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Residents woke up yesterday morning to find Ripon wrapped in a white blanket, as the first significant snowfall of the winter covered the city.
The Stray Ferret was on hand to capture images from the Millfield play area at Bondgate Green, as parents and children played, to Spa Gardens, where Mick Burns’ striking Alice in Wonderland sculpture was transformed into Alice in Winterland.
Families braved the winter weather for some weekend fun at the Millfiled play area
Spa Gardens will become a focus of Christmas celebration from December15 to 17, when an array of illuminated decorations will light up the parkland area.
The free family-focused festive event, open from 2pm until 8pm on each of the three days, will offer entertainment and visual delights, with a number of displays, alongside Santa and his sleigh.
The wonderland sculpture which features Alice and other characters from her adventures, is a lasting reminder of the city’s link to the world-famous books of Lewis Carroll (AKA Charles Lutwidge Dodgson) whose father was a canon at Ripon Cathedral and the author was a chorister.
The artwork, unveiled in 2013 and extended by Burns in 2014, was caught in the winter chill yesterday, but will be bathed in light for the wonderland event.
A wintry Ripon Cathedral, viewed from Minster Gardens
In Market Square, the city’s Christmas tree and reindeer decoration, provided a fitting festive setting for Ripon Town Hall.
The stylish Georgian building (pictured) was built in 1799 as a townhouse for Mrs Elizabeth Allanson and assigned to the corporation in 1897 by her heir the first Marquess of Ripon, who served as the city’s mayor for two consecutive terms from 1895.
The life and work of George Frederick Samuel Robinson, Ripon’s most high profile politician, who also served as Viceroy and Governor-General of India from 1880 to 1884, is celebrated with a statue in his honour in Spa Gardens (pictured below)
Yesterday, his towering figure could be seen in the Narnia-like setting of the gardens, surrounded by evergreen trees coated in snow.
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Ripon HSBC closed for nearly two weeks for ‘essential maintenance’
Ripon’s last remaining high street bank has closed until December 13 for “essential maintenance”.
Diane Whelan (pictured), 86, was one of many disgruntled customers who arrived at the branch on the corner of High Skellgate and Westgate today to find it closed.
A sign in the window advises customers that the nearest branch is in Harrogate town centre. It adds that people can access remote banking online and on the HSBC mobile app.
The bank closed on Thursday (November 30) for essential maintenance.
Diane Whelan.
Ms Whelan told the Stray Ferret:
“This could not be more inconvenient, with Christmas just over three weeks away.
“Why couldn’t this work have been done at some other time?”
Ms Whelan has been an HSBC customer for more than 60 years and was calling to get a statement.
She said:
“I’m afraid I don’t do online and I’m sure other people like me will feel the same.”
The closure of Halifax in November 2022 left HSBC, which has no external cash machine, as the city’s only remaining bank.
Read more:
- Halifax closure leaves Ripon with one remaining bank
- Harrogate and Ripon survive today’s cull of HSBC branches
Off-road cycling retailer relocates to larger premises in Ripon
There’s only a small distance between their old and new Ripon stores, but for Sam Huby and Theo Hiley it’s a very big move.
The joint owners of Bikemonger, which stocks Surly and Salsa off-road fat bikes and gravel bikes, set up business in 2019 in a retail unit tucked away on Duck Hill.
Yesterday morning they completed the relocation to premises four times the size at 2 Kirkgate.
They invited the Stray Ferret to see how they have transformed the former carpet store into a showroom for specialised bicycles, bikepacking goods and associated equipment and spares.
Mr Huby said:
“We sell both online and direct to customers who call in to see us and by quadrupling our retail space to almost 2,000 square feet, we now have the room to properly display the bikes and accessories, which will hopefully lead to growth in sales.”
Some of the bikepacking goods on display
Through its online presence, the independent niche bicycle business has attracted customers from far and wide,
Mr Huby said:
“The fat bikes have extra large tyres that can handle any type of terrain and we’ve sold one to a man who visited us from Norway and uses it for cycling in snow and ice, while another customer bought one for riding across the frozen waters of Lake Biakal in Siberia.
“Next month a man who lives locally, is calling to see us to collect a bike for cycling across the sand dunes in Saudi Arabia.”
Closer to home, Bikemonger will be looking after local customers from Ripon and surrounding areas who are buying bicycles as Christmas presents, or bringing in bikes for repair.
