One of Ripon’s biggest employers is set to celebrate its 50th anniversary today.

Wolseley UK, which supplies building materials, is holding a family open day to coincide with the reopening of its head office.

The company, which employs more than 320 people in the city, is set to welcome all employees back today after its offices underwent a £500,000 refurbishment.

Face painting, a coconut shy and a performance from the Ripon City band will take place.

Read more:

• Ripon’s Curzon cinema finally looks set to reopen
• Civic society cautiously welcomes plan to redevelop former Debenhams building

Mayor of Ripon, Eamon Parkin, will cut the ribbon on the grand reopening.

Danny Bryan, employee engagement officer at Wolseley, said:

“Naturally, we’re incredibly excited about this step forward for our business, and it is sure to have a profound, positive impact on the local community worth shouting about.”

The company began life in Ripon in 1971 as The Wolseley Hughes Group.

It was based on Boroughbridge Road, where it remains to this day, and was made up of three companies OBC, Yorkshire Heating Supplies and Granville Controls.

In 1985, the company expanded its site and by 1996 was known as Wolseley Centres.

Parent company Ferguson sold Wolseley UK to a private equity firm, Clayton, Dubilier & Rice, for £308m in January.

North Yorkshire’s police, fire and crime commissioner has pledged to pay for two CCTV cameras in Ripon following a “mini crime wave”.

The two cameras are set to cost £10,000 each, but Philip Allott, the county’s police, fire and crime commissioner, has said his office will foot the bill.

It follows a spate of anti-social behaviour in the city, including an alleged knifepoint robbery of a teenage boy Bondgate last month. A 17-year-old boy and a 21-year-old man were later charged and remanded in custody.

Mr Allott told a meeting of North Yorkshire County Council‘s Skipton and Ripon Area Constituency Committee today that his office was willing to pay for the extra cameras, but warned that other measures would have to be taken to bring down crime.

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He told councillors that police already had resources to investigate and apprehend offenders and that other measures to take kids off the streets were needed.

Mr Allott said:

“In Ripon where there has been a mini crime wave, primarily thanks to four families where the perpetrators have been held on remand pending court appearances. We need to work with partners.

“I can make sure the police have resources and indeed in Ripon they have, to investigate and apprehend offenders but we need to look at diversion stuff we can do.

“The city council yesterday evening is keen to get not one but two extra cameras from the borough council. We will fund that and the cost is £10,000 each.

“But somebody has to do that application to my office, I cannot do that application alone.

“Equally, we do need councillors in particular to help in terms of local partnerships and safety hubs to help us with the diversion stuff that we can provide to take kids off the streets.”

A 23-year-old supermarket worker has been crowned Miss Harrogate Galaxy and is now ready to take on other beauty queens in the final of Miss Galaxy UK.

Victoria Hind, from Sharow, near Ripon, was crowned Miss Harrogate in her first pageant last month and will now compete in November’s final.

Ms Hind said she always wanted to compete in pageants but prior to lockdown didn’t think she had the confidence.

After suffering with anxiety for some years, she is hoping this competition will boost her confidence and teach her to “grab every opportunity that comes my way”.

Pageant life is a little different to Ms Hind’s day job at Sainsbury’s in Ripon.

The Miss Galaxy UK final at the Park Hall Hotel in Lancashire consists of four rounds; an interview round, an evening wear round, a fashion wear round and a swimwear round.

If she wins she will have the chance to travel to America to compete in the Miss Galaxy International final next summer.

Ms Hind said:

“I’m really excited, its something I’ve wanted to do for a while but I was too nervous.

“It’s not just a beauty pageant; it’s about girls supporting girls. This gives me a reason to step out my comfort zone.”

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Ms Hind has already made an appearance as Miss Harrogate Galaxy at Ripon Races and is looking forward to attending more events during her reign.

She also plans to use her platform to raise money for the charity Dogsforgood, which trains dogs to live as assistance dogs in people’s homes.

The charity helped find her step-dad, who suffers from multiple sclerosis, an assistance dog so she is determined to raise as much as she can.

There are finally positive signs that Curzon is planning to reopen its Ripon cinema, but the company says that the date is not yet known.

The premises on North Street have been closed since the first covid lockdown in March last year.

At present, Ripon is not listed among the 13 locations on the Curzon website, but a recruitment advert in the cinema’s windows suggest it is gearing up for a reopening.

