Firefighters were called to the old rectory at West Tanfield yesterday for the second time in three days.
The building, next to the parish church of St Nicholas, suffered major damage when the roof caught fire on Tuesday.
But fire crews from Ripon, Bedale and Harrogate were summoned back to the site, near Ripon, at 8.50am yesterday when smoke was seen.
Firefighters discovered the smoke was coming from the roof space above a first floor bedroom.
North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service’s incident log says:
“This was believed to be caused by hotspots from the previous fire.
“Crews used one hose reel jet to cool the beams and set up an aerial ladder platform to carry out observation from above and check for further hotspots.”
Read more:
- Roof fire causes ‘serious damage’ to old rectory near Ripon
- Five Harrogate firefighters could lose jobs in plans to reduce service
70 guests representing Queen’s 70 years attend Ripon tea party
Ripon Cathedral has hosted a tea party at which guests represented every year of her Queen’s 70-year reign.
The 70 attendees ranged in age from one-year-old Hugo Krippner to Lynn Gray, who was born in 1952.
Each invitee brought a guest with them and in total, 150 people were present for the event organised by Canon Aisla Newby and supported by a large team of volunteers
At your tea service … the volunteers ensured guests were topped up with tea and buns.
Another canon of the cathedral, Charles Dodgson, had a son, also named Charles, who wrote under the name Lewis Carroll and was the author of the world famous children’s classic Alice in Wonderland, which featured the Mad Hatter’s Tea Party.
Today’s gathering was well-organised in contrast to Carroll’s fictional and chaotic Mad Hatter event and the guests marked the monarch’s reign in an elegant and respectful manner.
Ms Gray who travelled to Ripon from Grassington, told the Stray Ferret:
“It’s an absolute privilege to be here, joining with different generations of people to celebrate the Queen’s jubilee and her incredible service to this country.”
For one-year-old Hugo, whose father Dr Ronny Krippner is Ripon Cathedral’s director of music, high tea was taken in a high chair and today’s get together will be a memory in the family album that he can look back on in future years.
Dr Krippner, whose wife Audrey and three-year-old daughter Sophie also attended, said:
“We are delighted to be part of an occasion which has historic significance for this community and the country.”
Read More:
Harrogate district jubilee: what happened on day 2
This live blog of the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee is proudly sponsored by Boundless Networks – delivering quality broadband connectivity at a reasonable cost to homes and businesses in the Harrogate district.
Welcome back to day two of our live jubilee blog, where we will be covering all the Friday fun in Harrogate, Ripon, Knaresborough, Boroughbridge, Pateley Bridge and Masham, and the villages in between.
Let us know what’s happening where you are and we will add it to this blog. DM us on Facebook or email contact@thestrayferret.co.uk.
Today’s highlights include:
- Free rides for children in Harrogate’s Valley Garden and a dog show on the Stray.
- Free rides for children in Market Square and a Timeline Tea Party.
- Newby Hall Tractorfest, featuring a Hawker Hurricane.
- Masham parade of floats this afternoon and band and fireworks tonight.
- The Great Afternoon Tea at Boroughbridge Football Club from 12pm to 6pm.
5.38pm: Buglers on Coldstones Cut
Two buglers from Summerbridge Band provided the musical backdrop for last night’s beacon lighting ceremony at Coldstones Cut, near Pateley Bridge.
Our #PlatinumJubilee appearances got underway last night with 2 buglers taking part in the Beacon Lighting ceremony at Coldstones Cut above #PateleyBridge #Nidderdale. An honour to be invited & amazing to think of the 1000's of people taking part across the country and beyond. pic.twitter.com/tYBkhHBID6
— Summerbridge Band (@sdpsb1) June 3, 2022
5.31pm: Great Almscliffe beacon
Thanks to Barbara Massey for this dramatic image showing last night’s beacon on top of Great Almscliffe, organised by North Rigton Parish Council.
5.20pm – Newby Hall flypast captured
This RAF enthusiast captured the moment the Hawker Hurricane flew over Newby Hall as part of the return of Tractor Fest.
https://twitter.com/SpotterPD/status/1532736925022420995?s=20&t=4WFoiw1UGsd0CSAV1Q6l7g
4.55pm: Big street party in Harrogate
We’ve just been to Westbourne Grove where we’ve seen the biggest street party so far.
A welcoming crowd of about 200 people are enjoying the sun in chairs on the street after a competitive best cake competition.
Viv Poskitt, who applied for the road closure, said the street had hosted parties on several previous occasions, including for the diamond jubilee 10 years ago and for VE Day celebrations. She said:
“We just plan to keep going until dusk.”
Here’s a video of the fun.
4.05pm: Knaresborough gets dancing
These residents at Knaresborough Community Centre got on their feet for a tea dance as the celebrations continue well into this glorious Friday afternoon.
