John Plummer appointed Editor of the Stray FerretJohn Plummer is to take over the reins as Editor of the Stray Ferret.
John succeeds Tamsin O’Brien, who is to become Managing Editor and have a more strategic role.
John began his career as a journalist on local newspapers in his native Fens.
He later moved to London where he worked for, amongst others, The Times and Third Sector, which covers the UK voluntary sector.
In September last year he was appointed Deputy Editor of the Stray Ferret, where he worked alongside fellow Deputy Editor Vicky Carr, who is currently on maternity leave.
John has one daughter and has lived in Killinghall for about 10 years.
The Stray Ferret has seen a rapid growth in readership — last month we had more than 736,000 page views covering every aspect of news in the district.
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Tamsin said:
“John has been a very capable Deputy Editor and I am delighted to promote him to Editor.
“He has brought a wealth of journalism experience to the team and I am sure that under his leadership the Stray Ferret will continue to grow its readership and not be afraid to cover all the important stories in the district.
“It’s the right time for me to take a more strategic role across the whole business”
Have you got a story for the Stray Ferret news team or think there is an issue we need to investigate? Please get in touch on contact@thestrayferret.co.uk
Ripon’s Curzon cinema finally looks set to reopenThere are finally positive signs that Curzon is planning to reopen its Ripon cinema, but the company says that the date is not yet known.
The premises on North Street have been closed since the first covid lockdown in March last year.
At present, Ripon is not listed among the 13 locations on the Curzon website, but a recruitment advert in the cinema’s windows suggest it is gearing up for a reopening.
However, when approached by the Stray Ferret about the duty manager position being advertised under the heading ‘We Are Recruiting’ a member of the Curzon customer service team, said:
“I can confirm that we are reopening but we do not have a date set yet for this to happen.”
The duty manager’s role is described by the cinema chain as involving ‘work alongside the general and assistant managers on all aspects of running the cinema.
This is currently the only role in Ripon being advertised on the jobs section of the Curzon website.
The advertisement in the windows at North Street says the company is seeking a person who, among other things, has ‘strong communication skills’ can ‘lead by example to provide top class customer service at all times’ and is willing to ‘act as an ambassador for Curzon at all times.’
Recruiting, but no confirmed reopening date as yet for Curzon’s Ripon cinema.
The London-headquartered BAFTA award-winning integrated film company was founded in 1934.
Alongside its cinemas, members can view film at their homes through its streaming service.
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As the covid lockdown restrictions on cinemas and live theatre were progressively eased by the government earlier this year, Curzon issued confusing and contradictory statements about its plans for the two-screen Ripon venue, when approached by the Stray Ferret for updates on its plans.
Curzon’s opening in Ripon in November 2013, provided film lovers in the city and the surrounding rural areas, with their first cinema since the closure in 1982 of the Palladium Picture House on Kirkgate.
Post lockdown, those seeking the cinema experience have been able to see films screened at Harrogate’s Odeon and Everyman.
Rare heather moorland holds up TV transmitter replacement
Plans to replace the fire-damaged Bilsdale transmitter and restore TV and radio signals for large swathes of the Harrogate district are being held up by the transmitter’s location within a rare heather moorland.
The blackout of Freeview TV channels and loss of radio signals has affected thousands of homes, particularly in the northern part of the district, after a major fire on August 10 put the 1,030 ft mast out of action.
Patience is wearing thin among many people, who have now been affected for three weeks.
Stray Ferret follower Lynette Cooper, who lives in central Harrogate, summed up the mood when she said:
“I’m totally fed up. For weeks now, I haven’t been able to see any of my favourite programmes.
“It’s the same for my daughter Helen at her home in Pickering and a friend told me that some elderly people at a Harrogate nursing home she goes to, just sit there with nothing to watch.”
The Bilsdale transmitter, built on the moors near Helmsley in 1969, is one of the most powerful transmitters in the UK, serving hundreds of thousands of viewers and listeners from North Yorkshire to the North East and beyond.
The Bilsdale mast’s moorland location.
In a statement on August 13, transmitter operator Arqiva said:
“Our plan involves the erection of an 80m temporary mast at Bilsdale and we have been surveying the site to identify the best alternative locations within the restrictions we have.
