Double transplant Ripon woman urges people to donate organs

Dr Claire Corps will be in Ripon city centre tomorrow talking to people about the importance of organ donation.

Dr Corps’ life has been saved twice thanks to organ donors. Aged 12, she received a kidney transplant after being diagnosed with renal failure.

Then at the age of 24 she suffered liver failure and was again saved with a transplant.

It’s currently Organ Donation Week and Dr Corps will be asking people to have a conversation with their next of kin to tell them their wishes for organ donation.

Although England now operates an opt-out system, whereby all adults are considered to have agreed to be an organ donor when they die unless they have recorded a decision not to donate or are in one of the excluded groups,  Dr Corps said many families still didn’t know what their loved ones would have wanted and many opportunities to save lives are missed.

Forty-two years on from her first organ donation, she’s grateful for the operations saving her life.

She said:

“We’re getting together and asking people to talk to their next of kin about their wishes.

“We’re losing a lot of organs and people are dying.”

You can register your organ donation decision here.

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Ripon and Harrogate car parks top list of spots for fines

The car parks where you are most likely to be hit with a fine in the Harrogate district have been revealed.

New figures show a total of 3,934 penalty charge notices (PCNs) were handed out at the district’s council-owned car parks over a two-year period, with Ripon’s Market Place car park topping the charts.

The hotspot saw 559 poorly-parked motorists hit with PCNs, followed closely by Harrogate’s Montpellier Shoppers car park with 545.

Other popular locations which feature among the top 10 spots for tickets between September 2020 and August 2022 include Harrogate’s Odeon car park and West Park car park.

They are all owned by Harrogate Borough Council, which is responsible for off-street parking, while North Yorkshire County Council looks after on-street spaces.

A borough council spokesperson said:

“The majority of residents and visitors who use our car parks do so correctly and we’d like to thank them for doing so.

“However, some people don’t and as such may receive a Penalty Charge Notice.

“Parking enforcement is carried out to ensure compliance with parking restrictions and provide fairness for all customers.”

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A penalty charge notice is either £50 or £70, depending on the type of offence that has taken place.

If a car has been parked for longer than the time on its pay and display ticket, the charge is £50.

However, it is considered more serious if a car is parked where it shouldn’t be – such as in a loading bay when not loading or in a disabled bay without a blue badge – and the charge is £70.

The figures in full for the two-year period were:

Thieves steal seven bikes from Ripon cycle shop

Police are appealing for information following a burglary at Moonglu cycle shop in Blossomgate, Ripon.

It took place at 3am on Sunday, September 25 when thieves smashed a window and took seven pedal cycles and electric bikes.

A small white van was seen in the area at the time, speeding off with bikes hanging out of the back.

North Yorkshire Police has asked anybody who saw the van, or has information about the burglary, to call 101 and ask to speak to Joshua Harrison. His email is joshua.harrison@northyorkshire.police.uk.

There is a reference number 12220171220.

Moonglu has posted the names of some of the stolen bikes on its Facebook page. They are:

The post added:

“My stomach is still churning, I’m absolutely devastated. Thanks to everyone that has reached out with support, I’m overwhelmed by the kindness. It means the world.”

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Business Breakfast: Harrogate district hotels win national awards

Business Breakfast is sponsored by Harrogate law firm Truth Legal. 

Two hotels in the Harrogate district have won national awards.

Grantley Hall in Ripon won hotel of the year for 2022/23 at the AA Hotel and Hospitality Awards.

Meanwhile, Swinton Estate near Masham won the sustainable award at the ceremony, which was held at the Grosvenor House Hotel in London.

Iain Shelton, chief executive at Swinton, said:

“We are delighted to be recognised for the work we are doing and look forward with working with the AA over the next 12 months in championing sustainability and launching their new initiatives.”

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Harrogate firm awarded £762,522 for heat pump project

A Harrogate company has been awarded £762,522 of government funding to carry out a project to make heat pumps cheaper.

GenGame, which is based at Hornbeam Park, has outlined a scheme to use data from smart meters to help optimise the running of a heat pump in a household energy system.

The project comes as part of funding from the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy.

A total of 24 projects in England and Scotland have won funding in the second round of the Heat Pump Ready programme.

Lord Callanan, business and energy minister, said:

“In light of rising global gas and oil prices, getting low-carbon heating technology into homes is a priority for this government as it will help households ditch the costly fossil fuels that are driving up bills.

“Heat pumps are a proven, reliable technology that uses cheaper renewable energy produced in the UK.”

Ripon man’s art focuses on horror of Ukraine war

Images of death and destruction in Ukraine remain fresh in the mind of Ripon man Lewis Edwards.

