Four of Ripon’s busiest alleys have been given a deep clean.

The overnight operation on Monday, was organised by Ripon Business Improvement District in one of its first initiatives to attract more visitors to the city and help businesses to benefit from increased footfall.

The clean-up focused on the thoroughfares between Oliver’s Pantry and Halls department store, M&Co and Costa Coffee, Boots and Specsavers and also Lavender Alley.

Last week, the BID’s interim manager Elizabeth Faulkner said:

“We know these alleyways are key to the way visitors and residents use the city so we want to make them as attractive as possible.”

The deep clean was carried out overnight.

“There has been lots of talk about what they could be used for, but first we will clean them up and then look at lighting.

“These are of course just a small part of Ripon and we have got a big destination to make an impact on so we will then start to move around the city for more deep cleaning.”

The alley between Oliver’s Pantry and Halls department store links the Marshall Way retail park and car park with North Street.

A Ripon Grammar School student has been selected to compete in next year’s BMX cycling world championships.

Elite Cruiser rider Jodie Musgrove, ranked number four in the UK, is now preparing to represent Team GB in Nantes, France.

The 16-year-old, who plans to study veterinary medicine at university, has been riding since she was 11 years old, having taken up the sport after watching her first race with her father James, a former BMX rider.

For the past five years, she has been competing at the highest level, travelling all over the UK to race:

She said:

“Getting into the world championships is a dream I have had since I started, and it’s fantastic to see all my hard work and training at last paying off.”

Jodie in action

Jodie now hopes she can make an impact at the 2022 contest, where the world’s top riders will be coming together to compete between July 26 and 31.

Her inspiration is gold medallist Beth Shriever, who became Britain’s first BMX racing Olympic champion in Tokyo this summer.

It was the adrenaline rush of off-road dirt racing which first got Jodie hooked on the sport:

She pointed out:

“Most sprint races last no longer than a minute, on purpose-built off-road, single-lap racetracks, made up of various jumps and rollers. So, it’s a very fast-paced, high-intensity sport.”

It can also be dangerous, with one crash in Manchester in 2018 resulting in Jodie needing stitches for a gash in her arm, knocking her out of racing for six weeks.

Jodie took on top competitors all over the UK in a challenging series of races throughout the year to qualify for the world championships on her 24-inch wheel, large-framed cruiser bike, taking the final Team GB spot in the 17 to 29-year-old female category.

Studying for A-levels in maths, chemistry, biology and psychology, she says she enjoys being a part of the BMX community, training with the North-East BMX Club in Hartlepool and travelling to Manchester’s indoor racing track at weekends in winter.

In addition to bringing back medals from Nantes, her ambition is to qualify for the World Championships again in 2023 in Glasgow and hopes she might get the chance to compete at the Olympics one day.

The Christmas Gift and Food Fair at Ripon Cathedral will return this month.

The popular event is usually staged annually but could covid restrictions meant it did not happen in 2020.

This year it will take place for the first time over two days, on Friday 26 and Saturday 27 November from 9.30am to 4.30pm on both days.

There will be 95 stalls offering a wide selection of unusual gifts, crafts and local food.

A pop-up café will serve hot turkey sandwiches, mulled wine, hot drinks and homemade cakes.

Ripon Cathedral

Live Christmas music will be provided by local choirs over lunchtime on both days in the ornate setting of the cathedral’s quire.

The fair is popular with families and although Santa will not be attending this year, there will be craft activities for children, who will be able to decorate a Christmas bauble to take home and hang on their tree.

Harrogate solicitors Raworths and Leeds wealth management firm Brewin Dolphin are supporting the event as part of their business partnership with the cathedral.

Zoe Robinson, managing partner at Raworths said:

“As a business partner, Raworths is delighted to play a part in the preservation and development of the Cathedral and to support local community-based events organised by Ripon Cathedral’s team, such as the wonderful annual Christmas Fair.”

Entry is £5 payable on the door by card or cash or online. Entry for accompanied children is free.

Read more:

• Thousands attend Ripon Remembrance services
• Urgent plea for demolition of Ripon homes

More than 4,000 people gathered at Spa Gardens and on nearby city streets, as Ripon remembered the dead of two world wars and other conflicts this morning.

Civic services were held at the war memorial and in Ripon Cathedral.

Spa Gardens, which like all other parts of the city was ablaze with thousands of red hand-knitted poppies created by the Ripon Community Poppy Project, provided a fitting backdrop for the ceremony at the memorial.

