The success of Ripon’s Rock for St Wilfrid Concert in Minster Gardens has prompted organisers to call for an encore.

An estimated 500 people turned up on Saturday evening to hear four acts, including rock band Time Machine in which Kevin Hill is a vocalist and plays bass guitar.

Mr Hill, who owns the Karma clothing and gift boutique in Kirkgate with his wife Liz, told the Stray Ferret:

“It was the ideal location for a summer concert and we’re now considering a follow-up for the August Bank Holiday and have ideas for further musical and cultural events to be staged here next spring.”

Concert-goers gather at Minster Gardens

The event arranged at short notice in liaison with the St Wilfrid’s Procession Committee and Ripon Business Improvement District, was supported with a grant of £829 from North Yorkshire Council which also gave permission for use of the public open space.

Harpist Lucinda Taylor

Mr Hill said:

“Thanks to cooperation from all parties, we were able to hold a family-focused evening of entertainment in this lovely setting.

“It attracted a large crowd and those who attended showed great respect by leaving the gardens litter free.”

In addition to Time Machine (pictured above) the evening also featured local singer-songwriter Alannah Creed, harp player Lucinda Taylor and Knaresborough Vista Social Club.

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Arrival at a Ripon Cathedral bathed in early-evening sunshine, signalled the conclusion of  the 2023 St Wilfrid’s Procession.

It was the end of a 7.5 mile journey along residential streets and into the city centre, where thousands of people had gathered.

For the actor playing the part of the city’s patron saint and Colin the 19-year-old Cob Cross Clydesdale, there was a guard of honour provided by Ripon City Morris Dancers, as horse and rider approached the iconic building in time for a service of celebration.

Prior to that the rousing music of Ripon City Band (pictured above) resounded on Kirkgate as the procession made up of decorated floats and people in fancy dress carefully navigated the ancient street.

There was a carnival atmosphere throughout the day as crowds lined the streets to watch the parade go by and gathered in the Market Square for a Saturday afternoon of free family-focused activities and entertainment organised by the volunteers of the St Wilfrid’s Procession Committee.

Time to celebrate for these members of the procession

Among the musical entertainers were the One For All Choir, who performed to a large crowd in front of Ripon Town Hall.

Also singing and dancing throughout  the day, were those who circled the city streets on the 20 decorated floats that took part in the procession.

The floats came with many imaginative themes and designs from superheroes, to one inspired by the TV comedy series Last of the Summer Wine.

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One of the most notable days in Ripon’s annual calendar occurs on Saturday with the St Wilfrid’s Procession and celebrations on Market Square.

Crowds line the streets and create a carnival atmosphere for the historic annual event, which is held in honour of Ripon’s patron saint and founder in 672 AD of the city’s iconic cathedral.

The procession’s origins date back to 1108 when King Henry I granted a royal charter to Ripon to hold an annual fair in celebration of Wilfrid’s life and work and the tradition has been maintained by a hard-working committee made up of volunteers.

Led by an actor on horseback, playing the role of St Wilfrid, the procession, which sets off from Studley Road at 1.30pm, will be accompanied by the award-winning Ripon City Band and will include 20 decorated floats with designs created by businesses and organisations.

A map showing the route.

The 26-stage procession, which covers 7.5 miles, will circle the city centre and outlying streets, before finishing at the cathedral, where a celebratory service will be held at 4.30pm.

The route, which will see numerous temporary road closures, can be seen by clicking here.

In addition to the procession, there will be free family-friendly activities on Market Square between 1pm and 6pm, followed by musical entertainment on Minster Gardens, where Time Machine and Alannah Creed will be among the performers.

Teenagers in Ripon have said they are glad they can continue using the city’s skatepark during the summer holidays.

While large areas of the Camp Close site on Knaresborough Road have been fenced off for safety reasons, access to the skatepark and basketball court remains open.

One teenager skateboarder spoke for his friends when he said:

“It’s a bit of a pain having to walk all the way around the outside to get here, but I’m pleased we can still use it.”

The skatepark and basketball court are adjacent to the 28-year-old leisure centre building, where remediation works on unstable foundations are under way.