Now he is expressing his feelings through art, to help him come to terms with the terrifying turmoil of the Russian invasion that turned his life and the lives of millions of others, upside down.

Mr Edwards, a former student of Ripon Grammar School who studied contemporary art at Leeds Met (now Leeds Beckett University), has created paintings on a series of panels. They provide an insight into the impact the war has had on the people of Ukraine, as well as the Russian army.

He told the Stray Ferret:

“When I arrived back in the UK with my partner, Tanya, earlier this year, I went through the process of thinking about what happened to us and what we witnessed as we fled to the safety of Slovakia.

“I then decided to turn these thoughts into paintings, including one that I have called Still (a) Life which tells the story of our rapid departure from our home, with food left uneaten on our table.”

Lewis Edwards painting

Minska Metro

Another canvas captures scenes from the Minska Metro in Kyiv, where Mr Edwards and his Ukrainian partner stayed on the eve of their perilous 500-kilometre journey to Slovakia.

Once they were safely over the border, they set up a shelter to help fellow refugees. The humanitarian venture was made possible through £20,000 raised in Ripon from charity events and a GoFundMe page set up by the Edwards family.

Mr Edwards is planning to exhibit his work and has already made arrangements for the paintings to go on show at the Slung Low community arts hub in Leeds.

He said:

“I would very much like to put on an exhibition in the Ripon area if I can find a suitable location.”

Mr Edwards can be contacted via his Instagram account eye.fly.art

 

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Business breakfast: Ripon firm invests £250,000 in robot laser welder

Business Breakfast is sponsored by Harrogate law firm Truth Legal. 

Econ Engineering has invested £250,000 in a new robot laser MIG welder for its Ripon manufacturing base.

The company, which makes more than eight out of 10 winter maintenance vehicles on UK roads, is using the innovative machine to turn out cut and welded ‘din plates’ — the mounting used to attach plough blades to the front of gritters.

Creating din plates is a labour-intensive process and by automating this method, Econ says its team of welders can now concentrate on more intricate but less time-consuming jobs.

Econ Engineering managing director Jonathan Lupton said:

“Our new robot, which has already become a valued addition to the welding section, is now undertaking the more mundane but time-consuming jobs, which is allowing the welders to perform more interesting tasks.

“It is a superb piece of kit, and watching it work is just incredible. Several of our staff are currently being trained in how to programme and operate it, and in time it will be able to perform different welding tasks.”

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Estate agent Tim Waring joins GSC Grays

GSC Grays in Boroughbridge has welcomed housing expert Tim Waring to its team.

Mr Waring is a chartered surveyor and RICS registered valuer who has 30 years of experience working in the Yorkshire property market.

He will be based at the recently opened GSC Grays office in Boroughbridge and said he is relishing the challenge of a new role.

“I am delighted to be joining GSC Grays at an exciting time for the company as they continue to expand and grow and I am looking forward to being part of their journey.

“There is always going be, in a tough economic climate, a flight to quality and the prime residential property market in Yorkshire will continue to thrive. It remains a fact that quality always sells.”

Guy Coggrave, managing director at GSC Grays, added:

“We are thrilled to be adding Tim’s extensive skills and unrivalled experience to our new office at Boroughbridge. At GSC Grays, our mission is to bring extraordinary people together to deliver an outstanding service and the quality of our staff is the key to our success.”

 

Police seize suspected cocaine in Ripon house raid

A man and a woman have been arrested on suspicion of possessing cocaine following a drugs raid by North Yorkshire Police.

Police used a warrant to enter a house in Ripon and seized a large quantity of powder, believed to be cocaine.

According to officers, a number of other items including scales, mobile phones and cash, were also seized during the operation in the south of the city on Friday.

A local man and woman, both in their 20s, were arrested on suspicion of possessing class-A drugs with intent to supply and taken into custody.

They were interviewed and have been released under investigation to allow further enquiries to be carried out, including forensic tests of the substances.

Inspector Penny Taylor said:

“Information from communities is vital to help us tackle drug offending, and I’d urge anyone who has information about drug activity to share it with us.

“All reports are taken seriously and could help us make a real difference in your community.”

Anyone with information about drug dealing in their community can contact North Yorkshire Police on 101, and select option 1 to speak to the force control room.

You can also contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 and the charity will share the information with North Yorkshire Police.

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YorBus: Transport chief defends service after ‘blank cheque’ concern

The transport boss of North Yorkshire has moved to defend the county’s on-demand bus service after concerns were raised that it could become a “blank cheque” of public funding.

YorBus was launched as a trial to provide services in poorly-served areas in Ripon, Masham and Bedale, and allows passengers to book via an app.

It has been hailed by North Yorkshire County Council as an “innovative” approach to public transport and the authority has repeatedly stated its ambition to roll-out the scheme across the county.

