Ripon Disability Forum is arranging free training for local businesses, voluntary organisations and councils aimed at making the city more accessible.
The training, at Community House on Allhallowgate, is being provided by disability consultants Nimbus Disability. It will take place from 9.30am to 2pm on October 26.
Nimbus created The Access Card, which is an ID card for disabled people that indicates what their legal rights might be and gives businesses an indication of the support they need to provide.
RDF trustee Jeremy Dunford, who is a wheelchair user, said:
“The Purple Pound, which refers to the spending power of people with a disability, is estimated to be worth £274 billion per year to the UK economy, so it is in the interests of businesses to ensure that their premises are as accessible as possible for those with limited mobility.
“However, it’s not just about clients and customers, it’s is also about employment opportunities, information sharing/presentation and technology.
“It is also about developing the best accessible practise by overcoming barriers that can be overcome and sharing open information when a barrier cannot be overcome for example, when it is not possible to provide ramped access to a listed building.”
With 25 places available at Community House, the training is being offered on a first come, first served basis to businesses or organisations that operate in, or serve Ripon and its surrounding area. Attendance via Zoom can also be arranged.
Bookings should be made via ripondisabilityforum@gmail.com or the forum’s facebook page.
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Ripon leisure centre work halted after ground movement detected
A £3.5 million scheme to stabilise the Jack Laugher Leisure and Wellness Centre in Ripon has been halted because of new suspected land movement.
Groundwork began in June following the discovery of a “void” beneath the former leisure centre building in the sinkhole-prone area.
Members have had to use a temporary gym in the car park and attend group classes at Hugh Ripley Hall in the city centre while remediation work takes place at the old building.
The new building, which includes a swimming pool, sauna and steam room has remained open.
The new building on the site remains open.
Work was due to finish in spring next year but the latest discovery may jeopardise that — and spark fresh questions about the wisdom of choosing the site and continuing to spend money stabilising the land despite sinkhole fears.
The Stray Ferret asked North Yorkshire Council if work had been halted after noticing a lack of activity in recent weeks.
Jo Ireland, the council’s assistant director for culture and leisure, said:
“Our contractors have temporarily paused groundworks at the Jack Laugher Leisure and Wellness Centre as a precautionary measure while they investigate and assess signs of movement that have appeared in the internal blockwork of the existing building.
“A specialist engineer has advised the movement is predominantly aesthetic with no grounds for concern over the safety of the building.
“We will be installing a monitoring system on site in the next few days to detect any further movement that may occur. This system will give us the data we need to allow us to restart work later this month.
“We would only need to pause work again should the monitoring system detect additional significant movement, at which point further assessment of the situation would take place.”
‘Throwing good money after bad’
In October last year Ripon City Council leader Andrew Williams, who also represents Ripon Minster and Moorside on North Yorkshire Council, said it was time to stop “throwing good money after bad” and and “look for a suitable location for a new leisure centre to be built on sound land”.
He accused the now-defunct Harrogate Borough Council, which took the decision to build on the site, of “blindly and belligerently pouring money into propping up a centre that is nearly 30 years old and there is no guarantee that more funding won’t be needed after remediation works begin”.
Cllr Williams added:
“These works would take the total spending on this project to £18 million – some £8 million above the original budget – and they can’t continue ploughing money into this site, with its known history of ground stability issues, including a sinkhole that opened up on the leisure centre car park in 2018.”
Read more:
- £3.5 million remediation work underway at Ripon leisure centre
- Ripon leisure centre halts price increase due to ongoing work
- City councillors call for an end to spending on Ripon leisure centre
Ripon on track to be chosen for double devolution deal
Ripon City Council has cleared an important hurdle in its double devolution bid to take control of city assets.
North Yorkshire Council invited town and parish councils to submit expressions of interest to run local services in November last year.
It was part of the Conservative-controlled council’s double devolution agenda which pledges to let local people take control of local assets.
The council said it would choose up to six locations this autumn to put forward full business cases. Final decisions are expected in spring next year before assets are transferred to successful bidders later in the year.
