Ripon PE teacher Helen Mackenzie has received the British Citizen Award for outstanding work tackling food poverty and encouraging sport.

Ms Mackenzie, who works at Ripon Grammar School, overcame breast cancer after being diagnosed 11 years ago.

She is among a select group of 27 adults across the UK to be honoured with the award this year.

The British Citizen Awards are held twice a year to recognise individuals doing extraordinary work in their local community.

In November 2019, Ms Mackenzie and her friend Sarita McDermott, who owns the Realitea Cafe in North Street, Ripon set up the food charity Back to Basics.

Ms Mackenzie told the Stray Ferret:

“The idea is that we provide families who are struggling — usually those with kids on free school meals — with the ingredients for a delicious nutritious meal.”

A typical weekly Back to Basics food donation, which is given to families along with a recipe card.

She added:

“We are not a soup kitchen so we don’t provide the meal for them — we expect them to get ‘back to basics’ and cook with their family.”

Netball for all

Ms Mackenzie and Ms McDermott fundraise for the charity and have secured financial support from local businesses, as well as donations of goods from individuals.

This enables them to provide families with everything they need, from food ingredients to recipe cards, designed to help parents and children to work together in creating the meals.

In addition to her Back to Basics charity, Ms Mackenzie is also well-known in Ripon for encouraging sport.

She vowed to make competitive sport, which is normally the preserve of the ultra-fit and young, accessible to all after overcoming an aggressive form of stage three breast cancer.

In 2015 she started Ripon City Netball Club, which attracts not only girls but also seniors and people with varying levels of mobility, ability and sporting prowess.

Many mums — including Ms Mackenzie — play alongside their daughters. Nearly 100 people now take part.

‘Remarkable and inspirational’

Alec Lutton, who set up the first Ripon food bank, nominated Ms Mackenzie for the British Citizen Award.

He said:

“She is a remarkable and inspirational person with a can-do attitude and a determination to do help others in need of assistance or encouragement.”

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The nomination was supported by Ripon councillor and three-time former city mayor Pauline McHardy, who has known Ms Mackenzie for many years,

She said:

“Helen is the salt of the earth and her contribution to the community in Ripon is absolutely immense.”

Today her bespoke BCA medal with the inscription ‘For the Good of the Country’ was delivered by special courier to her Ripon home.

Ms Mackenzie and her husband, John, have two grown-up daughters, Laura and Amy, and from now on, she can call herself Helen Mackenzie BCA.

North Yorkshire Police and Crime Commissioner Julia Mulligan has promised to visit Ripon to hear people’s concerns about escalating crime.

Ripon City Council wrote to Ms Mulligan last week asking to meet to discuss the “ongoing problem” of violence and anti-social behaviour in the city.

One councillor, Sid Hawke, said at a meeting last week the city was “sick of these yobbos”. Council leader Andrew Williams said some older people were too frightened to go onto Market Square.

In her written response, seen by the Stray Ferret, Ms Mulligan says she will meet councillors once she has been briefed by North Yorkshire Police.

She wrote:

“Once I have received this, I would be very willing to meet with you to hear your concerns first-hand.

“I will also arrange a public surgery for residents in Ripon, so that I can hear their views for myself.”

Ms Mulligan also said she will discuss the situation with Lisa Winward, North Yorkshire’s chief constable:

He said:

“I am pleased our concerns are being taken seriously and I hope we can all work together on this”.

A 15th century font in Ripon Cathedral is set to be moved for the first time since 1722 to a more prominent spot.

The font, made of blue-grey English limestone, is currently located towards the western end of the south aisle.

The cathedral has applied to Harrogate Borough Council for planning permission to relocate the font to the western end of the nave, where it will be visible on entry from any of the west doors.

The minster also wants to fit the font into a new two-step stone plinth with bronze handrail and decorative polished marble finish.

The font, which is believed to date back to the mid-to-late 1400s, survived the Reformation although it is thought to have been damaged during the later English Civil War.

There is a record of the font being repaired by stonemason Henry Lawson for 10 shillings and six pence (52.5p in today’s currency) in 1662.

The proposed extension of Ripon Cathedral, as seen in this artist’s impression, is one of the main reasons for relocating the font.

