kirkby malzeard Archives - Page 4 of 8

Relief for Henry Jenkins pub campaigners as latest conversion plan refused

Councillors have refused a plan to convert an outbuilding on the Henry Jenkins Inn site at Kirkby Malzeard.

Campaigners breathed a sigh of relief after the meeting and claimed the application was designed to shatter their hopes of ever reopening the former pub, which dates back to the 18th century but has been closed since 2011.

North Yorkshire Council’s Skipton and Ripon’s planning committee met yesterday in Ripon to consider an application to convert a building next to the former pub into one holiday cottage.

However, there has been a dispute over whether the building was ever used by the pub, with pub owner David Fielder arguing it was instead used as a piggery for livestock.

Crucially, the application also includes a large grassy space behind the former pub which would be used as a car park for the holiday cottage.

But campaigners insisted this would mean any future pub would be unable to accept beer deliveries or hold any outdoor community events, leaving it unviable.

The Henry Jenkins Community Pub group has hopes of taking over the pub as a community-owned venue and has been locked in a bitter battle with Mr Fielder over the building’s future for several years.

The group has raised £220,000 in shares from local people and in September was awarded £330,000 grant from government to help them achieve their dream.

Mr Sadler told councillors the campaign to buy the pub is now at a “critical point” and the application to convert the outbuilding was a “tactic to scupper our plans”.

He said:

“How can anyone expect a pub to survive when it can’t get vehicles in for deliveries? It would be very hard to see how it can be viable again. That is the purpose of this application.”

David Fielder, who owns and operates several pubs in Yorkshire, bought the pub after it closed and has had several attempts to convert it into housing refused by Harrogate Borough Council.

A government inspector dismissed an appeal earlier this year and stated that running the pub as a community-run project was financially viable.

At the meeting yesterday, Mr Fielder rejected Mr Sadler’s claim that the outbuilding conversion was to harm the viability of the pub, thus making it easier to convert into housing.

He also insisted the outbuilding was used for pigs and historically has been unrelated to the pub. He added:

“The building doesn’t even have pedestrian doors, how could they possibly be used [by the pub]? They had pig traps in them.”

However, councillors were unconvinced by the merits of the application and refused it by three votes to one, with one abstention.

Andy Brown, Green Party councillor for Aire Valley said:

“If you have this as a holiday cottage there is no right remaining for delivery access and insufficient space for all the things planned for the community pub.

“If all they had was a vague idea [to reopen the pub] I’d be saying ‘forget it mush’ — but they’ve got £220,000 in pledges and government funding”.

Kirkby Malzeard woman speaks of horror tractor crash which left her with ‘bomb-blast’ injuries

A Kirkby Malzeard woman who spent 17 months in hospital after suffering catastrophic injuries after being hit by a tractor has spoken of her remarkable story.

Lucie Maguire was 19 when she was hit and dragged along the road under a 10-tonne trailer on January 27, 2021.

She had been trying to help her mum out of their smoke-filled car after they pulled over while travelling from Ripley towards Bishop Thornton.

Her injuries, compared to those suffered by bomb-blast victims in wars, included full amputation of her right leg and pelvis, broken back and internal damage to key organs including her bladder.

Speaking of the traumatic incident, Lucie, who is now 22, said:

“It was a cold, dark winter’s evening. My mum was driving me back home from work when the car started making funny noises and filled with horrible black smoke. We pulled over on a country lane and I got out. I went to the driver’s side to help my mum. I saw bright headlights coming towards me and thought it was someone who could help us.

“That’s when I was hit by a tractor and dragged under its 10-tonne trailer. I was stuck under there going round continuously with the wheels and it spat me out a bit further down the road.”

She spent the first month at Leeds General Infirmary at the major trauma unit in a coma. Her parents said ‘goodbye’ at her bedside as her internal bleeding was so severe, medics feared she would die.

Lucie spent more than a year on the hospitals’ major trauma ward confined to her bed, while specialist teams liaised with military medics to rebuild Lucie’s body.

By the time she left hospital on June 28, 2022 (518 days later), she could sit up and even walked on one leg while using supports.