It was here that Andrew Cowie, president of the Ripon branch of the Royal British Legion, read out almost 400 names that appear on memorials at the gardens and in the cathedral.

Ripon’s civic Remembrance Sunday service attracted a large gathering in Spa Gardens and along city streets leading to the cathedral

Wreaths were laid by the Mayor of Ripon Councillor Eamon Parkin, Ripon councillor and chairman of North Yorkshire County Council Stuart Martin, other dignitaries and representatives of all branches of the armed forces and the emergency services.

Members of the Royal Engineers are pictured in Spa Gardens prior to the start of formal proceedings

More than 200 Royal Engineers from Claro Barracks, were present, alongside retired service men and women and members of the Ripon Branch of the Royal British Legion.

The service included hymns played by Ripon City Band and the Last Post played by a bugler, which preceded the two-minute silence.

A lament by a lone piper, was followed by a prayer read by the Dean of Ripon The Very Revd. John Dobson, for fallen soldiers, sailors, air crew and civilians, who laid down their lives in conflicts across the globe.

A prayer and a blessing were read out respectively, by the Dean of Ripon, and the Bishop of Ripon.

The ceremony concluded with the National Anthem and a blessing from the Bishop of Ripon, the Rt. Revd Dr Helen-Ann Hartley and was followed by a march past from Spa Gardens to the cathedral, where a Remembrance Service was held.

Soldiers of the Royal Engineers took the salute as they passed Ripon Town Hall en route to the cathedral service

The march past was led by the Royal Engineers – whose regiment has enjoyed the Freedom of the city since 1949 and continues to maintain a significant presence in Ripon.

Soldiers and all of those who followed behind them, were saluted, and applauded as they passed the town hall.

Read more:

• Art installation is reminder of Ripon’s role in World War I
• Dean blesses Ripon’s Garden of Remembrance

Ripon Cathedral has hosted the first national memorial service for people in rural communities who have lost their lives in farming accidents or to suicide or other causes during the pandemic.

The ecumenical service led by the Bishop of Ripon, the Rt. Revd. Dr Helen-Ann Hartley, was organised by the Farming Community Network, a charity that supports farmers.

It was attended by the Lord Lieutenant of North Yorkshire Jo Ropner and officials from the network and the National Farmers’ Union.

Dr Hartley, who is an FCN trustee, said:

“We give thanks for those whose work it is to bring comfort and light, for charities like FCN and its volunteers, for the skilled work of medical staff and our emergency services, for the NFU, and for those who work tirelessly to fundraise and provide vision and leadership to charities and organisations who assist in the farming sector.”

Ripon Cathedral, which hosted a national memorial and thanksgiving service for the farming community.

Hope, unity and the need for people across agriculture to come together in support of one another, as part of a community, were highlighted during the service,  which recognised the experience of loss felt by all those who have been bereaved.

More than 100 attended last Sunday, either in person or thorough live-streaming, to join in hymns and hear readings and personal accounts of those being remembered.

Following the service, NFU deputy president, Stuart Roberts, said:

“The farming community will always be there to support one another. People are at the heart of farming. FCN and other charities are the people who support people – and that’s why they’re so important.”

Mark Suthern, chair of FCN’s board of trustees, also spoke of the need for the community to support one another through the changes ahead for British agriculture.

Farm tragedies

The FCN helps about 6,000 farmers and farming families each year with a wide range of issues, including mental health, family disputes, animal disease and financial concerns.

The network’s chief executive, Jude McCann, said:

“The farming community knows all too well the pain that comes following a death due to a farm accident or other tragic circumstance.

“Many of us will know someone personally who has been affected by a farm accident, a death by suicide, cancer, or other tragedies that leave lasting impacts on farming families across the UK.

“We would like to thank everyone who attended, took part and helped to organise our Remembrance Service. We hope it provided an opportunity to recognise those who have died as well as provided support and comfort to those who have been bereaved.”

Anybody who is struggling, or knows somebody who is and would like to speak with someone who understands the pressures of farming life, can contact the FCN on 03000 111 999 (7am-11pm every day of the year) or at help@fcn.org.uk.

Calls are confidential and non-judgemental.

Read more:

• Ceremony marks start of remembrance events in Ripon
• Urgent plea to demolish Ripon homes

Supporters of the Annual Poppy Appeal in Ripon are finding only limited places in the City to buy their poppies this year.