However, there have been concerns over the running costs which are higher than normal bus services subsidised by the council.

Cllr Keane Duncan, executive member for highways and transportation at the county council, has now said “incorrect” figures were discussed at a recent meeting and that the costs are reducing as more passengers use the service.

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He also said it is “unfair” to compare YorBus with normal services because of its flexible offer.

Cllr Duncan said: 

“The average cost per passenger journey as of August 2022 is £11.68 – that’s £3 more than the average subsidy per journey on for the fixed services.

“This figure has reduced from £35.00 per passenger journey in the month it launched (July 2021), and this continues to reduce as passenger numbers increase.

“Comparing YorBus with fixed timetable routes is in many ways unfair. While YorBus has a higher subsidy per journey at present, it is available to around 14,000 people within its zone of operation.

“Conventional services may have a lower subsidy level but operate on a fixed timetable.

“This can only benefit those lucky enough to live along the bus route.”

In total, YorBus cost the council £229,000 last year, and another £230,000 has been set aside for the remainder of the trial period which will run until June 2023.

Passenger fees were also recently increased in August with a single journey costing £2 for adults and £1 for a child, while under-fives travel free and concessionary bus passes can also be used.

Keane Duncan

Keane Duncan 

At a council meeting earlier this month, concerns were raised over the running costs and that taxpayers outside the trial area are not seeing any benefits.

Settle Cllr David Staveley said that with 850 active YorBus users out of 611,000 population in North Yorkshire, there will be many residents who “might not think it is the best use of taxpayers’ money”.

He said:

“I’m just a bit worried that it sounds like a blank cheque.”

In response, Cllr Duncan said in a statement this week:

 “YorBus is very positive in the sense that it maximises the number of people we can offer transport to and is much more flexible.

“People can be picked up and dropped off at any bus stop in the zone.

“It’s also worth remembering that YorBus is a pilot.

“We’re continually reviewing the service and making improvements so we’re in the best position to decide whether we can expand it to new zones in the county.”

Ripon MP Julian Smith says ‘huge tax cut’ is ‘wrong’

Skipton and Ripon MP Julian Smith has described his own government’s decision to make swingeing tax cuts as “wrong”.

Chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng announced the biggest package of tax cuts in 50 years in his mini-budget yesterday.

He said the UK economy was entering a “new era” and the measures would stimulate growth.

Paul Johnson, director of the Institute for Fiscal Studies, said those with incomes in excess of £1 million will gain more than £40,000 a year each and that the overall measures didn’t include “even a semblance of an effort to make the public finance numbers add up”.

Mr Smith, who supported Rishi Sunak’s failed Conservative leadership bid, also expressed concerns on Twitter:

“In a statement with many positive enterprise measures this huge tax cut for the very rich at a time of national crisis and real fear and anxiety amongst low income workers and citizens is wrong.”

In a statement with many positive enterprise measures this huge tax cut for the very rich at a time of national crisis & real fear & anxiety amongst low income workers & citizens is wrong. https://t.co/EeRfAcNGzf

— Julian Smith MP (@JulianSmithUK) September 23, 2022

However, Andrew Jones, the Conservative MP for Harrogate and Knaresborough who also supported Mr Sunak, welcomed this week’s government measures.

Writing on his Community News website yesterday, Mr Jones said:

“I am pleased with the extra support for households and businesses with fuel bills through the energy price guarantee and also today’s surprise announcement of the reduction in the basic rate of income tax down to 19 per cent.

“There are a huge number of measures, many focused on our productivity and investment which are the platforms for future growth. So, plenty to be positive about here in Harrogate and Knaresborough.”

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Suspected Ripon rogue trader receives court ban

A suspected rogue door-to-door seller has received a dispersal order in court banning him from operating anywhere in North Yorkshire.

Police received complaints about a rise in aggressive and suspicious door-to-door traders calling at homes in the Ripon area uninvited.

During village patrols, two PCSOs found the man from Teesside, who has not been named, operating in Grewelthorpe.

According to a North Yorkshire Police statement, “a number of other things” concerned officers, “including his reason for being in the area”.

The man been issued with a dispersal notice covering all of North Yorkshire. He was also reported for summons regarding the certificate and is due to appear in court at a later date.

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A North Yorkshire Police spokesman said:

“Many legitimate organisations use doorstep sellers.

“But some criminals also use this tactic to catch victims off guard, get personal information or gain entry to people’s homes.

“Knowing how to respond could prevent you from becoming a victim, so we’re sharing the following information to help people make informed choices if someone knocks on their door.”

Police advice on dealing with doorstep callers

North Yorkshire Police issues the following guidelines: