10 days without covid death at Harrogate hospitalHarrogate District Hospital has recorded its longest period without a covid-related death since Christmas.
Latest figures revealed by NHS England today show 10 days have passed since the last death.
It is the longest period without a covid fatality since the 14 days from December 11 to December 25.
Infection rates soared after Christmas, as did admissions, peaking at 68 on February 13.
At one point last month there were seven deaths in three days.
The dark days continued this month, when 10 people died in nine days.
But patient numbers have fallen rapidly recently and are now down to single figures.
A total of 814 covid patients have been admitted to the hospital since the pandemic began.
Six hundred and three have been discharged.
Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust announced today it had introduced free WiFi at its hospitals in Harrogate and Ripon.
No daily infection figures for the Harrogate district had been released by Public Health England by the time of publication today.
Read more:
Wait for glass delays reopening of Ripon churchThe reopening of one of Ripon’s architectural gems is being held up.
The first phase of restoration of St Wilfrid’s Catholic Church was due to be completed by the end of this month. This would have allowed Easter celebrations to be held in the Grade II* Listed Building at Coltsgate Hill.
However, the delayed delivery of specialist glass means the reopening will now not take place until July.
Parish priest Canon Ian Smith told the Stray Ferret:
“It’s frustrating, because we are eager to have the church back in use for services and private prayer.
Pictured in St Wilfrid’s before the start of restoration work are Canon Ian Smith and parishioner Barrie Price, chair of fundraising.
“It is a beautiful building and it will be great to see it back to its former glory.”
While the first element of the £500,000 restoration work has been underway, socially-distanced services have been held in the adjacent St Wilfrid’s Community Centre.
Fr Ian said:
“To meet social distancing requirements, the number of parishioners who can come to services is restricted.
“Parishioners wishing to attend need to book in advance, by calling Anne Storey on 01765 605632.”
In anticipation of larger congregations over Easter, additional seating will be available in a room next to the community centre hall.
Masses taking place in the hall can be viewed on a screen.
Services at St Wilfrid’s are held at 4pm and 5.30pm on Saturdays, 9am and 10.30am on Sundays and 9.15am Tuesday to Friday.
Read more:
St. Wilfrid’s, which opened in 1862, is recognised as one of finest parish churches in England.
In 1909, fittings from the private chapel at nearby Studley Royal, were transferred to St Wilfrid’s following the death of the Marquess of Ripon — the city’s first mayor since the reformation.
The marquess, who converted to Catholicism, had previously created the Lady Chapel within the church.
The church has many other ornate features, including classic reredos screens designed by Victorian architect Edward Pugin. They provide dramatic backdrops to the high altar and side altar, dedicated to St Joseph.
The restoration follows years of fundraising by parishioners and awards from trusts, boosted by a £75,000 grant from Historic England.
The grant from Historic England will eventually enable construction of a south porch extension, including toilets.
Ripon pool’s final cost ‘not yet known’, says councilHarrogate Borough Council has said it still does not know the final cost of Ripon’s new swimming pool.
In response to a second Freedom of Information request about the project from the Stray Ferret, the council said.
“The information you request is not held by Harrogate Borough Council because the final costs are not yet known.”
A £10.2 million contract was awarded to construction company Willmott Dixon before work started on site in November 2019.
The 17-month contact was for delivery of a six-lane pool, along with refurbishment of the existing Ripon Leisure Centre on the Dallamires Lane site.
That contract specified a completion date of May 21 this year, but a press release issued by HBC said the project will now be completed in November.
Councillor Stanley Lumley, HBC’s cabinet member for culture, tourism and sport, said the project had been ‘slightly delayed’ by covid.
In a press release dated November 13, he added:
“Ground work, known as grouting, is nearing completion.”
Grouting is a method used to stabilise unstable ground.
Read more:
Ground stability issues
Sixteen months before the council approved the swimming pool development, a sinkhole opened up in the leisure centre car park.
Following the incident in February 2018, which saw the car park barriered off and closed, the council issued this statement:
“The sinkhole will not affect the project to construct a new pool for Ripon. We are still waiting for the structural engineer’s report, which will influence the design of the new building.
