Ripon’s Community Diamond receives her sparkling prize
The first winner of the Ripon Community Diamond Award has received her special custom-made prize.
Suzanne Bowyer, was selected from a high calibre entry of nominees.
The award was sponsored by The Vintage Rooms and run in conjunction with the Stray Ferret.
It set out to find people who go the extra mile to help others.
The independent judges were the Mayor of Ripon Councillor Eamon Parkin and Bishop of Ripon The Rt. Revd Dr Helen-Ann Hartley.
Suzanne selected a custom-made white gold necklace featuring the diamond as her prize.
They chose Suzanne for her outstanding work at the Community House Food Support service in Allhallowgate.
It has helped hundreds of people trapped in food poverty because of the financial strain brought by the pandemic.
The presentation of a custom-made necklace with diamond, white gold setting and chain was delayed because of the covid lockdown.
Now, however, Suzanne has collected her prize and said:
“It’s a great honour to receive this award.
“I look on it as recognition for the whole team.
“They work so hard at Community House and continue to help people in need.”
Speaking on behalf of both judges, Dr Hartley, pointed out:
“There are so many community-minded people in Ripon
“Any one of the nominees would have been a worthy winner.
“That meant we had the very difficult task of finding just one individual.”
The original idea for the award came from Mike and Liz Cooper, owners of Red Buttons Jewellers and Hedley Hall, who run an antiques, vintage models and collectables business.
The friends traded together in the former Wrens department store and, when it closed, relocated to The Vintage Room in Queen Street.
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Mr Cooper, said:
“We congratulate Suzanne on her selection as the city’s first community diamond and thank all those who made the award happen.
“Through the nomination process, we found out about the people who are the beating heart of Ripon and make it such a special place.”
Former Wrens store to re-open as Halls of RiponSix months after Ripon’s only department store shut its doors, a comeback is just weeks away. The pre-Christmas closure of award-winning Wrens, was a body blow to the city.
But the building, in its prime footfall location, will reopen next month as Halls of Ripon.
Like Wrens, the new venture will be home, to a wide range of independent retailers.
Mike Cooper who owns Red Buttons Jewellers with his wife Liz, is spearheading the new enterprise with Hedley Hall.
Mr Hall, who owns an antiques, collectables and vintage models business, has traded alongside Mr and Mrs Cooper for many years.
Wrens department store pictured before its closure in December
First they were together at Wrens and then they relocated to temporary premises on Queen Street.
Mr Cooper told the Stray Ferret:
“Between us, we kept the dream of returning to our former base alive. Now it’s becoming a reality.
“There is tremendous demand for space. That makes us confident that once covid is behind us, we will can return to Fishergate by popular demand, ready for a successful summer and beyond. In addition to a strong and complementary range of retailers, there will be a cafe.”
Mr Hall, pointed out:
“My namesake, Philip Hall ran a highly-successful department store in Ripon for 50 years. It later became Wrens, under Mark Butler’s ownership and innovative management.
“Now, we are preparing for the next chapter in the story.”
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Among the independent retailers taking space at Halls of Ripon, is Lloyd Sheard, with his home furnishings goods.
He said:
“There has always been the demand for a department store of this nature in Ripon.
“It’s a fantastic location for footfall, in a city with a depth of history and attractions ranging from the Cathedral to the canal.”
Mr Sheard, added:
“As well as being a magnet for tourists, the kind of goods sold here by the independent retailers also attract local shoppers.
“That guarantees year-round trade – something all retailers need.”
While looking to the future, Mr Cooper believes that a little nostalgia will be appealing to customers.
He said:
“We decided on the Halls of Ripon name because of the association with Philip Hall and his famous department store.
“It was founded here in 1950 and to celebrate our opening we are creating the Halls of Fame competition.
“We will award prizes to people who can provide us with memorabilia relating to the former Philip Hall store.
