Sid Hawke to be Ripon’s next mayorIndependent councillor Sid Hawke is to be Ripon’s next mayor.
Cllr Hawke, who previously served as mayor in 2008/09, will replace fellow Independent Eamon Parkin at the annual mayor making ceremony on May 23.
His term will coincide with celebrations for the Queen’s platinum jubilee on June 2 to 5 as well as Ripon Cathedral’s 1,350th anniversary.
Ripon-born Cllr Hawke is a semi-retired window cleaner who has also served as a retained firefighter for North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service in Ripon.
Elected to Ripon City Council in 2002, Cllr Hawke represents the Ure Bank ward on both Ripon City Council and on Harrogate Borough Council.
He lost to Liberal Democrat Barbara Brodigan in last week’s North Yorkshire Council election for Ripon Ure Bank and Spa division.
Cllr Hawke said:
“I am delighted to be nominated by Ripon city councillors in the selection for the position of mayor and I am looking forward to representing the city in this very important year of HM Queen Elizabeth II’s platinum jubilee.”
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The mayor will be formally installed in a service at Ripon Cathedral on July 3.
Cllr Hawke’s wife, Linda, will accompany him on mayoral engagements. Cllr Parkin will be deputy mayor.
The Rt. Revd. Dr Helen-Ann Harley, Bishop of Ripon will remain as the mayor’s chaplain.
Record turnout for return of Knaresborough farmers’ tractor runAlmost 400 tractors took part in Knaresborough Young Farmers Club‘s annual tractor run yesterday.
A large crowd gathered for the start of the event, which returned after a covid interruption last year, at the Great Yorkshire Showground in Harrogate.
The tractors left at 9am and drove around Nidderdale, stopped for lunch in Pateley Bridge at noon then finished in Knaresborough by late afternoon.
The event combines fun and fundraising, by raising money through entry fees and donations for Yorkshire Air Ambulance — a cause close to the heart of many farmers working in isolated areas.
The previous event in 2020 attracted about 360 vehicles and raised over £20,000.
Passing Mother Shipton’s Inn in Knaresborough. Pic: Charlotte Gale
Showing support for Ukraine.
This event exceeded that, with 383 tractors taking part and raising £21,000.
It started as a private club event in 2012 but was opened up in 2018 to allow anyone to take part and has grown in scale since.
People lined the streets in towns and villages to cheer on the farmers, some of whom had decked their tractors out especially for the occasion.
Passing through Birstwith. Pic: Ann Lilley
Some had adopted yellow and blue to show support for people in Ukraine.
Donations to the air ambulance can be made here.
Leaving the showground.
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350 tractors set to take to Harrogate district streets tomorrowAbout 350 tractors are expected to take to the Harrogate district streets tomorrow when Knaresborough Young Farmers Club’s tractor run returns.
The event, which was cancelled last year, raises funds for Yorkshire Air Ambulance.
Tractors will converge at the Great Yorkshire Showground for a 9am start and then pass through Knaresborough and Birstwith before stopping for lunch at Pateley Bridge at about noon.
The route passes through Pateley Bridge
They will then continue along country roads to Markington before finishing in Knaresborough at about 3.30pm.
The tractor run started as a private club event in 2012 but was opened to the public in 2018.
This year’s route.
Club member Mike Spink was a great supporter of the air ambulance before his death and the organisation continues to fundraise for it.
Steven Brown, chairman of the tractor run, said:
“Air ambulance is a cause close to the heart of farmers and anyone in rural communities.
“We work in solitary areas and they are always there when we need them.”
About 360 vehicles participated in the last tractor run, which was completed a week before lockdown in 2020. It is one of the largest tractor runs in England.
Anyone can turn up at the showground with a tractor and take part.
Although the event causes some traffic disruption, the route includes many minor and private roads to minimise disruption.
You can support the event by pledging a donation to the air ambulance here.
Air ambulance called after three injured in Harrogate district car crashAn air ambulance was summoned to the Harrogate district today when three people were injured in a car crash.
The air ambulance was called to assist other emergency services at the scene of the collision on the B6165 between Nidd and Brearton.
The incident is believed to have happened at about 1pm this afternoon.
