A double-sided sketch by the Belgian surrealist artist René Magritte will be auctioned in Ripon next week.

The sketch will be displayed at Elstob Auctioneers’ fine art sale on Wednesday, May 8.

The two pencil drawings of nude figures in a double-sided gilt decorative frame carries a price estimate of £10,000 to £15,000.

Magritte, who lived from 1898 to 1967, was known for images of clouds, bowler hats, pipes and green apples.

His work influenced pop art, minimalist art and conceptual art. In the 1999 film The Thomas Crown Affair starring Pierce Brosnan, the Magritte painting The Son of Man featured prominently as part of the plot line.

The logo of Apple Corps, The Beatles’ company, is inspired by Magritte’s Le Jeu de Mourre; Paul Simon composed a song Rene and Georgette Magritte with Their Dog after the War and Tom Stoppard wrote a 1970 surrealist play called After Magritte.

The nude pencil studies that feature in Elstob’s sale came from the remaining contents of the studio of Magritte, sold at Sothebys on 2 July 1987. On this occasion, it is being offered for sale by a private collector.

Nude studies sketches by René Magritte

Rohan McCulloch, paintings and sculpture specialist at Elstob Auctioneers, said:

“Even if at first people think they don’t know the name of Magritte, they will most probably be familiar with many of his pictures that have frequently been featured in advertisements, posters, book covers and film.

“Without doubt, he has left a huge cultural legacy and we are very excited to be able to offer this captivating work for sale. Its established provenance will hopefully ensure a considerable interest from collectors around the globe.”

The sale also includes a striking portrait of Miss Hilda Wilkinson by Leeds artist Jacob Kramer (1892-1962), which is anticipated to fetch £6,000 to 8,000 and an oil on canvas by Philip Naviasky (1894-1983) that carries a price estimate of £1,000 – £1,500.

Miss Hilda Wilkinson by Jacob Kramer (left) and Miss May by Philip Naviasky

All lots can be viewed online and bidding on the day of the sale can be made in person, over the telephone or online.

Items can be viewed at the Ripon saleroom on Sunday May 5 and Monday May 6 and the day before the sale on Tuesday May 7.

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Every month the Stray Ferret tries to find out what our local MPs have been up to in their constituencies and in the House of Commons.

In April, Rishi Sunak’s Rwanda Bill looked set to reach royal ascent, while MPs threw their weight behind their party’s candidates in the race to be the first York and North Yorkshire mayor on May 2.

Here’s what we know after analysing their online presence.

Andrew Jones, Harrogate and Knaresborough MP.

In Harrogate and Knaresborough, here is what found on Conservative Andrew Jones:

• Mr Jones made two spoken contributions in the House of Commons this month. One was about the standards of new build housing in his constituency, and the other was during a Health and Disability Reform debate.
• On April 12, Mr Jones opened Disability Action Yorkshire’s new assisted living flats in Harrogate.
• Mr Jones welcomed a new bus service for Wedderburn Road, in Harrogate, on April 22.
• He joined Harrogate Pumping Marvellous, a heart failure group, for its first birthday on April 29.
• Mr Jones also voted in favour of the draft Economic Growth Order, and against the Renters Reform Bill (report stage) amendment 28.

When we contacted Mr Jones for comment, his office sent details of April engagements.

These included attending Horticap’s 40th anniversary event and presenting awards at the first Lego League Final at Harrogate Convention Centre.

Mr Jones went to the opening of the Knaresborough Heritage Centre and hosted a reception for the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Transport across the north.

He also voted in favour of the motion to disagree with the Lords on amendment 3J of the Safety of Rwanda (Asylum and Immigration) Bill.

Mr Jones also saw the new electric 36 bus at the Harrogate Bus Company.

Julian Smith, MP for Ripon and Skipton.

In Ripon, here is what we found on Conservative Julian Smith:

• Mr Smith made no spoken contributions in the Houses of Parliament in the month of April.
• On April 16, he voted in favour of the second reading of the Tobacco and Vapes Bill.
• Mr Smith also voted against the report stage of the Renters Reform Bill amendment 28.
• He also welcomed the news of the new childcare rollout in England, which grants working parents of two-year-olds access to 15 hours of free childcare per week.
• Mr Smith also said he was “really pleased” after North Yorkshire Council was awarded £7.8 million of additional funding to help those with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) with alternative provisions.