The playing fields at Camp Close are now an active building site where large machinery is in use, carrying out the £3.5 million project behind large yellow hoardings.

There are numerous signs warning the public not to enter the area, while other signs call for parents to keep children out. CCTV cameras are also in operation.

However, as well as the many warning signs, construction company Willmott Dixon has installed one showing the route into the skatepark.

Ripon-based singer-songwriter Freddie Cleary will provide the entertainment when The Salvation Army holds its Yorkshire Day celebration next week.

The event on Tuesday August 1, is being held in the church hall on Lead Lane from 10am until 2pm and is free to attend.

Church leader Pat Clark, said:

“We hosted a Yorkshire Day celebration pre-pandemic and it proved a great success, so we decided to organise another one this year.”

She added:

“It’s a way of reminding all members of the local community that we are here for them all year round, not just as an emergency service for those who find themselves in difficulties.

“On the day there will be lots of reasonably priced refreshments including home-made cakes, sausage rolls and sandwiches, scones provided by Morrisons and icecream.”

In addition to the refreshments,  brand new or good as new gifts, household items and toys will be on sale and there will be a uniform swap.

Families wanting to be involved in the swap are asked to take good clean items of uniform to the church hall in advance  of Yorkshire Day. The hall is open from Monday to Wednesday between 9:30 am and 3 pm.

A civil engineering company involved in the installation of a £46 million all-fibre broadband network in the Harrogate district has ceased trading with the loss of 165 jobs.

Leeds-based Makehappen Group Limited, which was working for CityFibre, the UK’s largest independent fibre infrastructure provider, appointed administrators Interpath Advisory last week.

The huge installation programme covering Harrogate, Knaresborough and latterly Ripon, was announced in 2020 and has been carried out on a street by street basis.

In response to the news, a spokesperson for CityFibre, said:

“We have been made aware that Makehappen Group has entered into administration.

“We would like to assure residents that work sites have been made safe, and we will remain in close conversation with our local authority stakeholders while we review our plans.”

Neil Morley and Howard Smith from Interpath Advisory were appointed joint administrators of Makehappen Group Limited on July 18.

A statement from Interpath Advisory said:

“In recent months, Makehappen experienced significant pressure on cashflow after a number of contracts were withdrawn by their customers. 

“As a result, the company was unable to continue trading and service its liabilities as they fell due, so after considering their options, the directors sought the appointment of the administrators.

“The company ceased to trade shortly prior to the appointment of the administrators. With no prospect of trade resuming, it is with regret that the joint administrators have made all of the company’s 165 members of staff redundant.”

Meanwhile, Mr Morley, said:

“There continues to be a number of opportunities, but also challenges for businesses involved in the building of fibreoptic broadband infrastructure across the UK and unfortunately, Makehappen was the latest casualty of these challenges.

“As we commence an orderly wind-down of the business, our priority will be to provide support to all of Makehappen’s employees, including providing them with all of the information they require to make claims from the Redundancy Payments Office.”

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For the third successive year, Ripon Together and its partners have arranged  a programme of free activities for young people this summer.

The four-day Funfest starts on Monday August 14 and offers something for everyone at locations across the city and at Studley Royal Cricket Club.

Activities range from storytelling to juggling, mindfulness and formal sports coaching in cricket and football.

While the events are free, those planning to attend need to book for many of them and further details can be obtained by clicking here

At Studley Royal Cricket Club on Monday, August 14, there will be relay races and an obstacle course, alongside coaching from Ripon Runners and cricket coaching.

On the same day, Ripon Library will have a smoothie bike in place, so that people can use pedal power to make their own healthy drinks. There will also be stories and games for young children, followed by a film evening for teenagers.

On Tuesday, August 15, in addition to the cricket and athletics at Studley Royal, Ripon Spa Croquet Club will also be running a come and play session.

Spa Park is the venue for August 16, where there will be football coaching, circus skills training and crazy golf.

The Funfest finale will be staged Studley Royal Cricket Club on Thursday August 17 with a large inflatable obstacle course in place, sumo wrestling and croquet.

Inspire Youth will be providing mindfulness, table tennis, football penalties and other activities. There will also be free food.

