Uredale Community Partnership

06/11/2026

Grow your team with an apprentice 💼

Are you a local business or organisation thinking about taking someone on? Government support for employers who hire apprentices has recently been increased, so bringing in new talent could cost less than you think.

An apprenticeship lets you train someone in the skills your business actually needs. They earn a wage and work towards a nationally recognised qualification. It’s also a great way to invest in young people from across Ripon and the Ure valley and keep local talent local.

What support is available?

✅ £1,000 Young Apprentice Payment if you take on an apprentice aged 16 to 18, or aged 19 to 24 with an EHCP or who is a care leaver
✅ Up to £2,000 New Apprenticeship Hiring Payment if you don’t pay the Apprenticeship Levy and you take on a new apprentice aged 16 to 24 who starts on or after 1 October 2026
✅ £3,000 Youth Jobs Grant if you recruit an 18 to 24 year old who has been claiming Universal Credit and looking for work for six months or more (they must be referred through Jobcentre Plus)
✅ Up to £2,000 if you recruit onto an eligible Foundation Apprenticeship
✅ Fully funded training for apprentices aged 16 to 24 if you don’t pay the Apprenticeship Levy
✅ No employer National Insurance on apprentices under 25 (HMRC conditions apply)

The Apprenticeship Levy only applies to employers with a very large pay bill, so most small and medium-sized businesses don’t pay it. Each scheme has its own eligibility rules, so please check the details before you recruit.

Want to find out more?

Harrogate College apprenticeships team can help you work out whether an apprenticeship could suit your business.
📧 [email protected]
📞 07483 731482
https://harrogate-college.ac.uk/

Know a business that could benefit? Please share.

With thanks to Ripon BID for sharing this information.

Harrogate College - for students aged 16+, providing T Levels, technical levels, apprenticeships and adult learning

05/11/2026

Ure Life Winter Issue is out now and it looks fabulous. It is a great way to get your Uredale events and news out to residents - either online or in the next issue coming out in the spring.

Get in contact with Michelle via [email protected] or simply submit online www.ure-life.com

23/10/2026

Finding the right people, keeping them, and helping them grow: it’s a tough combination for small businesses in rural areas.

On Thursday 26 November, local employers, training providers and decision-makers will sit down together in Ripon to talk about it, and to work out what we can do.

If you run or manage a local business, this free morning is a chance to meet other local employers facing the same challenges, and to tell the people who shape local skills provision what you need.

📍 Ripon Town Hall
🗓 Thursday 26 November, 9.00am to 12.30pm
Free to attend. Book your place: https://uredale-skills-roundtable.eventbrite.co.uk

Ripon BID Ripon YMCA York and North Yorkshire Combined Authority West & North Yorkshire Chamber of Commerce Harrogate College North Yorkshire Council Ripon Together Ripon City Council

20/10/2026

Uredale Community Partnership: what we're focused on and what we're doing about it.

Our autumn update is out and inside you’ll find:

🗣️ Have your say on transport: the Local Transport Plan and bus franchising consultations close on 4 November
🏡 Housing: our new guide to community-led housing for parish and town councils, plus the next stage of the North Yorkshire Local Plan consultation
🤝 Access to Services Day: on 3 November at Ripon Community House, invited service providers and partner organisations will get to know each other’s services so residents can be pointed to the right support. A public event will follow in the New Year.
🎓 Skills in Practice: a free roundtable for local businesses and training providers on 26 November
🧑‍🤝‍🧑 Young people: Ripon YMCA’s new youth hub on Westgate, open every Wednesday for 16 to 24 year olds
🎭 Culture: rural touring, creative health and a funding opportunity for village and community groups
📅 Next partnership meeting is on 9 December at Copt Hewick Village Hall, with a first look at the Ripon City Investment Plan and the Masham Town Investment Plan

Read the full update https://mailchi.mp/uredalecp/two-november-events-and-a-first-look-at-ripons-investment-plan

Help us carry the call. Please share this update with your neighbours, your parish and anyone interested in supporting the future of Uredale: from Ripon, Masham and along the Ure Valley 💚

Artwork created by Antony Prince

15/10/2026

🚌 Have your say on local transport, in Ripon today, market day

The Mayor of York and North Yorkshire, David Skaith's Local Transport Plan team is at Ripon Market until 3pm today. They want to hear what needs to change on our local transport network, from buses and trains to walking and cycling routes.

Transport is the biggest barrier to getting to work, training, culture and leisure. This afternoon, Uredale Community Partnership is meeting the consultation team to ask for:

✅ stronger links between Ripon and the surrounding villages
✅ buses that connect properly with trains
✅ earlier and later services
✅ a Ripon Mobility Hub that is accessible, practical and built to last, with space for buses, community transport, taxis, bikes, mobility scooters and people on foot

We're also pressing for four priority routes:

🚌 Ripon to Thirsk railway station
🚌 Ripon to York via Boroughbridge
🚌 Masham to Ripon
🚌 Masham to Northallerton via Bedale

Head to the square before 3pm and add your voice.

You can respond online until 4 November:
https://yorknorthyorks-ca.gov.uk/local-transport-plan-consultation/

14/10/2026

16-25 year olds from Ripon and surrounding villages, there's a new hub in Ripon for you!

Starts today, drop in from 12 noon until 6pm

Ripon YMCA

02/10/2026

What a brilliant idea from the Ripon Library book fairies

23/09/2026

Ripon YMCA is offering free one-to-one support for 16-24 year olds in the area who need help and guidance with employment, education or training.

Please contact the You Matter team 👇

16 to 24? Do you need some support, or do you know someone who needs our help? We can visit you, meet for a coffee, you can come to our office. Let us know how we can support you.
Email: [email protected]
Phone: 01765 607609

23/09/2026

Have your say on the future of transport in Ripon and beyond

The Mayor's draft Local Transport Plan for York and North Yorkshire is out for consultation, and there will be a drop-in event in Ripon where you can talk to the team face to face.

📍 Ripon Market
📅 Thursday 15 October
🕘 9am to 3pm

Drop in, ask questions and tell them what matters to you, whether that's bus services to our villages, safer walking and cycling routes, or getting to work, school and appointments.

Can't make it? You can join the online webinar on Wednesday 30 September, 6pm to 7pm, or complete the survey online. Everyone who takes part can enter a prize draw for the chance to win a £100 gift voucher.

Read the draft plan and complete the survey here: https://eu1.hubs.ly/H0ywyTk0

Getting around is one of the biggest issues people raise with us, so please share this with friends, family and neighbours.