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.
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.
St Wilfrid’s Stars judging panel on challenge of deciding winners
The Stray Ferret is the media partner for the St Wilfrid’s Stars Awards 2024, with our coverage kindly sponsored by Little Bird Made and Grantley Hall.
A prestigous judging panel met today to decide on the winners of the St Wilfrid’s Stars awards for 2023.
The Lord-Lieutenant of North Yorkshire Jo Ropner, Paul Matless of the YMCA, the Dean of Ripon John Dobson, chairman and CEO of Newby Hall Richard Compton, the Mayor of Ripon Cllr Sid Hawke and Stray Ferret director Tamsin O’Brien were all part of the panel that met in Ripon at Thorpe Prebend House.
The judges were all impressed with the number of nominations and the range of community minded people that work hard for the city of Ripon.
There were 11 categories this year taking in areas such as business, culture, tourism and more. The judges also selected an overall volunteer of the year from all of the nominees.
Winners will be at a glittering ceremony hosted by Ripon Cathedral on the evening of Thursday, October 26. Ripon Together organised the event, which made its debut last year.
Jo Ropner, the Lord-Lieutenant of North Yorkshire, said:
“There was a very broad spectrum. It is lovely to see different ages and cultures working so hard in Ripon. It is good for the city that we have an event like this that can give recognition to some of our rising heroes.”
Paul Matless, housing operations manager at the YMCA, added:
“Today has been excellent, this event has brought the local community together and hopefully it will reward all of the work done in the area. We’re looking forward to seeing lots of people celebrating on the big night.
The Very Reverend John Dobson, Dean of Ripon, said:
“The panel this year is really switched on, we’ve got a good cross section of people. It has been quite challenging because we have received so many nominations in all categories.
“There is clearly much talent, much commitment and generosity of spirit in Ripon to celebrate.”
The Dean of Ripon has said plans to remove trees from Minster Gardens to make way for a new £6 million cathedral building presented a “moral dilemma”.
The Very Revd. John Dobson presented the cathedral’s annual review on Saturday.
It addressed plans to fell 11 trees, including a beech listed by the Woodland Trust as having veteran status, to create space for a two-storey building on the gardens to the north of the ancient building.
The proposed annex development, which includes a song school, refectory, accessible toilets, shop and additional storage space, is part of the Ripon Cathedral Renewed project which aims to safeguard the future of the cathedral.
The Dean said all possible options for the location of the annex had been considered.
In a leaflet given to parishioners and members of the public who attended on Saturday, Dean John said:
“We regret the need to fell 11 trees and are sympathetic to public concern. There is a moral dilemma though which requires balancing this with urgent needs and undeniable benefits.”
“Providing 21st century facilities is not only essential, but will help to attract more visitors to the cathedral and thereby to the city.”
He added:
“Ripon Cathedral attracts 100,000 visitors per year, in addition to pilgrims, worshippers and concert goers. Experts predict that this project will result in an increase in numbers of between 30% and 50% — good news for the local economy and local businesses.”
The Dean acknowledged not everybody was in favour of the development and said:
“Some people here today will disagree with us about the felling of trees. We respect those people, but we disagree with them.”
Jenni Holman, who has raised a petition signed by 1,400 people opposing the removal of trees to make way for the annex, said:
“The loss of mature trees and impact on the wildlife that depend upon them for habitat is totally unacceptable.
“This is not about a difference of opinions, it’s something that we say is just wrong.”
As part of its mitigation strategy, the cathedral proposes to plant 300 native trees on land near Studley, but fellow objector Pat Waterfall questioned:
“How will the planting of trees outside the city mitigate for the huge carbon footprint of the new building?
Councillors on North Yorkshire Council’s Skipton and Ripon planning committee are expected to adjudicate on the application this year.
The Stray Ferret is the media partner for the St Wilfrid’s Stars Awards 2024, with our coverage kindly sponsored by Little Bird Made and Grantley Hall.
Nominations for Ripon’s 2023 St Wilfrid’s Stars Awards are open until Saturday September 30 and there is still time to nominate the organisations, individuals or businesses that you believe have made a positive contribution to enhance the life of the city.
The awards, bearing the name of the city’s patron saint, were launched by Ripon Together in the cathedral’s 1,350th anniversary year, to recognise the selfless giving of Ripon’s unsung heroes – many of them volunteers – who help others through their behind-the-scenes work.
Who received awards in 2022?
Here is a selection of last year’s winners.
