Visitors to Ripon Canal now have a permanent reminder of its long history after a plaque was unveiled at the weekend to mark its 250th anniversary.
The canal basin off Bondgate Green/Boroughbridge Road, was bathed in warm sunshine on Saturday as groups, organisations and members of the public were invited to a festival to celebrate one of the city’s hidden gems.
In addition to the formalities, carried out by the Mayor of Ripon Councillor Sid Hawke, there were displays by organisations including Ripon Civic Society, the Canal & River Trust, Yorkshire Wildlife Trust, the RSPB, Inland Waterways Association and Ripon YMCA.
All have a keen interest in the canal for reasons ranging from built heritage to wildlife habitats and use of the waterway as a leisure and wellbeing asset.
Lizzie Dealey, partnerships manager for the Canal & River Trust, told the Stray Ferret:
“It’s remarkable to think how this waterway, which lay derelict for decades after the arrival of the railways, has been transformed, through the efforts of so many people, into a treasured facility.
“There are now more boats on our canals than at the height of the Industrial Revolution, with more than 10 million people using the network each year.”
Those who visited the Ripon Canal Basin on Saturday as part of the free Heritage Open Days programme which runs until Sunday (September 17) were treated to some free entertainment provided by a team of Appalachian clog dancers (pictured above) before a performance by Ripon singer/songwriter Freddie Cleary.
Nigel Rawlinson, president of Ripon Civic Society
And people who wanted to find out more about the canal’s heritage were able to speak with Nigel Rawlinson, the president of Ripon Civic Society and Richard Willis, the owner of Ripon Scenic Cruises and a former secretary of Ripon Canal Society.
Both societies played key roles in the canal’s protection and restoration between the 1980s and 1996.
The unveiling of the plaque was carried out by the Mayor of Ripon, Councillor Sid Hawke, attended by Mayoress Ms Linda Hawke along with Lizzie Dealey, partnerships manager of the Canal & River Trust and event organiser Richard Willis, owner of Ripon Civic Cruises, which operates on the waterway.
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Nidderdale hosts green week events to tackle climate change
A series of environmental activities are being held in Nidderdale as part of the Great Big Green Week, which runs from June 10 to 18.
The green week, which first started in 2021, encourages community action to tackle climate change and protect nature.
Organised by the Climate Coalition, which includes organisations including the National Trust, WWF-UK and the RSPB, it sees tens of thousands of people take part in events ranging from litter picks to seaweed foraging to tackle climate change.
The activities in Nidderdale include a low impact lunch at Summerbridge Methodist Church, a biodiversity walk and talk at Bank Woods in Summerbridge, a community litter pick in Glasshouses
Make It Wild, Church in the Dale, Nidderdale Climate and Environment Group are among those organising the local events.
Details of these and other events being held during the green week are available here.
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Ripon residents complain to council over felled trees
Council officers have defended their handling of a Ripon planning application involving the felling of 36 trees.
Residents living close to the Cathedral View park home development on North Road have complained to Harrogate Borough Council (HBC).
They believe that planning notices inviting comment on the proposed removal of the trees were not prominently displayed.
Mary Kelly, whose Magdalens Road home looks directly onto the development site, told the Stray Ferret:
“We and other neighbours believe that we were denied any viable opportunity to object.”
She pointed out:
“Planning notices were put in place – one on North Road and the other at the end of the Magdalens Close cul-de-sac.
“The Cathedral View site is bounded by Magdalens Road and Princess Road – both of which are busy thoroughfares.
“No notices were placed on either, despite the fact that people living on these roads are materially affected by the felling of mature woodland trees.”
One of the planning notices was placed on the Magdalens Close cul-de-sac. (Photograph courtesy of Wendy Marks)
The opportunity to comment on the proposed felling of the trees ended on 10 January and resident Wendy Marks, said:
“Because of the location of the notices, many people living near the site will have been unaware of what was planned.”
The removal of trees including Ash, Sycamore, Horse Chestnut and White Poplar, took place earlier this month.
Bethan Dailey, who also lives close to the site, said:
“As well as being appalled by the removal of 36 trees, I’m concerned that the felling took place at the start of the nesting season – contrary to advice provided by the RSPB.”
