Ripon Archives - Page 96 of 210

Falklands veteran meets ambassador in Ripon to return Argentinian soldier’s letter

A veteran of the Falklands War has presented a soldier’s letter he found 40 years ago to the Argentinian Ambassador to the UK in the hopes of finding its original owner.

Jim Phillips, who lives in Ripon, was serving with the Royal Engineers in Port Stanley when he found a “bluey” – a blue-coloured airmail letter often used by soldiers posted overseas – which had been written by an Argentinian soldier to his wife or girlfriend back home.

Knowing how much soldiers and their families in all countries value hearing word from each other, he wanted to return the letter, but it was lost during a house move.

Fortunately, the letter came to light again just before Christmas 2022, when Jim was looking for something else. He said:

“I instantly sent an email to the Argentine embassy in London to help me get this letter to either the sender or recipient, or either of their families. I informed the embassy as I was coming down to London I could pop it into reception. No, they said, the ambassador will come to Ripon to accept the letter from me personally.”

So last week, Jim met the Argentinian Ambassador to the UK, Javier Figueroa, over lunch at Grantley Hall, near Ripon, to hand over the lost letter.

Mr Figueroa, who has long taken a special interest in the Falkland Islands and last year said the war had been “stupid”, promised to do everything he could to ensure the letter got back to its rightful owner, a Corporal Balbuena.

In an Instagram post on the embassy’s account, Mr Figueroa called the the episode a “heartwarming story”, and said he “appreciated Mr Phillips’ gesture“.

A photo of a letter written by an Argentinian soldier called Corporal Balbuena to his wife or girlfriend during the Falklands War of 1982. The letter was found in Port Stanley by Royal Engineer Jim Phillips, who 40 years later has handed it to the Argentinian Ambassador to the UK, Javier Figueroa, in the hopes of finding its original owner.

The Argentinian soldier’s letter

Jim said:

“Hopefully, the Argentine soldier concerned is still alive and this letter will find its way back to him and perhaps he can then deliver it personally.

“On a personal note, I would like to thank Ambassador Figueroa for taking the time to come to Ripon to accept the letter, also to thank him for his hospitality, friendship and help in getting this letter home.”

The Falklands War was fought over 10 weeks in 1982 and began when the right-wing military government of Argentina sent a surprise invasion force, which took possession of the Falkland Islands and South Georgia on April 2.

The UK, then led by Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, dispatched a task force of ships, aircraft and soldiers to take back the islands, which are internationally recognised British Overseas Territories.

The conflict, which ended on June 14 with a British victory and the capture of more than 11,000 Argentine soldiers, claimed more than 900 lives, over 70% of them Argentinian.

‘It’s wrong’: New North Yorkshire council criticised for not live streaming all meetings

Councillors have criticised North Yorkshire Council after it confirmed not all meetings will be live streamed online.

North Yorkshire Council replaced the seven district and borough councils, including Harrogate, as well as North Yorkshire County Council on Saturday.

It is the largest council area in England, spanning over 3,000 square miles with most of its meeting taking place at County Hall in Northallerton.

During the covid pandemic, the government passed legislation to allow council business to continue online. Meetings took place on apps such as Microsoft Teams and were live streamed for residents to watch on YouTube.

Since pandemic restrictions were lifted, Harrogate Borough Council continued to live stream all of its meetings whereas North Yorkshire County Council only routinely live streamed executive and full council meetings.

Following a question by a councillor, a senior officer at the new council confirmed in an email that the previous North Yorkshire County Council live streaming arrangement will continue.

North Yorkshire County Council headquarters in Northallerton.

County Hall in Northallerton

This means that at the moment, the only chance residents will get to see what is happening in a host of other meetings, including those concerning public health, education and transport, is if they travel to Northallerton.

However, meetings in Harrogate, such as planning committee, licensing committee and area constituency committee, will be streamed using equipment bought by Harrogate Borough Council.

But they will no longer include developments affecting Ripon, Masham and Pateley Bridge as meetings in Harrogate will cover the Harrogate and Knaresborough parliamentary constituency.

The email concludes by saying the new council is reviewing “what is possible and practicable” regarding live streaming meetings in the future.

Three-hour round trip

In some parts of Craven such as Ingleton or Bentham it’s a three-hour round trip to County Hall.

Andy Brown, Green Party councillor for Aire Valley, said residents should not be expected to travel to Northallerton to “watch democracy in action.” He added:

“Working online can save hours of travelling and make the meeting more efficient. It is crazy that I am travelling for 90 minutes to attend meetings that could be done online.

“It is wrong that meetings which could be steamed into the homes of every interested member of the public are not conducted as openly as possible.”

Andy Solloway, Independent councillor for Skipton West and West Craven said:

“The outgoing Craven District Council have been recording meetings for years, and live streaming them, especially decision making ones, would be a good thing for local democracy and for public participation and engagement.”

