Lead image: Pixaby
Stuck for ideas of what to do at the weekend? Here’s the Stray Ferret’s top picks of cultural activities from April 11-14.
Harrogate Dog Show
Harrogate Dog Show
Taking place for the third year running, Harrogate Dog Show is back on Saturday.
Held at Victoria Shopping Centre Piazza, you can show up on the day with your dog and enter him or her into some of the categories that include Handsomest Dog, Fanciest Female, Cutest Puppy, Best Purebred, Best Cross Breed/Heinz 57, Best Trick and Dog the Judge Would Most Like to Take Home, all of which are judged by a surprise guest star.
New for this year are dog training workshops, alongside firm favourite the mini dog park.
Free, 10am-4pm, April 13, Victoria Shopping Centre Piazza, Station Parade, Harrogate, HG1 1AE.
Visit the Spring Food, Home and Garden Show
Spring Food, Home and Garden Show
Get your home spring ready inside and out with ideas from the Spring Food, Home and Garden Show held at Ripon Cathedral. Discover the latest trends in home décor for ideas to revamp your living space and gather garden inspiration aplenty. There will also be garden related talks and demonstrations in the library.
Make a day of it and have a bite to eat in the pop-up café or from one of the vendors at the local food stalls. There will also be a live choir singing, children’s activities and even farm animals in front of the cathedral to see.
£5, 10am-4pm, April 13, Ripon Cathedral, Liberty Court House, Minster Road, Ripon, HG4 1QT.
Take part in a Miss Marbles Mystery event
Murder Mystery event
What could be better than taking part in a whodunnit, dining on a three-course meal all aboard a steam train?
The murder mystery has an unusual horticulture theme and during the evening participants have to search the space for clues, evidence to uncover and suspects to interrogate, trying to out the people who might be connected to the crime in order to get to the bottom of the mystery.
£72 per person, lunchtime performance doors open at 12.30pm and starts at 1pm, evening performances doors open at 5.30pm and start at 6pm, Friday April 12, 6pm, Saturday April 13 1pm & 6pm, Bolton Abbey Station, Bolton Abbey, Skipton, BD23 6AF.
Visit the two baby camels at Yorkshire Wildlife Park
Yorkshire Wildlife Park
Two male Bactrian camels were born at the Yorkshire Wildlife Park in March and the youngsters have recently ventured out into the reserve to join the rest of the herd.
“We are overjoyed by the two new additions, and we cannot wait for our visitors to see them,” says Ayshea Seston, hoofstock team leader at the 175-acre park.
“It is really lovely to welcome the new arrivals at the same time – they will grow up together and create such a strong bond.”
Go visit the fluffy calves along with the rest of the animals at the Yorkshire Wildlife Park this weekend.
From £20.99 per person, Yorkshire Wildlife Park, Hurst Lane, Doncaster, DN9 3QY.
Transform your unworn jewellery
Legacy Jewellery
Most people have unworn pieces of jewellery sitting at home that they may no longer wear, or they may have inherited and don’t know what to do with.
Discover the potential of how they can be created into new pieces at Legacy Discovery Session with Antiques Roadshow dealer Paul Hollis so that you wear them time and time again.
Free, 11am-2pm, Palm Court, Windsor House, Cornwall Road, Harrogate, HG1 2PW.
Do you have an event that you’d like us to potentially feature in the future? Drop me an email at francesca@thestrayferret.co.uk
Read more:
- What’s on
- Did you know there’s a hidden Spa Room in Harrogate’s Turkish Baths?
- Harrogate interior designers share their top spring trends
- The jobs to do in your garden right now
- Yorkshire Dales Monopoly edition revealed
5 alternative Easter activities in and around Harrogate5 alternative Easter activities in and around Harrogate
(Image above: a Frank Sinatra tribute act is performing on Easter Monday at Grantley Hall)
Easter has come early this year and there are some brilliant activities this weekend – see our 7 Easter activities to keep the kids entertained – but aside from this there are other goings-on in and around Harrogate; read on for inspiration aplenty…
Watch a Frank Sinatra tribute act at Grantley Hall
Listen to Phil Fryer belt out some of the most iconic Frank Sinatra songs of all time including My Way, Strangers In The Night and Come Fly With Me.
Dining during the performance is already fully booked for the event, but guests can sip drinks and enjoy the show in newly relaunched The Orchard’s lounge area where Phil will perform some of Frank’s biggest hits. Or you can always make a reservation to dine in Fletchers restaurant pre- or post-show instead.
Free, limited spaces available, first come, first serve, 1.30pm-3pm, April 1, Grantley Hall, Ripon, HG4 3ET.
