The coronavirus crisis meant that streets in the city of Ripon and towns and villages in the surrounding rural areas remained largely empty, as people respected the government’s call to maintain social distancing.

However, celebration of the 75th Anniversary of Victory in Europe was still in evidence in red, white and blue window displays and bunting.

Ripon City Council which had planned three days’ of events involving celebration and commemoration, followed its own advice, when Town Clerk Paula Benson put a red, white and blue display in the Ripon Town Hall Windows.

In Masham, the window of insurance brokers R.F. Broadley, featured a rare collector’s item copy of the Northen Echo, dated Tuesday 8th May 2020 declaring ‘Today is VE Day’.

Just down the street, off Market Place, a private house (pictured above) had its V for Victory salute made out of Union Jacks. while two large Union Jacks and garden bunting decorated another private house in Main Street, Kirkby Malzeard.

The Cathedral clock struck 11am and Ripon fell silent for two minutes, as people reflected on those who lost their lives in World War II and specifically the war in Europe.

The city, home to The Royal Engineers and with a proud military heritage dating back to the First World War, remembered its dead both in the streets and houses and through a virtual VE Day ceremony inside the ancient church of St Peter and St Wilfrid’s.

Nestling next to the Cathedral is The Royal British Legion Garden of Remembrance, where small wooden crosses, each carrying a name and a poppy, stand as testimony to those from the city who lost their lives in conflicts.

Jack Middleton, who formerly served with the Army Air Corps and his partner Georgia Nelson, stood in silence with heads bowed.

Both (who feature in this video) have grandfathers who served in the Army and Jack told The Stray Ferret:

“With our families’ military connection, remembrance of those who fought and lost their lives is a tradition we will always observe.”

Following the two minute’s silence, the Cathedral’s virtual service began on YouTube and included a reflection from The Archbishop of York, the Most Reverend Rt. Hon. Dr John Sentamu, along with readings from the Lord Lieutenant of North Yorkshire Mrs Jo Ropner; a lesson from Councillor Jim Clark, the leader of North Yorkshire County Council; and prayers from the Dean of Ripon, the Very Reverend John Dobson.

Music and singing was provided by the Black Dyke brass band; Dishforth Military Wives and Ripon Cathedral assistant organist Tom Coxhead, who gave a fitting finale to the service by playing William Walton’s ‘Spitfire Prelude’ – originally written for the 1942 film ‘The First of the Few.’

Some landlords in the Harrogate district have criticised the borough council’s plan to give commercial tenants free rent during the coronavirus pandemic.

The authority made the decision back in March as part of its response to the coronavirus outbreak.

Businesses which rent from the council were given three months free rent and could also apply for emergency grants from the government.

While other authorities offered local companies in their area rent deferrals, the borough council decided to give businesses in the district a period of rent for free.

At the time, a joint statement from chief executive Wallace Sampson and council leader Richard Cooper said the council wanted to encourage others to offer support.

It said: “Our commercial tenants will be offered three months’ rent free and we’ll be doing all that we can to encourage other landlords in the district to consider what support they can offer their tenants.”

But some landlords in the district have described the decision as “unnecessary” and pointed to the fact that the authority has estimated a £15 million shortfall in its budget.

John Warren, a housing landlord in Ripon, said while some business will need help, the cost is going to eventually have an impact on the taxpayer. He said:

“My concern is as a council taxpayer.

“We have a council which is giving money away perhaps unnecessarily and no doubt in 12 months time council tax will be put up.

“I am sure they have done it for the best of reasons, but when times are hard you have to think of the greater good which is the council taxpayer.”

Mr Warren contacted The Stray Ferret and said he was unhappy after it was revealed that the borough council is expecting a shortfall of £15 million and may have to furlough some staff to address the funding gap.

Another landlord, who did not wish to be named, said: “It does not seem fair, it will screw the market.”

In response to an e-mail from Mr Warren, Councillor Margaret Atkinson, member for Fountains and Ripley, said the authority was doing all it can to support local business.

“The council has to do everything it can to help these businesses on the instructions of the government,” she said.

“The government has given Harrogate council over £40 million to issue grants of £10,000 to small businesses that meet – 1) They are in the Harrogate district, 2) They qualify for small business rate relief or rural rate relief and 3) the business occupies the property.

“They have already had over 2,000 applications.”

However, Mr Warren described Councillor Atkinson’s response to his concerns as “very unsatisfactory”.

Meanwhile, Councillor Pat Marsh, Leader of the Liberal Democrats group on the borough council, said she thought the decision was rushed.

“I think in hindsight it was maybe a decision which should have been tempered,” she said.

