Tag Archives: North Yorkshire

Yorkshire Punch And Judy Man

Keeping The Tradition Alive

It’s true. The traditional Punch and Judy Show  is making a come back but you won’t often see Mr Punch and his friends down on the beach so it’s no good heading off to Redcar, Whitby, Scarborough or Bridlington to see him. The chances are he won’t be there.

It’s funny how good ideas catch on. In recent years “Seaside Events” have become popular in Yorkshire. I’m not sure who started it off but there are now annual seaside days taking place in  town centres and market squares throughout North Yorkshire and West Yorkshire too.  Even enterprising showmen have got in on the act realising the appeal a seaside day can have to families looking for a fun day out hence the local fair has now  become “Barnsley by the Sea” etc.Yorkshire Punch and Judy Man

The essential ingredients for a fantastic seaside day are sand, buckets and spades, a Punch and Judy Show, ice cream and donkey rides. I’ll not mention sunshine!

This is all good news if you are a Yorkshire based Punch and Judy Man ( which of course I am ). I live in beautiful Richmond North Yorkshire  and as far as I know I am the first and only professional Punch and Judy Man the town has ever had.  Richmond was a very prosperous place in Georgian times and boasts a delightful Georgian, cobbled market square, a fabulous castle,  a pretty waterfall and much more. It’s a very interesting place to live with lots of history. I love it and I am sure Mr Punch feels very comfortable here too as he is as historical as he is hysterical having arrived in England from Italy in the mid seventeenth century.

I have always been very interested in history and I have always thought it’s important to keep old traditions alive which are two reasons why I love Punch and Judy so much.  I’m also very proud to be a Yorkshire man. I was born in the seaside town of Redcar ( then in North Yorkshire ) and as a commissioned officer in the Yorkshire Volunteers ( a Territorial Army Infantry Regiment ) had the privilege of being married to my wife Hazel in York Minster.

Over the many years I have been fortunate enough to be Mr Punch’s travelling companion and have performed my Punch and Judy Show  throughout Yorkshire including Richmond, Bedale, Northallerton, Thirsk, Ripon, Harrogate and York which are all within an hour of my home. I am used to travelling further field and have also performed at events in Leeds, Bradford, Huddersfield, Halifax, Wakefield, Barnsley, Sheffield, Doncaster and many, many more places in between.

I have to be honest. Travelling around Yorkshire with Punch and Judy has never been a problem to me. First of all I am proud to be a Yorkshire man and second, I’m on a mission….Keeping The Tradition Alive!

If you are looking for a Punch and Judy Show for your event call me now for a FREE quotation. Just fill in the  ENQUIRY FORM which will give me all the information I need to get back to you with a price. Thank you.

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Christmas Eve, FREE Show!

Christmas Puppet Show

Christmas Puppets

Ron with Santa and Rudolph from the Christmas Show.

Jolly Good Productions present:

“Santa’s Busy Day”

A puppet show with magic and lots of festive fun.

The Town Hall,  Richmond,  North Yorkshire.

Monday, 24th December 2012.

11am to 12 Noon.

All welcome. Ideal for younger children ( 4 – 8 years old ).

Admission is FREE. Donations to the Mayor’s Charity most welcome.

Refreshments available to purchase.

T’Old Hoss

The Old Hoss will perform immediately after the puppet show.

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Thirsk and Sowerby Town Hall

Looking for a hall to hire for a birthday party  in  Thirsk, North Yorkshire. The Town Hall has a lovely function room, very modern, clean and with a nice kitchen too. It’s just the right size for a party of 20 – 30 children. There is also parking at the side of the building. If you need more space there is a huge main hall too, complete with full size stage.

 

The party room at Thirsk Town Hall, North Yorkshire

Thirsk Town Hall has a lovely party room.

 

 

Contact:

The Secretary

Thirsk and Sowerby Town Hall

Westgate

Thirsk

YO7 1QR

Tel 01845 522650

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Ripon Festival Spring Fair 2011

Here are some photos I took at the Spring Fair in Ripon on Monday 2nd May. There was a good turn out and the sun shone all day. It would have been perfect apart from the cold wind which seemed to get stronger as the day went on. The was plenty for people to do with a fun fair, side stalls, a lovely big tea tent, ice cream, fast food, Punch and Judy for the kids and face painting too.

The Mayor of Ripon was in attendance and the Ripon band played in the afternoon. There was a picnic for the children with free food and ice cream provided by the organisers. It was a lovely event!  Hope you like the pictures.

