My Yorkshire: Jacob Heringman

What's your first Yorkshire memory?

I was a student back in 1984, and I was raised in the mid-West of the US, around Iowa, Ohio and Minnesota, and we were all offered a semester abroad, which was fairly common for American students back then. I chose to come to the UK, and to London.

Then someone suggested that we all take a coach trip north, to see York, and what it had to offer. I was 20 and I was completely bowled over by the Minster, and walking around the walls. It wasn't totally foreign to me, because my mother is German, and I'd also spent some time with her there, so I knew quite a bit about history and had a sense of the historic. But York made quite an impression.

What's your favourite part of the county – and why?

I live with my wife, Susannah, and our five-year-old daughter, Edie, in Frenchgate in Richmond in North Yorkshire, just a stone's throw from the market place, and I cannot imagine a better place to be. We found the house by shopping around on the internet, and then going to places that we liked the look of.

Most old houses in towns don't have that much of a garden, but we have –it goes down to the river below, and we have "borrowed" our neighbour's vegetable plot as well, with their permission of course. So home is my favourite place to be – and the walks that we can all take just by going out of our front door.

What's your idea of a perfect day, or a perfect weekend, out in Yorkshire?

I'd take a walk to the ruins of Easby Abbey, and, in particular, to the beautiful little church of St Agatha, which is still in superb condition, and on the way back from that idyllic little spot, I'd stop off at The Old Station in Richmond for a coffee – it is now a thriving arts and community centre that we all love.

I've long wanted to play a concert with my lute in St Agatha's, and now my dream has come true, because I shall be making my debut appearance there during the Swaledale Festival, which starts today.

Which Yorkshire sportsman, past or present, would you like to take for lunch?

Even in my short time in Yorkshire I have been mightily impressed and also humbled by the work that the late Jane Tomlinson did for her cancer charity, and what she achieved in her short lifetime. I'm now 46, and Jane and I were born in the same year. We are 1964 children. That woman's strength, determination, fortitude and courage are inspirational for us all. And now her husband Mike keeps her name in front of us with his fund-raising activities. I am in awe of both of them.

Do you have a favourite walk – or view?

We've discovered that, just by going out of our front door, you can make circular walks around the town and the hills that surround it, and I am constantly amazed at seeing a "new view" and the community observed from another angle. I've taken a lot of pictures over the three years that we've lived in Richmond, and none of them is the same thing twice.

Which Yorkshire stage or screen star, past or present, would you like to take for dinner?

Well, I am sure that I am in good company when I say Dame Judi Dench, because I am a huge fan. I have had the pleasure of playing on quite a few movie soundtracks over the past few years, and sometimes I even get to appear in the background in a scene, usually in a silly costume, but – to date – I have never met Dame Judi, and boy, would I love to. I've just done some of the soundtrack for Ridley Scott's version of Robin Hood. Sadly, Dame Judi wasn't cast in that, so I shall just have to be patient.

If you had to name your Yorkshire "hidden gem", what would it be?

The people of Yorkshire, actually. Hope that that doesn't sound too mad, but until we relocated here we had no idea what wonderful people they are. They are reserved, and not effusive, and totally different from their "down south" cousins. But they are loyal, and honest and... well, solid.

I have to tell you that we have been completely accepted by a whole new circle of friends in Richmond, and one of the main reasons was Edie, because if you have a baby or a youngster, they are a wonderful "calling card". They go to school, you meet other parents, and it is like dropping a pebble in a pool. I think that singles who move into a small community must have a pretty hard

time of it.

What do you think gives Yorkshire its unique identity?

The countryside, the geology, the wide open spaces, the overwhelming vastness of it all – and that's a comment from a lad from the mid-West, where things are not small. I love the differences between the Dales and the industrial areas, and the fact that you are always finding something new to marvel at. Recently, I was playing in Holy Trinity in Goodramgate in York. What a perfect little church – beautiful.

Do you follow sport in the county, and if so, what?

Not yet, no, and I know that as Edie grows older she'll take up some form of activity and I'll get interested in that. I'm trying to learn about various local teams from my patient and long-suffering neighbour.

Do you have a favourite restaurant, or pub?

When we first moved here, I brought the van with all our belongings, and unpacked as best I could, and then I went back down to the Midlands to pick up Susannah and Edie, and on the way back we stopped at the Cover Bridge Inn, in East Witton, in Wensleydale, and we had the most marvellous home-cooked meal, served by friendly people... basic stuff, but superbly presented and made with love. You can't beat it.

Do you have a favourite food shop?

Our vegetable garden. But seriously, we think that our Richmond grocer, Ken Warne, in the market place, is first rate. Personal service by people who know about what is on the shelves. It's old-fashioned and five-star. And nearly everything is sourced locally. You can't beat it, and give me Warne's over any supermarket any day.

How do you think that Yorkshire has changed, for better or for worse, in the time that you've known it?

You want me to have an opinion after only three years? How impertinent would I be to try to offer one? All I can say is that for us, it just gets better and better, and we are putting down strong roots in a place where we feel privileged to live. Edie, I detect, is already picking up a Yorkshire accent. What impresses me is that so many communities give such strong support to so many local festivals, and that is just terrific.

Who is the Yorkshire person that you most admire?

I'm going for a collective here, and they are all the teachers at Edie's primary school, the Methodist School in Richmond. They have a level of integrity, honesty and determination that takes our parental breath away. They are so dedicated, and I cannot tell you how grateful we are.

Has Yorkshire influenced your work?

Definitely. I come from the big city, and I can honestly tell you that a smaller, welcoming community gives great depth and grounding to your work, no matter what field you toil in. I tour all over the world and while I find everywhere I go reveals something new, I really do want to be on that plane home. I can never, however, get enough of strolling around Richmond and Swaledale.

Name your favourite Yorkshire book/author/artist/CD/performer.

Another predictable one, sorry, but it has to be anything by Alan Bennett. I was delighted to appear briefly in the movie version of The Madness of King George, and we were filming on location in Greenwich. Mr Bennett came on the set one day and sat quietly in the corner,

very unassuming and a quiet presence. I didn't have the audacity to go and introduce myself.

If a stranger to Yorkshire only had time to visit one place, it would be?

Kettlewell and surroundings. There are some breathtaking scenic walks around there, and if anyone visits and fails to have their breath taken away... well, sorry, they don't have a soul.

The 27th Swaledale Festival starts today to June 13. Jacob presents The Art of the Lute at St Agatha's Church at Easby, on June 9. Phone booking for all events: 01748 880019.

YP MAG 29/5/10