It was last moved in 1772 when its current stepped base was constructed.

The proposed move is partly due to the planned extension of the cathedral which, if approved, will require the creation of a new entrance to the ancient building.

A document produced by York archaeologists FAS Heritage says:

“A feasibility study is being undertaken as part of the Ripon Cathedral Renewed project, to explore the possibility of providing a new access through the south aisle south wall of the church. The font is situated within the bay of the proposed access.”

Besides moving the font, the planning application sets out plans to carry out structural repairs on the item.

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It also proposes using York stone pavers to the south nave aisle to replace the font plinth, in keeping with the surrounding York stone paving.

The cathedral has a second 12th century font at the altar in St Peter’s Chapel.

A vaccination site will be set up at Ripon racecourse, health bosses revealed this morning.

Amanda Bloor, accountable officer for NHS North Yorkshire CCG, told a North Yorkshire Local Resilience Forum press briefing the site will open next week.

No further details are available yet.

Jonathan Mullin, marketing manager at Ripon Races, told the Stray Ferret vaccinations would take place on separate days to race days and the course’s fixtures were unaffected by the news.

Ripon Races has 15 fixtures scheduled this year, starting on April 15.

Meetings took place behind closed doors last year and there is still no news on when people may be allowed to attend.

Last week Ripon City Council called for the city to get its own vaccination site and suggested the Hugh Ripley Hall would be a suitable location.

Days later, the Local Resilience Forum confirmed it intended to open a site in Ripon but hadn’t identified a location. Today it confirmed the racecourse had been chosen.

Health bosses also revealed at the meeting that 107,752 vaccinations have been carried out across North Yorkshire and York since the programme started in December.

Read more:

• Urgent call for covid vaccination centre in Ripon
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The Mayor of Ripon Councillor Eamon Parkin and Bishop of Ripon the Rt Revd Dr Helen-Ann Hartley will shortly have the difficult task of selecting the city’s community diamond.

Nominations close at the end of January and the independent judges already have a very high calibre list of 17 nominees to choose from.

Over the next few days we will look at some of those who have been nominated by readers of the Stray Ferret for their outstanding service to the Ripon community.

Each of the nominees that we will feature is the potential winner of the Ripon Community Diamond Award and an incredible prize worth up to £1,000, donated by Red Buttons Jewellers and Hedley Hall.

Red Buttons, which shares The Vintage Room premises in Queen Street, Ripon, with Mr Hall and his antiques, collectables and vintage models business, will create, for the winner, a customised piece of jewellery, featuring the diamond in a gold or white gold setting.

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Sally Alcock

Sally is a cook at Ripon Cathedral C of E Primary School and has been nominated by her sister Tracey Harrison, who said:

 

“She goes out of her way to help anybody. For the children at the school she makes Christmas decorations, cards and provides gift bags with sweets in so that nobody misses out.

“I am disabled and so are my parents and since the first lockdown in March she has done our shopping and never missed a week.”

Lou Grant

Lou is co-owner. with her husband Tim of Oliver’s Pantry in Fishergate.

Nominator Diane Adkin said:

 

“Lou helps the homeless and YMCA in Ripon and her joy and vitality has helped many people to have the strength to go on each day.”

Known for being ‘amazingly positive,’  Lou has raised spirits and enabled many people cope throughout the Covid pandemic and lockdowns with upbeat messages, help and practical advice shared on social media.

Jade Kelly

Jade works at the Navigation Inn in Canal Road and was nominated for answering a long-distance call for help

Kate Hopwood, who now lives in Australia, made the nomination and said:

“Jade saw a post I put on FaceBook after my 82-year-old mother was conned into buying £300 worth of fish from scammers.

“Jade immediately said she wanted to help to make her feel better, offering a donation from the pub. My mother is proud and didn’t want money, but loved the flowers Jade gave her.”

Annette Kite

Annette’s Ripon-based cleaning business has been affected by the pandemic, but that hasn’t stopped her from helping others

Anthony Holdsworth, who put her name forward for the award, said:

“During the first lockdown and for many weeks afterwards, Annette prepared, cooked and delivered hundreds of meals for elderly and those in need.

