Lightwater Valley fined £330,000 after boy thrown off Twister rideThe company that owns Ripon theme park Lightwater Valley has been fined £330,000 after a child was thrown off its Twister ride and suffered “life-changing” head injuries.
Lightwater Valley Attractions Ltd received the fine at York Magistrates Court for the incident on May 30 last year.
An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive, which regulates workplace health and safety, found that although the theme park’s Twister procedures said those between 1.2 metres and 1.5 metres tall must wear seat belts, several children under 1.5 metres were not wearing seat belts on this ride. CCTV footage and statements by members of the public backed up this claim.
Many belts were found not to be functioning correctly. On several occasions, the final position of the lap bar restraint allowed significant gaps to remain in the containment and did not fully contain smaller passengers.
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Lightwater Valley Attractions Ltd, which is registered in Sherborne, Dorset pleaded guilty to breaching Section 3(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 and was fined £333,344 and ordered to pay costs of £16,183.
Speaking after Friday’s hearing,, HSE inspector Andrea Jones said:
“A child suffered life-changing head injuries at Lightwater Valley theme park.
“Our investigation found that the theme park did not implement suitable operating procedures and monitoring of ride operators in relation to the ride restraints.
“This was an entirely avoidable incident. Several children were put at risk and Lightwater Valley has now been held to account for their failings.”
The child’s mother spoke of how “the little boy I took to Lightwater Valley that day is not the same boy that woke up after the surgery. I still grieve for my little boy”.
‘Considering the fine’
Lightwater Valley said in a statement:
“We have from the outset accepted full responsibility for this accident and our sincere and heartfelt apologies go out to the young boy, his family and his friends.
“We have co-operated fully throughout the HSE’s investigation and are carefully considering the fine imposed by the court.
“Since the incident we have been providing support and assistance to the family and will continue to do so.
“The health and safety of visitors to our park remains our top priority and we are determined that an incident such as this will never happen again. We have undertaken a full review of our health and safety systems and procedures following the accident.”
The great house near Ripon that inspired Jane EyreFour miles north of Ripon is a house that inspired one of the greatest novels in English history.
Charlotte Bronte stayed at Norton Conyers in 1839 and heard the legend of a mad woman who was confined to the attic in the previous century. Thus was born the idea of Mrs Rochester and Thornfield Hall in Jane Eyre.
A secret staircase, found when floorboards were lifted in 2004, attracted international attention because it matched the novel’s description of a hidden flight of stairs from near Mr Rochester’s bedroom to his wife’s attic prison.
There is, however, so much more to Norton Conyers than Jane Eyre, even though it is perhaps less well known than other nearby great houses, such as Newby and Beningbrough.
Charles I and James II both stayed at the grade two late medieval house, which has been in the Graham family since 1624. It usually opens to the public 28 days a year although covid prevented this in 2020.
Sir James Graham and Lady Halina in front of the clock tower.
Sir James Graham, the 11th baronet, and his wife Lady Halina have occupied the family seat since 1982 and clearly adore it but the effort of maintaining such a large, historic site is considerable. Deathwatch beetle has been a particular menace.
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The couple are now trying to raise £260,000 to renovate the beautiful clock tower, which is leaning and in danger of collapse. Swarms of wild bees got into the wood and caused it to rot.
The sum would also go towards repairing the roof above the adjacent 17th century stables, Smithy, laundry and bakery. Lady Halina says:
“We’ve received a £60,000 grant from the Country Houses Foundation. We don’t know where the other £200,000 will come from.”
The secret staircase that was discovered at Norton Conyers in 2004.
The clock tower bell dates back to 1724 but hasn’t sounded since 1986, when the clock last worked.
Clock experts Smith of Derby have been hired to get the clock and bell working for the first time in almost 35 years.
Visitors regularly talk of Norton Conyers’ special atmosphere. Archaeologists have been working there for more than 25 years and new discoveries are constantly being made: just six weeks ago restoration work on an ancient door discovered symbols designed to ward off evil spirits.
