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.

The current crisis has given added impetus to a community group’s on-going campaign to save a village pub in Kirkby Malzeard from residential redevelopment.

Dave Robinson, who is chair of The Henry Jenkins Community Pub Ltd., told The Stray Ferret:

“The coronavirus crisis has served to emphasise the need for rural communities to come together and make best use of their facilities for local residents. We are fighting to preserve something  that we see as valuable to a growing parish and this is a prime example of how people are collaborating in an attempt to protect something that they see as belonging to this community.”

He added:

“We are absolutely determined to save this heritage asset ..There are 153 community-owned pubs in the UK and none of them has failed. The common denominator for the success of all such ventures, is the fact that the community wants them and is ready to put its money where its mouth is.”

That view is supported by 179 local people, who have committed to buy community shares at £250 apiece, towards the purchase of The Henry Jenkins Inn, named after a farm worker and butler, who is reputed to have lived to the age of 169 and died in 1669.

The current state of the Henry Jenkins Inn

The Henry Jenkins Inn was more than 200 years old when it closed in 2011 and was subsequently bought by David Fielder of Fielder Holdings, who in April 2016, submitted  a planning application to construct four dwellings on the site. The application was refused by Harrogate Borough Council’s planning committee – a decision that was upheld at appeal.

In June 2017 the council listed the Henry Jenkins as an Asset of Community Value (ACV), and later in the year a Community Co-op was approved by the Plunkett Foundation, which supports community projects including the buy-out of pubs.

A further planning application for a single dwelling on the eastern half of the site, made by Mr Fielder’s business associate Justin Claybourn, was refused by the council and is now the subject of a planning appeal, which has been postponed because of the coronavirus crisis.

An offer of £200,000 made by The Henry Jenkins Community Pub Ltd. to buy the entire site has so far been rejected by the owners.

The Stray Ferret asked people in both Harrogate and Ripon constituencies what questions they had for their local MPs.

In Harrogate, the questions centred on how the town centre is going to bounce back after restrictions are lifted and what support is going to be in place for both people and businesses.

Here is what people in the town had to ask Andrew Jones MP.

Phil Argent, CEO of Tenancy Stream, said:                                          “Businesses are going to have to try and start again and are not going to have the footfall that they once did. How exactly is Harrogate going to bounce back from lockdown?”

Jan Bathurst, team leader at Harrogate District Food Bank, said:               “Once lockdown is lifted, what support is going to be in place for vulnerable people both in terms of financially and food?”

Kimberley Wilson, owner of The Camberley Hotel and chair of Accommodation Harrogate, said: “I would like to know when we are going to have the Harrogate Convention Centre back and what is going to happen with events going forward?

In Ripon, the questions hit a different tone. There was an anxiety over how vulnerable people will cope and what the government is going to do to address rural poverty which some fear will be worse after lockdown.

This is what the people of Ripon wanted to ask Mr Smith:

Dave Robinson, chair of Henry Jenkins Community Pub Ltd: “The coronavirus crisis has served to emphasise the need for rural communities to come together and make best use of their facilities for local residents. As previously indicated by you, once the crisis is over, can we count on your support in our campaign to save the historic Henry Jenkins Inn in Kirkby Malzeard, reestablishing the Asset of Community Value over the whole site and protecting its status as a community amenity for the three villages in our expanding parish?”

Phil Marley, owner of Marley’s Butchers, Ripon: “The worrying scale of rural poverty in Ripon and surrounding areas, has become even clearer with the coronavirus crisis. We are doing our bit as a business to help families and individuals in dire need, but people cannot rely on charity forever. As I see it, the financial situation can only get worse, particularly as unemployment is likely to rise when small businesses go bust because of the money they have lost. What do you think the government can do to assist places like Ripon in keeping businesses open and helping the poorest in our society?”

Alison Hope, No 12 Greengrocers, Masham:                                                  “Local farmers are working around the clock in the crucial role of keeping us all fed. Many are working in difficult circumstances, with concerns for their future. What have you been doing to support our local farming community during the crisis?”

All of these questions were submitted to Andrew Jones and Julian Smith at the end of last week. We are still waiting to hear back from both MPs.

Annette Kite, her husband Nathan and son Jack, were busy over the VE Day bank holiday, preparing meals for 45 households in Ripon.

Every Sunday since the coronavirus crisis meant many people in the city had to go into self isolation, the family has been preparing meals that have been delivered free of charge to pensioners, families with limited income, people caught in food poverty and cancer sufferers.

The Monday evening meals-on-wheels-type service has grown week by week after Annette and Nathan, with assistance from trainee chef Jack, first started helping neighbours in their 90s, who were facing difficulties as COVID-19 saw them stuck at home.

The Stray Ferret joined the couple, as deliveries were made discreetly to avoid any embarrassment for the recipients, and it was clear that the the bags containing hot meals and other food items were most welcome.

Annette said:

“Nathan and I make some of the home deliveries and we also have volunteers who collect packs from us to deliver to their neighbours who are in need of help. We are very careful to ensure that social distancing is observed, both in collections made from our home and deliveries that we and the volunteers make “

The free service has been made possible because of donations in cash and kind; gifts of goods and the support of numerous businesses in Ripon, including Bambuda oriental restaurant, Southgate Fish and Chip Shop, Spa Gardens Cafe, Cafe Tempo, Wakeman House Cafe, Love Boutique, Booths and Morrisons supermarkets, Marley’s Butchers, Appleton’s and Spilmans.

Annette pointed out:

“We would not be able to do this without the fabulous support that we have received, ranging from hot meals provided by Bambuda and Southgate Fish and Chip Shop, production of puddings by Caroline Bentham and baking by Deborah Chalmers and our friends at Cafe Tempo and Wakeman House.”

The demand for the service has grown through word of mouth and posts on Facebook and underlines the fact that the coronavirus crisis has unveiled the scale of food poverty that exists in Ripon and surrounding rural areas.

As previously reported by The Stray Ferret, Marley’s Butchers – which is helping Annette and Nathan with the provision of meat at heavily discounted prices – is running its own weekly delivery of meat packs to families and individuals who are in dire need.

Steve and Clare Walmsley may well be leading the field when it comes to an unusual way of thanking the NHS.

The couple live with their teenage children Heidi and Freddie at Brooklands Farm close to the A61 Ripon to Harrogate Road near South Stainley and have a corner of a field on a raised plain has proved a prime location for catch the eye messages, such as Support British Farming and follow the Tour De Yorkshire.

Now they have taken matters to a whole new attention-grabbing level by placing a sign that reads ‘Thank You NHS’ and putting rainbows on the side of resident ewes Muffin and Milkshake, who munch the lush grass as lorries, cars, motorcyclists and cyclists pass by on the nearby road.

Steve told The Stray Ferret:

“We decided to do this because people are having a tough time at the moment and need something to smile about.”

The rainbows on Muffin, who is a Mule and Texel Cross Milkshake, were put on using an animal marker and are so far on one side of the ewes, but Steve and Clare are planning use the marker colours on the other side of each animal, so the rainbow can be seen whichever way the ewes are turning.

Clare, who has family that work in the NHS, added:

“We are so grateful for what the front line workers are going for us all, that we wanted to find a special way of saying thank you to them.”

Their decision to put the sign in the field with their rainbow sheep is clearly working, as drivers of vehicles passing by could be heard papping their horns as they went past.