The covid pandemic has put paid to official celebrations in honour of Ripon’s patron saint, but St Wilfrid will still be represented on the city’s streets on Saturday.

The tradition, which goes back decades, is being kept alive in the hope that things will be back to normal next year.

Sue Simms, secretary of the St Wilfrid’s procession committee, said:

“Our unofficial St Wilfrid walk is going ahead.”

Actors playing the parts of the patron saint, his monks and followers, will leave from the Spa Gardens gates at 2pm.

The walkers will head for Market Place, North Road, Princess Road, Allhallowgate, Kirkgate, Bondgate, Harrogate Road and finish back at Market Place.

The gate at Spa Gardens, where St Wilfrid walkers will gather at 2pm on Saturday before their tour of the city.

Until 2019, St Wilfrid’s Day was one of the city’s biggest occasions of the year, marked by events and a large procession.

Thousands of people would, pre-pandemic, line the city streets and congregate on Market Square.

In addition to causing the cancellation of the 2020 event, the covid lockdowns also affected this year’s activities.

Organisers are looking to use Saturday’s walk as a platform to promote festivities for next year and beyond and will be handing out leaflets along the route.

As well as being the 1,350th anniversary of St Wilfrid founding a church on the site of Ripon Cathedral, 2022 marks the Queen’s platinum jubilee.

In May, Ms Simms told the Stray Ferret:

“We did not feel running a large-scale procession this year would be a responsible choice.

“The situation was complicated by the fact that we would have needed to start applying for road closures back in October.

“Because of the coronavirus crisis, we couldn’t plan ahead with any degree of confidence at that time.”

Ripon City Council is staging Yorkshire Day Weekend activities on Market Square.

Read more:

• Fundraising campaign for Ripon’s Walled Garden
• Another councillor has concerns about Ripon Leisure Centre

These will include free children’s fairground rides, musical entertainment from 5.45pm on Saturday and a fireworks display.

On Sunday, there will also be an artisan Market starting at 10am on the square.

Police are warning beekeepers in Nidderdale to ‘bee vigilant’ following the attempted theft of hives.

It comes after a thief wearing a beekeeper’s suit tried to steal six hives recently. It is believed the culprit dropped one of the hives, which enraged the bees, and fled empty handed.

PC Bill Hickson, who is based in Patelely Bridge, warned “there may be criminals out there with an eye on your hives”.

PC Hickson revealed more about the sting operation in a report in the August edition of the Link magazine for the Parish of Dacre with Hartwith & Darley with Thornthwaite.

PC Hickson said:

“Last month a thief, or thieves, unsuccessfully tried to steal half a dozen beehives at a location not far from Nidderdale.

Police in Pateley Bridge have recorded 15 crimes in the last month.

“They wore a beekeeper’s suit but nevertheless managed to drop one of the hives, thereby enraging the bees, and fled empty handed.

“Despite this apparent incompetence whoever was responsible had planned the raid and were specifically targeting beehives above other more traditional booty.”

In another animal-related matter, PC Hickson called on dog owners to keep their dogs on leads after a sheep was attacked and a lamb killed on Greenhow Hill.

He said:

“However well-controlled you think your dog is, please do not let it off the lead in fields where there may be livestock.”

A total of 15 crimes, ranging from deliberate damage to a parked car in Dacre Banks to graffiti at Brimham Rocks, were recorded in Nidderdale during the month.

Read more:

• Grassington river tragedy
• Art therapy for Pateley Bridge grandmother

Anybody with information that could help the police in their work, is asked to contact PC Hickson by calling 101, choosing option two and asking for “Bill Hickson” or “0-8-2-0”

He can also be emailed at bill.hickson@northyorkshire.police.uk

There was Olympic disappointment for Jack Laugher and his diving partner Daniel Goodfellow in Tokyo this morning as they finished out of the medals in seventh place.

Laugher, who was born and bred in the Ripon area, still has the opportunity of adding to the gold and silver medals he won in Rio when he competes in next week’s individual three-metre springboard event.

His mother Jackie, who watched with her husband, David, at their Littlethorpe home, told the Stray Ferret:

“From the start it didn’t look like it was going to be their day, but they are a relatively new team.

“I’m immensely proud of Jack, he’s a wonderful son, great sportsman and role model, but above all he’s a lovely person who will always call Littlethorpe his home.”

Jack Laugher (left) and Daniel Goodfellow making their opening dive

Family friend Helen Mackenzie, who was in Rio with Jackie to see Jack’s gold and silver medal performances in 2016, said:

“It is testimony to their determination and mental toughness that, following five below par dives, he and Daniel achieved their best score in the final one which, with a tariff of 3.9, is  the world’s most difficult dive.

“This bodes well for next week, when Jack takes part in the individual event.”