“We’ve always known about the potential of sinkholes on the site which is why we’ve been carrying out tests to understand what foundations may be required.”
At a June 2019 planning meeting, three members of the eight-member committee abstained rather than support the project, after ‘deep concerns’ were expressed about the sinkhole risk in an area of Ripon known for widespread gypsum deposits.
HBC’s response to first FOI request
In the first FOI request, the Stray Ferret asked HBC how much of the contract costs related to ground remediation prior to construction.
The council was also asked if additional fees are payable to Willmott Dixon for extension of the project.
HBC responded, saying:
“Additional ‘site preliminaries’ will be payable to the main contractor as a result of the extension of the construction contract.”
The council added:
“A public authority may refuse to disclose information to the extent that its disclosure would adversely affect the confidentiality of commercial or industrial information where such confidentiality is provided by law to protect a legitimate economic interest.”
Harrogate district pauses for National Day of ReflectionPeople and organisations across the Harrogate district paused at noon today for the National Day of Reflection.
The day, organised by end of life charity Marie Curie, gave people in the UK the chance to remember the 126,000 covid-related deaths, which include more than 1,100 in North Yorkshire.
Staff at Harrogate District Hospital and Ripon Community Hospital were offered the opportunity to observe a minute’s silence.
Staff at Harrogate District Hospital.
Hospital staff working from home were able to take part online in an event led by chaplains.
The Harrogate Bus Company, owned by Transdev, remembered staff lost during the pandemic, when buses have continued to operate despite risks.
At a press briefing today Nick Moxon, a resident at Disability Action Yorkshire‘s home on Claro Road in Harrogate and chair of a care home visiting task group set up by North Yorkshire County Council last year, paid tribute to care workers’ efforts during the pandemic.
Speaking at North Yorkshire Local Resilience Forum, which leads the county’s response to covid, he said:
“Staff members don’t ask to work throughout the pandemic, they have to come to work and they have managed to just adapt to the situation.
“Thank you to care staff and North Yorkshire County Council for the care and support over the past year.”
Police image of man wanted after Ripon theftPolice have issued a CCTV image of a man they would like to speak to following a theft from Sainsbury’s in Ripon Market Place.
A man entered the store and took about £500 of printer ink. It happened at about 4pm on March 1.
Officers believe the man in the image has information that could help the investigation and are asking anyone who recognises him to get in touch.
Read more:
Anyone with any information can contact North Yorkshire Police on 101, select option 2 and ask for PC 733 Mitchell or email Elliot.Mitchell@northyorkshire.police.uk.
If you wish to remain anonymous, you can pass information to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
Please quote reference number 12210069492 when passing on information.
Plans to convert Ripon office block into apartmentsPlans have been submitted to convert the Athelstan Court office block in Ripon into 19 homes.
The site owners, Athelstan Court Ltd and Spirit 80 Limited, are proposing 13 two-bedroom and six one-bedroom apartments with 30% being “affordable”.
The building on Kearsley Road has been empty since 2013 and lies within the College Business Park. It was previously used as offices by the Inland Revenue.
Read more:
In 2020, the building was being sold as office space for £1.3 million.
However, planning documents suggest the owners failed to find a buyer for this purpose:
“The marketing information over the past 7+ years has demonstrated that the site is not desirable for office use with no credible offers for use of the site for office use. This leads to conclude that the use of the site for employment use is unviable.”
Ripon firm fined nearly £50k after worker suffered burnsA Ripon-based construction firm has been fined nearly £50,000 after one of its worker suffered multiple burns.
Walden Builders Ltd was in the process of demolishing an outbuilding on September 18, 2018 when an excavator struck a wall containing a 415v cable.
The contact with the digger caused it to arc and a fire soon broke out. Workers then used a sheet of tin to try and contain the blaze.
However the tin soon heated up and dropped onto one of the workers, causing burns to their scalp, arm and hands.
Read more:
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) investigated and found that the company failed to act on a quote from Northern Power Grid to terminate supply to the building.
Leeds Magistrates Court last week fined Walden Builders Ltd £42,000 and ordered the company to pay £4,707 in costs.