In 2022, the Youth Award was presented by the Mayor of Ripon Councillor Sid Hawke, to Rosie Sturt (pictured below) who led a team of young volunteers who have created a Lego Club at Ripon Library.
The aim of the club is to help young children to increase their social skills and confidence in the wake of the covid lockdowns.
A St Wilfrid’s Star was also presented to Sarah Jaques – a Ripon Library volunteer and co-ordinator – who won the community award for her tireless and dedicated work.
Her citation read:
“Without volunteers, there would be no library and there would be a great gap in the life of the city.”
For the overall 2022 volunteer of the year award the panel of judges selected Gloria Sturdy, who has devoted her life to supporting many causes in the city.
This includes the provision of lunches at Holy Trinity Church for people in need and sewing PPE kits for frontline workers during the pandemic.
The 2022 culture award was presented to the Ripon Theatre Festival organising committee, in recognition of it staging a highly successful inaugural performing arts event from a standing start.
Building on last year’s success the 2023 event, led by festival director Katie Scott (pictured above) again added considerably to the cultural life of the city.
Caroline Bentham, who has supported groups in Ripon through her community scrap fund, which raises money from the sale of recycled metal, received last year’s environment award.
As well as being a supporter of many good causes, she is an active Girl Guide Leader and an assistant county commissioner.
The 2022 St Wilfrid’s Star Award for tourism was presented to to Ripon Community Poppy Project, whose decorative work and detailed designs have delighted local residents and visitors to the city.
There was no bigger event in Ripon in 2022 than the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations and the army of non-stop knitters ensured that the city’s streets were wrapped in Royal bunting.
They went on to create a dazzling star-spangled backdrop for last year’s awards evening at Ripon Cathedral, while the trophies presented at the event were designed and produced by Jennyruth Workshops.
The St Wilfrid’s Stars of 2023 will be announced at a reception in the cathedral on the evening of October 26, where the names of every nominated individual, organisation or business will be on display.
Ripon Cathedral clergy to discuss £6m expansion plans tomorrow
People will get the chance to ask senior clergy at Ripon Cathedral about the proposed £6 million expansion tomorrow.
The cathedral applied in December to build a two-storey annex on nearby Minster Gardens. It would include toilets, a song school, shop and cafe.
The project. known as Ripon Cathedral Renewed would involve felling 11 trees, including a veteran beech tree.
How the scheme would look.
The planning application, which can be viewed here, contains 406 documents and has received 242 comments.
North Yorkshire Council has yet to decide whether to accept the scheme.
The cathedral is launching its annual review at 10am tomorrow. In a Facebook post, it said:
“Dean John and members of chapter will give a presentation on how the cathedral has been delivering its strategy of growing God’s kingdom and progress made on Ripon Cathedral Renewed, together with time for questions.”
The veteran beech tree is pictured in the foreground.
According to the cathedral’s website, the expansion would “provide key facilities” and “enable it to host more events, exhibitions, and concerts, which will attract increased numbers of people to the city, to the benefit of all”.
Pat Waterfall, who has campaigned against the loss of trees, said:
“I will be going and, if I get the chance, will ask for clarification on the proposed tree planting. Is it 300 or as more recently reported about 60?
“Much of the planting seems to be shrubs or short-lived small trees which will in no way compensate for the loss of the existing trees let alone mitigate the huge carbon footprint of the new building.”
Warm welcome at evensong for new Bishop of Ripon
The newly-appointed Bishop of Ripon received a warm welcome at a special choral evensong service yesterday.
For the Rt Revd Anna Eltringham the service, at which she and six others were installed as canons of the cathedral, provided an opportunity to meet for the first time with civic dignitaries from across the region and the cathedral’s clergy, choir and members of the congregation.
The service, attended by the Bishop of Leeds the Rt Rev Nick Baines and the Lord Lieutenant of North Yorkshire, Ms Johanna Ropner, saw the Dean of Ripon the Very Revd John Dobson carry out the installation ceremony in the quire (pictured below).
Bishop Anna’s consecration took place at York Minster in June, but she did not fully take up her new post until this month. when she and her family moved north from Surrey, where she was part of the Oxted team ministry in the Diocese of Southwark.
The Lord Lieutenant of North Yorkshire Ms Johanna Ropner, pictured following yesterday’s service with the Bishop of Leeds the Rt Revd Nick Baines and the Dean of Ripon the Very Revd John Dobson.
Bishop Anna, who studied business and anthropology at Durham University, said in April after her nomination was approved by Downing Street:
“I have felt drawn back to the north of England for a number of years and have a strong sense of God’s call to this particular role.
