Ripon Theatre Festival looks to build on success of inaugural yearThe Ripon Theatre festival is set to return in 2023 after a successful first year.
The event will run for five nights and four days between June 7 and 11 and will feature both indoor and outdoor performances at venues across the city.
Festival director Katie Scott, told the Stray Ferret:
“We are aiming to build on the incredible first year response, which saw audiences of more than 2,500 people across four days.
“Another key aim is to make the festival as affordable and accessible as possible with a wide range of free entertainment popping up at locations across the city centre. Pop-up venues include the Market Place, Cathedral, Little Ripon Bookshop and Curzon Cinema as well as walkabout acts touring the streets of the city.”
Street performances proved popular at the 2022 festival
New this year is a dedicated family day in Ripon Spa Gardens on Sunday June 11, where everything will be free to watch. Events will include puppet shows, open-air theatre, community performances and hands-on activities.
Ms Scott, pointed out:
“As well as the weekend of pop up theatre and street entertainment, there will be a host of ticketed events at the wonderful studio space at Ripon Arts Hub, and a swashbuckling Robin Hood coming to Fountains Abbey with his merry men, courtesy of Illyria.
Fountains Abbey will provide a dramatic setting for Illyria’s performance of Robin Hood.
“The opening night, Wednesday June 7, will see young people leading the way as the festival works with the YMCA in promoting up-and-coming local theatre company Forget about the Dog with their intriguing show Happy Place.”
She added:
“The festival is also working with charity Ripon Dementia Forward to provide a sensory theatre show brought directly to two local and friendly community spaces.”
“Community performers are key to the weekend once again. Rehearsals start soon for the community cabaret event and Festival organisers also encourage any theatre groups, dance troupes, comedy acts or storytellers to get in touch if they’d like to take part in the pop-up events across the weekend.”
The festival is being supported by businesses who are sponsoring and helping keep the it affordable. The main sponsor is Wolseley UK and other corporate sponsors include Specsavers, Elstob & Elstob, Econ Engineering, Valentino’s Ristorante and The Arcade Ripon.
Event details are available at www.ripontheatrefestival.org or follow on Facebook @ripontheatrefestival
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Historic Ripon clock to undergo specialist repair
Almost 125 years after being unveiled, it’s time for specialist repair work on Ripon’s most prominent and, of late, least reliable civic clock.
The hands on the four-faced timepiece housed in the ornate Victoria Clock Tower at the busy junction of North Road, Palace Road and Princess Road, have stood still on either 12 noon or 12 midnight for many weeks.
But Ripon city councillor and former mayor Eamon Parkin has good news.
He told the Stray Ferret:
“The pendulum of the clock will be undergoing specialist repair and we hope to have it back working again as soon as possible.”
The clock tower was commissioned to mark Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee in 1897 and in the following June, the classically styled stone tower — paid for by sisters Frances and Constance Cross of Coney Garth — was gifted by them to the city of Ripon in a ceremonial civic opening event attended by a huge crowd.
The grade II listed building passed into the ownership of Harrogate Borough Council with the reorganisation of local government in 1974, but will change hands once more when the new North Yorkshire unitary authority comes into being on April 1.
In recent years the clock has required attention because of its erratic performance, which at times have seen it running fast or slow on numerous occasions.
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Group estimates 1,000 Ripon children are in need of swimming lessonsA group that unsuccessfully lobbied Harrogate Borough Council in a bid to have a learner pool built in Ripon estimates that up to 1,000 of the city’s children have yet to be taught how to swim.
In 2018, before planning permission was granted for construction of the Jack Laugher Leisure and Wellness Centre, Ripon Pool Action Group (RPAG) called for a learner pool to be included in the multi-million pound development at Dallamires Lane.
Though that call was rejected, the group continues to highlight the need for families in Ripon to have public facilities available that are close at hand and affordable.
At the February meeting of Ripon City Council, RPAG secretary Tim Tribe and Andrea McAuslan presented the case for a learner pool to be included in any future plans that the new unitary authority North Yorkshire Council, may have for the development of leisure facilities in the city.
Mr Tribe said:
“We recognise that there are currently serious pressures on public finances. We are not asking for a learner pool to be built now, but we want to ensure that the new unitary authority is properly briefed on this situation.