Arnold Warneken, Green Party councillor for Ouseburn, also said he was in favour of the council live streaming all meetings:

“Someone should be able to open their laptop in their house and see what the council is up to. Sometimes it’s like watching paint dry but you can have it on in background. That is transparency and engagement.

“The meetings should all be streamed if we’re serious about carbon and the impact we make ourselves. There’s a lot of support for it.”

What the council says

North Yorkshire Council’s executive member for democratic services, Cllr
David Chance, said:

“We are committed to ensuring that the new North Yorkshire Council has local
communities at its heart, despite serving such a vast area across the county.

“The online streaming of council meetings has been an important way of making sure that access is available as widely as possible to both councillors and members of the public.

“Meetings of full council and the executive will be routinely streamed online, and we will continue to record and broadcast planning and licensing meetings that were previously overseen by district and borough councils.

“We will consider broadcasting or recording other meetings when there is a strong public interest or where there are facilities in place that enable it to be readily done.

“The new council is the third largest in the country, and now oversees services that were previously delivered by eight authorities in North Yorkshire. There are therefore a significant number of meetings each year, which is in the region of 200.

“We are reviewing what is possible and practicable regarding the recording and broadcasting of meetings, taking into account the facilities which are available across the county, the IT and democratic support that is needed as well as investment in IT infrastructure.”

Three months of roadworks on A61 from Harrogate to Ripon set to begin

Roadworks are set to bring three months of disruption to motorists travelling between Ripon and Harrogate.

The A61 will be dug up as part of fibre optics company City Fibre‘s £46 million digital infrastructure upgrade in Harrogate, Knaresborough and Ripon.

Work has been completed in most areas. However, signs have gone up on the A61 Ripon Road warning that nighttime work will take place between April 17 and July 13.

Kim Johnston, regional partnership director at City Fibre said:

“From April 17, we will be starting work on the A61 between Harrogate and Ripon.

“This work will last for approximately three months and will require traffic management on one side of the road.

“Works will take place 7pm to 6.30am, Monday to Friday, with the road returned to two-way traffic every morning.”

Traffic lights will be in place during these hours, and no detours are planned.

A City Fibre spokesperson added “there may be a small amount of weekend work, subject to confirmation with highways”, adding:

“If this is the case, City Fibre will actively avoid any weekend with a major local event like Harrogate Flower Show.”

The entire length of the A61 between Ripon and Harrogate will be affected.

Ms Johnston said:

“CityFibre is investing £46m in transforming Harrogate and Ripon’s digital infrastructure and bringing next generation full fibre connectivity to almost every home and business in the area.

“This is a major undertaking, which is why we work closely with our build partner, local authorities and the council’s highways team to manage disruption as best we can and ensure works are delivered quickly, and always to our high standards.”

Ofsted says village school near Ripon ‘requires improvement’

A village school near Ripon has been told to make improvements to its teaching by the schools inspector.

Sharow Church of England Primary School has been rated ‘requires improvement’ by Ofsted in its latest report, with three of the five areas of inspection receiving that rating.

Inspectors found the quality of education, personal development, and leadership and management at the school no longer merited the ‘good’ rating previously given to the school. However, they said the early years provision, and behaviour and attitudes, remained ‘good’.

In a report published just before the end of term, lead inspector Paul Martindale said:

“Pupils, including children in early years, enjoy coming to school. Staff provide a supportive atmosphere where pupils behave well and are friendly to one another.

“Pupils are polite, well mannered, and respectful towards staff and their peers. They listen intently to what other pupils have to say and then build on this with their own ideas or comments.

“Pupils feel safe and say that bulling does not happen at school. They are clear about the school rules, rewards and consequences.”

He added:

“Pupils enjoy taking on many different responsibilities. They appreciate being a member of the school council or a well-being ambassador. Their desire to help others is not limited to these roles.

“Pupils have a friendship bench in the playground where they can help their friends. They enjoy spending time in the peace garden.”

Among the areas inspectors praised in the report was a new phonics programme. After visiting the school in early February, inspectors said the programme had been implemented effectively and pupils made good progress with their reading.

They said pupils who were struggling were given support to make more progress.

Inspectors also praised the “well-sequenced plans” used to deliver maths teaching. In both English and maths, they said teachers used effective assessment to get a clear understanding of what pupils knew and what they needed to learn next.

The report said:

“Staff have high ambitions for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Staff modify their teaching to help pupils with SEND learn the same curriculum as their peers, wherever possible.

“In early years, adults know the needs and interests of their children. They use ambitious and accurate language in their interactions with children, and this extends their understanding.”

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However, the report said the standard of education was not as high in all subject areas.

Inspectors found the quality of education was “variable” and learning was “not as deep” in some subjects as others.

