Public toilets close to Ripon Cathedral have been closed due to vandalism.
The cathedral alerted people to the news, which affects the Minster Place toilets, on social media yesterday.
It said:
“Due to repeated vandalism and the need for essential repairs, North Yorkshire Council have temporarily closed the public toilets opposite Ripon Cathedral.
“If you are visiting the cathedral during half-term, please use alternative public toilets in Sainsbury’s car park.
“The repairs should be completed within seven days.”
Minster Place hosts one of four sets of public toilets in Ripon. Facilities are also available at Spa Gardens, the bus station / Sainsbury’s car park and the Wakeman’s House, according to the council website.
Cheers and tears as Ripon recognises its community stars
The Stray Ferret was the proud media partner for St Wilfrid’s Stars with our coverage kindly sponsored by Grantley Hall and Little Bird Made.
For Peter Wilkinson, it was an evening of cheers and tears when he was announced as an award winner at the St Wilfrid’s Stars ceremony in Ripon Cathedral.
Each day, during term time, he is on duty morning and afternoon at the busy junction of Kirkby Road/Trinity Lane and Church Lane, to ensure that children and parents of Holy Trinity, St Wilfrid’s Outwood Academy and Ripon Grammar are able to cross the road safely.
Peter Wilkinson (third from left) is pictured with the Mayor of Ripon, councillor Sid Hawke, who presented the community award and David Ingham, of event organisers Ripon Together, who accepted Brian Lumley’s trophy from the, Dean of Ripon the Very Revd John Dobson.
A lollipop man for three years, Mr Wilkinson was cheered and applauded when his name was read out. He told the Stray Ferret:
“I wasn’t expecting to receive an award and it proved an emotional evening for me and my wife Estelle
“We both had tears in our eyes and I would like to thank whoever it was that nominated me.”
Brian Lumley, who mans the crossing patrol on Bondgate Green, which is primarily used by parents and children on their way to and from Cathedral School, also received an award, but could not be present to accept it.
He and Mr Wilkinson were among the city’s unsung heroes who received recognition for the contribution that they make to community life in Ripon.
An estimated 400 people gathered to see the distinctive St Wilfrid’s Stars award trophies, produced by Jennyruth Workshops, presented to the winners of 11 categories.
There was also musical entertainment provided by three soloists from Ripon Grammar School and the energetic All for One Ripon Choir.
The awards, sponsored by Little Bird Made artisan markets and Grantley Hall and named in honour of Ripon’s patron saint Wilfrid, was attended by the Lord Lieutenant of North Yorkshire Mrs Jo Ropner, who is pictured presenting the Individual Young Person Award to Harry Wilkinson, one of Ripon YMCA’s Young Leaders.
She said:
“Harry is a young carer, who does not let his own health conditions hold him back from helping others. He is a great role model.”
Earlier this month Ms Ropner was a member of the judging panel chaired by the Dean and including the Mayor, Ripon BID Chair Richard Compton, Tamsin O’Brien director of the Stray Ferret and Paul Matless of Ripon YMCA, which had the difficult task of selecting winners from the hundreds of nominations received.
Dean John, said:
“Ripon Together launched the awards last year as part of the cathedral’s 1,350th anniversary celebrations and now, in our second year we have established a tradition and a way of using St Wilfrid’s star symbol as a way of thanking the very many stars that we have in our community, for the work they do in making Ripon a better place to live.
“A great deal of that work is carried out by volunteers of all ages and we are grateful for what they do.”
Category winners
Other winners were: Ripon Scenic Cruises, which attracts thousands of visitors a year to the city’s canal. Founder Richard Willis received the Tourism Award from Tamsin O’Brien. (pictured below).
Ms O’Brien also presented the Culture Award to Nick Thompson, in recognition of his work, over the past seven years, in bringing nationally and internationally-known musicians to perform in Ripon.
The Business Award was made by the Lord Lieutenant to Rebecca Crallan (pictured below) owner and founder of The GreenHouse in North Street, for the innovative approach that she has taken to promoting her eco and environmentally-friendly products to customers.
The Mayor presented the Environment Award to members of the Lower Ure Conservation Trust (pictured below) whose work over many years, has included development of the biodiversity-rich Nosterfield Nature Reserve.
He also presented the Young People’s Group Award to members of Ripon Grammar School Sixth form (pictured below) in recognition of their outstanding community volunteering work carried out as part of the school’s Plus One Programme.
Ripon Swimming Club, which, for more than 80 years, has been involved in teaching people of all ages to swim, was presented with the Sport award by Dean John.
The award for the not-for-profit organisation that has made a difference to local people in the past year, was presented to Ripon YMCA team by Richard Compton (pictured below, right).
