Tim Flanagan, Author at The Stray Ferret

Swift action to tackle Sharow’s pothole plight

Village campaigner James Thornborough, who highlighted the “shocking state” of roads in Sharow, has had a swift response from North Yorkshire County Council.

Mr Thornborough contacted council chief executive Richard Flinton on January 30 to raise concerns about the uneven and dangerous road surfaces in the village, near Ripon.

He said fear of damage to wheels and tyres was preventing motorists from ‘going green’ by swapping sturdy SUVs for smaller vehicles with less environmental impact.

Mr Flinton promised the condition of the roads would be investigated by the council’s highways team and within a matter of days, council workmen identified 38 potholes and a temporary tarmac fix was applied.

Before … Some of the 38 potholes in Sharow and after … with temporary tarmac patches in place (pictured below)

Following a site visit by members of the council highways team, Nigel Smith, the county’s head of highway operations, sent Mr Thornborough a detailed email. It said:

“Sharow Lane and New Road are at a stage where preventative maintenance is not an option and a more substantial maintenance scheme will be considered for inclusion in our Forward Capital Programme, which presently means that the earliest a planned maintenance scheme could be delivered would be during the 2023/24 financial year.

“By way of further information, it is anticipated that a full ‘plane out and resurface’ scheme is required at this location, which will require funding of up to £200,000.

“In the meantime we will continue to do the annual safety inspections and reactive inspections to keep these carriageways in as safe a condition as possible and keep the matter under regular review.

“To that end I have asked the local area team to keep you apprised of matters with a further update at the end of March 2022 when we are reviewing our delivery programme for 2022/23.”

Mr Thornborough told the Stray Ferret:

“It was refreshing to receive such rapid and positive responses from senior county council officers and I just hope for the sake of motorists, cyclists and pedestrians, that we will eventually see a more permanent fix for our patched-up roads.”

Ripon Cathedral to hold memorial service for famous TV dramatist

A memorial service will be held at Ripon Cathedral at 3pm on Tuesday for playwright and TV dramatist Ian Curteis, whose play about the 1982 Falklands conflict was at the centre of a BBC controversy.

Mr Curteis, who in 2001 married Lady Deirdre Hare, widow of the 7th Baron Grantley of Markenfield Hall, spent the latter years of his life focused on the conservation and restoration of the medieval building, which has been the Grantley family seat since the 13th Century. He died in November.

In 2008, he and Lady Deirdre, who described the moated hall as ‘the loveliest place you’ve never heard of’ won the first annual restoration award sponsored by Sotheby’s and the Historic Houses Association.

Better known to people who followed Mr Curteis’ writing rather than restoration activities, was his work on the BBC blockbuster drama series, The Onedin Line, for which he was commissioned to write a number of episodes.

Markenfield Hall.

His innovative approach saw him pioneer a new drama-documentary format for his play on the 1956 Suez crisis, broadcast by the BBC in 1979.

Mr Curteis used the same drama-documentary approach for a play about the Falklands War commissioned by the then BBC director-general Alasdair Milne in April 1983 — just a year after the conflict had started.

However, The Falklands Play, which was for many years at the centre of a controversy involving claims of political bias and attempted censorship, was finally broadcast on BBC Four after a number of re-writes in April 2002.

In a less controversial arena, Mr Curteis wrote an adaptation of JB Priestley’s last novel Lost Empires for ITV and also adapted for broadcast by the BBC The Choir , a novel written by Joanna Trollope.

Bid to break Ripon’s ‘wall of silence’ protecting criminals

Ripon residents who witness, or know about violent, anti-social and other criminal activity in the city, are being urged to contact Crimestoppers.

The charity, which is independent of the police, wants to overcome a ‘wall of silence’ that is stopping some criminals from being brought to justice.

It guarantees 100 percent anonymity to anyone with information that can help to crack Ripon’s persistent crime problem, as highlighted in a Stray Ferret report in December.

Crimestoppers is encouraging residents, who may not want to speak directly to the police, to call its confidential freephone number 0800 555 111 or visit Crimestopper-uk-org and complete a simple anonymous online form.

The charity said the community has a vital role to play in helping to stop crimes such as burglary, theft from cars, vans and shops, drug dealing, weapons and violence, but added:

“People know those who regularly bring crime to the area, but may not want to speak directly to the police. Crimestoppers is here to help and offers a safe and trusted anonymous option.”