“Included in this is the fact that Bilsdale is a Site of Special Scientific Interest, meaning we have to seek agreement to place any additional equipment.”
In its most recent update since the fire incident, the company could still not provide a likely date when services would be restored. It said:
“We continue to work through the process to enable access to the Bilsdale site to build the temporary mast.
“There is no specific new detail to share at this point but we are continuing to work round the clock to find a way forward.”
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The transmitter’s location within a government-protected area of 44,000 hectares of moorland continues to be a stumbling block.
The area was designated a Site of Special Scientific Interest for its heathland habitat and breeding birds. Special permission needs to be granted for access across it.
Natural England says on its website:
“Heather moorland is rare on a worldwide scale – there is probably less heather moorland in the world than tropical rainforest.
“One of the largest continuous expanses of upland heather moorland in England and Wales is here in the North York Moors – a sheep could wander from Egton to Bilsdale without leaving it. Moorland covers a third of the North York Moors National Park and most of the higher ground is covered in heather.”
The area is also a designated Special Area of Conservation — a status reserved for important plant habitats in Europe — and a Special Protection Area because of its importance to breeding birds.
Although the access issues are yet to be resolved, Aquiva said last week some Freeview services had been restored for those who receive signals from smaller relay sites. None of them are in the Harrogate district.
A TV Licensing spokesman has said customers unable to receive TV coverage for more than a month will be eligible for a refund or free extension of their TV licence.
Crowds flock to Ripon’s weekend of entertainmentThe sun shone during the day and the tribute acts sparkled at night, as Ripon staged its second weekend of large-scale entertainment since the easing of lockdown.
By dawn yesterday, the city centre was swept, tidy and ready for dozens of stallholders at the Little Bird Artisan Market.
With its locally-made goods, the market remained open until 3pm, sharing the square with two fairground rides and a climbing wall.
The market opened prompt at 10am.
The entertainment, paid for from Ripon’s parish precept, aimed to support the city’s retailers, cafes, restaurants, pubs and heritage attractions, by driving additional footfall.
Saturday night’s crowd was larger than the one attracted by the Yorkshire Day Weekend tribute acts at the start of the month.
ABBA Forever, performing songs made famous by the Swedish supergroup, brought the curtain down on the musical entertainment, which also featured the Big Boyband Reunion whose repertoire ranged from The Backstreet Boys to Take That.
In between acts, in the shadow of the obelisk, Allison Clark from Ripon’s own ‘fab four’ team of hornblowers, performed the city’s ancient ceremony of setting the watch.
A spin beside the obelisk
Many of the children allowed to stay up late and join family groups on Market Square had, earlier on Saturday, ridden the Thomas the Tank Engine train, climbed the wall or enjoyed the uplifting experience of the Mini Paratrooper ride.
For three-year-old Scarlet, pictured above, with her grandmother Catherine, the train was the ride of choice, while a long line of older children, queued for their attempt at scaling the wall.
Today, the city’s Bank Holiday of free entertainment continues at Ripon Racecourse, which is holding its last family fun day of the season.
Gates open at 11.15, with complimentary entry for accompanied children to the course enclosure.
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The activities include a performance by the National Festival Circus, a Punch ‘n’ Judy magic show, barrel train ride, cub karts, an inflatable assault course with giant slide, balloon modelling, face painting and sand and slime modelling.
Action on the track includes Ripon’s only listed race of the season — the EBF-sponsored Champion Two-Year-Old Trophy.
Bid to tackle falling standards at North Yorkshire schoolsExperts are to be sent into North Yorkshire’s schools to address concerns about declining standards.
North Yorkshire County Council is acting after the proportion of its schools rated as good or outstanding fell significantly behind the national average.
As of last month, 80.5 per cent of primary pupils in the county attended a school rated good or outstanding by Ofsted compared to the national average of 88.2 per cent.
In addition, a smaller proportion of the county’s local education authority-run secondary schools have been rated as performing well compared to the national average.
The council has now created a team of analysts to send into schools to drive up standards.
It has identified high level issues at 23 of its schools and moderate concerns at 79 others, representing a total of 40 per cent of its schools.
