Ripon newsletter: December 2024
Welcome to your final Ripon newsletter of 2024. As the year draws to a close, we’re enjoying the festive atmosphere, which includes several Christmas trees dotted across campus.
What was your favourite thing about this time of year when you were a student? As 2024 draws to a close, many of us will be reflecting on the year and looking ahead to what we hope for in 2025.
In this newsletter, we share uplifting news stories from Ripon, highlight how some of you can get involved with a new campaign and ask for your feedback on what sort of events you’d like us to host for your community.
Christmas
What do you remember from your final weeks of term before the Christmas break? For many of us, the time before Christmas break might include key memories of celebrating with friends, singing carols and appreciating the festive atmosphere on campus. Some of you might also remember having to stretch your grant money as the term came to a close, something which many students unfortunately still struggle with today due to rising costs and insufficient student loans.
Christmas at Ripon was an important part of the College calendar, and one which many students eagerly anticipated. We know that for generations, the College held an annual Christmas party for staff, students and invited guests. The party was such an important part of the College’s tradition that it was still maintained, in a slightly reduced state, during both World Wars. Invited guests often included local clergy, previous staff members including past principals, and alumnae.
The Christmas party was just one way that students at Ripon celebrated the festive season. For over a century, student teachers enjoyed the run up to Christmas in their placement schools, including helping to stage their school nativity, helping pupils learn lines for their school plays, and enjoying a school Christmas Dinner!
Your Ripon alumni community
50 years of friendship
At the end of September, a group of alumni returned to Ripon to celebrate their 50th anniversary of starting their teacher training in 1974. They studied a range of subjects including Art, Geography, History and Religious Education.
Everyone had a fantastic day and enjoyed the chance to relive shared memories and celebrate the friendships they formed 50 years ago.
Thank you to Belinda for telling us about your reunion, we always love to hear about when our alumni meet up!
A Very Ripon Christmas
Last week, it was wonderful to welcome some of you to Ripon Golf Club for our second A Very Ripon Christmas event. It was fantastic to speak to alumni and reconnect with some of you who we met last year as well.
You can find out more about the event on our blog.
Tell us about what events you’d like to attend
Whether you attended A Very Ripon Christmas or not, we’d like your feedback on what you’d like to see at future events for our Ripon alumni community.
If you’d like to see a winter afternoon tea, autumn get together or summer mini reunion, please tell us more by completing our feedback form. The form closes at the end of January, and we’ll send a reminder out beforehand too.
Complete our feedback from before the end of January.
Spooky stories
In your last newsletter, we asked you to share your spooky stories from your time studying with us, and you didn’t disappoint! It might not be Halloween anymore, but isn’t A Christmas Carol a ghost story too?
In our Halloween blog, you can read three stories from Ripon alumni which might be familiar, or make you thankful you didn’t experience something spooky when you studied with us!
CRYSJ campaign
In the past few months, we’ve launched a new campaign to celebrate the 50 year anniversary of the creation of the College of Ripon and York St John. Part of this campaign is asking anyone who studied with us from 1975 to 2001 to complete a Yearbook profile to help us create an alumni yearbook!
The yearbook profile gives you the opportunity to share some of your memories since completing your course with us and tell your fellow alumni what you’ve been up to since. As part of the profile, you can also leave details of how other alumni can get in touch with you, or if you’re looking to get in touch with someone specific.
It would be wonderful for our Ripon alumni community to be equally represented in this yearbook, but this will only happen if you complete your profiles.
Learn more about how you can get involved on our website.
News from Ripon
As 2024 comes to a close, here are three interesting news stories from Ripon you might enjoy:
In October, a new map of Ripon was published which documents Ripon’s history from the Middle Ages to the 20th Century. The map highlights important historic buildings as well as specialist information about the area, including that the first horserace for female jockeys was held at Ripon Common in 1723! You can find out more about the map on the BBC News website.
Ripon Community Poppy Project, who recently received the King’s highest award for volunteering, recently completed a jumper with a difference. With over 35 volunteers working on the jumper and measuring an amazing 10m x 8.5m, the jumper was created for a local gritter! You can read more about this amazing jumper on the BBC News website.
Despite the recent weather, local charity Yorkshire Cancer Research held a Tinsel Tractor Run to raise money last weekend. Around 35 tractors braved the storm covered in tinsel and fairy lights. You can read more about this on the BBC News website.
Ripon events
If you’re visiting Ripon this December, keep an eye out for the return of the Giant Snowglobe! Brought to Ripon by Ripon Bid, it will be situated in Ripon Market Square on 13th, 14th and 15th December from 1pm until 7pm. Find out more about this on the Visit Ripon website.
As 2024 draws to a close, check out upcoming events at Ripon Cathedral, including a Christmas Carol Concert and their annual Watchnight Service. Find out more about their upcoming events on their website.
