Ripon City Netball Club has held a socially distanced version of its annual awards due to covid.

The awards are the biggest event on the club’s calendar, but this year only award winners were invited to attend the presentation outside Ripon Grammar School, where the club trains. 

Some of the award winners.

The club has five teams, each named after a different bird of prey, with three trophies given out per team for most improved player, coach’s player and players’ player. 

The 2020 award winners were;

Hawks: Kerry Rich, Lindsey Stockdale, Karen Dodds.

Eagles: Carla Darbyshire, Thandiwe Mahlangu, Becky Stacey.

Ospreys: Rebecca Kirby, Claire Barnett, Jenny Addyman.

Kestrels: Kimberley Adele, Joanna Wallace, Hayley Blaymires.

Falcons: Frankie Louise, Sarah-Louise Norton, Jenna Sadler.

Other winners of individual prizes were: Lindsi Baldwin, Kirsteen Dixon, Helen Mackenzie, Georgina Roberts, Samantha Wilson, Karen Ellam, Cathy Simms, Jackie Laugher, Lindsey Virr, Rachael Clark, Suzanne Armstrong, Nicola Lymer, Louise Withy, Becky Ash and Tracy Chapman.

A new Winter Wonderland Teepee has opened in the grounds of a Harrogate hotel, enabling people to socialise more safely in winter.

The Majestic Hotel on Ripon Road said it will offer a family-friendly dining experience, with traditional Christmas market-style food and drinks including bratwurst, roast chestnuts, hot chocolate, mulled wine and winter cocktails.

It is a step up from the hotel’s Majestic Pavilion al fresco dining area, and will be open on Friday, Saturday and Sunday evenings until mid-December, when it will change to Fridays and Saturdays only. The hotel has already taken more than 400 bookings for the teepee in the last week alone.

Read more:

• Harrogate district restaurants extend discount meals into November
• Harrogate bars warn further measures could ‘finish us off’

Andy Barnsdale, general manager of the DoubleTree Harrogate Majestic Hotel & Spa, said:

“Since the summer we have had the Majestic Pavilion on our terrace, which has proved incredibly popular for those looking for relaxing alfresco food and drinks.

“Now the clocks have gone back and winter is officially here, we have added our Majestic Winter Wonderland Teepee into the alfresco dining mix.

“It is family, child and dog friendly, and all covid-19 safety precautions will be strictly observed and adhered to. In addition to festive food and drink there will be live music on each of the three evenings, provided by local artists performing acoustic sets.

“What we are offering is an escape from the constraints that covid-19 has brought to the nation. Our Winter Wonderland is ideal for friends to catch up in a safe environment and for families wanting an afternoon or evening out together.”

Two suspected drug dealers have been arrested in Ripon as part of a police operation.

Officers stopped a vehicle on Hutton Bank at about 5.20pm on Wednesday and arrested two men aged 21 from Leeds.

They seized a large amount of suspected ecstasy tablets and crack cocaine, as well as a knife and around £500 in cash.

The arrests were part of North Yorkshire Police’s Operation Expedite, which tackles county lines drug crimes.

Officers believe the pair travelled from West Yorkshire to supply large quantities of class A drugs in the Ripon area.

One of the men has been charged with possession of a bladed weapon and will appear in court in February. In relation to possession of class A drugs with intent to supply, both men have been released under investigation.

Read more:

• Police drugs bust near Harrogate’s Valley Gardens
• Warning to parents after police seize ‘drug-laced sweets’ in Ripon
• Harrogate county lines drug suspect arrested

Operation Expedite

Officers working on Operation Expedite are focused on targeting people who travel to North Yorkshire in order to deal drugs. They often exploit young and vulnerable people, forcing them into selling drugs.

As well as detecting those behind the crimes, the police teams work to protect those who are vulnerable to being targeted by organised crime networks.

For more information, visit North Yorkshire Police’s website. To report suspected drug dealing, call the force on 101, or speak anonymously to Crimestoppers by calling 0800 555111.

A further 57 people in the Harrogate district have tested positive for covid-19, according to figures released today.

It means the district’s total confirmed cases since the start of the pandemic is now 2,106.

Across Yorkshire and the Humber, 3,565 further cases were confirmed today, bringing the total for the region to 115,145 since the outbreak began.

No further deaths have been reported at Harrogate District Hospital in today’s figures from NHS England.

Read more:

• Harrogate Nightingale ‘could open with five days’ notice’
• Harrogate district’s coronavirus cases since March pass 2,000

Yesterday, the hospital reported the death of a patient who had been diagnosed with coronavirus. The death took place on Sunday, October 25.

The total number of deaths in patients with covid-19 at the hospital since the start of the pandemic stands at 85.

Regionally, 44 deaths were confirmed today in Yorkshire and the Humber, out of a total of 207 across England. The patients were aged between 36 and 101, and all except six of them – aged between 60 and 93 – had known underlying health conditions.

Another 59 new cases of coronavirus have been confirmed in the Harrogate district today.

It brings the total number of people in the district confirmed to have the virus to 1,989 since the start of the pandemic.

