Celebrity antiques expert David Harper is joining forces with a Ripon auction house for a new antiques game show.
The show will be filmed at Elstob & Elstob‘s saleroom at Ripon Business Park and broadcast online.
Members of the public are invited to join in either as contestants or as part of the audience.
Mr Harper, who has presented programmes such as Antiques Road Trip, Flog It, Cash in the Attic and Bargain Hunt and appeared on numerous other programmes, has own YouTube channel, which will host the new show.
He will work alongside David Elstob, who opened Elstob & Elstob at Ripon three years ago.
Outside Elstob & Elstob in Ripon.
Mr Harper said:
“Much of my career to date has been spent on TV and radio but I am now keen to take the familiar game show format online, for a faster, more informal and interactive feel that will reach even wider audiences.
“I wanted to base the show within an auction house setting and as I already had an excellent working relationship with Elstob & Elstob they were an obvious choice for a media partner.
“They also have a very innovative approach to buying and selling antiques and are always looking to try new things, which is very important for an experimental project such as this.”
Two contestants will attempt to describe items brought in by the audience before antiques expert Mr Elstob awards points based on how accurate they are.
Whoever gets the most points will be invited to choose a prize from the auction house’s collection.
Read more:
- Hot Seat: the Ripon auctioneer bringing a modern edge to antiques
- Ripon auctioneer recruits new painting and sculpture specialist
The show’s first six-part series will be shot over three days at Elstob & Elstob on September 15, October 5 and October 19 from 10am to 3pm.
Anyone interested in watching can just turn up on the day at anytime between those hours. You don’t need to book.
Mr Elstob said:
“We hope to welcome as many people to the auction house as possible on the filming days.
“I am sure it will be hugely enjoyable for everyone involved. Just come along and join in the fun.”
Anyone interested in taking part as a contestant is asked to get in touch in advance with the auction house on 01765 699200 for more information or email: info@elstobandelstob.co.uk.
The first series will be screened weekly from Friday 7 October at 7pm and can be viewed here.
Ripon resident says blocked gullies are leading to floodsA Ripon resident has called on North Yorkshire County Council to clean gullies in the city more regularly, after a burst water main led to a street being flooded this week.
People on North Street woke on Monday to water gushing out of a pipe onto the road. It was the second time in four days that a Yorkshire Water pipe had burst on the street and led to fears the flood might damage properties.
Some homes in the city and nearby villages were left without water for most of the day while the leak was fixed.
The street has gullies to take excess surface water but residents say they are regularly blocked by straw, hay and dirt.
Paul Oldham, who lives on North Street, said Monday’s flood was not an isolated incident.
He said whenever there is heavy rainfall in winter, residents have to go out to the drains to move dirt in the gullies so that water can go down.
Mr Oldham said:
“The fact is every year the residents on North Street clean out the drains because they are not maintained. We’re out in our wellies and we poke or prod to get water to subside, and eventually it does. The council needs to be cleaning out the drains.”
Read more:
- Ripon water supplies restored but traffic problems remain
- Yorkshire Water giving out free bottled water at Ripon’s Market Place
It is the responsibility of North Yorkshire County Council to clean drains and gulleys in the district.
Mr Oldham added:
“I get that budgets might be cut, or cleaning drains might not be a priority, but the fact is it’s happened so often and regularly. It could have really affected properties along here.
“Its not a one off. They need to make sure the drains are cleaned. But I do have sympathy, it is difficult for them to get around and do all the jobs.”
North Yorkshire County Council highways area manager Melisa Burnham said:
England karate team to train in Ripon before Commonwealth championship“The gullies in North Street were inspected recently and the team involved found they were in good condition but did need to be jetted.
“Following the inspection a programme had already been devised to have them cleared and cleaned and that work will be delivered today.”
England karate competitors will be training in Ripon this week, as they make their final preparations for next month’s Commonwealth Karate Championships in Birmingham.
The team will be training under national team coach, Ady Gray, at his school, The Karate Dojo.
Seventeen athletes will take part in the event, where they will practice their kata skills.
Kata is the Japanese word for ‘form’ and sees athletes recite choreographed patterns of martial arts movements.
Mr Gray said:
“This training camp will put the finishing touches to the athletes’ preparations for the Commonwealth Karate Championships on September 6 and 7.