Throughout her stay at LGI, including during Christmas 2021, Lucie and her mum Sue were supported by Day One Trauma Support – a charity set up to help families affected by catastrophic injuries.

Lucie Maguire with her mum, Sue.

Lucie was often scared, depressed and at one stage pleaded her mum to smother her with a pillow as she could not see an end to the pain and misery she felt.

She said:

“The days, weeks and months became a blur. I had regular surgeries. At one stage it took eight people to help roll me over and change me. I had other people having to clean me and I thought ‘this shouldn’t be happening to me at 19’.

“At times I felt like the pain was never going to end. There was no light at the end of tunnel. The hospital became my home. The staff became my family. It got to the stage where I didn’t want to leave.

“I never thought I would enjoy life again. Every obstacle I overcame, I felt immensely proud of myself. Slowly I felt more positive and found strength I never knew I had. I’ve gained my independence. If I’ve got through this, I can get through anything. It’s made me a more resilient person. Before I would have given up.”

Lucie with her family and friends at hospital.

Day One Trauma Support, along with psychologists and staff at LGI, provided Lucie and Sue emotional and practical support they needed to readjust to their new life, including Sue becoming Lucie’s carer alongside running The Queens Head pub in their home village with Lucie’s dad Paul, known locally as Rocky.

Now Lucie, who uses a power-assisted wheelchair and lives in her own bungalow in Kirkby Malzeard, is raising awareness of the long recovery journey people face after major traumatic injuries to support Day One’s Christmas Appeal so it can help even more people who face life-changing injuries over the coming months.

Lucie said:

“Day One Trauma Support was amazing. I feel like they saved my life.

“They were one of my constants, providing that emotional support that the busy NHS staff just don’t have the time to give. They were with me at the start and they’ve been with me ever since. The emotional support my mum and I received from Day One was massive.

“Someone to talk to. Someone to offload to. Someone who doesn’t judge and knows the bad days will get better.”

Lucy Nickson, CEO of Day One Trauma Support, said:

“People are struggling financially during a cost-of-living crisis, and the impact is only compounded when a family member suffers a sudden catastrophic injury and faces a long recovery journey, often with a disability and reduced income. Our caseworkers are seeing the reality of this every day in the Major Trauma Centres we operate and through our national support service.

“That’s why our appeal is so important so that we can reach everyone who needs our help – people like Lucie. Lucie’s story of recovery is truly inspiring and we’re so grateful that she has shared her story to support our cause. Together we can ensure no one is left to rebuild their life on their own this Christmas.”

Bid to list church near Ripon as asset of community value rejected

A parish council’s bid to have a village church designated as an Asset of Community Value (ACV) has been rejected by North Yorkshire Council.

Kirkby Malzeard Methodist Church – also known as Ebenezer Chapel – had been disused since 2022 and Kirkby Malzeard, Laverton and Dallowgill Parish Council applied to have it listed as an ACV in August.

It is currently listed for sale as a commercial property with a guide price of £180,000 by Skipton estate agent David Hill.

North Yorkshire Council made its assessment last week and decided to reject the nomination because the church “does not meet the definition of community value as detailed in the Localism Act 2011”.

It also recommended that the church, which is on the village’s Main Street, be placed on the North Yorkshire Council Assets of Community Value List of Unsuccessful Nominations.

Kirkby Malzeard, Laverton and Dallowgill Parish Council will next meet on Monday (October 30), when members are expected to discuss the matter.

Fresh plan submitted to convert part of Kirkby Malzeard pub into housing

A fresh planning application to convert part of a vacant Kirkby Malzeard pub has been submitted.

The Henry Jenkins Inn, near Ripon, has been at the centre of a long-standing battle between residents and developers over the years.

Now, developer Justin Claybourn, who already owns the eastern annexe of the site, wants to convert redundant outbuildings at the site into a holiday cottage.

The application, which was submitted in August by Jennifer Hubbard Town Planning Consultant, outlines the details of the proposed house – including one bedroom and one bathroom, and an open-plan kitchen and dining area.

Mr Claybourn also hopes to reduce the existing ten car parking spaces down to four, as well developing a garden and patio around the building.