The Individual Supporter of Youth Award was won by Ripon Library outreach librarian Claire Thompson, for the many initiatives that she has undertaken to encourage the community to use the library’s facilities.
Ms Thompson could not be present at last night’s ceremony and the trophy was received on her behalf by colleague Louise Monkman, pictured below with Mr Compton.
The Volunteer of the Year Award was presented jointly by the Lord Lieutenant and the Dean, but its recipient, Simon Hewitt, could not be present and it was received on his behalf by fellow Ripon Together member Mick Stanley.
Mr Hewitt was recognised for his wide-ranging voluntary work that has included the establishment of community events that have become regular fixtures on the city’s calendar, such as the highly-successful Ripon Theatre Festival and Funfest, which provides free summer activities for local children
Main picture: Award winners and judges are pictured at the St Wilfrid’s Stars presentation evening.
Ripon Cathedral wants new refectory to ‘prevent visitors using cafés in the city’, says campaignerA new refectory that could be built as part of Ripon Cathedral’s £6m expansion plans is intended to “prevent visitors from drifting away from the cathedral and using the various cafés in the city”, according to planning documents submitted by the cathedral.
A proposal to house a song school, café and toilet in a two-storey building on Minster Gardens was submitted to Harrogate Borough Council in December. But some business owners have said they fear the refectory – a term originally used for monastic dining halls – could “funnel” tourists away from city centre.
This month, campaigner and retired chartered engineer Stanley Mackintosh unearthed in planning documents a reference to the proposed refectory, which he said confirms the fears of traders and café owners in Ripon.
The design and access statement, submitted by the cathedral in December 2022, said:
“Cathedral Refectory: for this to be a financially viable part of the cathedral business plan it needs to be a certain size, to accommodate a coach party, and be very close to the cathedral. This is required to prevent visitors from drifting away from the cathedral and using the various cafés in the city.”
The comments are likely to further anger traders who have long argued that the expansion will harm businesses in the city centre.
Ripon Cathedral viewed from the air.
A Ripon Cathedral spokesperson told the Local Democracy Reporting Service the statement was written by an architect and has been “taken out of context”.
At a Ripon City Council meeting in February, the Dean of Ripon Rev John Dobson, said he believed the proposals would “deliver more business” for businesses in Ripon.
However, Mr Mackintosh told the LDRS that the cathedral’s own design and access statement confirms the scheme would damage livelihoods.
He said:
“Such unfair competition was plainly intended to deprive local cafés and traders of income, irrespective of the damage to the very livelihoods of those who serve the Ripon tourist economy.
“The dean and chapter and their supporters have flatly denied this repeatedly in public meetings and in written materials and have even claimed that they envisioned the visitor increases of around 30 per cent would increase business for local traders.
“That disgraceful ambition has now been exposed in their own words in their design and access statement as submitted with their planning application: ‘This is required to prevent visitors drifting away from the cathedral and using the various cafés in the city’.”
North Yorkshire Council will make a decision on the plans at a later date.
A Ripon Cathedral spokesperson told the LDRS the design and access statement that refers to the refectory would be updated to “ensure it’s much clearer”. They said:
Retiring organist in Ripon Cathedral recital surprise“The project has been designed from the very beginning to benefit the whole of Ripon and the wider area. Ripon Cathedral exists to serve the people of the city, the Diocese of Leeds, and the wider region. And we need the new building to ensure that continues to be the case. The sentence to which you refer, when taken out of context of the wider planning submission, could misrepresent what we’re planning.
“As would be expected, the design and access statement was written by our architects and may not express clearly enough the aspirations of the project. The refectory – which we hope will be run by local business people or existing café owners – would enable us to extend the attractiveness of the cathedral to coach companies who are not currently bringing coach parties to the cathedral because of a lack of toilets and refreshment facilities that can cope with 50-60 people.
“With this as an integral part of the plan, research suggests that visitor numbers to the cathedral could increase by more than a third in the first five years (as outlined in our submission on the economic impact), which will have a significant effect on visitors to the city overall – and 47 per cent of visitors to a city referenced the cathedral as their driver for the visit.
“This will obviously have a positive knock-on financial impact on businesses within the city, as well as support the long-term financial sustainability of the cathedral. As the dean and others have made clear in public statements and in conversation with business and café owners around the city – this project is good for everyone and isn’t intended to impact anyone in anything but a positive way.
“As a result of your question, we are in the process of updating the design and access statement to ensure it is much clearer, and we ask anyone who has any concerns or would like to discuss specific aspects of the project to get in touch with the cathedral directly at cathedraladmin@riponcathedral.org.uk.”
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