Could you play a part in helping this year’s Ripon Theatre Festival (RTF) to run smoothly?
Organisers of the fast-growing festival that runs from July 2 until July 7, are calling out for new volunteers to join the team for 2024.
More than 30 volunteers are needed each year to help look after visiting acts, marshal audiences and to help keep the public safe over the festival week.
Festival director Katie Scott, said:
“Extra pairs of hands (and feet) are particularly useful over the festival weekend (July 6 and 7) when street theatre, walkabout acts and community groups take to the streets and open spaces of the city.
“Pop-up events in multiple surprising places need volunteers to support the fun and daily events in Ripon Cathedral also need personnel. Tasks include setting up and clearing away sites, signposting and directing members of the public, carrying out audience surveys and accompanying performers on the move.”
If you think you could lend a hand at any time during festival week (2-7 July), contact Volunteer Co-ordinator Tina Salden tina@ripontheatrefestival.org
She said:
“Volunteering at the festival is great fun and there are different roles to suit different interests and abilities, whether you like to be on the move and chatting to the public, or quietly supporting a weekday event.
“It’s a great chance to get up-close-and-personal to some fabulous performances, whilst meeting new people and helping bring colour and life to our lovely city.”
The Festival Volunteers are supported this year by Kettlewell Fuels, independent heating and fuel oil supplier.
Picture: One of the walkabout acts from last year’s festival
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Volunteers sought to help plant trees at Ripon nature reserve
A major programme of tree and whip planting will take place over the coming weeks at Hell Wath Local Nature Reserve in Ripon.
Volunteers are being sought to assist with site preparation taking place from 10.30am tomorrow morning (Wednesday November 8) and to help with the planting of 50 native tree saplings and more than 800 whips, scheduled for Friday, December 8 and Saturday, December 9.
Organisers the Friends of Hell Wath (FOHW) have received support from North Yorkshire Council, which is funding purchase of the saplings and The Conservation Volunteers, which is donating the whips.
FOHW secretary Jeremy Dunford said:
“Most of the saplings — Field Maple, Alder, Holly, Crab Apple, Wild Cherry, Bird Cherry and Rowan — will be planted to fill in gaps along the existing tree line or be used to create interest and height within new hedgerows to be planted out using the whips.
“These saplings will replace some of the dead/dying trees that are evident in the local nature reserve. The species have been selected to provide shelter and food for birds and provide colour and interest throughout the year for visitors to Hell Wath.”
He added:
“The remaining saplings, a dozen Hazels, will be used to create a small coppice near the pond. There are already two mature hazel trees in the area so the additional saplings will create a very nice habitat here.”
The whips, comprising a selection of native species, will be used together with the tree saplings to fill in gaps in the existing tree line running alongside the River Skell.
The remaining whips will be used to create three new hedgerows across the lower meadow within the local nature reserve – leaving gaps for the designated footpaths.
The objective is to create wildlife corridors to enable bats, birds and small mammals to move between the upper tree line and the lower tree line to/from the river without crossing large expanses of meadow.
The new hedge lines will create meadow zones which will be actively managed to increase biodiversity within the Local Nature Reserve.
The photograph features a riverside walk at Hell Wath: Picture by Ripon Photographic Society
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