HSE inspector Paul Thompson said after the hearing:
“The company should have ensured that there was no live power to the building prior to the start of demolition work.
“The company had failed to prepare a written plan for the demolition of the building or any site-specific risk assessments.
“This incident could so easily have been avoided by simply carrying out correct control measures and safe working practices.”
Two men arrested after cannabis farm found near RiponTwo men have been arrested after police found a cannabis farm at a business park near Ripon.
North Yorkshire Police discovered the cannabis plants following a search at a business unit near the city on Friday.
The force said more than 50 plants were found following a search of another unit in the area.
Two men, aged 36 and 38, were arrested in connection with the cannabis grow and released under investigation pending further enquiries.
Read more:
Inspector Alex Langley, North Yorkshire Police, said:
“The damage that drugs cause to individuals and families is significant, and that’s why it’s important we take this pro-active approach to tackle drug issues Ripon.
“The use of industrial units in the Ripon area is of concern as criminals carry out illegal activity in plain sight.
“I would like to ask local business and premises owners to look out for any suspicious activity. Please let us know if something doesn’t feel quite right. The information you provide allows us to carry out this pro-active work in order to try and safeguard our local communities.”
The police urged anyone with information to dial 101, press one and speak to the force control room.
Or you can contact Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
Vandals strike again in Ripon city centre
A rare building that is part of Ripon’s heritage has been damaged by vandals.
The cabmen’s shelter — a Grade II listed structure – dating back to the days of horse-drawn transport — was the target.
The shelter was recently refurbished and returned to Market Square at a cost of £22,000
Ripon City Council leader Andrew Williams told the Stray Ferret:
“It’s enough to make you despair.
“We are doing our best to get ready for the easing of lockdown, by making the city more attractive for residents and visitors,
“Now we have suffered another mindless act of vandalism that detracts from all of our efforts.”
A window in the shelter was broken yesterday and Cllr Williams, along with the Mayor of Ripon, Councillor Eamon Parkin, carried out a sweep-up after being alerted to the incident.
The window was temporarily boarded up and the broken pane will be replaced shortly.
The broken window on the cabmen’s shelter. Photograph: Ripon City Council
Police have been informed and Cllr Williams said:
“I hope the person or persons who did this were picked up on CCTV cameras covering the square.”
Yards away from the shelter, a broken window at the Tourist Information Centre in Ripon Town Hall remains boarded up, after being vandalised in December.
The city council, which has responsibility for the upkeep of the cabmen’s shelter, is waiting for landlord Harrogate Borough Council to repair the Tourist Information Centre window.
There has been a spate of vandalism in Ripon during the covid lockdowns.
Read more:
Windows at premises including the Ripon Cathedral office, shops in Westgate and Fishergate and a public house in High Skellgate, have been smashed.
In recent weeks, police patrols, particularly at weekends, have been stepped up in a bid to tackle a rising tide of violent and anti-social activity.
City councillors have called for action on policing numbers and also said they will join forces with the police to crack down on crime in the city.
The Old Deanery in Ripon goes back on the marketThe Old Deanery in Ripon has ceased trading earlier than planned after 17 years and gone back on the market.
The hotel, bar and wedding venue was closed because of the lockdown but was not formally due to cease trading until the end of June.
However, the following statement, attributed to ‘the management team’, appeared on its website last week:
“It is with great sadness that we announce The Old Deanery has ceased trading from March 8 due to the negative impacts of coronavirus.
“From Linda, Chris and all the team; we’d like to thank you all for your custom over the years – it’s been our pleasure to welcome you to The Old Deanery.”
Read more:
Ripon Cathedral owns the iconic building, which is situated opposite.
Property consultants Sanderson Weatherall has listed the 17th Century Grade II listed building on its website, with the price available on application.
It describes the building as an ’11 bedroom boutique hotel and function venue’.
News of The Old Deanery’s permanent closure on its Facebook page led to expressions of sadness and treasured memories. They included:
“So very sad to see such a special place not make it through this rotten time.”
“Very, very sad news, our little escape from life for a few nights once or twice a year. Had the loveliest staff, always friendly and helpful.”
“Always enjoyed the relaxed atmosphere and friendly service – smart but not stuffy.”