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There was laughter and tears at St Michael and all Angels’ Church in Littlethorpe near Ripon this morning, as family and friends gathered to celebrate the remarkable life of Sylvia Grice, who died last month at the age of 90.
Every seat in the village church, where she worshipped for 31 years, was taken, as warm thanks were given through prayer, poetry and hymns for decades of dedicated service to the community, in which she taught an estimated 250,000 local people to swim. The family invited the Stray Ferret to attend.
In addition to teaching a skill for lifelong enjoyment and one which can be used to save the lives of others, she was a stalwart supporter of charity, raising funds for the church, Saint Michael’s Hospice and Yorkshire Air Ambulance, to name but a few, through her famous garden parties, where she sold a wide array of items that she baked.
Today’s funeral service was led by the Dean of Ripon the Very Revd John Dobson (pictured),
In the eulogy given by the Revd Canon Michael Glanville-Smith, he said:
“It’s difficult to know where to start when talking about a woman who touched so many lives in so many ways.”
But with help from Sylvia’s daughters Alison and Helen, he was able find out and share at least one anecdote that many attending the service may not have heard before.
He pointed out that when she received her MBE for services to swimming in 2011, from the then Prince of Wales:
“She told the future King Charles about the benefits of swimming and even offered him a lesson if he ever ventured north!”
In 2019, the former Barnardo’s girl, who spent her early school years living at Red House — the charity’s children’s home on Palace Road — was awarded the Freedom of the City of Ripon for her services to the community.
From humble beginnings, she became one of Ripon’s best known and loved citizens and Dean John reflected on Sylvia’s life-long achievements, when he said:
“We have lost somebody who was very precious.”
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Garden near Ripon to open its gates for charity this weekend
Five decades of dedication will be on show in a village near Ripon this weekend as part of the national open gardens scheme.
David and Sally Walden have lived at Greencroft for 49 years, slowly transforming the one-acre garden and adding new features.
For the last 25 years, they have opened the gates to the garden on Pottery Lane as part of the National Garden Scheme, and will do so again this Sunday, from noon until 4pm.
Daughter Rachel Beadle told the Stray Ferret:
“When they bought the property it was just one field going right up to the back of a two-up, two-down house.
“My dad is a builder, now retired aged 80, and mum is the gardener, aged 79.
“They have built and gardened the whole thing over 49 years, adding bits on over the years. Mum spent many, many days mixing cement for dad!
“Dad has built every structure, wall and waterfall, from the log cabin to the the summer house. Mum still gardens the whole thing herself: there are no external gardeners.”
The annual open afternoon always raises money for charities chosen by the NGS. Over the years, Rachel said the couple have raised £35,000 for the likes of Macmillan Cancer Support, Marie Curie, Hospice UK and the Carers’ Trust.
Entry is £5 for adults, while children go free, and there will be tea and cakes available.
Rachel added:
“My sisters, brother and I are all super proud of them.”
To find out more about the open afternoon, visit the Greencroft entry on the NGS website.
Littlethorpe’s legendary swimming teacher celebrates 90th birthdayFamily and friends gathered in Littlethorpe at the weekend to celebrate the 90th birthday of one of the Ripon area’s most inspirational women.
Over 50 years, Sylvia Grice taught an estimated 250,000 people to swim, including Olympic diving champion Jack Laugher, who won gold and silver medals at the 2016 games in Rio de Janeiro and bronze at Tokyo 2020.
Her lifelong devotion to teaching a much-needed skill in a city with three rivers and a canal, earned her an MBE in the 2010 New Year’s Honours and Freedom of the City of Ripon in 2019, but that’s just part of her remarkable story.
Sylvia Grice, pictured with Jack Laugher after his medal-winning success at the Rio de Janeiro Olympics in 2016.
Daughter Helen Mackenzie, herself an accomplished swimmer and swimming teacher, told the Stray Ferret:
“Mum suffered a broken leg when she was three and was in hospital in traction up until the age of eight, but she didn’t let that hold her back.
“She learnt to swim when she was 15 and married my dad, Jim, the love of her life, when she was 20.
“When my sister Alison and I came along she regularly took us to swim at Ripon’s Spa Baths and caught the eye of the manager Fred Windsor.
“He encouraged her to become a qualified swimming teacher and over the years she went through all of the grades to become an Amateur Swimming Association tutor and then a Fellow of the Institute of Swimming Teachers.”
