The vaccination centres at the Great Yorkshire Showground in Harrogate and Ripon Races will close in August after clinical leaders decided they were no longer needed.
The two GP-led sites have administered more than 120,000 jabs so far. The Harrogate centre will close on August 13 and the Ripon site will close on August 31.
The pharmacy-led centres in Knaresborough and Pateley Bridge are set to play a larger role in the vaccine rollout as a result.
NHS England believes the pharmacy sites, along with regional vaccine hubs in Leeds and York, will provide more than enough capacity to administer vaccines after August.
Dr Chris Preece, a GP partner at Church Lane Surgery in Boroughbridge and clinical director of the Knaresborough and Rural District Primary Care Network, said the vaccination programme in the Harrogate District had been “phenomenally successful”. He added:
“As the programme moves towards vaccinating younger and more mobile cohorts, we’re already seeing evidence that people are choosing to travel to one of the larger, regional vaccination hubs, rather than waiting to be contacted by their GP practice.
“We would like to place on record our extreme gratitude to the Yorkshire Events Centre and Ripon Racecouse for their support and the generous use of their facilities.”
Dr Ian Dilley, a GP partner at East Parade Surgery in Harrogate and clinical director of the Mowbray Square Primary Care Network added:
“With the huge number of people now vaccinated in the local area, we feel August is an appropriate end date.
“We need to be mindful of the other pressures that will be placed on doctors’ surgeries as we head towards autumn and winter, and the annual flu vaccine campaigns that GP practices need to provide.
“We also need to enable our kind hosts at the Yorkshire Events Centre and Ripon Racecourse to provide their own events as restrictions continue to be eased and more public events are permitted.”
The primary care networks will continue to run vaccination clinics from both the Harrogate and Ripon sites for the next three months,
Parkrun tentatively scheduled to return to Harrogate and Knaresborough in two weeksParkrun could resume in Harrogate and Knaresborough in just over a fortnight’s time after an absence of more than a year.
Organisers hope to restart the weekly 5km run in the two towns on June 5.
The government’s roadmap out of lockdown has permitted parkrun since March. But obstacles have remained in the way of organisers, who still have to negotiate with whoever owns the land on which the runs take place.
Harrogate Borough Council has given parkrun permission to return on the Stray in Harrogate and Conyngham Hall in Knaresborough.
However, a spokesperson for the National Trust, which owns Fountains Abbey in Ripon told the Stray Ferret:
“We are still working closely with the organisers and volunteers at parkrun. We have no set date for a return yet.
“The National Trust is committed to working with parkrun. But we have to limit the numbers of people in our busiest areas.”
The Harrogate district appears to be in better position than much of the rest of the country. So far parkrun only has permission for 161 of its 589 locations.
That low number means that the return of parkrun “hangs in the balance.” A spokesperson for Parkrun UK said:
Ripon grants scheme opens for applications“A combination of obstacles, including misunderstanding the government’s roadmap, reluctance, hesitation and unnecessary red tape threatens to delay the return of parkrun indefinitely.
“Parkrun UK must make a decision two weeks ahead of the planned return on whether restarting events on June 5 is viable.
“With all other sports returning, alongside the reopening of indoor dining and hospitality, further roadblocks to parkrun’s return feel unreasonable.”
Community groups in Ripon are being invited to apply for grants of up to £1,000.
Ripon City Council’s small grants scheme has £20,000 available for allocation in the 2021/2022 financial year.
The scheme is designed to be an easy way to access a source of funding for local organisations.
A council spokesperson said:
“The council recognises the disruption to our local groups and organisations caused by the covid pandemic.
“We aim to support as many different activities in the city as possible in the financial year.
“With this in mind, the scheme will not have a closing date in 2021/22 and will remain open until funds are exhausted.
“We will review the applications received at each meeting of the council.”
The Jennyruth Workshops charity provides training and work opportunities that help to build confidence (Photograph courtesy of Jennyruth Workshops)
Among those to receive an award last year was Jennyruth Workshops, which is a charity that provides work and life skills for adults with learning disabilities.
