The Shop at Richmond's magnificent Victorian-period Station is calling for local artists, designers and makers to get in touch. Retail Manager Jane Dennis says: "In these difficult times many artists have found themselves without work. The Station is first and foremost a community building, and we would like to help by offering a platform to promote and sell local artists' work."

You can find more details in the Northern Echo's source article here. Call 01748 828263 or email [email protected] if you're interested!

Two-and-a-bit weeks from now, the nights will start getting shorter and the days longer. Woo-hoo!

In the depths of winter this can be hard to believe - but Spring will come, Covid anxiety will fade, and visitors will return. That will be a huge relief for hundreds of small local businesses which have been under terrible pressure. Here at RIC, we are determined to help those visitors and those businesses find each other. Could you be part of this effort? Do you know someone who might?

We have a team of about 20 volunteers who staff our Information desk in Richmond Market Hall or work behind the scenes. As things get back to normal we want to double that number. There's no entrance exam; there are no fixed hours; what we really want is enthusiasm and a bit of your time. The reward is the sheer fun of helping people discover the fabulosity of our home patch.

If you're interested, or simply curious, in or out of work, a student looking for valuable experience or an energetic retiree, see our Volunteering page for details. We'd love to hear from you.

Shout it from the battlements: English Heritage properties are starting to re-open! Here's what EH says about its local star property:

"Richmond Castle is open, and operating normal winter opening hours within Tier 2 restrictions. This means that some areas of your visit might be restricted. Full Covid-secure measures are in place, and you need to book your visit in advance."

Effectively, this means the Castle is open Saturdays and Sundays only, 10:00 - 16:00. More details and booking information here.

Popcorn time!

Yes, the Station Cinema in Richmond re-opens today. At a time when so many small-scale arts venues are under threat or have closed, that is brilliant news. Please  give Rob Younger and the team your support. Details of the screening programme for the next week are here. 

You can now pay without cash in all Richmondshire District Council car parks.

If you've got a smartphone (Apple or Android), download the RingGo app. It's free, and there's no charge to use it.

If you have an 'un-smart' mobile phone, you can still use RingGo to pay for your parking by calling 01748 580000.