This afternoon Ripon City Council was notified by council assistant chief executive Rachel Joyce the evaluation board proposed to to set up individual project teams to work with Ripon and Selby.
The news is likely to come as a blow for other towns, including Knaresborough, which also expressed interest. Harrogate was unable to bid because it does not have a town council.
Ms Joyce said in correspondence with the city council:
“Two expressions of interest that were considered, submitted by Ripon Town(City) Council and Selby Town Council; were both ambitious and multi-faceted, with a number of service areas involved in the evaluation of their expressions of interest.”
Ripon Town Hall
The Ripon devolution bid sought management of Ripon Town Hall, Market Place and Car Park, public toilets within the city and the Wakeman’s House listed building.
Ms Joyce said:
“Whilst the bids were considered to be showing the level of ambition for their areas that was originally envisaged for the double devolution project they highlighted that the evaluation criteria was not sophisticated enough to manage a wide range of services within its scoring mechanisms.
“It is therefore proposed by the evaluation board that individual project teams are set up to work with Ripon City Council and Selby Town Council to bring forward double devolution proposals to be considered by the executive in these two areas recognising that these may require more support.”
The news has been welcomed by Cllr Andrew Williams, the Independent leader of Ripon City Council, who also represents the Minster and Moorside division on North Yorkshire Council.
He told the Stray Ferret:
“We have cleared an important hurdle and that’s very good news for Ripon as we seek greater say over our own destiny.
“We put forward a very strong double devolution bid and North Yorkshire Council has shown that it is willing to listen to us and work with us — in considerable contrast to the relationship that we had over almost 50 years with Harrogate Borough Council.”
Read more:
- North Yorkshire Council to pick double-devolution winners in October
- Claim Ripon’s bid to control town hall and market square a ‘done deal’
Police locate wanted Ripon man
North Yorkshire Police has found a wanted Ripon man who went missing.
The 23-year-old was released on licence on May 19 this year but the Probation Service has since reported “poor behaviour”.
North Yorkshire Police released a wanted appeal on Friday, but have since located the suspect.
Read more:
- Police release CCTV image after Ripon restaurant attempted burglary
- Police close central Harrogate street after ‘serious sexual assault’ on woman
Ripon’s South Lodge to reopen tomorrow
One of Ripon’s largest and most prominent pubs will reopen under new management tomorrow afternoon (Saturday), following its sudden closure in April.
The South Lodge doors will be open again from 4pm and at 9pm there will be free live music.
Ahead of the pub’s reopening, the Stray Ferret was invited for a sneak peek and the opportunity to meet new licensee Terry Flanagan and his daughter Sinead, to find out about plans for the Harrogate Road hostelry.
The pub’s wonky sign will be fixed shortly
Mr Flanagan, told the Stray Ferret:
“The minute I saw this pub was available, I just knew I had to have it. It’s in a great residential location and has bags of potential.”
With experience built over almost 30 years in the hospitality sector across Yorkshire, beginning in the mid 1990s when he was landlord of the Queen’s Head in Kirkby Malzeard, he added:
“I go on my gut instincts and could see that South Lodge has all of the ingredients needed for success.
“My aim is to put it right back at the heart of the community, welcoming families with children during the daytime and catering for adults in the evenings, with free musical entertainment at weekends, Thursday quiz nights and pool nights on Wednesdays.”
Ms Flanagan, also an experienced publican, is providing administrative support for the South Lodge reopening.
Sinead Flanagan
She said:
“The food offer, including Sunday carvery, will be up and running by the end of the month and we also have plans for the Christmas period.”
Re-decoration is nearing completion and the pub, which stands in its own grounds and has a beer garden, will have its sign fixed shortly.
South Lodge is located by the busy A61 on the route of the 36 bus service between Ripon and Harrogate.
Further information is available via the pub’s Facebook page.