“The items received will be used to create a display showing the history of department store shopping in Ripon. “
Ripon suffers further violent and anti-social behaviourPolice in Ripon have further violent and anti-social behaviour to investigate this morning.
Last night a man in the city suffered cuts when he was hit in the face with a stone thrown by a thug.
The incident was reported on social media by the man’s wife, as a warning to others.
She said:
“The small minority of trouble-making kids are at it again in Ripon town centre.”
The woman advised others to take care:
The stone, which cut her husband’s forehead, narrowly missed his eye and glasses.
It was thrown by one of a group she said were ‘hanging out’ in the alley next to M&Co in Fishergate.
Pictured above is the alley near where the attack took place, and the CCTV camera on Market Square North.
Just yards away from where the incident occurred is a CCTV camera that faces onto Market Square.
Andrew Williams, the leader of Ripon City Council, told the Stray Ferret:
“I just hope that the camera captured images of the group, which can help the police with their enquiries and to make arrests.
“I’m also hopeful that the camera will assist them in catching the vandal or vandals, who smashed windows at the cabmen’s shelter at the weekend.
“It’s the second time in a matter of weeks that it has been attacked and we now face another repair bill.”
Cllr Williams, has led the city council’s calls for more patrols, high-visibility policing and use of mobile CCTV in Ripon.
He and fellow councillors have said they want to work alongside the police to eradicate Ripon’s recurring problems of violence, vandalism and criminal behaviour.
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Police were informed after three windows were smashed in the cabmen’s shelter.
It’s the second time in less than three months that the unique structure belonging to the city council has been vandalised.
Dating back to the days of horse-drawn transport — it is the UK’s only mobile listed building, after Royal Engineers installed wheels as part of a re-fit.
The shelter recently underwent a further extensive refurbishment costing £22,000, before being returned to Market Square.
Reduced entry cost to Ripon museums this weekRipon Museum Trust is offering discounted tickets for its three heritage attractions.
The cost of entry to the Workhouse, Prison & Police and Old Courthouse museums, will be reduced by 15 percent from today until Sunday.
Visitors with a valid National Lottery ticket or scratch card, will be able to claim the discount.
The offer is being provided to mark National Lottery Open Week.
This recognises the the £30million raised for good causes every week by players of Lotto and associated games.
The Prison & Police Museum – one of Ripon’s heritage attractions
Helen Thornton, director of Ripon Museum Trust, said:
“We’re delighted to be taking part.
“We’ve been fortunate to receive funding from the National Lottery, which has helped us save the main Workhouse building for posterity and to carry out essential repair works to our historic buildings during lockdown.
“By taking part in the campaign, we’re saying a huge thank you to all the lottery players who helped make this work possible and have supported so many good causes.”
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In July, the trust received £40,100 from The National Lottery Heritage Fund. This was used to safeguard its heritage buildings.
It also provided much-needed support for essential costs during the coronavirus crisis.
In addition, the trust, which maintains and operates Ripon’s museums, received two grants totalling £186,850 from the Government’s Culture Recovery Fund.
The National Lottery is offering a ‘Ticket to Your Happy Place.’ It includes special offers at participating venues across the UK.
Further details are available on https://riponmuseums.co.uk/terms_and_conditions
Also taking part in the initiative is Artizan International, which helps those with disabilities earn a living through crafts.
Mothering instinct of Kirkby Malzeard woman saves tiny chickA Kirkby Malzeard woman’s warmth and human kindness has saved the life of a three-day-old chick.
Maisie Clark found the baby bird limp and unresponsive on her henhouse floor.
She told the Stray Ferret:
“The temperature had dropped sharply the night before.
“Somehow, the chick had become separated from its mum and I thought the worst.”
The tiny chick got separated from mother hen Betty the Bantam, pictured above
However, when Maisie picked up the seemingly lifeless body, she felt a small movement.
She tucked the tiny creature inside her top, hoping to replicate the body heat that a mother hen would usually provide.