As Armistice Day and Remembrance Sunday approach, there was an expectation that poppies would be available in more than 250 shops, pubs, cafes, restaurants and businesses across the city, but that has not materialised.

At the time of publication, poppies could only be purchased in the city’s Morrisons, Booths and Sainsbury’s supermarkets.

Jeet Bahadur Sahi, chairman of the Royal British Legion Ripon Branch, told the Stray Ferret:

“We used to have an in-branch Poppy Appeal organiser, but arrangements were taken over by the Regional office and we were advised only recently that the person allocated to organise the distribution in Ripon had been called away on military duties.

“Despite offers of help from the Mayor of Ripon, city council leader Andrew Williams and myself, to deliver poppies and collecting tins, we were told this is not possible due to the short timescale.

“This is extremely disappointing. In previous years people have been supporting the Poppy Appeal at more than 250 outlets in Ripon and thousands of pounds have been raised.”

The town hall, decked in hand-made poppies by the Ripon Community Poppy Project

The Mayor of Ripon, Councillor Eamon Parkin, said:

“The situation is both embarrassing and disappointing for Ripon, a city with military connections going back over many years.

“In this, the 100th anniversary year of the Royal British Legion, there are thousands of hand-knitted poppies on display across the city, but there are only a handful of places where people can buy one to wear and show their support for the Poppy Appeal.”

A Royal British Legion spokesperson said:

“The exact location of Poppy boxes is going to vary from area to area depending on volunteer coverage.

“However, through our collectors and partner organisations, poppies have been distributed to all major UK supermarkets including Sainsbury’s, Tesco, Morrisons, Aldi and Asda stores as well as via online retailers including the Poppy Shop, Amazon and eBay, so poppies are readily available in Ripon.

“They are available at every point-of-sale in the large Morrisons, including customer services, and on the tills at Booths Supermarket in the town.

The spokesperson added that there are no issues with poppy distribution in any other areas of North Yorkshire.

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Urgent plea to demolish four Ripon homes affected by sinkholes

Ripon City Council has called for the urgent demolition of four homes in the city that are in danger of collapse because of sinkholes.

A council meeting last night heard the properties at Bedern Court were in a “perilous” state and “the implications for public safety are enormous”.

The homes, which have remained empty since they were evacuated in October last year, border Skelgarths, one of the arterial routes through and into the city.

Peacock’s Passage, a footpath that runs alongside Bedern Court, was blocked off with permission from North Yorkshire County Council a year ago, after the owners of the stricken block raised concerns about public safety.

Peacock’s Passage has been barriered off since the evacuation of four properties at Bedern Court

Last night’s meeting saw councillors vote unanimously to support the call to contact the county council and request urgent action.

City council leader Andrew Williams, told the meeting:

“The movement of the affected block caused by sinkhole activity in the area is gaining speed and the implications for public safety are enormous.

“The block fronts onto the public highway and pavement and the potential impact of collapse and possibility of opening up of more damaging sinkholes in neighbouring areas cannot be ignored.

“If the perilous state of the building means it’s not safe to walk along Peacock’s Passage, it can’t  be safe to walk or drive past it on Skelgarths. It needs to be demolished as quickly and safely as possible.”

Skelgarths borders the affected block

Mat Pritchard, chairperson of Bedern Court Ltd, a not-for-profit company controlled by owners and leaseholders with houses and apartments in the 29-unit development. told the Stray Ferret:

“All authorities, including the parish, district and county councils, have been contacted by us and kept updated on the increasingly desperate situation that we are facing and we welcome this news from Ripon City Council.

“We have taken all of the measures that we can, but feel that we are rapidly running out of time.”

Reports from a monitoring engineer employed by Bedern Court Ltd indicated that ground movement is ongoing and appears to be speeding up.

While monitoring the signs of movement, Bedern Court Ltd continues to await the outcome of a long-standing insurance claim relating to the affected properties.

Ripon’s week of events to remember the dead of two world wars and other conflicts began at the weekend.

The Dean of Ripon, The Very Revd. John Dobson, led prayers as he blessed the Royal British Legion Garden of Remembrance next to the cathedral.

Saturday’s ceremony was attended by serving officers and standard bearers representing all of the armed forces, along with civic dignitaries, including Stuart Martin, the chair of North Yorkshire County Council and a Ripon councillor, and city council leader Andrew Williams.

