Almsford Community Fun Day will take place next month after being cancelled last year due to covid.
The event is open to all on Sunday September 12 at Almsford Playing Fields near Hornbeam Park.
From 1pm until 6pm attendees can enjoy live music, sports events and family entertainment.
Acts in the main marquee include the All Together Now Choir and the Harrogate Band. In the children’s marquee, kids can enjoy magicians and stage shows.
Other family entertainment includes a bouncy castle, assault course and a human football table. Homemade food will be available from a range of local vendors.
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The event was organised by local football team Pannal Ash Junior FC. Chairman Chris McVey said;
“We’re so looking forward to celebrate all that’s positive in our community after having to cancel our 2020 event due to the pandemic.”
“The Fun Day is about bringing people of all ages together in a Covid-safe way to enjoy fantastic entertainment after months of being apart.”
Any money raised from the event will go towards maintenance work on the playing field.
Ripon paddling pool to get toilets this summerRipon city councillors have voted unanimously to put portable toilets next to the paddling pool on Borrage Green Lane this summer.
The large pool, in its neatly-kept park setting just off Harrogate Road, is a popular venue on warm days.
But the Harrogate Borough Council-controlled pool and adjacent playground hasn’t had toilets for many years, which can deter people staying for long.
The safety sign at Ripon paddling pool.
City council leader Andrew Williams told Ripon City Council this week:
“I contacted the borough council and am pleased to report that they have agreed to us installing portable toilets for the duration of the summer holidays.
“Of necessity, many families will be staying in Ripon this summer because of the impact of covid and we want to ensure that they can get the most out of the public facilities that we have around the city.”
The search is now on for a suitable supplier, who can install the facility in time for the school summer holidays and keep it clean and safe.
Payment for the temporary toilets will come from Ripon City Council’s strategic investment fund.
Councillor Pauline McHardy, said:
“We need to do all that we can to help people with young children.
“It has been a very difficult time for them and many are priced out of being able to go on holiday this year.”
Mayor of Ripon, Councillor Eamon Parkin, raised concern about insurance, as liability will rest with the city council.
Cllr Parkin said:
“I’m fully in support of providing facilities for families, but remember that the last time we considered providing portable toilets here, the insurance cost alone was astronomical.”
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It was agreed that the toilets will be temporarily added to the council’s insurance policy.
Councillor Stuart Martin added:
“I think we should have no problem in finding a local supplier who can provide what we need.”
Ripon’s Quarry Moor play area to be upgraded for summer
One of Ripon’s favourite play areas is to be refurbished in time for summer.
New equipment will be installed in Quarry Moor park, funded by the 2021-2022 parish precept.
The park, just off the A61 on the southern approach to Ripon, was donated to the city in 1945 by Alderman Thomas Fowler Spence.
It currently includes an activities centre for children as well as outdoor play equipment.
Ripon City Council leader, councillor Andrew Williams, told the Stray Ferret:
“The play equipment, that adds to the park’s attraction for families with young children, has been in need of replacement for some time.
“With the prospect of the covid lockdown being lifted later this year, we want to ensure that the work is completed in readiness for the summer months.”
The land, which includes woodland walks, was left in trust by the former mayor on the understanding that it would be:
“Kept for Ripon children for all time.”
The 24-acre site was a limestone quarry for hundreds of years until the 1950s. It was also used for military training during the Second World War.
In 1986, after extensive conservation work by volunteers, it was designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI).
Quarry Moor Activities Centre
The area includes species-rich calcareous grassland and a protected wildflower meadow.
A woodland path was added in 2019.
Ripon prides itself on being child-friendly and for many years the city council has supported free family events.
These include the St Wilfrid’s Day procession in August, the switch-on of Christmas lights and New Year’s Eve entertainment on Market Square.
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The coronavirus crisis and social distancing requirements, in place since last March, caused the cancellation of mass participation activities.
For the upcoming financial year, £100,000 is being allocated for public events from summer onwards.
It is hoped that covid will be under sufficient control to allow them to go ahead.
Ripon’s parish precept for 2021-2022 will generate £400,000. Council taxpayers in the city will pay £70 towards it, in addition to council tax paid to North Yorkshire County Council and Harrogate Borough Council.