Lady Halina says:
“There is so much more to the house than Jane Eyre. But it is a lot of work. The house is our blessing and our curse!”
The four poster bed that James II stayed in.
ITV Calendar’s Christine Talbot has officially opened the new Martin House store in Ripon.
It’s the thirteenth shop for the charity in the region and was due to open in November. The charity’s shops, along with its furniture showroom, raise around £1.2 million each year to support the charity.
Martin House in Wetherby cares for babies, children and young people with life-limiting conditions from across West, North and East Yorkshire, providing respite care, emergency care, end of life care and bereavement support.
Christine, who is an ambassador for Martin House, said:
“I’m very proud to support Martin House, and I’m thrilled to be able to open this lovely new shop, which will help to raise money for an amazing local charity.”
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Stephanie Rimmington, head of retail at Martin House, said:
“We’re delighted to open this new shop in Ripon. There have been some real challenges to overcome as a result of the pandemic, but we’re looking forward to welcoming new customers, and becoming part of the Ripon community.
The pandemic has had a huge impact on our ability raise money, which makes it all the more important for our shops to do well, so we hope the people of Ripon will support us.”
Harrogate district restaurants tables filling up fastRestaurants in the Harrogate district have seen their tables fill up fast as the national lockdown comes to an end.
Eateries will be able to open their doors for the first time tomorrow after a month under the new tier two rules.
With strict rules forbidding Christmas parties and household mixing they do not expect to see anywhere near the same takings as in the summer.
However, many are already seeing the results of pent up demand of a month.
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John Roberts, the owner of The Tannin Level in Harrogate, told the Stray Ferret that the phones started ringing as soon as the area made it into tier two:
“We are filling up fairly quickly now which is great. The weekends are looking very busy already over the next three weeks.
“It will be interesting to see how the weekdays in December, which are normally occupied by Christmas parties, will perform.”
Vivien Kovacs, one of the owners at Two Brothers Grill and Pizzeria in Knaresborough, added:
“The business has been fine over lockdown because we have done takeaways. We are now preparing to open tomorrow.
“We will not be able to serve the same numbers of people because of the stricter rules but we are hoping for a good December.”
Rick Jones, who is one of the owners of Valentino’s and the Water Rat, also told the Stray Ferret:
“It looks like this first week back will be a busy one, it’s already looking quite full. The restrictions will limit the number of people we can serve.
“We will not see similar takings over December compared to previous years but we are just happy to see people and to cook.”
North Yorkshire will come out of lockdown just after midnight tonight. Here is a breakdown of the new rules.
The new tier two restrictions gives hope for the restaurants and hotels but wet-led pubs that cannot serve a “substantial meal” will need to stay closed.
‘Time to hand Harrogate Nightingale back to council’One of the Harrogate district’s most senior politicians has said the time has come to accept the Harrogate Nightingale hospital will never be used for covid and handed back.
Lord Newby, the Liberal Democrats leader in the House of Lords, said the NHS should let Harrogate District Council take back control of the building.
Lord Newby spoke to the Stray Ferret after receiving what he described as “non answers” to a series of questions he submitted to the government about staffing and bed capacity at the Nightingales in Harrogate, Sunderland and Manchester.
He asked how many nurses were required and was told by the Conservative peer Lord Bethell that “each Nightingale team has been developing a clinical model that can be scaled up as and when additional capacity is required in the region”.
Lord Newby said last month he doubted the Harrogate Nightingale had the staff to fully open and has now said:
“The only conclusions which one can draw are that the NHS has no firm plans to staff up the Harrogate Nightingale.
“If it were ever to be used for covid patients, it would obviously have to be staffed by existing staff now working in regional hospitals – all of which are already stretched – and cannot easily release doctors and nurses..
“I do not therefore believe that the facility in Harrogate will ever be used for covid and that the government should now accept this reality and hand the site back to the council.”
