The Stray Ferret Business Club’s next meeting is a breakfast event on Thursday, October 26 at Banyan in Harrogate from 8am to 10am. 

The Business Club provides monthly opportunities to network, make new connections and hear local success stories. Get your tickets by clicking or tapping here.

A Minskip-based luxury bedding company has secured £100,000 worth of investment to help expand the brand.

Floks, which is based at Yolk Farm on Minskip Road, has been awarded the funding from the Northern Powerhouse Investment Fund.

The company was founded by Sophie Platts after she came up with the idea for a bedding brand during the covid lockdowns.

The fund is managed by Mercia Asset Management and aims to award companies funding to help with growth.

The investment will help Floks to step up its marketing campaign and develop new products to expand the range.

David Wright of Mercia said: 

“Sophie has a wealth of experience in designer homewares. Floks builds on Yorkshire’s wool trade heritage and fills a gap in the market for sustainable luxury bedding that promotes healthy sleep.

“The funding will help her to expand the business and establish the brand as a market leader in premium British wool bedding.”

Ripon Racecourse nominated for awards

Ripon Racecourse has been shortlisted as a finalist at an industry awards ceremony.

The Racecourse Association’s Showcase and Awards are set to be held on November 23 at Aintree Racecourse.

The event aims to celebrate excellence and innovation in racecourse operations and raceday experience.

Ripon has been shortlisted in both the marketing and racing foundation green categories at the ceremony.

Jonathan Mullin, operations and marketing manager at Ripon Racecourse, said: 

“It’s wonderful for us to be finalists in two categories. We’ve managed to win an award at the last two Showcase Awards, at Hamilton in 2019 and at Pontefract in 2022, which is fantastic for a small independent racecourse and it’s great to be in with a chance once more.”

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The prolific knitters of Ripon Community Poppy Project have stepped up a gear with their latest imaginative creation – a multi-coloured quilt for a car!

Designed to catch the eye, the vehicle with its hand-crafted fitted cover will be on display on Ripon Market Square for three days starting tomorrow (July 14) and a further three days from July 21, before featuring in the St Wilfrid’s Procession on July 29.

Hazel Barker, co-founder of RCPP and organiser of the project’s Knit and Natter Group, told the Stray Ferret:

“We came up with the idea as a means of publicising the Ripon Old Cars Classic Gathering at Ripon Racecourse on July 30, which will raise money for Alzheimer’s Research UK and 10 local charities.”

The car with its knitted quilt

She added:

“The event has been held for almost 30 years and proceeds from it have been donated to charities and local good causes.”

Following the 2022 gathering, Guide Dogs received an award of £5,000 and previous beneficiaries include the Motor Neurone Disease Association, the Teenage Cancer Trust and Yorkshire Air Ambulance.

The Knit and Natter Group, which meets each week at Hazel House on Allhallowgate and other knitters who work from home, have had a busy year so far.

They have created themed city centre decorations for the Easter holiday and the Coronation of King Charles and Queen Camilla, while continuing to knit thousands more poppies that will be in place for this year’s Remembrance events in Ripon.

Ripon Racecourse has finished ahead of a strong field of entrants to become a winner at the 2022 Racecourse Association Showcase & Awards event.

Ripon, known as Yorkshire’s Garden Racecourse, beat Hamilton Park, Go Racing in Yorkshire, Scottish Racing and The Jockey Club to collect the Racing Connection Award.

Their winning entry was the Goodbye Flys Stables Championship, which saw a total of more than £14,000 going to stable staff over the course of the 2022 season.

The showcase & awards, held on Thursday at Pontefract, is the marquee event of British racecourses and celebrates excellence and innovation in racecourse operations and raceday experience.

The Racing Connection Award celebrates initiatives that enrich and extend the reach of the sport to customers, including racegoers or colleagues from the thoroughbred group (professionals connected with the horse).

Entrants were asked to demonstrate the passion, enthusiasm, knowledge and skill of those who work in the sport, enhancing both customer enjoyment and education of horseracing.

Wilf Walsh, chairman of the RCA, commented:

“Congratulations to Ripon Racecourse for their fantastic initiative to bring stable staff into the heart of the raceday experience.

“In what has been a challenging year for racecourses, I was buoyed by the quality of the initiatives on show, not least this one which I hope will act as inspiration to other racecourses in future.

“The RCA will share the best practice arising from this year’s Showcase Awards amongst all racecourses in the year ahead.”