‘Fearful of retribution’

Gemma Gibbs, Yorkshire regional manager for the charity, said:

“Some people are fearful of retribution, and that’s probably the main reason why people contact us. They’re scared that if somebody found out that it was them that reported an individual or a particular crime that has happened, they’re fearful of what might happen to them or what might happen to their family.

“We want to make sure that people who are fearful for that reason know that they can still do something and they can still report that information. But our guarantee is that they will contact us and nobody will ever know that they’ve actually reported to us. We take that information and we pass it onto the police.”

Ms Gibbs, added:

“Last summer there were concerns around antisocial behaviour and a small number of people were really concerning the residents. A teenage boy was attacked in August last year and shopkeepers were being attacked as well.

“They don’t just impact the individuals, they can have a real impact on families and the people around them, so we want to really highlight the work that we do to let the community of Ripon know that they don’t have to stay silent. There doesn’t need to be that wall of silence and we are here for them.”

Two months before he resigned from office, former North Yorkshire Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner Philip Allott said he was confident that police had ‘got a grip’ on crime in the city, but he also spoke of the need to crack ‘the wall of silence’.

He said:

“One of the problems we have in Ripon is sometimes a wall of silence by certain families and that makes it quite difficult to apprehend people.

“The police will still get those people. It just takes a bit longer.”

Ripon student earns place at leading musical theatre college

Ripon Grammar School student Izzy Kirby has won a place at a leading musical theatre college.

The 16-year-old was among the youngest students to gain a place on the highly acclaimed three-year musical theatre course at SLP (Studios La Pointe) College in Leeds.

The course, equivalent to a higher education degree, usually attracts 18-year-olds who have already achieved a foundation course qualification in technique and performance.

Izzy, who will play the role of Babette in next month’s RGS production of Beauty and the Beast, has worked hard to reach the required entry level, beginning her training at The Pauline Quirke Academy of Performing Arts in Darlington seven years ago.

For the past four years, she has attended Ripon’s Upstage Academy outside school and will play the starring role of Tracy in the performing arts school’s summer production of Hairspray.

Izzy, said:

“My first love is acting but I know that training as an all-round performer is crucial nowadays and a place at SLP will be a great grounding for a career in this industry.”

Her audition consisted of solo singing, dance classes and acting workshops.

She was expecting to hear back two-weeks later, but received an email the next day offering her a place on the three-year diploma course.

Izzy, who is currently working towards her London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art grades 6, 7 and 8 acting qualifications, says her dream roles include Sophie in Mamma Mia, Velma in Chicago or the title role of Mary Poppins in the musical.

As well as receiving one-to-one singing lessons at SLP, she will have the opportunity to work with guest teachers, directors and choreographers.

Recent graduates have gone on to work in musicals including Wicked, Beautiful, The Lion King and Bat Out of Hell.

Double delay for Kirkby Malzeard road users

It’s almost two years since a section of church wall collapsed in Kirkby Malzeard, raising safety concerns and causing the closure of one of the principal routes through the village.

The retaining wall at St Andrew’s Church collapsed after heavy rain in February 2020.

Harrogate Borough Council’s plans for reconstruction of the collapsed 10-metre section and refurbishment of a further 30 metres of wall have been revised following drawn-out consultation with villagers and statutory bodies including Historic England.

It means the road to Masham remains shut, with no date for its reopening currently known as Harrogate Borough Council is unable to say when the wall will be rebuilt. However, things could move forward next week.

A council spokesman said:

“An application relating to St Andrew’s Church Wall, Kirkby Malzeard will be considered by the council’s planning committee on Tuesday (15 February), the outcome of which will inform next steps, costs and timescales”.

Lynda English, whose children are pupils at Kirkby Malzeard Primary School, which is across the road from the damaged stone structure, told the Stray Ferret:

“Each time it rains, more debris falls from the graveyard onto Church Street and there are an increasing number of gaps between the stones on the section of wall that is due to be rebuilt.”

Church Street, where Kirkby Malzeard Primary School is located, has been closed to through traffic for almost two years

“Fencing has been put in place to block off the collapsed section but it still doesn’t feel safe to me and other families living in the Church Bank area, who have to pass each day, when taking children to school.

“The whole village is fed-up with the delay in fixing the wall but, at the same time, we want to ensure that a proper and lasting repair job is done.”

Photo of Creets Bridge

Creets Bridge traffic lights

In a further blow for motorists travelling to, from and through Kirkby Malzeard, traffic is being held up at the grade II listed Creets Bridge, which crosses Kex Beck, on the main road between the village and Ripon.