An award was also made to Ripon YMCA, which provides supported housing for young people aged 16-35.
Other grant recipients in the 2020/2021 financial year included Ripon Community Link, Ripon City AFC, Ripon City Photographic Society, Ripon City Panthers Junior Football Club Friends of Hell Wath and Abbeyfield Ripon and District Society Ltd.
If an applicant is not a wholly Ripon-based organisation it may be necessary to ringfence any grant from the council towards a Ripon-based event, project or activity.
Applications must clearly benefit Ripon people as the grants scheme has been funded by an increase in the precept – money collected through the council tax levied on Ripon residents.
The council will not consider applications from commercial organisations, individuals, political groups or for projects of a directly political nature.
All valid applications will be considered by full council. Further details are available here.
Full English in Ripon’s Wetherspoon back on the menu as indoor dining returns
A full English breakfast inside pubs was back on the menu this morning as England’s lockdown restrictions eased.
For Eddie and Shirlie Button it meant a welcome return to The Unicorn, Ripon’s largest pub and hotel.
The couple, who are regulars for full English breakfasts, as well as for coffee and curry nights at the Wetherspoon pub, were the first customers through the door today at 8am.
Like other pub-goers across the district, they were thrilled to be able to eat indoors after such a cold few weeks.
Mr Button told the Stray Ferret:
“Before the lockdown, we would normally come for breakfast on a Sunday. We will probably come a couple of times this week, as a bit of a treat.”
Mrs Button is pleased to be able to put the frying pan back in her kitchen cupboard. She said:
“I’ve been cooking breakfasts at home for more than four months.
“We created our own ‘Spoons-style service.”
Eddie and Shirlie Button, were the first customers for more than four months to eat inside the Wetherspoon-owned pub.
The Unicorn’s deputy manager, Jonny Mahoney, said:
“It’s great to be able to welcome people back.
“Because our beer garden is relatively small, we decided not to open an outdoor service in April and waited until today.”
The hotel, which has more than 30 rooms, will reopen for guests this evening and the pub will be open from 7am until 12noon Monday to Thursday and 7am until 1am on Fridays and Saturdays.
Social distancing and hygiene measures are in place alongside online and paper-based track and trace.
Ripon museums reopen today with new exhibition
The death of Harriet Rodwell, who committed suicide in the city’s workhouse in 1855, features in a new exhibition opening in Ripon today.
Ms Rodwell’s hard life and sad demise is remembered in Fragments — one of five textile installations.
Created by 6-Ply — a group of North Yorkshire textile artists — it is part of the Lives Unravelled exhibition at Ripon’s Workhouse Museum.
The display, dedicated to Ms Rodwell and created by Eileen Sweeney, reflects the fact that only fragments of the former inmate’s life remain.
The Prison & Police Museum – one of Ripon’s three heritage attractions now reopened for visitors
The new exhibition marks the reopening of the city’s three heritage attractions.
The workhouse, along with the Prison & Police and Old Courthouse are operated by Ripon Museum Trust.
The custom-made Lives Unravelled exhibition is Inspired by historical research into the lives of workhouse women.
It will be on display until September 5.
Artists have used a variety of materials and techniques to convey the real experiences and imagined emotions of being a woman in the workhouse.
Pieces installed as part of the exhibition, also include Room for Mother and Infant, by Hazel Waite; Jane Button’s “Fancy Apron”, by Sarah Lowe; Veg, Glorious Veg, by Mary Exelby and Apron of Feelings, by Jenny Bradbury.
Helen Thornton, director of Ripon Museum Trust said:
“It’s so exciting to be able to reopen our museums with this very moving and powerful temporary exhibition by local textiles group 6-Ply.
“We’re delighted to share these works with visitors and I hope they encourage people to consider the lives of people who lived and died here.”
Following today’s reopening, the museums will be open Tuesday to Sunday and on selected Bank Holidays, including bank holiday Monday, May 31.
Entrance to the exhibition is included in the cost of museum entry. All tickets to Ripon museums are valid for repeat visits over a 12-month period.
Bookings can be made via the museum trust website or by calling 01765 690799.