However, when approached by the Stray Ferret about the duty manager position being advertised under the heading ‘We Are Recruiting’ a member of the Curzon customer service team, said:

“I can confirm that we are reopening but we do not have a date set yet for this to happen.”

The duty manager’s role is described by the cinema chain as involving ‘work alongside the general and assistant managers on all aspects of running the cinema.

This is currently the only role in Ripon being advertised on the jobs section of the Curzon website.

The advertisement in the windows at North Street says the company is seeking a person who, among other things, has ‘strong communication skills’ can ‘lead by example to provide top class customer service at all times’ and is willing to ‘act as an ambassador for Curzon at all times.’

Recruiting, but no confirmed reopening date as yet for Curzon’s Ripon cinema.

The London-headquartered BAFTA award-winning integrated film company was founded in 1934.

Alongside its cinemas, members can view film at their homes through its streaming service.

Read more:

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• Grants available to tackle crime in Ripon

As the covid lockdown restrictions on cinemas and live theatre were progressively eased by the government earlier this year, Curzon issued confusing and contradictory statements about its plans for the two-screen Ripon venue, when approached by the Stray Ferret for updates on its plans.

Curzon’s opening in Ripon in November 2013, provided film lovers in the city and the surrounding rural areas, with their first cinema since the closure in 1982 of the Palladium Picture House on Kirkgate.

Post lockdown, those seeking the cinema experience have been able to see films screened at Harrogate’s Odeon and Everyman.

Plans to replace the fire-damaged Bilsdale transmitter and restore TV and radio signals for large swathes of the Harrogate district are being held up by the transmitter’s location within a rare heather moorland.

The blackout of Freeview TV channels and loss of radio signals has affected thousands of homes, particularly in the northern part of the district, after a major fire on August 10 put the 1,030 ft mast out of action.

Patience is wearing thin among many people, who have now been affected for three weeks.

Stray Ferret follower Lynette Cooper, who lives in central Harrogate, summed up the mood when she said:

“I’m totally fed up. For weeks now, I haven’t been able to see any of my favourite programmes.

“It’s the same for my daughter Helen at her home in Pickering and a friend told me that some elderly people at a Harrogate nursing home she goes to, just sit there with nothing to watch.”

The Bilsdale transmitter, built on the moors near Helmsley in 1969, is one of the most powerful transmitters in the UK, serving hundreds of thousands of viewers and listeners from North Yorkshire to the North East and beyond.

The Bilsdale mast’s moorland location.

In a statement on August 13, transmitter operator Arqiva said:

“Our plan involves the erection of an 80m temporary mast at Bilsdale and we have been surveying the site to identify the best alternative locations within the restrictions we have.

“Included in this is the fact that Bilsdale is a Site of Special Scientific Interest, meaning we have to seek agreement to place any additional equipment.”

In its most recent update since the fire incident, the company could still not provide a likely date when services would be restored. It said:

“We continue to work through the process to enable access to the Bilsdale site to build the temporary mast.

“There is no specific new detail to share at this point but we are continuing to work round the clock to find a way forward.”

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Read more:

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• Ripon groups urged to bid for £20,000 grants to tackle crime

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The transmitter’s location within a government-protected area of 44,000 hectares of moorland continues to be a stumbling block.

The area was designated a Site of Special Scientific Interest for its heathland habitat and breeding birds. Special permission needs to be granted for access across it.

Natural England says on its website:

“Heather moorland is rare on a worldwide scale – there is probably less heather moorland in the world than tropical rainforest.

“One of the largest continuous expanses of upland heather moorland in England and Wales is here in the North York Moors – a sheep could wander from Egton to Bilsdale without leaving it. Moorland covers a third of the North York Moors National Park and most of the higher ground is covered in heather.”

The area is also a designated Special Area of Conservation — a status reserved for important plant habitats in Europe — and a Special Protection Area because of its importance to breeding birds.

Although the access issues are yet to be resolved, Aquiva said last week some Freeview services had been restored for those who receive signals from smaller relay sites. None of them are in the Harrogate district.

A TV Licensing spokesman has said customers unable to receive TV coverage for more than a month will be eligible for a refund or free extension of their TV licence.

 

 

 

 

Attempts to resettle a refugee family in the Pateley Bridge area have taken a significant step forward.

Nidderdale Community Welcome, a community group set up to sponsor a refugee family in Nidderdale, has found a house and raised more than £12,000.

Peter Wright, who heads the organisation, said:

“We can expect a refugee family to be selected by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and for the family to be with us in about four months time.”

