cummings should be dismissed or allowed to stay on as senior adviser to the Prime Minister.

More than a quarter of Yorkshire’s 26 Conservative MPs have called for Boris Johnson to dismiss Mr Cummings – including Andrew Jones, MP for Harrogate and Knaresborough.

The death threats to Dr Hartley and at least two other Church of England bishops, have been reported to the police and she told The Stray Ferret that she had never previously received a death threat, felt frightened and thought about  the late Jo Cox MP, who was murdered in the street outside her Batley and Spen constituency office in June 2016.

We contacted the Bishop’s office and, at the time of going to press, she had not been contacted personally by Julian Smith.

A smart performance by Ripon Grammar School singer and trumpet player Eva Scullion, has won her a coveted place at the Junior Royal College of Music in Manchester.

Because of the coronavirus crisis, Eva, who is 15 and a year 10 student at the school, had her audition filmed on a smartphone by her mother Beki.

The lockdown and social distancing restrictions, meant that auditions in Manchester could not go ahead and Eva was asked to submit a video featuring her performing and talking about why she wants to study at the college.

She has achieved Grade 8 in voice and grade 6 in trumpet and said she finds music a way of expressing her emotions,  especially when singing and added:

“I really enjoy exploring the different moods in songs and how you can be a completely different person than in real life.”

Ripon Grammar School director of music, Michael Barker, said he was proud that Eva and pointed out:

“She is an excellent all-round musician in theory, performance and composition and a stalwart member of our RGS music groups. She has a promising musical future.”

In Harrogate, Ellie Schaiper, a sixth former from Ashville College has won a coveted place at the National Youth Theatre.

The NYT has a long list of  A-lister alumni that includes Dame Helen Mirren, Daniel Craig, Rosamund Pike, Sir Daniel Day-Lewis, Colin Firth and Sir Ben Kingsley.

Ellie Schaiper said:

“Normally those accepted would take this course in London, however, once again due to the virus, this year’s intake course will be done via ‘Zoom’. After the summer intake course, I should have the opportunity to audition for productions within the company as well as their Rep Company, in addition to masterclasses and talks with industry professionals.”

Ashville Drama student Ellie Schaiper

Karl Boyd, Ashville College’s Head of Drama, said:

“I’m absolutely thrilled for Ellie. Being selected to join the National Youth Theatre is a wonderful achievement, and one that will hopefully open many doors for her as she explores a career in the world of acting.

“She worked incredibly hard for the audition and this, combined with her natural talent, has paid off.”

 

Police have been informed after the Bishop of Ripon  and at least two other bishops, received death threats because they commented on twitter about Dominic Cummings’ 260 mile journey with his wife and son to isolate in County Durham at the height of the coronavirus lockdown.

After tweeting, The Rt, Rev Dr Helen-Ann Hartley, said she had received an email, saying: ‘Stay out of politics, or it will be the death of you.’

Dr Hartley told The Stray Ferret:

“I’ve never received a death threat before and it was frightening. I thought about what happened to Jo Cox, and it has made me extra cautious. At least three bishops received similarly-worded emails and all have been reported to the police by our respective dioceses.”

On Sunday, the Prime Minister, said Mr Cummings had acted ‘responsibly, legally and with integrity’  but his defence of his key adviser attracted strong criticism from a number of Church of England bishops, including Dr Hartley, who wrote on twitter:

“Integrity, trust and leadership were never there; just a misguided ideology of power that has total disregard for the most weak and vulnerable and those who work to protect and care for us with relatively low pay.”

Dr Hartley, who became Bishop of Ripon in 2018, pointed out:

“After my initial tweet, I have never known an inbox like it with the hateful things said, but fortunately, the supportive and kind messages I received outnumbered the unpleasant ones. I would just ask the person or persons who made the threats to reflect upon what they have done and consider the impact of their actions.”

Like Mr Cummings, the bishop’s parents live in Durham, but she has not seen them for ten weeks, because she followed the government’s lockdown instructions. In twitter exchanges she said:

“My father finished radiotherapy treatment just before lockdown. I’ve missed his birthday, Mothering Sunday and countless other catch-ups that would have happened. And that’s a fraction of a story compared with others.”

Dr Hartley believes that the Church does have a role in commenting on politics and its impact upon society.

Skipton and Ripon MP, Julian Smith, has not as yet stated publicly if he believes that Mr Cummings should resign, be dismissed or stay in post.

A Ripon business that was dealt a blow when coronavirus arrived is ready to bounce back.

U NAME IT Promotions of Sycamore Business Park, which makes customised promotional goods, lost 90 percent of its business almost overnight, as the coronavirus crisis brought an abrupt shut-down to the majority of sectors that it supplies into.

To save the company, owner Grant Ashworth, had to furlough all members of his team, and diversify into supplying a range of ‘back to business’ products that will help existing and new customers to re-open their doors.

One new product – a contactless tool (pictured above) – can literally be used to open doors without involving hand to surface contact and can also be used on keypads, such as those found at cash machines.