“As the England head coach, it will be great to bring my athletes and coaching team together and show them what our city has to offer and what a great venue Ripon is for our final preparations.”
Following the training camp, the athletes will head to Birmingham to take part in the Commonwealth Karate Championships.
They will competing in the event for national teams on September 6 and 7, which is followed by a club competition between September 8 and 11.
In its 10th edition, competitors from around the Commonwealth will be coming to the city, which recently hosted the Commonwealth Games.
Thursday’s training event will be open to the public and people will be able to take part in a training session with the team.
Mr Gray hopes that the camp will lead to greater exposure for the sport, both in Ripon and beyond.
He pointed to the fact that karate is already a popular sport, saying that his dojo sees people at “all stages [and] ages.”
However, he admitted that karate did not have the money it needed to reach the attention of more people. The sport made its debut at the Olympics in Tokyo last year. Mr Gray added:
“We’ve got to get that exposure.”
He now hopes that the separate championships will lead to karate being included as an official part of the Commonwealth Games in 2026.
Ripon water supplies restored but traffic problems remainThe burst main on North Street in Ripon has been repaired after parts of the city endured many hours without water for the second time in four days yesterday.
However, the section of road between the clock tower junction and the BP petrol station remains closed and barriered off.
Residents await updates on social media from Yorkshire Water on the progress made and number of properties affected.
The company said this morning that water supplies had been restored to homes in the Ripon area.
John Graham, of Joda Freight, which has been employed by Yorkshire Water to deliver bottled water to areas affected by the mains burst and loss of supply, is on standby to deliver more pallets this morning.
John Graham of Joda Freight, whose company has been employed by Yorkshire Water to deliver bottled water.
He slept in his vehicle overnight and told the Stray Ferret this morning:
“We delivered approximately 24 tonnes of water to Market Square and other parts of the city yesterday and are ready to top up supplies as required today.”
One of the drop off points for the pallets of water was on North Street.
About 4,000 homes in Ripon were without water for most of Friday after a mains burst on North Street. A mains on the same street also burst yesterday.
Read more:
-
Yorkshire Water giving out free bottled water at Ripon’s Market Place
-
Calls to grit more Harrogate district roads set to be rejected
Man jailed for stealing MBE medal in Harrogate burglary
A man has been jailed for over three years after he admitted stealing an MBE medal, jewellery and cash during a burglary at a woman’s home in Harrogate.
Shane Bainbridge, 31, broke into Patrycia Scott’s home in Wayside Avenue, Harrogate, and stole a “considerable quantity of personal items” including her MBE medal, prosecutor Brooke Morrison told York Crown Court.
Bainbridge, of King Edward Road, Ripon, was arrested nearby with a “couple of sacks containing (the victim’s) property”, she added.
He was charged with stealing jewellery, cash and the MBE medal during the burglary, which occurred on March 8.
Bainbridge denied the offence right up until the day of trial today (Monday, August 22) when he entered a last-minute guilty plea.
Judge Sean Morris, the Recorder of York, jailed Bainbridge for three years and three months.
Read more:
- CCTV appeal after man’s eye socket fractured in Harrogate
- Calls to grit more Harrogate district roads set to be rejected
Yorkshire Water giving out free bottled water at Ripon’s Market Place
People in the Ripon area have woken up to a water outage for the second time in a week.
North Road in Ripon is flooded, with pictures of it on Blow Your Horn Facebook page prompting comments by people in Ripon, Melmerby, Dishforth and Sharow they have no water.
Ripon and surrounding villages were hit by an outage last Thursday after a pipe burst on North Street.
In Harrogate, a burst main in Otley Road has cut water to some homes in HG2.
Follow our live coverage below.
5.45pm – Engineers ‘recharging the system’
The Stray Ferret asked a Yorkshire Water spokesperson if the burst main could leave some households without water into tomorrow.
He was unable to give any timescales but said engineers are working to ‘recharge the system’ which should restore the water supply. However, he said this needs to be done carefully to manage water pressure.
The spokesperson said he expects water will be ‘back on soon’.
5.20pm – Still no water for parts of Ripon
There is still no water for some properties in Ripon following this morning’s burst water main on North Street.
Yorkshire Water has arranged a bottled water station in Market Place, where anyone is free to come and collect bottles of water.
2.00pm – Yorkshire Water pumping water into Ripon network
Yorkshire Water is currently pumping water into its network via tankers. It’s so the city centre remains with water whilst engineers work to fix the burst main. No time has been given for when water will return back to normal.