With funding and housing in place, the application to bring the family to the Dales now needs Home Office approval, which should be a formality.

In preparation for the resettlement, Nidderdale Community Welcome is to hold a meeting at Pateley Bridge Methodist Church between 7pm and 9pm on Tuesday next week. For further details email wrightpandh@gmail.com

The search for a house in the Pateley Bridge area for a refugee family has been successful.

Mr Wright said:

“We are now moving from the planning to the implementation stage and need to put together small teams to assist the family with benefits, schooling, language, etc.

“The meeting will allow people to hear what is involved and to help us by signing on to one or more of the teams.”

The steering group is also looking at the possibility of establishing a community investment scheme to purchase a house for the longer term of this project.

People able to invest between £5,000 and £40,000 in a fixed-term scheme with an anticipated return of two percent per annum would have a proportionate share in the capital of the house.

John Tarrant, treasurer of Nidderdale Community Welcome, can be contacted at johntarrant@leakhb.plus.com  for further information.

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Since the Taliban took control of Afghanistan, the refugee focus has switched from those displaced by war in Syria to Afghan nationals fleeing their country.

While Nidderdale Community Welcome, which was set up in November, plans for its first refugee family, Ripon City of Sanctuary has already resettled a number of Syrian families and is ready for another.

The group, established in 2016, has been fundraising since April, in anticipation of bringing another Syrian family to the city.

It has raised 85 per cent of the money needed and a has identified a suitable house.

Nicola David, chair of the Ripon group, said:

“We have been trying to build a little Syrian community here.

“Some Afghan interpreter families are currently being assisted to resettle in the UK, and a very small number have arrived in the Harrogate district.”

Organisations concerned about crime in Ripon are being urged to apply for grants of up to £20,000.

Ripon has been blighted by anti-social behaviour in recent months. In one of the latest incidents, a teenage boy was robbed at knifepoint in Bondgate a fortnight ago.

The North Yorkshire Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner‘s office operates a Community Fund specifically for local organisations, groups or individuals who need money to help fund a new community safety project or scheme.

The fund, which awards sums between £500 and £20,000, is only available for new projects and is aimed particularly at areas in the county suffering high crime.

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• Could former MoD homes in Ripon be used to help Afghans?

Philip Allott, who was elected North Yorkshire Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner this year, told the Stray Ferret he encouraged funding applications from groups and individuals in Ripon.

‘Funding can be used for setting up community activities like a youth club, theatre group, sports club, car maintenance, gardening group etc. The most important aspect is that the activity is designed for young people aged 11 – 17.

“I would particularly welcome enquiries from those looking to offer activities in Ripon as it will provide diversionary activities to stop young people getting sucked into low level criminal activities.”

The sun shone during the day and the tribute acts sparkled at night, as Ripon staged its second weekend of large-scale entertainment since the easing of lockdown.

By dawn yesterday, the city centre was swept, tidy and ready for dozens of stallholders at the Little Bird Artisan Market.

With its locally-made goods, the market remained open until 3pm, sharing the square with two fairground rides and a climbing wall.

The market opened prompt at 10am.

The entertainment, paid for from Ripon’s parish precept, aimed to support the city’s retailers, cafes, restaurants, pubs and heritage attractions, by driving additional footfall.

Saturday night’s crowd was larger than the one attracted by the Yorkshire Day Weekend tribute acts at the start of the month.

ABBA Forever, performing songs made famous by the Swedish supergroup, brought the curtain down on the musical entertainment, which also featured the Big Boyband Reunion whose repertoire ranged from The Backstreet Boys to Take That.

In between acts, in the shadow of the obelisk, Allison Clark from Ripon’s own ‘fab four’ team of hornblowers, performed the city’s ancient ceremony of setting the watch.

A spin beside the obelisk

Many of the children allowed to stay up late and join family groups on Market Square had, earlier on Saturday, ridden the Thomas the Tank Engine train, climbed the wall or enjoyed the uplifting experience of the Mini Paratrooper ride.

For three-year-old Scarlet, pictured above, with her grandmother Catherine, the train was the ride of choice, while a long line of older children, queued for their attempt at scaling the wall.

Today, the city’s Bank Holiday of free entertainment continues at Ripon Racecourse, which is holding its last family fun day of the season.

Gates open at 11.15, with complimentary entry for accompanied children to the course enclosure.

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The activities include a performance by the National Festival Circus, a Punch ‘n’ Judy magic show, barrel train ride, cub karts, an inflatable assault course with giant slide, balloon modelling, face painting  and sand and slime modelling.