Sylvia used her qualifications to help people of all ages and abilities, from toddlers having their first visit to the pool to her mother-in-law Florrie, who learnt to swim when she was 58.
She taught people to swim at Ripon Grammar School and at Ashville College in Harrogate, where she set up Triton Swimmers and away from her busy teaching schedule, found time to run the Spa Gardens cafe, be an active member of Ripon Lions and raise money for numerous charitable causes.
‘Nurturing’ staff help children to learn at ‘homely’ nursery near Ripon
A “homely” nursery in a village outside Ripon has won praise from Ofsted.
Appletrees Day Nursery in Littlethorpe has maintained its ‘good’ rating in a new report published this month by the education regulator.
After visiting the nursery in March, inspector Kelly Nevett said:
“The curriculum helps to prepare children for their transition on to school. A dedicated transition manager ensures that children are ready for this next chapter, and staff have made good links with local schools.
“Staff have high expectations for all children, including those children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. All children make good progress.”
She said the indoor and outdoor areas helped children to “interact with the natural world” and “make choices in their learning”. Staff helped children to build confidence by offering “nurturing support”, she added.
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The nursery, which has 53 children on the roll, was praised for its effective communication with parents, and for involving families in the children’s learning.
Play was used effectively to help children learn skills such as maths, the inspector said. She added:
“Children are at the heart of this welcoming nursery. They show very good attitudes to their own learning and have good self-regulation skills. Behaviour is also very good across the age groups of children. Staff encourage children to share, take turns and learn how to focus through some group teaching times.
“However, staff do not consistently plan precisely for what children need to learn next during some adult-led activities, such as group times before lunch.”
She also suggested improvements could be made in encouraging children to speak to each other more, as well as with adults, and in allowing older children to develop their independence at mealtimes.
Nursery director Lucy Thompson said she and the rest of the team would use the inspector’s recommendations to make further improvements. She added:
National Open Gardens: Gardens taking part across the Harrogate district this summer“We are delighted to receive such a good report. The inspector clearly recognised our ethos and well-being priorities of love, care, nurture and our naturally inspiring outdoor space, all of which are so important for positive growth and development.
“We were particularly delighted that parents and guardians shared their positive feedback with the inspector, and did so with such passion. This is a testament to the wonderful community that we have built together, and really meant a lot to us.
“Our brilliant team is incredibly proud of what we have achieved. I felt quite emotional observing the day. We’re so often wrapped up in a busy learning atmosphere in nursery, but to stand back and see Appletrees in full flow made my heart swell. Everyone works so hard to create this wonderful learning environment. It’s a real team effort.”
The temperatures have risen across the Harrogate district this week and that summer feeling has well and truly kicked in.
And what better time than to enjoy some of the stunning flora and fauna that our area has to offer.
There are lots of gorgeous gardens to explore over the next few months as part of the National Garden Scheme.
The initiative gives visitors unique access to over 3,500 exceptional private gardens in the UK and raises impressive amounts of money for nursing and health charities. The scheme also promotes the physical and mental health benefits of gardens.
We have put together a list of the participating gardens in our district from now until August:
Birstwith Hall, Birstwith
When: Sunday, June 19, 2pm-5pm
Admission: Adults £5, children go free
About: A charming and varied four-acre garden nestling in a secluded Yorkshire dale.
A formal garden and ornamental orchard, as well as extensive lawns leading to a picturesque stream and a large pond. There is also a walled garden and Victorian greenhouse.
The gardens can also be visited by arrangement.
Yorke House and White Rose Cottage, Dacre Banks
When: Sunday, June 26, 11am-5pm
Admission: Adults £5, children go free
About: An award-winning English country garden in the heart of Nidderdale.
A series of distinct areas flowing through two acres of ornamental garden. There are also colour-themed borders, as well as a natural pond and stream with delightful waterside plantings. Secluded seating areas and attractive views.
The adjacent cottage has a recently developed garden designed for wheelchair access. There is a large collection of hostas and an orchard picnic area.
The gardens can also be visited by arrangement.
Prospect House, Burton Leonard
When: Friday, June 24, 1-.30am-2pm
Admission: Adults £35, children go free
Booking: A limited number of tickets have been made available for this special event. Tickets must be booked in advance here
About: Following a welcome by the owner, there will be talks on the development of the garden, the creation of a cutting garden and colour-themed borders plus demonstration of cut flower arrangements in the potting shed. Buffet lunch included.
