The long arm of the law is reaching out from Ripon Museum Trust, in a bid to capture the imagination of visitors over the autumn half term holiday.

The trust, which operates the Workhouse, Prison & Police and Old Courthouse museums, is offering the opportunity to explore the nature of crime and punishment in the Victorian era, through a series of themed activities both online and in person.

Whodunnit at the Workhouse? will run from Tuesday 26 to Friday 29 October from 12pm to 3pm.

Visitors can try out their investigative skills at Ripon’s Workhouse Museum

This family-friendly activity will take visitors on an interactive trail across the sites of the museums as they try to solve a murder at the workhouse.

Visitors will learn about how policing worked in the Victorian era, about plants and poisons in the Workhouse Museum Garden, before discovering forensic science at the Prison & Police Museum.

Those who solve the crime could be in with a chance of winning a small prize. Activities are included in the cost of museum entry.

On Thursday 28 October at 7pm, Ripon museums will host an online exploration of Victorian criminality with Shocking Murder! Investigating Suspicious Death in Victorian Ripon.

In 1874, two savage murders rocked the city. In both cases, the formal murder investigation began with an inquest.

In a talk given by postgraduate student Sophie Michell, she will discuss how Victorian coroners worked, and how inquests formed the basis of a murder trial. Tickets cost £5 per person. The talk will be hosted on Zoom

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Visitors can also explore the darker side of the city’s history with a Ripon Ghost Walk, where they will hear tales of ghouls and ghostly goings on. Two Halloween special ghost walks take place on Sunday 31 October, at 5pm and 7pm. Tickets cost £3 for adults and £2 for under 16s.

Further information about all of our events and activities is available at riponmuseums.co.uk, and tickets for the talk and ghost walks can be booked online. Contact the museum team by emailing info@riponmuseums.co.uk or call 01765 690799.

The son of the police officer who lead the investigation in to Dennis Nilsen is running this year’s London marathon for the Harrogate Police Treatment Centre.

Simon Jay is the son of DCI Peter Jay, who is currently being portrayed by actor Danny Mays on ITV’s drama Des.

The programme, whose last episode aired last night, follows the police investigation into the London serial killer which resulted in a life sentence for six counts of murder and two of attempted murder.

Simon speaks of his father as his “hero” and says seeing him on the screen is “strange”. Peter Jay died only a few months before the ITV researchers contacted him, and since then Simon has met them to offer his father’s files and information on the case.

After suffering with his own mental ill health, Simon works within that sector and closely with the Police Treatment Centres charity.

Simon said:

“It’s very strange – he’s always been my hero so it’s nice for everyone else to see him like that – it makes me very proud.

“It took five years to research – although it’s a drama it does tell the story as it would have happened. The only difference is that he wouldn’t have been scared of anything at the crime scene, but it’s to get the drama across.

“He was a little more assertive and would always take control, when Danny says, ‘He gets away with nothing’, that was Dad all over.

“I think he’d have been quite embarrassed by the show, but he would have liked that all the officers were highlighted rather than just him. To him it was just a job.”

Simon, with his mum Linda and dad Peter three months before he passed away.

Simon is running this year’s virtual marathon in aid of the Police Treatment Centres, including its service on Harlow Moor Road in harrogate. The charity treats around 4,000 police family patients each year from across the country, offering support for physical and psychological injuries.

He added:

“I was blown away by their dedication to police officers. They are so passionate and I knew they needed more support and I wanted to help.”

To support Simon, click here.

A spokesperson for the Police Treatment Centres said:

“We are delighted that Simon is taking part in the Virtual London Marathon in aid of The Police Treatment Centres. Simon has worked alongside us for some time now to facilitate a roll-out of the Thrive mental health app for our patients.

“As a charity, we rely heavily on donations. Whilst we had to close our residential facilities during the pandemic, we lost income. Fundraisers like Simon play a key role in raising the funds we need to ensure we are there for future generations of the police family.”