A Ripon organisation is able to reflect on a remarkable response to the coronavirus crisis.

With the anniversary of the UK’s first covid lockdown looming, Food Support has been able to measure the weight of the city’s reaction.

The service, located at Community House in Allhallowgate, has received more than 50 tonnes of donations since last March.

This has enabled Suzanne Bowyer, her colleague Caroline King and an army of volunteers, to help families and individuals.

Assistance is provided to people living in Ripon, Boroughbridge and surrounding areas.

Suzanne Bowyer, who says support from the Ripon community has been incredible

Suzanne, told the Stray Ferret:

“The response from individuals, supermarkets, other shops and businesses, has been incredible.

“We have received donations of fresh, packaged and tinned food, beverages and items such as nappies.

“Volunteers have also donated their time.

“This has provided a lifeline for people affected by the pandemic.”

Food Support, works with partner organisations ranging from the NHS and Harrogate Borough Council to doctors’ surgeries and the Salvation Army, who make referrals.

For some, the help will be temporary as they wait for Universal Credit, while others may have a longer-term need.

Suzanne, pointed out:

“We provide a totally discreet and confidential service designed for anybody needing a helping hand.

“People should feel no shame in seeking help to feed themselves or their family in these difficult times, caused by circumstances outside their control.”

Numerous churches, groups, individuals, businesses and organisations continue to rally to the call by providing practical assistance.

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Food Support has continued throughout the crisis. Donations that arrive at Community House in Allhallowgate are weighed on industrial scales.

More crunch times lie ahead, with school summer holidays, the end of furlough, mortgage holidays and emergency rights preventing tenants from being evicted.

Further details are available at:  www.riponcommunityhouse.co.uk

A Boroughbridge agricultural business has gone from strength to strength has now been acquired by global firm, Origin Enterprises.

Green-tech is based on Rabbit Hill Business Park in Arkendale, near Boroughbridge. Since it formed in 1994, it has grown to be a well-known manufacturer and distributor of landscaping, forestry and grounds maintenance equipment.

The acquisition was made on Thursday for an un-disclosed figure. Staff have been assured that no jobs will be lost.

Rachel and Richard Kay are the team behind Green-tech, the local pair set up the company with ambitions to become a one-stop shop for the UK landscape trade. In 2015 its turnover was over £10 million.

Mr Kay, chairman of Green-tech said:

“The Green-tech success story is beyond our wildest dreams and we are incredibly proud and grateful for what has been achieved. But none of it would have been possible without the dedicated team at Green-tech who are the backbone of the business.

“This deal reflects the ambition of Green-tech, very much onwards and upwards and definitely business as usual.”

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Origin Enterprises began as a small Irish business but is now a global distributor of farming machinery.

Through the deal it is hoped that Green-tech can enhance what Origin currently offers in the areas of environmental land management for their agri focussed businesses.

Chris Clark, managing director of Origin’s Amenity business, said:

“We are delighted to announce the acquisition of Green-tech. Origin Enterprises’ long-term strategy is to further enhance Origin’s amenity brands and the Green-tech acquisition is an ideal fit.

“Green-tech has a very experienced team, an extensive sector-focused product range, operates in complementary markets and brings a level of diversification.”

The former Greenwood butchers shop in Boroughbridge is to be sold by auction next week.

The butchers on Horsefair in the centre of the town was popular for its range of pies and local meats. It is believed to have closed last year.

The 19th century building, which has a guide price of £50,000, includes a retail area, storage rooms and bathroom.

The auction house Pugh says the building could be used for a variety of uses.

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Paul Thompson, managing director of Pugh, said:

“It’s always sad to see a local business close. Boroughbridge is a fantastic community with excellent road links to most of the north of England and there is definitely potential for a variety of business uses for the former Greenwood premises.

“It would be great to see the property become an asset to the town once more in the hands of an imaginative new owner.”

The shop will be sold in Pugh’s next online property auction on 24 February.