Jonathan Mullin, operations and marketing manager at Ripon Racecourse, said:

“We’re delighted to win our second showcase award, keeping our place in the winners’ enclosure after winning the spotlight award with our green scheme in 2019.

“We felt it was important to highlight and acknowledge the great work that stable staff do in the industry. Together with our sponsor, Goodbye Flys, we found a good way of rewarding them and it is fantastic that it has been recognised.

“We’re looking forward to bringing the championship back next year along with some other initiatives and it would be fantastic if we could make the finals at the 2023 showcase and awards at Aintree.”

Read more:

• City council opens funding scheme to more Ripon organisations
• Bid to save Ripon bus service

This story is sponsored by Belmont Grosvenor School which will be holding a Bonfire Night Party on Friday, November 4. There will be s’mores round the campfire, music, hot food, a licensed bar, stalls and more. Gates open at 6pm, the bonfire will be lit at 6.30pm and the firework display starts at 7.20pm.

Tickets can be purchased at the gate and cost £10 for adults (children under the age of 18 are free). Get them in advance by emailing kaye.walker@bewonder.co.uk.

Bonfire night is fast approaching so we have put together a list of events coming up in the Harrogate district.

They all take place over the weekend of November 4, 5 and 6.

Let us know if we have missed your event and we will add it to the list. Email contact@thestrayferret.co.uk or call us on 01423 276197.

Friday, November 4

Belmont Grosvenor School Bonfire Party

Where: Belmont Grosvenor School, Swarcliffe Hall, Birstwith, Harrogate, North Yorkshire, HG3 2JG

When: 6pm start, 6.30pm fire lit, 7.20pm firework display

Tickets: £10 with children under the age of 18 entering for free

Ripon Rowels Rotary Charity Bonfire and Firework Display

Where: Ripon Racecourse, Boroughbridge Road, Ripon, HG4 1UG

When: 5.30pm start, 7pm fire lit, 7.30pm firework display

Tickets: adults £6, children £3, family (2 adult, 2 child) £12, under 3s free

Spofforth Village Firework Display

Where: Spofforth Cricket Ground, School Lane, Spofforth, HG3 1BA

When: Gates open 5pm, 7pm-7.15pm firework display.

Tickets: Family pre-paid £12:50 and on the gate £15. Adult pre-paid £4 and on the gate £5. Child pre-paid £2:50 and on the gate £3.

Swinton Bivouac Silent Bonfire Night

Where: Swinton Bivouac, Masham, Ilton, Ripon, HG4 4JZ

When: 6.30pm bonfire lit. There will be no fireworks or loud bangs.

Tickets: free entry, food and drinks available from the Bivouac Café

Aspin Park Academy Fireworks Night, Knaresborough

Where: School grounds

When: 5.15pm start, 6.30pm firework display

Tickets: Advance online booking – adults £4, children £3, family ticket £12, preschoolers free. On the gate – adults £5, children £4

Kirkby Malzeard community village bonfire

Where: North Close Farm, Ripon Road, Kirkby Malzeard

When: 6pm start, 6.30pm bonfire lit, 7pm fireworks

Tickets: Free entry but donations welcome to fund next year’s event. Parking is available at North Close Farm. No sparklers allowed. Bring a torch.

Ripon Racecourse has been selected as a finalist in two categories of the Racecourse Association’s Showcase and Awards.

The awards, run in partnership with Great British Racing, Racing Post, the Racing Foundation and Racing Together, celebrates excellence and innovation in racecourse operations and raceday experience.

Ripon, which is known as Yorkshire’s Garden Racecourse, is in the running for both the Racing Foundation Green and Racing Connection categories.

The winners will be revealed at the Showcase and Awards ceremony at Pontefract Racecourse on November 10.

The Racing Connection Award recognises activities at racecourses that extend the reach of the sport to customers.

In this category, Ripon’s Stables Championship, sponsored by the company Goodbye Flys, is in competition with entries from Go Racing in Yorkshire, The Jockey Club, Hamilton Park and Scottish Racing.

In the Racing Foundation Green Award, where the winner will receive a grant of up to £20,000, Ripon’s Greening Up initiative was selected as a finalist alongside Newmarket and The Jockey Club.

Entries were asked to demonstrate how environmental initiatives have been identified and executed with a focus on the results achieved and the legacy of the work.

Jonathan Mullin, operations and marketing manager at Ripon Racecourse, said:

“It’s wonderful for us to be finalists in two categories. The Goodbye Flys Ripon Stables Championship was really well received by the stable staff and it’s great that it has been recognised.

