A nursery in Ripon has been praised for the sense of joy it creates in its children.

In a report published this week, Ofsted said Stepping Stones in Blossomgate offered “purposeful” activities and helped children to become more independent.

Rating the setting ‘good’, inspector Jen Lyons said:

“Lively, interesting and purposeful activities filtrate the rooms, giving a sense of joy and happiness for the children and staff at this nursery.

“Children are settled and happy attending and have built strong attachments with their key workers and other staff. Children are focused and engaged in carefully planned activities built around their interests and next steps.

“Joyful songs are heard throughout the day and children’s faces light up during group singing sessions. Babies learn about jungle animals, exploring different textures through making animal footprints in play dough.

“Children experience moments of awe and wonder, such as while using shakers and playing with glittery water in the baby room. This effectively supports the development of children’s emotional well-being.”

The inspection, which took place in February, found staff helped children to develop their understanding in key areas of the curriculum.

Indoor activities, such as learning the story of the Three Billy Goats Gruff, were followed by imaginative play outside when the children pretended to be characters from the fairytale.

Read more:

• Ofsted rates Harrogate pre-school ‘outstanding’ for first time
• Ofsted praise for ‘warm and welcoming’ village pre-school near Harrogate

Ms Lyons said the nursery’s approach of making learning enjoyable helped children to engage and make good progress.

She added:

“Children with special educational and/or disabilities are well supported. Staff are quick to spot the signs of children not meeting relevant milestones.

“These children make good progress from their starting points as staff know how best to support them. Parents are kept well informed of their progress and are happy with their learning and development.”

Looking at areas for improvement, the report recommended the nursery should ensure consistent teaching about personal care, such as washing hands before meals.

Stepping Stones manager Clare Brigantes said she was pleased with the latest Ofsted report and that the recommended improvement was already in place.

She told the Stray Ferret:

“Normally, you feel on edge about an Ofsted inspection, but she was very friendly and made everyone feel at ease.

“The day just flowed and it was really nice – the staff were able to answer her questions and the children were having a really good day.

“The inspector asked us to get emails from parents about their experiences. Some of them made me cry.

“They say thank you when they’re picking up and we get Christmas cards and things, but it’s lovely to hear their experiences and how they really feel about what we offer.”

It’s time to join the Stray Ferret Business Club. The third in our series of networking events in association with The Coach and Horses in Harrogate is a lunch event on March 30 from 12.30pm.

Don’t miss out on this chance to network with businesses from across the Harrogate district. Get your tickets by clicking or tapping here.

The GreenHouse, an environmentally and ecologically-focused business in Ripon, is celebrating a successful first year this week.

Rebecca Crallan, who owns and manages the independent retailer based in North Street, told Business Breakfast: 

“We’ve had a fantastic first year year and are looking forward to many more.”

The business operates with a planet-friendly ethos, selling home and garden supplies designed to have minimal impact on the environment through use of refillable bottles, biodegradable packaging and the sale of items ranging from compostable sponges to bamboo toothbrushes, wax food wraps to solid shampoo bars.

Ms Crallan added:  

As a footnote to its first year of trading, The GreenHouse has donated 137 pairs of socks to homeless people via Thriving Earth’s donation initiative

Harrogate climate firm appoints new scientist

A Harrogate-based climate technology firm has appointed a new climate scientist.

Flotilla, which is based on Station Parade, has hired Dr Charlotte Weaver to the company.

Dr Weaver joins the firm after working with charities such as the United Bank of Carbon.

She will be tasked with carrying out data analysis of Flotilla’s carbon accounting to ensure its accuracy for businesses to use to monitor their carbon footprint.

Dr Weaver said:

“I am ambitious and hard-working with a passion for the environment. Flotilla’s drive for creating a greener future through helping businesses reduce their emissions thus really appeals to me.

“I’m also excited to be part of the talented, experienced, and friendly team that is Flotilla.”

Read More:

• Stray Ferret Business Awards: The winners
• Business Breakfast: National firm acquires Harrogate accountants
• Business Breakfast: Pavilions of Harrogate secures high-end retail events

A large number of North Yorkshire Police cars descended on a village near Ripon to intercept a convoy of suspected stolen vehicles.

According to police, patrol vehicles acting on information received spotted three vehicles travelling along the A19 and A168 southbound near Thirsk.

The three vehicles — a Nissan Navara, a Range Rover Sport and a Mercedes van carrying two Land Rovers — were then stopped by officers in Sharow, near Ripon.

A police statement said:

“Officers checked the vehicle identification numbers of all the vehicles and several were suspected to be fake.

“Three people, two men and a woman, all in their 30s and from the Cleveland area, were arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to steal motor vehicles. The woman was further arrested on suspicion of driving whilst disqualified. They remain in custody at this time.

“All of the vehicles were seized and taken to a secure location for forensic searches and further enquiries.”

A Sharow resident who witnessed the police operation,  said he had never seen so many police vehicles in the village.

The villager, who asked not to be named, said he noticed eight police patrol cars.

Read more:

• ‘Once you’ve been to Bettys you’ve done Harrogate’, claims Ripon councillor
• ‘An absolute nonsense’: Ripon’s £85,000 regeneration plan thrown into doubt

A Ripon councillor has suggested there is little for tourists to do in Harrogate after visiting the famous tearooms Bettys.

Andrew Williams, independent councillor for Ripon Minster and Moorside on North Yorkshire County Council, was speaking at the final Skipton and Ripon area constituency committee meeting before the new North Yorkshire Council is formed on April 1.

He referred to the sometimes thorny relationship between Harrogate and Ripon and said reorganisation was a chance for the city to be presented in a different way to tourists.

Ripon is currently marketed as a tourist destination within Destination Harrogate — Harrogate Borough Council’s destination management organisation.

But Destination Harrogate’s future is unclear as the new council looks to set up a county-wide tourism strategy instead.

Cllr Williams was critical of how Ripon has positioned within Destination Harrogate. He said:

“[We need to] remove the idea that Ripon is somehow linked to Destination Harrogate. It should be Destination Ripon.

“We are two very distinct localities. We don’t want to be marketed as a day trip from Harrogate. We’re far more than a day trip from Harrogate.”

“Once you’ve been to Bettys you’ve done Harrogate, quite frankly.”

‘Rose-tinted view’

Officers spoke to councillors about the economic opportunities in Ripon, which included a presentation on how the city’s economy has performed since covid.

Dave Caulfield, who will be assistant director economic development at the new council, said tourism was crucial to Ripon’s economy and the city’s offer would form part of a new tourism strategy that is being developed for North Yorkshire.

But Cllr Williams said the report presented a “rose-tinted view” of Ripon. He called on the new council to “listen to local people in Ripon and work with them rather than ignoring them”.

In response, Mr Caulfield said:

“It’s important we do listen as a new council. We want to look at opportunities to do things better when we can.”

There were also warms words for Ripon from David Staveley, Conservative councillor for Settle and Penyghent.

He told Cllr Williams:

“You are stepping out of the shadow of Harrogate and you will be equal partners here. Ripon has an awful lot to offer.”

A Ripon councillor has strongly criticised Harrogate Borough Council after an officer confirmed a report costing £85,000 that was supposed to present a new vision for Ripon city centre remains unfinished — over two-and-a-half years since it was first announced.

At a meeting of the Skipton and Ripon area constituency committee yesterday in Skipton, officers at North Yorkshire County Council and Harrogate Borough Council spoke to councillors about the economic opportunities for Ripon ahead of the new council forming on April 1.

But it was the current status of the Ripon Renewal Project masterplan that Ripon councillors Andrew Williams and Barbara Brodigan were seeking answers to.

Harrogate Borough Council awarded a contract to Bauman Lyons Architects in 2020 to draw up a vision for the future of the city.

The company was tasked with producing funding options and a business case for Ripon to bid for money for regeneration projects.

A consultation was held in 2021 when residents, businesses and community groups highlighted problems in the city. These included not enough things for young people to do, traffic in the market place and a lack of affordable housing.

However, publication of the document has been beset by delays, which led Cllr Brodigan to accuse the council of letting it “gather dust” at an office in Harrogate.

Ripon City Council and Ripon BID have submitted freedom of information requests to HBC in an attempt to find out what has been produced.

The project is being co-funded by North Yorkshire County Council and the York and North Yorkshire Local Enterprise Partnership.

‘No draft masterplan’

The borough council’s acting head of place-shaping and economic growth Linda Marfitt told councillors the project was initially delayed due to the consultation exercises taking longer than expected.

She said the council then tried to extend the contract with the architect but were not able to come to an agreement so had to “bring the commission to a close”.

Read more:

• Harrogate council spends £45,000 on outside help for failed Levelling Up bid
• Harrogate council pays out almost £20,000 in compensation to tenants due to damp
• Ripon regeneration plans ‘paused’ amid contract talks

Ms Marfitt said despite the council not being in possession of a draft masterplan, officers have looked at what work has been done so far and will present a summary to councillors next week.

She added around £55,000 of the £85,000 that was earmarked had been spent.

Ms Marfitt said:

“It isn’t something that sits on a shelf, we’re proactively moving it forward. We’re working with the new council to see what can be done. There will be an update next week. I do apologise for the elongated time frame but we were trying to get a successful outcome.”