3.45pm: Burn Bridge street party underway
Cheers to the residents of Westminster Grove in Burn Bridge, who are having one of several street parties in the Harrogate district today. Tamsin from the Stray Ferret was there to capture this great community moment.
If you’re holding a party, send us a photo to contact@thestrayferret.co.uk.
3.20pm: Street entertainers in Harrogate town centre
Have you seen the street entertainers in Harrogate town centre? They will be out and about throughout the four-day weekend.
https://twitter.com/BidHarrogate/status/1532728005507928064
3pm Boroughbridge entertainment is underway
Our roaming reporter Calvin is now in Boroughbridge where an afternoon of entertainment is getting in full swing at the football club.
There are bouncy castles, carnival games, face painting, tug-of-war, a barbecue, a raffle and a visit from Boroughbridge firefighters.
Proceeds from the event will go to the charity Dementia Forward.
Organiser Laura Hutton
2.50pm: Hawker Hurricane due to flyover Newby Hall shortly
The flyover at Tractorfest is due to take place at 3.10pm. We’d love to see your photos – send them to contact@thestrayferret.co.uk.
2.35pm: Staveley women make village collage
A group of Staveley women have made a village collage as a lasting memento to the Queen’s platinum jubilee. You can read more here.
1.50pm: Superb parade in Masham
Masham has done itself proud with this wonderful parade of floats through the town centre, captured a few minutes ago by our reporter Calvin. It’s hard to imagine a more English scene.
1.35pm: Opera in the streets of Harrogate
Full marks to the West Park Hotel in Harrogate for one of the most innovative jubilee ideas so far. Two opera singers appeared on the balcony and began belting out classics, ranging from Jerusalem to Schubert’s Ave Maria.
Here they are singing Rule Britannia to an appreciate crowd below.
12.59pm: Archbishop of York tweets Ripon picture
Ripon Cathedral hosted North Yorkshire’s civic service honouring the Queen, which attracted a host of dignitaries.
Among them was Stephen Cottrell, the Archbishop of York, who has posted this photo of himself at the 1,350-year old cathedral.
Great to be @riponcathedral this morning to celebrate the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee with @joropner1 and @nickbaines Big one tomorrow @StPaulsLondon pic.twitter.com/dbkPUwuvQl
— Archbishop of York (@CottrellStephen) June 2, 2022
12.28am: Ripon is rocking again
Ripon is having a good jubilee, with Market Square the focus of the fun and the cathedral the centre of civic activity. There are large crowds and a great vibe in the city.
Today’s highlights include the Timeline Tea Party for 150 invited guests, including 70 Riponians representing the 70 years of the Queen’s reign — from a year-old child to a 70-year-old.
Tomorrow’s highlights include the handover ceremony for the new Ripon Platinum Jubilee Horn from 8.30pm onwards and Sunday’s line-up includes a picnic in the park at Spa Park.
Iris, 8, and brother Rafael, 5, wait to go on the fairground rides.
12.07pm: Free rides for children in Harrogate’s Valley Gardens
Every parent knows how quickly you can burn money on funfair rides so it’s little surprise the lure of free rides in Harrogate’s Valley Gardens is proving irresistible to many.
It’s been less busy in Jubilee Square, where BBC coverage of the thanksgiving service for the Queen’s 70-year reign has been shown on big screens, but it’s expected to pick up later when the dog show and a Harrogate Mastermind competition take place.
There are also street entertainers in the town centre, which is part of a Harrogate Business Improvement District initiative.
11.58am: Jubilee book competition for children
North Yorkshire County Council, which runs the county’s libraries, is running a jubilee initiative to encourage children to read.
Our library staff are excited for the #PlatinumJubilee.
Children who borrow two books from our libraries until June 11, will be entered into a prize draw to win a copy of Michael Morpurgo's book, There Once is a Queen.
More: https://t.co/P9YyHeQUZR pic.twitter.com/qUlv0yfVw0
— North Yorkshire Council (@northyorksc) June 3, 2022
11.15am: Tractor heaven at Newby Hall
If you like tractors and machinery, Newby Hall near Boroughbridge is the place to be for the next three days.
Our reporter Calvin is amongst the hundreds of people there for Tractorfest, which has returned to the Harrogate district for the first time in two years.
An estimated 1,000 exhibits are on display, including tractors from the Queen’s coronations and silver jubilee.
11.10am: Spofforth skies lit up
Last night’s beacons appear to have been a big hit. Do keep sending us your photos of them.
Thanks to Mike Streeton for these wonderful images at Spofforth Castle last night.
Mike says:
“The local farrier created a wonderful beacon constructed of horseshoes which seemed very appropriate because the Queen is so fond of horses and equestrian events.
