16/03/2011

Issued by the Mansion House

Over 300 primary school children will greet the Lord Mayor of York, Councillor Susan Galloway, as she inspects the city's walls tomorrow (Thursday 17 March).

For the first time since the year 1730, the civic party will join the Lord Mayor on a procession of the city's walls and Lord Mayor's Walk.

To mark this special occasion, hundreds of school children from St Wilfrids School and St Barnabas School will line Lord Mayor's Walk, ready to meet and greet the Lord Mayor with their own handmade daffodils to wave to the civic party as they pass.

The tour will begin outside the Lord Mayor's residence, the historic Mansion House at 2pm, where 30 children from St Barnabas School will join the civic party and walk to Bootham Bar.

The civic party will then meet the staff in charge of opening and closing the wall's gates at Monk Bar, before finally arriving on Lord Mayor's Walk, where they will greeted by hundreds of children and a local brass band (The Holbourne Brass Ensemble) to celebrate the special occasion.

Friends of York Walls - a group established earlier this year to promote York's historic walls - organised this event to thank the Lord Mayor, who is a patron of their organisation.

During the event, Keith Myers, Friends of York Wall, will thank the Lord Mayor by handing her an official scroll of thanks for being their patron.

The Friends of York Walls (FYW) is a voluntary (not for profit) group set up to represent the interests of York's historical centrepiece, including defences such as St Mary's Abbey, Clifford's Tower and The Castle, as well as the Bar Walls.

The aim of the group is to promote, manage and develop all York Walls for the benefit of local residents and visitors. The group is also keen to establish the walls as a major worldwide visitor attraction.

 (ENDS)