Addressing personal development, they said:

“Staff provide pupils with a range of opportunities to support their personal development. This is evident through the different roles that pupils can carry out or the clubs that they can join, such as the lunchtime choir.

“However, pupils’ understanding of British values and protected characteristics is limited. Pupils also have a limited knowledge of religion. They are able to recall general principles, but cannot attribute them to any particular faith. Leaders acknowledge that this is due to previous weaknesses in the curriculum.”

The report acknowledged governors and leaders were aware there were improvements to be made and had begun to do so. It said governors needed to continue their strategic review to ensure they had the appropriate knowledge and skills to hold the school’s leaders to account effectively.

The Stray Ferret contacted Sharow Primary School for a response to the report before the Easter break, but had not received one by the time of publication.

Sharow Primary School has 103 pupils and is federated with Skelton Newby Hall Church of England Primary School, sharing an executive headteacher, Jacqui Palmer, and a governing body.

Skelton Newby Hall Primary School was rated ‘requires improvement’ in March 2020 and is currently under threat of closure by North Yorkshire Council, on the grounds of low roll numbers. Should it close this summer as proposed, the council suggested moving its 10 pupils to Sharow Primary School.

Partially sighted Ripon man thanks highways workers for removing trip hazards

A severely sight impaired Ripon resident has thanked highways workers for their swift action in attending to trip hazards near his home.

Graham Wilkey who lives in the Bondgate area, raised concerns about cracked and uneven pavements that made him wary of walking into the city centre, even with the assistance of Riley, his three-year-old guide dog.

He told the Stray Ferret:

“Riley can ensure that I cross roads safely and avoid obstacles such as signage blocking pavements, but he can’t stop me from falling if I trip on a broken paving stone and that’s why I decided to contact the council.”

Workmen patching the pavement near Mr Wilkey’s home

Following Mr Wilkey’s call, a highways engineer responded quickly to inspect the pavements and identified eight stones in need of removal.

On Thursday, two days before North Yorkshire County Council became the new North Yorkshire Council on April 1, workmen arrived to remove the damaged paving and replace it with tarmac.

Mr Wilkey said:

“I’d like to thank them for sorting out the problem so quickly and making the walk into the city centre safer for me and other sight-impaired people and those with mobility issues.

“There’s a lot of Ripon roads and pavements still in need of repair, but this is an encouraging start.”

Temporary gym installed at Ripon leisure centre

The building that will house the £300,000 temporary gym at the Jack Laugher Leisure and Wellness Centre has been located in the car park near the entrance to the swimming pool.

The prefabricated structure was put into position yesterday morning using a long-reach mobile crane and while the opening date has yet to be confirmed, a spokesperson for North Yorkshire Council told the Stray Ferret:

“I believe it will be towards the end of the month (April) that customers will start to use the alternative gym.”

Ripon Temporary gym at Jack Laugher Leisure and Wellness Centre

The temporary building

Once up and running, the temporary facility will enable the closure of the existing gym on the upper floor of the 28-year-old leisure centre next to the new swimming pool that opened last March.

This will pave the way for ground stabilisation works costing £3.5million to be carried out under the building.

The temporary gym, operated by Brimhams Active on behalf of the newly-formed North Yorkshire Council unitary authority, will be fitted out with Technogym equipment currently available in the existing leisure and wellness centre, and expert advice and guidance will be available.

Customers will still be able to use the changing and shower facilities in the new pool area – as well as the sauna and steam suite – as they will remain open as normal.

Group exercise classes will also continue to be provided at Hugh Ripley Hall.

Police seek brick-throwing Ripon boys

North Yorkshire Police is appealing for information about a group of boys throwing bricks at a window in Ripon.

In a media release issued today, police said the “criminal damage incident” took place on Aismunderby Road at about 4.45pm yesterday.

The release said:

“Several teenagers threw a brick at a property window. The teenagers were described as approximately 12 to 14 years old.”

Anyone with information can email gareth.skelton@northyorkshire.police.uk or dial 101, select option 2, and ask for Gareth Skelton.

Or you can call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111

Quote reference number 12230057881.

90 jobs at stake as struggling Ripon firm Farmison seeks buyer

Struggling Ripon premium meat online retailer Farmison & Co is in negotiations with a potential buyer.

The firm, which employs 92 staff, is in advanced discussions with another online butcher, Tom Hixson of Smithfield.

A company called Tom Hixson Farmison was registered with Companies House this week. Thomas Hixson is listed as the sole director.

It is hoped the deal will be finalised next week and save jobs at one of Ripon’s biggest employers.

Farmison is based on Bondgate Green in Ripon

Last year Farmison founder John Pallagi sold the firm, whose customers include Harrods and Fortnum & Mason, to Scottish private investors Inverleith LLP.

Mr Pallagi remained as chief executive and a new three-year business plan was agreed.

But Mr Pallagi told the Stray Ferret today the plan had “faltered” and he hoped the situation would be resolved soon.

