retirement Archives - Page 2 of 2

Retiring organist in Ripon Cathedral recital surprise

An organist retiring after more than 70 years of playing was given a surprise opportunity to perform a farewell recital at Ripon Cathedral yesterday.

David Wilberforce has been the organist at West Park United Reformed Church on West Park, and before that at Trinity Methodist Church.

Now, he and his wife Ann, who is also a key member at West Park, will be moving to Great Missenden in Buckinghamshire, so members at West Park sprang a surprise by arranging for him to play the organ in Ripon Cathedral for a private gathering of church friends.

Photo of retiring Harrogate organist David Wilberforce with his wife, Ann.

David and Ann Wilberforce

Despite only having 48 hours’ notice, David prepared a mini-recital of some of his favourite pieces and hymn tunes, performing them with his renowned dexterity and skill.

David told the Stray Ferret:

“We’re about to move house, so I’d packed up all my music, but fortunately I did manage to find some. I’d never played in Ripon Cathedral before, but after a period of terror in the afternoon, I ended up thoroughly enjoying it. Quite a number of people from West Park turned up, which was lovely.”

Originally from County Durham, David began playing the organ at the age of 11. He taught history in various schools, including Silcoates in Wakefield and Woodhouse Grove near Bradford, and played the organ wherever he lived. He retired from teaching in 1999, but continued his passion for music through the church. Well known in Harrogate choral music circles, he arranged the music for the annual Gilbert & Sullivan Festival service. He said:

“Music has been the greater part of my life. I’m not intending to take up a position in music in Buckinghamshire – age and arthritis take their toll – but I wouldn’t mind still being able to play occasionally.”

As a tribute to David, at the joint service between West Park and St Paul’s churches this Sunday, Adrian Selway, organist and choirmaster at St Paul’s, will play the famous Widor’s Toccata as a closing voluntary.

North Yorkshire chief constable announces retirement

The chief constable of North Yorkshire Police has announced she will retire after more than 30 years in uniform.

Lisa Winward will step down from the £154,000-a-year role at the end of March 2024; her successor has yet to be named.

She said she was “immensely proud to have been a police officer and public servant for 30 years”, adding:

“It was a very difficult decision to make but I feel that the time is right for me to retire.

“I will still be here for several months and look forward to saying goodbyes in person to as many people as possible who I have had the privilege to meet during my time in policing.”

Chief constable Winward began her policing journey as a volunteer special constable in York.

Following service through the ranks of constable through to chief inspector for Humberside Police, Lisa resumed her service to North Yorkshire in 2008, serving the City of York as chief inspector, superintendent and commander between 2009 and 2013.

She has served in key roles at the heart of North Yorkshire Police including executive officer to the then-chief constable, head of uniformed operations, major crime, specialist operations, criminal justice, and force intelligence.

After leading the local policing portfolio as assistant chief constable throughout 2016, in February 2017 she became deputy chief constable at North Yorkshire Police. In August 2018, she was confirmed as chief constable.

A statement issued by North Yorkshire Police said:

“Her vision and passion for understanding and addressing the root causes of crime and disorder in communities has been a hallmark of her tenure as chief, positioning North Yorkshire Police to play its part in early intervention, and working seamlessly with partner organisations to help the residents of York and North Yorkshire be safe and feel safe.”

Chief constable Winward is a graduate of the FBI’s National Academy development programme in leadership and policing, and during her time as a chief officer has been the lead on a number of national portfolios, including citizens in policing, women’s health, and menopause. She is a trustee for the Police Treatment Centre and the chair of the British Police Symphony Orchestra. She currently leads for the National Police Chiefs’ Council on intelligence, local policing and senior assessment, and in 2022 was awarded the Queen’s Police Medal for distinguished policing service.

Paying tribute, North Yorkshire Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner Zoë Metcalfe said:

“Her dedication of over 30 years of public service and collaboration has shone through whilst serving as a leader here at North Yorkshire Police and I feel privileged to have spent time working alongside such a remarkable individual.

“I know all of us here in York and North Yorkshire wish Lisa well in her future plans.”

Harrogate primary school’s first and only headteacher retires

Pupils and staff at a Harrogate primary school will be saying a sad farewell on Friday, when their headteacher retires after 15 years at the helm.

