With its first fixture of the 2023 season just a fortnight away, Ripon Racecourse has announced a new sponsorship deal with William Hill.

The bookmaker, which has sponsored Ripon’s feature race of the year – Great St Wilfrid Handicap – since 1994, is now teaming up with the Boroughridge Road course to offer a bonus of £5,000 to the owner(s) of the inaugural William Hill Ripon Champion 2023, with an additional £1,000 going to the winning stable.

Running throughout the season, which starts on Thursday April 20 and finishes on Saturday September 30, each race winner will accrue three points, with two points for a second-place finish and one point for third. The horse that accumulates the most points across the season will be crowned the champion and will bag the £5,000 prize.

There will be additional points on offer for the Great St Wilfrid Handicap on August 19 – with five points to the winner, three for second and two for third.

Ruairi Stirling, racing sponsorship manager at William Hill said:

“The relationship between Ripon and William Hill goes back many years and this another sign that shows it’s as healthy as ever.

“We’re really keen to award the horses that run well at Ripon repeatedly and hopefully this new incentive will encourage owners and trainers to consider running there throughout the season.”

Jonathan Mullin, operations, marketing and Clerk of the course, said:

“We recognise how hugely important owners are to the sport and here at Yorkshire’s Garden Racecourse we have a lot of horses and owners who return to us regularly.

“It’s always fantastic to see the old favourites return and the nature of this competition with points for first, second and third, favours horses that run here more often. Hopefully we can reward one of those regulars by crowning them ‘William Hill Ripon Champion’ at the end of the season.

“It’s great to be able to partner with William Hill, long term sponsors here with this innovative new project and now we’re really looking forward to getting the season started and seeing the League table begin to take shape.”

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A severely sight impaired Ripon resident has thanked highways workers for their swift action in attending to trip hazards near his home.

Graham Wilkey who lives in the Bondgate area, raised concerns about cracked and uneven pavements that made him wary of walking into the city centre, even with the assistance of Riley, his three-year-old guide dog.

He told the Stray Ferret:

“Riley can ensure that I cross roads safely and avoid obstacles such as signage blocking pavements, but he can’t stop me from falling if I trip on a broken paving stone and that’s why I decided to contact the council.”

Workmen patching the pavement near Mr Wilkey’s home

Following Mr Wilkey’s call, a highways engineer responded quickly to inspect the pavements and identified eight stones in need of removal.

On Thursday, two days before North Yorkshire County Council became the new North Yorkshire Council on April 1, workmen arrived to remove the damaged paving and replace it with tarmac.

Mr Wilkey said:

“I’d like to thank them for sorting out the problem so quickly and making the walk into the city centre safer for me and other sight-impaired people and those with mobility issues.

“There’s a lot of Ripon roads and pavements still in need of repair, but this is an encouraging start.”

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The building that will house the £300,000 temporary gym at the Jack Laugher Leisure and Wellness Centre has been located in the car park near the entrance to the swimming pool.

The prefabricated structure was put into position yesterday morning using a long-reach mobile crane and while the opening date has yet to be confirmed, a spokesperson for North Yorkshire Council told the Stray Ferret:

“I believe it will be towards the end of the month (April) that customers will start to use the alternative gym.”

The temporary building

Once up and running, the temporary facility will enable the closure of the existing gym on the upper floor of the 28-year-old leisure centre next to the new swimming pool that opened last March.

This will pave the way for ground stabilisation works costing £3.5million to be carried out under the building.

The temporary gym, operated by Brimhams Active on behalf of the newly-formed North Yorkshire Council unitary authority, will be fitted out with Technogym equipment currently available in the existing leisure and wellness centre, and expert advice and guidance will be available.

Customers will still be able to use the changing and shower facilities in the new pool area – as well as the sauna and steam suite – as they will remain open as normal.

Group exercise classes will also continue to be provided at Hugh Ripley Hall.

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Last weekend’s planned installation of the £300,000 temporary gym in the car park at the Jack Laugher Leisure and Wellness Centre in Ripon did not go ahead.

As reported in the Stray Ferret, the installation was scheduled to take place between March 25 and 26, with the leisure centre and adjacent children’s playground shut during the operation.

However, a spokesperson for Harrogate Borough Council said this morning:

“Unfortunately, due to the predicted high winds, the installation was postponed until this weekend.”

The spokesperson added the leisure centre and playground is now due to close at 6pm on Saturday (April 1) until Monday morning (April 3) to ensure the gym can be put in place.

Its Installation will enable the closure of the existing gym on the upper floor of the 28-year-old leisure centre next to the new swimming pool that opened last March, paving the way for ground stabilisation works costing £3.5million to be carried out under the building.

A week ago the council, which runs the site through its leisure company Brimhams Active, said the temporary facility would open next month:

In its statement, the council added:

“The gym will include the high-quality, state-of-the-art Technogym equipment currently available in the existing leisure and wellness centre, as well as expert advice and guidance from the Brimhams Active team.