A meeting of the council’s executive this week heard the issue was being compounded by the authority being unaware of how well its schools were meeting children’s educational needs because there had been very few Ofsted inspections during the pandemic.
Councillor Patrick Mulligan, the council’s executive member for education, said areas of concern included attendance and exclusion rates, but the council’s figures were dated or likely to have been significantly skewed by the pandemic. He said:
“There could be all sorts of explanations as to why this has happened, but what we are doing is looking at increasing the resources for our school improvement team so they can focus on some of these schools that are not performing as well as they should be.
“We will do everything we can to try and get on top of this, but we are all concerned about it and get things in motion.
“On the whole our children get a very good education. We have got very good teachers and school leadership and that is reflected in our exam results.”
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Cllr Mulligan said the council was continuing to examine why its schools had received lower ratings than average, but he thought the authority was getting on top of the situation having set up a team of analysts to go into schools when invited by headteachers. He added:
“There has been a little increase in school funding in the last year or two, but over the years of austerity if schools had to let staff go it is very concerning if that is being reflected in school performance.
“One of the latest things that Ofsted has done is add breadth of curriculum to the inspections, which is quite difficult to do in North Yorkshire schools with just 50 pupils, which don’t have the staff levels for some subjects. If that’s the case, then it needs to be taken into account by Ofsted.”
Concerns about rising number of home educated children
The meeting also heard educational concerns had been raised as the number of home educated children was continuing to soar, with some 871 children being taught at home in the county in June compared with 650 at the end of March 2019.
Members heard while traditionally the authority had concentrated efforts on ensuring home educated children were safe, it had recently started examining the quality of the education being provided.
Councillors were told four home education advisors had been recruited to help families, some of which may not have suitable teaching plans in place having chosen home education as a last resort.
Ripon paedophile jailed a second timeA registered sex offender from Ripon has been jailed for possessing videos showing girls as young as six being raped.
Andrew Burt, a former maintenance worker at Newby Hall, was on a strict court order which banned him from possessing any internet-enabled device without informing police, York Crown Court heard.
But when his monitoring officers turned up at his home in Skelton-on-Ure, which is between Ripon and Boroughbridge, they found two new devices which he hadn’t disclosed to police.
Police seized the devices, one of which was an LG mobile phone on which they found five video clips featuring the rape of young girls.
Burt was charged with possessing indecent images of children and two breaches of a sexual-harm prevention order which had been imposed in November 2017 for inciting an under-age ‘girl’ to engage in sexual activity. He appeared for sentence on Thursday after admitting all three charges.
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Prosecutor Ms Hajba-Ward said Burt was a registered sex offender and still subject to the 10-year order when police called at his home earlier this month.
They found two unregistered devices including the mobile and a tablet of which police had not been notified.
The videos found on the phone were rated Category A – the worst kind of such material depicting the rape of pre-pubescent children.
Burt told police he had downloaded the images at a guest house “while drinking a lot of Strongbow (cider)”.
Caught by a vigilante
In 2017, Burt was jailed for 20 months after being caught by an online vigilante posing as a 14-year-old girl.
The adult decoy told police she had been chatting to a man on the internet who had used a false name and said he worked at Newby Hall.
Burt had sent her naked pictures of himself and a video of himself performing a lewd act.
He was ultimately identified by photos which showed that he was indeed a maintenance worker on the country estate.
The sexual-harm prevention order was imposed to prevent Burt cruising chatrooms and refusing a polygraph test.
Richard Reed, for Burt, said his client accepted he had a sexual interest in children and wanted help for his problem.
Judge Sean Morris jailed Burt for 32 months, of which he will serve half behind bars before being released on prison licence.
Mr Morris made a new sexual-harm prevention order for life. Burt will remain on the sex-offenders’ register, also for an indefinite period.
Ripon to host another weekend of free family entertainmentAs the school summer holidays draw to a close, families can look forward to another free weekend of entertainment on Ripon Market Square.
The August Bank Holiday weekend, will see the return of fairground rounds for young children and a climbing wall for those a little older.
The event-staged by Ripon City Council on Saturday 28 and Sunday 29 August, follows the Yorkshire Day weekend, that brought hundreds of people to the city centre.