Dr Helen Davey has led Willow Tree Community Primary School since it was created.

Before that, she was headteacher of Wedderburn Infant and Nursery School, which merged with Woodlands Community Junior School to form Willow Tree in 2011.

James Hughes, deputy headteacher, said:

“Helen has been a wonderful headteacher to work for. She has always put the children first and created a truly inclusive community school. She has impacted so many children’s lives, having led the school for 15 years and we know that she will be sorely missed by children, staff and parents alike.

“From everybody at Willow Tree, we would just like to say the biggest thank you to a very special person and we hope you enjoy your retirement.”

Dr Davey, who first wanted to be a teacher when she was just five years old, completed her Doctorate in Education through Durham University in 2016, having previously obtained her Masters in Educational Leadership from the University of Chichester.

She said:

“I would like to thank the staff, parents and most importantly the children who I have worked with over the past 15 years at Willow Tree. We are a great team and I will miss them all.”

Willow Tree, which has about 540 children on the school roll, is now a member of the Northern Star Academies Trust, which also includes Harrogate High School, Hookstone Chase, New Park and Starbeck primary schools in Harrogate, Skipton Girls’ High, Greatwood Community Primary in Skipton, and Holycroft and Eastwood primary schools in Keighley.

Jenn Plews, CEO of the Northern Star Academies Trust, said:

“Helen has made a lifelong contribution to education, influencing the lives of thousands of children across Harrogate and Craven. She can be proud of what she has achieved. We wish her well with her retirement.”

Killinghall headteacher retires after 13 years

A headteacher at a village primary school near Harrogate is retiring this week after 13 years in the position.

Sarah Bassitt, who began teaching 36 years ago, became headteacher of Killinghall Church of England Primary School in 2011.

At the time, the school was struggling financially and accommodated 83 students.

The number has more than doubled to 180 in the decade since, during which Ms Bassitt has overseen major developments at the school, including three new classrooms, a library and a larger playground.

The school was rated ‘good’ by Ofsted at its most recent inspection last year.

However, Ms Bassitt said:

“My vision for the school has never been about grades and judgements, it’s been driven by creating positive opportunities that mean that children can thrive and be happy.”

During her time as head, she also helped the school through many challenges, such as an asbestos roof fall in 2013, covid and a flood last year which left some classrooms out of use for months.

A leaving day was held last week to celebrate Ms Bassitt’s time as headteacher, at which parents and pupils at said their goodbyes and wished her luck.

Ms Bassitt said:

“I feel privileged to have worked with the staff, governors, parents and pupils of Killinghall CE Primary School – they have been my life for over 13 years and I will miss them all”

“I will still be involved in education, as I intend to maintain my position on an education board for a local federation of schools. Playing golf and walking will fill my time, as well as holidays in term time!”

She also expressed her gratitude to business manager Helen Potter and Elouise Foster, the first staff member she appointed in 2011, who were also leaving and said:

“The vision for the school has been theirs, not just mine, and they have supported me every step of the way.”

Is a long-serving teacher retiring at your local school this week? Let us know at contact@thestrayferret.co.uk.

Nurse retires after 50 years of service to Harrogate hospital

A nurse in Harrogate has retired after more than five decades of service to the NHS.

Lynne Henwood spent 50 years working for Harrogate hospital, 37 of them in the operating theatre.

She then transferred to the outpatients department where she worked until she finally retired after 54 years in the NHS, which this week marked its 75th anniversary.

She told the Stray Ferret things had changed considerably during her career:

“When I first started, we didn’t have the instrumentation, the knowledge, the technology. Things changed and evolved into a completely different world.

“The skill base is completely different. You just evolved. As they say, you never stop learning and I would say every day was a school day.

“Working within the team changed. When I trained, doctors were doctors and nurses were nurses. Then it became that doctors and nurses were part of the team.

“We supported the doctors and our knowledge was respected by the doctors.”

Mrs Henwood trained as a nurse in her home city of Liverpool at the age of 18, in January 1969. She said the training in those days was on the wards, with the 42-hour weeks over six days preparing her and the other student nurses for the hard work their first jobs would entail.

Training on the wards in Liverpool

However, she didn’t get off to the smoothest start.

“My first day on a ward, I fainted. I remember thinking, ‘that’s me done, I’m out now’. I had seen nothing in life, I was quite naive.