The company is also looking for somewhere in the city for customers to collect bottles of water.
A Yorkshire Water spokesperson said:
“We are on-site fixing the issue and working hard to restore water supply as soon as possible.
“Our teams are delivering bottled water to customers on our priority service register, additional vulnerable customers and care homes. We’re also working with our partners to deliver bottled water to rural communities and set up a bottled water collection point for customers in Ripon. We will update as soon as we have a location for that.
“We’ve also put measures in place – such as tankering into our network – to make sure we can restore supply to as many customers as possible, as quickly as possible.”
12.05pm – Water restored in Harrogate, but Ripon awaiting a fix
A Yorkshire Water spokesperson has said the burst water main in Otley Road, Harrogate has now been fixed with customers back to their normal supply.
However, in Ripon engineers are still working to fix the burst pipe on North Street. It happened because last week’s burst, also on North Street, weakened another part of the pipe today causing it to burst.
Bottled water is being delivered to vulnerable customers and a bottled water station will be set up soon.
“Last week there was a burst on a 12-inch main on North Street, Ripon – we fixed the issue on the same day, but unfortunately it weakened another area of the pipe, which burst this morning. The new burst is around 20m away from the original burst.
“We’re on site working on the fix this morning – with temporary traffic lights and the same diversion still in place. We’re currently delivering bottled water to vulnerable customers, care homes and those on our priority services register. We will be setting up a bottled water station for other customers shortly.”
10.05am – Works on Otley Road
This is the current scene on Otley Road near to the junction with Pannal Ash Road where work is being carried out to restore water in the HG2 area.
9.55am – Ripon residents pitch in to prevent flooding
Barry Dolan, who helped to clear the drains.
A group of residents of North Road whose houses are beyond the clock tower junction when heading out of the city, ensured that their gardens and those of neighbours across the road, were not flooded for long, as they worked to unblock drains full of straw debris and fallen leaves.
Barry Dolan (pictured) said:
“The reason that the gardens were flooded by the water from the burst main, was because of the blocked drains (see photo) that get jammed up with straw that comes off passing trailers whose loads get caught by overhanging branches.
“When we woke to see what had happened a number of us joined in to clear the blockages and the water subsided.”
One of the blocked drains on North Road, Ripon.
Mr Dolan added:
“Because the drains are not cleared out regularly, we also get flooding along this section when there is heavy rain.”
9.45am – Ripon retirement apartment manager hopes water can be restored quickly
Yvonne Mulholland, outside McCarthy and Stone’s Dawson Grange.
For the second time in four days, Yvonne Mulholland, the manager of McCarthy and Stone’s Dawson Grange retirement apartments on North Street (pictured) had to call Yorkshire Water for an emergency supply of bottled water.
She told the Stray Ferret:
“We have residents in 28 apartments, some of whom are vulnerable and needing to keep hydrated.
“Yorkshire Water were very good last week and supplied us with 40 bottles to give to residents and I have spoken with them again this morning.
“With the burst main immediately outside our premises, I just hope that the problem can be sorted out quickly and with the minimum of disruption to our residents and neighbours.”
9.40am – Temporary lights on Pannal Ash Road
Temporary lights have been put in place between the junction of Pannal Ash Road and Pannal Ash Drive.
Yorkshire Water said this morning that technicians were on site to carry out repairs and return water to residents.
8.45am – Water could be off for up to six hours
Yorkshire Water is reporting on its social media that water in Ripon could be off for between four to six hours.
The company added that it will “aim to get the water back as soon as possible”.
https://twitter.com/YWHelp/status/1561596914608619521?s=20&t=a4N3hfvun0oDwQWv6NjV-g
8.20am – Technicians on Otely Road
Yorkshire Water has confirmed that technicians are on site at Otley Road to try and get water back on for residents.
https://twitter.com/YorkshireWater/status/1561608712887930880?s=20&t=RJa7hFCYZHV6nTLeUeZ1tQ
8.10am – Pictures from North Street
This is the current scene at North Street in Ripon, where a burst pipe is causing a water outage for residents in the area.
7.55am – Yorkshire Water confirms burst pipe
Yorkshire Water has tweeted this morning to say a burst pipe on North Street is causing the outage in Ripon.