Mr Smith visited Glasshouses Community Primary School to talk about the role of an MP.

He also welcomed news of five local primary schools receiving funding, which will go towards improving the grounds and buildings.

Mr Smith also voted in favour of the motion to disagree with the lords on amendment 3J of the Safety of Rwanda (Asylum and Immigration) Bill.

We contacted Julian Smith for comment, but did not receive a response.

Keir Mather, Selby and Ainsty MP.

In Selby and Ainsty, which includes parts of south Harrogate, here is what we found on Labour MP Keir Mather:

• Mr Mather was listed among the Sunday Times’ top 25 most inspiring people under 30 in April for overturning a large Tory majority at such a young age.
• He updated his social media several times throughout the month. None of the updates related to areas of his constituency which fall in Harrogate.
• On April 22, Mr Mather spoke in the House of Commons about the upcoming election for the mayor of York and North Yorkshire. He raised concern about one candidate’s spending commitments.
• He voted against the motion to disagree with the lords on amendment 3J of the Safety of Rwanda (Asylum and Immigration) Bill.

Mr Mather posted repeatedly online to encourage people to vote for David Skaith (a fellow Labour MP) as York and North Yorkshire’s inaugural mayor.

He also plugged Labour’s plans for failing bus services.

We did not receive a response from Mr Mather’s office after approaching him for comment.

Read more:

• MPs Watch: Spring Budget, Kex Gill and Rwanda Bill updates
• MPs Watch: Antisemitism, £380m transport fund and road safety
• MPs Watch: Rwanda bill, Post Office scandal and rough sleeping in Harrogate

North Yorkshire Council has increased the fine for an overdue book at its libraries from 30p to 35p per day.

The council said it was the first increase in almost a decade and was being made “in the light of increased pressures on finances”.

The changes will only apply to adult library members and not children.

The price to print an A4 piece of black and white paper at the library has also increased from 10p to 20p. It remains 50p to print a page of colour.

In an email sent to members yesterday, the council said income from fines and other charges goes into the library budget and contributes to ongoing service delivery costs.

The maximum fine for one book is £8.

The email added:

“Charges incurred at our community libraries goes directly back to the groups managing those libraries and makes up a valuable part of the income needed to meet their running costs.

“To mitigate the increase and to help customers keep track of items on loan we will be introducing reminders about when books are due back.”

For details of all library charges visit the council’s website.

Last year, Harrogate Library was the most popular in the county with 177,629 visits.

Visitor numbers at other libraries in the former Harrogate district area were Knaresborough with 110,191, Ripon with 73,428 and Starbeck with 18,676.

In 2015, the running of 31 libraries in the county was handed to volunteers in the face of mounting financial pressures brought on by austerity.

In this model, the council’s library service continues to provide the infrastructure including books and public IT, as well as some paid staff support to ensure consistency across the county.

The community libraries account for just under 40% of active library users and deliver on average 50% of the total business for book lending and computer access.

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People are being urged to strip off their clothes this summer and stroll around gardens near Ripon.

British Naturism is organising six naked walks in Britain to raise money for the British Heart Foundation.

One of them is being held at the Himalayan Garden and Sculpture Park, which is situated between Ripon and Masham, on Saturday, June 29.

In a press release today announcing the news, British Naturism said participants would “experience the exhilaration of being nude in the great outdoors, boost their mental and physical health, reducing their stress — and have a lot of fun”.

The walks will be clothing-optional, meaning there is no obligation to be naked. More than 80 people took part in a similar event at the same venue last year.

Andrew Welch, national spokesman for British Naturism, said:

“Taboos around nudity are eroding and the health and well-being benefits of going naked are more widely understood, with more and more people wanting to get the exhilarating feelings for themselves.

“We encourage anyone to come and give it a go — and raise much-needed funds for our charity partner, British Heart Foundation.”

Ben Bishop, fundraising manager at the foundation, said:

“There are lots of ways to support the BHF and, thanks to British Naturism, these now include taking your clothes off and enjoying the great outdoors.”

Tickets are available here.

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• Ripon TikTok influencer wins darts championship
• Masham school pupils don’t receive ‘acceptable standard of education’, says Ofsted

A Ripon man with more than 290,000 followers on TikTok has won the first ever Modus Super Series influencer darts championship.

Charlie Murphy defeated a fellow influencer known as Pieface in Portsmouth on Sunday (April 28).