A suspected drug dealer has been arrested near Boroughbridge after the police helicopter helped to track him down.

Officers were on patrol on the A1 southbound on Tuesday when a black BMW drove past.

The vehicle had markers attached to it that linked it to an incident in Humberside.

Officers caught up with the vehicle but when it pulled up on the hard shoulder the driver jumped out and fled across nearby fields.

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The National Police Air Service (NPAS) used a helicopter to track down the man who was found hiding next to a river.

The 27-year-old Sheffield man was arrested and a large amount of cannabis was seized from the car along with the vehicle.

He remains in custody at this time and the investigation continues.

A police spokeswoman said:

“We hope our response reassures you we will do everything we can to take drugs off our streets and tackle criminality in North Yorkshire.”

Two boys from Boroughbridge have found a way to stay active during lockdown while helping their community by litter-picking.

Gregory Bishop, 11 and brother Christopher, nine, were undeterred after a village litter-pick was cancelled due to covid.

Fed up seeing rubbish in their neighbourhood, they kept asking to go out and clean up.

This week they went to a stretch of Bar Lane and collected eight bin bags worth of litter.

Their efforts have been praised by the parish council.

Dad Laurence Bishop said:

“We are proud of them. They take a lot of pride in the area and environment and are disgusted by the litter that some local businesses take no responsibility for.

“We are planning another litter-pick this weekend.”

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North Yorkshire Police is appealing to the public for information after 11 sheep were stolen from a field near Boroughbridge.

According to the police, the Beltex breed of sheep were taken between November 10 and January 17.

Police are particularly interested in any suspicious sightings of vehicles on Holbeck Lane or the B6265 between these dates.

Anyone with information can call North Yorkshire Police on 101, select option two and ask for Ruby Rutter. Or email the officer on ruby.rutter@northyorkshire.pnn.police.uk.

To remain anonymous call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 and quote reference number 12210032203.

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• Motorbike stolen from Boroughbridge, police warn residents to be vigilant after a spate of thefts.

A motorbike has been stolen from Boroughbridge as part of a spate of garage thefts of cycles and motorbikes.

Thieves took the red and white motorbike, which had been given as a Christmas present, after cutting through two locks between 19 and 21 January.

North Yorkshire Police said today bikes and motorbikes worth thousands of pounds have been stolen in recent days and appealed for people to check their outbuildings were secure.

It later added a mountain bike was stolen from a garage in Hookstone Grange Way last week between 5pm on Tuesday and 8am on Wednesday. It is an orange and black Whyte T130-C carbon framed bike with a new Vittoria front tyre.

PC Liz Estensen, of North Yorkshire Police, said:

“Recorded crime figures show that thieves are far more likely to break into sheds and garages than houses, so consider taking extra steps to protect your outbuildings, particularly if you live in a rural or isolated area.”

Police added officers were also investigating reports of youths interfering with high-value vehicles parked in Harrogate overnight.

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The force issued the following crime prevention advice:

• If you have a door lock or window lock on your outbuilding, use it.
• A simple padlock and hasp correctly fitted to a door can deter opportunist thieves. Use a close coupled padlock for increased security.
• If you have an integral door between your home and garage, consider this as an external door and secure it appropriately.
• Consider installing CCTV, external lighting or an alarm.
• Mark particularly valuable items prominently with your postcode.
• Consider placing smaller items in a secure cabinet within your shed or garage, or store them in your home.

Anyone with information about the Boroughbridge theft can call North Yorkshire Police on 101, quoting incident reference 12210034339.

A few days of heavy rain and snowmelt has exposed a flooding issue at a new housing estate in Boroughbridge.

Residents on Hockley Croft noticed flood water creeping onto the north side of the estate earlier this week, which soon turned into a small river.

Yesterday morning some woke up to a wider problem. What had been driveways and a park for children to play had become a lake of water.

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Residents claim the developers, Harron Homes, had not mentioned the possibility of flooding and also claim council surveys failed to raise the issue.