⚠️ #HG4 #Northstreet ⚠️ I am sorry to inform. Customers may have low pressure or no water due to a repair of a main needed due to a burst pipe. Apologies for any inconvenience. Updates to follow. -Laura pic.twitter.com/jAqfVMoKmr
— Yorkshire Water Help (@YWHelp) August 22, 2022
7.52am – Ripon resident: ‘This is ridiculous’
One resident in Ripon has got in touch with the Stray Ferret to report the outage.
They said:
“The burst water main in North Street has gone again, this morning it’s flooding the road again. We live on a residential park on Palace Road and had no information the first time.
“This is ridiculous, how are pensioners supposed to carry four litres of water to their homes.”
7.48am – Bishop of Ripon reports outage
The Bishop of Ripon, Helen-Ann Hartley, tweeted to Yorkshire Water:
“No water in Ripon again. Any idea how long this time? Will more bottled water and information be forthcoming, especially to outlying villages please?”
7.45am – Reports of water outage
Reports have come in from Harrogate and Ripon of a water outage and low pressure in the areas.
Yorkshire Water said on its website:
“Customers may have no water or low pressure due to a burst main. We are working to restore supplies back to normal as soon as possible.”
In Harrogate, a burst main n Otley Road has cut water to some homes in HG2.
One person affected received the following response from Yorkshire Water:
“Our technicians are on site dealing with the repair, however it could be 4-6 hours before the water comes back on and when it does it may be a little cloudy and discoloured.”
Read more:
Police plea to Ripon parents after anti-social behaviour complaints
North Yorkshire Police issued a plea to parents tonight to keep an eye on their children after receiving complaints of anti-social behaviour in Ripon.
In a statement on social media, the force asked parents if they knew where their children were and what they were doing.
It added:
“We are getting calls of anti-social behaviour in Ripon city centre.
“This is in the form of large groups being disrespectful to members of the public.
“Ripon police are out and about but as you can imagine we cannot be everywhere at once.”
The post then urged parents to “get in touch with your children and help us by knowing where they are and what they are doing”.
Read more:
- Fears up to 3 million litres of water wasted during lengthy Ripon leak
- Older half of Ripon Leisure Centre ‘would have to close for good’ without £3.5m groundworks
Fears up to 3 million litres of water wasted during lengthy Ripon leak
There are fears up to three million litres of water went to waste in Ripon yesterday, after a Yorkshire Water mains pipe burst on North Street.
The pipe burst at around 5am and meant around 4,000 homes in Ripon and the surrounding area woke up to no water.
It wasn’t fully restored until 7pm later in the day, with the company setting up two emergency bottled water stations at Ripon fire station and Ripon Racecourse for residents.
Emergency bottled water stations were set up in the city.
The Bishop of Ripon was among those criticising Yorkshire Water’s response to customers, saying its lack of communication was “unacceptable”.
https://twitter.com/HartleyHAM/status/1560284278331678720
A source at the scene told the Stray Ferret that engineers working on the leak said 70 litres of water were lost every second before it was fixed.
In a 12-hour period, this would have meant over three million litres could have been lost in total.
We put this figure to Yorkshire Water. A spokesperson said the figure was “inaccurate” but was unable to say how much water had been lost.
They said as soon as the leak was located engineers managed to stem the flow.
However, according to the company’s Twitter account, the leak wasn’t identified until 12pm, seven hours after it was first reported.
This suggests between 1.5 million and 2 million litres of water could have been lost.
Engineers on the scene Pic: Paul Smith
Read more:
The burst main has come at a bad time for Yorkshire Water. The Harrogate district is now officially in drought and a hosepipe ban will come into force from August 26.
We asked Yorkshire Water what caused the leak and a spokesperson sent the following statement:
Ripon residents collect thousands of bottles of water as taps run dry“Our pipework has been under a lot of pressure recently – with high peaks of water usage and the dry ground causing soil to contract, which causes pipes to fracture more easily. We’ve increased resource in our field teams over the last few weeks, so that we can catch more small leaks before they turn into bursts and fix the big bursts as soon as possible.
“It took a little bit longer than usual to locate the burst pipe and complete the fix yesterday, as it was underground and tricky to locate. We delivered bottled water to customers on our priority services register and updated our customers via the website, social media and text, as to where they could collect bottled water.
“We’re grateful to our customers for their patience whilst we fixed the issue – those eligible for compensation in relation to the water supply interruption will receive it automatically.”