Mr Murphy started creating videos on TikTok over a year ago about his weight loss journey and his passion for Manchester United.

He now also makes videos on darts, featuring his catchphrase ‘easy now’, which led to him being invited to the tournament. He also plays darts in the local pub league in Ripon.

In total, his videos have received almost 10 million likes on TikTok.

In a TikTok video posted before Sunday’s event, he said:

“I’m really looking forward to it, really nervous but I am just going to enjoy it and give it my all.

“I don’t know how I’ve gone from throwing darts in my bedroom shouting ‘easy now’ to being invited to play here in a tournament with other influencers and professional darts players. What a fantastic place.”

The event was Mr Murphy’s first tournament in front of a crowd and the most viewed Modus Super Series livestream ever.

@charliemurphy50

Modus Super Series is a weekly darts competition streamed on YouTube involving non-Professional Darts Corporation card holders which includes an influencer/creator charity event.

The event raised more than £1,400 for the charity of Mr Murphy’s choice, which was Cancer Research UK.

See below to watch Charlie Murphy win the championship

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• Council has pumped almost 3,000 tonnes of grout into Ripon void 
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North Yorkshire Council has revealed it has pumped almost 3,000 tonnes of grout into a void underneath Ripon leisure centre as part of ground stabilisation works that began last summer and have cost £3.4 million to date.

The Jack Laugher Leisure and Wellness Centre opened in March 2022 but whilst the pool is in use, plans for a gym at the previously built leisure centre on the same site were delayed after an underground void was discovered.

This prompted an investigation by engineering firm Stantec, which found evidence of multiple voids and “significantly weak” areas of ground beneath the older half of the leisure centre that was built in 1995.

It warned that not carrying out remedial repairs would be “unacceptable from a public safety perspective”.

Ripon is susceptible to voids and sinkholes because it lies on a layer of water-soluble rock called gypsum.

North Yorkshire Council began works to stabilise the ground last summer by pumping it with grout.

A council spokesperson said that as of this month, 2,810 tonnes of grout has been used during the works, costing £3.4m.

They were unable to say exactly when the work will finish, only that it would be this year.

It means a temporary gym costing £300,000 that was erected in the leisure centre’s car park last year will remain open, despite the council previously insisting it would be removed by March 2024.

Retired chartered engineer Stanley Mackintosh campaigned against the site being used for the leisure centre due to the gypsum issues.

Mr Mackintosh told the Local Democracy Reporting Service that the ground stabilisation works has become a literal example of a “sunk cost fallacy” for the council. He said he also has concerns about its environmental impact.

He said:

“The works are essentially ineffective and structurally dangerous, but I’m also concerned about the related release of thousands of tonnes of CO2 into our atmosphere during that process.”

The topic of the leisure centre was raised at a recent mayoral hustings event held by Zero Carbon Harrogate.

Independent candidate Keith Tordoff described the works as resulting from “gross incompetence” by leaders at the now defunct Harrogate Borough Council, which chose the site, and North Yorkshire Council.

He said:

“They knew about the sinkholes around Ripon and were advised about it. It’s a disaster and typical of the council. They are pumping our money into it.”

Read more:

• New Clotherholme plans heighten fears for Ripon’s military heritage
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Kerry Metcalfe, the council’s assistant director for property, said:

“The ground stabilisation work underway involves pumping grout into voids under the ground. These works are expected to be completed later this year and are necessary to make the leisure centre building safe so that it can be refurbished and re-opened for public use.

“The cost for this work so far is £3.4m. Refurbishment work to the leisure centre was paused when the need for ground remediation work was identified and will therefore be finished after completion of the ground stabilisation works.

“The nature of the work is complex and is under constant review, reopening dates will be announced when they are confirmed.”

The organisation fighting to save Ripon’s military heritage from being bulldozed has said it is “hugely disappointed” about updated plans for the 1,300-home Clotherholme housing scheme.

Government agencies Homes England and the Defence infrastructure Organisation provided the update in a planning report published on North Yorkshire Council’s website last week.

The homes will be built at the barracks site which contains internationally significant military structures, including huts constructed in 1939 when Neville Chamberlain’s government prepared for war with Germany and training bridges that influenced global warfare.

The demolition training bridge. Pic: Ripon Military Heritage Trust

The report pledged to “work with the Ripon Military Heritage Trust on a heritage strategy which will balance the urgent need for new homes for local people with a strategy for preserving and recording the unique history and heritage of the barracks”.