Maisie, who has a two-year-old son, Brodie, pointed out:
“For newborn babies, skin to skin contact is important. It’s the same in the animal kingdom, especially for small, delicate creatures.”
She set off in her car on some errands, chick and all, and the moment of triumph came a couple of hours later:
“First I felt some movement and then I heard chirping – it was like a little miracle!
“The chick had revived and I was able to reunite it with its mother Betty.”
Now named Lucky, the fluffy brown chick is doing well and back in the henhouse along with its two siblings.
It even has a ‘guard dog’, as nine-year-old chihuahua, Alfie – himself a rescue animal – is very protective of the hens.
Maisie explained:
“He acts as if he’s the dad and it’s his job to look after the baby.”
The Clark family has a history of caring for small creatures. Maisie’s mother Liz has rescued, fostered and adopted scores of animals, including hedgehogs, cats, dogs and birds.
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Maisie said:
“I grew up in a house full of all kinds of animals and was always taught to love and care for them.
“No matter how small, all creatures facing difficulty or danger deserve their chance in life.”
Ripon students to plant hedges in battle against climate changeRipon Grammar students are planning a massive hedge planting scheme on the school’s 23-acre site.
The young environmentalists are highlighting the huge contribution hedges make in the fight against climate change and biodiversity loss.
The national event, will be shining a light on these unsung heroes of the natural world and raising awareness of the threats they face.
Year 8 student Edward Cassell, pointed out:
“Natural hedgerows are the most effective and safe home for baby chicks and fledgling, who often fall from their high treetop nests.
“It is also a brilliant way to combat climate change, as each square foot of hedge will house multiple plants which all act as carbon sinks.”
Sixth former Funmi Sowole added:
“The hedges planted at RGS will also help bring back biodiversity in coming years, which is a really exciting prospect.”
A well-kept hedge will provide a habitat for many different species
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Following a challenging year of lockdowns and restrictions, pupils are enjoying reconnecting with nature while spending time outdoors together working on the project.
They will plant six wildlife-friendly hedges, made up of 3,000 hedgerow trees and shrubs, on the school’s 23-acre site, which includes several small, wooded areas and a dedicated wildlife plot
As well as creating a damson hedge and wildlife harvest border, they will plant hawthorn, beech, hazel, crab apple, dogwood and buckthorn and bird cherry.
History teacher David Bruce, who supports the school’s student-led Wild RGS eco-committee, said:
“Our goals are environmental and educational: to promote the bio-diversity of the school site through the provision of much-needed wildlife habitat and corridors
“But also to use the hedges to educate our young people and the wider Ripon community about the ecological and cultural value of hedgerows.”
In addition to campaigning for more recycling and less energy waste in school, the RGS Wild group has been busy planting fruit trees on the school site as part of the Tree Council’s Orchards for Schools programme.
Mr Bruce, added:
“If you care about nature, you should care for hedges.
“They are fascinating but easily overlooked features of our countryside with a deep and complex history.
“Yet they could play a vital contemporary role in combatting climate change and countering the dramatic loss in biodiversity that characterised too much of the 20th century.
“We have lost up to half of our hedgerows since Second World War, largely due to changes in farming practice.
“Such habitat loss goes a long way to explain why 41 per cent of UK species studied by the RSPB have declined since recording began in 1970, with creatures like the hedgehog becoming an increasingly rare.”
For more information on National Hedgerow Week, visit www.treecouncil.org.uk
Final cost for Ripon leisure scheme remains ‘unknown’The final cost of Harrogate Borough Council’s delayed multi-million pound leisure centre project in Ripon remains unknown.
In December, following a Freedom of Information (FOI) request submitted by the Stray Ferret, the council said that the information was ‘confidential’
It did, however, confirm that:
“Additional ‘site preliminaries’ will be payable to the main contractor as a result of the extension of the construction contract.”