Prospect House features a one-acre walled, landscaped garden with ornamental pond, pergola, large oval lawned area, cutting and vegetable beds.
There is a colour-themed herbaceous long border, ‘hot’ borders, and a physic bed. There is also mature hedging, trees and seasonal interest throughout. Additional new planting areas are being established.
A renovated outhouse has been converted into a potting area used for garden workshops.
The gardens can also be visited by arrangement.
Cobble Cottage, Whixley
When: Sunday, July 3,11pm-5pm
Admission: Adults £4, children go free
About: An imaginatively designed, constantly changing, small cottage garden full of decorative architectural plants and old family favourites.
There is an Interesting water garden, containers and use of natural materials. It also features a black and white courtyard garden and Japanese-style garden with growing willow screen.
The gardens can also be visited by arrangement.
Group openings – gardens that open on the same day
Grafton gardens, Marton-cum-Grafton
Well House.
When: Sunday, July 3,11am-5pm
Admission: Adults £6, children go free
About: These two gardens in adjacent rural villages are also connected by a public footpath.
Paddock House is on an elevated site with extensive views down a large sloping lawn to a wildlife pond. A plant lover’s garden where the house is encircled by a profusion of pots and extensive plant collections combining cottage gardening with the Mediterranean and Tropical. A curved terrace of Yorkshire stone and steps using gravel and wood sleepers leads to many seating areas culminating in a cutting garden and small greenhouse.
Well House, in Grafton, nestles under the hillside, with long views to the White Horse. This one-and-a-half acre garden was begun 40 years ago and is constantly changing. A traditional English cottage garden with herbaceous borders, climbing roses and ornamental shrubs with a variety of interesting species. Paths meander through the borders to an orchard with ducks. Refreshments are available at The Punch Bowl pub, a five-minute walk from Well House.
Dacre Banks and Summerbridge Gardens
Woodlands Cottage.
When: Sunday, July 10,12pm-5pm
Admission: Adults £10, children go free
About: Dacre Banks and Summerbridge Gardens are situated in the beautiful countryside of Nidderdale and designed to take advantage of the scenic Dales landscape.
The gardens are linked by attractive walks along the valley, but each may be accessed individually by car.
Low Hall has a romantic walled garden set on different levels around the historic C17 family home (not open) with herbaceous borders, shrubs, climbing roses and a tranquil water garden. The gardens can also be visited by arrangement.
Riverside House is an atmospheric waterside garden on many levels, supporting shade-loving plants and features a Victorian folly, fernery, courtyard and naturalistic riverside plantings. The gardens can also be visited by arrangement.
Woodlands Cottage is a garden of many rooms, with exquisite formal and informal plantings, and an attractive wildflower meadow which harmonises with mature woodland. The gardens can also be visited by arrangement.
Yorke House has extensive colour-themed borders and water features with beautiful waterside plantings. The newly developed garden at White Rose Cottage is specifically designed for wheelchair users. The gardens can also be visited by arrangement.
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The Priory, Nun Monkton
When: Thursday, July 7,11pm-5pm
Admission: Adults £6, children go free
About: A large country garden surrounding William and Mary house (not open), at the confluence of the River Nidd and River Ouse.
It features species trees, calm swathes of lawn, clipped yew, beech and box, formal rose garden and mixed borders.
There is a new area of soft perennial planting and informal parkland. There area also kitchen gardens with a greenhouse and swimming pool where teas will be served.
The Nun Monkton Ferryboat will be running a special service on this day, connecting Nun Monkton with Beningbrough and Moor Monkton, from the riverbank next to The Priory.
Markenfield Hall, Ripon
When: Tuesday, July 12, 2pm-3pm
Admission: Adults £5, children go free
Booking: By guided tour only (max 10 people). Tickets must be booked in advance here
About: The work of the hall’s owner Lady Deirdre Curteis and gardener Giles Gilbey.
Mature planting combines with newly designed areas, where walls with espaliered apricots and figs frame a mix of hardy perennials.
In 2018 the farmhouse border was replanted to eventually blend seamlessly with the hall’s main east border.
Goldsborough Hall, Goldsborough
When: Sunday, July 24, 11pm-5pm
Admission: Adults £5, children go free
About: An historic 12-acre garden and formal landscaped grounds in parkland setting around Grade II*, 17th-century house, which was the former residence of HRH Princess Mary, daughter of George V and Queen Mary.