“Ripon is the only place of its size in North Yorkshire with no learner pool. Thirsk, Tadcaster, Northallerton, Stokesley and Skipton all have separate pools and we ask how far do you think our children should travel to learn such an important life skill, when we live in an area surrounded by water?”
Mr Tribe added:
“We carried out a survey using Survey Monkey and this showed that there are circa 1,000 children in Ripon in need of swimming lessons.”
Because of the lack of a public learner pool in Ripon, Andrea and Ian McAuslan have been taking their five-year-old twins to Thirsk.
Ms McAuslan said:
“We have been making the 22-mile round trip and are fortunate that we can afford to do this, but many other families are not so lucky.
“Seeing how our children reacted when they realised that they could go in the little pool at Thirsk was a real eye opener. It has been great to see their confidence grow as they learn to swim while they play in the shallow water.”
Ms McAuslan, who is also chair of the junior section of the Ripon-based NYP TriStars, triathlon club, added:
“Quite apart from the need to teach children to swim in a city that has three rivers, a canal and other areas of water, it is a skill that is fundamental to opening up other avenues for them.”
Storm Otto leaves Ripon building owners counting the costTwo well-known and well-used Ripon locations are awaiting repairs after sustaining damage in last week’s Storm Otto.
At the Workhouse Museum in Allhallowgate, part of a chimney stack was brought down by Friday’s high winds and at the nearby bus station, four perspex panels from the roof of a shelter were dislodged by the gale.
Both locations have been made safe and remain open for museum visitors and the travelling public.
The bus station shelter pictured before firefighters removed the damaged perspex roof panels
Helen Thornton, director of Ripon Museum Trust, told the Stray Ferret:
“Storm Otto damaged a lot of property in the district and part of a chimney stack on the west wing of the main workhouse building came down and made two holes in our roof, which have been covered with tarpaulin to minimise any rainwater damage.”
“We are in close touch with our insurers to get an appropriate and timely repair and, as a listed building, we will ensure that this is carried out sensitively, including re-using as much of the stonework as we can, getting the right chimney pot design and so on.”
The cordoned-off area at the Workhouse Museum
Ms Thornton added:
“We have cordoned off the area below the damaged roof and spoken to the other users of the site. Thankfully, we can remain open as usual to museum visitors, groups and schools.”
Following the damage to the roof panels in the bus station shelter, North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue issued a statement saying:
“Ripon crews attended the bus station to make a bus shelter safe for the public. Large pieces of perspex had fallen off the roof. Crews removed all perspex using a ladder and small tools.”
Kirkby Malzeard road reopens after three-year closure
A road linking Kirkby Malzeard and Masham has reopened three years after a collapsed section of wall caused its closure.
The reopening follows repair, reconstruction and reinforcement works costing almost £500,000 at the parish church of St Andrew in Kirkby Malzeard.
After heavy overnight rain in February 2020, part of the stone retaining wall for the churchyard fell onto Church Street, making it impassable.
The road, which runs past St Andrew’s and is part of a route from the village to Masham, remained closed up until last Thursday.
The reconstructed section of wall
Harrogate Borough Council initially earmarked £250,000 to fund the project, which was given planning approval in February 2022.
However, the final bill for the work was almost double that amount at £491,670 after council officials said the cost reflected the “volatile nature of the construction market at the moment”.
The increased cost is being funded from the council’s investment reserves.
A report to the council urgency committee in May said:
“The work was not able to be contracted until the planning process was concluded and permissions put in place.”
The repair works which followed came after residents and parish councillors frustrated by the delays, urged the council to end the “farce” of the church wall.
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Ripon Together steps up bid to make city greenerThe next step in an environmental initiative launched in late January by the community interest company Ripon Together will be taken on Monday (February 27).
The not-for-profit organisation, which has 150 members, brings people together on projects that improve Ripon.
A meeting starting at 7pm in Thorpe Prebend House, High St Agnesgate, is open to all who want to make Ripon a better place to live through the reduction of carbon impacts.
On the agenda will be plans for a Green Fair in the summer and discussion to agree how to take forward work in the areas of energy efficiency and renewables, waste, recycling and litter and nature, biodiversity and access.
Simon Hewitt, a Ripon Together director, said:
“The first meeting was great. It was really well attended and lots of good ideas emerged. We want to start real action to take those forward.
“That is what the second meeting is for and why we want as many people and bodies as possible to get there. It would be great if people could spread the word and let us have their ideas on these issues either at the meeting or by emailing info@ripontogether.com”.