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Police identify man after Ripon restaurant attempted burglary
Police have identified a man they wish to speak to in connection with an attempted burglary at a Ripon restaurant.
The incident happened at Prima Pizzeria on Kirkgate at 11.55pm on Friday, August 18.
Officers said a man tried to gain entry to the rear of the restaurant.
North Yorkshire Police released a CCTV image in connection with the incident and have since identified a man.
A police statement added:
“Anyone with any information is asked to call North Yorkshire Police on 101, select option 2, and ask for the ‘York Initial Enquiry Team’ quoting 12230155915.
“If you wish to remain anonymous, you can pass information to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
“Please quote reference number 12230155915 when passing on information.”
Read more:
- Police close central Harrogate street after ‘serious sexual assault’ on woman
- North Yorkshire fire service to charge businesses for false alarm calls
Ripon’s Blue Cross charity shop closes today
An animal welfare charity is closing its Ripon shop today (Friday) due to declining trade.
This proved the tipping point for the Blue Cross shop, which has operated for five years from a large corner unit in The Arcade.
All remaining stock is being sold off for £2 or less, ahead of this afternoon’s closure..
David Palmer, Blue Cross head of retail operations, told the Stray Ferret:
“We were coming up to the end of our lease and after considerable thought we have sadly taken the difficult decision to close our shop in Ripon due to a decrease in the levels of trade and low profitability.
“We’d like to thank the staff and volunteers for all their hard work in the shop and pass on our thanks to everyone in Ripon who has supported Blue Cross over the five years.
He added:
“We are constantly looking at all of our 55 shops across the country to ensure we’re raising as many funds as possible for the thousands of sick, injured and homeless pets we help every year.
“We have shops in Northallerton and Thirsk where we would be delighted to receive donations and people can also support our charity by volunteering with us.”
The former Caffe Tempo Unit (pictured right) has been vacant since late July.
In July, Caffe Tempo, which had traded for six years in the unit neighbouring the Blue Cross shop, closed because of spiralling ingredient and overhead costs, that wiped out its profitability.
The former Caffe Tempo and two further units in The Arcade remain vacant.
Read more:
Two injured after stone thrown through Ripon house window
Police have appealed for information after a large stone was thrown through the window of a property in Ripon.
The stone not only smashed the window, but the shards of glass also injured two homeowners who were sitting in their living room at the time.
The incident happened on Redshaw Close at around 12.05am on Friday, September 1.
A North Yorkshire Police statement added:
“Officers are asking people to get in touch if they are aware of anyone who was in the area at the time, have any suggestions of who the suspects may be, or have any CCTV showing suspicious behaviour in the area at the time of the incident.
“Anyone with any information is asked to email adam.deacon2@northyorkshire.police.uk or call North Yorkshire Police on 101, select option 2 and ask for PC Adam Deacon.
“If you wish to remain anonymous, you can pass information to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
“Please quote reference number 12230164661 when passing on information.”
Read more:
- Police close central Harrogate street after ‘serious sexual assault’ on woman
- North Yorkshire fire service to charge businesses for false alarm calls
Ripon’s Yorkshire cricketer John Waring dies aged 81
A Ripon cricketer who opened the bowling for Yorkshire with Fred Trueman has died on his 81st birthday.
John Waring was taken ill on Saturday morning while playing golf at Ripon City Golf Club. He died at Harrogate District Hospital the following morning — his 81st birthday.
Fast-medium pace bowler John played 29 first-class matches for Yorkshire from 1963 to 1966. He took 55 wickets at an average of 22.74.
The highlight of his career came in the championship-winning season of 1966 when he returned incredible match figures of 10 wickets for 63 runs in a Roses fixture against Lancashire, out-performing even the great Trueman.
John made one appearance for Warwickshire and later played minor counties cricket for Cumberland and was the club professional at Darlington. He also played for Leeds, Harrogate, Scarborough and Bingley.
A talented golfer, he was the youngest ever captain at Ripon City Golf Club and later became club president. He was also president of the Harrogate and District Union of Golf Clubs.