Today’s figures also show there have been no further deaths at Harrogate District Hospital, with the total number of covid-related fatalities there still standing at 84.

Across Yorkshire and the Humber, 14 deaths were confirmed today, out of a total of 76 across England. The region had 2,380 positive covid tests confirmed today, bringing the total in the pandemic to 108,580.

Read more:

• Harrogate coronavirus testing site opens with 57 appointments
• Harrogate Nightingale hospital put on standby

Fire crews were called out to a derelict building in the centre of Harrogate today.

It happened at a house at the junction of Strawberry Dale and Woodbine Terrace.

The fire was reported to North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service at 4.50pm. They found it in an outbuilding which contained rubbish, though the cause was not identified.

Firefighters from Harrogate and Knaresborough put it out using a hose, and used breathing apparatus for comfort while on site.

A further 43 people have tested positive for coronavirus in the past 24 hours across the Harrogate district.

The figure brings the district’s total number of confirmed cases since the start of the outbreak to 1,930.

There have been no further deaths reported in patients with covid 19 at Harrogate District Hospital, after one was confirmed on Thursday for the first time in three weeks. Since the beginning of the pandemic, 84 patients have died at the hospital after testing positive for the virus.

Meanwhile, a new testing facility has opened at the Dragon Parade car park in Harrogate this week, offering tests seven days a week.

Read more:

• Harrogate coronavirus testing site opens with 57 appointments
• Harrogate hospital currently treating 10 coronavirus patients

Though the number of infections continues to rise, health leaders in North Yorkshire have offered some reassurance about the overall picture.

Speaking on Wednesday, Amanda Bloor, accountably officer at North Yorkshire Clinical Commissioning Group, said Harrogate District Hospital was treating 10 covid-positive in-patients, with one in intensive care. In September, the hospital confirmed it had set aside 100 beds to treat patients with the virus through the winter.

Ms Bloor added:

“We are seeing the number of inpatient admissions with covid increasing, but we are not yet at the levels of hospitalisations that we were back at the beginning and in the middle of April.

“We have currently got 116 people in hospital beds; we had in excess of 300 in early April.

“It is a relatively stable position, although we are seeing a slight upward trend in terms of those numbers.”

However, the Nightingale hospital – which has 500 beds at Harrogate Convention Centre to treat patients from across Yorkshire and the Humber – was last week put on stand-by by the government to take patients as infection numbers around the region continue to rise.

A community project which has provided thousands of meals to vulnerable families this year is hoping to spread extra cheer at Christmas.

Resurrected Bites has received almost 3,000 calls for help since lockdown began in March, delivering three days’ worth of food, toiletries and cleaning products to the equivalent of 4,528 adults and 2,807 children – though many of these are returning customers.

Yet this was never what the community interest company was set up to be. It was a pay-as-you-feel cafe, using food intercepted from restaurants, supermarkets and suppliers before it was sent to landfill, offering hot and cold meals at three churches in Harrogate and Knaresborough.

However, director Michelle Hayes said when lockdown began and the cafes had to close, she immediately knew what she would do.

“Within two days I had switched over. I decided to close the cafes on the Monday and by Wednesday we had started the food distribution.

“I knew there would be lots of people needing food and people were panic-buying. I knew a lot of businesses would have to close really quickly and there would be a lot of food going to waste. Supermarkets were struggling with their ordering systems.

“We were able to get a lot of food and start delivering straight away.”

Although other organisations, such as the foodbank, were already set up to support families in need, Michelle knew there was still a gap for additional help. Where the foodbank supplies mostly tinned and dried food, Resurrected Bites uses perishable items such as fruit and vegetables, eggs, and bread.

Volunteers Sally and Richard sort through donations to make parcels of food for local families

It can also provide cooked meals thanks to a team of volunteers who turn some of the ingredients into complete dishes. Though Resurrected Bites never distributes food which is out of date or of poor quality, using it to make meals can extend its usable life.

After lockdown began, requests for help began to escalate quickly, largely through referrals from other organisations but in some cases direct from struggling families. With several months of activity now behind them, Michelle and her team have settled into a rhythm of deliveries each week.

Michelle knows demand is likely to rise again if more lockdown measures are put in place.

“We’ve got really busy again this week. I wanted to be running at capacity of 30 orders a day – but when you realise how much food that involves, it’s quite overwhelming. By Friday, you’re just hoping there’s enough food available for everyone who needs it.

“I’m expecting that demand is going to go up as more people get laid off. People who are waiting for Universal Credit to start, people who have been self-employed and their business has closed. Quite a few families whose kids have been sent home from school and families have to self-isolate, but can’t get a supermarket deliver for a few days.”

If she needs to increase capacity, the only option for Michelle is to source more food and other supplies. She could request more from charity supplier Fareshare, but demand is likely to increase everywhere and more deliveries may not be available.

The only other option would be to buy more in, which they have been doing as necessary – but that needs more money to be coming in as well. It already costs more than £4,000 each month to meet the existing demands for food and toiletries.

