Ripon’s high street is bouncing back, as the city emerges from 18 months of covid lockdowns.

Independent retailers, regional and national chains, are taking over voids in readiness for the Christmas period.

The former Edinburgh Woollen Mill and Ponden Home stores on Market Place East Kirkgate are being prepared for new occupiers.

Both long-established brands closed in October, as owners Edinburgh Woollen Mill Group went into liquidation amid trading conditions that it described as a ‘brutal environment.’

The Kirkgate premises will be home to the family-run business Clayton’s Carpets, Home and Gifts, which also has a shop in Pateley Bridge High Street.

Mountain Warehouse is relocating to a unit previously occupied by The Edinburgh Woollen Mill.

Outdoor clothing and equipment retailer Mountain Warehouse, which currently has a small shop in Fishergate, is making the short move across Market Square.

Its relocation to larger premises is due to be completed within the next four weeks.

An autumn opening has been scheduled by Loungers Limited – the national café-bar chain – for its Claro Lounge on Market Place South.

Located next door to Ripon Town Hall, the building, which was formerly a Natwest bank branch, has been vacant since 2018.

The Claro Lounge is due to open this autumn

An autumn opening is also planned in The Arcade by Yorkshire Cancer Research in the 4,000 sq ft unit formerly occupied by a Fultons Foods store, which closed in February.

Along with new entrant  The Real Junk Food Project, which redistributes surplus food, The Arcade will be home to four of Ripon’s 12 charity outlets.

Halls of Ripon which opened last month

The mall underwent a £100,000 refurbishment after Bradford-based property development and investment company Frank Marshall Estates acquired it in 2019 from the Westcourt Group.

The imminent arrival of new names in the city centre, follows the opening in July of Halls of Ripon in Fishergate – where more than 20 retailers and The Hive coffee shop are located.

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Ripon’s Oxfam shop is reopening for the first time in more than a year today.

The charity’s premises on Fishergate has been shut since the first covid lockdown last March.

Walter de Buck, area manager for Oxfam’s retail outlets in North and East Yorkshire, told the Stray Ferret:

“It has been frustrating being closed for this extended period of time. We are pleased to be reopening in Ripon and thank our supporters for their patience.”

Doors will open at 9am.

Newly appointed shop manager Arlene O’Hara said:

“We are raring to go and excited that the day has finally come.”

Ready to reopen – Victoria Smith, manager of The Salvation Army shop

Among her tasks will be to recruit a team of volunteers willing to lend a hand.

Mr de Buck explained:

“The principal reason for being closed for so long is because many of the volunteers we rely upon have been shielding during the pandemic.”

Anybody considering volunteering can email oxfamshopf0620@oxfam.org.uk or call 01765 601441.

Also on Fishergate, Victoria Smith, manager of The Salvation Army charity shop, has been putting the finishing touches to her window displays.

She said:

“We have received 1.5 tonnes of spring and summer clothing and have been putting selected goods out on the rails in readiness for reopening.”

The donated items have come from clothing banks in and around Ripon and the surrounding area.

Following the pre-Christmas opening of the Martin House store, the city now has 10 charity shops.

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Each plays a role in raising much-needed funds for causes ranging from end-of-life care for children and adults to supporting disabled people and the treatment of animals.

Saint Michael’s Hospice and Cancer Research UK‘s charity shops in the Harrogate district will be opening their doors next week as they try to recover from financial losses during the pandemic.

The two charities rely heavily on money raised from the shops and are eager to reopen once more.

For local charity Saint Michael’s, most of its shops will reopen on Monday, while those in Boroughbridge, Knaresborough, Jennyfield Drive and 149 King’s Road in Harrogate are reopening on Tuesday.

Donations can be dropped off on Tuesdays and Fridays each week but customers are advised to call the shop beforehand.

The donation drop-off point on Hookstone Wood Road is no longer in operation.

Saint Michael’s chief executive Tony Collins said:

“We’re pleased that our shops will now begin to reopen their doors from next Monday, giving those across the Harrogate district the opportunity to purchase a range of preloved items.

“Stringent health and safety measures will be in place in each of our shops, with the safety of our community, staff and volunteers at the forefront of our reopening plans.”

Read more:

• Knaresborough’s Yorkshire Cancer Research shop reopens.
• Two friends ‘Brave the Shave’ for Macmillan in Pateley Bridge.

The Harrogate, Knaresborough and Ripon Cancer Research UK stores also hope to welcome back plenty of customers to boost their finances.

The charity has predicted its fundraising income will decline by £300million over the next three years, due to the pandemic.

Ripon’s Cancer Research UK shop is looking forward to welcoming back shoppers

Anticipating a staycation boom, Cancer Research UK is asking for donations of men, women and children’s summer clothing. Any items can be dropped off in store.

