There are nine months to Christmas, the sun is shining and we haven’t had our Easter eggs yet — but Ripon hairdresser Marie Challis already has her festive plans in hand..
Ms Challis, who has owned and run Cameo’s hair salon on North Street for 20 years, is planning a Christmas creation to enter in the Winter Wonderland Alternative Christmas Tree competition at Spa Gardens in December.
What she needs are rollers — and lots of them! She plans to put her creative talents to use by transforming them into a festive tree.
Ms Challis told the Stray Ferret
“People may think I’m crackers, but you have to plan ahead and I need to collect as many hair rollers as possible by September so that I can start making my tree.
“It doesn’t matter what shape, size, colour or material that the rollers are made from. I’m asking customers to let me have any that they no longer use.”
Ms Challis, who comes from a highly-creative family, headed by mum Hazel Barker, whose designs for the Ripon Community Poppy Project adorn the city’s streets each year, will be a first-time entrant in the Christmas competition.
She said:
“I’ve already had a good response to a note that I put in my salon window, but I’m going to need a few hundred more rollers for the design I have in mind, so it’s a case of the more the merrier, because the greater the number, the bigger the tree.”
Anybody who was planning to take their unused rollers to the tip, is invited to take them to Cameo’s instead and watch out for them turning up later this year as part of an unusual Christmas tree.
Prime minister Boris Johnson should resign over his ‘lack of leadership’ in handling the partygate scandal still hanging over Downing Street.
That’s the view of Ripon councillor Stuart Martin, chair of the Conservative-controlled North Yorkshire County Council, who will not be standing for re-election after 23 years in local politics.
He told the Stray Ferret:
“In my time as a firefighter and crew manager, I knew that I was duty bound to set an example and I don’t think the prime minister has done this in his handling of the partygate issue.
“He should step down because of the lack of leadership that he showed.”
Cllr Martin, pointed out:
“I must stress that I am not speaking on behalf of the council, but from a personal perspective.”
In March 2020, when the country was in its first covid-lockdown and he and his wife April were serving as the Mayor and Mayoress of the Harrogate District, she contracted coronavirus and went into two weeks of self-isolation.
The Mayoress’s condition deteriorated rapidly and she was rushed into Harrogate District Hospital where her life was saved in the intensive care unit.
At the time, Cllr Martin, said:
“I had to say goodbye to her in the ambulance and I didn’t know whether or not I would ever see her again.”
A second chance
Former nurse April, who is still suffering from long covid, said:
“Because of the skill of everybody at the hospital, we were given a second chance and that was in our thinking, when we looked to the future and Stuart decided it was time to step down.”
The couple, who will celebrate their 41st wedding anniversary in June, have two grown-up daughters and plan to spend more time with them and their six grandchildren, aged from five to 16.
The frightening experience of two years ago remains fresh in their minds and with daughter Gemma working as a paramedic, they have an everyday reminder of the vital role that front-life staff continue to play in tackling the pandemic and keeping people safe.
This was highlighted at Christmas, when the lack of rapid flow test kits put additional strain on the emergency services.
Cllr Martin, said:
“It was a chaotic and ridiculous situation, with paramedics urgently requiring testing kits to ensure that they were clear of the virus and able to care for others.”
Continuing work in the community
The Queen and Prince Philip, pictured in 2004 with the then Mayor and Mayoress of Ripon Councillor Stuart Martin and his wife April
As the government eases the restrictions on daily life, the Martins will continue to remain vigilant as they carry out their community work in Ripon and further afield.
Cllr Martin, one of the founders of TASC Madagascar which is helping disadvantaged people in the island country, will continue as a trustee for the charity.
He will also maintain his role as chair of trustees at Community House in Ripon, whose services are supporting hundreds of families and individuals trapped in food poverty.
Awarded an MBE IN 2010 for his charity work in Ripon and Madagascar, Cllr Martin will be playing active roles with the Ripon Community Poppy Project and as chair of the Friends of Hell Wath.
April, a former district commissioner for the Girl Guides, will continue to run a local Brownie group.
Looking back over the past 20 years, in which they have been Mayor and Mayoress of Ripon as well as the Harrogate district, a special memory came in 2004 when the Queen and Prince Philip visited the city to mark the 400th anniversary of the Royal Charter awarded by James I.
Cllr Martin, said:
“We were extremely privileged to meet them on that day and proud to have represented the people of Ripon.”
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Ripon’s platinum jubilee plans take shape
A new horn for Ripon will blast out for the Queen’s platinum jubilee, as part of the city’s celebrations.
The instrument will be used for the first time in the hornblower ceremony on Market Square at 9pm on Saturday 4 June and will be in regular use thereafter.
The event will be one of the highlights of the extended Bank Holiday weekend extravaganza, which also includes a special tea party at Ripon Cathedral for people with a June birthday, born between 1952 and 2021.
The aim is to create a ‘human timeline’ dating back to 1952, with one person from each of the 70 years of the Queen’s reign invited to attend, with a guest.
Ripon Cathedral will host a ‘timeline’ tea party with guests from each year of the Queen’s reign
City council leader Andrew Williams, told the Stray Ferret:
“In partnership with the cathedral, Ripon Business Improvement District, Ripon Together and the Ripon Community Poppy Project, we will provide an inclusive four-day programme of activities, that can be enjoyed by people of all ages.
“There will be something for everybody as we and the entire nation join in the celebrations and after the bunting has gone from the streets, the platinum jubilee horn will provide a constant reminder of the Queen’s remarkable service to this country.”
On June 2, the cathedral, which celebrates its 1,350th anniversary this year, will be the focus of attention, when it hosts the civic service for North Yorkshire and later on that day, on Market Square, Ripon will join in a nation-wide beacon lighting ceremony.
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Free live music will be played from 11am until 11.30pm on Market Square between June 2 and 4 and fairground rides for children of all ages and adults will be in place.
On Sunday June 5, Spa Park will be the venue for music from Ripon City Band and children’s entertainers will also be performing.
The event is being arranged by the Ripon Community Poppy Project and attendees will be invited to take their own picnic.
‘Embarrassing’ shortage of poppies to buy in Ripon
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.
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Ripon remembers with 75,000 poppies
Hand-knitted poppies have been put up around Ripon as part of Remembrance Day commemorations.
Around 75,000 poppies, most of which have been knitted, have been placed around the city by an army of volunteers from Ripon Community Poppy Project.
North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue also helped to place the poppies in hard to reach locations.
Cllr Stuart Martin, who helps to ensure the display survives by providing support towards fundraising from his localities budget, has spoken to people from Cheshire and Lockerbie, who were visiting specifically to view the display.
Cllr Martin said:
“Those who made the sacrifice we remember gave us the freedom we have today. Without them, we would not be able to do the things we do and it is important to remember them.”
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This year, a Remembrance Sunday service will be held in the Spa Gardens, where Cllr Martin will also attend as county council chairman, followed by a further service at the Cathedral, where the second of Ripon’s two war memorials is situated.