More than 3,000 visitors from all over Yorkshire and beyond attended this year’s Ripon Cathedral Christmas Gift and Food Fair. £21,250 was raised towards the, the Appeal to raise £5 million towards the Dean’s Development Plans for a 21st Century Cathedral.
T
he crowds thronged the medieval cathedral enjoyed a festive seasonal atmosphere with more than 100 stalls of seasonal gifts and food itogether with local musical groups who volunteered to entertain the crowds. The included the Skelldale Singers, Ripon Trinity Choir, musicians from King James School, Boroughbridge High School, the Expressionettes, and Collavoce.
Three hundred families and their children visited Santa’s Grotto which was created by the volunteers from the Wolseley Centre in Ripon. Five hundred and fifty turkey sandwiches were served and hundreds of cups of tea and coffee were provided by the cathedral volunteers. Children’s craft activities, face painting, raffle and a tombola were also attractions at the event.
Margaret Hammond, the Development Campaign Manager said “ The fair marks the start of the Christmas celebrations for the local community. It is wonderful to see so many families both inside the Cathedral and also shopping in the city.
“There are so many individuals to thank for helping to make this year’s Christmas Fair - the Dean and his team which raised a record £1,080 selling raffle tickets, the volunteers including the local community volunteers who baked wonderful Christmas Cakes, local Ripon businesses, the soldiers from Claro Barracks who helped set up the event and a group of employees from the Ripon office of Wolseley UK. Everyone worked so hard and helped in so many different ways to make sure the event was a huge success”