Attendees were invited to place small wooden crosses bearing a poppy, in front of the plinth at the garden

A two-minute silence was observed before small crosses with poppies on them were put in place by a number of attendees in front of the garden plinth.

Jeet Bahadur Sahi, who served in the Gurkhas for 22 years and is chair of the Royal British Legion Ripon branch, told the Stray Ferret:

“This is a special year for the legion and the branch as we celebrate our 100th anniversary.

“The remembrance garden, which opened in 2018, was created by the Ripon branch with support from the public, businesses and authorities.

“In addition to the war memorial in Spa Gardens, it provides a permanent and prominent place where the fallen can be remembered.”

Photograph: Tyler Parker Photography

Spa Gardens will be the focus next weekend when Ripon’s civic Remembrance Sunday service is held at the city’s war memorial, followed by a service at the cathedral.

The event, which starts at 11am, will honour the service and sacrifice of the armed forces, British Commonwealth veterans, allies and civilians involved in the world wars and other conflicts.

Those wishing to attend are asked to assemble at Spa Gardens from 10.30. Following the service, there will be a march past and salute in front of Ripon Town Hall, with the procession leading to the cathedral, where a further service will be held.

Read more:

• Artworks mark Ripon’s role in World War I
• Ripon remembers with 75,000 knitted poppies

A focus on Christian and Norse culture will be brought to a dramatic conclusion at Ripon Cathedral this evening.

At 7.30pm, the Hazelsong Theatre group will perform Whiteblade, featuring the 7th century Northumbrian King Oswald who was made a saint for his defence of the Catholic faith.

Subtitled ‘King Oswald, the Sword and the Cross’ it tells the story of a courageous man who pre-dates Wilfrid, the founder of Ripon Cathedral.

Andy Bates of Hazelsong, said:

“Seventh century Britain was a time of turmoil and warfare, where pagan fought Christian and Saxon battled Briton.

“In this time arose a great king, bearing both the blade and the cross, to fight for the people and the soul of the kingdom.”

Hazelsong Theatre group set off on Thursday’s dragon parade with musical accompaniment from The Brothers Gillespie

Those wishing to attend the performance can book free tickets on the Ripon Cathedral website.

Prior to tonight’s performance the legend of Sigurd the dragon slayer and Fafnir the dragon slain by the Viking warrior, takes centre stage.

A second dragon parade with a puppet of Fafnir, will set off from the cathedral today at 12.30 and make its way through city streets to the band stand at Spa Gardens.

Before then, between 9.30am and 12 noon, people will be able to visit the cathedral to make dragon sock puppets.

The famous Norse tale of the warrior and the dragon was represented in music and song on Thursday.

Local musicians were invited to bring their own instruments and join in music making at the cathedral

The Sigurd legend, which dates back more than a thousand years, was marked with a recital led by The Brothers Gillespie – James and Sam – who had earlier invited local people to join them and Hazelsong in an impromptu music-making session.

The Sigurd Stone

Next year the cathedral celebrates its 1350th anniversary and in the ancient building’s treasury is the Sigurd Stone – believed to have marked the tomb of a Norse settler who was buried in Ripon.

The prized and unusual artefact, combines Christian imagery in the shape of a cross and Norse mythology, depicting the warrior and the dragon.

Read more:

• Ripon toy shop relocates
• State of Ripon roads comes under the spotlight

Ripon’s only toy shop relocates

Ripon’s only toy shop has moved to a new location in time for Christmas.

Although The Easy Learning Shop has only relocated a matter of feet, owner Pete Wilkinson believes it can make a big difference.

He has moved from inside the Duck Hill Shopping Quarter to a unit on Duck Hill with a street frontage.

Mr Wilkinson told the Stray Ferret:

“This is something I’ve wanted for some time, as it gives me the opportunity to do window displays that change through the year, with Christmas an obvious time to try and catch people’s eyes.”

Animal glove puppets at the Easy Learning Shop

The shop, which sells traditional wooden toys and games, alongside puppets, books and goods designed to help educate children as they play, opened four years ago, when Mr Wilkinson was forced to change career.

He said:

“I was a bus driver for 18 years and used to drive the 36 double deckers, but that came to an abrupt halt after I sustained serious back injuries in a fall, which made driving buses too painful.

“I had to look for something else to do to earn a living and that’s when I decided to go into retail and I’m pleased to say that things have worked out.”

Since the move on Monday, he has already attracted new customers and he looks forward to building on that as the festive season rapidly approaches.