The centuries-old bridge was reconstructed by North Yorkshire County Council after suffering severe damage in the floods of November 2000.

Now traffic lights, cones and a concrete barrier have been put in place and only single file traffic can cross, as the route awaits new repair work,

At the time of publication the Stray Ferret was unable to establish from NYCC how long it will take to carry out the works.

Traffic plan sparks concerns over 1,300-home Ripon Barracks scheme

Ripon City Council has called for a new consultation on plans to build 1,300 homes at Ripon Barracks after a transport assessment was belatedly published.

Harrogate Borough Council’s 30-day consultation on the Homes England scheme is due to close on February 17.

But Ripon City Council agreed this week to urgently contact Harrogate Borough Council, asking it to ‘reset the clock’ to give local residents more time to make their views known.

City council leader Andrew Williams, received unanimous support from fellow councillors after he said:

“Important information, most notably the transport assessment executive summary, was added to the Harrogate Borough Council planning portal after the consultation period began — and anybody who commented on the outline planning application prior to February 3 would not have seen the crucial transport document.”

In April, the city council called for the Clotherholme development to be scaled back to 800 homes because of concerns about the impact of more traffic on Ripon’s road network.

At Monday’s full city council meeting, Cllr Williams said:

“This is the biggest single development in Ripon’s history and while we welcome, in principle, new homes for the city, it is clear that we don’t have the roads infrastructure to support this many, which will come on top of the 390 homes at West Lane and other schemes.

“The addition of a further 1,300 homes will have a negative impact across Ripon.

“We’re asking to reset the clock, so that people have the opportunity to read the documents on the planning portal.”

David Walpole, a consultant commissioned by the city council to report on the traffic implications of Clotherholme scheme, has been asked by councillors to ‘object in the strongest possible terms’.

The transport assessment in support of the Homes England development says:

“The proposed mitigation measures for the Ripon Barracks site include a wide range of improvements not just in the vicinity of the development itself, but also throughout the western side of the city and into the city centre itself.

“These measures include; the implementation of pedestrian and cyclist improvements by implementing mitigation measures such as traffic calming on Clotherholme Road and Kirkby Road; the introduction of a one way system involving Kirkby Road, College Road and Trinity Lane to accommodate on road cycling while maintaining car parking along College Road; the provision of a gateway junction including segregated cycling facilities at the primary Kirkby Road access to the site; junction mitigation measures to alleviate traffic congestion at key city centre junctions and provide enhanced pedestrian crossing facilities; measures to prevent rat running; and proposed contributions to public transport bus services.

“As a consequence of the mitigation measures identified to support the proposed development (it) will meet the requirements of the NPPF (National Planning Policy Framework) ensuring there will be no unacceptable impact on highway safety or severe cumulative impacts and that sustainable modes of transport will be pro-actively prioritised both to and from the development and across the west of Ripon city centre.”

Harrogate district libraries offer self-care toolkit for young people

A toolkit which encourages self-care and aims to enhance the mental health and wellbeing of young people is now available to borrow from libraries across the Harrogate district.

The kit, which contains a variety of self-help activities, includes a portable collection of items and books for individuals or groups to share at home, in the library, or out in the community.

They also provide contact details for organisations, including Childline Mind and Health for Teens, that offer help and advice for young people.

Kits can borrowed for up to three weeks by library members, who can also borrow books, e-books, audiobooks and DVDs free of charge and use computers to access free online resources.

Cllr Greg White, executive North Yorkshire county councillor for libraries, said:

“We are delighted to be launching the self-care toolkits. The last two years have presented a number of challenges for us all – especially young people – with the impact highlighting more than ever the need and importance for all of us to look after our mental health.

“The self-care toolkits are a valuable addition to the wider health and wellbeing offer at your local library, including wellbeing bags for adults, Reading Well books on prescription and events and activities to support social connections.”

More details are available by clicking on this link.

Ripon joins in Chinese New Year celebrations

Bambudda restaurant in Ripon served up a taste of Chinese New Year celebration with a lion dance yesterday evening.

The colourful event was due to take place on Kirkgate at 6pm, but the dancers and musicians were held up in traffic on their way from Manchester.

However, a large crowd of people, including families with young children, returned for 7.30pm to see two puppet lions gyrating to the percussive beat of drum, cymbals and tambourine.

The Chinese New Year, or Spring Festival, dates back more than 4,000 years and is the longest holiday of the year in China. This year is the year of the tiger.