“Customers will still be able to use the changing and shower facilities in the new pool area – as well as the sauna and steam suite – as they will remain open as normal.

“Group exercise classes will also continue to be provided at Hugh Ripley Hall.”

The non-stop knitters of Ripon Community Poppy Project have transformed the city centre with their Easter displays.

Members of the project’s Knit and Natter Club and many more who work from home, have been creating the decorations since September and their meticulous handiwork can be seen around Market Square and other key locations.

The intricate displays, made up from 1,360 knitted eggs, more than 2,000 hand-crafted chain links and 53 woollen pictures featuring spring lambs, chicks, rabbits and flowers, have been fixed to railings, the Ripon Town Hall balcony and this post box (pictured above).

Hazel Barker, who co-founded the RCPP with former Ripon mayor Councillor Stuart Martin, told the Stray Ferret:

“Our knitters work all year round creating displays for annual events including Remembrance commemorations in November and Winter Wonderland at Christmas.”

Councillor Stuart Martin (right) putting a display in place with Carol Dunkley and Bob McLennan

She added:

“In 2022, we took on the mammoth task of creating miles of royal-themed banners and other decorations that were wrapped around the city’s streets to celebrate the Queen’s platinum jubilee.

“Now we are busily adapting these as well as creating new displays to mark the coronation of King Charles III.”

Ms Barker added:

“The Ripon Community Poppy Project was launched in 2018 to create displays for the city to mark the 100th anniversary of the end of World War I and we haven’t stopped knitting ever since!”

The main pic shows an Easter display with (from left): Hazel Barker, Lyn Hart, Betty Hardisty, David Hardisty, Sandra Searle, Alwyn Hartley and Pat McLennan.

Fears that priceless elements of Ripon’s rich military heritage could be flattened to make way for the 1,300-home Clotherholme scheme have been allayed.

Jane Furse, a trustee of the Ripon Military Heritage Trust, which has plans to create heritage trails on the development site, told the Stray Ferret:

“We were concerned that some extremely rare huts on the Deverell  Barracks part of the site, and other historically important structures, would be demolished, but I’m relieved to say that this will not be the case.

“These huts are among the few surviving of their kind in the UK and help to tell the story of the vital national and international role that Ripon’s Royal Engineers played in just about every aspect of World War II and subsequent conflicts.

“This included training British and allied troops in the erection and use of Bailey Bridges in theatres of war such as Sicily and France and bomb disposal, that saved the lives of civilians and military personnel around the world.”

Minutes of Harrogate Borough Council’s February 23 planning meeting at which Homes England was seeking outline approval to progress development of the huge Clotherholme scheme, confirm that the huts and other structures will have protection.

Under the provisions of a Section 106 agreement the developer is required to put in place a strategy to ‘secure military heritage within the site.’

Jane Furse of Ripon Military Heritage Trust pictured at the barracks site

The planning meeting minutes also say:

“Prior to the commencement of works to each phase of development, a record (including photographs, drawings and summary of historic analysis) shall be made of a representative selection of buildings with military heritage on site and shall be submitted to and approved in writing by the local planning authority. Copies of this record shall be placed on the North Yorkshire Historic Environment Record.”

Ms Furse, an architectural historian and former inspector of historic buildings with English Heritage (now Historic England) pointed out:

“Inclusion within the S 106 agreement means that the significance of military heritage assets at the site has been formally recognised and that is very welcome news.

“It means that we can go forward, in liaison with Homes England and other parties, to progress plans for military heritage trails at Clotherholme that alongside other heritage attractions, will add to the city’s development as a tourist destination.”

Bomb disposal and the American connection

The wooden huts at Deverell Barracks are of heritage importance, because they are identical to ones that were located at the nearby Harper Barracks which became the home of the Royal Engineers’ School of Bomb Disposal in 1941.

Setting up of the national school in Ripon, soon saw Royal Engineers based in the city providing vital training and passing on know-how to the Americans, in the wake of Japan’s attack on Pearl Harbour, the USA naval base.

Ms Furse said:

“The Royal Engineers sought out examples of every known enemy bomb and developed countermeasures to defuse them. The School developed a rigorous training programme in bomb identification and disposal methodology.

“The Americans, although aware of the threat of unexploded bombs, had no proper procedures for safe disposal and the aftermath of the bombing of Pearl Harbour on December 7 1941, meant that for the first time, they were faced with unexploded bombs scattered throughout their bases and the harbour.

“On December 9, the British Military Attache’s office in Washington received a request for a joint personnel exchange – an early example of the ‘special relationship’ between ourselves and the USA.

“A group of eight hand-picked American soldiers headed by Major Thomas J Kane, travelled to Ripon to train with the Engineers, arriving on February 1 1942.

“After six weeks of attending lectures and demonstrations, all of the U.S. Army ordnancemen passed the course and were made honorary Royal Engineers – they were even given official RE patches and allowed to wear them on the sleeves of their American uniforms.”