Last week, senior councillors on the authority’s cabinet approved additional spending on the scheme estimated to cost £110,000.
This is required to investigate a ‘void in the ground’ and is necessary in order to retain the council’s business insurance on the building.
The ‘void’ was discovered last year near the entrance to the leisure centre.
The centre is being refurbished and will be attached to the new six-lane pool.
Responding to a second FOI request in March, the council said:
“The information you request is not held by Harrogate Borough Council because the final costs are not yet known.”
Now, after conducting an internal review of the FOI responses, Joanne Barclay the council’s acting chief solicitor (corporate services) said:
“I have reviewed this matter and I consider that the council met its obligation under regulation 5(1) at the time of its response to you and confirmed that the information you requested was not held.
“The Council provided a reason for this by confirming that the final costs were not yet known.”
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Discovery of the ‘void’ follows a separate incident in February 2018, when a sinkhole opened up on the leisure centre car park.
At a June 2019 planning meeting, three members of the eight-member committee abstained rather than support the project, after ‘deep concerns’ were expressed about the sinkhole risk in an area of Ripon known for widespread gypsum deposits.
In November of that year, construction company Willmott Dixon, was awarded a £10.2 million contract for delivery of the swimming pool/leisure centre scheme.
The 17-month contract had a completion date of 21 May 2021.
Last November, Councillor Stanley Lumley, cabinet member for culture, tourism and sport, said the project had been ‘slightly delayed’ by covid.
In a press release dated November 13, he added:
“Ground work, known as grouting, is nearing completion.”
Grouting is a method used to stabilise unstable ground.
In our FOI requests, we enquired about the additional costs involved in extension of the contract with Willmott Dixon.
We also asked what proportion of additional cost has arisen through the need for extra ground remediation works.
To date, the council has been unable to answer either of these questions
In its response to our first FOI request, it stated:
“A public authority may refuse to disclose information to the extent that its disclosure would adversely affect the confidentiality of commercial or industrial information where such confidentiality is provided by law to protect a legitimate economic interest.”
Sight-impaired Ripon man calls for council boss to intervene over pavement cafe
A visually impaired man from Ripon has called on the Chief Executive of Harrogate Borough Council to intervene over a pavement cafe complaint.
Graham Wilkey has lodged a stage one complaint over the Caffe Nero outside space with the council. highlighting the issue about the amount of space that pavement licence holders are required to provide to ensure access can be maintained.
He told the Stray Ferret:
“Businesses that are given a licence to put tables and chairs outside their premises, should ensure that they are properly barriered off.
“They also need to ensure that the gap between the barriered off tables and chairs and edge of the kerb, is wide enough for people in two wheelchairs to safely pass by.”
Following the end of the first covid lockdown last summer, Mr Wilkey went out on his own into the city centre.
Graham Wilkey with the white stick that was bent after he collided with tables and chairs .
However, on his first solo walk in months, he collided with tables and chairs outside Caffe Nero in Market Place North.
His white stick got stuck and was bent out of shape.
Mr Wilkey, said:
“That shattered my confidence and made me wary about going out alone.”
He ;pointed out:
“I made a complaint to the council about the table licence that they gave to Caffe Nero
“I felt that council officers had not got the measurements right.
“I believe that the gap between the tables and chairs and the edge of the kerb is not wide enough.
“In addition to this, there are other obstructions on Market Place North, such as a lamp post.
“This makes it like an obstacle course for blind, partially sighted and disabled people in wheelchairs – that’s why I am calling on Mr Sampson’s intervention.
“I have asked the council’s corporate affairs team to bring this to his attention.”
In a written response to Mr Wilkey’s stage one complaint, the corporate affairs team, said that highways officers had visited the site during a consultation period and after the licence was granted and that they:
“Have confirmed that there is sufficient space.”
The letter goes on to say:
“Harrogate Borough Council is in agreement with this.