Mr Hewitt added:
“Lots of people are already doing their bit, whether it is litter-picking, recycling, path clearance or reducing their use of plastic or other packaging. Ripon Together wants to bring groups together to make this even better, encourage more volunteering and tackle new challenges.”
Since the first meeting on January 30, Ripon Together has bid for funding for a feasibility study into placing solar panels on many of the city’s schools and installing more charging points for electric vehicles.
Rubbish bins removed at Ripon gardens to keep rats at bayRubbish bins have been removed from Temple Gardens in Ripon in a bid to keep rats at bay.
Harrogate Borough Council has responsibility for the small, secluded gardens located off Allhallowgate and is following in the footsteps of Ripon City Council, which removed bins from the Quarry Moor car park after a rat infestation caused the temporary closure of the children’s playground on site.
After the vermin issue was eradicated the playground reopened in time for last year’s school holidays.
At the February full city council meeting, the council’s chief officer, Paula Benson said that there had been a problem with rats at Temple Gardens and pointed out:
“When the Quarry Moor bins were removed the rat population diminished.”
She added:
“If you have bins, you are going to have rats.”
Cllr Pauline McHardy said:
“The problem occurs when bins get full to overflowing with discarded bits of food and wrapping.
“We need to encourage people who go to Temple Gardens to have something to eat, to take their rubbish home with them or put it in more suitably-located bins.”
Councillors agreed to ask HBC to put improved signage in place asking users of the gardens to take their rubbish with them.
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‘Inspiring’ new £85,000 vision for Ripon remains unpublished — two years on
A report outlining a new “inspiring and innovative” vision for regenerating Ripon has not been published — more than two years after it was announced.
Harrogate Borough Council advertised a 12-month contract to draw up a masterplan for the city in December 2020.
But Ripon city councillors have discovered through a Freedom of Information request that no formal report for the Ripon renewal project has been produced yet.
The Stray Ferret reported in August that work on the masterplan had been paused due to negotiations over the £85,000 contract awarded by Harrogate Borough Council to Bauman Lyons Architects.
At that time, Trevor Watson, Harrogate Borough Council’s director of economy and culture, said he did not know when the project — originally scheduled for completion last February — would be finalised.
But he added the aim was to finish it before the launch of the replacement North Yorkshire Council, which comes into being on April 1.
He said:
“We are in dialogue with the consultants and it is very difficult to say when that conversation will be concluded.
“But it will be our intention to bring the project forward in that timeframe.”
At Monday’s full meeting of Ripon City Council, leader Andrew Williams, said:
“Both ourselves and Ripon BID, have been trying to obtain a copy of the consultants’ report and now we have discovered through a response to the FOI request we submitted to Harrogate Borough Council that no formal report has been produced.
“As we don’t want the work carried out to be a waste of time and money I propose that we ask Harrogate to report on where the consultants had got to, as this could be helpful for the future in areas such as seeking grant funding.”
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Councillors agreed unanimously for the request to be sent to Harrogate Borough Council and for it to be copied to Councillor Carl Les, the leader of North Yorkshire County Council and North Yorkshire County Council chief executive Richard Flinton.
North Yorkshire County Council and the York and North Yorkshire Local Enterprise Partnership were, along with Harrogate Borough Council, co-funders of the project. which aimed to create a vision for the future of Ripon that would help the city to win funding for infrastructure, planning and community projects.
A consultation was held in 2021 with residents, businesses and community groups which highlighted problems in the city.
These included not enough things for young people to do, traffic in the market place and a lack of affordable housing.
There were also calls for better traffic management on Low Skellgate and Westgate, and a new green route linking the Workhouse Museum and Ripon Cathedral.
Calls to assess impact of Ripon Cathedral’s £6m expansion on cafes and shopsConcerns raised by hospitality and other businesses about the proposed £6 million Ripon Cathedral annex, with its cafe and gift shop, have prompted Ripon City Council to call for a retail impact assessment to be carried out.
Supporters and opponents of the cathedral’s application to build the two-storey building on Minster Gardens made their views known at last night’s full council meeting.
After hearing both sides, council leader Andrew Williams, who proposed the impact assessment, also called for the cathedral’s chapter to meet with businesses and Ripon Business Improvement District to listen to their concerns and answer any questions they have.