“God has laid a number of things on my heart in recent times, including a passion for climate-care and justice; care for the wellbeing of clergy and all God’s people; a vision for a church that serves as much beyond as within its buildings; and children and young people at the heart of it all.”
The Bishop of Ripon is one of five episcopal area bishops in the Church of England Diocese of Leeds and has responsibility for a large area, including the Yorkshire Dales and the towns of Ripon, Harrogate, Settle, Skipton, Wetherby and Richmond.
The search begins for Ripon’s community stars of 2023
Ripon Together has begun its search for organisations and individuals whose community-minded work enriches the life of the city and surrounding areas.
Following last year’s successful launch of the St Wilfrid’s Stars scheme, nominations can be made for the 2023 awards between now and the closing date of September 30. Further details can be found by clicking here.
The scheme, which has 11 categories, attracted hundreds of nominations in 2022. Working with media partner the Stray Ferret, the aim is to build on the success of last year.
The Stray Ferret is looking for a local business to sponsor our coverage of this positive community event in Ripon. Any businesses interested should email advertising@thestrayferret.co.uk.
The names of all those nominated were displayed at a reception in the cathedral where a stunning star-spangled banner created by Ripon Community Poppy Project, provided a fitting backdrop for the evening event.
Ripon Together director Simon Hewitt said:
“The point of the scheme is to recognise and celebrate all those who add to the quality of life in and around Ripon. We want everyone in the area to think about those who go the extra mile in whatever field, and to nominate them.”
St Wilfrid’s Stars of 2023 categories
Business – A business which has supported the city or its community during the past year.
Community – An individual who has made a difference to local people or the wider local community in the past year.
Community organisation – A not-for-profit organisation that has made a difference to local people in the past year.
Culture – The organisation or individual who has made a significant contribution to cultural activities in the Ripon area.
Sports and activity clubs – An individual who has made a significant contribution to sports or other group activities during the past year.
Tourism – A business or other organisation that can demonstrate a significant contribution to improving the Ripon area’s offering as a tourism destination over the past year.
Environment – An individual or organisation that has made a significant contribution to protecting or improving the environment during the past year.
Individual young person – The person (under 19 years old) who has made a significant contribution during the past year.
Young people’s group – The group (under 19 years old) which has made a significant contribution during the past year.
Individual supporter of youth – the person who has made a major difference to Ripon’s young people.
The judging panel will also select an overall volunteer of the year.
Ripon Together would like to hear from any local companies interested in sponsoring the scheme or individual awards. Contact can be made via info@ripontogether.com
Ripon Cathedral expansion: ‘Impractical’ to keep veteran beech treeRipon Cathedral has argued that retaining a veteran beech tree in proposals for a £6m annexe would be “unfeasible and impractical”.
In a submission to North Yorkshire Council, planning agent Rose Consulting has laid out the reasons why the cathedral feels the tree must be chopped down to make way for a new song school, cafe and toilet facilities on open space called Minster Gardens.
But the felling of 11 trees including the veteran beech has proved to be controversial and a petition protesting the move has now been signed by over 1,000 people.
The proposal is set to be decided by councillors this year and Rose Consulting has offered detailed policy reasons why it says the felling of the much-loved tree meets the strict tests for its removal as set out in Harrogate’s Local Plan.
It argues that given the “exceptional significance” of the cathedral, a case can be made that there is “overwhelming public benefit” in removing the tree, which it says could help secure the future of the historic site for many years to come.
According to the consultants, the council raised concerns about the loss of the beech tree during pre-application advice.
However, the cathedral judged that even if the tree had engineering support, keeping it would not be possible because it would be too near to the new annexe.
It said the construction process would also have a “significant impact” on the roots of the tree, which could potentially kill it.
The council asked if the proposed building could be redesigned to save the tree, with one option involving finding a different location for the storage part of the development.
It also asked if the proposed building could be moved back into the another part of the site called Mason’s Yard.
But the cathedral has argued this would result in a longer building and the removal of three more trees.
They said this would adversely affect the Grade II listed hotel the Old Deanery as well as views of the cathedral from the car park.
The consultants finally said that the loss of the 11 trees would be compensated for with 21 “substantial” new trees planted round the development as well as more being planted at the nearby Studley Royal.
Jenni Holman who set up the petition to protest against the removal of the trees, told the Local Democracy Reporting Service today that the cathedral is “creating a rift” between themselves and the local community.