He has approached Ripon and Skipton Conservative MP Julian Smith and Prime Minister Rishi Sunak for help after the company encountered “choppy waters” caused by issues such as war in Ukraine, the cost of living crisis and Brexit.

Mr Pallagi added:

“The most important thing now is protecting jobs and protecting the supply chain. I’m hoping a sale will support that.

“I’ve got people who have worked with me here for 11 years and we have gone from nothing to staying open during the pandemic and delivering seven days of the week.

“It’s unfortunate that we have got into this situation.”

Mr Pallagi said he was “not overly chuffed” at seeing the company he had built up face difficulties.

But he added he believed the Farmison model was the right one and the firm could have a strong future.

Mr Pallagi co-founded Farmison to work with local farmers and encourage people to ‘eat better meat’.

Despite sales doubling to £12m in 2021, the company then made a loss of £2.6m and faces an uncertain future if a deal is not reached.

The Stray Ferret has approached Tom Hixson of Smithfield for comment.

NHS places to be lost as Ripon dental practice closure announced

A dental practice offering NHS care in Ripon is set to close in three months’ time.

Bupa’s practice on Finkle Street will shut its doors on June 30, with the national company citing a lack of dentists to provide care.

The Finkle Street branch has provided NHS and private dental care. The Bupa Clock Tower practice in North Parade is unaffected, as are Harrogate’s Raglan Suite and Bupa Dental Care in East Parade – but none of these is accepting new adult NHS patients.

Finkle Street is one of 85 across the country to be closed, sold or merged over the coming months. As well as problems with recruiting, Bupa said rising costs influenced its decision.

Bupa Dental Care general manager Mark Allen said:

“As a leading dental provider in the UK, our priority must be to enable patients to receive the care they need.

“For the majority of affected practices, this decision will allow commissioners to procure local providers for the NHS contract, tailoring services and investment to the needs of the local community, thereby providing a better opportunity for patients to continue access to NHS dental services.”

Bupa said it will hand back its dental contract in Ripon to the NHS, allowing commissioners to find a new provider for NHS dental services.

However, the issue of NHS provision has already raised concerns in the Harrogate district.

It was raised in the House of Commons last month when Daisy Cooper, MP for for St Albans, said only half of children in North Yorkshire had seen an NHS dentist last year.

Last month, the chairman of North Yorkshire County Council’s health scrutiny committee, Cllr Andrew Lee, said he had raised the issue of NHS dental access in the county with the government.

The NHS website does not list any practices in the Harrogate district as accepting new adult patients for NHS treatment. Only two – Bupa’s Clock Tower in Ripon and Boroughbridge Dental Centre – are shown as taking new patients aged under 18 on the NHS.

Previously known as Oasis Dental Care, the Finkle Street practice had five surgeries and employed six dentists, a hygienist, seven dental nurses, a practice manager and two receptionists when the Care Quality Commission last inspected in 2016.

Bupa has not confirmed how many jobs will be lost as a result of the closure, but said it would redeploy staff “where possible”.

Mr Allen added:

“We fully understand the impact today’s decision has on our patients and our people within these practices. This decision has not been taken lightly and closure is a last resort.

“Despite our continued efforts, the dental industry is facing a number of significant and systemic challenges that are placing additional pressure on providing patient care, in particular recruiting dentists to deliver NHS dental care.

“This decision enables us to focus our efforts on high-quality, continued sustainable care for patients across our wider portfolio.”

The Shaun Rankin at Grantley Hall retains Michelin star

The Shaun Rankin at Grantley Hall restaurant has retained its Michelin star.

The restaurant, based within the 17th century luxury hotel in Ripon, is headed by well-known chef Shaun Rankin.

It was awarded its first Michelin star in January 2021 after being open for just 18 months.

The restaurant is the only one in the district with a star in the latest ratings, which were published on Monday.

Mr Rankin is originally from Yorkshire and bases his menus on locally sourced ingredients. The kitchen uses ingredients found in its own garden or within a 30-mile radius

Following the announcement this week, Mr Rankin said:

“It’s absolutely fantastic to hear that we have retained our Michelin star for a third year running – the team and I could not be more proud. It’s an absolute pleasure to be able to work alongside such incredible local suppliers and I’m honoured to be able to use such a rich variety of their produce on our taste of home menu.

“Shaun Rankin at Grantley Hall would not be what it is today without each and every guest that has dined with us over the years, so I would like to say a big ‘thank you’ to all those who have supported us over the years.”

Shaun Rankin at Grantley Hall.

This isn’t the first Michelin star for Shaun Rankin. He opened his first restaurant, Bohemia, in Jersey in 2003 and it gained a Michelin star two years later.

He did it again in 2013 at his second restaurant, Ormer in Jersey which was awarded a Michelin star after only four months.