“It was rather ingenious and quite unexpected since a tractor lifted the blazing beacon up in the air high above all the spectators who were positioned at a safe distance. It was enjoyed enormously by all the excited onlookers.”
10.56am: Sports day fun in Bishop Monkton
An estimated 400 people — more than half the population of Bishop Monkton — turned out for a village sports day and children’s games yesterday. Twenty-one teams competed in seven different games based on sports clubs represented in the village.
10.29am: Beacons prompt 999 calls
North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service reports that fire crews responded to numerous reports of large fires in the open, which turned out to be controlled burnings of jubilee beacons.
Harrogate fire station did not get called out to any — we are unaware if other fire stations in the Harrogate district were.
About 3,000 beacons were lit across the UK and the Commonwealth last night.
10.21am: Tractorfest at Newby Hall underway
Our reporter Calvin is at Newby Hall, which is hosting Tractorfest for the next three days.
Here’s a photo of Ian Muir and Tractorfest organiser Kevin Watson with a special Queen’s coronation tractor that Ian painted.
10.15am: Almscliffe Crag beacon lights up the sky
Sharon Canavar, chief executive of Harrogate International Festivals, has tweeted some images of last night’s beacon lighting at Almscliffe Crag in North Rigton.
Night-time adventures in Knaresborough and at Almscliffe Crag. Love a bit of firestarting. pic.twitter.com/CuYCAMhoXK
— Sharon Canavar (@sharoncanavar) June 2, 2022
9.40am: Ripon prepares for a second day of partying
Ripon is waking up this morning after the biggest royal party in its history and with three more days of family fun and entertainment ahead.
Away from Market Square and the cathedral, which were hives of jubilee activity yesterday, in the city’s residential streets Union Jacks are flying. Every house in Victoria Grove (named after the Queen’s great, great, grandmother) is linked by a string of red, white and blue flags.
The same applies to the railings at the nearby bus station, also adorned with bunting produced by the tireless knitters of the Ripon Community Poppy Project. Hillshaw Park Way is ready to party again today and, the promise of fine weather, will make for a busy day of pulling pints at The Magdelen’s pub on Princess Road.
9.26pm: North Stainley beacon
Thanks to Steve, who has sent us this image last night’s beacon lighting in North Stainley. The beacons appear to have been a big hit, drawing large crowds — we’d love to see your pics and hear your thoughts. Drop us a line at contact@thestrayferret.co.uk.
9.15am Today’s Stray Ferret team on the road
Calvin will be at Tractor Fest at Newby Hall and also in Boroughbridge and Masham.
Tim will be covering events in his home city of Ripon.
Tom will be in Knaresborough.
John will be in and around Harrogate.
Tamsin will be covering events across the district.
Say hello if you see us in our Stray Ferret hats and please send us your photos to contact@thestrayferret.co.uk and we will do our best to upload them on to our blog throughout the day.
Union Jack flies high at Newby Hall’s Tractor Fest
After two years away, Tractor Fest returned to Newby Hall to mark the platinum jubilee celebrations in its unique way.
Scattered across the famous gardens were an estimated 1,000 exhibitors, including tractors adorned for the occasion.
Hundreds of people ranging from hardcore enthusiasts and novices, flocked to the stately home near Boroughbridge to enjoy an array of machinery, engines, attractions and even some vintage car displays.
Kevin Watson, organiser of the festival, said he was initially nervous about returning after so long away.
The festival was one of many mainstay events in the Harrogate district which fell victim to the covid pandemic in 2020.
Ian Muir and tractor fest organiser Kevin Watson with a golden painted Queens coronation tractor.
Kevin said:
“It has been a while and we wondered if we had done the right thing in making it a three day event.
“But, in the end it feels like we have never been away.”
The return of the popular festival coincides with the landmark platinum jubilee and it would have been remiss of those regular exhibitors not to mark it in their own way.
Read more:
- Village near Knaresborough creates collage to mark jubilee
- JUBILEE LIVE: Parade in Masham, street opera in Harrogate
Among the thousands of tractors was one special exhibit, which stood out with its golden paint and draped in Union Jack bunting.
The golden coronation tractor which was introduced in 1953 is owned by Northumbrian Ian Muir, who had to rebuild it twice to get it into shape to display at festivals.
Marking the jubilee
Elsewhere, engine enthusiasts were also marking the jubilee in their own way.
Tom and Alison Moffat made the three-hour journey from Ayre in Scotland to be among fellow engine collectors.
Tom’s engine was made in 1939 at the outbreak of the war and was used as an emergency lighting plant for Ballochmyle Hospital in Ayrshire.
Hundreds flocked to Newby Hall for the return of Tractor Fest.
The couple have toured the exhibit around various festivals, but today they decided to flock our their stall in red, white and blue.