According to reports on social media, three fire engines and three ambulances were at the scene.
It is unknown how many vehicles were involved but Yorkshire Air Ambulance confirmed three people were injured.
A spokesperson said:
“Our paramedics provided on-scene medical support to three patients and those who needed further treatment were taken to hospital by land ambulance.”
The extent of injuries in unclear.
The Stray Ferret has asked North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service for details but has yet to receive a response.
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Inquest hears tributes to bikers killed in head-on collision in MashamThe families of two bikers who died in a head-on collision near Masham have paid tributes at a joint inquest into their deaths, which concluded today.
Paramedics certified Martin Ragg, who was from the Ripon area, and Michael ‘Mick’ Lynas, who was from the Thirsk area, dead at the scene of the collision on the A1608 on Sunday, April 25 in 2021.
Coroner Oliver Longstaff submitted written evidence and questioned a collision investigator from North Yorkshire Police at the inquest.
The inquest heard how the crash happened at a blind summit close to the Brymor Ice Cream parlour and that Mr Ragg had been attempting to overtake a car before he moved one and a half metres into the oncoming lane before the crash.
Both men died as a result of injuries sustained in the crash. Mr Longstaff said:
“The point of an inquest is not to apportion blame but to determine the facts which lead up to the deaths.
“On the balance of probabilities the collision happened in the northbound carriageway and Mr Ragg was on the wrong side of the road.
“What strikes me is, from listening to what both families have said, that these two men would have got on quite well and become good friends if they had ever met.
“I hope it is some comfort to know that they both died instantly while doing something they loved.”
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Tina Lynas, who was the wife of Mick Lynas, said:
“Mick was passionate about motorcycles — in fact, much to the shock of my mum, he picked me up for our first date on a motorcycle. He was a great rider and never a risk taker.
“He collected motorcycles and at the time of his passing he had 13 in his possession. On the day of the crash he went out with his daughter Eve on a separate bike to meet his friends in Masham. He was then going to see family in Middlesbrough.
“I was just getting to leave to meet him there when I took a call from Eve. Mick’s passing has left a huge hole in our hearts. He was a loving man, full of life. He was community driven and would do anything for anyone.”
‘Lives shattered in an instant’
Jayne Ragg, who was the wife of Martin Ragg, said:
“Our lives were shattered in an instant. Martin often left early for his trips and did not want to wake me up when he headed out. So I didn’t even get to say goodbye to him.
“He had a fantastic sense of humour and he was a larger-than-life character who loved his family with all his heart.
“We have raised more than £7,000 for Brake, a road safety charity, and Yorkshire Air Ambulance. We also sent £2,000 to the Yorkshire Air Ambulance separately.”
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.
Air ambulance called to incident at Harrogate’s Hookstone ParkAn air ambulance landed at Harrogate’s Hookstone Park this morning to treat a person who fell at an industrial unit.
Yorkshire Air Ambulance said in a statement:
“At 08.38am we dispatched our Nostell aircraft to a fall in Harrogate.
“Our critical care team provided on-scene support and the patient was taken to hospital by land ambulance.”
A Stray Ferret reader spotted the air ambulance in the Morrisons car park at around 9am this morning.
She said the crew went to join paramedics already on the scene at warehouses round the corner.
The Yorkshire Ambulance Service said:
“We received a call at 8.26am this morning to reports of a person who had fallen from a roof in the Hookstone Park area of Harrogate.”
The extent of the patient’s injuries is not currently known.
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Yorkshire Air Ambulance issues hoax call warningYorkshire Air Ambulance has revealed it was the victim of 14 hoax calls in the last financial year — and the number looks set to rise this year.
The charity, which provides rapid emergency treatment to people in Yorkshire, responds to more than 1,300 incidents a year, an average of four a day.
But in the financial year to March 31 2021, it responded to 14 hoax calls. In the current calendar year, it had received 10 hoax calls by May 10.
Matt Syrat, clinical operations manager at Yorkshire Air Ambulance, said such calls can stop crews attending incidents with people in genuine danger leading to potentially “devastating consequences”.
