Ripon residents ‘scared to go out’ as crime fears grow

Ripon residents have said they are too scared to go out at night because of teenage gangs.

Fear of crime and anti-social behaviour in the city has escalated in recent months.

Matters came to a head on Sunday evening when police responded to five incidents in three hours.

They included reports of a man with a machete, a robbery, thefts and gang activity.

It is getting too much for some locals, prompting councillors to call for urgent police action.

North Yorkshire Police has said it will increase patrols following the latest incidents. But some believe there are not enough officers on the streets to cope.

Read more:

Pauline McHardy, a councillor on Ripon City Council and Harrogate Borough Council, told the Stray Ferret:

“This has got much worse. I have lived in Ripon all my life and we have never had this level of trouble before. They should be ashamed of themselves.

“Many residents are frightened to leave their homes. These people are terrorising the city, there is no other word for it.”

Stephen Craggs, owner of electrical firm G Craggs, which is based opposite the bus station where some of the young people gather, said:

“This is not like they are just scaring little old ladies. I had just parked at the shops when there was a group of teenagers drinking.

“They just brushed passed me but it was quite intimidating. You don’t know if they have a weapon or what they are going to do.”

Sid Hawke, who also sits on Ripon City Council and Harrogate Borough Council, echoed concerns, and said lockdown had exacerbated the problem:

“Ripon used to be a really quiet and lovely place to live. This is just not on. It is getting really violent now. I think the lockdown has made it worse.

“They are terrorising people. We have a lot of elderly people who live here and they are petrified to leave their homes.”

Ripon City Council is set to have a meeting with North Yorkshire’s police, fire and crime commissioner Julia Mulligan to discuss concerns and respond to pleas for more police.

Woman gets first covid vaccine at Ripon racecourse

A 73-year-old woman became the first person to be inoculated at Ripon’s new vaccination centre yesterday.

Snow delayed the opening until 1.30pm when a steady stream of people began to arrive.

The first was Maureen Lambden, from Ripon, who described the experience as “fantastic”. She said she was “very, very grateful” to receive the vaccine.

The centre is being staffed by doctors and nurses from local GP surgeries.

Volunteer marshals, North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service and the racecourse’s own team are also on site helping.

Ripon’s testing centre has the capacity to vaccinate between 500 and 600 people at the racecourse daily.

It is thought the centre will open on Tuesdays and Wednesdays but a press briefing today of North Yorkshire Local Resilience Forum, the organisation that represents agencies leading the county’s response to covid, heard opening times will depend on vaccine supply.

Dr Richard Fletcher, from Dr Ingram and Partners in Ripon and clinical director of Ripon and Masham Primary Care Network, said:

“We’re grateful to Ripon racecourse for stepping forward to offer their site for this, as it solves many of the problems presented by other locations.

“It is another significant step in increasing coverage in the region.”

Read more:

 

Robbery, thefts and man with machete in three-hour Ripon crimewave

Police are investigating a three-hour spate of crimes in Ripon on Sunday that included a man carrying a machete, a robbery, thefts and gangs gathering.

The incidents, which occurred from 6.30pm until 9.30pm, are the latest in a series of crimes and anti-social behaviour blighting the city.

A 23-year-old man became the first victim at 6.30pm on King Street when he was robbed by two or three males who had his phone and watch stolen and suffered facial injuries.

Read more:

Then at about 8.30pm, North Yorkshire Police said four teenage boys and one teenage girl stole alcohol from McColl’s on Bondgate.

At 9.10pm a group of some 15 teenagers on Southgate reportedly shouted at local residents who asked them to move away from parked cars.

Just 20 minutes later, police received two reports about Bondgate.

The first was of a “male with a machete.” The second was of a man “threatened by another male with a knife.”

Throughout the rest of the evening police received “a number of other reports” of large groups of “youths” in various places around Ripon.

A police statement said:

“There were also a number of other reports of large groups of youths at various locations received throughout the evening which police responded to.”

Last month Ripon City Council called for more support from police amid concerns of rising crime.

Alex Langley, neighbourhood policing inspector, said:

“I’d like to reassure the local community that we are investigating all of these reports, which we are taking very seriously.

“I can assure people that we will be taking robust action against those responsible.

“Our extensive enquiries are ongoing.

“It includes officers trawling through CCTV footage and speaking to local businesses and we have also stepped up our patrols.”

Anyone with information about the investigation can call the police on 101 or send an email to lucymills@northyorkshire.pnn.police.uk.

Please quote the following North Yorkshire Police reference numbers:

Police search for Ripon robbers who attacked young man

Police are searching for up to three robbers who reportedly attacked a young man for his phone and watch.

The robbery happened at about 6.30pm on Sunday on King Street in Ripon.

A 23-year-old man told police he had been attacked by two or three suspects. He described them as “young males”.

He reported that as well as stealing his phone and watch, they hit him in the face, leaving him with injuries.

Read more:

Officers are appealing for any information or CCTV footage relating to the incident.

You can email PC Lucy Mills by clicking or tapping here. If you wish to remain anonymous call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

Ripon City Council called for additional police last month to tackle an increase in crime.

Plans to convert Half Moon pub in Sharow into a home

Plans have been submitted to convert the Half Moon pub in Sharow, near Ripon, into a four-bedroom home.

The village pub and restaurant, on Sharow Lane, opened in 1822 and closed four years ago.

Owner Mark Fitton was, until recently, advertising for a tenant to take on the pub.

He has now submitted plans to Harrogate Borough Council to convert the premises.

A planning statement attached to the application claims three separate couples have run the pub in recent years but all suffered insolvency due to “a lack of custom”.

