Business Breakfast is sponsored by Harrogate law firm Truth Legal. 

Ripon Farm Services has opened a new branch near Malton.

The company, which supplies agricultural machinery, has moved into a depot at the 30-acre Eden Business Park.

It becomes the firm’s twelfth branch it has opened in the UK.

RFS has taken possession of a high-quality 22,000 sq ft building at the multi-million pound business park, which is located immediately off the A64 by the Pickering Road (A169) junction by Eden Camp.

Richard Simpson, commercial director of RFS, said: 

“The opening of our new Malton depot is a major milestone for Ripon Farm Services and signals our intention to ramp up the investment in our long-term future.

“This new building reflects the importance we place on serving the North and East Yorkshire farming, equestrian and ground care communities. We will be providing the full range of services that you would expect from a John Deere main dealer and will also be moving our Ifor Williams trailer dealership into our new depot.

“In addition, we will have a huge range of ground care equipment for both Groundscare professionals and homeowners alike. We can’t wait to get going.”

RFS has now started trading from the Malton depot and are organising an open day for all their customers on Thursday, October 27, between 12pm and 8pm.

Read more:

• Business Breakfast: Chamber meeting to focus on sustainability
• Harrogate men’s fashion retailer relocates to James Street

Harrogate businesses set for Digital Festival dates

Harrogate law firm Berwins will host four events as part of Leeds Digital Festival later this month.

Its experts in digital and business law will speak about Giving Data Proper Respect on September 19, realising the Value of Your Intellectual Property on September 22, and Recognising and Recovering Revenue on September 26.

All three talks take place at Platform on New Station Street in Leeds.

Harrogate’s Co-Lab is also hosting an event at its base in Harrogate Convention Centre on September 28. It will focus on ways of raising funds for a tech start-up.

The final Berwins event is completely different: the law firm’s runners will lead a 6km route around the city centre, in partnership with Harrogate-based Up & Running, on September 30.

Tickets for all five events, plus the rest of the 12-day programme, are available from the Leeds Digital Festival website.

Historical photos have given a glimpse into the opening of Ripon Spa Baths 117 years ago ahead of the building being stripped out later this year.

The images show the spa baths in its full glory when it opened in 1905 and paint a contrasting picture of the current state of the venue which has suffered from years of neglect and damage.

Ripon-based Sterne Properties has revealed the photos as part of its plans to strip out the spa before giving it a new lease of life and community use in what will mark a new phase in the building’s rich history.

The last English spa to be opened, the baths were originally served by spa water pumped from Aldfield, four miles away.

Corridor of Ripon Spa Baths.

The opening ceremony was held on October 24, 1905, and it is still the only spa to have been opened by a member of the Royal Family, Princess Henry of Battenberg.

The swimming pool to the rear of the original building was added in the 1930s and has since hosted many happy memories across generations of families.

Historic images released by the developer of some of the baths.

The building’s time as a much-loved leisure venue came to an end last year, though, when it was closed down by Harrogate Borough Council ahead of the opening of Ripon’s new Jack Laugher Leisure and Wellness Centre, named after the city’s Olympic diving hero.

Looking to the future, exactly what the spa baths will be used for remains unknown.

Ripon Spa Baths at its opening 117 years ago.

Sterne Properties said it must first understand what it is working with and the developers have examined photographs and historic records to see how the building has changed over time.

Its proposals have been backed by Ripon Civic Society, whose chairman Christopher Hughes said in a letter: 

“The society is in total support of this application.

“A visit by some of our members in 2021 revealed the prospect that more recent works are likely to have hidden original work.

“This will be important knowledge for the applicant to understand before further proposals are developed.”

Read More:

• Ripon’s Spa Baths close after 116 years
• Ripon developer plans community regeneration of Spa Baths

Every month the Stray Ferret tries to find out what our local MPs have been up to in their constituencies and in the House of Commons.

In August, Parliament was not sitting as it was in recess over the summer. Nonetheless, Conservative MPs faced questions over what the government was doing to tackle the cost of living crisis and allegations that they voted voted in favour of pumping raw sewage into rivers and the sea.

We asked our three Conservative MPs, Harrogate & Knaresborough’s Andrew Jones, Skipton and Ripon’s Julian Smith, and Selby and Ainsty’s Nigel Adams if they would like to highlight anything in particular that they have been doing this month, but, as usual, we did not receive a response from any of them.

Here is what we know after analysing their online presence.

Andrew Jones, MP for Harrogate and Knaresborough.