“It is especially pleasing to be a finalist in the inaugural Racing Foundation Green Award. As Yorkshire’s Garden Racecourse we take great pride in our environment and realise the importance of working towards and promoting a sustainable future so we’re delighted with this acknowledgement of our work in this area.”

Rob Hezel, chief executive at the Racing Foundation, said:

“Environmental sustainability is vital to protect racing’s future and racecourses have a massive opportunity to contribute, not only in their operational practises but in positively influencing the behaviour of racegoers and their communities.

“We’d like to congratulate the three finalists on their environmental sustainability efforts and look forward to working with the winner to develop their project.”

Read more:

• St Wilfrid’s Stars recognise Ripon’s community heroes

• Bloom awards for Ripon garden

After covid lockdowns put the brakes on the annual Ripon Old Car Classic Gathering (ROCCG) shows in 2020 and 2021, it was back in gear this year raising much-needed money for charities.

The principal beneficiary from the 2022 gathering, held at the city’s racecourse, was Guide Dogs for the Blind, which has received £4,000 from the funds raised at the event.

ROCCG secretary Hazel Barker, told the Stray Ferret:

“Although not one of our best-attended shows, it realised a total of £5050.00 for distribution.

“The committee was very pleased with the final figure as it was uncertain as to how many classic vehicle entrants there would be due to the financial climate, the Covid pandemic, the weather and the number of visitors coming through the gate.

“All in all it was a great success.”

This was the 27th time that a wide selection of classic cars, motorcycles, commercial vehicles and tractors have headed to Ripon for the gathering which,  over the years, has raised thousands of pounds for good causes.

The gathering has raised thousands of pounds for Ripon charities

Profits from the event are shared between local charities and good causes and each year the ROCCG committee donates a large amount to one chosen charity and smaller donations to a number of other deserving causes.

Dementia Forward, Alzheimers, Vision Support, RNLI, Yorkshire Air Ambulance, St Michael’s and Herriot Hospices and Macmillan, all received £150 each.

The cheque presentations were made at Hazel House in Allhallowgate last week and each recipient gave a short talk on how the money would be spent.

All said that the pandemic had hit them hard and they were grateful to receive the cheque to help them continue with the work they were doing in our area.

The ROCCG committee is now looking forward to the 2023 event-at the racecourse on Sunday  July 30.

The show will once again be a family-friendly gathering of old and classic vehicles with the entry  fee held at £5. Further information can be obtained by clicking here.

The GP-run vaccination sites in Harrogate and Ripon administered their 200,000th covid jab in the last week.

The figure applies to vaccines given at the Great Yorkshire Showground in Harrogate and Ripon Races, which are operated by the Yorkshire Health Network, which is a federation of the 17 GP practices in the Harrogate district

When pharmacy vaccines are also included, the total number of jabs in the Harrogate district since the start of the pandemic comes to 374,994.

Ripon Races held its final vaccination clinic on Sunday. The Great Yorkshire Showground is due to close in March.

The information comes as the number of covid infections in the district continues to fall rapidly.

The latest daily UK Health Security Agency figures show that 100 covid cases have been reported in the last 24 hours.

Read more:

• NHS writes off £13m in Nightingale hospital beds cost
• Harrogate care boss: Vaccine mandate led to ‘significant’ staff losses

Currently the district’s seven-day covid rate stands at 531 per 100,000 people.

It remains above the county-wide average 412 and the England rate of 417.

NHS England figures show the number of deaths from patients who tested positive for covid at Harrogate District Hospital stands at 228.

With the government calling for everyone to “get boosted now”, we’re running this regularly-updated blog to let you know where you can get your jab in the Harrogate district.

Besides the GP-run sites at Harrogate’s Great Yorkshire Showground and Ripon Races, numerous pharmacies are also now offering boosters and covid vaccines. Some also have an option for under 18s.

If you work at one of these sites, or have recently visited for your own vaccination, please let us know about any update,s such as queues and supply issues.

Get in touch at contact@thestrayferret.co.uk.