Access to the building would be from Main Street via an existing pedestrian and vehicular access across land already owned by Mr Claybourn, it adds.

In a cover letter, the agent said the applicant and his family have “long standing connections with the area”.

A decision has not been made about the application yet, but it has proved unpopular with local residents.

One resident commented on the application:

“This application appears to be one of a series of planning applications by the owner in an attempt to split up the original pub property and obtain residential planning permission by steadily reducing any chance that the original pub, can be bought & run successfully.

“The village needs affordable housing rather than a holiday cottage for someone already living elsewhere.

“It is difficult enough for young people to rent & work in the village as it is; they hardly have a chance at buying properties.”

The proposed plans.

The Henry Jenkins Inn opened in the 1700s and closed in 2011.

The current owner David Fielder bought it the following year.

It was first listed by Harrogate Borough Council as an asset of community value in 2017 as requested by local residents. However, in 2018 the listing on the eastern annexe was removed by the council, when it was sold to Mr Claybourn.

Community grant

The objections to the application follow a £330,000 grant awarded to villagers campaigning to the save the former public house.

Levelling Up Minister, Jacob Young, announced the resident-controlled company, Henry Jenkins Community Pub (HJCP), was successful in its application to receive the Community Ownership Fund in September.

Campaigners hope to buy and refurbish the building and transform it into a community-owned pub, bistro, and coffee shop.

However, the grant is understood to be dependent on a 20% match funding and will only be given to the HJCP providing they come up with £66,000.

The group has already made six purchase offers to Mr Fielder – all of which he has rejected.

In September, however, he told the Stray Ferret he would be “happy to sell for the right price”.

Mr Fielder bought his first pub in 1987 and now owns 18 across North and West Yorkshire.

His broad property portfolio also includes industrial estates, farms, residential properties and student lets.

Housing companies start work on 33-home Kirkby Malzeard scheme

Two North Yorkshire housing companies have announced a partnership which will see them build 33 homes at Kirby Malzeard, near Ripon.

It will see Brierley Homes, which is owned by North Yorkshire Council, and Broadacres Housing Association create a new development called Laverton Oaks.

Thirteen of the 33 houses will be classed as affordable.

Brierley Homes is delivering the scheme following an agreement to buy the land from Broadacres.

Work on the site is expected to be completed within two years.

Stuart Ede, managing director at Brierley Homes, said:

“This announcement is the result of 12 months of hard work and negotiations between ourselves and Broadacres on this and other schemes.

“It is an exciting partnership between two North Yorkshire companies that will deliver high-quality housing in areas of greatest need.”

Helen Fielding, director of development and investment at Broadacres, said:

“Working in partnership with Brierley Homes, we are pleased to be able to provide 13 much-needed affordable homes in this part of rural North Yorkshire.

“It’s important that we continue investing in even more affordable housing across the county, ensuring our rural communities remain sustainable for local people now and in the future.”

Campaigners toast £330,000 grant to relaunch village pub

Villagers campaigning to save an old inn have been awarded a £330,000 government grant to help them buy and refurbish it as a community-owned pub, bistro and coffee shop.

Levelling Up Minister Jacob Young announced the Community Ownership Fund grant this week for the Henry Jenkins Inn at Kirkby Malzeard, near Ripon, which has been the subject of a long battle by local residents to save it from redevelopment.

The application for the funding was submitted by Andy Taylor, treasurer of Henry Jenkins Community Pub Ltd (HJCP), the resident-controlled company trying to buy the pub. He said:

“We burned the midnight oil to get our Community Ownership Fund application in shape and I’m enormously proud that we’ve been selected for grant approval.

“There is a lot to do, including raising the funds pledged by our membership, but this vote of confidence from the government will get some real impetus behind the campaign to restore the Henry Jenkins as a much-loved community asset in the village.”

The £330,000 grant is understood to be dependent on 20% match funding, meaning that HJCP needs to come up with £66,000 in order to access it.

The chair of HJCP, Richard Sadler, said:

“We’re delighted that the minister and the Community Ownership Fund team have recognised that we’ve put forward a realistic and properly costed business plan for the purchase and refurbishment of this important local asset. Together with more than £200,000 worth of pledged community shares from local people, this puts us in a strong position to do something exceptional.