After learning they were going to be at Tractor Fest over the jubilee weekend, Alison borrowed some of her parents flags which had also been used as part of the silver jubilee celebrations in 1977.
She said:
“I borrowed them from my parents, who had also used them to celebrate. We felt we had to mark it.”
Mervyn Hoyle with his vintage car at Newby Hall.
Those who brought vintage cars to the festival were also in on the celebrations.
Mervyn Hoyle bought his 1933 Austin Seven deluxe saloon 42 years ago and prided himself on keeping it in good condition ever since.
He and his sister draped the car in red, white and blue for the occasion and his fellow collectors even set up a picnic table for the weekend.
To top off the day’s entertainment, a Hawker Hurricane took to the skies above Newby Hall.
While people filled the streets and bunting adorned buildings across the Harrogate district, the Tractor Fest marked the occasion in its own way.
‘I chatted to the Queen in the back of a Range Rover’: Her Majesty’s many visits to the districtThe links between the Queen and the Harrogate district stretch back decades, including a visit in 1952 before her coronation.
From her appearances at the Great Yorkshire Show in Harrogate to her trips to Ripon, including her 2004 visit for another important anniversary – 400 years since the granting of the city’s Royal Charter.
Former director of the Great Yorkshire Show, Bill Cowling, described chaperoning the Queen’s during her last visit in 2008 as one of the highlights of his career.
Royal visit
He told the Stray Ferret:
“The show makes requests for royal visits, sometimes more than a year in advance. It was agreed that the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh would come to the show to mark its 150th anniversary.
“Everything was going ahead, plans were progressing. Then an MP called David Davies fell out with the Conservative party, so he resigned his seat and a by-election was called.
“After attending the show in the morning, the Queen and the Duke were then meant to be going to Hull to open a hospital. But due to protocol, the by-election meant the Monarch could not go into an area where this was taking place.
“We thought this meant we had lost our royal visit. But after a week or so, we got a phone call from the palace to say they had been talking it over and they wondered if the Queen and Duke could stop for longer at the Great Yorkshire Show. So in the end the royal visit was for more than five hours!”
HM The Queen arriving in Harrogate for the Great Yorkshire Show in 1957.
Mr Cowling remembered that as the Queen was getting older, it was decided that they would drive to the far end of the showground and walk back.
‘An absolute expert’
He said:
“I never thought I would be sat in the back of a Range Rover with the Queen. You don’t think these things are going to happen.
“She is an absolute expert and makes people who are meeting her comfortable and at home and relaxed.
“One of the things we spoke about was that they had had a garden party at the palace the day before. She said the wet weather had made a bit of a mess of the lawn. She was very down to earth.”
The Queen at the Great Yorkshire Show in 1957.
Mr Cowling said on the walk back she spoke to lots of people at the event.
He said:
“She always gives everybody the full treatment as it were. Everyone will feel like they are the most important person on that visit. That is why she is so expert at putting people at their ease and showing an interest in what they are showing or doing.
“On the way back she also laid the foundation stone for Fodder, which was being built at that time.”
The Queen unveiling a plaque to commemorate the start of work on the Regional Agricultural Centre in 2008.
Mr Cowling said many things stood out about her visit, but he remembered one particular conversation.
The most wonderful visit
He said:
“We stayed for lunch at the show in the president’s pavilion, which is upstairs. The carpet is quite a light colour. The ground conditions were quite muddy and there were a few muddy footprints on the carpet and she turned to me and said “don’t worry it will vac out” It was absolutely out of the blue and so natural.
“It was the most wonderful visit and we were so lucky. In the end we were thanking David Davies for calling a by-election!”
Mr Cowling said he had to “pinch himself” when he saw her on TV after spending so much time with her.
He said:
“It’s a huge honour for the Harrogate region that she comes and shows such an interest.
“We will definitely be raising a glass or two to her this weekend.”
Harrogate Conference Centre
Other visits from the Queen, include the Harrogate Conference Centre in the mid 1980s, where she was the guest of honour at a gala concert in aid of Y Care.
Performers included AHA, Rory Bremner and Wayne Sleep. Terry Waite, who was prominent in the Anglican Church, was also present on behalf of Y Care.
On Thursday, April 4,1985, the Queen and Prince Philip visited Harrogate on the Royal Train and did a 20-minute walkabout in front of the station, where they met members of the public and various charities, including St George’s Home, on Otley Road.
Read more:
They then went on in a royal convey to Ripon Cathedral where the Queen gave out Maundy Money to local parishioners and church volunteers.
Sun Pavilion
In 1998 the Queen re-opened the Sun Pavilion in Harrogate following its restoration. The Sun Pavilion and Colonnade has recently been given Grade II listed status as part of the Queen’s platinum jubilee.
Ripon
On May 27, 2004, the Queen and Prince Philip visited Ripon to mark the 400th anniversary of the city’s Royal Charter, granted by James I in 1604.