It was a response that exacerbated Andrew Williams, independent councillor for Ripon Minster & Moorside and the leader of Ripon City Council. 

He said:

“It’s astonishing that we’ve spent £85,000 of public money to get nothing, not even a draft executive summary from a consultant — that’s how bad this is.

“A lot of time has spent on this by organisations in the city but it’s fallen off a cliff-edge. It’s an absolute nonsense.”

A spokesperson for Bauman Lyons Architects issued the following statement:

“Following a positive and helpful period of community and stakeholder engagement, the initial stages of the project took longer than envisaged. This meant it was necessary for the council and Bauman Lyons Architects to enter into discussions about a new contract to complete the work. 

“An agreement on the terms could not be reached and the commission has now come to a close.”

Ripon Cathedral‘s proposed £6 million building poses a threat to the future of the Old Deanery and should not be approved, it has been claimed.

The cathedral has submitted a planning application to Harrogate Borough Council to create an annex that would include a song school, refectory, retail unit and toilets on Minster Gardens.

The nearby Old Deanery is governed by the Chapter of Ripon Cathedral, which agreed a 20-year lease on the property to Layton Hills Hotels in 2021.

Layton Hills Hotels now holds events at the Old Deanery and plans to re-open it as a hotel and restaurant.

The Old Deanery is just metres from the cathedral.

Now LCF Law, which has offices in Harrogate and is acting on behalf of Layton Hills Hotels, has written to the council claiming the proposal threatens the future of the business.

LCF Law also questions why the Old Deanery does not appear to have been assessed as a site for the new development because, it says, the building has the space and facilities to accommodate such a scheme.

Masterplan

The law firm also claims that since signing the lease, Layton Hills Hotel has seen a masterplan developed by the cathedral six years ago that includes “not only the current development but also hotel and housing on land close by, including in the garden of the Old Deanery on land comprised within the leased area”.

It adds:

“However, in discussions for the lease for the Old Deanery, no mention was made to Layton Hills Hotel about any of these commercial proposals which, if permitted, would be in direct competition with the Old Deanery.

“This is somewhat surprising, not least because the Old Deanery, a grade 2* listed building, would have been available for use by the Chapter to satisfy the alleged need for additional space and facilities.”

The Old Deanery currently caters for events, such as weddings. Photo: Tim Hardy

The letter goes on to say the leaseholders are concerned about what impact drinks receptions and evening events at the new cathedral building might have on the Old Deanery. It adds:

“If Layton Hills Hotel had been notified by the Chapter about its future plans, including the possibility of the development of an events’ venue in direct competition with its business and immediately adjoining it, then it is unlikely that it would have entered into the lease of the Old Deanery as its future is directly threatened by it.

“Layton Hills Hotel are concerned that the proposal may be used for commercial ventures which go above and beyond a visitor facility for the cathedral and will be used to hold events in direct competition to the operation of the Old Deanery.”

LCF Law’s letter also raises wider concerns about the planning application, including the loss of trees in Minster Gardens.

It concludes:

“The proposal will cause significant harm notably through the loss of trees, the loss of open space and the adverse impact it will have on the setting of four listed buildings of great importance.

“It is therefore contrary to both local and national planning policy. It should therefore be refused without an exceptional justification with public benefit at its heart which has not been provided.

“There has been no convincing justification for why the uses must be combined in a single building of such scale.”

Ripon Cathedral says the new building will attract more visitors to the city.

The Stray Ferret asked the cathedral for a response to LCF Law’s letter. A cathedral spokesperson said it didn’t feel it was appropriate to comment on individual responses while the planning process took place.

However, a cathedral website about the project says:

“The proposed new building will provide key facilities to ensure it can continue to play its role in the life of the city, diocese (of Leeds) and region and enable it to host more events, exhibitions, and concerts, which will attract increased numbers of people to the city, to the benefit of all.

“We understand people’s concerns around the removal of 11 trees, but the building will deliver a range of much needed facilities for the people of Ripon and visitors, along with the cathedral community, and the loss of these trees will be offset by the planting of 300 trees at Studley Royal where land has been made available to us.

“Extra storage space will mean that the cathedral will be able to declutter its internal space, which will enable historic parts of the cathedral, currently not viewed, to be accessible to the public.

“There will be an increase in the conservation area and biodiversity of the cathedral estate.”

Zoë Metcalfe has confirmed she wants to stand as the Conservative candidate in next year’s York and North Yorkshire mayoral election.

Ms Metcalfe, who lives near Boroughbridge, is the current North Yorkshire Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner.

The Stray Ferret reported on Saturday that she was believed to be planning a bid for election.