The fairground rides and the climbing wall will be in place from 2pm until 8pm on the Saturday and 10am until 4pm on the Sunday.
All the fun of the fairground – for free
Following the same pattern as the Yorkshire Day Weekend, there will be musical entertainment from 7pm on Bank Holiday Saturday.
This will feature three tribute acts, singing a selection of chart-topping hits from the best-known boy bands, Paloma Faith and ABBA.
On Bank Holiday Sunday, in addition to the fairground rides, Market Square will host another Little Bird Artisan Market.
Open from 10am until 3pm, it will again include stalls selling goods ranging from food to home furnishings, produced by local and Yorkshire-based traders.
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In addition, to activities in the city centre, two temporary toilets have been installed by the city council for families visiting the Borrage Green Lane paddling pool.
These will remain in place until the end of the summer holidays.
Still no TV or radio services for district residents after transmitter fireThousands of homes across the north of the Harrogate district remain without TV or radio freeview services, a week after a major fire at a transmitter mast.
The blackout was caused by the fire last Tuesday that put the 315-metre Bilsdale transmitter out of action.
The loss of the transmitter is affecting parts of Harrogate, Boroughbridge, Kirkby Malzeard, Knaresborough, Masham, Pateley Bridge, Ripon and other locations that rely on a signal that serves the Tyne Tees region.
An update issued on Friday by Arqiva, owners of the transmitter, estimated that the repair work will take up to 14 days.
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As viewers and listeners ask questions about when they can tune in once more to freeview on TV and radio, one resident has contacted Julian Smith MP requesting that the government look at the bigger picture, in relation to critical infrastructure that serves millions of people.
Julian Smith, MP for Ripon and Skipton.
James Thornborough, who lives in Sharow and whose work saw him specialise in disaster planning, recovery and business continuity, told the Stray Ferret:
“I emailed Mr Smith to raise wider concerns about the potential ramifications of the loss of the service from the mast.
“There is clearly a need to have robust contingency plans in place that anticipate the potential for this kind of occurrence at the Bilsdale transmitter and how to resolve it. ..
In my email to Mr Smith, I said – I am sure you will concede that a TV service being lost to one million viewers qualifies as the loss of a critical national infrastructure service, not least because it deprives the broadcasting companies of the ability to share public safety communications (breaking safety news) by TV or Radio to the design scope audience.”
In an email response, Mr Smith said:
“I note the concerns you have raised in this respect, and have sent a copy of your email together with an email of my own, to the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport, to pass your points on to him.
“I will write to you again as soon as a reply is received.”
In its statement on Friday, Arqiva, provided an update on on-going reinstatement works at the existing site and efforts to bring a television signal back to thousands of properties.
It said:
“We have had some success during phase 1 of our recovery plan using the Eston Nab site to restore services for some areas.
“Eston Nab is unfortunately unable to reach all the areas served by the larger Bilsdale mast, as broadcast signals rely on line-of-sight between transmitter and receiver (your rooftop aerial).
“This is the reason why masts such as the one at Bilsdale need to be so tall, and why they are located where they are – to reach as many homes as possible.”
For many avid TV watchers and radio listeners, a two-week wait is too long and they are looking for other means of tuning in to their favourite programmes.
This can range from re-setting digital TV boxes, to calling in professionals to have their aerials turned to pick up the signal from the Emley Moor Transmitter, which serves the Yorkshire television area.
People can also tune in via the BBC iPlayer.
Ripon Men’s Shed opens door to new friendshipsRipon Men’s Shed opened its doors this week, bringing an enormous collaborative effort to fruition.
Following a June 2019 meeting at Community House in Allhallowgate to gauge interest in the project, the charity’s trustees – Andrew Makey, Caroline Bentham, Ed Moore and Tony Johnson – made great strides, in spite of the intervening limitations brought by covid.
The Men’s Shed movement, which addresses issues of loneliness and social isolation, has a specific focus on the older male population, but women are welcome too.
Getting to know the drill – Catherine Limbert joins in woodworking activities with fellow members
There are also Sheds in Harrogate, Starbeck and Pateley Bridge, offering weekly activities ranging from joinery to the restoration of bicycles.