As well as visiting Ripon Town Hall, where they stood on the balcony to wave to the mass crowds, they also did a walkabout in Ripon Market Square and spoke with local residents and visitors.
The Queen and Prince Philip pictured in Ripon in 2004 when Cllr Stuart Martin and his wife April, were the mayor and mayoress of the city
In her long 70 year reign the Queen has touched many hearts in the district. The memories of those who have met her on those very special occasions will stay with them forever.
The Queen at the Great Yorkshire Show in 1977.
This live blog of the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee is proudly sponsored by Boundless Networks – delivering quality broadband connectivity at a reasonable cost to homes and businesses in the Harrogate district.
The sun is out as four days of jubilee celebrations get underway in the Harrogate district today.
The Stray Ferret will be covering the festivities and the fun, the street parties and the ceremonies over the next four days in Harrogate, Ripon, Knaresborough, Boroughbridge, Pateley Bridge and Masham, and the villages in between.
We want to hear what’s happening in your town, village or city so email us at contact@thestrayferret.co.uk and we will add it to the blog.
5.24pm: Will it stay dry for tonight’s beacons?
It’s been a warm and sunny opening day to the jubilee celebrations but it is clouding over.
Beacons are due to be lit across the Harrogate district tonight, with most occurring at 9.45pm. According to the BBC weather forecast for Harrogate, some rain is possible.
Spofforth Castle, Ripon Market Square, Almscliffe Crag in North Rigton, the Army Foundation College in Harrogate, Kirkby Malzeard and Roomer Common in Masham are among the locations taking part.
So too is Knaresborough Castle, where Tamsin from the Stray Ferret will be among the onlookers.
4.35pm: Spofforth hosts children’s party
Fresh from his trip to Blubberhouses, our reporter Tom has been to Spofforth to witness today’s jubilee activities.
You can read his full account here.
4.17pm: Great and the good attend Ripon Cathedral’s civic event
Julian Smith MP
Harry Gration
North Yorkshire dignitaries gathered at Ripon Cathedral today for a service in honour of the Queen.
Those attending included the Archbishop of York, Ripon MP Julian Smith, Grantley Hall owner Valeria Sykes and former Look North presenter Harry Gration.
You can read our Ripon reporter Tim’s full account here.
3.58pm: Human plant pots in Harrogate town centre
Last year there was fake grass in Harrogate town centre — now there are human plant pots. And they’re certainly proving more popular with visitors, who posed for photos alongside them. It’s all part of the jubilee fun. Send us your jubilee pictures to contact@thestrayferret.co.uk.
3.27pm: First street party underway in Pannal Ash
Most street parties are on Sunday but the residents of Castle Hill Glade in Pannal Ash thought today might be a more family-friendly day and, judging by the weather forecast, they may have chosen the right day
Rachel Baskin (pictured far left), who applied for the street closure, told us the party idea evolved from covid, when residents living on the cul-de-sac would have socially distanced meetings on Thursdays.
There’s also an informal group called Ladies of Glade, who meet a glass of wine each week.
Residents in nearby streets are bringing their own teas and sitting outside together to enjoy the occasion.
2.55pm: Bilton’s Party on the Pitch proves a hit
People are pouring into Bilton Cricket Club’s free Party on the Pitch event, which runs until 9pm.
We’ve just been down and there is a wonderful atmosphere, which shows there is a great community spirit in Bilton and a thirst for get togethers like this since the demise of Bilton Gala on May Day.
There’s a barbecue, live music and plenty for children to do. People are just rocking up and having a picnic on the pitch.
Matt Thomas, cricket secretary, estimated about 1,000 people were there an hour ago and the number is growing. He added:
“It’s a great opportunity for the local community to get together and have fun.”
There is a collection for Yorkshire Air Ambulance — a cause dear to the club’s heart after a player had a heart attack on the pitch at an away game last year.
1.20pm: Jubilee shenanigans on Harrogate’s Beulah Street
It’s not every day you wander along Beulah Street and see people dressed like this belting out Land of Hope and Glory. But that’s what the jubilee does to you. It’s that kind of weekend.
What’s happening out in Bilton, Starbeck and Jennyfields, or in Pateley Bridge? Wherever you are in the Harrogate district we want to receive your jubilee news and images. Email us and we will add them to this live blog.
1.12pm: Live music all day in Ripon
Among those early to arrive on Market Square was four-year-old Aylar and her mum Susannah (pictured), who were blowing bubbles as the free entertainment started on stage with Lily Worth.
Lily sang a selection of songs from musicals, including the Greatest Showman. There is free live music all day in Ripon’s Market Square.
Meanwhile, a giant TV screen next to Ripon Town Hall linked the city to Horseguards Parade in London, where the Trooping the Colour ceremony, broadcast live on the BBC, marked the Queen’s official birthday.