Read more:

• Ripon ready to rock
• City council wants to keep its hands on Ripon assets

Gemma Williams, who like Jackie and Helen is a member of Ripon City Netball Club, said:

“I love and feel pride by proxy, seeing Jack and Dan compete – not the result they would want, but still an amazing achievement.”

Leanne Jalland, chair of Harrogate District Diving Club, where Jack used to train, also spoke of its pride in the pair despite today’s outcome.

“It was a high standard competition but unfortunately it was not their day today. That’s diving as a sport for you, anything can happen and it all comes down to the dives on the day.

“That last dive showed a glimpse of what they are capable of and we are confident that both Jack and Dan have got the strength of character to come back stronger from this.”

Ripon will be rocking on Saturday when four musical acts perform in the city’s ancient square.

The Yorkshire Day Weekend will also feature free fairground rides for children, fireworks and a Little Bird Artisan Market.

The weekend has been arranged by Ripon City Council, which is funding the events from the parish precept paid by council tax payers.

It will be the city’s first mass public gathering since the relaxation of covid restrictions on July 19.

In line with the council’s family-friendly policy, two free fairground rides for young children will operate from 2pm until 8pm on Saturday and 10am until 4pm on Sunday.

For older children, a climbing wall will be in place for use free of charge.

Ripon’s first Little Bird Artisan Market this year was held on Market Square in May.

Music takes centre stage from 5.45pm on Saturday, when local singer-songwriter and acoustic guitarist Freddie Cleary performs.

He will be followed by Elton John, Amy Winehouse and Queen tribute acts, whose respective performances will begin at 7pm, 7.45pm and 9.45pm.

A more traditional performer will be on Market Square at 9pm, when a hornblower’s blasts at the four corners of the obelisk will signal the setting of the night watch.

Ripon’s day of fairground fun and entertainment will be brought to a sparkling crescendo with a Saturday night  fireworks display.

Cupcakes by Ripon-based When the Cake Door Opens will be among the items for sale at Sunday’s market.

Read more:

• Ripon councillor supports call for investigation into city’s leisure scheme
• A jab well done at Ripon Racecourse

Between 10am and 3pm on Sunday’s Yorkshire Day, the Little Bird Artisan Market will showcase more than 50 businesses, selling goods handmade or produced in the Yorkshire area.

Last month the market attracted many local people and visitors to the city centre, who browsed stalls selling an array of crafts, homeware, skin products, candles, clothing, photography, wood crafts and other goods.

Harrogate Borough Council’s impending demise following last week’s devolution decision has prompted Ripon councillors to secure the future of two city assets.

A ‘for sale’ sign remains in place outside Spa Baths, but city councillors at their July full meeting agreed to progress an application to nominate the Edwardian building for listing as an Asset of Community Value.

At the same time, they agreed to renew calls for Harrogate Borough Council to transfer the freehold of Hugh Ripley Hall — a building named in honour of Ripon’s last wakeman and first mayor.

Council leader Andrew Williams said:

“We have been told by Harrogate Borough Council that the freehold on the hall is not available and they have no plans to sell the building.

Ripon City Council wants to have full control of Hugh Ripley Hall.

“With our lease still having 30 years to run and changes coming about through devolution on the horizon, it would seem sensible for the city council to take over the freehold.

“Under the terms of the lease, we have responsibility for maintaining the building, but have to apply for permission from the landlord (Harrogate Borough Council) for any work we need to carry out on it.

“That’s just a complete waste of everybody’s time.”

Ripon’s Spa Baths reopened in May, after being closed for more than a year by the covid lockdown.

Weeks before the reopening, Harrogate Borough Council put the 116-year-old listed building up for sale, despite protests that it could lose its community use if bought by a private developer.

Groups including, Ripon Civic Society and Ripon Together have supported the city council’s call for the sale to be suspended, to allow more time for proposals to be brought forward.

With the call to put the sales process on hold rejected by Harrogate Borough Council, Ripon councillors are pursuing the asset of community value route.

If successful, it would secure the baths — a key element of the city’s spa quarter — for community purposes.

A spokesperson for Harrogate Borough Council previously said:

“We have no plans to withdraw the sale of Ripon Spa Baths.

“The building will soon become surplus to our requirements and we do not have the resources to maintain it.

“Selling the baths for redevelopment, subject to planning permission and listed building consents, would allow this local asset to be given a new lease of life, retain its key features and remain as a city landmark.

“Ripon City Council, or another interested party, is welcome to submit a bid.”

Read more:

• Will devolution affect HBC’s development and disposal plans?
• Report raises serious safety concerns about Ripon Leisure Centre

The spokesperson added that the building will no longer be needed when construction of Ripon’s new pool and refurbishment of the leisure centre is completed by November.

