Northern Aldborough Festival has opened its priority ticket booking as it prepares to run from June 16.

The two-week festivals hosts some of the best-known names in jazz, classical opera and pop music. But this year it says it is taking on its biggest undertaking in 29 years by performing a semi-staged in-house production of Handel’s Theodora.

Friends of the Festival can get their tickets from today will tickets for the wider public on sale from May 3.

The 40-strong production will be performed in Alborough, near Boroughbridge, in the 14th century St Andrew’s Church. It will include a line-up of soloists, chorus and orchestra under the baton of Baroque specialist, Julian Perkins.

Theodora, played by soprano Fflur Wyn, will be directed by Joe Austin, whose recent credits include Katya Kabanova at the Royal Opera House.

The festival will also include an appearance by the British bass, Sir John Tomlinson, who will star in a new opera by John Casken based on Shakespeare’s King Lear.

There will also be performances from Blur’s Britpop rebel rock star turned cheesemaker, Alex James, and classical guitar player Sean Shibe.

Robert Ogden

The festival is run by a charity with a core mission to bring exceptional music to new audience, in rural locations it wouldn’t normally be heard. Robert Ogden, artistic director, said:

“There really is something for everyone. The festival is a chance to experience something really very special on our doorstep. It’s going to be incredible and a lot of much-needed fun, so we can’t wait to welcome audiences to be entertained, inspired and hopefully discover music they’ll fall in love with this summer.”

Other acts include an evening of jazz by Claire Martin, clarinettists Julian Bliss performing with leading pianist James Baillieu. Clare Hammond, a leading light on the UK piano scene, will play Schubert, Stravinsky and Schumann.

As well as established names, the festival supports young talent. It hosts a Young Artists Showcase, as well as the upcoming harp and saxophone duo, The Polaris Duo.

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On the final evening, the grounds of Aldborough Manor will be opened for the festival finale, an outdoor concert with fireworks that often attracts around 1,000 people.

The last night concert features Harrogate-born vocalist Alex Denny of The Big Cheese, with high-voltage pop and rock covers, supported by So 80s, who set a light show to 80s tracks.

One of the owners of a pub near Boroughbridge that caught fire over the weekend has said he and his partner are lucky to be alive.

Brian Rey and Elaine Howden, who have owned the Ship Inn at Aldborough for 13 years, were woken at about 2am on Sunday by a ringing sound.

Mr Rey went to the door at the top of the stairs to investigate but as soon as he opened it he was met by a wall of smoke. He said:

“My godfathers, it was really thick white smoke. I thought there was something wrong with my eyes but then I started struggling to breathe.

“So I called Elaine over for us to get out but we couldn’t make it through the smoke. We had some face masks in the room so we put a few of them together and escaped.

“We really were lucky to get out. If that fire had been anywhere else but the store room which is surrounded by concrete then the whole building could have come down.”

The fire service believes the tumble dryer on the right is the likely cause of the fire.

Firefighters from Ripon, Thirsk, Knaresborough and Harrogate were called to the scene. North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service later said it believed the blaze started in a tumble dryer.

However, Mr Rey is unsure whether the tumble dryer was in fact the source of the problems. He said they never used it after 5pm and he had smelled something unusual near the fridge earlier that night.

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Since the fire, the local community has rallied behind the pub.

Both the Grantham Arms and the General Tarleton owners have offered help and people have donated £700 to a gofundme page set up by local resident Sam Stoddart to help the Ship Inn recover from the fire.

The store room is filled with melted appliances. The walls and ceilings are black from the aftermath.

Mr Rey added his thanks for the support:

“The people in the village have been very helpful. We have taken plenty of phone calls from people who have wanted to wish us luck.

“With the fundraiser we were at a bit of a loss. We only found out when a journalist asked us about it. There still is that friendly spirit, I thought those days had gone.”

A country pub near Boroughbridge is closed indefinitely after fire broke out in the early hours of this morning.

Firefighters from Ripon, Thirsk, Knaresborough and Harrogate were summoned to the Ship Inn at Aldborough after a fire alarm went off in the kitchen at about 2am.

North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue’s incident log said:

“Crews discovered a fire in the kitchen believed to have originated from a tumble dryer.”

“Crews used 2 hose reel jets, one covering jet, four breathing apparatus, thermal imaging cameras, one short extension ladder, positive pressure ventilation (fan) and lighting to extinguish the fire and assist them with the incident.”

The Stray Ferret called the pub this morning and a woman, who did not leave her name, said:

“It was an electrical fire. At the moment we are closed and need to assess the damage.

“It’s absolutely devastating — after everything that’s happened with covid and now this.”

The pub, run by Brian and Elaine Rey, made headlines in 2011 when Princes William and Harry were among a group of 16 that visited for a friend’s wedding. Kate Middleton was also present.

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The Aldborough Roman Town Site will be free for all residents in the YO51 postcode tomorrow.

