This week’s photograph was taken by John Shepherd, capturing the moon shining over Fountains Abbey at the Christmas illumination night.

John Shepherd

Photo of the Week celebrates the Harrogate district. It could be anything from family life to capturing the district’s beauty. We are interested in amateur and professional photographs, in a landscape format.

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With Christmas just over three months away, Ripon is gearing up for further expansion of the city’s seasonal lights.

Ripon City Council has unanimously agreed to support moves to create a new festive feature on the front of the town hall.

Costing £5,400, it would consist of a sequenced multi-coloured lights display that can be programmed to include seasonal and other messages.

Harrogate Borough Council, which owns the Grade II Listed building in the Market Place, needs to approve the proposal.

Last year, in a festive season affected by covid lockdown and restrictions, £65,000 set aside for public events that were subsequently cancelled, was used to enhance and extend Ripon’s Christmas lights.

The lights covered three miles of city centre and adjoining streets, including all major gateways and this year, in addition to the town hall plan, improvements will be made to light displays on High Skellgate and Westgate.

Kirkgate – the approach to Ripon Cathedral – was part of the three-mile display of lights last Christmas.

Ripon City Council leader Andrew Williams said:

“A multi-coloured curtain of light across the town hall, which can incorporate messages, will have a wow factor and create a focal point for Ripon’s Christmas and New Year celebrations.”

Councillors were told that this would be be a temporary display and, if approval is received from Harrogate Borough Council, its installation will be timed to ensure that it does not clash with the Remembrance Day poppies display at the town hall.

The technology employed enables the lights to change colour and feature a range of pre-programmed messages.