“For me, I think it was a bit of a rushed decision that I wish I had given more thought.”

Harrogate Borough Council has been approached for comment but had not responded at the time of publication.

The heroes of Yorkshire Air Ambulance (YAA) and other emergency services, are to be recognised in a special way at Ripon Cathedral, through the ‘Wing and a Prayer’ project.

The project will see the creation of origami paper angels, which will become part of an inspiring art installation in the nave, with each covered by requests for prayers, which members of the public can submit on an online form via the cathedral website.

People are being asked to donate ‘an angel’ to be placed inside the cathedral and the prayers that are placed on the angelic figures will be offered up by clergy during services.

Margaret Hammond, development manager at the cathedral, said:

“We are delighted that the Yorkshire Air Ambulance have agreed to partner with Ripon Cathedral to offer a way of individuals praying for their heroes, or remembering loved ones. At the same time, we look forward to raising funds to keep the YAA flying at this difficult time and to support the work of the cathedral in the community.”

The angels created through the ‘Wing and a Prayer’ project will be both downloadable and printable and in a format that can be shared on social media and placed in the windows of homes as a show of support for those who are working on the front line to keep communities safe during the cornavirus crisis and beyond.

Helen Callear, director of fundraising (North East) for Yorkshire Air Ambulance, said:

“This is a project very close to our charity’s heart and with event cancellations and fundraising activities on hold, the YAA needs all the support we can get to keep our helicopters in the air and saving lives across the region.

Dentists and technicians from the Raglan Suite Dentistry Laboratory in Ripon have developed a protective visor from 3D printers normally used for dental work.

So far they have provided almost 2,500 visors free of charge to local care homes, hospitals and other key workers that need them.

Steven Campbell, Dental Technician at the Raglan Suite and MD of Nexus Dental Laboratory, told The Stray Ferret:

“Dentistry is on pause, so we wanted to make use of our 3D printing machines that usually make night guards, liners and dentures. I was shocked at the lack of PPE available so we have managed to come up with the perfect design to create these essential visors. It is brilliant to be able to provide  PPE equipment to our local area.”

The technicians have also been making 900 ear savers each day to make the visors more comfortable for people to wear for long periods of time.

There has been industry funding for the production of these and there is also a go fund me page where people are able to donate towards the making of them.

Firefighters across the Harrogate district held a minute silence today at 12pm as part of an international effort to remember their fallen colleagues.

Members of the Blue Watch in Ripon and the Green Watch in Harrogate stood outside their bases today to pay their respects.

Household waste recycling centres (HWRC) will remain closed in North Yorkshire, despite several around the country re-opening this weekend.

North Yorkshire County Council said it is still working on the safest way for its tips to re-open, including the two in Harrogate and one in Ripon, despite growing demand from the public and concerns that a lack of the facility may lead to fly-tipping.

The decision to keep the gates closed has been challenged by Coun Geoff Webber, who represents Bilton and Nidd Gorge on NYCC. He said:

“I fail to understand how people are expected to calculate sufficiency of storage space when we can’t tell them when the tips will reopen. Furthermore it seems to me completely unreasonable to ask people who are mainly confined to home not to generate waste through DIY or gardening.

Compliance with current regulations relies on the public acceptance that the regulations are reasonable and I fear that the County Council’s current position is far from that.”

Around the UK, other local authorities including Greater Manchester have re-opened their waste and recycling centres, after the local government secretary, Robert Jenrick, told the House of Commons on Tuesday that he expected tips to be open “within weeks”.

‘Cut non-essential travel’

Ian Fielding, NYCC’s assistant director for waste management, said:

“As it stands our household waste recycling centres remain closed for public safety and to cut non-essential travel but we will open them as soon as we can. The government are indicating that sites can reopen where they can be operated safely, and are preparing guidance for local authorities on how this might work in practice.

“We are considering how and when we might be able to open our sites, and operate them without putting staff or the public at risk. Before making a decision, we want to ensure that we have addressed all potential challenges regarding social distancing and traffic management but it is probable that not all sites will open initially, and it is likely that there will be significant restrictions on their use.”

Mr Fielding said the decision to close was made alongside other local authorities in England and NYCC was working hard to get the HWRCs open again as soon as possible.

While the tips remain closed, he urged people not to create additional waste and reminded the public that fly tipping carries legal penalties:  

“During this lockdown period we are asking people to minimise their waste as much as possible. For instance, please do not begin DIY or gardening projects if you don’t have space to store that waste until the HWRCs are able to reopen.

“Do not be tempted to fly tip. It is an offence punishable by fines or imprisonment and offenders will be prosecuted.”