Where to get your vaccine:

Harrogate 

• Harrogate Showground – walk-ins and appointments available at the site
• Harrogate Pharmacy, Haywra Crescent, Harrogate – Currently full until New Year but staff said people can ring on the day to see if there are any available slots due to people not turning up.
• Harrogate District Hospital, St Lukes Avenue – appointments available on NHS website
• Cohens Chemist, King Edwards Drive, Harrogate – currently full until New Year
• Day Lewis Pharmacy, Leeds Road, Harrogate – appointments available on the NHS website
• Well Pharmacy, Wetherby Road, Harrogate – appointments available on the NHS website

Knaresborough

• Chain Lane Community Hub, Knaresborough (run by Homecare Pharmacy) –  Open for walk-ins and appointments. Check below for times.
• Chain Lane Pharmacy, Knaresborough – appointments only
• P R Naylor Chemist, Market Place, Knaresborough – appointments only

Pateley Bridge 

• Bishopside and Bewerley Memorial Hall, Pateley Bridge – appointments are available on the NHS app for Saturday December 18 9am-12pm and 1pm-4pm, Tuesday December 21st 8am-1pm and Thursday December 30 9am-12pm and 1pm-4pm.

Ripon

• Ripon Racecourse – open all day today for walk-ins as well as appointments

Friday, December 24

9am – Get a jab at Harrogate showground this morning only

The vaccine centre in Harrogate will be open until 12.30pm today. It’s the last chance to get a jab until the New Year.

Walk-ins are available. First, second, third primary and boosters available for all ages over 12.

Ripon Racecourse is closed as a vaccine centre until the New Year.

8.30am – Harrogate hospital open for jabs on Christmas

Harrogate District Hospital is open for booked appointments only over the Christmas period, including Christmas Day, as other centres close temporarily.

There are no walk-ins available at the hospital.

Thursday, December 23

4pm – Last chance for jabs before Christmas

Knaresborough Chain Lane Hub is open for walk-ins until 8pm today. It will then reopen on December 28 at 8am.

Harrogate Showground has now closed for walk-ins today, some appointments remain until 5pm. It will reopen tomorrow for the morning until 12.30pm. It won’t reopen until January 4.

Ripon Racecourse also closes today at 5pm and won’t reopen until January 4.

10am – Walks ins available today ahead of Christmas

There are still walk-ins available today across the Harrogate district ahead of the Christmas break when vaccine centres will close.

The Yorkshire Event Centre site is experiencing a “very quiet morning” so those running it will be able to welcome walk-ins, including those under 18.

The site at Ripon Racecourse is open today for both booked appointments and walk-in patients for those over 12. It will be open until 5pm.

Knaresborough’s vaccine centre at the Chain Lane Community Centre is also open for walk-in patients until 8pm today.

Wednesday, December 22

9am – Christmas opening hours in Harrogate

The vaccine centre in Harrogate, which reported no queues all day yesterday, has revealed its Christmas opening hours.

The schedule for today and tomorrow is:

Booked appointments 08:30 – 16:55
Walk-in 18 and over 09:00 – 16:00
Walk-in 12-17 year olds 09:00 – 16:00

Christmas Eve is open to all patients 08:30 – 12:30.

Then the vaccine centre will be closed until 2022 with clinics starting up again for appointments on January 4.

8.45am – Ripon Racecourse open for vaccinations

Ripon Racecourse is open today for both booked appointments and walk-in patients. All age groups 12 years and above. It is the same tomoroww until 5pm.

Tuesday, December 21

2.20pm – Great Yorkshire Showground reporting quiet queues

Staff at the Great Yorkshire Showground vaccination site are reporting quiet queues for walk-in and pre-booked appointments.

The site is also accepting under-18s for walk-in vaccines all afternoon.

1.15pm – Harrogate District Hospital vaccination site to be open on evenings

Hospital bosses have confirmed that Harrogate District Hospital’s vaccination site will be open on an evening for pre-booked appointments.

Those wishing to have a vaccine at the site have to book through the NHS national booking service. No walk-in appointments are available.

The vaccination centre, which offers up to 24 appointments an hour, will be open daily Monday to Friday 4pm – 8pm, Saturday and Sunday 8am – 2pm and selected bank holidays 8am – 2pm.

However, the site will be closed from Christmas Eve until Boxing Day and on New Years Eve and New Years Day. It will also be closed on January 3.

A spokesperson for the hospital said:

“We are very proud of our colleagues who are supporting this as part of the huge national drive to ensure everyone can be boosted to protect themselves and others.”

8.15am – Ripon Racecourse open all day for appointments and walk-ins

Ripon Racecourse vaccine centre is open until 4pm today for booked appointments and walk-in patients.

All age groups over 12 are welcome.

8.10am – 1,700 vaccinations delivered at Harrogate Showground yesterday

8am – More clinics for 12-15s in Knaresborough

Monday, December 20

11am – Knaresborough vaccine centre aims to give out 1,500 jabs today

Homecare Pharmacy Services, which runs the vaccination centre at Chain Lane Community Hub, is planning to give out 1,500 jabs today.