Action on the track includes Ripon’s only listed race of the season — the EBF-sponsored Champion Two-Year-Old Trophy.

From comedy at Harrogate Cricket Club, to pig-themed scarecrows at Ripley or a family-friendly festival at Stockeld Park, here are the best activities on offer over this three-day weekend: 

Music and culture

Leeds Festival, Wetherby

Festivals are back with a bang, and Leeds Festival is once again set to take over Bramham Park, near Wetherby. Almost 90,000 people are expected at Bramham for the three-day event, which starts on Friday and is headlined this year by the likes of Liam Gallagher, Biffy Clyro and Stormzy. This year new format will see two main stages instead of the previous one. Friday to Monday, leedsfestival.com

Stockeld Rox, Wetherby

Family-friendly festivals have surged in popularity over the years, so Stockeld Park’s family tribute festival is sure to get parents and children singing along and dancing to the likes of Madonna, Jessie J, Rita Ora and Take That. Pizzas, snacks and drinks, including a full bar will be available. Each evening will end with a spectacular firework finale. All ticket holders will now also get free access to the adventure park from 3.30pm to 6pm to enjoy the attraction before the event. Sunday and Monday, tickets from £14, stockeldpark.co.uk

Stockeld Park is holding Stockeld Rox, a family-friendly tribute music festival.

Silly Point Comedy, Harrogate 

Balcony Bar at Harrogate Cricket Club has teamed up with Sitting Room Comedy to bring a night full of much-needed laughs. The outdoor show features award winning comedians: Chris Washington, Steve Day, Andrew Bird and MC Matt Stellingwerf. Sunday, tickets £12, sittingroomcomedy.com

Our Gate, Harrogate 

For those interested in a theatrical experience with a difference, Our Gate is an immersive community play with Harrogate and its citizens at its core. The show travels between indoor and outdoor locations through the town, rather than being fixed on stage like a traditional theatre show, with the audience at the centre of the action. Friday to Sunday, tickets from £18, harrogatetheatre.co.uk

Food and drink

Harrogate Food and Drink Festival, Harrogate

The Harrogate Food and Drink Festival is returning to Ripley Castle, with a huge selection of food, drink, independent traders and family entertainment. The dog-friendly event follows on from the previous sell-out festival held on The Stray in June and also features live bands, chef demos and art. Saturday to Monday, tickets £2.95 for under 16s and £6.98 for adults, under 5s free, harrogatefoodfestival.com 

Harrogate Food and Drink Festival is back – this time at Ripley Castle.

Malton Food Lovers Festival, Malton

Further afield, the quaint market town of Malton considers itself the food capital of the North, and this family-friendly festival is a huge hit with locals as well as tourists, who flock from all over the country to eat and drink local produce, listen to music and enjoy foodie talks. Saturday-Monday, free entry, visitmalton.com

Read more:

• What’s On across the district?
• Ripon to host another weekend of free family entertainment

Attractions

Fireworks Championships, 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 the organisers 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. Saturday, fireworkchampions.co.uk

Mamma Mia! Harewood

This is the first time that the original Mamma Mia! stage show has been performed in the open-air and the Bank Holiday weekend is the last chance to catch this unique production, set in the grounds of Harewood House. Friday to Monday, tickets from £39.50, mamma-mia.com/harewood-house

Outdoor Cinema, Bedale

Outdoor Cinema at Thorp Perrow Arboretum.

Free events

Wath Street Fair, Ripon

Wath’s main street will be filled with stalls, a Pimms and prosecco stand and a children’s treasure hunt. Other attractions include a bouncy castle, a brass band and a dog show, while teas will also be available in the village’s Samwaies Hall. Saturday, Free entry, funds raised go to St Mary’s Church.