Andrew Jones

In Harrogate and Knaresborough, here is what we found out on Mr Jones:

• On August 3, Andrew Jones welcomed the Treasury’s response to his letter which ensured people connected to LPG gas bottles would get government support with their energy bills.
• Mr Jones strongly criticised claims that he voted to allow the pumping of sewage into rivers and the sea. He said the claims were “simply a lie”.
• Mr Jones called on people to get involved with the “national mission” to beat dementia by signing up to Join Dementia Research.
• The former Rail Minister told Transport for the North that investing in public transport was “going to be a main part of how we recover from the economic problems caused by the pandemic and inflation,” as well as reducing carbon emissions.
• Mr Jones also backed York to be the headquarters of the new government rail body Great British Railways.
• On August 31, he held an advice surgery in Knaresborough market.

Read more

• MPs watch: PM resignation and a leadership contest
• MPs watch: Vote of no confidence and overriding the Brexit deal

Julian Smith, MP for Ripon and Skipton.

Julian Smith

In Skipton and Ripon, here is what we found on Mr Smith:

• On August 5, Mr Smith welcomed the £11,000 awarded by Historic England to the Ripon Museums Trust to investigate the lives of disabled people in the city’s workhouse.
• Mr Smith regularly tweeted his support for Rishi Sunak in the Conservatives’ leadership election, which ends on September 5.
• Mr Smith held meetings with small business owners in his constituency. He tweeted that it was “clear urgent intervention is also required” for small businesses as well as households.
• On August 1, Mr Smith welcomed the devolution deal signed by North Yorkshire County Council, the City of York Council and the government, as well as Richard Flinton’s appointment as the chief executive of the new North Yorkshire Council.
• Mr Smith tweeted that “the new UK PM & the EU need to listen and step up” over work to secure a deal on Brexit-related issues in Northern Ireland.

Nigel Adams, MP for Selby and Ainsty which includes rural Harrogate.

Nigel Adams

In rural south Harrogate, here is what we found on Mr Adams:

• On August 1, Mr Adams said he was “delighted” by the new devolution deal.
• Mr Adams posted on his website about the consultation to upgrade the A64 near York, on the main route between Harrogate and the North Yorkshire coast.
• Mr Adams also hit back at claims that he had allowed the pumping of sewage into waterways. He tweeted that the “fake news brigade and their gullible followers aren’t interested in facts” relating to the UK’s sewage system.
• It was reported that Mr Adams could be in line for a peerage in Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s list of resignation honours. Such a move would trigger a by-election in his constituency. Mr Adams previously confirmed that he would stand down at the next election.

More than 13,000 journeys were taken using the on demand YorBus service in its first year of operation.

Data from North Yorkshire County Council showed that 13,426 journeys had been taken by the end of July, requested by 850 riders.

In July 2022, there was an average of 51 trips per day.

The bus service serves an area to the north and west of Ripon including Masham, West Tanfield and Bedale.

The pilot scheme, started in July 2021, has now been extended for another year.

The statistics are included in a report on the service’s first year which will be discussed by the council’s Skipton and Ripon area committee next week.

Increasing journey numbers

Journey numbers have gradually increased since the start of the year.

Despite this, the council almost doubled fares for the service at the start of August to £2 for an adult and £1 for a child.

The number of journeys is also roughly seven times the council’s target for the scheme.

It initially hoped that 885 journeys would have been taken after six months.

However, the Transport Action Network has accused the council of setting the target deliberately low.

YorBus covers 217 square kilometres to the north and west of Ripon

Councillor Keane Duncan, the county council’s executive member for transport, celebrated YorBus’s first year in July. He said:

“YorBus has proved incredibly popular since its launch in July 2021, with extremely positive feedback from users.

“We will continue to review this demand-responsive service to help us explore rolling out YorBus to other parts of the county.”

The report also stated that almost half of users would drive if the service was not available. It argued:

“This shows that YorBus is helping to encourage North Yorkshire residents away from the private motor vehicle and onto public transport.”

£229,000 has been allocated to the service for 2022/23.

Next steps

The council will now look at its future plans for on demand YorBus service.

This could include group discount tickets, a joint promotion campaign with the National Trust and investigating the viability of rolling out of YorBus to other parts of the county.

The August Bank Holiday weekend is upon us and it’s our last long weekend until Christmas.

If you haven’t decided how you will be spending it, here’s a guide to some of the events taking place in the Harrogate district.

There’s a wide range of events happening from live music to children’s activities. They offer a perfect excuse for families and friends to get together while the sun is still shining.

Jurassic Crazy Golf, Victoria Shopping Centre Piazza, Harrogate

Some of the Jurassic Crazy Golf holes.

This nine-hole mini golf course combines crazy golf with dinosaurs and is accompanied by an educational Dino Trail around the town centre.

Matthew Chapman, manager at Harrogate BID which commissioned the course and trail, said:

“With the school summer holidays nearing an end, parents maybe scratching their heads thinking what to do to entertain their children.

“Well, we have the answer – jurassic golf! And what could be me more fun than a combination of dinosaurs and crazy golf?”