“But the sister said, ‘that’s quite normal, you’ll be fine’. And I was – it never happened again.”

After working in Liverpool for three years, Mrs Henwood took a job in Wakefield for just a few months before relocating to Harrogate in 1973, where she remained for the rest of her career.

She was quickly promoted to sister the following year and was based at Harrogate General Hospital until it closed.

Mrs Henwood transferred to the district hospital and worked at several satellite units around the district over the years.

Right, in scrubs, meeting the Queen when she visited Harrogate District Hospital

After almost four decades in the operating theatre, she moved downstairs to the outpatients department, working in clinical investigations as a staff nurse.

She reduced her hours 13 years ago with a plan to retire in summer 2020 – but everything changed with the arrival of the pandemic in March that year.

“I stayed in the outpatients setting, where we were still face-to-face with patients. I just decided I should stay.

“Some people said, ‘why aren’t you leaving like you planned?’ but I felt I should be there.”

In PPE during the covid pandemic

Three years on, Mrs Henwood decided it was finally time to retire. She said:

“I just thought I would like to do pilates on a Wednesday! I thought the only way I could do that was by fully retiring.”

Also awaiting her in retirement is more time with her husband and two daughters, as well as the opportunity to go walking, enjoy her garden at home in Boroughbridge, and read more books.

Her final week of work, however, was reminiscent of her first day as a trainee. A fall on a day off left her with a broken elbow and bruising on her face, meaning she missed her last shifts.

But her colleagues in outpatients ensured she had a good send-off, with a lunch in the department followed by drinks in Harrogate on the Friday evening, and a fitting collection of gifts and flowers.

Reflecting on her career, Mrs Henwood said:

“It was just a train journey I didn’t get off. I didn’t regret any of it and I wouldn’t tell anyone not to be a nurse, but I would say it’s not easy.

“I would like to thank everyone who I have worked with over the years for all their support and kindness.”

Developer withdraws plan for 55 retirement homes in Kirk Hammerton

A developer has withdrawn plans for 55 retirement homes and a community hub in Kirk Hammerton.

SageHaus Living, which is based in the Isle of Man, submitted the proposal to Harrogate Borough Council for land off Station Road in the village.

The proposal would have seen 55 park homes built along with a hub, which would be open for the community to use for meetings and other activities.

SageHause Living, which acquired the site known as Carlton Fields in 2021, said in documents submitted to the council that scheme would help bring more retirement accommodation to the district, while also being environmentally friendly.

However, the developer has since withdrawn the application.

In a letter to the council from Kirk Hammerton Parish Council, the authority objected to the proposal on the grounds of highways, public transport and amenity concerns.

It also added that it had concern that the plan was outside the development boundary.

A visual of the community hub planned for the Kirk Hammerton site.

The council said:

“The majority of the land to be developed is outside the Development Limit shown in the current version of the Local Plan for the Harrogate district.

“There are some aspects of the proposals which, despite this, are attractive (the carbon neutral/negative nature of the development, the focus on retirement properties).

“There are, however, some disadvantages to the arguments put forward in the application to justify a development outside the permitted limits.”

In a letter to the council, Spring Planning, agents for SageHause, said it wished to withdraw the proposal in order to consider comments made about the scheme.

Owners of Harrogate trophy store retire after 40 years

A Harrogate couple who have run a small independent trophy store for 40 years are to retire.

Martin and Jane Newton have operated Trophies and Engravings out of their small shop on Valley Mount since the early 1980’s.

Before his career in trophy making, Mr Newton worked for ICI at Hornbeam Park but left to set up a darts shop.

A keen dart player, he was running a number of darts leagues across the district at the time.

When he was asked to run a competition for Theakston’s Brewery and make the trophies, it marked the start of a new business that would soon take over his life for the next four decades.

Now at the age of 72, he said. it’s time to hand the business over to people younger.

“I was busy up to covid and I was worried afterwards that we wouldn’t have enough business but we’ve had queues since then and we’ve not stopped running. Once you hit 70 it is hard work.

Making trophies for the Great Yorkshire Show starts early in the year and goes onto June. We also have school presentations at that time of year and all the winter sports leagues ending, it’s manic. ”

The trophies the Newtons have made and commissioned come in all shapes, sizes and budgets, ranging from £5 for a school award to hundreds of thousands of pounds for a bespoke trophy plated in silver or gold.

