Staff, parents and children from Holy Trinity School in Ripon have been paying their respects to the three members of a Ukrainian family killed in a car crash on Sunday.
The family members were named by North Yorkshire Police yesterday afternoon as Daria Bartienieva (known as Dasha), 35, her son, Ihor Bartienieva, aged 6, and Daria’s step-daughter, Anastasiia Bartienieva.
Ihor had been a pupil of Holy Trinity School.
From 2.30pm yesterday, a steady stream of people visited the quiet space created in Holy Trinity Church to light candles, write messages and sign a book of condolence.
A poignant message posted online yesterday by Holy Trinity Church, said:
“We have lost mother, Dasha, daughter Anastasiia (known as Staci) and Ihor. Dasha was 35 and had lost her husband in February this year. Staci had been in this country only 5 weeks and was just 15 in June.
“Ihor had his 6th birthday last month. Liza at 16 was not with them in the car and has now lost all her immediate family. Please pray for Liza at this terrible time, and for her family abroad and friends here as they support her.”
A fundraising appeal to raise money for Liza has now generated more than £11,000. You can donate here.
Read more:
- Police release names of Ukrainian family members killed in crash
- Candles to be lit in Ripon for children and mother killed in crash
A Ripon church will open today to let people say prayers and light candles for a mother and her two children killed in a car crash on Sunday.
Holy Trinity Church will welcome staff, parents and children from nearby Holy Trinity School and anyone else who knew those who died.
The church said in a post online:
“A space has been created where people can sit quietly, light a candle and write in a condolence book.
“There will be someone available to pray with you if you would like this.
“If you do come please keep quiet at this sensitive time.”
Police said yesterday three people died in a three-vehicle crash that involved a double decker bus on the A61 Ripon Road near South Stainley at 2.20pm on Sunday.
It was the second fatal collision on the road between Ripon and Harrogate on consecutive weekends.
The church said the victims, who have not been named yet by police, were three members of a Ukrainian family living in Ripon.
It said the mother was aged 35 and had lost her husband in February this year.
Her 15-year-old daughter, who had only been in the country for five weeks, and her six-year-old son also died, the church added.
It urged people to pray for the sole remaining daughter and her family abroad.
A fundraising page for the girl has already raised more than £5,000. You can donate here.
Read more:
- Two children and woman killed in collision between Ripon and Harrogate
- Ripon boys aged 6 and 8 climb Ben Nevis for air ambulance
Ripon gran, 81, misses family moment due to council van in disabled parking bay
An 81-year-old disabled gran from Ripon missed a special moment with her granddaughter because a council van was parked in a disabled space.
The woman, who asked not to be named, had been driven to Holy Trinity primary school to surprise her granddaughter at pick-up time.
But she was unable to park near enough to the school to do so because the disabled space was taken.
She contacted the Stray Ferret to raise awareness of the need for drivers to be more considerate.
She said:
“My granddaughter has recently started at the school and I knew it would be a lovely surprise for her if she came out of her classroom and I was there to meet her.
“I can only walk very short distances and was taken to the school by my son, but had to stay in the car while he went to Holy Trinity to collect his daughter.”
The woman, who is a blue badge holder, added:
“It was distressing and I would just like to ask those able bodied people, who think it’s OK to park in bays provided for the disabled, to be more considerate.”
Jeremy Dunford urges able bodied drivers to leave disabled bays free.
Jeremy Dunford, a trustee of Ripon Disability Forum, said:
“When people see empty accessible parking bays or areas they tend to think the following: ‘I will only be a couple of minutes’ or ‘There is plenty of space for others’.
“Others just think ‘I’m in a rush, so where’s the harm?'”
“These people do it for their convenience and, to be brutally honest, to avoid having to walk too far.
“This is an option that many people with disabilities do not have.”
Read more:
Mr Dunford said the scenario facing the grandmother was common to all disabled drivers. He added:
“It is not about having to be near to a specific shop every time, it is about having access to buildings, areas and facilities with the relative ease that able bodied people have.
“We also have to say that parking up with a disabled passenger, leaving them in the car, and then going off is also unacceptable. This is also down to laziness
A spokesperson for Harrogate Borough Council, said:
“We’d like to apologise to the Harrogate district resident who sadly could not park in the disabled parking bay near Holy Trinity School in Ripon.
“Our vehicle shouldn’t haven’t been parked there and we be reminding staff who drive work vehicles the importance of disabled bays.”