The expertise gained from the Royal Engineers in Ripon subsequently saw Major Kane set up the USA’s first Bomb Disposal School in Maryland.

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Ripon Business Improvement District launched its Easter windows competition today as it seeks to attract more visitors to the city centre over the upcoming holiday period.

BID manager Lilla Bathurst told the Stray Ferret:

“Our aim is to encourage visitor movement around BID businesses and we have been working in partnership with the wonderful team at Jennyruth Workshops, who have created 40 decorated Easter eggs for businesses to display and build their themed windows around.”

Jennyruth Workshops is a social enterprise in Ripon where adults who have learning disabilities are trained in a wide variety of skills.

Ms Bathurst added:

“We already have 35 businesses involved and the five eggs that we have remaining are available to any BID member wishing to participate.

“Any trader who would like to be part of this year’s competition can email manager@riponbid.co.uk”

Yorkshire Building Society has already received its decorative egg produced by Jennyruth and branch manager Rosanna Ferrazzano, said:

“It is beautifully made and stylishly decorated and will take pride of place in the window display that we create.”

A new addition to Ripon’s hospitality sector has arrived with the opening of The Silva Bells restaurant and cafe at the bottom of Kirkgate.

Eight months after the closure of the Bambudda Asian fusion restaurant, a total refurbishment and kitchen re-fit has been carried out at the corner-site premises, located across the road from the city’s cathedral.

Following successful negotiations with landlord Mike Johnson, Silva Bells’ managing director Jenk Pepec and his business partner David De Silva invested time and money in delivering the new look.

The name recognises the vital role that Mr De Silva and his wife Betty played in getting the new venture off the ground.

Members of The Silva Bells’ chefs and kitchen team: (from left) Jack O’Brien, Lloyd Gardener, Carl Smith and Stu Hooren

Mr Pepek, who gained expertise through working in the hospitality sector in his home city of Bursa in northern Turkey and subsequently in Birmingham and York after he moved to the UK, told the Stray Ferret:

“I fell in love with this place the first time that I saw it and after a lot of hard work new life has been breathed into it.”

The business employs 17 people and is open six days a week, serving a selection of modern British and European cuisine and incorporating Mediterranean dishes.

Mr Pepec said;

“Our menu includes items ranging from traditional Sunday roasts to a ‘create your own’ pizza and we will also be serving dishes featuring locally-sourced game.

“We have received a warm welcome and look forward to contributing to the community of this charming and historic city.”

The main image shows Jenk Pepec (centre) with members of The Silva Bells’ front of house team — from the left: Gaby Symonds, Mia Kitching, Harry Jewers and Jack George

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A £300,000 temporary gym in the car park at the Jack Laugher Leisure and Wellness Centre site in Ripon will be opening next month.

Its installation will enable the closure of the existing gym on the upper floor of the 28-year-old leisure centre next to the new swimming pool that opened last March, paving the way for ground stabilisation works costing £3.5million to be carried out under the building.

To ensure the temporary gym can be installed safely, the leisure and wellness centre and playground will be closed from 6pm Saturday (March 25) until Monday morning (March 27) .

The announcement has come from Harrogate Borough Council 10 days before it is abolished and becomes part of the new North Yorkshire unitary authority.

Last July, the council announced that the temporary gym would open ‘in the autumn’ (of 2022) but this date was subsequently put back.

This morning the council, which runs the site through its leisure company Brimhams Active, said:

“A temporary gym at the Jack Laugher Leisure and Wellness Centre in Ripon is set to open next month (April) to ensure residents can keep fit and active.

“The gym will include the high-quality, state-of-the-art Technogym equipment currently available in the existing leisure and wellness centre, as well as expert advice and guidance from the Brimhams Active team.

“Customers will still be able to use the changing and shower facilities in the new pool area – as well as the sauna and steam suite – as they will remain open as normal.

“Group exercise classes will also continue to be provided at Hugh Ripley Hall.”

The council statement added:

“The temporary gym, which has started to be installed, is being used to provide customers with an alternative offer while the ground stabilisation works take place.

“These works come following the discovery of a void underneath part of the original leisure centre. The void is understood to have been present for a number of years and was only discovered when the reinforced concrete slab, which provides the foundation for the new swimming pool, was cast.

“On discovery of this void, the borough council appointed a contractor to carry out a thorough investigation programme under the original leisure centre to determine what work may be required to ensure the facility can continue to be used for many years to come.”

Councillor Stanley Lumley, Harrogate Borough Council’s cabinet member for culture, tourism and sport, and chair of the board of directors at Brimhams Active, said:

“We remain committed to enabling people to enjoy physical activity. By providing a temporary gym, while the ground stabilisation works take place, we can minimise the disruption to current and potential customers and ensure they can continue to maintain their health and well-being goals.”

“The fantastic new swimming pool will also remain open as usual and continues to provide an excellent health and wellness experience.”