Thousands of bottles of water were handed out in Ripon this afternoon after a burst water main left around 4,000 homes without water all day.
Yorkshire Water set up an emergency bottled water station at Ripon fire station for thirsty residents, which had a steady stream of people in cars coming to pick up bottles of H2O, helped by on shift firefighters.
Mike and Kay had only just returned to Thornborough, north of Ripon, this afternoon after a holiday in Krakow, Poland. Mike said:
“We’re waiting for a decent cup of tea!”
Colin from Copt Hewick was there to collect water for his pets.
“We’ve got animals, four dogs, so you’ve got to think of them first.”
Ripon firefighters help out.
Ant, from Stockton-on-Tees, holidays at a static caravan at Riverside Meadows holiday park. He said:
“It was a shock to wake up this morning and not be able to flush the toilet! I’m taking plenty of bottles for my neighbours too.”
Whilst spirits were generally high, one woman gave a Yorkshire Water employee a hard time over what she said was poor communication. The company has been slow to tell the public when normal water supply will resume.
She said its website had barely been updated all day so had tried to find updates on Twitter.
Her opinion was shared by Bishop of Ripon, Helen-Ann Hartley, who described communication from the water company as “unacceptable”.
https://twitter.com/HartleyHAM/status/1560284278331678720?s=20&t=LM9oGeOd6ls30OEDNSuu6A
Read more:
The burst water main on North Street has caused more disruption than a typical water leak, with many homes now without water for 12 hours.
Supermarkets in Ripon ran out of bottled water earlier today.
A Yorkshire Water employee told the Stray Ferret that service was likely to return at around 7pm but similar promises earlier today did not materialise.
The stock of water was quickly depleted.
One woman who arrived at the emergency bottled water station said to make sure there was room in the boot for a wine delivery that she was going to collect afterwards. “I can’t turn water into wine!” joked the Yorkshire Water employee, as he carried some bottles into her car.
More bottles of water will be available from Ripon Racecourse until 9pm.
LIVE: A level results day across the Harrogate districtA level results are being handed out to students across the Harrogate district today.
It is the first time since 2019 that students have had an undisrupted exam period following a relatively normal academic year, thanks to the covid pandemic.
Nationally, the number of students achieving top grades has fallen, but the number of university admissions in the second highest on record.
The Stray Ferret will be sharing all the local schools’ results and stories as we get them today. Keep following our live blog for the latest news.
To submit your school’s news, email us with details and photographs by clicking here.
4.48pm ‘Remarkable’ year group complete A levels at Rossett School
Careers in medicine, law, architecture, physiotherapy and animation beckon as students at Rossett School in Harrogate receive their A level results.
The sixth formers were in school to collect their results today, after more than two years of disrupted schooling thanks to the covid pandemic.
Headteacher Helen Woodcock said:
“The resilience that our students have shown throughout the last two years since the cancellation of their GCSEs has been remarkable.
“They are all exceptional, inspiring, and talented young people and we could not be more proud of them.
“I would like to put on record my thanks to pupils, staff, and parents for what was an exemplary team effort over the two years of preparation for these outcomes – preparation that included learning remotely and, in many cases, overcoming challenging personal circumstances.”
The school has not published its overall grade percentages, but has highlighted the achievements of some students.
They include Lewis Ferry, pictured right, who will study maths at Durham University after achieving three A*s and an A, and Dan Jenking, left, who scored an A* and three As and will study medicine at the University of Manchester.
Zoe Hopkins, pictured centre, will study PE at Leeds Beckett University after being awarded two distinction* grades and a distinction.
3.48pm More celebrations as university beckons for A level students
Pupils at Harrogate Ladies’ College have been celebrating together after receiving their A level results.
From medicine to graphic design, they’ll now go on to the degrees of their choice.
Jessica Jones
Chloe Foster
3.25pm Strong performance in STEM subjects at Harrogate Ladies’ College
Almost a quarter of A level grades at Harrogate Ladies’ College were A*s in today’s results.
As well as 22% of results being the top grade, 42% were A or above, and 69% were A*-B – and all further maths grades were A*.
Principal Sylvia Brett said the grades reflected the school’s efforts to ensure its pupils were able to follow the subjects they wanted.
She added:
“These are a fantastic set of results and a reflection of all the effort the girls, supported by our incredible staff, have put in.