He said:
“I’m keeping an open mind until the application is considered later this year by (the new) North Yorkshire Council and my door is open to the cathedral and the traders who want to speak with me.
“We need to move forward in unity, minimise our differences and draw people together.”
Cllr Williams declared an interest prior to speaking about the application because he has been nominated to serve on the North Yorkshire Council planning committee, which will adjudicate on the proposal.
Kevin Hill, who owns the the Karma clothing and gift boutique on Kirkgate with his wife Liz and Helen Slater, owner of Cathedral View Cafe that faces onto the ancient building, both felt the annex on Minster Gardens with a direct route from the car park would ‘funnel’ visitors away from Kirkgate.
Stanley Mackintosh, who lives on Kirkgate, said the street which leads down to the cathedral has numerous independent cafes and restaurants, with more in the city centre. He claimed:
“There will be damage to small independent traders if the proposal is given the go-ahead.”
Mr Mackintosh had a copy of the longer-term masterplan vision for the cathedral quarter, which has elements that are not included in the annex planning application lodged with Harrogate Borough Council.
Minster Gardens
That wider masterplan, which would require a further planning application or applications, includes a proposed hotel with arts cafe underneath, which he said would further impact on hospitality businesses in the city.
Richard Taylor, co-chair of Ripon Civic Society, reiterated that the society supports development of new facilities for the cathedral but not at the proposed location. He said:
“Our concern was that the chosen site was one of great heritage and environmental sensitivity and we encouraged the cathedral to look at moving the new building a little further north into the stoneyard.
“More evidence has since come to light to show just how significant Minster Gardens are as a green space in the centre of the city framed by high-grade listed buildings.
“The importance of the fine group of trees there was recognised as long ago as 2009 in the Ripon Conservation Area Appraisal.
“They have recently been reassessed and the large beech tree in the centre of the garden has been added to the national register of veteran trees. Sweeping it away as the current proposal would do means losing an irreplaceable asset as highlighted by three of the borough council’s officers.”
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The Dean of Ripon, the Very Revd. John Dobson pointed out that for every tree lost 30 would be planted to compensate for them at another location outside the city and this will lead to increased biodiversity.
He added that the plans will not bypass Kirkgate.
Dean John said:
“The vision we have delivers for the cathedral and the city by bringing more people and increased business.”
Guy Wilson, a member of the cathedral fabric committee, said:
“The cathedral is the jewel in Ripon’s crown and is in need of modern facilities for staff, worshippers and visitors.”
These proposed facilities include the city centre’s first Changing Places toilet, which will improve access for disabled people — a development welcomed by Councillor Pauline McHardy.
The meeting was told that the cathedral currently attracts in excess of 100,000 visitors a year and it is estimated that development of the cathedral quarter will bring up to 35,000 more per annum.
Book by former deputy mayoress of Ripon raising money for two charitiesTwo local charities are to benefit from the sale of a book written by Jilly-Anne Powell, a former deputy mayoress of Ripon.
Proceeds from the sale of Journey to Identity will be donated to Dementia Forward in Ripon and the Harrogate branch of mental health charity Mind.
First-time author Ms Powell, whose husband Charlie was deputy mayor of Ripon between 2017 and 2021, told the Stray Ferret:
“The charities are very dear to my heart and I wanted to find a way of supporting them. Money is also being raised for both through the Mayor of Ripon’s charity appeal.”
Former deputy mayor and mayoress of Ripon, Charlie and Jilly-Anne Powell
In Journey to Identity, Ms Powell tells her moving true-life story of growing up as an adopted child in a middle class family.
Born in 1944, she found out about her adoption at the age of eight from a neighbour’s child, but it wasn’t until a change in the law in the mid 1970s that she had the legal right to see her birth certificate.
With that came the beginning of a 45-year search for her birth mother and the discovery of other blood relations.
Ms Powell said:
“I was six weeks old when I was adopted and, when I found out about my adoption at such an early age, it had a profound impact on me.
“I carried a sense of not belonging and fear of rejection for many years, which brought struggles and anxieties, in spite of the fact that I had a privileged childhood with my adoptive parents, with schooling at private seminaries, followed by two years at London College of Fashion.”
The ‘journey’ saw her find her mother, whose maiden name of Cawthorne is used by Ms Powell in the publication of her book and will also be used in a planned sequel.
Journey to Identity is available at selected book shops, and via Amazon by clicking on this link. To find out more, click here to email Jilly.
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