Mr Hiley said:
“The new shop is in a better location for us in one of the main footfall areas of the city and that will give us increased visibility and help us to attract passing trade.
“With our increased space we will also be able to cater for a wider base of customers and sell more off-road bikes that are suitable for children.”
Main picture: Theo Hiley (left) and Sam Huby, at their newly-opened store in Market Place South
North Yorkshire Council highway engineers and other workmen have been out in force in Ripon city centre today.
Engineers started three days of trial works to discover what exactly lies beneath the surface of the Market Place East and West roads.
Meanwhile, a council colleague was eradicating weeds and grass around the base of the obelisk and poking out of the joints between the paving sets on the southern half of Market Square.
He told the Stray Ferret the environmentally friendly means being used to rid the monument and square of unsightly growths is a combination of potato starch and steam, previously used for weed clearance in Harrogate’s Valley Gardens.
The trial works began on Market Place East this morning.
Deeper down under the cracked and uneven block paving roads adjacent to Market Square, engineers are carrying out tests to find out more about their foundations, so that a scheme can be drawn up for comprehensive tarmac resurfacing costing £630,000 works to go ahead next October.
The trial work is scheduled to last until Wednesday and while it is ongoing each road will be kept open but reduced to a single lane, meaning traffic disruption and delays are likely.
North Yorkshire Council said in a statement:
“Pedestrian access will be maintained throughout and on-site personnel will assist in managing access to properties and businesses within the works area.”
Main picture: A council workman uses starch and steam to clear weeds on Market Square South.
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Woodland Trust backs Ripon campaign to save veteran beech tree
Campaigners fighting to save a veteran beech and 10 other mature trees from being felled on a public open green space in Ripon have received support from the Woodland Trust — the UK’s largest woodland conservation charity.
Between 12 noon and 1pm today, more than 60 men, women and children gathered with placards on Minster Gardens for a peaceful protest to raise awareness of the threat facing the trees.
They will be felled if North Yorkshire Council approves Ripon Cathedral’s application to build a two-storey annex on the gardens.
The proposed £6m development, on land which passed into North Yorkshire Council’s ownership in April when Harrogate Borough Council was abolished, would include a song school, community space, toilets, a refectory and shop, which the cathedral says will attract more than 30,000 extra visitors a year to the city.
The veteran beech tree that is under threat of being felled, with ten other trees
To coincide with today’s protest, the Woodland Trust, which has the veteran beech listed on its inventory of ancient trees, reiterated its strong opposition to the removal of the trees.
Jack Taylor, the trust’s lead campaigner for woods under threat, said in the statement:
“The proposed loss of trees within Ripon Cathedral’s Minster Gardens is of grave concern to the Woodland Trust. An irreplaceable veteran beech tree and a number of mature and notable trees would be lost to development on this site.
“Such trees play a vital role in the urban environment, enhancing aesthetic appeal, acting as carbon sinks, providing shade, improving air quality, and supporting local biodiversity. Their loss not only alters the landscape but also has far-reaching environmental and social implications.”
He added:
“The loss of veteran, notable and mature trees is entirely unacceptable and contrary to national planning policies designed to protect these important habitats. We ask that the developers work with North Yorkshire County Council and the local community to safeguard these magnificent urban trees and ensure that Ripon’s Minster Gardens remain vibrant, resilient, and ecologically rich.”
The trust lodged a formal objection to the felling of the tree with North Yorkshire Council this year, as did the planning authority’s own ecologist Dan McAndrew and arboriculturist Alan Gilleard.
What protestors said
Valerie Sheldon, who is one of the 1,800 people who have signed a petition objecting to the felling of the trees, said:
“In the 31 years that I have lived in Ripon I have enjoyed visiting this peaceful green lung. There is no other place like it in the city centre.
“The trees have been here for a very long time and must be protected.”
Simone Hurst added:
“We can’t just stand by and allow the destruction of mature trees that are important to the environment and provide a habitat for hundreds of different wildlife species.”
Steve Ellis said:
“The beech is 200 years old and according to the experts, still has plenty of life in it, Why would anybody want to cut it and other trees down to replace them with an environmentally unfriendly concrete structure.?”
The Stray Ferret approached Ripon Cathedral for comment on today’s protest, but did not receive a response by the time of publication.
However, a statement from the Dean and Chapter was released in May, after a smaller protest was held on Minster Gardens. It said:
“The planning application is going through its due process, as such we don’t respond to individual comments or objections during this process.