Ripon Museums have covid safety measures in place and have been awarded the Visit Britain We’re Good to Go industry standard.
Ripon’s saint will still have his dayThe covid lockdown is gradually easing, but Ripon’s annual celebration of St Wilfrid and his legacy will be scaled back for a second year.
St Wilfrid’s Day is one of the city’s biggest occasions of the year, marked with events and a large procession pre-pandemic. Thousands of people would line the city streets and congregate on Market Square.
Organisers are planning for a smaller celebration this year while looking to use 2021 as a platform to promote activities next year and beyond.
As well as being the 1,350th anniversary of St Wilfrid founding a church on the site of Ripon Cathedral, 2022 marks the Queen’s platinum jubilee.
The St Wilfrid’s Procession committee is in discussions with Ripon City Council about having a presence on Market Square over the weekend of 31 July and 1 August.
Committee secretary Sue Simms told the Stray Ferret:
“We did not feel running a large-scale procession this year would be a responsible choice.
“The situation was complicated by the fact that we would have needed to start applying for road closures back in October.
“Because of the coronavirus crisis, we couldn’t plan ahead with any degree of confidence at that time.”
As part of last year’s scaled-back St Wilfrid’s Day celebrations, the Ripon Morris Band performed at social distance in Church Lane.
The procession committee is planning for actors dressed as St Wilfrid and monks to take the traditional walk around Ripon, along with a pony or donkey on Saturday July 31.
It will end on Market Square, where the council is planning to stage a weekend of activities and entertainment for residents and visitors.
Ms Simms said:
“We hope to have space on Market Square to promote and celebrate our saint’s day.
“The objective is to build interest in taking part as entrants and organisers of the procession in future years.”
Last year celebrations of the city’s patron saint were limited to the St Wilfrid trail, with Ms Simms’ husband Paul, dressed as St Wilfrid, walking the route normally taken by a St Wilfrid actor on horseback, along with floats, Ripon City Band and others.
Across the city, businesses and residents maintained the tradition by putting St Wilfrid displays in windows and gardens.
Looking forward, Ms Simms would like to hear from anybody wanting to become involved in the 2022 procession. She can be contacted on 07964854006.
In past years, pubs, schools, churches, friends, businesses, shops, streets, social, children’s and sports clubs have taken part.
Morrisons refuses to pay for repair after Ripon mother’s carwash ordeal
A mother and her young children had a frightening experience in the car wash at Morrisons in Ripon recently.
Seven-year-old Arthur and Hector, who has recently turned three, were in their child seats in the back of Helen Mars’ car.
She feared that the boys would be injured, when the rear windscreen wiper arm and blade was ripped off by a roller.
Mrs Mars told the Stray Ferret:
“With the metal arm entangled in the roller, it was crashing against the rear window.
“It was close to where Arthur and Hector were sitting and I was worried that it would smash the glass.”
Ripped off by car wash rollers – this photograph, showing the missing rear windscreen wiper, was taken by Mrs Mars after the incident at Morrisons
Before driving into the car wash in her Suzuki Alto, Mrs Mars put a long polythene sheath over the rear windscreen wiper arm and blade.
She said she received it when she paid for the car wash and followed the instructions given by a member of staff in the petrol station shop.
When problems occurred, Mrs Mars followed written instructions at the car wash by sounding her horn over and over again. But no member of staff came to her immediate aid.
With the car wash still part way through its cycle, Mrs Mars re-started the car’s engine and drove out.
It was only then that staff came forward.
Mrs Mars, who lives in Kirkby Road said:
“A manager at the store saw the damage that had been done.
“He apologised and said that Morrisons accepted liability for what had happened.
“I was assured by him and another manager I subsequently saw, that I would be reimbursed for the cost of the repair work.”
That cost £75, but Morrisons has refused to pay.
The Stray Ferret contacted the supermarket giant to seek the company’s response to what Mrs Mars said.
No response has been received at the time of going to press.
However, Mrs Mars has provided an email dated April 26 received from Morrisons’ insurance team.