The Dino Trail is a fun, educational trail where people can find answers to jurassic-themed questions by scanning a QR code on a poster, displayed in shop windows.

The answer will then appear on their phones.

As people complete the trail, they will also be collecting letters that form a simple, themed anagram. Users can then submit the anagram/answer via the LoyalFree app for an additional chance to win a prize draw.

Those wishing to play a round of golf can turn up on the day or book at the jurassic golf website here.

The cost is adults £3, children £2.50, family of four (two adults and two children) £10 and one adult and one child £5.

Friday, Saturday and Sunday, jurassicgolf.co.uk/harrogate

Fireworks Championships, Newby Hall, Ripon

A dazzling night of fireworks at Newby Hall and Gardens, which sees three teams create stunning displays choreographed to music and the audience voting for a winner on the night via SMS.

The event also includes a final display by SmartPyro to round off the night. Watch from a picnic rug or camping chair against the stunning backdrop of 17th century house and its impressive grounds

There will also be a drone light show, courtesy of DroneSwarm, funfair rides, music and food and drink.

Mat Lawrence, managing director at event organiser MLE Pyrotechnics, said:

“It’s an honour to return to Newby Hall for another year of our Firework Champions event. We’ve got a tonne of great entertainment in store thanks to our three competitors, as well as a spectacular closing display. It’s going to be a great day out for families.”

Gates open for entry at 4pm, alongside pre-show entertainment. The DroneSwarm light show takes place at twilight and the main event begins at 9.30pm, with SMS voting at 10.15pm. The larger closing display takes place at 10:30pm and the results are announced at 10.40pm.

Book your ticket here.

Saturday, fireworkchampions.co.uk

Read more:

• What’s On across the district?
• Free activities to do with the kids this summer in the Harrogate district

Leeds Festival, Wetherby

Leeds Festival is once again set to take over Bramham Park, near Wetherby.

Thousands of people are expected at Bramham for the three-day event, which starts on Friday and is headlined this year by the likes of Arctic Monkeys, The 1975, Dave, Halsey, Bring Me the Horizon and Megan Thee Stallion.

Last year’s new format continues, with two main stages instead of the previous one.

Friday to Monday, leedsfestival.com

Family Fun Day at Ripon Races

The final family fun day of the season is taking place at Ripon Races on Bank Holiday Monday. It will also be hosting the only listed race of the season, the EBF Ripon Champion Two-Year Old Trophy. Pack a picnic basket and blanket and enjoy lots of free fun for the children in the course enclosure including:

• Balloon modelling and face painting
• Barrel train ride
• Kub karts
• Inflatable assault course and giant inflatable slide
• Punch ‘n’ Judy and magic show

Monday, ripon-races.co.uk/family-days

Free entertainment on the Market Square, Ripon

Ripon City Council’s season of complimentary summer events for residents and visitors will finish on a high tomorrow (Saturday), with a full-size ferris wheel operating on Market Square from 2pm until 8pm.

City council leader Andrew Williams, said:

“This is the first time that the council has had a ferris wheel for families to enjoy as part of its fairground attractions.

“It will be alongside a climbing wall for older children and a ride for younger children.”

A climbing wall will be among the attractions

All rides will be free of charge, like the evening of musical entertainment starting at 6.30pm, when Ripon singer-songwriter Freddie Cleary takes the stage.

He will be followed by tribute acts singing the hits of Bruno Mars, Katy Perry, Olly Murs and country and western favourites.

Performances will go on until 11pm with a break from the contemporary sounds at 9pm, when attendees will be able to see one of Ripon’s team of Hornblowers, setting the watch.

On Sunday and Monday the Market Square will host another Little Bird Artisan Market. Open from 10am until 3pm, it will again include stalls selling goods ranging from food to home furnishings, produced by local and Yorkshire-based traders.

Saturday and Sunday.

Pop-up parties, Knaresborough Castle and Ripon Spa Gardens

Harrogate Borough Council has organised these summer events for the whole family to enjoy.

The events are all free and are a chance for young people to enjoy juggling and circus shows, magicians, character meet and greets, and mini discos.

They follow a party held in Harrogate’s Valley Gardens earlier this month, which was a huge success.

Knaresborough Castle on Friday, August 26 between 11am and 4pm

• 11am – Bubble circus tricks show
• 11.45am – Magic show
• 12.30pm – Character mini disco
• 1.30pm – Juggling/circus tricks show
• 2.15pm – Magic show

• 3pm – Character mini disco

Ripon Spa Gardens on Saturday, August 27 between 11am and 3pm

• 11am – Circus tricks workshop
• 11.45am – Magic show
• 12.30pm – Character mini disco
• 1.30pm – Circus tricks workshop
• 2.15pm – Magic show
• 3pm – Character mini disco

Friday and Saturday

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.

A 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:

“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.

The 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

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