Ms Metcalfe is the first person to formally declare an intention to stand for the role of mayor, which is being created as part of the North Yorkshire devolution process. The election will be held in 14 months’ time.

The mayor will oversee a significant budget for York and North Yorkshire covering areas such as transport, education and housing.

He or she will also swallow up the commissioner’s role currently occupied by Ms Metcalfe, who was born in Ripon, educated in Harrogate and lives in Aldborough.

Speaking to the media

In a statement issued last night, she said she was “uniquely qualified” for the role and had the “necessary business experience and close links to Westminster to promote economic growth”,

Ms Metcalfe is a former Harrogate borough councillor who was elected to the commissioner’s role in 2021 following the resignation of fellow Conservative Philip Allott.

Since taking up the role on a salary of £74,000, she has overseen the introduction of a Risk and Resource Model for North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service, which sets out how resources will be deployed from 2022 to 2025.

The changes included reducing Harrogate Fire Station’s nighttime cover from two fire engines to one.

‘Close links to Westminster’

Ms Metcalfe’s statement in full said:

“This is a really exciting role that I am uniquely qualified to do.

“The mayor will have responsibility for economic growth, transport, housing and regeneration, but will also see the integration of the responsibilities and decision making of my current role as Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner within it too.

“There is a rich synergy between creating safer streets and economic growth, two areas that I am passionate about.

“I have the necessary business experience and close links to Westminster to promote economic growth. I will also continue the great work I have started in turning around community safety in York and North Yorkshire and I will see through the transformation of both the police force and fire and rescue service.

“I have always been a supporter of devolution as it will bring many exciting opportunities for York and North Yorkshire, it will be a great platform to enable and enrich the lives of our residents and businesses bringing hundreds of millions of pounds worth of investment into our region”.

Read more:

• Is crime commissioner Zoe Metcalfe aiming to be North Yorkshire’s first mayor?
• Crime commissioner Zoë Metcalfe resigns from Harrogate Borough Council

Quarry Moor playground in Ripon has closed to the public after vandals damaged equipment and daubed graffiti.

Ripon City Council, which manages the site, said on social media it had taken the decision today “for safety reasons”.

It added:

“Unfortunately the site has been vandalised, we’ve been left with damaged equipment and really unpleasant graffiti written on site.

“We are seeking quotes for repair and will provide an update on when the repairs will be undertaken when we can.”

Signs have been put up announcing the closure.

The 24-acre Quarry Moor limestone grassland was donated by Alderman Thomas F Spence in 1945, and held in trust for the benefit of the people of Ripon.

It was designated a site of special scientific interest in 1986.

The playground previously closed for six months from September 2021 due to rats.

Read more:

• Demolition completed of subsidence-hit Ripon flats
• Heritage watchdogs disagree over £6m Ripon Cathedral annex

The demolition of a block of four empty Ripon homes stricken by subsidence issues has been completed by a team of experts.

The properties at 1, 3 and 5 Bedern Court and 17 Skellgarths were evacuated in October 2020 after being declared unsafe for habitation.

The block was fenced off ready for the start of demolition in early February

Planning permission for their demolition was granted by Harrogate Borough Council in November and Dewsbury-based Hutchinson Demolition & Dismantling Ltd carried out a fortnight of preparatory work before starting to take the block down in early February.

Following successful completion of the task, site manager Ashley Hutchinson, told the Stray Ferret:

“Apart from a couple of days when we couldn’t work because of Storm Otto, everything has run smoothly and to schedule.”

A cherry picker was used so that the demolition team could remove the roof tiles and timbers and demolish the chimney stacks.

Mr Hutchinson added:

“The work was carried out by our team using hand-held tools for the majority of the demolition tasks, with a rubber tracked excavator brought in for the latter stages.”

With the demolition works complete, the final clear up of the site will be carried out over the next couple of days.

Roof tiles, bricks, timber and other materials have been removed for recycling.

Read more:

• Ripon Theatre Festival organisers reveal plans for this year’s event
• Plans approved to convert Ripon office block into flats

A plan to convert the Athelstan Court office block in Ripon into 16 flats has been approved.

Site owners Athelstan Court Ltd proposed the scheme to convert the building, which has stood empty for 10 years.

The building on Kearsley Road lies within the College Business Park. It was previously used as offices by the Inland Revenue.

Now, Harrogate Borough Council has approved the scheme.

Read more:

• New Harrogate district housing plan should not be ‘tickbox exercise’, says councillor
• Knaresborough housing site should be reviewed under local plan, says councillor

The developer said the proposal to convert the site into housing would regenerate the current building.

It said:

“It is considered that the proposal would complement the area, and significantly enhance the character and visual amenities of the surrounding area, by regenerating a vacant building.”