Ms Holman said:
Petition protesting Ripon Cathedral’s plans to fell trees for £6m expansion delivered to council“The Dean and Chapter has only referred to ideas which included changing the design of the building and why the Mason’s Yard is not suitable. I can take on board all those factors.
“I would however like to know why a redesigned or rebuilt Cathedral Hall cannot be utilised? As a two story building, access would be on a level with access through the south door of the cathedral. The toilets would then be a comparable distance from the cathedral as the proposed new build, but having the advantage of not having a road to cross. The Dean has never actually explained, to my knowledge, why this is not possible.
“A second option is within the grounds of the Dean’s residence. The house itself is of a considerable size and there is also a considerable-sized stable block which could be used for his desired storage.
“I would be interested to know why these options have not been mentioned or even considered.”
A petition signed by more than 800 people against the felling of trees in Ripon Cathedral’s £6 million expansion plans has been delivered to North Yorkshire Council.
The cathedral submitted plans in December for a two-storey structure on part of the public open space known as Minster Gardens.
It says the building is much-needed and will provide a new song school for its choir, a cafe, toilet facilities and disabled access.
But the plans also include the loss of a veteran beech tree as well as 10 other trees on the gardens which has proved controversial.
The cathedral has argued that 14 trees would be planted round the development as well as a further 300 at Studley Royal.
However to Jenni Holman, who set up the petition, this fails to compensate for the loss of the mature trees as well as part of the green space that would be built on.
The petition is still available to be signed in Karma on Kirkgate in Ripon and Ms Holman hopes more than 1,000 people will have put their names to it soon.
She told the Local Democracy Reporting Service:
“I organised it, with the help of many others, because I fundamentally disagree with the plans to build an annexe for the Cathedral’s use on Minster Gardens. Firstly and most importantly because it would mean felling eleven mature trees, one of which is a beech tree which has been awarded ‘veteran’ status. I shouldn’t need to explain the importance of trees now!
“Secondly, the area in question, Minster Gardens is a beautiful green space in a built up area, again climatically it is not good to create more hard surface areas. This park is used by people to sit and quietly enjoy, it contains a beautiful memorial garden too.
“It has been used for entertainment, for example when the theatre festival was on and many enjoyed the recent musical entertainment which rounded off St Wilfrid’s day.”
Ripon Cathedral’s plans have been backed by the public body Historic England as well as the Cathedrals Fabric Commission for England.
The catherdral currently welcomes 100,000 visitors a year, which it argues could increase by 33% if the expansion went ahead.
The Dean of Ripon the Very Rev John Dobson said the tree campaigners were risking undermining a development which he believes will “hugely enhance” both the city and its cathedral.
He said:
“We are really disappointed with how this petition has been positioned as we feel that it is not representative of the plans submitted.
“It’s disingenuous to suggest that this development would take away green space from the city, in fact it is adding to the usable green space in the area and landscaping will flow into the memorial garden. No one takes a decision to cut down a tree lightly but we believe this new development will bring a wide range of benefits to the city.
“We are planting 14 trees around the development and a further 300 on land which has been made available to us at Studley, as well as increasing the biodiversity of the green space created.”
Councillors on North Yorkshire Council’s Skipton and Ripon planning committee are expected to consider the application later this year.
GALLERY: St Wilfrid’s Procession brings thousands to Ripon’s streets
Arrival at a Ripon Cathedral bathed in early-evening sunshine, signalled the conclusion of the 2023 St Wilfrid’s Procession.
It was the end of a 7.5 mile journey along residential streets and into the city centre, where thousands of people had gathered.
For the actor playing the part of the city’s patron saint and Colin the 19-year-old Cob Cross Clydesdale, there was a guard of honour provided by Ripon City Morris Dancers, as horse and rider approached the iconic building in time for a service of celebration.
Prior to that the rousing music of Ripon City Band (pictured above) resounded on Kirkgate as the procession made up of decorated floats and people in fancy dress carefully navigated the ancient street.
There was a carnival atmosphere throughout the day as crowds lined the streets to watch the parade go by and gathered in the Market Square for a Saturday afternoon of free family-focused activities and entertainment organised by the volunteers of the St Wilfrid’s Procession Committee.
Time to celebrate for these members of the procession
Among the musical entertainers were the One For All Choir, who performed to a large crowd in front of Ripon Town Hall.
Also singing and dancing throughout the day, were those who circled the city streets on the 20 decorated floats that took part in the procession.
The floats came with many imaginative themes and designs from superheroes, to one inspired by the TV comedy series Last of the Summer Wine.