“I’m particularly proud of our success in STEM subjects (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths), and that as an all-girls school we are leading the way in encouraging girls into careers in science and engineering.
“The most important thing for me though is that pupils are free to follow their own passions and aren’t restricted by their gender.
“We have girls going on to study an incredibly diverse range of subjects including politics, law and comic design. Our head of choir has also been accepted into the Royal Marines Conservatoire.
“This has been a long journey for these pupils who sat their exams in the aftermath of covid and all the challenges that surrounded that period, and today’s results are testament to their resilience and determination. They are incredible young people.”
Among the top achievers were Chloe Foster, who received three A*s and an A and will now study medicine at St Andrew’s. Jessica Jones, who also scored three A*s and will study medicine at Newcastle University, said:
“I am so pleased and I want to thank everyone who has given me so much support and made me believe I could do this. At times, we all faced a challenge with the rules around Covid but our teachers could not have done more to help us.”
Student Lauren Stott achieved two A*s, an A and a B to secure her place studying maths at the University of Nottingham. Ophelia Leyshon will go to the University of Bristol to study physics after gaining three A*s and an A, and said:
“The science and maths departments were fantastic and offered me so much help and encouragement, and I can’t wait to go onto study physics.”
Meanwhile, the head of the school’s chapel choir, Natasha Stevenson, who was awarded a music scholarship, has secured her place int he Royal Marines Conservatoire.
Students Anona Raphael and Laila Urquhart will study business management at the University of Liverpool and psychology at Lancaster University respectively.
2.51pm Celebrations after ‘year of unknowns’ at St Aidan’s and St John Fisher
Students at St Aidan’s and St John Fisher Associated Sixth Form have been celebrating collecting their A level results today.
The sixth form’s leaders have praised the ‘remarkable’ way the students performed in their first formal exams, with their university places and other career plans on the line.
St Aidan’s director of sixth form Chris Kidman said:
“There can be no denying that this year was full of unknowns for our students.
“Not only is it the first set of results based on examination performance since the pandemic, but these students also didn’t get the opportunity to sit their GCSEs in the typical way two years ago. This was their first full and formal exam experience.
“Despite all of that, our students have performed remarkably. Their collective results stand shoulder-to-shoulder with outcomes achieved last year – despite a national picture that has seen results drop slightly.”
The associated sixth form has not yet released statistics for its results.
Jon Sharpe, St John Fisher’s director of sixth form, said there was a ‘buzz’ as students collected their results this morning:
“What is most exciting is where these results will take our students. This was our first results day in person since 2019, and I think it would be fair to say that we all loved listening to the buzz of excitement as students talked about their next steps.
“It is amazing to hear that so many will be heading off to the leading universities to study some incredible subjects.
“What we shouldn’t forget, however, is that every student has a story. They have worked tirelessly over the last couple of very difficult years and they deserve their success.
“They have achieved outstanding academic results, but they are impressive young people who we know will make a positive impact on the world.
“It would also be wrong not to acknowledge not just our dedicated staff but also parents, carers and wider family. This has been a real team effort.”
2.41pm Young Ripon carer set for medical degree
A young carer has her sights set on a medical career after receiving her A level results this morning.
Febe Elsayghe was inspired to apply to study medicine after helping to care for her sister Monica, who is autistic and has a learning disability.
The 18-year-old today found out she had gained three A*s in maths, chemistry and biology to secure her place at Newcastle University. She said caring for 23-year-old Monica had been particularly challenging over the last two years:
“It was definitely harder during lockdown as we were all inside and trying to balance that with online school was a hard task.
“Monica was taken out of her normal routine and wasn’t able to understand the unusual situation. It was difficult to deal with, but we all came together as a family to help.”
Monica has difficulty communicating and needs help with everything from dressing to feeding. as well as Febe, she relies on their 20-year-old sister Jessica and parents Reham and Joseph for support.
Febe praised the support she has had from Ripon Grammar School to help her through time in sixth form, achieving top grades while carrying out a part-time admin job in an estate agency and enjoying dancing in her spare time.
She added:
“When I was young, I was curious about my sister’s condition and would ask her care team questions as well as doing my own research. That’s when I began to get interested in a career in medicine.
“I found the genetics and intricacy of the human body really interesting, and I knew I wanted to help people.”
2.08pm In pictures: Delighted students collect results
Students have been calling in to collect results from Harrogate Grammar School, now knowing what their next steps will be.