The email said:
“Having investigated the matter no evidence was found to suggest that it was our car wash that caused the damage to your car.
“The car wash was in good working order with no problems or other incidents reported on the day of your visit.
“Stores are unable to advise customers we will pay them the costs to repair without a full investigation.”
It added the equipment was not faulty and the company was “unable to consider your claim further”.
The Stray Ferret visited Morrisons on May 3 and May 4 and discovered the car wash was closed, awaiting repair. It has since reopened.
Mrs Mars, who was initially offered £20 by Morrisons ‘as a gesture’ is still awaiting any form of payment.
She said:
Ripon man charged with animal welfare offences“The incident caused the children distress and now, whenever we go out in the car, Hector says, ‘not the car wash mummy’.”
A Ripon man disqualified from keeping or owning animals has been charged with possessing 76 birds and a string of other offences.
Michael Andrew Hawkswell, of Nunwick near Ripon, appeared at York Magistrates Court on Monday, accused of breaching the Animal Welfare Act 2006, which forbids him from keeping animals.
Besides possessing the birds, Hawkswell, 45, is charged with five other offences.
They include buying and transporting two goats, possessing seven sheep in his trailer, possessing a duck, unloading poultry from a vehicle into sale pens at Highgate auctions in Rotherham and buying and selling poultry.
Mr Hawkswell was remanded on unconditional bail for a medical or psychiatric report to be prepared.
Police appeal for help finding wanted Ripon man
North Yorkshire Police has appealed for help finding a Ripon man who is wanted in connection with offences including robbery, kidnap and burglary.
John Paul Wilson, 21, is wanted in connection with a strong of offences in the Ripon area
The police today issued an appeal asking anyone who has seen him or knows where he is to contact them.
They believe that he could be in the Ripon or Harrogate area although he also has connections with Darlington.
Anyone with information is asked to contact North Yorkshire Police on 101, or 999 in the case of an immediate sighting.
They can also pass anonymous information to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
Quote reference 12210110476 when passing on information.
Sale of Ripon Spa Baths to go ahead despite protestsHarrogate Borough Council has rejected repeated calls for the sale of Ripon Spa Baths to be halted while work on the city’s regeneration masterplan is underway.
The council put the historic baths on the market in February in a move which sparked concerns that it could lose its community use if snapped up by a private developer.
Groups including Ripon City Council, Ripon Civic Society and Ripon Together have since made calls for the sale not to be rushed through.
But a Harrogate Borough Council spokesperson has now made its intentions clearer than ever. The spokesperson said:
“We have no plans to withdraw the sale of Ripon Spa Baths.
“The building will soon become surplus to our requirements and we do not have the resources to maintain it.
“Selling the baths for redevelopment, subject to planning permission and listed building consents, would allow this local asset to be given a new lease of life, retain its key features and remain as a city landmark.
“Ripon City Council, or another interested party, is welcome to submit a bid.”
City council leader Andrew Williams told a meeting on Tuesday that it was “clearly inappropriate” for the 116-year-old baths to remain on the market while the Ripon Renewal Project is underway.
The Harrogate Borough Council-led project started in January with a consultancy firm being paid £85,000 to draw up a vision for the future of the city and help it win funding for major infrastructure, planning and community projects.
At Tuesday’s meeting, Cllr Williams also pledged to set up a community working group to think up future uses for the baths, which will reopen on May 14 following months of closures caused by the lockdown and staffing issues.
He said:
“This council needs to take a lead in bringing other groups together to look at alternatives in terms of what the Spa Baths site could potentially be used for.
“With this master-planning exercise going on at the moment, we shouldn’t be taking this building out of the equation.”
The Harrogate Borough Council spokesperson said the building was being sold because it will no longer be needed by the authority when the refurbishment of Ripon Leisure Centre is completed later this year.
The multi-million pound upgrades were due to be completed earlier in 2021 but there have been construction and covid delays.
The spokesperson added:
“Our strategy of disposing of assets no longer required means we have been able to invest more than £10m in Ripon.
“The city’s new state-of-the-art, bigger, and better swimming pool and refurbished leisure centre will open at the end of this year”.