Ripley Scarecrow Pigfest, Harrogate

Organised by Karen Evans for the last 21 years – with one year off in 2020 due to Covid19 – the scarecrow trail was originally started in 2001 to encourage visitors back to the countryside after the foot and mouth crisis and has a fun take on the traditional scarecrow hunt. The Scarecrows are inspired by the story of Thomas de Ingilby, an ancestor of Sir Thomas Inglby of Ripley Castle, who saved King Edward III from a wild boar attack in 1355 and whose crest (the boar’s head) is the emblem of Ripley village. All the scarecrows have pigs heads and pig names such as Boarglar Bill, Pigmaylion, Porkupine, Thumboarlina and the Statue of Liboarty. Competition sheets cost £4 and list the names of the scarecrows. Each scarecrow has a number and the idea is to match the name to the number. Those who get them all correct are entered into a hat, with the winners drawn at random. A great family day out and a good excuse for a Ripley ice cream! Friday to Monday, ripleyscarecrowpigfest.co.uk

A free weekend of entertainment on the Market Square, Ripon

The August Bank Holiday weekend will see the return of fairground rides and a climbing wall. The event-staged by Ripon City Council follows the Yorkshire Day weekend, that brought hundreds of people to the city centre. There will be musical entertainment from 7pm on Saturday, featuring three tribute acts singing a selection of chart-topping hits from the best-known boy bands, Paloma Faith and ABBA. On Sunday 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.

Families gather in Ripon Market Square.

Harrogate Car Enthusiasts Motor Show and Family Fun Day, Harrogate 

With everything from super cars to classic cars and “boy racer” cars, Harrogate Car Enthusiasts is hosting its fifth charity Motor Show and Family Fun Day in aid of Yorkshire Air Ambulance at a brand new venue – Harrogate Rugby Club. More than 250 vehicles, including tractors and motorbikes, are set to go on display and there will also be a variety of stalls and children’s entertainment, including a bouncy castle and rides. Monday.

Water Trail, Harrogate

Harrogate Mumbler has teamed up with the Harrogate BID to celebrate Harrogate’s most famous export… water. The Water Trail has two different challenges for families to enjoy – firstly finding the 20 water-themed pictures and secondly answering 20 Harrogate trivia questions. There are four different trails in total and participants have to simply spot the water-themed image in participating retailer’s windows. There is a prize for everyone who completes a trail. Until Sunday, September 5th, harrogate.mumbler.co.uk

The Harrogate Water Trail is a free activity for families.

Ripon will do all it can to help with the resettlement of Afghan families fleeing their country in fear of the Taliban.

That’s the message from the city’s Conservative county councillors Mike Chambers and Stuart Martin, following a call for urgent action from former Mayor of Ripon, John Richmond.

Mr Richmond, who served as an independent councillor on Ripon City and North Yorkshire County Council, noticed that a clutch of former Ministry of Defence-owned houses off Whitcliffe Lane are up for sale.

He told the Stray Ferret:

“In view of the desperate plight of the Afghans that we are witnessing every day, on our televisions, I wondered if a few houses could be set aside to meet their pressing need.”

The former mayor put the question to Cllrs Chambers and Martin and also Ripon’s MP Julian Smith and he has been encouraged by their positive responses.

John Richmond is seeking urgent help to find homes in Ripon for families fleeing Afghanistan.

Cllr Chambers, who is also Harrogate Borough Council‘s cabinet member for homes and safer communities, said:

“We are already committed to resettling Afghan families in the Harrogate district and will look closely at what can be done specifically in Ripon.”

Lease back agreement

Among former MoD properties that are being marketed by Ripon’s estate agents are homes in Marina Way and Kent Close.

Prior to going on the market, the family-sized houses are being ‘lightly refurbished’ by Group Worx.

In 1996, the MoD entered into a sale and lease back arrangement with Annington Property Limited involving 55,000 homes built originally for military personnel and their families.

This includes properties in Ripon and sale boards in Marina Way and Kent Close bear the Annington name.

Cllr Chambers said:

“The properties haven’t belonged to the MoD for 25 years, but we will have to see what we can do.

“I am very aware of the ties that this country has with Afghanistan, having been welfare officer for the Royal Engineers in Ripon following my career in the RAF.”

‘Exceptional circumstances’

Cllr Martin, who is also a district councillor and immediate past mayor of the Harrogate district, said:

“While I remain mindful that many local people are seeking assistance from the council with finding a home, these are exceptional circumstances.

“A large number of Afghans who are having to leave their country for their own safety have helped the British and US forces and are our friends.

“You should help your friends and I am all for supporting their resettlement here in Ripon and other parts of the district.”

Read more:

• Harrogate District to assist Afghan refugees
• Ripon and Pateley Bridge resettlement groups ready to help

A response received from Julian Smith’s office said that he would look into the suggested provision of some of the MoD’s former properties.

Mr Richmond added:

“At times like these, actions will speak louder than words, I’m pleased with the willingness to look at my suggestion and believe that if Ripon and all communities across the UK can do their bit, we can ease a lot of suffering.”