Lily Worth on stage in Ripon today.
The big screen.
1.01pm: Blubberhouses flower festival tells Queen’s story
Our reporter Tom has been to Blubberhouses, where a jubilee-themed flower festival is underway.
You can visit it at St Andrew’s Church in Blubberhouses, just past Fewston Reservoir off the A59, from 11am to 4pm every day over the four-day weekend.
Further details are here.
12.26pm: Bishop leads county service of celebration
Ripon is pulling out the stops this weekend with activities galore, and Ripon Cathedral is at the heart of things. The Bishop of Ripon has tweeted about a service she led this morning.
https://twitter.com/HartleyHAM/status/1532321794765488128
12.05pm: Ripon mum wins Bettys Jubilee Bake Off
Ripon mum Lori Hendry (pictured holding the cake) has beaten three other shortlisted bakers to win the Bettys Jubilee Bake Off.
Lori’s Victoria sponge decorated with red, white and blue icing adorned with a crown and Union Jack flags wowed the judges. You can read more here.
11.10am: Free rides, entertainment and face painting in Valley Gardens
Free events are taking place in Harrogate’s Valley Gardens until 6pm. It’s very much a family occasion: kids can meet Elsa, Batman and Cinderella (pictured above), ride on the runaway train, climb a wall, jump on a bungee trampoline, watch jugglers — all for free.
Elsewhere in Harrogate, on a section of the Stray, which has been renamed Jubilee Square, people can watch a big screen of the BBC coverage of the jubilee.
10.27am: Recycling depots open as usual
North Yorkshire County Council tweets that its household recycling centres are open as normal this bank holiday weekend.
All our household waste recycling centres are open, as usual, from 8.30am to 5pm, throughout the Queen's #PlatinumJubilee bank holiday weekend.
Find your nearest site and what items you can take athttps://t.co/llRAH0z30s pic.twitter.com/rASZiF1jhk
— North Yorkshire Council (@northyorksc) June 2, 2022
9.32am: Bishop Monkton choir starts the jubilee weekend
Bishop Monkton kicked off the jubilee weekend last night a community concert given by a choir developed on Zoom during the pandemic.
The choir entertained an audience of 120 in the village hall with a show titled Seven Decades of Song, featuring music from the 1940s to the present day. The concert included hits from musicals like Oklahoma and the Sound of Music as well as more recent numbers from Leonard Cohen and Gary Barlow.
The choir grew out of the village’s Singing for Fun group, which had started just before the pandemic and which kept going through the covid lockdowns by meeting on Zoom. The show included a live rendition of a song called Lockdown, written during covid by the village’s jubilee queen, Pauline Beecroft, to the tune of the Petula Clark 1960s hit Downtown.
The concert ended with the singing of Jerusalem, Land of Hope and Glory and the National Anthem.
Thanks to Colin Philpott for sending us this jubilee news in Bishop Monkton. What’s happening where you are? Message us your jubilee news and pictures at contact@thestrayferret.co.uk.
8.52am: Free music all day in Ripon
The stage is set in Ripon for the biggest royal party of the ancient city’s long history. Lily Worth will kick off a day of free music at 10.30am and she will be followed by Ripon’s own talented singer-songwriter Freddie Cleary.
Later, tribute acts will sing the songs of Stevie Wonder, Cilla Black, George Michael, the Everly Brothers and Katherine Jenkins. For nostalgia lovers, there will be wartime songs of Vera Lynn and others from 4.50pm.
Organisers Ripon City Council are hoping that the blue skies that have started the day will remain over the town hall and stage facing onto Market Square, where large crowds are anticipated.
8.45am: Stray Ferret journalists set to hit the road
Tim will be in Ripon all day and for the lighting of the beacon.
Tom plans to head to Blubberhouses and Spofforth
John will be in and around Harrogate
Tamsin will be in Knaresborough for tonight’s beacon lighting.
Say hello if you see us in our Stray Ferret hats and please send us your photos to contact@thestrayferret.co.uk and we will do our best to upload them on to our blog throughout the day.
A cake fit for a Queen: Ripon mum wins Bettys Jubilee Bake Off
A Ripon mum has baked a cake judged to be fit for a Queen as part of the Bettys Jubilee Bake Off.
Lori Hendry beat three other shortlisted bakers with a Victoria sponge decorated with red, white and blue icing adorned with a crown and Union Jack flags.
Ann Hedges, food and nutrition teacher at St Aidan’s, Paul Farr, food and drink director at Bettys, and Lisa Benninson, development chef and Bettys Cookery School teacher, judged the final on Wednesday, June 1.
Ms Benninson thanked the shortlist of Lori Hendry, Irene Threadgold, Louise Winter and Edward Lee for baking their cakes and said it was tough to pick out an overall winner.