“What I can say is that we have investigated all available options within the cathedral estate, and none of the sites were suitable for the new building. This was the opinion of a range of external experts who specialise in heritage buildings and conservation as well as architects and project management experts. The needs of all internal and external users of the proposed new building cannot be met by using any other existing chapter property and all cathedral property is currently being used to its maximum capacity.
“As we’ve previously said, the building will be an asset to the people of the city, providing much needed facilities, including a safe space for our choristers to rehearse that is fully accessible, along with public toilet facilities (including a new Changing Places toilet, suitable for those who struggle to use standard accessible toilets).
“While we understand that some people may see the loss of eleven trees as too heavy a price to pay, the development will tidy up an unloved part of the city, increase the amount of public open space and enhance the existing much-valued memorial garden. The plans we’ve submitted also include the planting of 14 new trees around the cathedral, along with a further 300 trees on land made available by a supporter of the project and will see an overall increase in biodiversity across the area.”
The planning application which was submitted to Harrogate Borough Council last December, is due to be considered by the Skipton and Ripon area constituency planning committee of North Yorkshire Council at a date and venue yet to be confirmed.
Read more:
- Dean says Cathedral Quarter will attract more visitors to Ripon
- Ripon Civic Society objects to location of proposed annex development
- Cathedral planning agent says retention of veteran beech is ‘unfeasible and impractical’
Summerbridge Players go ‘cuckoo’ with pre-Christmas panto
Summerbridge Players are going ‘cuckoo’ in a pantomime that promises to provide pre-Christmas fun for all the family.
Four performances of Alice in Cuckoo Land will be staged at Dacre and Hartwith Village Hall in Dacre Banks, starting from November 30.
Rev Alastair Ferneley (pictured back, third from left) will be swapping his clerical clothes for high heels and a dress, as he takes the part of the Dame.
Peter Nuttall’s panto provides a comical and alternative view on the festive season as Rev Ferneley, the Vicar of Dacre with Hartwith & Darley with Thornthwaite, told the Stray Ferret:
“The evil Queen of Hearts hates Christmas and is determined that it will be banned from her realm. She has even thrown Santa into the dungeons.
“Alice and her friends Chester the Cheshire cat, Floppy the White Rabbit and the Mad Hatter set out to rescue him. Of course, there are also the Dame and other colourful characters to add to the fun and games.”
The pantomime, starting at 7.30pm, will be held from Thursday November 30 until Saturday December 2 and there will also be a matinee performance starting at 12,30 on the Saturday. Tickets are available at the J Todd and Sons store in Main Street ,Summerbridge.
Callous vandal attack on small Ripon cafe
The owner of one of Ripon’s smallest cafes, has been dealt a devastating blow caused by an act of mindless vandalism.
Helen Slater, who has run the Cathedral View Cafe for six years, arrived at work this morning to discover that one of the windows at her Bedern Bank premises had been smashed with a rock.
She told the Stray Ferret:
“I was absolutely heartbroken, this has never happened to me before and the timing could not have been worse.”
Ms Slater who arrived in festive dress, ready for a hard day’s work, added:
“With the Ripon Cathedral Gift and Food Fair taking place across the road, I was expecting this to be one of my busiest weekends of the year, as I serve breakfast sandwiches and other food and drink items for people who have stalls at the fair.
“But with a broken window, it wasn’t safe to open and I lost all of that breakfast business, as I had to spend three hours cleaning up, contacting my landlord and reporting the vandal attack to the police.”
With the window boarded up, Cathedral View was able to open in time for the later morning and lunchtime trade and it will be business as usual again tomorrow.
Ms Slater, said:
“I have been overwhelmed by the kindness of fellow traders, customers and other people who have sent me supportive messages, made offers of help and dropped by with flowers and chocolates,
“The generosity of the local community has again shone through and I would particularly like to thank Ripon Walled Garden who cheered me up with the gift of a Christmas tree.”
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Three days of roadworks in Ripon city centre begin on Monday
North Yorkshire Council highway engineers will be carrying out trial roadworks along both Market Place East and Market Place West in Ripon next week.
When ongoing, between Monday and Wednesday, each road will be kept open but reduced to a single lane, meaning traffic disruption and delays are inevitable.
The work follows last week’s news that £630,000 has been allocated for a comprehensive tarmac resurfacing of both roads to be carried out next October.