He added:
“There is no way of knowing if a 999 call is a hoax when it comes in. We have to treat every call as if it is an emergency situation and respond rapidly.
“There is nothing more frustrating for our crews than landing at a scene and establishing that the call was in fact a hoax. Not only has it wasted our time and put ours and the public’s life at risk, but there will always be other emergency services involved too.
“Committing all these emergency services to one hoax call could risk us not reaching a real emergency fast enough and puts other lives at risk.”
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Of the 14 hoax calls in the last financial year, four were responded to by Yorkshire Air Ambulance’s rapid response vehicles whilst the other 10 involved air ambulances being dispatched.
Ten of the bogus call outs were from West Yorkshire. The other four were from South Yorkshire.
Yorkshire Air Ambulance to spend £15 million on new helicoptersYorkshire Air Ambulance is set to spend £15.3 million upgrading its fleet of helicopters.
The charity will replace its current G-YAAC and G-YOAA models with two new state of the art Airbus H145.
Bosses at YAA said the decision to upgrade its fleet was to ensure the people of Yorkshire receive the best operational and medical service.
They added that the new helicopters would be paid for through the charity’s reserves, financial planning and by selling the current models.
Steve Waudby, director of aviation at the charity, said:
“Our two current helicopters, G-YAAC and G-YOAA have served us well since 2016 and will continue to do so for another few years.
“However, the typical effective lifespan of an air ambulance helicopter is somewhere between seven to 10 years, so we are placing a timely order now for delivery in 2023, whilst taking advantage of early Airbus production line slots, as this helicopter has become very popular within the air ambulance community.
“There have also been a lot of advancements made to the H145 since we bought our current aircraft – both technically in the cockpit, and medically with regards to the equipment we carry.
“We had the choice to look at retrospectively fitting these technological advancements or upgrading to brand-new helicopters that include everything as part of their specification. Given the complexities of helicopter mechanics, we would have also faced a longer lead time with having everything retrospectively fitted rather than buying new, so it was sensible for the Charity to upgrade the helicopters for new ones.”
How the new Yorkshire Air Ambulance helicopters, the Airbus H145, would look.
The first of the two new helicopters is expected to arrive in Yorkshire in Spring 2023, with the second following shortly after in Summer 2023.
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The new fleet will come with full medical fit out, on board Wi-Fi to allow patient records to be updated inflight and a secure communications system which will allow the crew to send patient data ahead to their destination hospital.
Peter Sunderland, Chairman of the YAA, said:
“We are delighted to be able to announce our plans for these new helicopters.
“The H145 has become the most popular new aircraft globally and we are very much looking forward to welcoming the two new models to Yorkshire in Spring and Summer of 2023.
“Our current H145 D2 helicopters have served us well, so there was no question about considering other makes or models – it is fast becoming the air-ambulance helicopter of choice within the air ambulance sector.”
Community spirit thrives despite covid crisisCoronavirus has devastated many lives this year but for one Harrogate street, the pandemic has at least brought neighbours closer together.
Since lockdown in March, residents of St Helen’s Road have been using a WhatsApp group to help each other out.
People have used the group to offer help with shopping, look out for neighbours who are shielding or share unwanted items.
Six months on the group, set up by Holly Jones, continues to foster community spirit during these dark times in the street, which is near St Aidan’s Church of England High School.
Colette Lain, who lives on St Helen’s Road, said:
“The street has gone from a fairly anonymous place before lockdown to a really lively and supportive neighbourhood.
“It gave you the security that there were people that cared, and that was fantastic.”
Ms Lain decided to make the most of the community spirit by organising a street charity raffle to raise money for the Yorkshire Air Ambulance. Ms Lain volunteers for the charity but was unable to do so during the pandemic.
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Friends and neighbours donated prizes, and residents bought tickets by posting money and their addresses through Ms Lain’s front door.
Colette Lain, picking the winner of the raffle.
She raised £250 for the air ambulance, and has plans to generate more through a bumper Christmas raffle in December.
Jane Kennerly and Holly Jones have also set up a book swap in a telephone box on the street in another move to bring neighbours together.
The Stray Ferret wonders how many other streets in the Harrogate district have come together in this way during the pandemic.