The moment Lori (centre) found out she had won.
The three judges deliberated for around half an hour and assessed each cake against the criteria Bettys uses to test all of its new products.
Delighted with the win and prize of a course of her choice at Bettys Cookery School, Ms Hendry told the Stray Ferret:
“I am feeling shocked to be honest, really shocked. I didn’t expect to win it at all. I am very chuffed.
“I first got into baking because I started baking for the kids really. When you have three kids you always need a cake on the go!”
Read more:
- Harrogate district jubilee celebrations begin
- Carnival coming to Harrogate as part of summer programme
Paul Farr, food and drink director at Bettys, said:
“I’ve been in the industry for nearly 40 years but when you are judging you need to be able to pull on all of your experience and your honest appraisal on products.
“There was a high standard so it comes down to those fine points of difference that makes a cake stand out from being really good to being the winner.”
(Left to right) Louise Winter, Irene Threadgold and Lori Hendry. Edward Lee could not make it but his cake is second in from the left.
Ann Hedges, food and nutrition teacher at St Aidans, said:
“It was a real privilege to be part of the judging process. With so many potential winners, I think everybody brought something slightly different to the competition.
“For me it was fantastic to see people’s skill level. We had the cake making, meringue making, the piping. All of those skills are an art at the end of the day. We were very lucky to be able to judge that art.”
Lisa Benninson, development chef and Bettys Cookery School teacher, said:
“I thought it was really great. As chefs and bakers it is always a treat when somebody else makes a cake. It was a really nice thing to do to judge a cake competition fit for a Queen on the Platinum Jubilee.
“We had lots of different flavour combinations. We had a rose and pistachio, lots of Victoria sponges. There was a close finish but it was about attention to detail in the end – and that’s Bettys motto.”
The shortlisted cakes
Lori Hendry’s winning cake (Left) with Edward Lee’s cake.
Louise Winter’s cake (Left) with Irene Threadgold’s cake.
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.
This month, historic elections in Northern Ireland saw Sinn Fein become the largest party and the Sue Gray Downing Street parties report was finally published.
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, Harrogate and Knaresborough MP.
In Harrogate and Knaresborough, here is what we found out on Mr Jones:
- On May 5, Mr Jones attended the council election count at the Harrogate Convention Centre. He refused to speak with the Stray Ferret when approached for comment on the results.
- On May 12, Mr Jones said in the Commons that he has been contacted by ‘distressed constituents’ who are waiting for their passports. He said: “It can be highly stressful for them to be chasing documents as they approach departure day.”
- He was back in Harrogate the next day to cut a ribbon and officially open the new Carer’s Resource centre in Harrogate.
- On May 17, he met TV presenter and campaigner Quentin Willson to discuss electric vehicles.
- On May 20, Mr Jones told Parliament that cuts to Northern train services will damage business and make it impossible for some commuters to be at work on time.
- On May 22, the MP was spotted campaigning for the Conservatives in Wakefield for the upcoming by-election.
- On May 23, Mr Jones voted for the government’s Public Order Bill. Critics of the bill say it will erode people’s right to protest.
- On May 24, Mr Jones asked Thirsk MP Kevin Hollinrake if the Home Office has promised any extra funding for local services impacted by the Linton-on-Ouse asylum centre. Mr Hollinrake replied: “Apparently there will be a double-manned police car in the village at all times.”
- On May 27, Mr Jones met the group Melanoma Focus and posed for a photo.
- Harrogate & Knaresborough Conservative MP Andrew Jones wrote to a constituent that he feels “anger” over partygate — but would not say whether he has submitted a letter of no confidence in Prime Minister Boris Johnson.
Read more:
Julian Smith, MP for Skipton and Ripon.
In Skipton and Ripon, here is what we found on Mr Smith:
- On May 1, Mr Smith met with the Tory candidates in Ripon for the North Yorkshire County Council elections Cllr Mike Chambers and Thomas Averre. Both candidates failed to win on May 5.
- The MP wrote an op-ed in the Daily Mail following the elections in Northern Ireland that saw Sinn Fein become the largest party for the first time. He warned the union between the UK and Northern Ireland is under threat.
- On May 18, Mr Smith met Pateley Bridge artist James Owen Thomas. Mr Thomas likes to express himself through the beauty of the outdoors.
- On the same day, Mr Smith met Justin Scully, general manager of Fountains Abbey, to discuss the Skell Valley Project.
- In an interview with Politics Home’s podcast The Rundown, Smith suggested there was a “question” over how committed some MPs are to Northern Ireland.
- Mr Smith spoke in the Commons for the first time in two months in a debate about the Northern Ireland Troubles Bill. He said “For Northern Ireland to come to terms with its past, there is a need for acknowledgement from all sides: from the IRA for the thousands of murders; from loyalists for the hundreds of killings; from the Irish Government for their role in the troubles; and for the killings and collusion by UK forces.”