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Line Dancing Classes in Bedale, North Yorkshire

Line Dance Teacher, Hazel Wood

Image by ronwooduk via Flickr

Sioux City Line Dancing Club

Keep fit and have fun. If you have ever line danced before and you live in the Northallerton, Catterick, Bedale, Ripon area then why not come along and join Hazel’s class. It’s probably the longest established line dancing group in North Yorkshire as it has been running regularly since 1997.

When : Tuesday evening

Where : Chantry Hall

Who : Class for improvers and intermediate line dancers ( not beginners )

Time : 7pm – 8pm

Cost : £4

Teacher : Hazel Wood NCDTA ( Northern Counties Dance Teachers Association )

Enquiries : Call Hazel on Tel 01748 821621

Hazel is also available to hire as a line dancing caller / instructor for private parties and corporate / public events anywhere in the UK.

For a quotation please go to Hazel’s Line Dancing page on the Jolly Good Productions web site. Thank you.

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Methodist Church Hall, Scorton

The Methodist Church Hall, Scorton, near Richmond, North Yorkshire is an ideal venue for a birthday party, especially  for younger children. It’s got a nice kitchen and there is plenty of parking round the village green.

Scorton Methodist Church Hall

Scorton Methodist Church Hall

To enquire about hiring the hall Tel 01748 810850

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The “Old Hoss” Of Richmond

As part of the children’s entertainment organised by the Mayor of Richmond on Christmas Eve was a special performance by the “Old Hoss”. The event took place in the Town Hall and was free for all to attend. We had a good turn out and the children joined in enthusiastically with the Jolly Good Productions Christmas Puppet Show. This was followed immediately by T’Old Hoss.  Everyone had a great time and people generously donated towards the Mayor’s charities, The RNLI and The Yorkshire Air Ambulance.

The Old Horse of Richmond or T'Old Hoss ( Yorkshire )

Ron with T'Old Hoss

The ‘Old Hoss’ appears in Richmond `s market place every Christmas Eve morning. Originally a pagan creation,the decorated horse`s skull is accompanied by a team of huntsmen. He snaps his jaws as the huntsmen sing of his being a virile young creature who grows old and finally is killed. His resurrection completes the ritual, representing the passing of the old year and the beginning of the new.

[youtube:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uzDn0Rx3KbA]
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Grand National Winner Supports Race Night Fund Raiser

Horse racing in Sligo, Ireland
Image via Wikipedia

Horse Racing Legend Gerry Scott attended a Charity Race Night at Fearby near Masham, North Yorkshire, to help residents raise money for the Village Hall, an important centre for the local community.

Gerry Scott is well known in horse racing circles as the only man to have ridden the winner of the Grand National and also to have started the race. He rode Merryman IInd to victory in 1960, which was the first time the race had been televised. Thirty years later, he was the official Starter at Aintree for the 1996 Grand National.

It was a great pleasure to meet Gerry and to hear about his experiences in horse racing. I was interested to learn that he started the Princess Royal at “Redcar Races” where she won her first flat race. This was of particular interest to me as I was born in Redcar. He also carried the banner for the Jockey Club round Horse Guards Parade during the cellarbrations held for the Queen Mother’s 80th birthday. The picture below shows Gerry presenting the prize for the “Best Dressed Lady” which was a bouqet of flowers and a bottle of champagne.

The Race Night was great fun and brought in much needed cash which will be used to maintain the village hall. Everyone had a great time and the organisers are confident even more folk will attend next time.

Gerry Scott who rode the winner of the Grand National and started the race too.

Gerry Scott presented the prize for the best dressed lady.

If you are interested in booking a race night to raise funds for your organisation then please follow this link through to the Race Night secion of our web site.

Have you ever backed the winning horse in the National? What’s the most you’ve ever won on a horse?

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The Ripon Hornblower

Coat of arms associated with the City of Ripon...

Image via Wikipedia

Whilst working at Ripon, North Yorkshire I had the very great pleasure of meeting The Ripon Hornblower. Although I have been to the City of Ripon many times I must admit I was completely unaware of it’s ancient traditions.

Every night the horn is blown in the city of Ripon to set the watch. There is a little ceremony followed by an explantaion of the old customs. I was also presented with a special lucky wooden penny inscribed with the Coat of Arms of the City of Ripon.

The Ripon Hornblower

The Ripon Hornblower

Personally I think it is important to keep old traditions alive. What is your view?

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