It reads:

“For at least 20 years everyone who has tried to run the Half Moon as a hospitality venue has found it to be extremely difficult.

“Since 2009 various people have tried to run it as a village pub or a high-quality restaurant, but all have failed due to a lack of custom.

“Three separate couples have, over the past 12 years, suffered insolvency as a result of trying to run the Half Moon as a commercial venture; none has managed to last beyond two years.”

Read more:

Speaking to the Stray Ferret, Sharow Parish Council clerk Nick Reed said the planning application was unpopular with villagers, and the parish council would submit a formal objection letter in the coming days.

The parish council previously said it was hoping to register the building as an asset of community value in the hope that it could re-open as a pub.

However, Mr Reed said Harrogate Borough Council has asked for more evidence if its bid is to be successful.

He said:

“They told us it would be unlikely to be granted in its current state, so we have been going around the village asking people what the pub means to people, what it could be in the future and what we are missing by not having it.”

Villagers in Sharow were encouraged last year when residents in Kirkby Malzeard raised more than £200,000 in a bid to prevent residential redevelopment of a site occupied by The Henry Jenkins Inn.

However, the campaign was dealt a hammer blow last month when The Planning Inspectorate, a government agency that deals with planning appeals, overturned Harrogate Borough Council’s decision to refuse planning permission for conversion of the eastern part of the site into a single dwelling.

Ripon gets sneak peek of ‘magic roundabouts’ idea

People in Ripon are being given an early taste of how illuminated trees could help to attract more visitors to the city.

Ripon City Council announced plans last week to create five lit-up ‘magic roundabouts’ on the bypass.

The lights could turn red on Valentine’s Day, green on St Patrick’s Day and red, white and blue for national celebrations, such as the Queen’s birthday.

Roundabouts on the stretch of bypass from the McDonald’s restaurant on Harrogate Road to the junction with Dishforth Road have been targeted for the scheme.

With this in mind, the council has kept festive lights from Christmas in place at two locations on Bedern Bank.

Trees on one of the roundabouts, which is a key gateway to Ripon Cathedral, are lit with white lights.

Nearby, a tree outside Ripon Community Hospital has golden lights in it.

The seasonal lighting is similar to that which illuminates trees along sections of Harrogate’s Stray.

Ripon City Council leader Andrew Williams told the Stray Ferret:

“This is a way of making Ripon more attractive for residents at this rather gloomy time.

“As the vaccination programme continues and the covid lockdown eventually lifts, we hope that lighting, both in the city and along the bypass, will help to attract the visitor and tourist trade that is essential to Ripon’s economy.”

The city council voted unanimously to support plans which, if approved by highways authority North Yorkshire County Council, will see lighting that can change colour according to the occasion, installed on trees on bypass roundabouts.

One of the Ripon bypass roundabouts that could be lit up.

The council, which has an underspend available from its 2020-2021 budget, agreed to allocate £10,000 towards the bypass scheme.

Read more:

Ripon City Council spent an additional £65,000 on the city’s Christmas lights – diverting money from its events budget to pay for the scheme.

That funding became available because the money could not be spent on a series of community and civic events — such as celebration of the 75th anniversary of VE Day — due to covid.

Snow and ice warning for Harrogate district

The Met Office has issued a yellow warning for snow and ice in the Harrogate district next week.

Weather forecasters predict the snow and ice will hit on Monday and continue until Wednesday.

There is also a yellow warning for ice in the north of the district, covering the likes of Ripon today and tomorrow.

The snow and ice warning is in place from 9pm on Monday until 11.45pm on Wednesday.

Read more:

Forecasters have said that snow, with a risk of widespread ice, is likely to push slowly northeast from late Monday.

If the snow and ice does hit on Monday evening then expect travel delays, rural communities being cut off and power cuts.

This latest weather warning for the district comes just over a week after flooding and two weeks after heavy snow.

A spokesperson for the Met Office said this morning:

“A band of rain, locally heavy in places, is likely to push slowly northeast across Wales and England late Monday.

“As this rain comes into contact with cold air in place, it is likely to readily turn to snow across parts of Wales, the Midlands, and later parts of northern England.

“1-4 cm of snow is quite likely away from coasts, with 5-10 cm possible above about 150 metres.”

Call for volunteers to help Ripon vaccination site

Volunteers are needed to support the Ripon vaccination centre, which is expected to open next month.

Mashamshire Community Office, a charity which offers information and advice in the town, is looking for a team of marshals for the site, which will be at Ripon racecourse.

Health bosses confirmed the location of the vaccination site yesterday.

Volunteers are likely to be needed from the second week of February, a post on the Kirkby Malzeard and Masham Surgery website said.

The post said days may vary, but volunteers are likely to be required on Tuesdays and Wednesdays.

Read more:

Two sessions will be held at the site from 8am until 1.15pm and 1pm to 6pm. Ten volunteers will be needed per session.

All personal protective equipment and hi-vis will be provided and no DBS check is required.

Duties will include directing traffic and guiding people inside the site.

Anyone interested should contact Mashamshire Community Office on mco@visitmasham.com.

Ripon food poverty pioneer receives rare national award

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.”

Photo of a Back to Basics food pack

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.”

Read more:

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.

 

 

 

 

Julia Mulligan pledges to visit Ripon to hear crime fears

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.”

Read more:

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

“Whilst the chief constable has control over her police officers, I will certainly raise this with her, with a view to looking at the options that might be available to resolve the problems.”

Cllr Williams welcomed the response and told the Stray Ferret he hoped to meet Ms Mulligan soon.

He said:

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