North Yorkshire Council said in a statement:
“Pedestrian access will be maintained throughout and on-site personnel will assist in managing access to properties and businesses within the works area.”
Andrew Williams, leader of Ripon City Council and a members of the Conservative and Independents Group on North Yorkshire Council, where he represents the Minster and Moorside Division, told the Stray Ferret:
“There will be some disruption, but the works are necessary, to enable the engineers to design a scheme that will provide a lasting solution to the problems and potential risks that pedestrians, motorists and cyclists have experienced over many years, after the previous tarmacked surface was replaced with block sets that did not have adequate foundations.”
Picture: Market Place East and West roads will be reduced to a single lane while work is on-going
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Ripon’s YMCA charity shop to reopen next week
The Ripon YMCA charity shop, which closed at short notice in September, will reopen in time for the Christmas trading period,
Courtney Addison, the newly-appointed manager at the Marshall Way retail park store, told the Stray Ferret this morning:
“We are working hard pricing up goods and stocking shelves and rails ahead of reopening next week..”
The shop windows are being prepared with Christmas displays
Ms Addison, who has transferred over from the YMCA’s Boroughbridge shop, where she worked for four years, has been creating Christmas displays with her deputy Steph Nejzer Hewitt.
She pointed out:
“We have lots of new stock and some lovely festive items and look forward to welcoming back our customers and attracting some new ones as well.”
The store has a vacancy for another deputy manager and is looking for additional volunteers. Anybody wanting to find out more can contact 01765 690664.
At the time of its closing in September, a message on the shop’s Facebook page, said:
“We sincerely apologise for the temporary closure of this store. This is due to property circumstances beyond our control.”
The Ripon shop, which is part of a portfolio of 100-plus YMCA stores in England and Wales managed by the charity’s national retail team in London, opened in February in the unit formerly occupied by Argos.
Main picture: The store is being readied for reopening
Tree campaigners to hold protest against Ripon Cathedral’s £6m annex plans
Campaigners fighting the proposed felling of a veteran beech and 10 other mature trees to make way for Ripon Cathedral’s planned £6m annex will hold a peaceful protest at Minster Gardens on Saturday.
The proposed development would include a song school, community space, toilets, a refectory and shop, which it says will attract more visitors to the city.
But the potential loss of trees has attracted opposition, and protestors will make their feelings known between 12 noon and 1pm on Saturday.
Ripon resident Jenni Holman, who has raised a petition containing almost 1,800 names, which has been submitted to planners at North Yorkshire Council, told the Stray Ferret:
“Over the past eight months we have been raising awareness of the cathedral’s plans, which involve the loss of the trees on what is currently public green open space in the ownership of North Yorkshire Council.
“We do not object to the cathedral having the additional facilities that it needs to prosper, but there are more suitable and less sensitive locations, including land and buildings owned by the church, which could be developed to meet its needs.”
She added:
“North Yorkshire Police have been informed that we will be holding our peaceful protest on Minster Gardens from 12 noon and we will be happy to speak to anybody, whether for or against the annex development , to explain why we have raised the petition.”
Jenni Holman (front, centre) pictured at the May protest on Minster Gardens
A previous protest was held at the gardens in May, when the number of people who signed the petition was approaching 500.
At that time, the Stray Ferret asked the cathedral for comment about the objection being made and received this response:
“The planning application is going through its due process, as such we don’t respond to individual comments or objections during this process.
“What I can say is that we have investigated all available options within the cathedral estate, and none of the sites were suitable for the new building. This was the opinion of a range of external experts who specialise in heritage buildings and conservation as well as architects and project management experts. The needs of all internal and external users of the proposed new building cannot be met by using any other existing chapter property and all cathedral property is currently being used to its maximum capacity.
“As we’ve previously said, the building will be an asset to the people of the city, providing much needed facilities, including a safe space for our choristers to rehearse that is fully accessible, along with public toilet facilities (including a new Changing Places toilet, suitable for those who struggle to use standard accessible toilets).
“While we understand that some people may see the loss of 11 trees as too heavy a price to pay, the development will tidy up an unloved part of the city, increase the amount of public open space and enhance the existing much-valued memorial garden. The plans we’ve submitted also include the planting of 14 new trees around the cathedral, along with a further 300 trees on land made available by a supporter of the project and will see an overall increase in biodiversity across the area.”
Main picture: Campaigners are fighting to save this veteran beech and ten other mature trees