Whilst the couple have worked with local organisations such as the Army Foundation College, Harrogate Swimming Club and Yorkshire Gymnastics, they also have contracts much further afield. Their bus awards – a gold coloured bus on a plinth- are popular in Australia and America.

Jane Newton has run the business with her husband. Even in a world now obsessed with social media, she said, there’s nothing like winning an actual physical trophy:

“People are really proud when they get their name on a trophy – they’re beaming”

The Newtons have now sold the business to Paul and Linda Shreeve who will soon be creating moments of joy for award winners everywhere.

Developer tables plan for 55 retirement homes in Kirk Hammerton

A developer has lodged plans to create 55 retirement homes and a community hub in Kirk Hammerton.

SageHaus Living, which is based in the Isle of Man, has submitted the proposal to Harrogate Borough Council for land off Station Road in the village.

It would see 55 park homes built, which the developer said would be “sustainable modular retirement bungalows”.

A hub would also be built, which would be open for the community to use for meetings and other activities.

The developer said in documents submitted to the council that scheme would help bring more retirement accommodation to the district, while also being environmentally friendly.

It said:

“SageHaus Living are introducing a new concept for eco retirement living to overcome the lack of supply of age appropriate retirement options for the elderly population of Harrogate.

“The development will deliver a retirement lifestyle that is focused on community and independent living whilst being carbon net zero.”

A visual of the community hub planned for the Kirk Hammerton site.

The proposal comes as SageHaus acquired the land, known as Carlton Fields, back in 2021.

In a statement on its website, the company said the nine acre site would help to provide a “peaceful community”.

Simon Westray, managing director of SageHaus Living:

“Our first site exemplifies our business model; a rural but sustainable site that is very well connected (both Harrogate and York are only 10 minutes by rail) where we can provide a peaceful community for our residents.

“We very much look forward to working with Harrogate Council to deliver much needed elderly and truly sustainable accommodation in the district.”

Harrogate Borough Council will make a decision on the plan at a later date.

Plan for 68 retirement flats in Knaresborough recommended for approval

Plans for 68 retirement flats in Knaresborough have been recommended for approval, despite objections from residents and the town council.

Adlington Retirement Living, part of the Gladman group, wants to build the flats with additional care facilities on land adjacent to the single-track Grimbald Bridge on Wetherby Road, alongside the River Nidd.

The scheme was initially refused by Harrogate Borough Council’s planning committee in February 2021 over concerns that the development was “overpowering” and intrusive.

However, a fresh application by Adlington has now been recommended by council officers to be given the go-ahead.

The developer has made changes to the original plans, including removing four apartments from the top of the building to reduce its height and adding 10 electric vehicle car parking spaces. The housing mix will be changed to regain the lost apartments.

It said the need to provide this type of accommodation for older people in the area was “critical” due to an ageing population.

Despite the revised proposal, the plan has still been met by objections.

In a letter to the council, Knaresborough Town Council said:

“Knaresborough Town Council strongly objects to this latest application. This new development is still over intensive with poor access.

“The 68 proposed dwellings constitute an over-intensive development of the site due to design, height and massing.”

Councillors on Harrogate Borough Council’s planning committee will make a decision on the plan on Tuesday next week.

Retirement party between the tills for Asda colleagues of 33 years

Two colleagues who started working at Asda Harrogate at the same time 33 years ago have shared a retirement party between their favourite tills.

Sheila Fitzsimmons and Jean Lofthouse always served next to each other on checkouts five and six.

Their Asda colleagues decorated the tills with balloons and bunting for the celebration marking their departures.

Debs Harpin, customer trading manager at Asda Harrogate, said:

“Sheila and Jean were so popular with colleagues and customers, and had a lot of regulars who they had a good rapport with. They were always so friendly and happy and never had the Monday morning blues!”

Customers who had got to know Ms Fitzsimmons and Ms Lofthouse over the years brought in gifts and colleagues came in on their day off to wish the pair good luck.

Neil Barker, a service host at Harrogate Asda who worked with the pair for about five years, said:

“I’d really like to wish them good luck and thank them for everything they’ve done for us. It was really nice to give them a proper send off, they’ve been here a long time so it was great to make them feel appreciated.”

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