“We’re convinced that the revival of this historic building as a community-owned facility can make a huge difference to our village by creating an exciting new social space, bringing people together and helping to kick-start the regeneration of the local economy.”

The Henry Jenkins opened in the 1700s but closed in 2011 and was bought by current owner David Fielder the following year. At the instigation of local residents, it was first listed by Harrogate Borough Council as an asset of community value in 2017. However, in 2018 the listing on the eastern annexe was removed by the council, when it was sold to Mr Fielder’s business associate, Justin Claybourn.

Since then, the owners and campaigners have been at loggerheads, with Mr Fielder rejecting six purchase offers from the HJCP group and refusing permission for a site survey. Mr Claybourn once even told HJCP that he would not sell to them “at any time or any price”.

Happy to sell

But Mr Fielder told the Stray Ferret today he’d be willing to sell the pub immediately, for the right price. He said:

“I’d be happy to sell. It’s up to them to call in the pledges, and then we’ll sell – for either £250,000 for the pub or £500,000 for the whole site including the house next door.

“It’s stood empty since 2012, so it’d be nice to see it put to proper use.”

Mr Sadler would not be drawn on how much HJCP would be willing to pay, but said:

“We remain open to discussions with Mr Fielder, but we won’t entertain the idea of buying at above market price, and we insist on being able to have a survey and structural assessment carried out before negotiations begin, so that we can calculate exactly what the refurbishment costs would be.

“The owner has allowed the pub to fall into a dilapidated state, he’s stripped out the interior, the roof has started to fall in, and the beer garden is completely overgrown. Through our local ward councillor, we have begun preliminary discussions with North Yorkshire Council over a proposed compulsory purchase order to break the deadlock and secure the Henry Jenkins for future generations.

“We would like to make clear that we still regard compulsory purchase as a last resort. We are always open to discussions with the owner over purchase of the site but we will only pay a fair market price and so would need his permission for a proper valuation and structural survey.”

The Mechanics Institute in Kirkby Malzeard

The Queen’s Head is also in the village.

Mr Fielder, who lives near Selby, bought his first pub in 1987 and has since amassed a broad property portfolio, which includes 18 pubs across North and West Yorkshire, industrial estates, farms, residential properties and student lets.

Despite being prepared to sell the Henry Jenkins, he said he feared what impact its refurbishment might have on other local businesses. He said:

“God knows what effect it’ll have on the Queens Head and the Mechanics’ Institute. There’s no way a village like Kirkby Malzeard can sustain three licensed premises plus an off-licence. That’s a fact, and I’ll be proved right.

“There’s a lot of people struggling at the moment, so I think they might have difficulties collecting all the pledges. But that’s their problem, not mine.

“If they can come up with the money, that’d be fantastic, but if they can’t then there’s no story, I’m afraid.”

The Henry Jenkins is named after a Yorkshire supercentenarian from Ellerton-on-Swale – 20 miles north of Kirkby Malzeard – who was said to have been 169 years old when he died in 1670.

11-foot sunflower leaves rivals in the shade at Kirkby Malzeard

A 350cm sunflower stood tall at the annual Kirkby Malzeard and District Flower and Produce Show on Saturday.

The sunflower, which is over 11 feet tall, was found to be the tallest in one of many categories judged at the show.

This year’s show, which was the 41st, featured a record breaking number of entries.

The judging included categories for vegetables and fruit, flowers and plants, flower arranging, arts and crasfts, photography, preserves, produce and record breakers.

There were also categories for children and funny shaped fruit and vegetables.

Here are some of the exhibits.

The event began as a marrow competition in the pub in 1982.

Committee member Heather Clark-Kelly said:

“All money raised goes towards being able to fund the following year’s show.

“Its so lovely to have an opportunity for the community to come together, celebrate together and have a bit of fun.”

Multiple fire crews called to barn blaze at Kirkby Malzeard

Crews from four fire stations were called to Kirkby Malzeard last night to deal with a fire in a barn containing hay bales.