Ripon City Council has responded to the coronavirus crisis by buying £1,200 worth of material and sewing equipment for use in the production of scrubs and  other items for frontline healthcare workers.

The council is currently in isolation and town clerk Paula Benson, contacted all 12 councillors – who unanimously agreed to the purchase of the material. It’s now been supplied to an army of volunteers across the Harrogate district involved in making the items that include masks, sets of scrubs and scrubs bags.

The material and sewing equipment was purchased respectively from local suppliers Reynard Fabrics of Scotton and White Rose Sewing and Craft Centre, Harrogate.

The Mayor of Ripon and chair of the council, Councillor Eamon Parkin (above) , told The Stray Ferret:

“The city council is delighted to support healthcare workers in this way and we pay tribute to the many volunteers, working in their homes, who have collaborated to make items that are vital in our collective fight  against coronavirus.”

He added:

“The council is in harmony with the community in Ripon and I am proud by the response that residents have made through numerous acts of kindness – from active involvement in the production and delivery of PPE, to shopping and the collection of medicines for people who are in self-isolation in their homes. Whenever there is a need, you can count on the people of Ripon to rise to the occasion. This has been the toughest challenge we have ever faced, but we will win, if everybody in every community, continues to pull together.”

Cllr Parkin, whose own business – The Magdalens Pub – is currently closed, has turned the premises into a community hub, delivering shopping and vital items to residents in isolation in the Hospital of St Mary Magdalene Almshouses and to local care homes.

Earlier this month, in a Stray Ferret article, Ripon City and Harrogate district councillor Pauline McHardy, who worked as a nurse in the NHS for 41 years, expressed concern about the shortage of PPE for healthcare workers.

She said:

“With fellow councillors, I am absolutely delighted to support funding for these essential items.”

Ripon butcher Phil Marley, was amazed by the generosity of a Stray Ferret reader who made a large donation after reading the story which went online on Saturday about the way he and his colleagues are helping to feed families and individuals trapped in poverty.

Mr Marley, who has owned and run his shop on North Street for 20 years, has been supplying free meat packs to people in dire need who live in Ripon and surrounding villages and in Saturday’s story, said everybody must pull together to tackle the crisis and what lies beyond for people currently in financial difficulties.

After receiving the call from the donor, who wishes to remain anonymous, he told The Stray Ferret:

“Following the story, I received a phone call and I was amazed by the generosity shown towards people who are in less fortunate circumstances. This means that we can help even more of those in need.”

The free meat packs comprising items including a joint of lamb, pork or beef, sausages and mince beef, are worth up to £25 and are delivered on a weekly basis.

Prior to receiving the donation, Mr Marley received support in both kind and cash from community-minded suppliers and customers.

Former Ripon Grammar School student Ella Borchard (pictured above) has volunteered to join the NHS front line at Harrogate Hospital in its battle so save the lives of people stricken by coronavirus.

The 21-year-old, who is a nursing student at Sheffield Hallam University, is well-equipped to care for COVID-19 patients as she has received extensive training in the oxygen therapy, mental wellbeing and use of PPE.

Academics at the university have provided online lectures and training sessions about end of life care and COVID-19 policies and procedures, including simulations with mannequins.

Ella, who will be working under supervision from the nursing staff on the Wensleydale Ward at Harrogate Hospital, took up her place at Sheffield Hallam after studying biology, chemistry and Spanish at Ripon Grammar.

Looking forward to using her caring skills in a real-life situation, she said:

“Every day will bring so many issues to overcome, but it will give me lots of experience of nursing in an unusual situation, while having a defined support network. I do feel very excited to be a part of history.”

At university, the nursing students prepared for situations they might find themselves in and discussed how to look after themselves.

Ella pointed out:

“The training gives us some of the skills and information we need to tackle something like this, but I have spent nearly three years preparing for my future career as a nurse and working during the pandemic is only part of what I have trained to do. Further down the line I would like to take my master’s degree in advances nursing so that I can manage patients’ complete clinical care, from diagnosis to care planning and discharge.”

An enthusiastic supporter of Ripon Youth Theatre Ella, like her mother Jo, is a member of Ripon Amateur Operatic Society, taking part in many performances.

Ella in costume for a Ripon Amateur Operatic Society performance

Mrs Borchard, a primary school teacher and herself a former student of Ripon Grammar School, told the Stray Ferret:

“I am so proud of Ella, she is wonderful, caring daughter, with lots of energy, drive, focus and attention to detail.

“Whatever she does, she strives to do it to the best of her ability – whether dancing in an operatic society show, or putting her professional skills into practice at the height of this world pandemic  crisis.”