A spokesperson for the HBC planning department, said:
“Two site notices were erected, one at the entrance to the site on North Road and a further site notice on Magdalen’s Close.
“The position and number of site notices erected complies with national guidance on such matters.”
The spokesperson pointed out that applications to remove trees are assessed against development plan policy by a planning officer and HBC’s arborist.
All works have been carried out in accordance with the planning approvals.
The spokesperson added:
“The planning permission does not prohibit the removal of trees within the month of March. The tree contractors are responsible for complying with the legislation around breeding birds.”
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James Crickmore, of Ripon Mobile Home Park Ltd, which is developing the Cathedral View site, said:
“The Woodland area was purchased as a separate contract in 2020 from a private individual, who informed me that when he was a young lad this area was a paddock where his father kept a pony.
“In the 1990s up until the year 2000, this area had planning permission for two houses, so the the reason we bought the wood was for investment reasons.
“Subsequently we hired a tree expert to take a look at the wood regarding dead trees and diseased trees, applying to Harrogate council for permission to carry out the work.
“Permission was granted and the work carried out by a reputable company.”
With regard to the nesting season, Mr Crickmore, added:
Starlings leave their mark in Ripon“We have a local firm installing bird boxes and bat boxes.”
Bird spotting has taken on a whole new meaning recently for some Ripon residents.
During early evenings, local people with their eyes on the skies can currently witness thousands of starlings swoop and switch in stunning synchronised movements.
The murmuration provides a delightful display for those looking on in amazement.
But for people living beneath the flight path, it’s a different story as the starlings leave their mark.
Following each performance, residents of Newby Street, Vyner Street and the adjacent roads, face a clean-up operation.
The aerial bombardment of the Bondgate area sees cars, rooves, pavements, gardens and back yards coated.
A murmuration of starlings in acrobatic flight over Ripon.
One resident, who lives in the Bondgate area but asked not to be named, told the Stray Ferret:
“There is no doubting that it is a magnificent spectacle, but they do leave a deposit.
“Some people who live around here are having to wash their cars every day.
“The worst hit have to scrape the stuff off windscreens or they wouldn’t be able to see where they are going.”
Spectators can also find themselves in a spot of bother if they don’t have an umbrella as they watch the winged wonders in full flow.
According to the wildlife charity RSPB, flocks of starlings – some native to the UK and others from Europe – come together to roost through the winter months.
Their beating of wings in flight is said to sound like a murmur, which gives the mass gathering its murmuration description.
The starlings stay safe from predators by sticking together in large numbers, making sure they are not easy prey.
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In colder months, by acting in unison, they generate collective body heat.
With thousands in close flight, this gives them the essential extra warmth they need to survive bitterly cold days.
For people engaged in car washing, window scraping, roof, path, garden and yard cleaning, who are not necessarily as thrilled as others by the natural phenomenon, there is good news.
Spring has sprung and later this month, with warmer weather on its way, the murmuration will be grounded until the autumn.
North Yorkshire has retained the dubious honour of being the UK’s worst blackspot for killing birds of prey – a grim title it has retained for a decade.
Birdcrime 2019, a report by the RSPB, said the county had the highest number of raptor persecution incidents in the UK. It was responsible for 15 of the 85 confirmed cases.
Many of the case studies the RSPB cited were recorded in Nidderdale.
In 2019, a hen harrier was found shot dead on a grouse moor in Nidderdale. The bird, named River, had a tracking device and had two pieces of shot lodged in its body.
In the same year a red kite was also found poisoned just outside of Pateley Bridge.
The killings have continued into 2020, with the shooting of a buzzard, the poisoning of a red kite and a dog all near the town.
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- Six suspected poisonings of birds of prey in Nidderdale
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The report highlights how many birds of prey in the UK are shot, trapped or poisoned, despite it being a criminal offence.
The charity said there had been a spike in incidents since lockdown and called for stronger regulation, including a review of grouse shooting.
North Yorkshire Police has issued several appeals for information about the killings of birds of prey but have found it difficult to prosecute.