“Whilst there is no statutory requirement for barriers to be placed all around the site, Caffe Nero have confirmed their desire to deploy additional barriers.”
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Tanya Stimpson, director of Vision Support Harrogate District, said:
“With the easing of lockdown and more pavement licences issued, people with white sticks find it more difficult to navigate around the streets.
“I know this from personal experience, because I have my own white stick.”
She added:
“People who use white sticks are trained to walk close to the frontage of buildings.
“This becomes more problematic if there are tables and chairs in the way that hadn’t been in place previously.
“Where barriers have been put around seating areas, the barrier should go all the way to the ground, so that sticks can’t get stuck under them.”
Shakespeare with a difference is coming to RiponRipon’s Workhouse Museum Garden will be the setting for The Merry Wives of Windsor.
The Three Inch Fools, will give their musically-driven take on Shakespeare’s raucous comedy.
The touring troupe of five actors, will perform on the evening of Friday 25 June.
The performance will be staged in the Ripon Workhouse Museum Garden
Known for their fast-paced approach to Shakespeare’s works, The Three Inch Fools are a touring company.
They have built a reputation for staging productions, using many different instruments.
This is combined with rapid costume changes.
Collaborating with composer Stephen Hyde, for each production, they create a completely original musical soundtrack.
Following the easing of the covid lockdown the touring company has a summer traveling the length and breadth of the UK
They are in their seventh year of touring, having so far performed at more than 150 venues to almost 60,000 people.
Organisers suggest that audience members come prepared with blankets, cushions and camping-chairs.
The Workhouse, Prison & Police and Old Courthouse museums reopened to visitors on 17 May.
Ripon Museum Trust, which maintains the heritage attractions, received two grants totalling £186,850 from the Government’s Culture Recovery Fund.
The funding is designed to help cultural organisations to get back on their feet following the coronavirus crisis.
A grant of £69,350, announced in April, will help the trust to develop digital learning for schools and reconnect with tour groups, older learners and communities.
Bookings can be made via riponmuseums.co.uk or by telephone on 01765 690799.
Ripon choristers sing their way to scholarship successUpper sixth formers Barnaby Sladden and James Kitchingman have sung their way to success.
The friends sang together for years in the Ripon Cathedral choir and are now heading to Cambridge and Worcester.
They have secured much sought-after choral scholarships.
The Dean of Ripon, the Very Rev John Dobson, said:
“James and Barnaby were gifted members of Ripon Cathedral Choir when I arrived in Ripon in 2014.
“It is such a joy to see them using their musical talents and flourishing so brilliantly.”
Barnaby has been offered a tenor position in the Clare College Chapel Choir at the University of Cambridge.
He will also study maths at the university.
As well as singing with the world-famous choir, he will be involved in regular performances on radio and overseas tours.
Barnaby and James san together for 11 years in the Ripon Cathedral choir.
James won his place at Worcester Cathedral, where he will receive free accommodation in an eighteenth century flat above the cathedral’s Song School.
Barnaby, who is 17, is following in the footsteps of his parents, Dan and Ruth Sladden.
The couple met in the 1990s, when they were Cambridge choral scholars, Dan at King’s and Ruth at Clare College
James, 18, will spend his gap year singing at six services a week in the cathedral and helping to run the music department there,
Michael Barker, director of music at Ripon Grammar School, said:
“Choral scholarships are only given out to the select few students who have shown dedication over time and commitment to choral music.
“I wish them the very best of luck on the next stage of their journeys.”
As a choral scholar, as well as being paid £3,000 a year and enjoying rent-free accommodation, he is looking forward to free singing lessons and mentoring from acclaimed professional musicians.
The famous choir performs in major concert venues all over the UK and has toured in Japan, the USA, Israel and throughout Europe in recent years.
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Like Barnaby, James comes from a musical family.
His mother Cathy, sings and plays the piano, father Andrew, plays piano and organ and sister Helena, 15, is a keen electric guitar player.