“There are 47,000 people across North Yorkshire over the age of 50 who have yet to be vaccinated, many who are still trying to get appointments.“We also have health and social care employees who are still needing to be vaccinated, yet we have had nearly 450 no shows at just three clinics in the last week.“Please, please do the right thing and cancel any appointments for vaccinations if you choose not to be vaccinated or have been vaccinated elsewhere.“Go online or ring 119. Not only does it slow the vaccination programme down and prevent us from vaccinating other people but there are people giving up their time to deliver this service in the community. Don’t waste their time.”
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“We have a team of over 100 people supporting our vaccination centre, giving up many hours and working long shifts to support the community and help us all try get back to normality.“Our achievement is amazing and the team effort and comradery is truly amazing.”
The company running Knaresborough’s new vaccination centre plans to administer 10,000 jabs a week from next month and create a “carnival atmosphere”.
The centre, which is run by Knaresborough-based Homecare Pharmacy Services, is made up of two modular units at the old Lidl site on York Road.
During Saturday’s opening day, which started at 8.30am and finished at 8.30pm, pharmacy staff got the Oxford-AstraZeneca jab in the arms of 850 people.
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However, many people turned up too early on the opening day, causing delays, and the company hopes that when such teething problems are overcome it will be able to inoculate more than 1,400 people a day.
That ambitious target is only just a little behind the mass vaccination site at the Great Yorkshire Showgrouund in Harrogate, which currently gives out 1,800 vaccines a day.
Homecare Pharmacy Services has urged people to turn up only a maximum of 5 minutes early and to also bring their NHS numbers to help speed up the process.
It was a sunny and warm day on Saturday for people queueing but the weather could easily worsen. Pharmacy boss Jason Baskind told the Stray Ferret about his plans to keep spirits up:
Fultons Foods to close Ripon store on Sunday“We would like to create a bit of a carnival atmosphere for those waiting. We will of course control social distancing but we want some entertainment in the car park.
“The town choir and other musicians will come to the vaccine centre and hopefully that takes attention away from the queueing.
“We are told that vaccine supply will improve significantly by the end of March so by April we hope to be open every day and give out 10,000 jabs a week.”
Ripon will see one of its value retailers close on Sunday.
Fultons Foods, which has operated in The Arcade for many years, is shutting up shop.
It joins a list of retailers to close in Ripon since the first covid lockdown last March.
A Stray Ferret reader, who asked not to be named, said:
“This is very sad news. Many people with limited income have been shopping there.”
This week store staff were busy clearing shelves and emptying freezers ahead of the weekend closure.
The Yorkshire retailer has more than 100 stores in the north of England, including two in Harrogate and one in Knaresborough.
It is understood that only the Ripon Fultons store in the Harrogate district is closing.
Over the 50 years since the business was established, Fultons has sold branded goods, including frozen foods, groceries and chilled foods at bargain basement prices.
Wren’s department store, which was home to more than 50 small independent retailers, closed at the end of November.
The Stray Ferret asked Frozen Value Ltd – which trades as Fultons Foods – what prompted its closure decision and what would happen to existing staff.
No response had been received at the time of going to press.
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Fultons’ soon-to-be vacant unit in The Arcade was previously occupied by a small Marks and Spencer food store.
M&S opened a purpose-built store in Rotary Way, Ripon last summer and could soon have Lidl as one of its neighbours at St Michael’s Retail Park.
If Lidl receives planning permission, it will bolster Ripon’s value retailer offering, alongside the Aldi in Stonebridgegate.
Fultons’ impending closure is the latest retail loss in Ripon city centre.
Other businesses to shut recently include Wrens, the city’s only department store, Edinburgh Woollen Mill, Ponden Home and Jon Barrie menswear.
Plans unveiled for Lidl supermarket at Ripon retail park
A Lidl supermarket could be the latest addition to Ripon’s new St Michael’s Retail Park.
The German chain announced its intention to expand into the city last year and has now said its preferred location is the £10m retail park that opened its doors in July 2020.
The public has now been asked to comment on the plans, which would see the supermarket in a unit next door to Marks and Spencer Foodhall.
The new store has a planned sales area of 1,100 sqm and could create 40 new full and part-time jobs if it’s granted planning permission.
Lidl already has plans to open its first store in Harrogate on Knaresborough Road.
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As well as the M&S, Ripon is served by an Aldi, Booths, Morrisons and Sainsbury’s.
On a website for the proposals, Lidl argues its “offer is different” from other city centre supermarkets and would not compete directly with shops in the city centre.
A Lidl spokesperson said:
“We are delighted to announce plans to open a new store at St Michael’s Retail Park, creating new job opportunities and bringing more shopping choice to Ripon.
“We have a long-standing desire to open a store in the city and after many years of searching for an available site, St Michael’s Retail Park presents a fantastic opportunity for us to serve the local community and deliver our high quality products at low prices to Ripon.”
Lidl said a planning application will be submitted to Harrogate Borough Council in the coming weeks. Anyone wanting to view the plans and have their say should visit www.stmichaelsripon-lidl.co.uk.
Lidl submits plans for first Harrogate storeGerman supermarket chain Lidl has submitted plans to open its first store in Harrogate.
If approved, the supermarket would create about 40 full and part-time jobs on the site of the former Lookers car dealership on Knaresborough Road.
The multi-million pound proposal includes a 1,263 square metre sales area, an in-store bakery, customer toilets and 94 parking spaces.
It would open from 8am to 10pm Monday to Saturday and 10am to 4pm on Sunday.
Lidl GB said in a statement a public consultation in November revealed 87 per cent of more than 1,000 responses supported the scheme.
Harrogate Borough Council must now adjudicate on whether to accept plans to redevelop the site, which is surrounded by hoardings.
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Robert Beaumont, Lidl property director for the north of England, said:
“Following this extremely positive feedback, we have now submitted a planning application for the site to Harrogate Borough Council.
“We have been looking forward to bringing a new store to Harrogate for a while and we hope that the council agrees that this is a great location for a new supermarket to serve the local community.”
Lidl entered the UK market in 1994 and now has more than 800 stores across the country, including one in Knaresborough.
Lidl plans to open first Harrogate storeGerman supermarket chain Lidl has unveiled plans to open a new store on the site of the former Lookers car showroom on Knaresborough Road in Harrogate.
The company has yet to submit a formal planning application but has opened a public consultation for the store, which they say will create about 40 jobs.
The 1,263 sq metre supermarket would have an in-store bakery and 94 car parking spaces.
It would open from 8am to 10pm Monday to Saturday and 10am to 4pm on Sunday.
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Lidl’s regional property director, Robert Beaumont, said:
“We have been looking forward to bringing a new store to Harrogate for a while and the former Lookers site is a great location.
“We are extremely excited about the prospect of opening our first Lidl in the area and serving our fresh, quality and incredibly good value produce to the local community.”
Lidl entered the UK market in 1994 and now has over 800 stores across the country, including one in Knaresborough.