City prepares to celebrate Ripon’s patron saintThe unique Ripon ceremony that has defied plague, war and weatherSt Wilfrid’s procession returns to Ripon this year
Ripon’s traditional St Wilfrid’s procession will be back this summer, after the covid pandemic caused its cancellation for the past two years.
Held in honour of the city’s patron saint, it is one of the largest events in the city each year, usually attracting thousands of people to the streets and Market Square.
The procession’s return on Saturday 30 July means it will be part of the 2022 celebrations marking the 1,350th anniversary of Wilfrid’s founding of Ripon’s ancient cathedral in 672 AD.
Born in Northumbria in 634 AD, the saint’s name can be found on street signs, a primary school, a cafe and a Catholic church in the city as well as in other towns and cities across the country.
It’s 914 years since King Henry I granted permission for the city to hold a fair to celebrate Wilfrid’s birth and Ripon – a city that takes great pride in its heritage – has held on to this tradition.
Procession organisers have kept the tradition alive in a scaled-back way over the past years, with a St Wilfrid Trail in 2020 and a walk around the city last year.
Hundreds raised for charity thanks to return of Hampsthwaite vs Birstwith tug of war
Villagers raised around £800 for the Yorkshire Air Ambulance after the Hampsthwaite vs Birstwith tug of war competition made a welcome return.
Hundreds of people watched the annual event at Hampsthwaite cricket ground on New Year’s Day, which was cancelled last year due to covid restrictions.
The tradition dates back to the 1980s, but about eight years ago it became a competition between two pubs in the neighbouring villages; The Joiners Arms, in Hampsthwaite, and The Station Hotel, in Birstwith.
The crowd cheered as Hampsthwaite claimed the victory in both the men’s and women’s events, which were captained by Robin Hardcastle and Nicola Binns.
Hampsthwaite’s winning men’s team.
This was despite Birstwith putting up a strong fight.
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The event finished with children from the villages having a go – with a bit of help from the adults – before people headed to The Joiners Arms for pie and peas.
Rebecca Cranage, owner of the Joiners Arms, said:
“I would like to say thank you to everyone who came to the tug of war and who donated to the Yorkshire Air Ambulance. I would also like to thank Amy Howard, who organised both the Birstwith teams.”
Ms Cranage has lived in the village for 20 years and, like many villagers, has fond memories of watching the event.
It has evolved over the years after starting as a Brits vs Americans competition featuring men from the RAF Menwith Hill base.
Hampsthwaite’s winnning women’s team.
A raffle also raised funds for the Yorkshire Air Ambulance.
Knaresborough’s Boxing Day tug of war was cancelled due to covid uncertainty, but organisers have said they are hopeful the event will be able to take place this year.
Ripon renews its search for fourth hornblowerRipon City Council is looking to recruit a fourth hornblower to perform the 9pm setting of the watch – an event held daily for 1,134 years.
The world-famous hornblower ceremony has not been seen or heard on Ripon’s Market Square for six months.
Social distancing requirements that came into effect at the end of March have meant that the current hornblowers – Wayne Cobbett, Richard Midgley and Allison Clark – have shared the nightly task with four blasts of the horn at their own homes.
Allison Clark, one of the three current Ripon Hornblowers
The behind closed doors ceremony has been broadcast by each person on Facebook.
George Pickles was the last person to singularly hold the hornblower office. When he retired in 2015, a team was recruited to share the duties.
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The Mayor of Ripon, Councillor Eamon Parkin, told the Stray Ferret:
“We have been looking to appoint a fourth member of the team for some time, but the coronavirus lockdown interrupted the process.”
Applicants have until 12 noon on Monday 26 October to put their names forward.
The job description, which can be found on the council’s Facebook page, says candidates need to be available for regular duty for up to three nights per week.
According to tradition, the successful applicant will be required to sound the horn with:
“One blast at each of the four corners of the plinth of the obelisk and then provide a brief history of the horn blowing ceremony for the public in attendance.”
The job also involves sounding of the horn outside the mayor’s house each evening and attendance at civic events.
The duties described on the council’s Facebook page will only apply when the Ripon hornblowers return to the Market Square and Cllr Parkin pointed out:
“We don’t know when that is going to be but we need to be ready.”
The ceremony dates back to AD 886 when Alfred the Great, king of the Saxons, awarded a horn to the local people of Ripon in gratitude for the way in which they fought off a Viking attack.
Setting of the watch, or curfew, has survived the Norman Conquest, the Black Death, the English Civil War and two world wars.
The city council is determined to ensure that it will also survive the Covid pandemic.