David Ingham, a director of Ripon Together, said:

“We are massively grateful to our local councillors, Morrisons, The Jepson Trust and Ripon Girls Club for our funding.  The programme is also a great example of how Ripon Together can bring the community together to deliver for the city.

“Studley Royal Cricket Club, Ripon Spa Croquet Club, YMCA and others have been so supportive in delivering this programme for the children of our city.”

The winning entry in a new competition introduced in honour of the late Daphne Peters, was announced at the landmark 950th meeting of Ripon Writers’ Group.

The group was set up more than 40 years ago by the internationally-famous children’s author and poet, whose work was published under her maiden name Daphne Lister

Group secretary and former chair, Maggie Cobbett, told the Stray Ferret:

“As we reached another milestone, it seemed a fitting occasion to announce the first winner of our Writing for Children competition, inaugurated in memory of Daphne.”

She added:

“Our adjudicator was Claire Thompson, outreach librarian for Ripon and Pateley Bridge, who has a special interest in children’s literature and literacy, who said that she had thoroughly enjoyed reading the entries.

“The pieces submitted had been so diverse that it had been difficult to compare them, but she selected Ros Swaney’s Dusty the Cupboard Monster as the winner, with second place going to Pip’s Story by Ella Benigno and St Wilfrid written by Peter Page in third.”

Last week’s meeting was also the final one for writers’ group chair and award-winning author Ian Gouge, before he and his family move to Lincolnshire and attendees thanked him for his significant input to the group’s programme.

Family and friends gathered in Littlethorpe at the weekend to celebrate the 90th birthday of one of the Ripon area’s most inspirational women.

Over 50 years, Sylvia Grice taught an estimated 250,000 people to swim, including Olympic diving champion Jack Laugher, who won gold and silver medals at the 2016 games in Rio de Janeiro and bronze at Tokyo 2020.

Her lifelong devotion to teaching a much-needed skill in a city with three rivers and a canal, earned her an MBE in the 2010 New Year’s Honours and Freedom of the City of Ripon in 2019, but that’s just part of her remarkable story.

Sylvia Grice, pictured with Jack Laugher after his medal-winning success at the Rio de Janeiro Olympics in 2016.

Daughter Helen Mackenzie, herself an accomplished swimmer and swimming teacher, told the Stray Ferret:

“Mum suffered a broken leg when she was three and was in hospital in traction up until the age of eight, but she didn’t let that hold her back.

“She learnt to swim when she was 15 and married my dad, Jim, the love of her life, when she was 20.

“When my sister Alison and I came along she regularly took us to swim at Ripon’s Spa Baths and caught the eye of the manager Fred Windsor.

“He encouraged her to become a qualified swimming teacher and over the years she went through all of the grades to become an Amateur Swimming Association tutor and then a Fellow of the Institute of Swimming Teachers.”

Sylvia used her qualifications to help people of all ages and abilities, from toddlers having their first visit to the pool to her mother-in-law Florrie, who learnt to swim when she was 58.

She taught people to swim at Ripon Grammar School and at Ashville College in Harrogate, where she set up Triton Swimmers and away from her busy teaching schedule, found time to run the Spa Gardens cafe, be an active member of Ripon Lions and raise money for numerous charitable causes.

The long-awaited renewal of damaged and uneven roads that run alongside Ripon Market Square is finally in sight.

A scheme costing an estimated £500,000 is being drawn up by North Yorkshire Council’s highways department in readiness for public consultation this autumn, with the aim of being included in the capital programme for 2024-25.

City councillors have been calling for many years for the sets of paving blocks on Market Place East and Market Place West to be removed and replaced with a tarmac surface.

At last week’s meeting of the full city council, leader and North Yorkshire councillor for the Minster and Moorside division Andrew Williams, said:

“I’m pleased to report, following a visit to Ripon by North Yorkshire highways officials on June 16, they have confirmed that a scheme involving the lifting of sets and replacement with tarmac will be designed and then put out to consultation.

“I understand that the work will cost about £500,000 and will be included in next year’s capital programme.

“If all goes to schedule, work could start after next year’s Easter holiday.”

In recent years North Yorkshire Council has carried out temporary repairs by putting tarmac over the worst-affected sections, leaving the surface looking like a patchwork quilt.

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