The lions ‘scare off evil spirits and bring positive energy’

The celebrations will last until 15 February and end in China and other countries with a spectacular Lantern Festival, which features ancient spiritual traditions and celebrates family reunions and society.

Some ancient Chinese traditions were on display in Ripon, as Bambudda owner Benjamin Wu, who was born in Hong Kong, told the Stray Ferret:

“It is believed that the lions will scare off evil spirits and bring positive energy.”

He added:

“They can also bring good luck and good health, which is what everybody wants and I’m delighted that so many people came to share and enjoy this cultural tradition with us. “

Bambudda owner Benjamin Wu, with the lions who bring good luck and good health

General manager Lucy Nguyen, said:

“I come from Vietnam and the New year is also celebrated there in a similar way.

“It’s like Christmas in this country and is a time to be with family and friends.”

The musicians

She added:

“We’ve brought the lion dance to Ripon since we opened four years ago, but we couldn’t hold it last year because of the covid lockdown.”

North Stainley school’s fundraising 10K race to return next month

After two year’s off because of covid restrictions, a major fundraising race day is back on track.

The Lightwater Valley 10K and 3K Challenges, organised by Friends of North Stainley School (FONSS), will take place on Saturday March 12.

With the number of runners limited to 500, would-be entrants are being asked to book their place as soon as possible.

Places can be purchased in advance from Race Best on https://racebest.com/races/g4zhe The fee is £15 for affiliated and £17 for unaffiliated runners.

The event, covering an undulating multi-terrain route that passes through the Lightwater estate and into the surrounding countryside, will raise much-needed funds for the village school.

North Stainley Primary School opened in 1871 and is still based in its original building, close to the village church of St Mary’s.

The FONSS are the fundraising arm and use funds to contribute towards school trips, technology for pupils, music lessons and sporting activities.

Headteacher Louise Wallen, said:

“We are delighted to have the race up and running after what has been a challenging couple of years when we have been largely unable to fundraise.”

“It’s a fabulous community project, and a great day out for all the family.”

Organisers would like to hear from anyone willing to help on the day by offering their services as marshals. Contact can be made via admin@northstainley.n-yorks.sch.uk

Ripon students learn how to save a life

Students at Ripon Grammar School are being taught vital skills that could help them save a life one day.

Nine sixth formers and five Year 11 students are working towards National Pool Lifeguard Qualification (NPLQ), the most widely recognised lifeguard qualification in the UK & Ireland and a requirement for most lifeguarding jobs.

Trainee lifeguard Neive Zenner encourages others to consider the course:

She said:

“My advice would be, don’t be scared of throwing yourself into everything. You may feel embarrassed to shout across a pool, however the confidence you gain is worth it.”

Course tutor Myles Strudwick, who has been involved in lifeguarding and lifesaving for 20 years, both nationally and internationally, agrees:

He said:

“I am passionate about the development of skills in this area for anyone at any age, and nobody is too young or too old to start taking part.

“Even if it’s not something you use every day, the skills covered might just be enough to save a life one day. And it’s a strange – but thankful – feeling when that happens.”

Henry Grice-Holt, plans to work at Camp America during his gap year, where he hopes the qualification will help him get a lifeguard role.

The 17-year-old, who aims to study medicine after RGS, inspired him to apply.

Henry, who plans a career in medicine after RGS, pointed out that the most important thing he had learnt was how to perform CPR with the use of a defibrillator:

“I have also been taught how to safely get someone who is unconscious out of the water and get them in the recovery position.”

Neive, 17, said she was taking the course to help her get an interesting part-time job while at university. The accomplished swimmer added:

“Practical lessons allow you to have hands-on experience and basic first aid training, while theory provides you with the information you need to apply to lessons and even life situations.

“The most important skill I have learnt is communication, I found myself speaking out and answering questions in theory lessons, this then transferred to our pool sessions where we worked in teams relying on verbal skills.”

Henry and Neive use their Wednesday afternoon enrichment period – when sixth formers can take a break from studies to enjoy a range of other activities – to gain their qualification, which involves lessons for two hours a week at the school’s swimming pool, with additional home study.

Year 11 pupils have been taking their lifeguarding classes after school.

As well as being qualified in pool lifeguarding and supervision, with integrated defibrillation and anaphylaxis training, there is the option for the students to gain a First Aid at Work qualification and students, who began the course in November, will gain their qualifications at the beginning of April.

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Creets Bridge traffic lights

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