Here is a selection from today’s A level results day at the school.
Elisia Spears and Betsy Martin
Head students Elena Blair and Ollie Martin
Oliwia Gorczynska celebrates her results
Gab Mosso Zolezzi
Alice Tolhurst and Perla Rhodes
1.58pm Harrogate Grammar School says results are ‘where we anticipated’
A level grades at Harrogate Grammar School have met expectations as many students sat formal exams for the first time.
Exam boards set grade boundaries to between the 2019 and 2021 levels, following two years of grades being marked in unusual ways, including by teacher assessment.
The school said it was “pleased that the results for our school are where we anticipated they would be between these years”.
Across 286 students in the sixth form, 32% of grades were A*-A and 59% A*-B. With 92 per cent of students applying to university, more students achieved their first choice place than before the pandemic.
Headteacher Neil Renton said:
“Our students started sixth form during one of the most challenging times with many restrictions in place due to the pandemic.
“When rates of covid were high, we had to close the year group. Students had to adapt to new online environments, learning remotely from home in the second lockdown.
“They faced covid tests and vaccinations in school, along with having to adapt to changing rules about wearing face coverings. In all of this, our students showed determination, patience, and positivity to complete their studies.”
1.13pm Students across county praised for ‘resilience’
Education authority North Yorkshire County Council has commended the area’s students for the way they have taken on unprecedented challenges in the run-up to today’s A level results.
This year’s A level students were due to take their GCSE exams in summer 2020 before the covid pandemic hit, cancelling exams and leaving a great deal of uncertainty for them all.
Since then, they have had their two-year A level courses interrupted by lockdowns and some of their lessons delivered online.
Councillor Annabel Wilkinson, NYCC’s executive member for education and skills, said:
“I would like to offer my congratulations to all young people in North Yorkshire who are receiving their A-level, BTEC and T-level results today.
“Our young people have work tirelessly for two years under challenging circumstances; their hard work and determination has been inspirational and they should be very proud of themselves. Well deserved credit also to their families and teachers for supporting them.
“I wish everyone the very best for their next steps and longer term futures.”
Stuart Carlton, director of children and young people’s services, said:
“Our students have shown great resilience in the face of significant challenge and deserve credit and every success as they move to the next stage of their education, employment or training.
“If you did not get the results you wanted, there are still plenty of options. Talk to your family and school about your next steps and explore the opportunities available through clearing.”
The county council’s assistant director for education and skills, Amanda Newbold, added:
“We recognise that for many young people this year has been their first experience of public examinations and so I would also like to thank our schools and colleges for their exceptional work and for the care and support they have offered to this cohort of students during a very challenging time for young people.”
12.23pm Best ever results at Harrogate’s Ashville College
Ashville College in Harrogate is celebrating its best ever set of A level results, again bucking the national trend.
With a 100% pass rate for the school overall, 23% of students achieved all A*s and 52% got all A*s and As. Meanwhile, 78% got all A*-B, while 94% got all Cs or above.
Ashville head Rhiannon Wilkinson said:
“We are delighted with our outstanding upper sixth results which are the best ever A level examination results at Ashville College: 52% of our grades are at A* or A in a year when the A* to A rate is lower nationally after the grade inflation of the last few years.
“I am extremely proud of our pupils whose results reflect their hard work and commitment. They are the first cohort never to have taken GCSE examinations and they have missed substantial periods of schooling whilst getting to grips with online learning.
“I am enormously grateful to every member of staff for their dedication and encouragement. I know our pupils will join me in thanking their teachers and, of course, their parents.”
Among the high achievers were Reuben Aston, pictured left, who secured his place to study theology at Cambridge University, and Amy Brown, pictured right, whose two A*s, one A and one B will take her to Liverpool University to study psychology.
Meanwhile, life-long friends George Jackson and Dom Callister, pictured below, each got three A*s. Their mothers met at maternity classes when their babies were just two weeks old and they have been at Ashville together since year 7.
Dom will now study aeronautical engineering at Sheffield while George heads to Edinburgh to study history.
Ashville student Rosa Dobson has more reason than most to celebrate her two A*s and an A.
Having missed much of the last three years of school due to illness, she has secured her place at Imperial College London to study biology. She said:
“I’m feeling really good about my results. It was a tough three years as I’ve been ill for most of it. I missed the entire lower sixth year, was in and out of upper sixth, and missed a lot of my mocks.”