John married Jean in 1964 and they lived in Scarborough before moving to Dishforth in 1972.
He is survived by Jean and their son Jonathan, who lives in Thirsk with wife Zoe.
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MPs Watch: Climate change, NHS dentists and Harrogate Station Gateway saga
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 September, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announced a major shift in the government’s climate policies, including delaying the ban on the sale of diesel and petrol cars.
Meanwhile, in Harrogate, the saga over the Station Gateway project continued with council officials announcing the authority would explore alternative options for the scheme.
We asked Ripon MP Julian Smith and Selby and Ainsty MP Keir Mather if they would like to highlight anything in particular, but did not receive a response.
Here is what we know after analysing their online presence.
Andrew Jones, Harrogate and Knaresborough MP.
In Harrogate and Knaresborough, here is what we found on Mr Jones:
- On September 1, Mr Jones attended a Harrogate war memorial centenary event.
- Mr Jones met with Alzheimer’s Research UK in Parliament on September 6.
- On September 8, he met with North Yorkshire and Humber Integrated Care Board, alongside regional MPs, to discuss NHS dentistry.
- Mr Jones then raised the issue of NHS dentistry access in Harrogate during Prime Minister’s Question Time on September 13.
- On September 14, he raised a question to the Department for Business and Trade regarding support for companies exporting and asked the Leader of the House for a debate on SEND funding.
- He chaired a meeting of the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Transport across the North.
- Mr Jones described the Prime Minister’s announcement of a shift in climate policy as “practical and pragmatic” on September 21.
- Mr Jones visited the refurbished Harrogate Leisure and Wellness Centre on September 22.
- On September 25, he met with constituents to discuss anti-social behaviour concerns at the former Kimberley Hotel.
- He told the Local Democracy Reporting Service on September 26 that he hoped North Yorkshire Council will use money earmarked for the £11.2m Station Gateway to create a more welcoming space in Harrogate.
When we contacted Mr Jones for comment, his office sent a list of his engagements for September.
They included holding constituency surgeries, supporting Nidd Action Group’s Action Day at the Lido Leisure Park in Knaresborough and holding a roundtable with Harrogate-based cyclists to discuss local cycling infrastructure.
Others included meeting with representatives of the Women’s Institute to support their Clean Rivers campaign, meeting the Jewish Leadership Council, Food and Drink Federation and Macmillan Cancer Support and visiting the site of the local mental health crisis line to learn more about how calls are handled by TEWV NHS Foundation Trust.
Julian Smith, MP for Ripon and Skipton.
In Ripon, here is what we found on Mr Smith:
- Mr Smith spoke three times in the House of Commons in September, two contributions were on Northern Ireland and another on paediatric acute-onset neuro- psychiatric syndrome.
- He visited Fountains Abbey near Ripon to be given an update on its plans to renovate the site.
- Mr Smith tweeted 14 times in September, which included to posts to promote various government grants and initiatives.
- He updated his website six times in September, which included one item specific to Ripon.
Keir Mather, Selby and Ainsty MP.
In Selby and Ainsty, which includes rural south Harrogate, here is what we found on Mr Mather:
- Mr Mather was sworn in as the new MP for Selby and Ainsty on September 4.
- He made 20 written questions to government departments in September, including topics such as access to GPs, anti-social behaviour and gender based violence.
- On September 1, Mr Mather tweeted that he met the chief executive of Yorkshire Housing, Nick Atkin, to discuss “how to win the race to net zero in North Yorkshire by investing in affordable and sustainable housing for all”.
- Mr Mather tweeted six times in September, which included topics such as meeting with the National Farmers’ Union and being sworn into parliament.
- He updated his Facebook page 11 times in September. Posts included SEND provision in Selby and sharing concerns over RAAC in schools.
- Mr Mather has yet to give his maiden speech in the House of Commons.
Read more:
- MPs Watch: New MP, River Nidd and Mayoral election
- Any vehicle can park in Knaresborough electric vehicle bays, says council