The initiative agreed by The Friends of Roman Aldborough and English Heritage is to encourage locals to learn about the site on their doorsteps.

Two thousand years ago Aldborough was the most northerly regional capital in the Roman Empire. It was called Isurium Brigantum and was a major administrative and trading centre for the Romans.

This discovery has only been made in recent years as archaeologists from the University of Cambridge continue to delve into the area’s history.

As well as the vast Roman ruins, visitors can explore the recently updated museum on site. It includes the new analysis by the Cambridge team, as well as artefacts found during their digs.

Sir Andrew Lawson-Tancred, chairman of The Friends of Roman Aldborough (Fora), said:

“This offer is the result of collaboration between Fora and English Heritage, who have recently upgraded their museum at the site. These are exciting times as the importance of Aldborough In Roman times is only just starting to be understood in a new light and I highly recommend a visit to the site.”

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YO51 residents will need to book via the English Heritage website using the promotion code PASS21 and produce evidence of residence in the area on arrival.

Entry fees are usually £5.50 for adults and £3.30 for children aged five to 17, with family tickets available.

Aldborough and Boroughbridge Agricultural Show has become the latest major event in the Harrogate district to fall victim to covid this year.

This year’s show, which would have been the 107th, was due to take place on July 25 at Newby Hall.

The event includes animal judging as well as craft tents and stallholders selling food and drink.

This is the second year the show has been cancelled due to covid.

The show committee announced the decision on Facebook. It said:

“It is with an exceptionally heavy heart that the committee have decided to cancel the show this year.

“This has not been a decision that has been taken lightly and all considerations and options have been considered.

“We are still discussing the possibility of a virtual event or perhaps something later in the year, however at this time I can confirm that our full show will not be going ahead on July 25.

“We will confirm next year’s date shortly and we really do hope that that show will be our best one yet.”

The event follows the likes of Ripley Show and Masham Steam Engine and Fair Organ Rally in being cancelled for a second year running.

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Yesterday saw the return of a much-loved Sunday roast as pub owners across the district welcomed back familiar faces.

Despite only serving half the number of customers they usually would, village pubs tried to make the experience “as normal as possible.”

The Ship Inn in Aldborough served fifty Sunday lunches compared with its usual one hundred before lockdown. Brian Rey, chef and license holder for the pub told The Stray Ferret:

“We’ve tried to make the place just as it was without people realising the changes we’ve made.”

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Customers enjoyed tucking into their roast beef and Yorkshire puddings. Jean and Malcolm Rawlinson, who travelled all the way from Lancaster for their lunch said:

“We couldn’t wait to come back here. We have travelled sixty-three miles to get here, we come every Sunday because the food is fabulous.”

Malcolm enjoyed tucking into his long awaited roast.

Despite seeing lots of drinkers in the beer garden, The Royal Oak in Staveley saw a significant decrease in the number of lunches served. Landlady Catherine Audsley said:

“I think a lot of people are still nervous to come out. We just need people to be comfortable and confident to come out now, because if they don’t the country pub won’t survive.”

Catherine Audsley outside The Royal Oak in Staveley.

However, locals Stephen and Lesley Smith said they were happy to be out . Lesley said:

“We have waited a long time for this. I would normally be at home cooking the roast but we thought we would come out and enjoy a roast instead.”

Overall the opening of pubs, bars and restaurants across the district appears to have gone well, with the police noting no major incidents across the weekend.

All creatures great and small will gather together – virtually – tomorrow, as churches in the Boroughbridge area unite for a pet service.

Rev Karen Gardiner, vicar of the united parishes of Aldborough, Boroughbridge, Dunsforth, Minskip and Roecliffe, is preparing to bring families and their four-legged friends together despite the lockdown.

Animals will receive a blessing in the 4pm online service, which is open to anyone who wants to participate, including those without pets.

Rev Gardiner said: “We’re looking forward to it very much. We’ve actually got the Bishop of Ripon joining us and giving the final blessing, so that’s going to be really nice.

“It should be a fun-packed service. We know we’ve got horses, dogs and cats so far, and we’re hoping for more.”

The united churches in the Boroughbridge area have been offering online services since lockdown began

With three cats in her family home, Rev Gardiner said animals have become particularly important to people during lockdown and she hopes tomorrow’s service will attract people who do not usually go to church. She added:

“Something like a pet service is one of those things that people relate to. At the moment, people’s pets have come to mean such a lot to them, especially if you’re on your own – but even in a family, our cats have been a tremendous emotional support. It feels right to have a chance to say thank you to them.”

Rev Gardiner’s cats will be joining the pet service too

Last year, a pet service at Dunsforth proved very popular among locals and it was scheduled to take place again this year. When lockdown began, rather than cancel, Rev Gardiner decided to move the event online.

This Sunday’s pet service will be conducted via Zoom, but anyone without the technology who wants to join in can send a photo of their pet in advance for inclusion in the service. A written transcript will also be available.

More information about how to join the service can be found on the churches’ Facebook page.