Major Ripon employer reports ‘significantly more challenging’ yearBusiness Breakfast: Ripon firm marks 20 years of top farm machinery showExcellence deserves to be recognised and celebrated. The 2024 Stray Ferret Business Awards is the event to put your business, people or great initiative in the spotlight!
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Ripon Farm Services will be celebrating the 20th anniversary of its New Year Show this month.
The event, which is one of the UK’s leading agricultural machinery displays, will be held in the Yorkshire Event Centre at the Great Yorkshire Showground in Harrogate on Wednesday, January 24 and Thursday, January 25, from 10 till 5pm. Entry is free.
Product specialists from Ripon Farm Services, Ripon Ground Care and Ripon Technology will be on hand to provide advice on machine choice, set-up, optimisation and job management. Visitors will be able to explore the latest innovations, speak to experts and see the products up close.
The star of the show is expected to be the new John Deere 300M self-propelled sprayer.
Richard Simpson, commercial director of Ripon Farm Services, said:
“We are delighted to be showcasing the new John Deere 300M self-propelled sprayer, it was first introduced at Agritechnica in November last year so it’s great for it to be taking centre stage at our show in January.
“We can’t wait to welcome our customers and guests for what promises to be a very busy 20th anniversary event.”
A vast range of ground care machinery will be on display, from ride-on mowers through to pressure-washers and hedge-trimmers, as well as parts, tools and store items from brands including Milwaukee, Draper and Portek.
Mr Simpson added:
“Apart from the stand-out John Deere machines, we will be showcasing our high-quality machinery, ground care and parts brands that are including Kramer, Bailey Trailers, Kuhn, Sumo, Dalbo, Ifor Williams, Stihl, Husqvarna and Spearhead.
“This really is the very best opportunity to see all that Ripon Farm Services has to offer in agriculture and turf technology, new and used machinery, parts and services in one single location. We’ll also have some special show offers and a wide range of used equipment deals.
“Our specialists across all sectors will be on hand to answer any questions during the two days, so the event is truly a one-stop shop for farmers and ground care professionals across the north of England.”
Ripon employer grows
Wolseley, the national plumbing supplies firm that employs around 250 people in Ripon, continued to grow organically last year, according to figures published in its latest annual report.
Over the 12 months to July 31, 2023, the company increased revenues by £140 million (8%) to £1.87 billion. This caused a jump in operating profit to £75 million, from £65 million in 2022.
However, profits before tax fell to £73 million, from £146 million in 2022, and the directors have not yet declared a final dividend to shareholders.
The company also increased its number of branches by one to 544, and its employee headcount rose by 234 to 4,720.
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Harvey George donates £10,000 of cutting-edge equipment to school design department
This story is sponsored by Harvey George.
A Harrogate company that specialises in bespoke fitted furniture has donated £10,000 worth of equipment to a secondary school’s Design and Technology department.
Harvey George, which is the UK’s largest manufacturer of bespoke bathroom vanity units, presented the fibre laser marker machine to Harrogate Grammar School as a demonstration of its commitment to contributing to the community and investing in education.
Harvey George director Sophie Griffiths, whose son Harvey is a student at Harrogate Grammar School, said:
“We are thrilled to be able to contribute this machine to the school and hope that it will benefit a multitude of students, enhancing their educational journey.
“We hope it offers the students hands-on experience with cutting-edge technology, potentially opening doors to various fields such as engineering, design, and manufacturing.”
Fibre laser marking machines are used to make permanent marks on metals and some plastics. A focused beam of light is sent through a fibre-optic cable and marks the surface of the material. The desktop machine donated by Harvey George has a maximum marking speed of 7,000mm per second.
Tom Williams, Leader of Harrogate Grammar School’s Design & Technology Department, said:
“Harvey George’s generosity lights the way for our students’ success! With their generous donation of a laser marker machine, Harvey George has provided an exciting path to innovation and excellence for the Design students at Harrogate Grammar School.
“We are immensely grateful for their support, as this cutting-edge technology will empower our young learners in using high-calibre industry-standard manufacturing techniques.”
In addition to bespoke painted and oak bathroom vanity units, Harvey George also makes kitchen cabinets and storage solutions of every kind – all made to measure by Yorkshire craftsmen. Its full range can be viewed at its 10,000 sq ft showroom on Hookstone Park in Harrogate.
Find out more:
Visit Harvey George’s Harrogate showroom to discuss your bespoke furniture needs over a complimentary drink at The Inspiration Centre, Unit 3, Hookstone Park, Harrogate HG2 7DB.
To make an appointment, call 01423 810070.
Harrogate plant hire company founder David Kitching diesDavid Kitching, who founded the Harrogate firm Kitching Plant Hire, has died at the age of 80.
Mr Kitching, who was born in Bridlington and brought up in Pateley Bridge, founded the firm as D&S Kitching with wife Shirley in 1967.
The company began operating out of a small yard and workshop in Darley, where Mr Kiching lived.
It moved to Hookstone Park in Harrogate in the early 1990s but outgrew the premises and moved to its present location, the former Harrogate bus depot on Camwal Road in Starbeck, in the early 2000s.
The firm now employs about 20 staff and has more than 400 machines for hire, including diggers, rollers and cement mixers
The Camwal Road site in Starbeck.
Mr Kitching stepped back from day-to-day involvement with the company a few years ago.
A message on the firm’s Facebook page, posted by Shirley and sons Jason and Matthew, who are both directors of the firm, said:
“A void in our family has been formed which can never be ratified and we will miss him greatly.”.
Mr Kitching’s funeral will be held on September 1 at St James’ Church in Birstwith, It will be followed by a celebration of his life at the Wellington Inn in Darley.
Guests are requested to wear a hint of yellow as a nod to the yellow machinery that contributed so much to Mr Kitching’s life.
As a mark of respect, the business will close on the day of the funeral and reopen on September 4.
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See Ripon’s Royal Engineers display equipment and skills on Market Square
An impressive display of machinery and skills used by Ripon’s Royal Engineers in many parts of the world can be seen on Market Square until 3pm today.
Since 1949, the Engineers have had the Freedom of Ripon and the right to enter the city with drums beating, colours flying and bayonets fixed.
Lance Corporal Craig Kerr (left) and Sapper Conner Bull, who have charge of this Terrier tractor, used in mine clearance and other tasks.
They will exercise that right tomorrow morning, when hundreds of members of 21 Engineer Regiment based at Claro Barracks will march through the city streets.
Ahead of this, today’s Freedom Weekend activities are designed to give members of the public a close-up view of equipment, engineering techniques and construction skills, such as bricklaying, concreting and plumbing, employed by the regiment, at many different locations.
In recent years, 21 Engineer Regiment’s main focus has been on support to UN peacekeeping operations and has included deployments to Afghanistan, Cyprus, Poland, Somalia and South Sudan.
Among their key skills is bridge construction, dating back to World War II, when Engineers based in Ripon were involved in the development and installation of Bailey bridges, which played a crucial role in many theatres of war.
Today, people will be able to see displays showing how a medium girder over bridge – a modern-day successor the bridge invented by Donald Bailey – is constructed.
Attendees will also be able to see gymnastics displays, visit information stalls and meet with members of the Ripon Military Heritage Trust, whose aim is to protect priceless heritage assets at Ripon’s barracks site when it is redeveloped for housing.
Our main picture shows Lance Corporal Adam Smith (left) and Corporal John Rogers in front of a Mastiff Mk III armoured vehicle used for force protection.
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