Entries are now open for Ripon Civic Society’s biennial design awards, which recognise the best architecture in the Ripon area.

The awards are usually held every two years but covid forced their cancellation in 2020. The winners will be announced at a ceremony on April 7.

Applications are being sought in six categories, from private individuals, developers, builders and related trades for suitable projects, completed within the past four years.

A copy of the application form for the 2022 awards, which should be completed and submitted by January 31, can be downloaded from the civic society website. 

The last awards in 2018 marked the society’s golden jubilee year.

Winners included the Himalayan Garden in Grewelthorpe, which won the Younge Rosebowl for Best Environmental Improvement.

The Spa at Swinton Park and High Trees, a new house on the former college site in Ripon, were named joint winners of the Hazzard Cup for the Best New Building.

The Spa at Swinton

High Trees also took the Sustainability Award.

High Trees

The Folly! art installations in the water garden at Studley Royal were named as winner of the John Whitehead Award, with which the civic society recognised an outstanding contribution to the area.

The Folly! art installation.

Society chairman Christopher Hughes, said:

“Due to the onset of the covid pandemic in 2020 our design awards ceremony due to be held that year was unfortunately but unavoidably cancelled.

“We are delighted to announce however that the delayed awards ceremony will now be held on Thursday 7 April and further details regarding the venue will be announced shortly.”

The full list of categories for which applications can be made are:

• The Hazzard Silver Cup for Best New Building
• The Price Flagon for Best Restored Building
• The Younge Rosebowl for Best Environmental Improvement
• The Craftsmanship Shield for Best Craftsmanship
• The Taylor Plate for the Best Contribution to City Centre Revitalisation
• The Sustainability Award

Read more:

• Ripon and Harrogate vaccination centres reopen
• Plans for new classroom at Bishop Monkton Primary School

Swinton Estate has received £85,551 government funding that will enable it to increase its woodland by half.

The 20,000-acre estate near Masham includes Swinton Park Hotel, Swinton Bivouac and Swinton Country Club and Spa.

The funding, from the Department for Food, the Environment and Rural Affairs will be spent on extending the estate’s woodland from 700 hectares to 1050 over the next 20 years.

Using a new business model, the estate will generate revenue from the sale of ecosystem services produced by the new woodland, including carbon, biodiversity units, water management and recreation.

Organisations could apply for up to £100,000 to help with nature projects that tackle climate change from Defra’s Natural Environment Readiness Fund.

Mark Cunliffe-Lister, owner of Swinton Estate and chair of the CLA Forestry and Woodlands Committee said,

“We are delighted that our funding bid for this ambitious project has been successful.  We have set ourselves this goal, of increasing our woodlands by 350 hectares, because we know the environmental gains that woodland delivers.

“The NEIRF grant will enable Swinton Estate to deliver valuable environmental benefits for years to come.”

Read more:

• Harrogate Borough Council is launched a loan scheme to help owners of empty homes bring them back to life
• County Council publishes plan to help businesses cut emissions

Funding has been awarded to 27 environment projects nationally.

One of the ways it is hoping to make money is through the sale of timber.

Holly Story, senior environmental management consultant at GSC Grays, who helped the Estate design the application said:

“Our aim is to generate income on a par with or exceeding that that would be achieved from the sale of timber alone, creating an innovative new business model for forestry that can be replicated across the country.”

An historic hotel near Masham will be featured on a national television series later this month.

Swinton Park, part of the Swinton Estate, will be on BBC Two’s Amazing Hotels: Life Beyond the Lobby, which looks behind the scenes at some of the world’s most extraordinary hotels.

In the second of three episodes, newspaper columnist and restaurant critic Giles Coren and international chef Monica Galetti will visit the Yorkshire Dales and work at Swinton Estate, the ancestral home of Lord and Lady Masham. As well as the 32-room castle hotel, it includes a cookery school, country club and spa, and the Swinton Bivouac, a tree lodge and glamping retreat.

Work is currently under way to transform the coach house into 10 further hotel rooms.

Seeing the once private estate now opened up for guests to enjoy, the presenters explore the challenges of bringing a historical home into the modern world. Proprietor Felicity Cunliffe-Lister said:

“We were thrilled to be included in this series, alongside some of the real grand dames of the hotel industry. We loved welcoming the film crew ‘back of house’ to meet our amazing staff and experience some of the unique activities available to our guests.”

The show is due to air on BBC Two on Thursday, February 18 at 9pm.

Read more:

• Harrogate students and teacher star in BBC podcast
• Masham’s hidden treasures uncovered in new channel 4 show