But the trust, which has launched a website as part of a campaign to preserve key aspects of the site, fears the agencies have shown little desire to co-operate since Harrogate Borough Council granted planning permission in February last year and their pledges remain vague and opaque.

Trust chairman Guy Wilson said:

“We are hugely disappointed that after 15 months of engagement with Homes England, the current outline planning application lacks any provision for the preservation of even a single example of the rare and unique huts at Deverell Barracks.

“Neither has any land been allocated to allow for the relocation and re-use of these heritage assets. Both were specific requests that the Harrogate Borough Council planning committee called for in February 2023.

“It has sadly become apparent that none of the parties to this development has any real interest in preserving the heritage of the site and none has made any attempt to work constructively with us. All they are interested in is appearing to do enough to get their present plans passed without alteration, in which case the result will be that significant heritage assets will be lost and this we very much regret.”

The planning update said the housing scheme will preserve the main military roads and names as well as provide information signs.

How the site will look. Pic: Homes England

It also talks about “exploring ways to integrate a walking tour, virtual tour or to develop other forms of public exhibition at the site”.

One of the conditions of planning consent was to allocate £100,000 to the trust to conduct a feasibility study on preserving and retaining some of the existing military buildings on the site. But progress since then has been limited.

Mr Wilson said:

“Unfortunately, we are sceptical about their commitment to developing a feasibility study, as after 15 months of engagement with Homes England there has been no proper engagement with the real issues involved in preserving the heritage.

“During that period work has begun on producing an options appraisal; all the proposals put forward by the trust have been ignored and they have refused to allow the process to be based on a clear understanding of the assets’ heritage significance.”

He added:

“Where is the commitment to assess significance? Where is the list of assets to be preserved? Where is the agreement to transfer ownership of assets required? Where is the commitment to allocate the necessary land to relocate assets? Where is the commitment to build into the development timescale the reality of fund-raising?

“Instead of work on these crucial issues we have been stonewalled at every turn by all parties. Their heritage strategy is aimed at ticking boxes and getting approvals not at preserving the heritage.”

Read more:

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Ripon Motor Boat Club has unveiled its new slipway.

The club, based in Littlethorpe, was established in 1931 and is now one of the largest inland private boat clubs in the UK.

It offers 140 boat berths and now boasts a new and improved slipway, which is used to draw out boats from the water for repairs and maintenance.

Club secretary, David Hughes, told the Stray Ferret the previous slipway became “unfit for purpose”.

He said the club has purchased land from a local farming family, called the Nicholson’s, several times over the years to expand the site. The club decided to build the slipway on land south of the marina, which was also bought from the Nicholson’s

Mr Hughes said:

“The new slipway would not only allow narrowboats up to 58’6 in length and 20 tonnes in weight to be drawn out of the water on the rail track system, but could also accommodate a purpose-built boat lift for cruisers weighing up to twelve tonnes and up to 35’ in length.

“This would then also give us the option to drive a boat into the dock, pick it up with the boat lift and then chock it up ashore at a suitable location and maximise our available space.”

Mr Hughes said members of the club volunteered to build the new marina, adding it took until the end of 2023 to complete the construction work.

The work was delayed due to the pandemic, “appalling” winter weather and technical difficulties along the way, he added.

Mr Hughes said the project, which was funded entirely by club members, cost an “inconsiderable sum” but declined to provide the Stray Ferret with a figure.

He added:

“Since completion, we have removed several narrow boats and quite a number of cruisers up to the stated capacity limits. Many of our members are wishing to make use of the facility in the coming months to catch up on maintenance tasks.”

The slipway lifting a boat. (From left) Elizabeth Nicholson and her daughter Lizzie with club Commodore, Geoff Graham

Mr Hughes also told the Stray Ferret the club debated what the new slipway should be called, adding:

“The most popular choice by far was to name the slipway after our long-term benefactors, the Nicholson’s, without whom we would not be here today.

“So, Nicholson’s Slipway it is.”

One of the club members crafted a stone plaque detailing the new name and construction period, he added.

The club held a grand opening last Saturday (April 20), where Elizabeth Nicholson and her daughter Lizzie declared the slipway officially open.