Goldsborough Hall boasts Gertrude Jekyll inspired 120ft double herbaceous borders, a rose garden and a woodland walk.
There is a large restored kitchen garden and glasshouse which produces fruit and vegetables for the hall’s commercial kitchens.
Greencroft, Littlethorpe, Ripon
When: Sunday, August 7, 12pm-4pm
Admission: Adults £5, children go free
About: A half-acre informal country garden created by the owners. It features long herbaceous borders packed with colourful late summer perennials, annuals and exotics culminating in a circular garden with views through to large wildlife pond and surrounding countryside.
Special ornamental features include a gazebo, temple pavilions, formal pool, stone wall with mullions and gate to pergola and cascade water feature.
The gardens can also be visited by arrangement.
Ripon’s Jack Laugher in Olympic diving finalJack Laugher is bidding for further Olympic glory this morning.
A superb series of six dives took him into the men’s individual three-metre springboard final, which can be seen live on BBC TV from 7am.
The former Ripon Grammar School student, whose family home is in Littlethorpe, finished in third position behind China’s XIE Siyi and Wang Zongyuan in today’s semi-final.
Early-bird television viewers, who tuned in a 2am UK time, saw Laugher score 514.75 points in a stylish and controlled performance at the Tokyo Aquatics Centre.
It all started here – Spa Baths, Ripon where Jack Laugher was taught to swim at the age of 3 by Sylvia Grice MBE
If he can repeat the highly-disciplined display of diving excellence that he achieved in the semi-final, he has an outstanding opportunity to add to the Gold and Silver medals that saw him make history five years ago.
He and then partner Chris Mears, became the first-ever GB diving medallists, when they fought off a challenge from China to claim Olympic Gold at the Rio 2016 games.
Six days later, Laugher added Silver in the men’s individual springboard event, finishing behind China’s Yuan Cao.
The challenge from the Chinese pair of XIE Siyi and Wang Zongyuan, cannot be under-estimated, but it’s all to play for when the 12 finalists take to the springboard in Tokyo.
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‘I’m proud of Jack… it just wasn’t his day’, says mum Jackie Laugher
There was Olympic disappointment for Jack Laugher and his diving partner Daniel Goodfellow in Tokyo this morning as they finished out of the medals in seventh place.
Laugher, who was born and bred in the Ripon area, still has the opportunity of adding to the gold and silver medals he won in Rio when he competes in next week’s individual three-metre springboard event.
His mother Jackie, who watched with her husband, David, at their Littlethorpe home, told the Stray Ferret:
“From the start it didn’t look like it was going to be their day, but they are a relatively new team.
“I’m immensely proud of Jack, he’s a wonderful son, great sportsman and role model, but above all he’s a lovely person who will always call Littlethorpe his home.”
Jack Laugher (left) and Daniel Goodfellow making their opening dive
Family friend Helen Mackenzie, who was in Rio with Jackie to see Jack’s gold and silver medal performances in 2016, said:
“It is testimony to their determination and mental toughness that, following five below par dives, he and Daniel achieved their best score in the final one which, with a tariff of 3.9, is the world’s most difficult dive.
“This bodes well for next week, when Jack takes part in the individual event.”
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Gemma Williams, who like Jackie and Helen is a member of Ripon City Netball Club, said:
“I love and feel pride by proxy, seeing Jack and Dan compete – not the result they would want, but still an amazing achievement.”
Leanne Jalland, chair of Harrogate District Diving Club, where Jack used to train, also spoke of its pride in the pair despite today’s outcome.
Jack Laugher’s mum: ‘He’s achieved so much but supports me too’“It was a high standard competition but unfortunately it was not their day today. That’s diving as a sport for you, anything can happen and it all comes down to the dives on the day.
“That last dive showed a glimpse of what they are capable of and we are confident that both Jack and Dan have got the strength of character to come back stronger from this.”
In the golden glow of Olympic glory, Jack Laugher told BBC television viewers that his favourite place in the world is “back home in Littlethorpe”.
For those who know him best, that came as no surprise.
The sporting role model has never forgotten his roots in the Ripon area and he continues to give back to the community where he was raised.
In the same week that he heard he had been selected for the GB’s Tokyo Olympic team, Jack agreed to sponsor the Roosters – Ripon’s newest netball team.
His mother Jackie, who will play in the a team for players aged 50 and above, told the Stray Ferret:
“While achieving so much in his sport, Jack has always been a loving son, supportive of what I’m doing.