‘Flawed concept’
The government has described the Nightingales as “insurance policies”. But with the peak of the second wave of the pandemic believed to have passed, and a vaccine on its way, the chances of them being used have receded.
Lord Newby said the concept of using the Nightingale was “flawed from the start”. He added:
“The government should instead have looked at ways in which it could have freed up facilities in existing NHS facilities to allow for greater intake of covid patients, if this had been required.”
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The Stray Ferret has requested interviews with the NHS about the Harrogate Nightingale, which was set up to treat covid patients in Yorkshire and the Humber, on numerous occasions but so far has not received one.
A spokesperson for the hospital said in a statement:
“The NHS Nightingale Yorkshire and the Humber is getting ready to care for patients should it be needed and has been operating a clinical imaging service since June to support local trusts in delivering diagnostic and surveillance CT scans, with more than 3,000 patients having now been seen at the clinic.”
Lord Newby replied:
“‘Getting ready’ is very different from ‘being ready’. The fact they’ve got a scanner there is irrelevant. The are plenty of other sites in Yorkshire where they could have put this.”
Ripon man tried to save kittens thrown from moving carA Ripon man who tried to save kittens thrown from a moving car has spoken of the moment one of them died in his hands.
The council worker, who does not want to be named, was driving a recycling van at 2pm between Water Skellgate and Bondgate Green last Thursday.
He saw something in the road and then later saw, a couple of cars in front, a person on the driver’s side of a brown or gold car throw a kitten in the air.
Susan Lund, the man’s wife, recalled the moment to the Stray Ferret:
“He stopped the van and picked up the little kitten. It was still breathing but it soon died in his hands.
“The kitten’s face was all smashed in from the impact. My husband was very upset by all of this.
“I think it is beyong shocking and absolutely abhorrent. They were just tiny babies. The person who did this was evil.”
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The couple believe that they were just six to eight weeks old and were tabby type kittens.
Animal rights group PETA has heard about the incident and offered a £2,000 reward to find those responsible.
Elisa Allen, PETA director, said:
“A person capable of deliberately causing a helpless animal this kind of suffering demonstrates a deeply worrying psychological state and must be found.
“Someone in the area must have seen something or know something about the cruel individual(s) who committed this callous act.”
Anyone who saw the incident have been urged to call the police on 101 and quote reference number 12200204632.
Harrogate district pubs were ‘praying for tier one’Pubs in the Harrogate district have voiced their disappointment at being placed in tier two at the end of lockdown.
Rick Jones, who owns the Water Rat and Valentino’s, said: “We were all praying for tier one. But with a very limited number of areas going into tier one it is not a surprise.”
He expects the impact of tier two to mean that business at the Water Rat pub will be down by around 30% compared to the same time last year.
Mr Jones added: “Celebratory casual drinks in December won’t be happening. There’s only so many times you can go out with your own household. There’s a vaccine in sight. We just have to face this and ride it out.”
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While trade will be down for his pubs, wet-led pubs that cannot serve substantial meals with drinks have to close.
Richard Park, of the Little Ale House, also said: “It is something we were expecting but we are of course disappointed. It just makes no sense to close small, safe pubs like ours.
“Just because we don’t have the capacity to cook substantial meals, whatever that means, we are forced to keep our doors shut.”
Megan Fairweather, the social media secretary at Harrogate and Ripon CAMRA, added:
“After an agonising wait, licensees across the country have had their worst fears confirmed – in all but three council areas in the country, pubs will either be closed or only able to open if they are serving substantial meals.”
Harrogate district pubs fear closure as tier announcement loomsPubs in the Harrogate district have said they are being “demonised” and fear some will not survive if tier two restrictions are announced tomorrow.
Tier two and tier three restrictions stipulate pubs that do not serve “substantial” meals will be unable to reopen when lockdown ends next week.
North Yorkshire public health officials suggested today the county could be placed in tier two, although the national government will decide.
But unless the county is in tier one, there will be no end in sight for the enforced closures of many bars and pubs.