In rural south Harrogate, here is what we found on Mr Adams:
- On May 25, the Boris Johnson ally backed the PM following publication of the Sue Gray report. He tweeted: “He now needs to get on with the job, levelling up the country, tackling global challenges inc cost of living & Ukraine crisis & delivering for the country & for the people who put their faith in him in 2019.”
- On May 22, the MP hit out at London Northwestern Railway following a My Chemical Romance concert in Milton Keynes. He thundered: “Dear @LNRailway a disgrace you have not arranged enough trains to get hundreds of young people home after midnight following a concert in Milton Keynes.”
- The MP revealed himself as a fan of pop-punk act Blink 182 during a discussion about the celebrity wedding of Kourtney Kardashian and the band’s drummer Travis Barker. He tweeted: “To be fair, @travisbarker is one of the best drummers I’ve seen and worthy of his fame.”
- In The Times on May 18, Mr Adams co-authored an article with York Outer MP, and former Harrogate councillor, Julian Sturdy, that said Great British Railways should be based in York.
- He twice criticised Labour leader Keir Starmer over the so-called ‘beergate’ row. “Wowser”, he tweeted. “The hypocrisy of
@Keir_Starmer has been breathtaking and he’ll need some fancy lawyer dance moves to explain this one away.”
The old rectory in West Tanfield, north of Ripon, has been seriously damaged by fire today.
Crews from Ripon, Masham, Bedale, Leyburn, Northallerton and Thirsk tackled the blaze, which occurred next to the parish church of St Nicholas.
The Stray Ferret understands the roof of the property has collapsed. It is not yet known how the fire started but it is not believed anyone was injured.
Firefighters tackle the blaze in West Tanfield.
Masham fire station said in a social media post this evening that it and Ripon fire crews were called to reports of a fire in the roof at 10.50am. It added:
“After arriving a short time later a serious fire was developing in the attic space of the property.
“Further appliances from Bedale, Leyburn, Northallerton and Thirsk and an aerial ladder platform from Harrogate fire station was requested.
“Crews entered the building in breathing apparatus to attempt to stop the fire from spreading, but had to be withdrawn due to safety reasons.
“The house has suffered serious damage and crews remain at the scene into the evening damping down.”
Read More:
- Cuts to Harrogate fire crews would ‘put money before lives’, says ex-firefighter
- North Yorkshire Police among slowest in country responding to 999 calls
New platinum jubilee horn adds to Ripon’s rich royal history
History will be made in Ripon on Saturday night when the Platinum Jubilee Horn, made to mark the Queen’s remarkable reign, is blown for the first time.
The horn, commissioned by the city council to provide Ripon’s citizens and visitors with a ceremonial means of celebrating Her Majesty’s 70 years of service, will be presented to Cllr Sid Hawke, the Right Worshipful the Mayor of Ripon by John Richmond BEM.
Mr Richmond, an honorary freeman and former Mayor of Ripon, has the distinction of being the only person to carry out the internationally famous setting of the watch ceremony while in mayoral office, when he acted as a ‘stand-in’ hornblower in December 1975.
He told the Stray Ferret:
“It is an incredible honour to be asked to present the new horn in a city which takes great pride in its royal heritage.
“This goes back to Alfred the Great who, in 886, presented Riponians with their first ceremonial horn as a ‘thank you’ for their courage in fighting off a Viking raid.”
John Richmond BEM and Freeman of the City of Ripon who made history in 1975, will present the new Platinum Jubilee Horn.
The presentation will take place on Ripon Market Square at 8.45pm in time for the setting of the watch ceremony at 9pm.
The horn was made by Duncan Grimmond, a locally-based craftsman who has made several horns for the city council over the last four decades.
Mark Sidwell, musical director of Ripon City Band, advised Mr Grimmond on the process of making the horn, which is believed to be from an African buffalo and has silver mountings.
The mountings include the Commemorative jubilee hallmark and the inscription reads Presented by Ripon City Council to the City of Ripon on the occasion of HM Queen Elizabeth II Platinum Jubilee – June 2022.
Cllr Andrew Williams. leader of Ripon City Council who proposed the commissioning of the new horn, pointed out:
“This will be a permanent reminder of our jubilee celebrations this week which promise to be the most comprehensive anywhere in North Yorkshire”
The nightly setting of the watch has continued un-broken for 1,136 years and is believed to be the world’s longest continuously-held ceremonial event.
It has survived the Black Death, other plagues, world wars, civil war and, more recently, the covid pandemic lockdowns, which saw Ripon’s team of four hornblowers keep the tradition alive by sounding their blasts behind closed doors at their homes.
Read more: