An organist retiring after more than 70 years of playing was given a surprise opportunity to perform a farewell recital at Ripon Cathedral yesterday.

David Wilberforce has been the organist at West Park United Reformed Church on West Park, and before that at Trinity Methodist Church.

Now, he and his wife Ann, who is also a key member at West Park, will be moving to Great Missenden in Buckinghamshire, so members at West Park sprang a surprise by arranging for him to play the organ in Ripon Cathedral for a private gathering of church friends.

David and Ann Wilberforce

Despite only having 48 hours’ notice, David prepared a mini-recital of some of his favourite pieces and hymn tunes, performing them with his renowned dexterity and skill.

David told the Stray Ferret:

“We’re about to move house, so I’d packed up all my music, but fortunately I did manage to find some. I’d never played in Ripon Cathedral before, but after a period of terror in the afternoon, I ended up thoroughly enjoying it. Quite a number of people from West Park turned up, which was lovely.”

Originally from County Durham, David began playing the organ at the age of 11. He taught history in various schools, including Silcoates in Wakefield and Woodhouse Grove near Bradford, and played the organ wherever he lived. He retired from teaching in 1999, but continued his passion for music through the church. Well known in Harrogate choral music circles, he arranged the music for the annual Gilbert & Sullivan Festival service. He said:

“Music has been the greater part of my life. I’m not intending to take up a position in music in Buckinghamshire – age and arthritis take their toll – but I wouldn’t mind still being able to play occasionally.”

As a tribute to David, at the joint service between West Park and St Paul’s churches this Sunday, Adrian Selway, organist and choirmaster at St Paul’s, will play the famous Widor’s Toccata as a closing voluntary.

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Early plans have been revealed to create a visitor centre and events space in Harrogate.

The venue would be created by transforming West Park United Reformed Church, which overlooks the Stray on West Park.

Harrogate District Improvement Trust is holding a meeting at Hotel du Vin on June 13 to discuss the proposal.

West Park United Reformed Church

The trust, which was set up to promote improvements in Harrogate, said in an email announcing the meeting it was “an opportunity to create a major attraction  for Harrogate”, adding:

“The West Park United Reformed Church building is too large for its current congregation but has potential to house a visitor centre showcasing Harrogate’s spa history, as well as a large events space.

“Plans are at a very early stage but include the creation of a community arts and heritage centre.

“We would really appreciate the chance to present our vision to you and gather your feedback. “

The email urged those unable to attend to get in touch so look around the building and meet with trustees to find out more.

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• Exhibition to honour Harrogate’s 1,163 war dead

A free exhibition will honour the 1,163 men and women whose names are inscribed on Harrogate war memorial.

The exhibition will open in West Park United Reformed Church on September 1, 100 years to the day after the memorial was unveiled in Prospect Square.

It will run until Remembrance Sunday on November 12.

The memorial bears the names of local men and women who lost their lives in two world wars.

Twenty died on the same day; the youngest was just 15 and one person died after being kicked by a mule.

The multi-media exhibition, called More than a name on a Memorial, will bring their stories to life.

The stories will draw heavily on research conducted by local historian and former army reservist Graham Roberts, who has been researching the names for years.

Local resident Terry Williams, who was responsible for a recent exhibition telling the story of Harrogate’s railways, is curating the exhibition, which is being organised by the newly-formed Harrogate War Memorial Project Group.

The group includes members of various local voluntary organisations, including Harrogate Civic Society, the Royal Hall Restoration Trust and Harrogate and District Improvement Trust.

Nigel McClea, chair of the project group, said:

“Thanks to herculean efforts over many years by local historian Graham Roberts, all 1163 names have been researched and much has been discovered and recorded including military units, war records, photographs, cause of death, date of death and place of burial, although more than 300 of the First World War names inscribed have no known grave.

“This on-going research will form the core of the exhibition but thanks to support from North Yorkshire library service, through Harrogate Library, we are now in a position to seek out family stories and memories.”

Walter Ogden

The research has thrown up many fascinating questions. Mr McClea said:

“For example, would  2/Lt Walter Ogden have joined his family firm Ogden of Harrogate, the town’s historic jewellers still to be found on James Street?  We’ll never know, he died in 1917 aged just 19 at the Battle of Cambrai.

“2/Lt Donald Bell VC, the first English professional footballer to join the army in World War I, had signed his first professional contract with Second Division Bradford Park Avenue in 1912 aged 22.  Would he have ever played for a First Division club?  We’ll never know. He died aged 25 in the Battle of the Somme.

“These are just two stories from 1163.  We would love to hear from anyone with an ancestor named on the memorial who might have photographs, or recollections of their experiences which might have been passed on through the generations.

“We would also love copies of things such as letters home or letters they received from home, extracts from diaries, battle orders or telegrams and anything about what these brave people did before going to war.”

Copies of letters, extracts from diaries, written recollections and photographs can be emailed to Harrogate.Library@northyorks.gov.uk with the subject line ‘More than a name on a Memorial’ or taken into the library for copying.

Further details of the war memorial centenary programme of events will be available next month.

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• Ex-soldier from Harrogate researches 1,000 names on war memorial

Like many people, Ian Booth’s job changed significantly when the covid pandemic began. 

He had spent the previous year as manager of Resurrected Bites’ pay-as-you-feel café at St Mark’s Church.  

In early 2020, along with the community interest company’s founder, Michelle Hayes, he had opened a new café at Gracious Street Methodist Church in Knaresborough and was in the process of launching another, at West Park United Reformed Church in Harrogate. 

That March, they found themselves intercepting four tons of food waste each week and distributing it to people who were struggling.

Volunteers collected surplus food from supermarkets five days a week instead of two, and hospitality businesses forced to close their doors emptied their kitchens into vans and car boots. 

Ian said: 

“I wasn’t really anything like aware of the food poverty issue in the Harrogate area – not the scale of it. I realised people were going to be struggling, but not to this extent. 

“As we were anticipating all this food waste, my immediate thought was to provide food to people who were struggling. Michelle had the same idea.

“We tapped into a huge food poverty issue in the area. We didn’t want to abandon that when the pandemic ended.

“That’s when we thought about adopting the community grocery model.”

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Meanwhile, in 2021, Ian was back in the kitchen at the cafés, drawing on skills he had developed while living and working as a pastor at a church in France with his family. 

“I’ve always enjoyed cooking – I do lots of it and in big quantities. We have five kids and we did so many church events.  

“Because we’ve got a large family and always lived on a fairly low income, it’s a case of ‘see what’s cheap and make the most of it’.” 

That experience is ideally suited to the demands of running the cafés, which take their ingredients from the Resurrected Bites warehouse.

Anything that can’t be sold in the community groceries will find its way onto the menus: catering packs of rice or chopped tomatoes, bacon, couscous, chickpeas, beef, potatoes, carrots… In late summer, a huge volume of apples arrived each week as people found their trees were producing more than they could use at home. 

Ian said: 

“I enjoy the creative bit – it can be very challenging. My mind starts whirring instantly about menus. 

“We try and produce five main courses, a soup, a couple of desserts.” 

When I visit Gracious Street Methodist Church one Friday lunchtime, roast beef and vegetables are on the menu. 

It is delicious: hearty and warming on a cold day, a reminder of classic home cooking. Ian has exacting standards, though, and is constrained by what has arrived at the warehouse: 

“We would normally never do roast beef without Yorkshire puddings, but we didn’t have any eggs.” 

The tables are packed. Single people, pairs of friends, young families – they all share the space and make cheerful conversation as they order and eat. 

The Gracious Street café is the busier of the two, I’m told, no doubt because it runs on the same day the community grocery is open in another room at the church. Knaresborough itself is a popular place to be on a Friday morning and some of the customers tell me they call in to the café after doing their shopping. 

The cafés are not just aimed at people on tight budgets who might struggle to afford to eat out elsewhere, though.  

Ian said: 

“Often, people don’t come because they think it’s just for people who are struggling. We’re absolutely dependent on people who can afford to give generously.  

“At the same time, it’s great when people come who can’t afford to, knowing that someone who is struggling has had a good hot meal.” 

Many benefits

Ian is a passionate environmentalist – one of the reasons for his involvement in a project that aims to cut food waste. 

He has been surprised by the many other benefits people get from Resurrected Bites. Not only does it support people to feed themselves and their families with dignity by paying for their shops, it also helps people who might have been struggling in other ways. 

“Quite a number of people have come in and volunteered who have said, ‘this has been so good for my mental health’. It’s the sort of thing I wouldn’t have thought of.  

“We had one guy who was helping with cooking. He was a good cook. He has gone on to work for a local charity, cooking for them. It’s brilliant.  

“They asked me for a reference for him and I was able to say I couldn’t think of anybody better suited to this job. He has got that kind of compassionate heart.  

“It’s great to have that experience and go on to use it in such a positive way.” 

Resurrected Bites has close ties to local charities and organisations. There isn’t much that can’t be used in its cafes or community groceries, but when there is, it’s redirected to someone who can make use of it. 

Volunteers helped to reopen Resurrected Bites’ cafes after covid

Approaching retirement in a couple of years, Ian is looking to cut down his hours at the cafes over the coming months.  

At the same time, a new café is being planned in Killinghall. It means new volunteers and a new café manager will be needed – and Ian can only reflect on what a privilege it will be for those involved: 

“I always think one of the best things about my job is the people I work with.  

“We’re totally reliant on volunteers. The sort of people that volunteer are nice people, kind and caring, thinking of others.  

“I just feel so blessed to have so many nice people to work with.”