“She also sourced and managed food donations from local businesses to aid her support programme. All this was done at her own home, with no expectation of reimbursement for her time or utility costs.”

More of your nominations will be revealed over the coming days, so keep following the Stray Ferret to find out who else has been put forward for this amazing prize.

Skipton and Ripon MP Julian Smith has been appointed as an external advisor to a green energy company at a rate of between £1,000 and £2,000 per hour.

The former Northern Ireland secretary will be paid £2,000 a month to advise Simply Blue Management for the next year and will work between one and two hours each month.

The company, whose head office is in Cork, describes itself as ‘the leading early stage developer of sustainable and transformative marine projects’.

Last year the Stray Ferret revealed Mr Smith would be paid £3,000 an hour for another external advisor role with low carbon transport company Ryse Hydrogen.

That contract was for 12 months, with Mr Smith being paid £60,000 for 20 hours work.

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As former Northern Ireland secretary until February last year, Mr Smith sought advice from the Office of the Advisory Committee on Business Appointments about a potential conflict in taking the new role at Simply Blue Management.

In his response, committee chair Lord Eric Pickles warned Mr Smith there were “inherent risks’ with the appointment due to his previous position.

However, he was happy for Mr Smith to take up the role provided he doesn’t use any information gained during his time as a minister to benefit the business.

He also said the Ripon MP was not allowed to lobby the government on behalf of the business or advise on contracts with the UK government or the Northern Ireland executive for two years from the end of his appointment as secretary of state for Northern Ireland.

Lord Pickles wrote:

“As a former minister, there are also inherent risks with the contacts you have gained in office. However you have stated that you will not have contact with the government and this role will be advisory.

“The committee would draw your attention to the lobbying and bids and contracts bans below which makes it clear that it would be improper to make use of your contacts (directly or indirectly) to the unfair advantage of your employer, or advise on a bid or contract relating to the UK government or Northern Ireland executive.”

Neither Mr Smith nor Simply Blue Management responded to the Stray Ferret’s request for a comment on his appointment.

Ripon is to get its own coronavirus vaccination site, North Yorkshire health bosses revealed today.

Amanda Bloor, accountable officer at North Yorkshire Clinical Commissioning Group, said a site would be set up in the city.

However, a location has yet to be confirmed.

It comes days after councillors on Ripon City Council called for a vaccination site for the city and surrounding areas earlier.

They suggested Hugh Ripley Hall would be a suitable location.

Councillors said it was “unacceptable” for older people to have to travel to Harrogate or York, particularly as the government has pledged nobody should have to travel further than 10 miles for inoculations.

Ms Bloor told a press briefing of the North Yorkshire Local Resilience Forum, which is a partnership of emergency agencies, the CCG would continue to look at whether further sites were needed in the county.

Hugh Ripley Hall, which Ripon councillors have offered for use as a covid vaccination centre.

She said:

“We are continuing to review whether further may be needed, particularly given the availability of a more mobile vaccine in the AstraZeneca vaccine.

“I am pleased to say that subject to final checks and NHS England approval, we do now have plans in place to open a site in Ripon in the next week or so.”

Read more:

• Urgent call for covid vaccination centre in Ripon
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Meanwhile, Ms Bloor said residents in the district may also be invited to a new national vaccination hub at Askham Bar in York.

She said:

“The way that the site is operating is that anybody within a 45 minute drive of the site who has not yet received a vaccination through their local site may receive a letter from the national team to book an appointment.”

However, she added patients could wait for a local invite if they received a letter from the York hub and could not attend.

The site opened on Monday and will operate seven days a week from 8am until 8pm.

Professor Mike Holmes, a GP in York, told a City of York Council Executive meeting last week that the new centre will offer up to 8,000 extra appointments in the first phase of the expansion of the site.

The centre became the latest vaccine site to open near Harrogate, with another due to be set up at Elland Road stadium in Leeds.

North Yorkshire’s Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner Julia Mulligan, is being called to act to solve chronic anti-social behaviour problems in Ripon.

Just weeks after the city council pledged to join forces with the neighbourhood policing team to tackle the on-going issue, it says the situation has worsened.