Mr Makey, who is responsible for publicity for Ripon Men’s Shed, told the Stray Ferret:
“Our initial focus is on woodworking, but there are opportunities to look at other areas as well, such as computers.
“The activities, which the members will decide upon themselves, provide a focus and we hope that through their attendance, they will get to know each other and enjoy the social interaction.”
For John Hayson, a retired master plumber living in Boroughbridge, the Men’s Shed will be something to look forward to.
He said:
“I’ve been in hospital recently and after I was discharged, I was bedridden for a few weeks.
“That left me feeling hopeless, particularly as I have a disabled wife that I am caring for.
“I heard about the men’s shed and thought that attending it would be a way of rebuilding my confidence and making friends, by being with like-minded people for a few hours a week, while my wife is looked after by some lovely neighbours we have.”
Catherine Limbert is currently the only female member, but is not phased by being in an all-male environment.
Catherine Limbert — looking forward to learning new skills and making friends at the Men’s Shed
The NHS nurse said:
“I’m happy to speak with anybody and to learn from the expertise they have in areas that I’ve never tried before, such as using an electric drill.
“I have a couple of free days a week and this is a great way of getting out of the house, learning DIY skills and meeting new people.”
While the social aspect of the shed is good for members, it is also beneficial for the people involved in delivering the sessions.
The Ripon Men’s Shed premises, to the rear of the New Life Church in Water Skellgate
Barry Sutton, who was formerly secretary of Selkirk Community Shed, has brought the knowledge he gained in Scotland back to his native country.
The retired forester and now community volunteer, said:
“I believe it’s important for people to stay as active as possible, use their skills and have a sense of purpose.
“Being involved in an organisation like this is a win-win situation for all involved.”
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With a chair lift provided from monies secured by Ripon’s North Yorkshire county councillors Stuart Martin and Mike Chambers, the Tuesday sessions between 10am and 4pm are being made as accessible as possible.
Anybody wishing to become a member, or get involved in other ways, such as making a donation or providing practical assistance with provision of tools that can be used in woodworking sessions, can find out more on the Ripon Men’s Shed Facebook page.
Restoration adds sparkle to one of Ripon’s architectural gems
One of Ripon’s architectural gems is sparkling brightly after the completion of the first phase of a £500,000 restoration.
Parishioners supported an appeal that helped to pay for the refurbishment and renewal works at St Wilfrid’s Catholic Church, on Coltsgate Hill.
After months of attending services at the parish’s community centre, they can now attend Mass and say prayers in the Grade II* listed building, whose features include ornate reredos screens designed by Victorian architect Edward Pugin.
The screens, which provide backdrops for the high altar, and side altars dedicated to Our Lady and St Joseph, have been cleaned and restored by specialists.
The Lady Chapel, with its Pugin-designed reredos
For Canon Ian Smith, it’s a welcome return, following a life in lockdown for the parish, though he told the Stray Ferret:
“Our need to use the community centre had a good effect in bringing people closer together and helping them to get to know each other better.
“However, it is lovely to be back and see the church returned to its former glory.”
Fr Smith pointed out:
“The work was made possible thanks to Barrie Price and his fundraising committee, while I also say a thankyou to principal contractor Willoughby’s who have done a great job.”
The reopening of St Wilfrid’s was originally planned for Easter, but had to be re-scheduled because of a hold-up in the supply of specialised glass to replace windows in the church tower.
Let there be even more light – the new windows in the tower have increased the amount of natural daylight that floods into the church
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St. Wilfrid’s, which opened in 1862, is recognised as one of finest parish churches in England.
In 1909, fittings from the private chapel at nearby Studley Royal, were transferred to St Wilfrid’s following the death of George Frederick Robinson the Marquess of Ripon — the city’s first Catholic mayor since the Reformation and a former Viceroy of India.
A Pugin masterpiece – the reredos screen which provides a stunning backdrop to the high altar
The marquess, who converted to Catholicism, had previously created the Lady Chapel within the church.
The restoration follows years of fundraising by parishioners and awards from trusts, boosted by a £75,000 grant from Historic England.The grant from Historic England will eventually enable construction of a south porch extension, including toilets, which will come as part of phase two of the restoration programme.