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Harrogate and Ripon CAMRA fears more than 70% of pubs will close in the district under tier two or tier three.
Rural pubs and those in smaller towns will be the ones to suffer most, it added.
Megan Fairweather, social media secretary of Harrogate and Ripon CAMRA, said:
“After the hardest year that pubs have ever faced, the uncertainty of the new tier system does not bring much hope.
“One Harrogate pub informed us just last week that in the first lockdown, they threw away £7,000 worth of alcohol.
“If we are lucky enough to be in tier one, pubs then face the uncertainty of changing tiers. Beer cannot just be served as soon as it arrives in a pub.”
The group has written to Harrogate and Knaresborough MP Andrew Jones asking him to support its campaign against further restrictions on pubs.
‘Safer than shops’
Richard Park, owner of The Little Ale House in Harrogate, said:
“Pubs should not be demonised like this. We are not aware of any infections in our pub, we think it’s much safe here than the shops.
“We are not going to go under but I fear what will happen to other pubs in the area. Pubs try hard to be safe and then we are closed down.”
Alan Huddart, club treasurer of Bilton Working Men’s Club, said:
“We are ready to open but it all hinges on us being in tier one. We don’t serve substantial meals so would be unable to open if we were in tier two.”
Jack Woodruff, co-owner of Harrogate’s Disappearing Chin, echoed his sentiments:
“If we are in tier one it would be tough but it would be okay. But if we are in tier two then we would have to close.
“This has been quite frustrating. We have worked hard and invested a lot in keeping the pub safe.”
£20,000 costs a month
Paul Kinsey, who owns the Viper Rooms, said:
“We can get £3,000 a month from November. My rent, insurance, maintenance and finances cost £20,000 a month.
“So I am not sure what bill that is meant to pay. We still don’t know what a ‘substantial meal’ means and night clubs are still ignored.”
Ripon coronavirus testing site opensA mobile coronavirus testing site opened in Ripon today for the first time.
The small-scale site will be open at the coach park near the bus station on a weekly basis. The Stray Ferret understands it will be there every Wednesday.
Ripon has some of the lowest coronavirus infection rates in the district, but this will prevent people travelling out of the city for a test.
Tests must be booked in advance on the government website. Those who do so then must arrive in a vehicle, which will protect staff from infection.
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Victoria Turner, public health consultant at North Yorkshire County Council, revealed the news at a press briefing today.
The county council said last week it had been scoping a location for the mobile testing unit.
If you have coronavirus symptoms, you can book a test on the government website.
Portable cabin removal restores Ripon festive cheer
A portable cabin parked near Ripon’s Christmas tree on Market Square has been removed.
The cabin appeared two days after the city’s biggest ever display of Christmas lights was switched on and somewhat spoiled the view.
Councillor Stuart Martin told Monday’s virtual meeting of Ripon City Council the cabin had been moved following a request to Yorkshire Water, which ordered the cabin as part of sewer repair works at the junction of Market Square East and Kirkgate.
Cllr Martin, who is also a district and county councillor, said:
“If, as expected, the lockdown is lifted on December 2, the works will be halted until the New Year.”
Ripon spent an extra £65,000 on Christmas lights this year, with the tree in the market place the centrepiece of the attraction.
The Market Square has been a major focal point in Ripon since the 12th century and is one of the most famous landmarks in the Harrogate district.
When the sewer works began, cllr Martin told the Stray Ferret:
“It is not right to put this slap bang in front of a Grade II* listed building, next to the Christmas tree. This has obviously caused a lot of upset.
“The positioning could have been better.”
Work on the sewer repairs at the junction of Market Place East and Kirkgate
Following Cllr Martin’s intervention, Harrogate Borough Council asked Yorkshire Water to find a more appropriate place for the cabins.
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In the spirit of making the best of a bad situation, people on an online Ripon community group suggested decorating the cabins as giant presents or as Santa’s sleigh.
Another wrote:
“We have so little to look forward to this year. Surely it’s not too much to ask to be able to take a photo of our beautiful square!”