At Monday’s virtual full council meeting, elected members reported incidents of violence, nuisance and anti-social behaviour in the city centre.

Councillor Sid Hawke told the meeting:

“We are sick of these yobbos, who go around making trouble.”

Ripon Market Square – identified as a hot-spot of anti-social behaviour.

Council leader Andrew Williams said:

“I was in my car recently and a group of four thugs deliberately rode their bikes towards me on the wrong side of the road.

“Some elderly people have told me that they are frightened to go onto Market Square because they feel intimidated.

“The problem is getting worse by the week and it’s time for us to go to the top and call on Julia Mulligan to do something — she is responsible for policing in the county and the buck stops with her.”

These sentiments were echoed by many other councillors, who supported a motion to contact the commissioner, calling on her to provide more police officers for Ripon.

Read more:

• Council and police to join forces to tackle anti-social behaviour in Ripon
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Concerns were also expressed about the efficiency of CCTV cameras in the city centre and the fact that there are only a limited number in use.

Councillor Pauline McHardy said:

“If there were more cameras in use, it would deter some of the youths who are causing trouble and police could concentrate their patrols on the areas that are not covered by CCTV.”

However, councillor Stephen Craggs said:

“All that CCTV does is to push the problems elsewhere. What we need are more police to keep the city streets safe and that’s what we should be asking Julia Mulligan for.”

The Stray Ferret approached the commissioner’s office for a response and was told by a spokesperson that the she is unable to comment until she has received correspondence from Ripon City Council.

Approximately 17 percent of Harrogate district council tax is used to pay for the police and fire service.

Nine flood alerts and warnings are in force this morning across the Harrogate district as persistent rain causes river levels to rise to dangerous levels.

Notorious flooding location Knaresborough caravan park and Goldsborough mill farm were put on the more severe ‘warning’ level during the night.

The warning says “flooding of property, roads and land in Knaresborough is possible today” as Nidd river levels are expected to continue to rise. It adds:

“Areas most at risk are riverside land at Knaresborough caravan park. Please activate any property flood protection products you may have, such as flood barriers and air brick covers, and stay away from fast moving water.”

Roecliffe caravan park, near Boroughbridge, is identified as the most vulnerable location in an overnight warning for the River Ure, which says:

“Flooding of property/roads and farmland is expected imminently. Please put your flood plan into action, and plan driving routes to avoid low lying roads near rivers, which may be flooded and stay away from fast moving water.”

Ure near Ripon

An alert was put in place for the lower Ure, just east of Ripon city centre, overnight. An update just before 4am this morning says:

“Flooding of low-lying land and roads is possible today,”

An alert was also activated overnight for the River Crimple, near Follifoot, and its tributaries including Horn Beck, Clark Beck, Hookstone Beck, Rud Beck, Toad Hole Beck and Park Beck.

It warns flooding of low-lying land and roads is possible.

Nidd risk

There is widespread risk along the River Nidd.

Alerts were issued yesterday afternoon for the river just above and below Pateley Bridge. Last night a warning was put in place for around Hunsingsore and Cattal.

Alerts for the lower and middle catchment areas of the Nidd also remain in force.

More heavy rain is expected today and tomorrow morning.

If you are affected by flooding, contact us at contact@thestrayferret.co.uk

‘Clean your chimneys’, urges fire service after two fires near Ripon yesterday

North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue has warned of the dangers of not checking chimneys after its crews attended two chimney fires in villages close to Ripon within hours yesterday.

Ripon firefighters were called to Sawley just before 3.30pm yesterday and then to Marton-le-Moor shortly after 6.30pm.

The Marton-le-Moor fire was caused by a beehive blocking smoke in the chimney. The cause of the fire in Sawley is unknown.

A North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service spokesperson said they had heard of birds nests causing fires in chimneys but never beehives.

Both fires were confined to the chimneys and left no external damage.

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The homeowners were advised to get their chimneys checked following the incidents in case the heat damaged the chimney stacks.

The spokesperson urged residents to clean their chimneys regularly to clear obstructions, such as nests and leaves and to remove the build-up of soot.

It said chimneys for smokeless fuels should be swept once a year; chimneys for fires that burn wood and bituminous coal should be swept twice a year.