The Harrogate branch of the Royal British Legion has issued a plea for volunteers to help with this year’s appeal.

Chairman Mike Comerford said the branch needed six to eight people to distribute poppies and collection tins as well as to take part in street collections.

Poppies were due to start going up in Harrogate today ahead of Remembrance Sunday on November 12. Ripon already has a magnificent display.

Mr Comerford said there was a shortage of volunteers this year because some regular helpers were either too old or unwell to give as much time.

He said volunteers who could drive were required from tomorrow (Tuesday) to distribute the poppies and collection tins on prescribed routes.

Street collections begin on Saturday (October 28) but shops can sell poppies before then.

Six hundred boxes, each containing 150 poppies, are distributed as part of Harrogate’s poppy appeal.

The poppy appeal provides support for members of the Royal Navy, British Army, Royal Air Force, veterans and their families.

The town raised about £50,000 of the £48 million generated nationally by the Royal British Legion last year.

Anyone interested in helping can call Mr Comerford on 07954125891 or email him at mike.comerford@ntlworld.com.

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No Annual Remembrance services will take place across the district this weekend to honour the fallen.

Below is a list of events. If you know of others, let us know so we can add them to this guide. Email us at contact@thestrayferret.co.uk.

Ripon

Sunday November 13: 11am – Remembrance Sunday service at the war memorial in Spa Gardens, where there will be a two-minute silence before wreaths are laid in honour of the fallen, by civic dignitaries, members of the armed forces, the RBL and representatives of other organisations.

Those planning to attend are asked to arrive by 10.30am.

Harrogate

Town centre

Sunday November 13:

Town Centre

10.30am – Parade and wreath laying ceremony at the Harrogate war memorial. The service will include the Army Foundation College, the Royal British Legion, regimental associations, uniformed cadets and scouts and guides.

Stonefall Cemetery

1pm – Harrogate Brigantes Rotary has arranged a service for 1pm at the Commonwealth War Graves. Wreaths will be laid by the Harrogate Mayoress, Andrew Jones MP, the Army Foundation College and representatives from the Commonwealth.

Starbeck

11am – gathering of residents at the war memorial on the Starbeck High Street.

3pm — Ceremony at Starbeck war memorial. The service will include the Royal British Legion, uniformed cadets, the brigades, students from Starbeck Primary Academy and local churches.

Knaresborough

Sunday, November 13: 11am – ceremony at Knaresborough war memorial attended by local officials and Harrogate Army Foundation College.

Nidderdale

Friday, November 11: A service takes place at the Cenotaph in the Pateley Bridge & Bewerley Recreation Park led by the Church in the Dales and the last post will be sounded. There will also be a contingent of 40 junior soldiers attending who will be marching in public for the first time since joining the Harrogate Army Foundation College.
Following this the young soldiers will march to the Pateley Bridge & Bewerley Memorial Hall on Park Road.
There will also be a display of the Nidderdale people who went to war and returned and those who didn’t, displayed by Folk Finders Family History.

Sunday, November 13: 10.15am – ceremony at Summerbridge war memorial

Boroughbridge

10am Service at St James’s Church followed by a parade and wreath laying at Boroughbridge war memorial from 10.45am.

If you want to make a donation to the Royal British Legion click here. 

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Harrogate Poppy Appeal is urgently searching for volunteers to help out with the distribution and collection of poppies.

This year organisers from the Royal British Legion aim to deliver an appeal on a similar level to pre-covid, with a full delivery schedule and street collections.

They will be operating a poppy office and distribution centre from Harrogate fire station from October 20 for pick-up of stock and wreaths between 10am and 2pm.

About 600 boxes of poppies need delivering from there to selected retail outlets by November 1. From November 14, the boxes will need to be collected.

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Michael Comerford, Poppy Appeal organiser, told the Stray Ferret its number of volunteers had dwindled during covid and it was hoping to recruit about a dozen people who are able to drive around the district distributing and collecting boxes of poppies. He added:

“We are desperate for new and old volunteers to help out in distribution and collection of retail poppy boxes from October 20 and collecting back in from Monday, November 14.

“We are also looking for street collectors from Thursday, October 27 to Saturday, November 12.

“We have cadets from all three services on the streets on Saturday, November 5 and 12, plus junior soldiers on the 12th.”

The Poppy Appeal will be opening Garden of Remembrance, which will allow people to place small remembrance crosses near the war memorial in central Harrogate, from 11am on Friday, October 28 and will be observing a two-minute silence on Armistice Day – 11/11/22 – with the sounding of the last post at the memorial.

To volunteer email poppyharrogate@gmail.com or call 07935 596762.

Supporters of the Annual Poppy Appeal in Ripon are finding only limited places in the City to buy their poppies this year.

As Armistice Day and Remembrance Sunday approach, there was an expectation that poppies would be available in more than 250 shops, pubs, cafes, restaurants and businesses across the city, but that has not materialised.