This week saw some very heavy rain but some Boroughbridge residents fear their homes could be flooded if the weather is more severe in future.

We spoke to some of the residents on the estate who wanted to raise the issue anonymously.

Some had spent around £300,000 to more than £600,000 for a brand new house. They told the Stray Ferret:

“When the searches were done this wasn’t listed as a floodplain, there were no flooding issues raised. I guess that water is from the excess rain and maybe a lack of drainage.

“The flood water is quite close to the house. We don’t want these problems every time it rains.

“The weather has not really been much worse than normal so the drainage needs to be sorted out.”

A second person, who has lived on the estate for 18 months, also told the Stray Ferret:

“The flood water is running like the river near our house. Last night we were really scared, we thought the water was going to come up to our house.

“We weren’t warned about the flooding issues so it was a bit of a shock really.

“Funnily enough we have had to gravel our garden because it is so wet. It was like a flood in our garden last winter, so we had to dig it all up and re-do it all again.”

A spokespers​on for Harron Homes Yorkshire said:

“There has been unprecedented rainfall from Storm Christoph that has impacted many previously unaffected parts of the country.

“The adjacent open land at our Hockley Croft development in Boroughbridge has passed water on to the site which we are investigating with the land owner.

“We have helped our customers affected by the water from the fields by deploying a pump that has reduced the water levels and the situation is now under control with very little consequence and inconvenience to our customers.”

In the planning application from a couple of years ago Harrogate Borough Council said it had concerns about the surface water discharge rates.

“The applicant has stated that surface water from the proposed development is to be discharged directly to the River Ure via an attenuation pond.

“However they have not indicated how this will be achieved.

“Nevertheless the Environment Agency is responsible for administering surface water discharge from the new development to Milby Cut.”

A spokesperson for the council also told the Stray Ferret:

“Proposed development sites may need to carry out a flood risk assessment.

“A risk assessment, carried out by specialists, was considered as part of the planning process for this site.

“Relevant consultees raised no objections to its conclusions or proposed mitigation measures it contained.”

A Boroughbridge care home, garage and homeowners have been fighting against the floods with pumps and mops today.

Persistent rain from Storm Christoph caused water levels to rise, which caused particular problems for people living near the River Ure and Milby Cut Canal.

The level of the Ure peaked last night at about 15 metres as concerned residents watched on powerlessly.

Stephen Jenkins (pictured above), who owns the Riverside Court care home, has had water pumped out of the basement today. He told the Stray Ferret:

“I’ve been here since 1989. When Boroughbridge flooded in 1991 the care home was protected. But in 2000 the Environment Agency opened up this third arch of the bridge.

“Ever since then the water starts seeping out underneath the patio. If they don’t put that pump in it starts to flood. Unfortunately I can’t do anything about it now.

“My main concern is the boilers. Obviously being a care home we need to keep the central heating running at all times. We also have all of our fridges and freezers on pallets permanently.”

Malcolm Angus, who owns Canal Garage in Boroughbridge.

Flooding is also a long-running source of frustration for Malcolm Angus, owner of Canal Garage in Boroughbridge.

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Mr Angus and staff have been mopping the floor today. He told the Stray Ferret:

“We have been lucky this time, the water has come up further before. There’s a burst water main up the road, which is bringing the water down.

“It pools at that junction and then comes across to the garage, that’s causing the problem at the moment, not the canal.

“Cars go through the water on the road and it flows down to us. We get no help. In terms of the canal I have lived here since 1995 and it has not been dredged once.”

Pumps have been out in force today.

On the nearby Milby Cut Canal, Nigel Crowther owns a home looking over the water. He remains calm about the situation:

“I have been keeping track on the Environment Agency website. It doesn’t matter what is happening in Boroughbridge, it’s about what is happening further up the catchment.

“So when you know it is going to be heavy rain for a sustained period you have to get ready so we have put up gates and we have a flood wall around our house.

“The levels peaked at about 10pm last night and it sustained that level for four hours before it started to drop off slowly.”