“He takes as much interest in my membership of Ripon City Netball Club, as I do in his membership of the GB Olympic team.”
In addition to his Olympic gold and silver, Jack was a multiple medallist at the 2014 and 2018 Commonwealth Games. He is pictured here with Sylvia Grice.
A Transdev 36 double-decker bus is named in his honour and a bench installed by Littlethorpe Parish Council bears his name.
He was also one of six GB Olympic competitors supported by ALDI whose shoppers in Ripon and across the country could see his face on posters.
Jack’s history-making performance with diving partner Chris Mears meant the pair became Britain’s first Olympic diving gold medallists.
Jack in action at this year’s European Aquatics Championships, where he won silver. Picture: British Swimming
Jack’s mother Jackie and her best friend Helen Mackenzie were at the Maria Lenk Aquatics Centre in Rio to witness the winning springboard-propelled synchronised twists and turns, which denied the China team a clean sweep of the 2016 Olympic diving golds.
Back in the UK, a third woman shared in this triangle of triumph, watching on television in the lounge of her Littlethorpe home.
Sylvia Grice, who was made an MBE for teaching an estimated 250,000 children how to swim, saw her former water babe become an Olympic champion.
Jack, who started with his first splash at Ripon’s Spa Baths when he was three, now had gold around his neck.
Sylvia pointed out:
“Even at that age, he had the confidence and control to swim under water and that proved to be a good omen.”
A week later, Jack added silver in the men’s individual three-metre springboard event, becoming the first British diver to win multiple medals at an Olympic games.
Helen, who is Sylvia’s daughter and has followed in her mother’s slipstream as a swimming teacher, also teaches PE at Ripon Grammar School, where Jack’s academic and sporting prowess was developed.
She will also join the new Roosters netball team, and said:
“Jack is such a special person – a giver, not a taker.
“After donating a buddies bench to Ripon Cathedral School, he turned up at his old primary in his GB Olympic kit to present sports day prizes, pose with children and parents for photographs and sign autographs.”
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Ripon firm fined nearly £50k after worker suffered burns
A Ripon-based construction firm has been fined nearly £50,000 after one of its worker suffered multiple burns.
Walden Builders Ltd was in the process of demolishing an outbuilding on September 18, 2018 when an excavator struck a wall containing a 415v cable.
The contact with the digger caused it to arc and a fire soon broke out. Workers then used a sheet of tin to try and contain the blaze.
However the tin soon heated up and dropped onto one of the workers, causing burns to their scalp, arm and hands.
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The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) investigated and found that the company failed to act on a quote from Northern Power Grid to terminate supply to the building.
Leeds Magistrates Court last week fined Walden Builders Ltd £42,000 and ordered the company to pay £4,707 in costs.
HSE inspector Paul Thompson said after the hearing:
Barratt Homes pulls out of 390-home Ripon scheme“The company should have ensured that there was no live power to the building prior to the start of demolition work.
“The company had failed to prepare a written plan for the demolition of the building or any site-specific risk assessments.
“This incident could so easily have been avoided by simply carrying out correct control measures and safe working practices.”
The UK’s largest housebuilder, Barratt Homes, has pulled out of a 390-home development in Littlethorpe, Ripon.
The housebuilder had signed a deal with land promoter Gladman to build on the land at West Lane but Barratt’s withdrawal means Gladman is looking for a new developer to take on the project.
Barratt Homes told The Stray Ferret that the decision was not related to the lockdown but in a year-end trading update last week, the company announced its revenue has fallen by 30% due to the coronavirus pandemic.
In 2018, Harrogate Borough Council granted permission on appeal for 390 homes at Littlethorpe race track after previously it was rejected in 2017 for being a “substantial intrusion into the open countryside” and its impact on nearby Studley Royal and Fountains Abbey.
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In June 2020, a scoping document was sent on behalf of Barratt Homes to bring the development up to 470 homes, which has now been withdrawn.
The site forms part of Harrogate Borough Council’s Local Plan and outline planning permission for 390 remains.
Barratt Homes said it remains “committed” to the Harrogate District.
Liam Tate, planning manager at Barratt Developments Yorkshire East told The Stray Ferret:
“Barratt Developments is no longer pursuing the application in Littlethorpe. We are committed to providing high-quality new homes and investing in local communities across the region, as demonstrated at our Kingsley Meadows development in Starbeck.”