Firefighters from Ripon, Bedale, Lofthouse and a water bowser from Boroughbridge rushed to a farm at Ringbeck Road at 6.11pm.

North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service’s incident report said:

“Crews worked to protect surrounding buildings and to extinguish the fire.

“The farmer assisted with a tractor in turning the bales over as crews battled with a changeable wind to extinguish the fire.

“The fire resulted in 100% damage to approximately 85 hay bales and also fire damage to the roof of the barn.”

Kirkby Malzeard all set for its three-day big weekend

Kirkby Malzeard is set to host a three-day weekend of community activities, starting tomorrow.

The Big Weekend will include live music, a Black Sheep bar, street food and artisan stalls in the first event of its kind in the village.

Visitors can expect performances from Hyde Family Jam, Reeth Brass Band, Kirkby Tunes Folk Group, and many more over the Father’s Day weekend.

The event promises something for all ages, from the inaugural 11K Crackpots Run to a TikTok disco.

There will also be a scarecrow trail – with 32 scarecrows scattered around the village – as well as a parade, a farm and tractor fest and a dog show and scurry.

Nigel Robertshaw, a village resident overseeing the live music event, said:

“This is a first for the village and we know it will be something completely different.

“We are also running a Kirkby’s Got Talent session to allow local people the chance to perform on a live stage.”

During the live music on Saturday night, Manchega Tapas and Skellgill Burgers will be offering pop-up food, alongside the village’s own fish and chips. Tickets for the live music can be found here.

The Big Weekend will round off at the village pub, the Queens Head, with an all-ages karaoke and barbecue.

Any money raised from the weekend will be used to fund future community events, including the bonfire and youth projects.

GALLERY: A weekend of Harrogate district celebrations fit for a king

A three-day weekend of celebrations and volunteering saw thousands of people mark the coronation of King Charles III in the Harrogate district.

Stray Ferret reporters were out and about every day capturing the fun and numerous activities taking place to commemorate the historic occasion.

Sunday’s glorious weather attracted a huge turnout to Knaresborough Castle for Party in the Castle.

Sunday Party in the Castle. Pic: Charlotte Gale Photography

People getting into the swing of the coronation concert at Knaresborough Castle. Pic: Charlotte Gale Photography

Party-in-the-Castle Knaresborough Castle

Knaresborough Castle was lit up for the occasion. Pic: Mike Whorley Photography

The royal city of Ripon once again proved it is the little city that knows how to stage a big party as live music filled Market Place on Saturday and Sunday nights, culminating in fireworks to the sounds of a Queen tribute band.

Ripon Cathedral also provided a focus for official events marking the coronation.

Jo Ropner, Lord-Lieutenant of North Yorkshire and Dean John Dobson at Sunday’s coronation commemorative service at Ripon Cathedral

Mr and Mrs Alex Petherbridge and their daughters Tabitha, Silvia and Claudia arrive to watch Ripon cathedral’s livestream of the coronation.

Carr Close in Ripon enjoyed the best of the weather when it staged a street party on Sunday.

Fireworks in Ripon Market Place rounded off Sunday’s activities.

In Harrogate, a big screen in Valley Gardens broadcast the coronation live. Many community groups staged events in villages nearby and also organised volunteering activities yesterday as part of the Big Help Out national initiative.

Watching the coronation in Valley Gardens

Oatlands Community Centre’s coronation gathering

Community Fit’s Anna Gazier (left) and Lisa Tilburn, who work with HADCA, litter picking in Valley Gardens.

Three generations of bell-ringers took part in Saturday’s coronation service at St Wilfrid’s. Pictured are Sally McDonagh, mum Shirley and daughter Bethany, 11.

Sixteen thousand plants were woven together to create the royal cypher on Montpellier Hill.

The sun shone in Masham for its parade of floats on Sunday and nearby Kirkby Malzeard had a lunch party.

One of the Masham floats

Masham Market Square on Sunday

Flying the Union flag in Kirkby Malzeard

Read more:

Read more:

Read more:

Community grant

Read more:

Read more:

Read more:

Happy to sell

Read more:

Read more:

Read more:

Read more: