After receiving a hero’s welcome from the mayor of Ripon, Ukrainian Tanya Bogdanovska is looking forward to rebuilding her life in the city.

Councillor Eamon Parkin, along with his consort Nigel Guy, greeted Ms Bogdanovska, her partner Lewis Edwards and his mother Ali, at The Magdalen’s pub.

To a round of applause, he spoke of the heroism of the young couple who have captured the hearts and minds of the Ripon community.

In her first media interview, Ms Bogdanovska, who made the long journey to seek sanctuary in the UK with support from her partner and his family in Ripon, told the Stray Ferret:

“All of the time, I think about Ukraine and the ongoing suffering of the people there facing Russian aggression and cruelty.

“Thankfully, members of my family managed to escape the attacks on Zaporizhzhia and move to a safer part of the country, but I have friends who didn’t make it.”

The flag of Ukraine has been flying over Ripon Town Hall in a show of solidarity.

Ms Bogdanovska said:

“On February 24, Lewis and I were teaching children and the next day we were fleeing for our lives, heading for the Slovakian border.”

Having made the 500-kilometre journey on roads packed with cars and coaches carrying  women, children and men over the age of 60 to the safe haven of a NATO country, they and eight friends set up a shelter to help fellow refugees following on behind them.

The shelter was set up largely through the generosity of Ripon people, who read of their plight on the Stray Ferret and dug deep to donate more than £20,000 to a gofundme page launched by Lewis’s family,

Before setting up the page, they received invaluable advice from Nicola David, chair of Ripon City of Sanctuary.

Mr Edwards said:

“Tanya and I stayed for as long as we could in Slovakia but, as we were officially refugees ourselves, there was a limit on the time we could be there.

“However, we and our eight friends were able to help those on their journey to seeking sanctuary and people who were left trapped in Ukraine, by providing vital supplies such as medicines and sourcing military ambulances.

“It was a surreal situation to find ourselves in, but we knew we had to do something.”

Since his recent return to Ripon, Mr Lewis and Ms Bogdanovska have been welcomed with open arms everywhere they go. She said:

“We are grateful for the kindness and love that we have received and are moved by the support being given to my countrymen and women who remain fearless in their fight against the Russians.”

As part of getting her life back on track, Ms Bogdanovska is seeking employment from any local company that may be looking for a graphic designer and illustrator.

Skipton and Ripon Conservative MP Julian Smith has called on the government to negotiate a settlement over the Northern Ireland protocol rather than make changes unilaterally.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson is due to visit Northern Ireland today amid reports that the government is set to introduce legislation that would override part of the Brexit agreement.

The protocol was agreed as part of post-Brexit trading arrangements, but has faced scrutiny following the Northern Ireland Assembly elections on May 5.

Unionist politicians have raised concern about how the measures are working and refused to engage with the assembly, meaning a new administration cannot be formed.

Mr Smith, who was the government’s Northern Ireland secretary from 2019 until 2020, called for ministers to negotiate a settlement.

He told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme this morning:

“The protocol is popular with business. 

“There are major technical issues, but business likes the fact that they face both ways to the UK and EU markets.”

He called for both EU and UK government negotiators to come up with a “fudge” over the protocol:

“I think we need the EU and UK negotiators to spend some positive time in a locked room and come up with a deal.

“We need a political deal. We need a fudge.”

Read more:

• Conservative councillor Victoria Oldham nominated as final Harrogate mayor
• Sid Hawke to be Ripon’s next mayor

A car flipped on to its roof when it swerved to avoid a deer on the A1 near Boroughbridge in the early hours of the morning.

According to North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service, the vehicle left the road and one person was stuck inside.

Its incident log says firefighters used “stabilisation and extrication gear” to free the trapped person.

Harrogate fire station said this morning that one female was out of the vehicle when firefighters arrived and another female was trapped inside. Both are believed to be unharmed after the second female was freed.

The incident, which occurred at about 2.30am, was one of two serious traffic accidents logged in the Harrogate district last night.

At 9.40pm, Ripon firefighters were called when a car collided with a house on Kingston Avenue in the city.

The incident log says:

“No people were trapped, one male occupant of car was treated for a minor ankle injury by paramedics.

