Councillors increase calls for tidy up of Ripon cemeteryTwo senior Ripon councillors have stepped up calls for an urgent tidy up of Ripon Cemetery.
Last week, Ripon City Council leader Andrew Williams and fellow independent Pauline McHardy, accused Harrogate Borough Council (HBC) of ‘disrespecting the dead of Ripon’ and causing ‘distress’ to their relatives and friends.
At the same time, people visiting the cemetery on Kirkby Road spoke of their ‘distress and disgust.’
They were concerned that unmown grass has grown to such a height it makes finding and visiting graves difficult.
In some areas of Ripon cemetery, overhanging trees and hedges completely obscure rows of graves.
Cllr Williams, who has generations of his own family buried at the cemetery, pointed out:
“When you look at the care given by the borough council to Stonefall and compare it with Ripon, the contrast is there for all to see.
“I don’t think that it is unreasonable to expect the council to deliver the same standard of service across the entire district.
“It is deeply disrespectful to those with deceased relatives in other parts of the Harrogate District to provide a high standard of maintenance at Stonefall and a much lower one elsewhere.”
The above photograph was taken at Stonefall Cemetery in Harrogate on Friday (11 June).
Now cllr McHardy, a city and district councillor, has contacted conservative cllr Andrew Paraskos, HBC cabinet member for environment, waste reduction and recycling, whose portfolio includes 11 district cemeteries, and called for him to take immediate action.
She told the Stray Ferret:
“People in Ripon are angry that they and their deceased relatives are being treated like second-class citizens.
“What you can see in Ripon isn’t ‘re-wilding’ for the benefit of nature, it’s purely and simply a cost-cutting exercise.”
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Last week, an HBC spokesperson, said:
“Visitors to several of the cemeteries across the district may start to notice that some areas are being left to grow and not mown.
“We want to encourage biodiversity so are working with parish councils to leave specific areas to grow, attract pollinators and create habitats
“We have a regular programme of work, across all of the district’s cemeteries that we manage, and when specific issues are raised we will work to address these and carry out any required maintenance.
“We will of course continue to mow the grass along pathways and around gravestones so that mourners can pay their respects to their loved ones.”
Get set for delays on Ripon bypassEssential maintenance work on Ripon’s Duchess of Kent bridge is scheduled to start on June 28 and take two weeks.
The bridge, crossing the River Ure, is part of the city’s bypass. It was officially opened by the Yorkshire-born duchess in March 1996.
The arterial road carries traffic around the city, avoiding Ripon’s ancient streets. It is a key route to the A1 and A1M
Advance warning signs are being put in place this week to advise drivers of likely delays.
Councillor Mike Chambers, North Yorkshire County Council’s member for Ripon North, said:
“The maintenance to this well-used bridge will involve replacing the expansion joints and surfacing works to remove the depressions at each end of the bridge.
“The work will be carried out overnight to minimise disruption as much as possible. We apologise in advance for any inconvenience this may cause.”
Work on the bridge will be carried out between 6pm and 6am over a two-week period.
The work will take place from 6pm to 6am using four-way traffic lights and is scheduled to finish on July 10.
At the northern end of the bridge is a roundabout with exits for Ripon city centre and Copt Hewick.
The lights will be removed before rush hour each day to reduce inconvenience to road users.
The council said it was notifying nearby residents directly affected by the roadworks.
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Ripon beautician praying for PM to save weddingsHairdressers and brides-to-be in the Harrogate district will have their fingers tightly crossed this evening.
Social distancing restrictions were due to end on June 21 but now it seems the 30-person cap on wedding guests could be extended for another four weeks, throwing numerous wedding plans in jeopardy.
Some people have already put back their weddings as many as four times because of the coronavirus crisis.
Now they are relying on Prime Minister Boris Johnson, not to ruin their big days yet again.
Deborah Chalmers, of Love Hair & Beauty in Ripon, told the Stray Ferret:
“Three quarters of the bookings I have are for weddings with more than 100 guests.
“With the government’s roadmap to June 21 and the anticipated lifting of covid social distancing requirements, people were counting on finally getting married.
“They thought they were safe to book a post-June 21 date and everything that goes with it.
“Now there is another big question mark and we are all hoping and praying that a way can be found to allow weddings with more than 30 attendees to go ahead.”
Brides-to-be across the Harrogate district will be listening carefully to this evening’s announcement from Boris Johnson.
Later this year, Ms Chalmers celebrates her 10th anniversary of being in business in Ripon.
Over the decade she has prepared hundreds of brides and their bridesmaids for weddings.
She said:
“You can be in a restaurant with 100 people that you don’t know, or at a sporting event with thousands, so surely the Prime Minister can come up with something.
“I fully understand that there is a need to keep everybody safe, but perhaps we would be OK if there was covid testing available for all attending a wedding and those, like myself, providing services on the day.
“It will be desperate if weddings for some are put off for the fifth time, or if the limit on attendance remains at 30 and they have to un-invite family members and friends if they decide to go ahead with their ceremony.”
For Ms Chalmers and other businesses in the wedding sector, it has been a tough 16 months.
She has managed to keep ticking over by providing hair and beauty treatments for smaller weddings.
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Fortunately, customers forced to postpone have stayed loyal when rearranging for different dates.