At the time of publication, poppies could only be purchased in the city’s Morrisons, Booths and Sainsbury’s supermarkets.

Jeet Bahadur Sahi, chairman of the Royal British Legion Ripon Branch, told the Stray Ferret:

“We used to have an in-branch Poppy Appeal organiser, but arrangements were taken over by the Regional office and we were advised only recently that the person allocated to organise the distribution in Ripon had been called away on military duties.

“Despite offers of help from the Mayor of Ripon, city council leader Andrew Williams and myself, to deliver poppies and collecting tins, we were told this is not possible due to the short timescale.

“This is extremely disappointing. In previous years people have been supporting the Poppy Appeal at more than 250 outlets in Ripon and thousands of pounds have been raised.”

The town hall, decked in hand-made poppies by the Ripon Community Poppy Project

The Mayor of Ripon, Councillor Eamon Parkin, said:

“The situation is both embarrassing and disappointing for Ripon, a city with military connections going back over many years.

“In this, the 100th anniversary year of the Royal British Legion, there are thousands of hand-knitted poppies on display across the city, but there are only a handful of places where people can buy one to wear and show their support for the Poppy Appeal.”

A Royal British Legion spokesperson said:

“The exact location of Poppy boxes is going to vary from area to area depending on volunteer coverage.

“However, through our collectors and partner organisations, poppies have been distributed to all major UK supermarkets including Sainsbury’s, Tesco, Morrisons, Aldi and Asda stores as well as via online retailers including the Poppy Shop, Amazon and eBay, so poppies are readily available in Ripon.

“They are available at every point-of-sale in the large Morrisons, including customer services, and on the tills at Booths Supermarket in the town.

The spokesperson added that there are no issues with poppy distribution in any other areas of North Yorkshire.

I

Ceremony marks start of remembrance events in Ripon

Ripon’s week of events to remember the dead of two world wars and other conflicts began at the weekend.

The Dean of Ripon, The Very Revd. John Dobson, led prayers as he blessed the Royal British Legion Garden of Remembrance next to the cathedral.

Saturday’s ceremony was attended by serving officers and standard bearers representing all of the armed forces, along with civic dignitaries, including Stuart Martin, the chair of North Yorkshire County Council and a Ripon councillor, and city council leader Andrew Williams.

Attendees were invited to place small wooden crosses bearing a poppy, in front of the plinth at the garden

A two-minute silence was observed before small crosses with poppies on them were put in place by a number of attendees in front of the garden plinth.

Jeet Bahadur Sahi, who served in the Gurkhas for 22 years and is chair of the Royal British Legion Ripon branch, told the Stray Ferret:

“This is a special year for the legion and the branch as we celebrate our 100th anniversary.

“The remembrance garden, which opened in 2018, was created by the Ripon branch with support from the public, businesses and authorities.

“In addition to the war memorial in Spa Gardens, it provides a permanent and prominent place where the fallen can be remembered.”

Photograph: Tyler Parker Photography

Spa Gardens will be the focus next weekend when Ripon’s civic Remembrance Sunday service is held at the city’s war memorial, followed by a service at the cathedral.

The event, which starts at 11am, will honour the service and sacrifice of the armed forces, British Commonwealth veterans, allies and civilians involved in the world wars and other conflicts.

Those wishing to attend are asked to assemble at Spa Gardens from 10.30. Following the service, there will be a march past and salute in front of Ripon Town Hall, with the procession leading to the cathedral, where a further service will be held.

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Ripon is being wrapped in a cloak of red as the city prepares for next month’s Armistice Day and Remembrance Sunday.

This year, with no covid restrictions in place, Ripon Community Poppy Project is installing its largest display to date, involving 75,000 hand-made woollen flowers, alongside banners and flags.

These reminders of those who lost their lives in two world wars and other conflicts, can be seen throughout the city centre, from Spa Gardens to the cathedral, on roundabouts on the bypass and at other locations.

Ripon Town Hall, decked in Remembrance poppies

Hazel Barker, who along with Councillor Stuart Martin and Carol Dunkley, runs the project, with support from an army of volunteers, told the Stray Ferret:

“We decided to do something special to mark the 100th anniversary of the end of World War I in 2018 and it captured people’s imagination.

“The initial plan was to produce a poppy trail from Spa Gardens, where the war memorial is located, to the cathedral and it has grown from there.”

The display outside Ripon Cathedral.

Cllr Martin, who represents Ripon at city, district and county council level, added:

“We started off with no funding and put out an appeal on Facebook asking if people could help us by knitting poppies and the response was phenomenal.

“As well as getting strong support from the local community, Hazel started receiving deliveries of poppies made by people living in New Zealand, Australia, Canada, Cyprus, Malta and other countries.”

The community poppy project continues to thrive, with knitters – both female and male – in the city and further afield providing their assistance.

