Two local charities are to benefit from the sale of a book written by Jilly-Anne Powell, a former deputy mayoress of Ripon.

Proceeds from the sale of Journey to Identity will be donated to Dementia Forward in Ripon and the Harrogate branch of mental health charity Mind.

First-time author Ms Powell, whose husband Charlie was deputy mayor of Ripon between 2017 and 2021, told the Stray Ferret:

“The charities are very dear to my heart and I wanted to find a way of supporting them. Money is also being raised for both through the Mayor of Ripon’s charity appeal.”

Former deputy mayor and mayoress of Ripon, Charlie and Jilly-Anne Powell

In Journey to Identity, Ms Powell tells her moving true-life story of growing up as an adopted child in a middle class family.

Born in 1944, she found out about her adoption at the age of eight from a neighbour’s child, but it wasn’t until a change in the law in the mid 1970s that she had the legal right to see her birth certificate.

With that came the beginning of a 45-year search for her birth mother and the discovery of other blood relations.

Ms Powell said:

“I was six weeks old when I was adopted and, when I found out about my adoption at such an early age, it had a profound impact on me.

“I carried a sense of not belonging and fear of rejection for many years, which brought struggles and anxieties, in spite of the fact that I had a privileged childhood with my adoptive parents, with schooling at private seminaries, followed by two years at London College of Fashion.”

The ‘journey’ saw her find her mother, whose maiden name of Cawthorne is used by Ms Powell in the publication of her book and will also be used in a planned sequel.

Journey to Identity is available at selected book shops, and via Amazon by clicking on this link. To find out more, click here to email Jilly.

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There was a full complement of Ripon city councillors and a unanimous vote of thanks to Charlie Powell, when the council held a special meeting to recognise his long service.

Over 19 years the former councillor, who retired from local politics at the May elections, served both the Moorside and Minster wards.

In addition to being a parish councillor, he also represented Ripon for 10 years as an independent on Harrogate Borough Council.

The long service award was presented by the Mayor and Mayoress of Ripon, Cllr Sid and Mrs Linda Hawke.

Speaking at Thursday’s meeting, council leader Andrew Williams, said:

“Charlie served diligently and played a key role in a number of developments, not least his work in encouraging Curzon to open a cinema in the city, more than 30 years after the Palladium Picture House closed its doors.”

He added:

“With Curzon’s opening in 2013, local residents no longer had to make the journey to Harrogate or Thirsk to see the latest film releases.”

Curzon’s cinema on North Street Ripon

Cllr Pauline McHardy, said:

“Charlie has provided wonderful service to help improve the lives of people in Ripon and we all wish him a long and happy retirement from local politics.”

Before seeking election, Mr Powell served for 15 years in the Royal Engineers, then became a firefighter in Ripon for two years before starting out on a business career that took him all around the world.

He spent 18 years in Saudi Arabia, where he worked for the military aircraft division of the British Aircraft Corporation (BAC), then moved on to become a senior administrator with Waste Management International Ltd in Jeddah.

The business acumen that he gained over many years was put to good use in negotiations with Curzon  and in guiding the development of Quarry Moor Park and Nature Reserve as a place for public enjoyment.

A former deputy mayor, he has also been a stalwart supporter of Ripon in Bloom.