A Ripon councillor who voted in favour of the city’s new swimming pool and leisure centre refurbishment, is now supporting calls for an independent investigation into the scheme.

Sid Hawke was one of eight councillors on Harrogate Borough Council’s planning committee that approved an application two years ago for a new six-lane pool to be built alongside the existing leisure centre, which would be refurbished.

But following fresh concerns about sinkholes, Cllr Hawke, an independent who represents Ripon Ure Bank on Harrogate Borough Council, told the Stray Ferret:

“If I knew then, what I know now, I would have definitely voted against it.

“I’ve wanted a new swimming pool for Ripon for years, but the public interest must come first.

“I fully support an independent investigation looking into safety issues, so we can get them all sorted out.”

Also on the planning committee, which met on June 25, 2019, was Pat Marsh, the Liberal Democrat leader on Harrogate Borough Council, who was one of three councillors to abstain. Conservative councillor Nigel Simms voted against, because of misgivings about the suitability of the site two years ago.

Last week Cllr Marsh called for an independent investigation into the multi-million pound development at Camp Close, off Dallamires Lane.

Her comments followed safety concerns raised in a report by the multi-national consultancy Stantec, which were amplified by Dr Alan Thompson, a leading authority on the gypsum and sinkhole issues affecting all types of development in the Ripon area.

Cllr Pat Marsh

Cllr Marsh’s call came in the wake of the Stray Ferret’s exclusive story about safety concerns that came to light after Stantec’s inspection of a cavity discovered close to the leisure centre entrance in September.

The cavity, in the area where the new pool is due to be attached to the existing leisure centre, is in close proximity to a sinkhole that opened up on the centre car park.

That sinkhole arose 16 months before the planning meeting where the new pool was voted through.

Cllr Marsh, said:

“I’m pleased that Cllr Hawke supports my call for an investigation and I hope that other Ripon councillors will follow suite.

“The people of Ripon deserve a new pool — but there have been long-term ground stability issues in this area, as I know from the time when the leisure centre was being built.

“With this in mind, I couldn’t vote for further development at Camp Close as I thought that other site options should have been considered.

“We will see what the investigation commissioned by Harrogate Borough Council says about the cavity and then press for an independent safety investigation.”

A spokesperson for Harrogate Borough Council said last week:

“The multi-million pound investment project at Ripon Leisure Centre shows our commitment to providing modern, fit-for-purpose leisure facilities for the people of Ripon.

“Given the well-known ground conditions in Ripon, we employed qualified and experienced geologists and geo-technic engineers to carry out necessary investigation works and advise on what would be required to provide this much needed facility.

“A total of 441 grouting sites received 3,043 tonnes of grout which, along with the casting of a reinforced concrete slab, provides the foundation for the new swimming pool building.

“The void which is underneath the existing leisure centre is understood to have been present a number of years. This was only discovered as a result of the work to prepare the new swimming pool site.

Read more:

• Portrait of Olympic hero Jack is inspiring Ripon students
• Ripon hornblowers  return to round of applause

“It is now being investigated and should any remedial work be required then it will be carried out.

“We are committed to providing this much-needed facility that will encourage a healthier and more active lifestyle for our residents and something they can be proud of.”

With the Tokyo games now underway, a portrait of Olympic gold medallist diver Jack Laugher is providing inspiration to Ripon Grammar School students.

The former RGS pupil became an Olympic champion alongside partner Chris Mears at Rio 2016, when the duo made history in three-metre springboard synchronised diving.

Having become, with Mears, the first GB Olympic divers to win gold, he went on to take silver in the men’s individual three-metre springboard competition.

The painting by artist and RGS parent Fiona Scott, which features Jack holding his medals from Rio, now has pride of place at the school.

The school, along with sports fans across Great Britain, will be cheering him on as he competes in Tokyo.

An inspirational painting – artist Fiona Scott (right) with, from the left: RGS headmaster Jonathan Webb, Dan Brown and Eliza Polito

The synchronised event will be broadcast live on the BBC on Wednesday morning (7am UK time).

The individual event begins with the preliminary round at 7am UK time on August 2, with the semi-final and final respectively starting at 2am and 7am UK time, on 3 August.

Headmaster Jonathan Webb is thrilled to have the stunning oil painting of the Olympic gold medal winner hanging in school, particularly as it was installed just before the games. He said:

“Students and staff are all very excited and we’ll all be willing him on.”

Ms Scott, who arranged a sitting with Laugher at Leeds Aquatics Centre, said he was delighted to hear the painting was now on show at his old school.

Keen swimmer Darcy Harper was among the students who met the sporting hero when he returned to RGS to present prizes to pupils three years ago.

