Ripon is set to make history in London when its historic Hornblower ‘calls the watch’ over the river Thames for the first time.
Ripon blows the horn for Yorkshire at the World Travel Market Ripon is set to make history in London when its historic Hornblower ‘calls the watch’ over the river Thames for the first time in its one-thousand-year tradition. On the night of November 6th, the special dispensation, agreed by Ripon City Council, marks North Yorkshire’s inaugural joint initiative to journey south to meet the world at the World Travel Market. It’s one of the travel industry’s most globally significant annual trade events, taking place at Excel London from 6th-8th November. As part of this, North Yorkshire Council, together with Visit York, Visit Leeds and Herriot Country Tourism, will be jointly hosting a special event on board City Cruises’ flagship vessel Erasmus. [caption id="attachment_84925" align="aligncenter" width="1024"] Ripon City’s first female Hornblower Allison Clark.[/caption] Representatives from the Yorkshire and world travel industry have been personally invited to get ‘All Aboard for Yorkshire’ and learn more about the world-class combination of vibrant city culture and stunningly beautiful locations to be found across the wider York and North Yorkshire area. North Yorkshire Council’s executive member for the visitor economy, Cllr Derek Bastiman, said:
“The visitor economy is a major contributor to North Yorkshire’s economy, bringing in more than £1.5 billion a year and attracting over 33 million visitors from domestic visits alone to the county. “The coming together of the tourism teams from across North Yorkshire, and with our ambition to become a York and North Yorkshire LVEP (Local Visitor Economy Partnership), we can grow the visitor economy even further by attracting international audiences. “The North Yorkshire offer is already world class with two national parks, a breath-taking coastline, a world heritage site, and the great northern treasure houses such as Castle Howard. “Now, more than ever, with internationally acclaimed literature, film and TV series such as All Creatures Great and Small showcasing our countryside, town and city settings to global audiences, we can work together to attend events such as the World Travel Market to welcome the international inbound travel industry to the north and boost the county’s visitor economy. “I am extremely proud of our heritage and having a Hornblower from our area sound the horn over the River Thames for the first time in over a thousand years is quite the honour.”Gemma Rio, Head of Tourism at North Yorkshire Council said:
“We are on a mission, along with partners across the region, to broadcast the message to the global travel industry, to look, and book, ‘up north’! “The 1,137 year old nightly ritual of the Ripon Hornblower, which legendarily began in 886AD to warn locals that the Vikings - or Northmen - were coming seems a fitting tribute. “In the cathedral city of just 19,000 inhabitants, a horn has been blown from every corner of the marketplace at 9pm every night, without exception for over a thousand years – and still is. “The Ripon Hornblower, a long-held and uninterrupted tradition epitomises the kind of authentic experience still to be found in towns and cities across the county, which set us apart on the world stage.”For Allison Clark, who became Ripon City’s first female Hornblower in 2017, this is another historic first. Allison said:
“Along with my three Hornblower colleagues, I must have one of the longest-standing, unaltered job descriptions in the world. “I never imagined when I took the role that I would be on the Thames next to the Tower of London announcing that North Yorkshire is ‘at large’ in London!”Sarah Loftus, Managing Director of Make it York said:
“As organisations within separate Local Authorities across York, West Yorkshire and North Yorkshire, we are united in the knowledge that our combined offer is unbeatable.” “We are delighted that Ripon City Council have agreed to lend us all their time-honoured hornblower tradition, in London, to make some noise for the north!”North Yorkshire will be represented at the World Travel Market by North Yorkshire Council, Herriot Country Tourism and Visit York as part of the UK Inbound stand. Read more local stories from Your Harrogate here.
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