She said:
“For some, the wedding has been a long time coming, but we stay optimistic in the knowledge that the brides will eventually, have their big day.”
Jack Laugher’s mum: ‘He’s achieved so much but supports me too’In the golden glow of Olympic glory, Jack Laugher told BBC television viewers that his favourite place in the world is “back home in Littlethorpe”.
For those who know him best, that came as no surprise.
The sporting role model has never forgotten his roots in the Ripon area and he continues to give back to the community where he was raised.
In the same week that he heard he had been selected for the GB’s Tokyo Olympic team, Jack agreed to sponsor the Roosters – Ripon’s newest netball team.
His mother Jackie, who will play in the a team for players aged 50 and above, told the Stray Ferret:
“While achieving so much in his sport, Jack has always been a loving son, supportive of what I’m doing.
“He takes as much interest in my membership of Ripon City Netball Club, as I do in his membership of the GB Olympic team.”
In addition to his Olympic gold and silver, Jack was a multiple medallist at the 2014 and 2018 Commonwealth Games. He is pictured here with Sylvia Grice.
A Transdev 36 double-decker bus is named in his honour and a bench installed by Littlethorpe Parish Council bears his name.
He was also one of six GB Olympic competitors supported by ALDI whose shoppers in Ripon and across the country could see his face on posters.
Jack’s history-making performance with diving partner Chris Mears meant the pair became Britain’s first Olympic diving gold medallists.
Jack in action at this year’s European Aquatics Championships, where he won silver. Picture: British Swimming
Jack’s mother Jackie and her best friend Helen Mackenzie were at the Maria Lenk Aquatics Centre in Rio to witness the winning springboard-propelled synchronised twists and turns, which denied the China team a clean sweep of the 2016 Olympic diving golds.
Back in the UK, a third woman shared in this triangle of triumph, watching on television in the lounge of her Littlethorpe home.
Sylvia Grice, who was made an MBE for teaching an estimated 250,000 children how to swim, saw her former water babe become an Olympic champion.
Jack, who started with his first splash at Ripon’s Spa Baths when he was three, now had gold around his neck.
Sylvia pointed out:
“Even at that age, he had the confidence and control to swim under water and that proved to be a good omen.”
A week later, Jack added silver in the men’s individual three-metre springboard event, becoming the first British diver to win multiple medals at an Olympic games.
Helen, who is Sylvia’s daughter and has followed in her mother’s slipstream as a swimming teacher, also teaches PE at Ripon Grammar School, where Jack’s academic and sporting prowess was developed.
She will also join the new Roosters netball team, and said:
“Jack is such a special person – a giver, not a taker.
“After donating a buddies bench to Ripon Cathedral School, he turned up at his old primary in his GB Olympic kit to present sports day prizes, pose with children and parents for photographs and sign autographs.”
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Harrogate Borough Council accused of ‘disrespecting Ripon’s dead’Harrogate Borough Council (HBC) has been accused of ‘disrespecting the dead of Ripon’ and causing ‘distress’ to their relatives and friends.
People visiting the city’s cemetery on Kirkby Road this week spoke of their ‘distress and disgust.’
They are concerned about unmown grass that has grown to a height that makes finding and visiting graves difficult.
In some areas of the cemetery, overhanging trees and hedges completely obscure rows of graves.
Ripon City Council leader Andrew Williams, who has generations of his own family buried at the cemetery, told the Stray Ferret:
“The very limited maintenance of the grounds, perimeter hedges and trees is disrespectful of those who have their last resting place here.
“Visiting the graves of loved ones should provide consolation and help those who grieve, but instead of finding this peace, the state of the cemetery adds to their distress.”
Pictured above is the last headstone visible in a line of graves engulfed by an overgrown perimeter hedge
Rita Stuart, whose husband Robert died in February, was visiting to place flowers. She said:
“I feel as though the council doesn’t care.”
Tina Ward regularly visits the cemetery to pay her respects to family and friends who have passed. She pointed out:
“For many years this used to be a peaceful and well-kept place, with a man who looked after it living in a house within the grounds.
“Now, there is no proper care and It has descended into this disgusting condition.”
Pat Park, whose parents and sister are buried at the cemetery, added:
“Many of the people who visit are elderly and have limited mobility.
“The length of the grass makes visiting the graves very difficult, if not impossible.”
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Recently the council has been accused of not doing enough at another cemetery in Knaresborough where areas of the graveyard were overgrown.
In responding to the concerns an HBC spokesperson, said:
“Visitors to several of the cemeteries across the district may start to notice that some areas are being left to grow and not mown.
“We want to encourage biodiversity so are working with parish councils to leave specific areas to grow, attract pollinators and create habitats
“We have a regular programme of work, across all of the district’s cemeteries that we manage, and when specific issues are raised we will work to address these and carry out any required maintenance.
“We will of course continue to mow the grass along pathways and around gravestones so that mourners can pay their respects to their loved ones.”
Independent city and Harrogate district councillor Pauline McHardy has family members, friends and former nursing colleagues buried at the cemetery.
She said:
“There has been no consultation with Ripon City Council about plans for ‘re-wilding.’
“It’s clear to me that this is an excuse for cutting costs, instead of cutting the grass and trimming hedges and bushes.
“This is a cemetery, not a nature reserve.”
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.”