Read more:

• Charity Corner: The charity offering ‘New Beginnings’ for female survivors of domestic abuse
• Harrogate shops raise money with ‘Giraffle’ for food bank

Now, with Christmas looming, Michelle is keen to make it special for the families supported by Resurrected Bites and is calling on the community to help.

She’s asked each family to say what their children are interested in so supporters can buy something from the list, and can donate wrapping paper and sticky tape too. She added:

“Hopefully we’ll try and get the right kind of present to the right child so there’s something for everybody.”

Donations of food and toiletries can be made at drop-off points around Harrogate and Knaresborough. Financial donations are also welcome to help fund any extra supplies. Details of both, along with order forms for people needing support, can be found on the Resurrected Bites website.

A further 40 people have tested positive for covid-19 in the Harrogate district since yesterday.

It brings the total number of cases with positive tests in the district to 1,598 since the start of the outbreak.

There have been no deaths of patients with coronavirus at Harrogate District Hospital since September 29, with the total during the pandemic standing at 83.

One further person was this week reported to have died in a care home in the district after being diagnosed with the virus.

Read more:

• Permanent covid testing site to open in Harrogate next week
• Police consider ‘covid cars’ as part of enforcement

The latest statistics show Harrogate has the highest rate of infections in the seven districts in North Yorkshire.

Latest weekly figures showed 154 cases per 100,000 people in the district. This compares with 151 in Selby, 147 in Craven and 138 in Hambleton. Richmondshire recorded 104, Scarborough had 94 and Ryedale 89.

Health Secretary Matt Hancock told the House of Commons this week the government would consider a district-by-district approach to its new tier system.

Today, the government announced Lancashire would be placed in the highest tier of restrictions – but remains in dispute with the leaders of Greater Manchester over introducing further limitations there.

Dr Lincoln Sargeant, director of public health for North Yorkshire, said the main cause of spread of coronavirus in the county was between households.

He said he supported the new tier system as it would help to tackle the spread in the county, but said there were “very few instances” of infection in hospitality.

A Harrogate woman campaigning for care home visits to be allowed said she does not see a government pilot scheme as a significant step forward.

Speaking to MPs this week, care minister Helen Whately said a pilot scheme to give relatives ‘key worker status’ – testing them for covid and allowing them to visit care homes – is being planned.

However, Judy Bass, whose 99-year-old father lives in a Harrogate care home, said more urgent progress needs to be made across the country for the sake of residents’ well-being.

“I don’t think it’s particularly a step forward. I think it’s placatory, because they have known about this for so long. It just needs to be put in place.

“Piloting it – I don’t even know how that would operate or if it would have any effect. They just need to put it in place. Relatives need to be given key worker status and tested and allowed to visit.”

Ms Bass also questioned whether the project would even be possible, given the struggle to deliver testing around the country.

Last month, introducing a ban on visitors across the county throughout October, North Yorkshire County Council’s head of health and adult services, Richard Webb, said although he was in favour of testing relatives to allow them to visit, the lack of tests available made that “unrealistic”.

Read more:

• Task group meets to discuss care home visits
• North Yorkshire districts could be placed in different covid tiers

Ms Bass and her brother are being allowed to visit their father this week for the first time – but only to see him through a window. As he has dementia, she is concerned the visit will distress him or, even worse, that he will not recognise his children.

“We will try and see how he copes with it, but he might not understand what’s going on. He might not know who I am, he might be exhausted by the whole thing. I go with trepidation.”

This week, care homes have reacted strongly to the suggestion that they could be asked to take in patients from hospitals who have tested positive for covid. Some councils have approached care homes to ask them to provide separate space for people recovering from the virus after being discharged, away from other residents.

Sam Monaghan, the chief executive of MHA, which runs care homes across the country including Berwick Grange in Harrogate, told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme he was “highly concerned” about people with the virus being brought into close contact with vulnerable communities. Speaking about the logistics of accommodating them separately, he added:

“Unless you are talking about care home providers who have got buildings that aren’t yet occupied, it will be moving people out of their home, their room that they have got, if you are trying to cohort part of the home.

“You would be having to separate your staff group into those who are working with people without covid and those who are working with covid, and what the arrangements and protections for those staff at the heightened level of risk would be.

“And then there is the risk of transmission within that geographic space, even if you managed to create an artificial barrier between the two.”

Judy Bass and her father, a few years ago.

For Ms Bass, who has not seen her father since March, introducing covid patients to a care home while still preventing relatives who have tested negative for the virus from visiting, is beyond comprehension.

She told the Stray Ferret action needs to be taken quickly for the sake of residents who may not have long left to live and whose families are missing vital time with their loved ones.

“It’s going to be a hard enough winter for everybody, but to make things harder for us and our relatives is so unfair. We speak as often as we can, but conversation is very limited. He is stable, but it’s very difficult for me to tell how he is mentally without sitting with him and being with him to get those vibes.

“I don’t think we have seen a particular mental deterioration, but it’s just he shouldn’t be in that situation and we shouldn’t either.

“Ours is very minimal compared to a lot of people, but if my father has deteriorated and doesn’t know who we are, we’ve lost that little window of time with him that we had.”