The 15-year-old, who has competed in national schools finals, said:

“I found it inspiring to hear his story and how far he’s come.”

Laugher, who left RGS in 2013, has also inspired Dan Brown, who has represented RGS in county swimming championships, athletics and tennis.

Read more:

• Meet the Littlethorpe women behind Jack’s success
• Olympic champion dives for Gold once more

The 14-year-old, who is aiming for a career in sport, said:

“He has shown how it’s possible to combine a professional sporting career while managing his schoolwork, which I really admire.”

Eliza Polito, a 14-year-old swimmer and runner, added:

“I think it’s so cool to know that Jack Laugher came to this school and has gone on to achieve so much.”

Artist Ms Scott’s daughter Lily Wainwright is a Year 10 boarding student, whose two older brothers also studied at RGS.

The Laugher painting was shortlisted for the Royal Society of Portrait Painters‘ annual exhibition in London in May last year before the exhibition was cancelled due to covid.

Ripon’s famous hornblower ceremony has taken on a new international angle.

When the 9pm ritual returned to Market Square for the first time in 16 months on Monday, Patricio Maglio was unveiled as a new member of the team.

Mr Maglio, who was born and bred in Argentina, told the Stray Ferret:

“When I saw there was a vacancy, I just had to apply.

“It’s an absolute honour to be part of this rich Ripon tradition, which is part of the history of this fantastic city.”

The Mayor of Ripon, Councillor Eamon Parkin, with the city’s hornblowers – from the left: Alison Clark, Richard Midgley, Wayne Cobbett and Patricio Maglio

Mr Maglio, who moved to the UK 13 years ago, works in the corporate team at Asda’s Leeds headquarters.

He and Ripon-born partner Rebecca live within earshot of the nightly blasts of horns that will now signal the nightly setting of the watch on the city’s ancient Market Square.

Covid social distancing requirements and lockdowns meant that the hornblowers had to perform behind closed doors for more than a year.

But, working on a rota basis, they did not miss a single night and maintained a tradition dating back to 886 AD.

The four hornblowers brought the 9pm ritual back to Market Square on Monday

After the newly-enlarged team played their part in the ceremony, they shared details of the history of hornblowing and their respective instruments, with a crowd of appreciative onlookers.

Read more:

• Halls of Ripon a hit with shoppers
• Olympics just days away for Ripon’s star diver

This included the Mayor of Ripon, Councillor Eamon Parkin, who said:

“We’ve now got a fab four and it’s great to have the hornblowers back and able to perform in public.

“As well as being a part of Ripon’s heritage, they play an important role in attracting visitors to the city.

“For citizens and visitors alike, the setting of the watch each night, should make us all feel a little safer.”

Clubs and organisations in Ripon are to provide a programme of free summer activities for the city’s children.

Community interest company Ripon Together has organised a wide range of events, starting on Saturday.

Summer of Play aims to get children out together again, trying new sports and activities.

It will also help local organisations encourage young people to join up.

A spokesperson for Ripon Together said.

“The children of the city have been especially brave and resilient over the last 18 months.

“They’ve seen huge upheaval with schools and their usual activities have been cancelled and adapted during the pandemic.

“Now, as the restrictions lift, amazing organisations across the city have joined in with the initiative. The result is a programme of free events giving kids of all school ages the opportunity to try sports or other activities over the summer.”

Hugh Ripley Hall is the venue for wheelchair bowls (Boccia) and yoga on Sunday

Events range from formal team sports such as cricket and football, through to karate and croquet, dance, yoga, mindfulness and orienteering, as well as nature hunts at Fountains Abbey.

First up on Saturday is a free taster session at Karate Dojo, the chance to have fun with the whole family at a free play day at Ripon Tennis Centre and an opportunity to get moving in a fun dance class hosted by Ripon Dance Studio.

On Sunday, fun with tennis and karate continues and children will also be able to try their hands at boccia and yoga at the Hugh Ripley Hall.

There are sessions for people with disabilities too, including wheelchair bowls.

Read more:

• Jobs on offer at cafe-bar that’s coming to Ripon
• Return of Ripon’s hornblowers

Karate coach Ady Gray, who was named UK’s Children’s Coach of the Year in 2018, said:

“It’s great to welcome our children and young people back into the social community of sport and recreation.

“This initiative will promote the great clubs and groups to all the local people of Ripon, offering benefits to fitness, health and mental wellbeing after what has been a hard year both physically and mentally for our children.”

Diane Hutchinson, from Ripon Tennis Centre, said:

“Health and fitness should be fun and tennis is a fantastic game that is not only fun to play but also offers great social opportunities also. We have classes to suit all levels of player so if you want to get involved we would love to see you!”

Activities have been arranged throughout July and August. The full programme can be viewed at www.ripontogether.com