Read more:

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Readers’ Letters is a weekly column giving you the chance to have your say on issues affecting the Harrogate district. It is an opinion column and does not reflect the views of the Stray Ferret. Send your views to letters@thestrayferret.co.uk. 

This letter follows news of the Otley Road cycleway in Harrogate being extended.

I use a mobility scooter to go up the pavements to the Co-op.

The pavements are a disgrace – as are the so-called dropped kerbs.

It improves a bit half-way up the road on the cycleway, but I have never actually seen a cyclist on the existing cycleway. Why? Because it’s dangerous and confusing!

The section I use has corrugated concrete which is a nightmare to cross. People with prams and elderly pedestrians also have issues.

I have contacted councillor Keane Duncan several times about the pavements, and the pedestrian crossing on Otley Road near the Prince of Wales roundabout.  He has replied at one stage about the crossing.  But he, and others from Highways, ignore my offer of going out with me on my scooter to let them see the state of pavements. They could use my scooter to see just how difficult it is.

Regarding his idea of buying The Grand Hotel, in Scarborough… I am speechless.

It is a beautiful historic building but does not warrant cllr Duncan spending tax payers’ money on it. Pavements and potholes should be a priority.

Ann Townson, Harrogate

Harrogate’s roads are deteriorating before our eyes…

On the topic of Harrogate roads, this letter bemoans the state of them. Few topics boil our readers’ blood more than potholes, gullies and poor road conditions.

Why, oh, why are our roads disintegrating before our eyes?

Surely the council should be thoroughly embarrassed, considering we live in a town that promotes cycling.

They waste money on harebrained schemes, such as the Gateway, but cannot plan road replacements.

And don’t even get me going about road gully maintenance.

Phil Brown, Harrogate

Ripon is becoming a ‘laughingstock’ with the number of construction projects

This letter responds to several potential and ongoing construction projects in Ripon, including the leisure centre, housing developments and the Cathedral annexe saga.

Ripon is becoming a laughing stock with the number of issues relating to construction projects.

Firstly, the farce of a leisure centre being built on totally unsuitable land.

Then there is the ridiculous state of the road around the Market Square and the housing development built on greenbelt land at the top of South Grange Road.

And now the absolute debacle of the Cathedral annexe.

It is an absolute joke, are the powers that be able to plan, or deliver, a construction project with any level of professionalism?

Tony Sidwell, Ripon

Do you have an opinion on the Harrogate district? Email us at letters@thestrayferret.co.uk. Please include your name and approximate location details. Limit your letters to 350 words. We reserve the right to edit letters.

Read more:

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Ripon singer songwriter Billie Marten is set to perform at Glastonbury Festival this summer.

The 24 year old indie-folk singer is set to make her Glastonbury debut on ‘The Field of Avalon’ stage, an area the festival describes as “representing the best in the world of contemporary, roots and folk music”.

She was born in the village of Risplith, just outside Ripon, and was introduced to music at a young age thanks to her parents who surrounded her with the music of Nick Drake, Joni Mitchell, Joan Armatrading, Kate Bush, and northern folk artist Chris Wood.

Billie attended Ripon Grammar School and won a record deal alongside studying and released ‘Ribbon’ her debut single in May 2014 aged 14.

She was then signed to Chess Club Records, an imprint of Sony. Not long afterwards, she was nominated for the BBC Sound of 2016.

Billie Marten, image Chuffmedia

Her critically acclaimed debut album, ‘Writing of Blues and Yellows’ was also released in 2016, when she was just 17. The following year, she moved to London, where she worked on her 2019 album, ‘Feeding Seahorses By Hand.’

Towards the end of 2019, Billie left Sony and chose a new management team. She signed to Fiction records, a division of Universal, in lockdown via zoom where she released her 2021 album ‘Flora Fauna’.

Since then, she has toured frequently throughout the UK and US becoming known for her soft vocals, however, she has not yet performed to a crowd as big as Glastonbury.

My very first! @glastonbury pic.twitter.com/p8KcgiuAqj

— billie (@BillieMarten) April 16, 2024

Billie released her latest record ‘Drop Cherries’ at the start of the month on April 7 via Fiction Records.

Recorded entirely on tape in Somerset and Wales late last summer, ‘Drop Cherries’ marks the very first time that she has both written and co-produced one of her records.

The 24-year-old is set to perform on the same stage as Kate Nash, Lulu and Caity Baser at Glastonbury this summer.

The festival runs from June 26 to June 30.

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