“Crews assisted ambulance and police at the scene and gave advice.”

Read more:

• Sid Hawke to be Ripon’s next mayor
• Parents describe ‘chaotic’ morning after Boroughbridge school bus cut

With less than three weeks to go until the Queen’s platinum jubilee celebrations begin, preparations are already under way across the Harrogate district.

Bunting has gone up in Harrogate town centre, while knitters in Ripon have put together a fitting royal display.

Knaresborough Business Collective has joined in the fun by putting up commemorative flags outside shops across the town, with even more being added this week.

Knaresborough

The town has plenty of plans for celebrations throughout the jubilee weekend, as do many communities across the district.

Ripon and Harrogate have also dressed up the streets in preparation for the four-day party.

The Stray Ferret has put together a comprehensive guide to what’s happening across the four days. You can find the full details here.

Knaresborough

Bunting on High Skellgate in Ripon.

Bunting going up in Harrogate this week.

If your street, village or town is putting up decorations to mark the occasion, let us know by emailing details and photographs to contact@thestrayferret.co.uk.

Independent councillor Sid Hawke is to be Ripon’s next mayor.

Cllr Hawke, who previously served as mayor in 2008/09, will replace fellow Independent Eamon Parkin at the annual mayor making ceremony on May 23.

His term will coincide with celebrations for the Queen’s platinum jubilee on June 2 to 5 as well as Ripon Cathedral’s 1,350th anniversary.

Ripon-born Cllr Hawke is a semi-retired window cleaner who has also served as a retained firefighter for North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service in Ripon.

Elected to Ripon City Council in 2002, Cllr Hawke represents the Ure Bank ward on both Ripon City Council and on Harrogate Borough Council.

He lost to Liberal Democrat Barbara Brodigan in last week’s North Yorkshire Council election for Ripon Ure Bank and Spa division.

Cllr Hawke said:

“I am delighted to be nominated by Ripon city councillors in the selection for the position of mayor and I am looking forward to representing the city in this very important year of HM Queen Elizabeth II’s platinum jubilee.”

Read more:

• Conservative councillor Victoria Oldham nominated as final Harrogate mayor
• Ripon author to sign copies of best-selling book tomorrow
• Funeral next week for Ripon restaurant owner Mario

The mayor will be formally installed in a service at Ripon Cathedral on July 3.

Cllr Hawke’s wife, Linda, will accompany him on mayoral engagements. Cllr Parkin will be deputy mayor.

The Rt. Revd. Dr Helen-Ann Harley, Bishop of Ripon will remain as the mayor’s chaplain.

After demand for The Bad Room went through the roof, Ripon author Jade Kelly’s debut book has been reprinted by publisher Harper Collins.

The author, who manages the Navigation Inn at Bondgate Green, features the harrowing true story about the abuse she and other children suffered when they were fostered by an evil woman.

From 11am and 1pm tomorrow, Jade will be signing copies at The Little Ripon Bookshop in Westgate.

She told the Stray Ferret:

“Though the launch plan was disrupted by the covid lockdowns, once the book hit the shelves demand for it went through the roof and to date, 35,000 copies have been sold.

“It appears to have caught the eye of many people – perhaps because it tackles issues that have come to prominence in a number of high-profile inquiries.”

Ranked in the UK as the third best-selling in its genre, the book, which is also available as a download on Apple and Kindle, has been in the top five Amazon best sellers and is in constant reprint.

Ms Kelly has rebuilt her life and been manager of the Navigation since moving to Ripon in 2019.

Read more:

• Why do crimes go un-detected in Ripon?
• Ripon teenager attacked by two thugs

Me Kelly said:

“Writing it brought back many bad memories, but at the same time I felt it helped in my own healing process.

“I hope that reading it will help others who are facing, or have faced similar situations.”

As well as being available at the Little Ripon Bookshop, The Bad Room is on sale at WH Smith,  Waterstones and from Amazon.

A team of Ripon-based soldiers are rowing and cycling the equivalent distance from Cyprus to the UK to raise money for a men’s mental health charity.

21 Engineer Regiment has been in Cyprus since April as part of the United Nations (UN) peacekeeping force. They’ve been carrying out patrols on the buffer zone that runs between the Greek and Turkish Cypriots.