Walk in sessions will be available from tomorrow 8am to 8pm and then again at the same time on Wednesday.

The vaccine team has asked for people to be patient if they have to queue and to bring their NHS number to speed up the process.

9am – Harrogate’s Great Yorkshire Showground offering walk-ins for children today

The Great Yorkshire Showground in Harrogate is accepting walk-in patients and booked patients for booster jabs this week.

Children aged 12 to 17 will also be able to turn-up for walk-in vaccines at the showground from 1.30pm to 4.30pm today and from 9am to 12.30pm tomorrow.

Ripon racecourse, which was not open yesterday. re-opens today.

Saturday, December 18

2.15pm – Queues expected to remain quiet at Harrogate’s Yorkshire Showground

Vaccine staff at Harrogate’s Great Yorkshire Showground are expecting queues for walk-in booster jabs to remain quiet for the remainder of the day.

The site is still accepting walk-ins. Those looking to turn up at the showground without an appointment for a vaccine have until 4pm to do so.

12.30pm – Pateley Bridge vaccination centre reaches milestone

Pharmacist Samina Khan receives recognition from the Mayor of Pateley Bridge, Mike Holt.

Today, Pateley Bridge’s vaccination clinic is expecting to have seen its 10,000th patient.

The centre, which is run by Pateley Bridge pharmacy, was recognised by the mayor of the town for the efforts of vaccination staff, admin staff and volunteers.

10.15am – No queues at Yorkshire Showground

There are no queues for walk-ins at the Great Yorkshire Showground, according to staff at the site.

Those wishing to get a booster vaccine today are urged to attend the site before 4pm.

8.30am – Harrogate vaccine sites prepare for another day of boosters

Booster vaccine walk-ins are available at the Yorkshire Showground and at other sites, as listed above.

The showground site is fully booked for appointments and has advised people to have booking references ready. The site will be offering Moderna today.

For those deciding to walk-in, people should have their NHS number with them. Capacity for walk-ins has increased, so officials expect a “first thing” rush before queue times decrease.

Those planning for a walk-in booster vaccine are urged to get to the site before 4pm.

Friday, December 17

1.50pm No queues at showground for walk-ins

The lunchtime rush is over at the Great Yorkshire Showground in Harrogate, according to staff on site, and any walk-ins this afternoon can expect to be seen quickly.

12.50pm Harrogate Hospital on NHS booking site for boosters

Harrogate District Hospital has appeared on the NHS booking site this afternoon for booster appointments.

It looks as if appointments are available from Wednesday, December 22.

12pm Knaresborough centre opens up for walk-ins

The vaccine site at Chain Lane Community Hub has said it has additional capacity today and will open as a walk-in.

It is open until 6pm.

9.15am Ripon vaccine site open for walk-ins

Ripon Racecourse has reopened as a vaccine centre and will operate a walk-in service alongside its appointments today and tomorrow.

People can head there for a booster throughout the next two days. Staff ask people have their NHS number to hand.

9am Harrogate Showground expecting another day with minimal queues

Staff at the Showground vaccine centre has said following a rush this morning the centre has quietened down.

It is expecting another day with minimal queues and encourages as many people as possible to get their booster before Christmas.

7.30am Knaresborough vaccine centre to offer walk-ins next week

The Chain Lane Community Hub vaccine site will begin offering walk-ins at certain times next week.

Run by Homecare Pharmacy, the centre will offer walk-ins on:

• Monday, December 20 6pm and 8pm
• Tuesday – Thursday, December 21 to 23 8am to 8pm

People may need to queue.

Read more:

• The Harrogate pharmacies at the forefront of the booster campaign
• Harrogate district booster vaccines take-up reaches 80,000

District pharmacies offering vaccines and boosters

• Chain Lane Community Hub – run by Homecare Pharmacy Services

Appointments are available on the NHS app for Thursday December 16 and Friday December 17 8am-6pm, Saturday December 18 8am-3pm, December 20 to 23 8am-8pm, December 28 to 30 8am-8pm and December 31 8am-3pm.

*Some of these dates have been extended today so new appointments are now online to book.

• Pateley Bridge Pharmacy – based at the Bishopside and Bewerley Memorial Hall

Appointments are available on the NHS app for Saturday December 18 9am-12pm and 1pm-4pm, Tuesday December 21st 8am-1pm and Thursday December 30 9am-12pm and 1pm-4pm.

