Ripon-based singer-songwriter Freddie Cleary will provide the entertainment when The Salvation Army holds its Yorkshire Day celebration next week.

The event on Tuesday August 1, is being held in the church hall on Lead Lane from 10am until 2pm and is free to attend.

Church leader Pat Clark, said:

“We hosted a Yorkshire Day celebration pre-pandemic and it proved a great success, so we decided to organise another one this year.”

She added:

“It’s a way of reminding all members of the local community that we are here for them all year round, not just as an emergency service for those who find themselves in difficulties.

“On the day there will be lots of reasonably priced refreshments including home-made cakes, sausage rolls and sandwiches, scones provided by Morrisons and icecream.”

In addition to the refreshments,  brand new or good as new gifts, household items and toys will be on sale and there will be a uniform swap.

Families wanting to be involved in the swap are asked to take good clean items of uniform to the church hall in advance  of Yorkshire Day. The hall is open from Monday to Wednesday between 9:30 am and 3 pm.

More than 500 bags of food and gifts were distributed to families across the Harrogate district after an annual Christmas appeal run by the Salvation Army in Ripon.

Each year the church and charity takes part in the nationwide Salvation Army appeal, which provides food and festive gifts anonymously to people recommended by agencies in the community.

Church leader Pat Clark said:

“This year, with the cost of living crisis, we faced a tsunami of need and we would like to say a big thank you on behalf of all the families supported by the appeal.”

Approximately 250 bags of gifts and 300 bags of food were provided, with each family member receiving a main present, chocolates and several small gifts. The food bags contained basic non-perishable foodstuffs and festive goods – mince pies, cake and puddings.

Ms Clark said:

“The huge effort was only made possible through the work of volunteer packers and sorters, donations from the public and other churches , schools and businesses.

“Planning for next Christmas is already underway, as arrangements have to be made to store cans and packets of food ready for the huge demand in December.”

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The Salvation Army headquarters in Ripon is attempting to deal with a ‘tsunami of need’ as its Christmas appeal faces its most difficult challenge in 30 years.

Pat Clark, a leader at the Lead Lane church, told the Stray Ferret:

“With the cost-of-living crisis biting hard and people struggling to pay their increased energy, food, mortgage and rent bills, the call for assistance across the Harrogate district is growing by the day.

“This has been our most challenging year since we started the annual appeal in 1992 and at present we are attempting to keep up with the calls for assistance, but are dealing with a tsunami of need.”

Last year, with goods donated from Ripon Cathedral, churches across the district, businesses and individuals, 250 bags of tinned and packaged food items, including sweet and savoury goods and Christmas treats such as cake, mince pies and chocolates, were provided for families in financial difficulty.

In addition, 150 bags containing brand-new donated toys and presents for children and adults, were distributed and these, like the food bags, were given to recipients recommended by health and other community-based agencies acting as a link between the Salvation Army and the families.

Alison Hewitt, Salvation Army corps assistant at Lead Lane, said:

“The calls for help this Christmas are already proving greater than in previous years and we are seeking donations of food items such as tinned vegetables and meat, tinned and packaged soups, pasta, cereal, coffee, tea and long-life milk.

“We have already prepared 170 food bags ready for distribution, but still have some way to go and we hope that the community can assist us once more by making donations of both goods and gifts that will go to families who need a helping hand.”

Donations can be dropped off at the church on Lead Lane between 10am and 2pm on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays up until December 21. More details are available by calling 01765 692 657.

Some of Ripon’s poorest and most vulnerable citizens are at risk of missing out on payments designed to help them keep their heads above water in the current cost of living crisis.

That’s the view of Pat Clark, a church leader at the Salvation Army on Lead Lane, who is concerned that some are slipping through the net, by not claiming what is owed to them in the allotted timescale.

To assist families and individual to receive funds that they are entitled to, help is now on hand at drop-in sessions at the church hall.

These will be held on the first and third Tuesday of each month, between 9.30am and 11am. The sessions are open to people of all or no religion and the next one will be on August 16.

Ms Clark, who advises on issues of social justice, told the Stray Ferret:

“I have been investigating how residents not paying council tax by direct debit access the £150 rebate and  the bad news is that in these cases they have to apply directly through the Harrogate Borough Council website.

“This requires an email address to register an HBC account, which some people simply don’t have and there was no correspondence about this process until recently.

“Another problem with the process is that it throws up random errors which would deter most people.

“Many people don’t own a computer or a smart phone and they also get worried when an official-looking letter drops through their letterbox, assuming it is a bill, rather than information that can help them.”

Referring to a number of recent cases, she said:

“When I phoned the council, on a client’s behalf, to ask why his application had been turned down, I was told that it is happening randomly from time-to-time and each account had to be investigated and individually fixed.

“I have also been helping a client respond to an invitation to receive money from the Household Support Fund operated by North Yorkshire County Council.

“Again, the application process is online, requiring an email address and a smart phone or printer to access the e-voucher which can be spent at a supermarket.”

Ms Clark suspects that similar issues will arise when it comes to people receiving  their £400 energy grant and she recommends people living in houses of multiple occupation speak with their landlord at the earliest opportunity.