Whilst there, they have decided to raise funds for men’s mental health charity CALM.

They will use a combination of static bikes and rowing machines and plan to cover the 4,338 kilometres from their base in Nicosia all the way back to the regiment’s headquarters in Ripon.

Read more:

• Ripon teenager assaulted in unprovoked attack
• Funeral next week for Ripon restaurant owner Mario

Spr Parker from the regiment said:

“Fitness is very much part of our daily lifestyle and so combining such challenges to highlight an important cause works really well for me.

“Mental health is hard to face, but for some reason it’s even harder with young men. In society I feel mental well-being among men is often not taken seriously enough or just overlooked”.

The link to donate is: https://www.justgiving.com/team/Road2Ripon

Harrogate Borough Council is set to spend almost double what it planned to repair a collapsed wall in Kirkby Malzeard.

The council is due to appoint construction firm Keir to repair and rebuild the wall at St Andrew’s Church, which collapsed due to heavy rain in February 2020.

Officials at the authority had initially earmarked £250,000 to fund the project, which was given planning approval in February this year.

However, a report due before the council’s urgency committee next week says the project will now cost £491,670.

Council officials said the cost reflected the “volatile nature of the construction market at the moment”.

Jonathan Dunk, executive officer for strategic property and major projects, said in his report:

“The work was not able to be contracted until the planning process was concluded and permissions put in place.

“Any further delay now would create the additional risk of further wall collapse and would mean that the work could not take place over the coming summer months.”

Read more:

• ‘End this farce’: Kirkby Malzeard wall to finally be rebuilt
• Kirkby Malzeard’s bells could ring again for Queen’s jubilee

The increased cost is set to be funded from the council’s investment reserves. If approved, work on the wall is scheduled to start this month and end in September.

The move to repair the wall comes after residents and parish councillors urged the council to end the “farce” of the church wall earlier this year.

Cllr Peter Saxon, of Kirkby Malzeard, Laverton and Dallowgill Parish Council, told the borough council’s planning committee in February:

“Kirkby Malzeard as a community is no stranger to controversial planning decisions. This is not one of them.

“Speaking as the parish council, we presented a unanimous view, as with every resident I have spoken to, to ask you to please, please end this farce.”

North Yorkshire Police is appealing for witnesses following an assault on a 17-year-old in Ripon.

It happened outside Majestic Wine on North Street between 9.45pm and 10pm on Wednesday May 4.

The victim was approached by two unknown young men who punched him several times in an unprovoked attack.

He suffered minor facial injuries but did not require medical treatment.

The suspects are described as being aged around 16 to 18 years old and were wearing dark tracksuits.

Anyone with information that could assist the investigation should contact North Yorkshire Police on 101, select option 2, and ask for Mark Nursey. You can also email mark.nursey@northyorkshire.police.uk.

If you wish to remain anonymous, you can pass information to Crime stoppers on 0800 555 111. 

Read more:

• Harrogate police begin two-week gun amnesty
• Funeral next week for Ripon restaurant owner Mario

The funeral will be held next week for the owner of Ripon restaurant Mario’s.

The family-run restaurant, serving traditional Italian food, has been part of Ripon life for almost 20 years.

Mario Chessa, who was the son of a chef, was born in Napoli in 1959. He moved to England in 1997 with a dream of opening his own restaurant.

He had worked as a chef in Italy and was employed by various restaurants around Harrogate until he became head chef at Joe Rigatoni, which is now Lucia.

In 2004 he fulfilled his lifelong dream by opening Mario’s on Kirkgate, which he ran with his son, Marco, and wife, Maria.

The family announced on social media last week that Mario had lost a long battle with cancer. Many of the hundreds of people who commented on Facebook described him as a ‘lovely man’ who would be sorely missed.

Marco Chessa told the Stray Ferret:

“My father was a much loved, kind, hardworking man. He was a loving father and grandfather and a wonderful husband who will be missed by many.”

“Myself, my mother and all our staff will carry on his legacy. We are closed at the moment but due to reopen on the May 24.”

His funeral will be held on May 19 at St Joseph’s Church on Skipton Road, Harrogate, at 11.30am.