Learn how to make pasta from scratch
Pixaby
If you’re walking or up in the Yorkshire Dales this Easter weekend and you fancy trying your hand at something a little bit different, why not take part in a pasta making workshop?
Keld resident Chris Giles demonstrates how you can make pasta from scratch using no specialist equipment. All ingredients are included, and afterwards you can savour the fruits of your labour with a hearty bowl of what you’ve cooked.
£30, March 31, 1-4pm, The Keld Resource Centre, Keld, Richmond, DL11 6LJ.
Take part in traditional Yorkshire Dales dancing
Nidd Music and Dance
Did you know that there’s traditional music and dances that derive from Yorkshire Dales’ villages? Help to keep it alive by taking part in this event at Ripley Town Hall.
Each traditional Dales dance such as the Kendal Ghyll and the Huntsman’s Chorus is explained and walked through before you dance to them, all to the background of live folk music.
Free for children, £10 for adults, 6.30pm-10pm, March 30, Ripley Town Hall, HG3 3AX.
Visit Ripley Castle Markets
Ripley Castle Markets
Taking place on the last Sunday of every month from February to December, this month Ripley Castle Markets is holding a seasonal market. It will bring together more than 40 independent local artisans, producers and creatives to showcase their wares all to the backdrop of the Grade I listed building.
Goodies and treats that will be available include breads and cakes from Baltzersen’s, Skipton’s Antony’s Biltong, cookie boxes from Carlton Kitchen, cheeses from Wharfedale Fine Cheeses, plus something for your four-legged friends, as well as present ideas inspiration aplenty.
You can make a day of it too as on market day, the castle and grounds are free to visit. And there will be extra Easter activities including a bunny hunt, children’s craft activities – click here for more information – and guided tours of the castle.
Free, there’s an additional cost for the children’s craft activities and castle tours and pre-booking for these is advised, March 31, 10am-3pm, Ripley Castle, HG3 3AY.
Laugh out loud at a comedy show
Harrogate Theatre
If you’ve not yet been to one of the regular Hyena Lounge Comedy Club nights at Harrogate Theatre, this Saturday could be the opportune occasion as there’s a trio of brilliant stand-up comedians including Hal Cruttenden, Simon Evans and Jenny Hart, all led by the compere for the night, Danny McLoughlin.
From £20, 8pm, March 30, Oxford Street, Harrogate, HG1 1QF.
Do you have an event that you’d like us to potentially feature in the future? Drop me an email at francesca@thestrayferret.co.uk
Read more:
- Yorkshire Dales Monopoly edition revealed
- What’s on
- The jobs to do in your garden right now
- The hidden stories behind Harrogate’s newest chocolate shop
- 7 Easter activities to keep the kids entertained
Teens left in tears by Northern train guard’s ‘heavy-handed’ fine
The parents of three teenagers left “in tears” after being issued with a fine on a train journey have criticised the guard’s “heavy-handed” approach.
Freddie Fulford, 15, and his friends Evie and Oscar Bartle were travelling from Cattal to York on Saturday, June 3.
It was the first time the three had gone into York together and Freddie’s dad, Tony, said they were looking forward to a day out on their own.
“They jumped on the train with no tickets because it was in the station when they arrived.
“There is a ticket machine at the station, but they didn’t know you couldn’t pay on the train.”
Cattal Station
Once the guard realised the teens didn’t have tickets, he issued them with fines of £20 each. The teenagers said they were told in an “intimidating and frightening” way that the maximum penalty was three months in prison.
Upset by the fine and the threat of a criminal record, the teens called their parents from York station in tears.
Mr Fulford, who lives in Harrogate, said:
“They could have paid there and then or the guards could have said ‘buy at ticket on the app and we’ll come back in a minute’. It was just so heavy-handed.
“The obvious answer would have been to let them buy the tickets on the train and explain what they should do for next time.”
He said both families have submitted complaints and appealed against the fines. They had heard from other parents whose children had been fined for similar situations and had successfully appealed.
Read more:
- Harrogate rail campaigner ‘optimistic’ early morning train could be reinstated
- Harrogate district train station parking review a ‘lost opportunity’
Both sets of parents are in a position to pay the fines, he said, but he was concerned about other families who were not. He added:
“The main point is to stop it happening again.”
The Stray Ferret contacted Northern for a response to Mr Fulford’s concerns about their handling of the situation.
In response, Tony Baxter, regional director for Northern, said:
“Customers have a duty to buy a ticket for travel before they board a train.
“They can do so in advance via our app and website or, if they wish to purchase at an un-staffed station, they can do so from one of the more than 600 ticket machines we have installed across the network – one of which is at Cattal station.
“Customers should arrive at the station in time to purchase their ticket before they travel. Anyone issued with a penalty fare has the right to appeal the decision to an independent appeal service.”