Emergency services including Yorkshire Air Ambulance were called to the White Horse pub in North Street, Ripon, on Monday night, after a 58-year-old guest was taken ill.

Sadly, the person, who received help at the scene from Yorkshire Ambulance Service personnel, had suffered a cardiac arrest and died.

The White Horse in North Street

The Yorkshire Air Ambulance landed on the former Ripon College site off Palace Road. An air ambulance spokesperson told the Stray Ferret:

“We were called to attend, but sadly, the person, who was 58, had already died having suffered a cardiac arrest.”

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Worshippers and visitors at Ripon Cathedral on Sunday, were greeted by a shining throng of origami angels.

The paper Seraphim and Cherubim, painstakingly made by an army of volunteers, are suspended in netting high above the nave and will remain in place throughout August and up until the feast of St Michael and All Angels on September 29.

Backlit by spotlights and sun shining through the ancient building’s stained glass windows, the installation marks the final stage of the Wing and a Prayer appeal, which has already raised more than £130,000 in donations, to be shared between the cathedral and Yorkshire Air Ambulance.

While the cathedral was out of bounds for many weeks because of COVID-19, the project enabled people to pray for loved ones and key workers by sending prayers online via the cathedral website.

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The project, launched in May, has captured the imagination of the public, whose prayer requests have been read by the cathedral’s priests – among them Canon Ailsa Newby.

Canon Newby told the Stray Ferret:

“This has been a wonderful combined effort that has brought a marvellous result.”

Canon Ailsa Newby, one of the priests who have been reading prayer requests at Ripon Cathedral

The Dean of Ripon, the Very Rev John Dobson, said:

“This project is doing several positive things and responding to a real desire on the part of many people to make their prayers in or through Ripon Cathedral. The angel art installation is an expression of all of these, including memories of some who have died and gratitude for both healing and the exceptional service provided by so many in society.”

He pointed out:

“There is no doubt that the financial support resulting from all the generous donations is very welcome for ourselves and for Yorkshire Air Ambulance; for both of us income has been hit drastically during the time of lockdown.

“Here at the cathedral our support base has been increasing across the region in recent years; this is helping to give us increased resilience in these challenging times and I am extremely grateful to all those who are coming forward to support us financially.”

Approximately 11,000 angels were made – 10,000 of them are suspended above the nave and another 1,000 are in place at other locations within the cathedral.

As Ripon Cathedral opens for private prayer, volunteers are needed to help make 11,000 origami angels which will form an art installation in its nave.

‘A Wing and a Prayer’ was launched in early May in conjunction with the Yorkshire Air Ambulance. The aim of the project is to create an installation that fills the nave with angels bearing prayers for those who have lost their lives to the coronavirus and other front line staff risking their own lives.

So far the project has raised over £130,000 which will be split between the charity and the cathedral.

People are asked to send in their prayers via the cathedral website to remember a loved one or a key worker; the prayers will then be said by the clergy during services and will also be borne by the origami angels hanging in the nave. Those leaving a prayer are also invited to make a donation.

Margaret Hammond, development manager of Ripon Cathedral Development Trust said:

“A number of our cathedral volunteers  (like Malcolm Hansom, pictured below) have already come forward and together with volunteers from Yorkshire Air Ambulance have made an amazing 2,000 origami angels.”

Margaret added:

“However, with at least 11,000 angels to create over the next month this is a huge challenge and we are now seeking more volunteers to get involved. Perhaps if you are shielding and have some spare time during lockdown you could help? Making the first origami angel may seem complicated but they become easier once you have made two or three!”

From 1st August, visitors and donors will have the opportunity to come and see the display – reflecting how people from the community have come together during these uncertain times to support one another.

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The Dean of Ripon, the Very Rev John Dobson, said:

“This project is doing several positive things and responding to a real desire on the part of many people to make their prayers in or through Ripon Cathedral. The angel art installation will be an expression of all of these including memories of some who have died and gratitude for both healing and the exceptional service provided by so many in society.”

Dean John, added:

“There is no doubt that the financial support resulting from all the generous donations is very welcome for ourselves and for Yorkshire Air Ambulance; for both of us income has been hit drastically during the time of lockdown.”

Further details about the Wing and A Prayer appeal and how to support it, are available on the Ripon Cathedral website.

The heroes of Yorkshire Air Ambulance (YAA) and other emergency services, are to be recognised in a special way at Ripon Cathedral, through the ‘Wing and a Prayer’ project.

The project will see the creation of origami paper angels, which will become part of an inspiring art installation in the nave, with each covered by requests for prayers, which members of the public can submit on an online form via the cathedral website.

People are being asked to donate ‘an angel’ to be placed inside the cathedral and the prayers that are placed on the angelic figures will be offered up by clergy during services.

Margaret Hammond, development manager at the cathedral, said:

“We are delighted that the Yorkshire Air Ambulance have agreed to partner with Ripon Cathedral to offer a way of individuals praying for their heroes, or remembering loved ones. At the same time, we look forward to raising funds to keep the YAA flying at this difficult time and to support the work of the cathedral in the community.”

The angels created through the ‘Wing and a Prayer’ project will be both downloadable and printable and in a format that can be shared on social media and placed in the windows of homes as a show of support for those who are working on the front line to keep communities safe during the cornavirus crisis and beyond.

Helen Callear, director of fundraising (North East) for Yorkshire Air Ambulance, said:

“This is a project very close to our charity’s heart and with event cancellations and fundraising activities on hold, the YAA needs all the support we can get to keep our helicopters in the air and saving lives across the region.