The new range includes office cleaning and hygiene packs, face masks and no touch keyrings – all designed to make the work environment safe for returning employees.

Mr Ashworth, who has successfully built the business over the past 19 years, told the Stray Ferret:

“In all of my years of trading, I have never experienced any situation as difficult as this and it was a very tough day when I had to tell the team I was having to take up the furlough option to protect the long-term future of the business.”

In addition, he applied for and was successful in obtaining a government-backed Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan whilst he has been running the company single-handed:

Mr Ashworth pointed out:

“They say that necessity is the mother of invention and I have looked for and found a new revenue stream that will keep us ticking over until our core business returns.”

The first of the U NAME IT employees that have been furloughed, will return next month and Mr Ashworth hopes sales of the usual promotional items that the company sells to a loyal customer base, will steadily return as the economy gets back into a more normal pattern of activity

Dacre, Son & Hartley, which has offices across the Harrogate district, has reported a surge in online traffic and enquiries as interest among people looking for a new home or to sell their property, has returned to pre-coronavirus levels.

Yorkshire’s largest  independent estate agent, had agreed its first sale since lockdown by 9.15am on Wednesday 13th May, the same day that the government announced that travel restrictions were being relaxed and estate agents, surveyors and valuers  in England could resume their work and both buyers and renters could start making their moves.

In the six weeks preceding the lifting of the lockdown on the sector, 47,000 people visited the firm’s website and Patrick McCutcheon, head of residential at Dacre, Son & Hartley, said:

“We have plenty of evidence of good levels of demand and over the last few weeks, we have had lots of calls from buyers wanting to arrange viewings and potential sellers requiring sales and marketing advice.”

He added:

“In terms of market conditions, unlike the last market jolt in 2007/08, funding remains readily available and that can only help the liquidity  of the marketplace, which in turn will support buyer confidence.”

Today’s 8pm tribute to the NHS workers has a colourful addition in one Ripon’s most prominent locations.

Red, white and blue bunting, consisting of flags and a message to the NHS reading ‘Big Thanks to our Amazing NHS Workers’ have been strung across  the bottom half of Kirkgate and fixed to the premises of shops and restaurants.

The street, one of the city’s prime shopping and leisure destinations, sweeps down from Market Place to Ripon Cathedral.

In addition to the bunting, numerous of the commercial premises, such as Pizzeria Ristorante Italiano (pictured above) have signs in their windows reading ‘Thank You NHS Heroes’ – this includes signs in businesses that have been temporarily closed because of the coronavirus crisis.

Marco Chessa, who has been running the pizzeria with his parents Mario and Maria, since the family moved to Ripon 16 years ago, told The Stray Ferret:

“It’s great to be flying the flag for the NHS and other front line workers, who put themselves in harm’s way every day to look after the rest of us. These are strange times indeed, but we should never lose sight of exactly what our healthcare workers are doing for us.”

The Mayor of Ripon, Councillor Eamon Parkin, who has a large sign paying tribute to NHS and frontline workers fixed to a wall at his pub, The Magdalens, from where has been hosting Thursday night tributes to key workers in his neighbourhood for the past seven weeks, said of the Kirkgate traders’ tribute:

“This is yet another example of the way in which our city, with its strong sense of community, is showing the kind of unity and support that will eventually see the end of this crisis.”

Who will be running the Ripon’s refurbished and extended Leisure Centre when it eventually opens?

The question arises, with construction workers back in force at the Dallamires Lane site, where a swimming pool will be part of the £10m leisure complex commissioned by Harrogate Borough Council.

The council is currently consulting on the possibility of creating a Local Authority Controlled Company or LACC, to run leisure facilities that it owns.

As reported by The Stray Ferret, Ripon Leisure Centre is among the council-owned facilities that would be run by the LACC, if the money-saving proposals go ahead, meaning that staff currently employed directly by the local authority would transfer to the new arm’s-length company – a move which Unison’s Harrogate Local Government Branch says raises concerns about jobs and the terms and conditions that would apply to employees.

The council declined to comment when approached about Unison’s concerns.

Ripon’s new six-lane 25 metre swimming pool will replace the city’s Edwardian Spa Baths, that opened in 1905. It will be part of an extended leisure centre (see artist’s impression above) with new changing rooms, community areas, two dance studios and a ‘spin’ studio. Outside, there will be new play areas, a reconfigured car park and sheltered cycle rack.

Following a shut-down caused by the coronavirus crisis, approximately 30 workers, including management, have been back on site since 30th April and Nick Corrigan, operations director for principal contractor Willmott Dixon, said:

“Work started safely in accordance with public health guidelines and adhering to the Construction Leadership Council’s Site Operating Procedures, to ensure the safety and welfare of everyone on site.”

Last week, construction was among the sectors for which the government encouraged workers to resume work, as it revised its lockdown guidance.

Construction sites have to be operated following strict procedures including travel to work, site access and egress, social distancing of employees, hygiene, use of canteens and toilet facilities.