At its core is the Knit and Natter group that meets between 9.30am and 11am each Monday morning in the Sun Pavilion Cafe in Spa Gardens.

Ms Barker said:

“They are knitting all year round and as well as making the poppies, they are producing decorative items for other events, such as next year’s celebration of the queen’s platinum jubilee.”

One of the specially produced banners attached to railings in the city centre

This year marks the 100th anniversary of the Royal British Legion and the messages ‘RBL 100’ and ‘Lest We Forget’ have been included on poppy wreaths.

The legion’s Ripon branch and the community poppy project, will benefit from the proceeds of a fundraising concert of remembrance being held at Ripon Cathedral on the evening of November 11. Tickets costing £15 are available from Stuff 4 Offices on Fishergate.

A centrepiece of the event, which will include performances from Ripon City Band and the Dishforth Military Wives Choir, will be a replay of a video first shown in November 2018, when it was projected onto the front of the cathedral.

Cllr Martin said:

“It was produced, with the support of sponsors, to mark the 100th anniversary of the end of World War I and is both spectacular and moving. This time, we will be showing it inside the cathedral.”

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They thought it might not happen because of the second COVID-19 lockdown, but wreaths were laid in honour of the fallen at Ripon’s War Memorial this morning.

The Ripon branch of the  Royal British Legion and standard bearers representing the Royal Navy, Royal Engineers and Royal Air Force, were present for the two minutes silence at Spa Gardens.

Also present to respect the dead of two World Wars and other conflicts, was Ripon’s MP Julian Smith.

Earlier this morning, the Mayor of Ripon, Councillor Eamon Parkin, was a lone figure at the memorial, as he lay a wreath on behalf of Ripon City Council and the citizens of Ripon.

He told the Stray Ferret:

“Because of the coronavirus crisis and the need to adhere to strict social distancing requirements, it has not been possible for the council to hold its normal Remembrance Sunday service at the cathedral.”

The Mayor of Ripon Councillor Eamon Parkin, laid a wreath on behalf of Ripon City Council, two hours before the Royal British Legion ceremony

Cllr Parkin, added:

“With the lockdown rules in place to protect the safety of everybody, I would urge people who wish to pay their respects in Spa Gardens, to do so on an individual basis.”

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Shortly before 11am, as the music of a lone piper echoed in the mist of a November morning, former service men and women wearing campaign medals, gathered at safe social distance along with current service personnel, Army and Air Cadets and representatives of North Yorkshire Police.

The Dean of Ripon, the Very Revd. John Dobson said a greeting and led prayers, before the wreaths were laid in front of the memorial dedicated to the hundreds of people from Ripon named in alphabetical order from Akers to Young, who gave their lives in the 1914-1918 conflict.

Prayers were said for those of all nationalities who died in the First and Second World Wars and subsequent conflicts and the overall wish expressed by Dean John, was for lasting peace.

This column is written for The Stray Ferret by the Bishop of Ripon The Right Reverend Dr Helen-Ann Hartley.  Today is Remembrance Sunday– at 11am there will be a two minute silence to remember the fallen. 

A few days ago, a friend posted an image on social media which bore the words: “We are not all in the same boat, but we are all in the same storm: support each other, don’t judge, be kind”.  When I have a Zoom-free moment to reflect on the past months, I’ve seen all those elements in play: support, judgement and kindness.  Quite a lot of that has been on social media, but some of it has been in my own experience: things I have observed, conversations I have had, feelings that have bubbled up inside me.  As we plunge into another lockdown in England I am having to dig deep and ensure that support and kindness are front and centre in all that I do, and that any hint of judgement is put firmly to one side.  I wonder how you are feeling at the moment?

Today is Remembrance Sunday.  Usually I would be in the Spa Gardens in Ripon at a Civic ceremony, followed by a service in Ripon Cathedral.  This year I will be at home.  When I became Bishop for Ripon, one of the objects I was given at my welcome service was a porcelain poppy made by pupils at St Aidan’s school in Harrogate.  That poppy is currently outside our front door which has seen much less visitor footfall than usual, but it’s important it’s there.  I am aware that some Remembrance events are going ahead, but I am also aware of many that have either been cancelled or have moved online.

In every respect however, this is a Remembrance Sunday like no other, and it’s particularly difficult for those veterans who are increasingly frail and anxious at this time.  Back in August, on Yorkshire Day, I was delighted to be able to meet Captain Sir Tom Moore at a special (COVID-secure) gathering of various groups and agencies to hear about his new Foundation.  Sir Tom may be 100, but his spirit radiates kindness, support and positivity.  His attitude reminds me of another phrase which is on a card that sits on a bookshelf in my office, and which relates to words at the start of this reflection: “We cannot control the wind but we can direct the sails”.  In other words, attitude matters, and there’s the challenge: to use this time of lockdown to nourish kindness towards those in need but also to be kind to ourselves, and through that to be bearers of hope in our communities.

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