The Jarrow March arrived in Ripon on Thursday, 6th October 2011 and travelled to Harrogate for an overnight stop.
The group decided to take the 17 miles from Northallerton using their hired support mini bus before convening at Ripon Police Station at 11:30am, and after some discussion with the Police on their route, walked to Ripon Cathedral for a very warm reception hosted by the Dean and many of his staff.
Harrogate-News met with the marchers as they arrived in Ripon and joined them for lunch and as they left the outskirts of the City.
Over 30 young people were reported to have started the walk, but the numbers had reduced due to back and foot injuries or needing to return home to sign-on. Those continuing the march were relatively poorly equipped in both footwear and weatherproofs.
The group of around ten walked the 10miles from Ripon to Harrogate, changing to a direct route to Harrogate rather than travelling via Knaresborough. Weather conditions were clear but very windy, although luckily a following wind predominantly.
It is difficult to make comparisons between this and the march that took place in October 1936, even though now 75 years later the world economic conditions appear to be the same, the resolve of the marchers is not. For the march to have attracted so few people must be a massive disappointment to those organising.
The tenacity of the few continuing the walk to London is to be commended, but it is difficult to see how this attracts anything close to the ground-swell of public support given to the original marchers.
