Puppets will be popping up in some unexpected places as part of a number of new features included in Ripon Theatre Festival’s expanded programme.

Organisers have added a series of pop-up mini events throughout Ripon, working with shops, cafés and city attractions to bring puppet shows and storytelling to unusual and intimate surroundings.

This includes Puppets for Breakfast at Wetherspoon’s Unicorn Hotel, a suitcase puppet show The Hare and the Moon in the Cabmen’s shelter in the Market Place and the GreenHouse shop on North Street, and Beached, an immersive puppet show at Ripon Cathedral, where performers and audience members wear headphones for the experience.

St Wilfrid’s Crypt in the Cathedral will see Fell-Foss Theatre’s rolling performance of The Wanderer and expert storyteller Gav Cross will bring Twisted Tales for Terrible Children to the somewhat spooky Curzon Cinema Cellar and the Courthouse Museum.

The second Ripon Theatre Festival will take place from Wednesday, June 7 to Sunday, June 11, featuring four days and five nights crammed with performances and activity.

Drama highlights include visits from up-and-coming theatre companies performing in Ripon Arts Hub, a return visit from open-air specialists Illyria with their family show Robin Hood at Fountains Abbey, and a production of Sense and Sensibility in the garden at The Old Deanery.

The festival will also be welcoming BBC Radio 4 favourite and gentle Northern activist Kate Fox, and Liz Grand with her one-woman show Where’s Mrs Christie?.

Rhubarb Theatre’s A Wonderland of Games will feature as part of the free family fun in Spa Gardens on Sunday June 11.

There are many festival events for children and families. In addition to shows at Ripon Library on Thursday and Friday , there will be street theatre, walkabout acts and pop-up performances throughout the weekend.

Circus, street theatre and community combine on Saturday at two performance zones, the Market Place and Minster Gardens (adjacent to Ripon Cathedral). Featured entertainment includes a comic escapology show from The Maniax and Dizzy O’Dare’s award-winning Giant Balloon Show.

Spa Gardens will be the focus of free family-friendly theatre and puppetry on Sunday June 11. The festival promises a “boredom-free zone” with visits from Hoglets Theatre, Rhubarb Theatre, Frolicked and Strange-Twig Theatre, alongside music and dance from community performers. A highlight of day will be performances of A La Puppet Carte when three electric tricycles open up to reveal three heart-warming puppet shows from Thingumajig Theatre.

Festival characters and performers will also visit Sunday’s Little Bird Artisan Market, adding additional colour and fun in the Market Place.

Thanks to the support of local businesses and key funders, much of the Festival is totally free to enjoy and ticketed events are low-cost.

Festival director Katie Scott said:

“We are delighted that this year we are offering many performances as ‘pay what you can’ events. We know that families in particular are feeling the financial crunch and this allows ticket purchasers to select their chosen amount or to opt for a free ticket. This is also a way of encouraging people to come to multiple performances by spreading their budget and trying different shows in different venues.”

The Ripon Theatre Festival programme also includes Overblown! a community-led evening of sketches and music, a premiere performance of work by local poet Ian Gouge, a musical travelogue for Sunday brunch from Steve Bonham, and Bread is Life – a lunchtime meze event where both Syrian stories and food will be shared. The festival opens on Wednesday, June 7 with dystopian comedy Happy Place at Ripon Arts Hub.

A Harrogate mum is hosting a family fun day in June to raise money for two organisations that supported her daughter before she died 13 years ago.

Katie Beadle gave birth to her daughter Millie in August 2009. But immediately after she was born, she knew something wasn’t right.

Millie was diagnosed with hypoxia, a condition that results in low oxygen levels in the blood. It can lead to multiple medical conditions and requires around-the-clock care.

Ms Beadle said:

“Most of Millie’s time with us was spent in Manchester St Mary’s Children’s Hospital in the beginning. When she was allowed back to Harrogate, we spent a few days on Special Care Baby Unit at Harrogate District Hospital, before finding a new way of living on Woodlands Ward.”

Millie spent a few weeks at home before she contracted an infection. The family returned to the Woodlands, which is the hospital’s children’s ward, before they were told the devastating news:

“Millie has suffered a substantial amount of trauma at such a young age, her body is tired and I’m afraid this time she isn’t strong enough to fight this one off. It’s only a matter of time, so enjoy your final days with your precious daughter.”

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Millie wasn’t strong enough to travel to Martin House Hospice in Wetherby, so the hospice came to them and set up a room for her on the ward until she passed away in December 2009.

She would have been coming up to her 13th birthday in August so her mum wants to mark her legacy by raising funds for Martin House and Harrogate hospital’s children’s ward.

The family fun day will be held at Knaresborough Rugby Club on June 25 from 11am where there will be a bouncy castle, live music, face painting, stalls, food and drink, rides and more.

Ms Beadle added:

“I am arranging Millie’s 13th birthday party with an open invite for everyone! It’s been a rollercoaster of emotions, stress and required copious amounts of coffee & fizz, however, things are just about finalised and it should be a grand day for all.”

“An incredible job”

The two organisations both paid tribute to Ms Beadle for her fundraising efforts.

Chris Verney, regional fundraiser for Martin House, said:

“Katie has done an incredible job in organising this event and we hope everything goes well for her.  Fundraising like this makes a huge difference to the families with seriously ill children that we support across West, North and East Yorkshire.”

Victoria Lister, manager of acute paediatrics at Harrogate District Foundation Trust, said:

“Katie has worked tirelessly to organise this event to help support our unit. We as a ward are so grateful for her hard work and preparation for Millie’s Fun Day in June. The funds raised will help transform the ward into a more welcoming, bright environment for the children attending Woodlands at HDFT.”

There are still some spaces to hold a stall on the day. If anyone would like more information email Katie-beadle92@hotmail.com

With no funfair on Harrogate Stray this Bank Holiday, families across the district with younger children are being invited to visit Ripon.

Saturday and Sunday will see the city hold its second summer weekend event on Market Square, with two fairground roundabouts and a climbing wall free of charge.

This follows the Yorkshire Day weekend, that saw the city hold its first large-scale public event since the covid lockdowns.

While this weekend’s activities are principally aimed at people living in Ripon and the surrounding areas, families from further afield can also attend.

City council leader, Andrew Williams, said:

“People from across the district are invited to join in the fun of the fair.

“We have two rides for little ones and a climbing wall for older children.”

Family groups gathered on Ripon Market Square for the tribute acts concert held as part of the Yorkshire Day weekend

Those visiting from outside Ripon, who would like to stay later, are also invited to attend Saturday night’s free concert, featuring three tribute acts performing on a stage in front of Ripon Town Hall.

The children’s rides and climbing wall will be open from 2pm until 8pm on Saturday and 10am until 4pm on Sunday. The musical entertainment starts at 7pm on Saturday.

On Sunday, from 10am until 3pm the next in the series of Little Bird artisan markets, featuring handmade goods produced locally, will also be held on Market Square.

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