Destinations this year’s leavers will be heading to include a range of Russell Group universities, such as Cambridge, Warwick, Edinburgh, Newcastle, Liverpool, Sheffield, Nottingham, and Imperial College London.
11.18am Photos: delighted students collecting results in Ripon
Here are a few photographs as students pick up their results at Ripon Grammar School this morning.
11.02am Ripon Grammar School results
The number of top grades achieved by Ripon Grammar School students has risen today, against the national trend.
More than 83% of all grades were a A*-B, and 61% were A* and A, while not a single grade awarded fell below E.
In total, 153 A*s were handed out and 19 of the 157 students achieved A*s in all of their subjects.
Among the top performers were Eleanor Chaplin with four A*s plus an A* in her extended project qualification (EPQ) and Ellen McKeag who got four A*s.
Headmaster Jonathan Webb said:
“This is a testament to their resilience and hard work after several years of disrupted education.
“I am incredibly pleased that so many have secured their first choice university destination. Despite the fact grading has been recalibrated to a mid-point between 2019-21, results at RGS have actually improved on last year’s record.”
Mr Webb said the results showed the integrity of the school’s grading when it was carried out by teachers during the pandemic, as well as reflecting the strength of online learning during lockdowns.
The school said the majority of students will now go on to Russell Group universities, including Oxford and Cambridge, where they will study a wide range of subjects including medicine, law, veterinary science, politics, psychology, engineering and modern languages.
High grades allowed the majority of students to secure places at Russell Group universities, including Oxford and Cambridge, to study a diverse range of subjects including veterinary science, medicine, law, politics, psychology, engineering and modern languages.
10.42am Teachers’ union says comparisons with previous years ‘inaccurate’
A union has urged people to resist comparing today’s A level results with any previous year.
The NASUWT said after years of disruption, it would be unfair to draw any conclusions about this year’s cohort of students.
It comes as the number of top grades has fallen across the country.
General secretary Dr Patrick Roach said:
“Congratulations must go to pupils and their teachers who have worked so hard in uniquely challenging circumstances to secure today’s results.
“These grades are a reflection of the circumstances in which exams were held and it would be wrong and wholly inaccurate to compare these results to previous years or make comparisons about performance in relation to previous pupil cohorts.
“It will be essential for higher and further education providers and employers to recognise the challenges pupils have faced this year and to act sensitively when considering their place offers or offers of employment to young people.”
Dr Roach praised teachers for ‘pulling out all the stops’ to get students the results they deserved as A level results are published today.
He also called for more money to help education recover from the impact of the pandemic.
“Young people due to sit qualifications next year have also faced substantial and relatively recent disruption to their learning that can and should be addressed in qualifications arrangements and in forms of wider support. This needs to include greater investment in education recovery.
“Government plans and funding for education recovery fall far below that seen in other comparable countries.
“The results achieved today were secured largely in spite of, rather than because of, the support received from Government for education recovery programmes.
“Teachers have pulled out all the stops for their pupils and after a decade of real terms pay erosion, deserve for their hard work to be matched with a restorative above-inflation pay award.”
10.30am Student’s tribute to late aunt after A level success
A grieving student has paid tribute to his late aunt as he collected top A-level grades, saying she inspired him in his work.
Bertie Wood has achieved A*s in maths and chemistry, an A in economics and an A* in his extended project qualification, despite the death of his aunt Jay Blundell as he studied for the exams.
The Ripon Grammar School student was mentored by Ms Blundell, who was a chemistry teacher and headteacher in Wokingham, and suffered from sporadic Creutzfeld-Jakob Disease (CJD). She died aged 55 just weeks after being diagnosed.
Bertie, who lives in Brafferton, said:
“She was a fantastic teacher and had a real passion for her subject and learning in general.
“My mum had to be with her for the final two weeks of her life and her death affected the whole family. It would be good if we could raise awareness about such a rare and horrible brain disease.
“She was always more than willing to help me with any problems, and I was very lucky to have her. I hope I can make her proud with my results.”
Bertie now plans to study law at the Universty of Leeds. he also hopes to join sports teams and try new hobbies, having already played badminton for Yorkshire.
He added:
“I would like to thank the amazing teachers and the school for their tireless work to help me achieve my results and guide me through such an important time of my life.