• Chain Lane Pharmacy, Knaresborough

Appointments are available on the NHS app for Monday to Thursday 9.30am to 5.45pm

• P R Naylor Chemist, Market Place, Knaresborough

Appointments are available on the NHS app Monday to Sunday 9am-1pm, 2pm-4pm and 5pm-6.30pm

• Harrogate Pharmacy, Haywra Crescent, Harrogate

Currently full until New Year but has staff said if people don’t show up for their appointment they can offer it to someone else. They advised people to ring on the day to see what’s available.

• Cohens Chemist, King Edwards Drive, Harrogate

Currently full until New Year

• Day Lewis Pharmacy, Leeds Road, Harrogate

No information available at the time

• Well Pharmacy, Wetherby Road, Harrogate

No information available at the time

• Day Lewis Pharmacy, Westgate, Ripon

Waiting on vaccine supply, keep an eye on our covid coverage for more information.

• Day Lewis Pharmacy, Market Place, Masham

Waiting for official approval then clinic appointments will be made available online. Keep an eye on our covid coverage for more information.

Ripon Racecourse will reopen as a covid vaccination centre and Knaresborough’s York Road site will relocate for the vaccine booster programme.

The rollout of third doses to around 30 million people across the UK began this week.

Amanda Bloor, accountable officer for the NHS North Yorkshire Clinical Commissioning Group, said Ripon Racecourse will reopen as a vaccination centre and that Knaresborough’s York Road site at the former Lidl supermarket will move to the town’s Chain Lane Community Hub.

Speaking at a meeting of the North Yorkshire Local Resilience Forum today, Ms Bloor said these sites would help increase capacity and that other venues were being confirmed by NHS England.

She said:

“We are going to have a mix of venues delivering the booster programme – some of our practice sites will be delivering the vaccines and in addition there will also be a number of community pharmacy sites across North Yorkshire.

“The community pharmacy sites are managed by NHS England and are currently undergoing a site assurance process.

The old Lidl vaccination site in Knaresborough is relocating to the Chain Lane Community Hub from Tuesday. It will mean this site can significantly increase capacity.

Ripon Racecourse closed as a vaccination centre in July after being used for the first phase of the rollout, while Knaresborough’s York Road site is still being used.

Read more:

• 20 parents protest against covid vaccine for children at St Aidan’s
• 350 Harrogate hospital staff not fully vaccinated against covid

The rollout of booster jabs follows a recommendation from the government’s vaccine advisers, the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI), which said third doses should be given at least six months after a person has had their second – with the Pfizer-BioNTech jab recommended.

The recommendations come amid concern about waning immunity, with JCVI saying that it wanted to take the precautionary approach of boosters to ensure the most vulnerable people maintain high levels of protection.

Those eligible for the booster jabs include over-50s, younger adults with health conditions and frontline health and care workers.

Patients will be invited on a priority basis and they have been urged not to contact the NHS, but to wait to hear from the health service.

Ms Bloor added:

“The booster programme will be delivered as it was in phase one with the most vulnerable being invited first, so care home residents will be prioritised.

“Cohorts one to nine, in order, will be invited for a booster no earlier than six months from their second dose. The boosters will be by appointment only and there won’t be a drop-in service at this point.

The covid vaccine site at Ripon Racecourse closed yesterday after staff and volunteers gave more than 27,000 jabs in almost six months.

It was led by the Yorkshire Health Network, which presented a plaque that thanked staff from the racecourse.

The centre had been set up in the Wakeman Bar, where race punters normally celebrate winners or commiserate over losses.

Yesterday’s baking hot sunshine was a sharp contrast to when the site opened on a snowy February afternoon.

Today was our last day as a vaccination centre. Huge thanks to everybody who made it possible! pic.twitter.com/SLpQr8ZI0a

— Ripon Races (@RiponRaces) July 22, 2021

Read more:

• 100 new covid cases reported in Harrogate district today
• Harrogate district bucks trend of rising covid hospital patients

The closure in Ripon means the former Lidl in Knaresborough and Memorial Hall in Pateley Bridge are now the only permanent covid vaccine sites still open in the Harrogate district, after the Great Yorkshire Showground site closed last month.

Both sites will be offering walk-in vaccines without the need for an appointment tomorrow.

First and second doses of the Pfizer jab will be available at Pateley Bridge from 8am to 5.30pm.

The Knaresborough site on York Road will be offering first and second doses of the AstraZeneca, Pfizer and Moderna vaccines from 9am to 1pm.