Lisa Millett, Cancer Research UK spokesperson, said:

“Covid has hit us hard. That’s why we’re calling on everyone to please bag up and bring in any unwanted items.

“Right now, we need quality clothing, shoes, homewares, accessories and books to help keep our tills – and bargain hunters – busy. Most important of all, the sale of these items helps to ensure we can keep making progress for people with cancer.”

District charity shops have been overwhelmed with donations from the public, with some having to put an appointment system in place with a three-week wait.

As charity shops have reopened, people have flocked to donation spots, leading the shops to bring in new measures.

Some Oxfam shops have had to introduce appointment slots but, due to high demand, some customers are having to wait to make their donations.

The Oxfam Bookshop in Harrogate remains open for donations during opening hours without an appointment slot.

Walter de Buck, North Yorkshire area manager for Oxfam, said:

“We have three months’ worth of stock coming at once and we have to quarantine it. We are working with lower staffing levels, more donations and some donors are waiting three weeks for an appointment in some shops. We don’t like to say ‘can you bring it another time’ because we need the money these donations bring.

“We have had days with 200-300 bags coming into some shops which causes challenges. We understand it’s not ideal to be told to wait but we’ve not had to do it before. Some donors have been angry or disappointed, but it’s measures that we have to take seriously to ensure the safety of our volunteers.”

Saint Michael’s Hospice has seen huge numbers of donations.

Meanwhile, Saint Michael’s Hospice has had to stop any donations from the public. The drop-off facility will remain closed for 12 days to sort through the high volume of bags it has received.

The chief executive of Saint Michael’s Hospice, Tony Collins, said:

“Over the last 4 weeks we have been overwhelmed by the generosity of our community and the huge number of donations received. With items arriving faster than we could distribute them, we had to pause temporarily. Our donation drop-off point will reopen at 10am Monday, August 17.

“The planned launch of booking slots will allow us to continue to take receipt of shop donations from August 17 onwards, whilst adhering to the strictest Covid-19 guidelines for the safety of everyone.”

St Vincent de Paul’s charity shop is described as a “lifeline” for its volunteers as it reopens this week.

The Knaresborough charity shop is now open for the public to browse and donate their unwanted goods to. Other charity shops in the district are yet to open due to their small shops, but as the St Vincents store measures are in place to open safely.

The shop has a one way system in place and all donations will be quarantined for 72 hours before being placed on the shelves. It has also began selling white goods for customers who may not be ready to venture to large homeware stores.

The charity’s main aim is to tackle poverty, alongside financial help, it also offers emotional support to those who are sick, lonely, in prison, or suffering from addiction.

Annette Haigh is the area manager for St Vincent’s North and West Yorkshire stores, she said:

“All our volunteers were excited to get back, all of them had to pass a back to work check before they returned to make sure they weren’t feeling ill or had been in contact with anyone who has recently been infected.

“Many of our volunteers live alone so it’s a lifeline for them, we’ve never not been in touch over lockdown whether thats a phone call or a coffee over zoom.”

The shop has clear signs for shoppers to keep their distance and all clothes will have been quarantined before going on display.

Read more:

• Other charity shops in the district aren’t opening just yet – some say it is down to the limited space inside their stores. 
• Knaresborough shop owners were hopeful as they begin to reopen. 

The shop, on Knaresborough’s high street, has a sanitising station on entry which all customers are encouraged to used and the shop is cleaned daily. Annette added:

“It was steady the first few days but as more non-essential shops reopen and the market gets busier tomorrow we’re optimistic for more customers. We have a lot of elderly customers and people who are shielding so it may be a bit quiet for a little while until more people get out to the shops.”

Charity shops across the Harrogate district will not be reopening today. This comes as non-essential retail shops prepare to reopen on Monday.

National charities such as Age UK, Barnardos and Oxfam as well as local charities including Martin House and St Michaels, are amongst many who are taking a staggered approach to re-opening.

Yorkshire charity Martin House, who provide care for children and young people with life limiting conditions, is not planning on reopening their Knaresborough and Harrogate shops until July and has suspended all volunteering activities since the beginning of lockdown.

Read more:

• Find out which shops across the district are reopening next week 
• Knaresborough market sees stall numbers double 

Stephanie Rimmington, head of retail at Martin House said:

“We are currently working on plans to reopen our shops at the start of July. We are carrying out deep cleaning and installing safety screens and signing to help keep staff and customers safe, and will be limiting the number of people allowed into the shop at a time. Our top priority is the safety of staff, volunteers and customers at all times.”

Many charity shops are unable to open because they’re small which makes social distancing difficult. In addition, all donations made to charity shops have to be quarantined for 72 hours before being put on the shop floor.

Saint Michaels Hospice – Crimple House

Similarly, St Michaels Hospice has confirmed  it plans to reopen its shops from July and is taking precautionary measures around hygiene and social distancing. The charity has encouraged the public to keep clothing donations at home for the time being.