28/06/2011

Main News

Dine at York's Table with York Food and Drink Festival 2011
16 - 25 September 2011

York Food Festival is a 10 day celebration of food with genuine provenance. Yorkshire produces great meat, game, fruit, vegetables, beer, cheese and much more. At the Festival Yorkshire's finest small producers have a chance to share a stage with some of the best food and drink from around the world.
The Festival runs all day into the late evening with Markets; Dinners, both formal and casual; and various Tastings of food, wine and spirits. York's historic attractions are natural venues for events, especially the 15th Century Guildhall and 18th Century Mansion House. The Guildhall also hosts cookery competitions and demonstrations.

With the active assistance of Slow Food North Yorkshire and the Yorkshire Wildlife Trust the Festival is keen to celebrate the links between food and the landscape. For example, come and try burgers raised on the Limestone pavements of the Yorkshire Dales, and find out about sustainable fishing and arable schemes to assist bio-diversity.

In 2011 the theme is ‘Dine at My Table', an opportunity for the people of York to host dinners in their homes. Expect the opportunity to dine with a professional Chef at home, have authentic Mexican food with a Mexican resident, dine with a York Nun or eat with the Lord Mayor of York.
Public contact: For more information, visit www.yorkfoodfestival.com  
Press contact: Michael Hjort (01904) 635149, admin@yorkfoodfestival.com

Book tickets for now for York Mystery Plays 2012

2 - 27 August 2012

The world famous York Mystery Plays are set to make a return to their original setting in Museum Gardens in the summer of 2012. Tickets are now available to book through York Theatre Royal's box office to secure a place at one of the biggest outdoor theatre productions in York's history.

The Passion Plays of England are some of the oldest pieces of English literature. They were performed on the streets of Britain's medieval cities on the church Feast Day of Corpus Christi, around midsummer. This spectacular production is returning to York in a joint production from York Theatre Royal, Riding Lights Theatre Company and York Museums Trust.

York Mystery plays have a very historic tradition and have been performed in York since the middle of the fourteenth century until 1569, suppressed in the Tudor times and resurrected when published in 1885. Large scale productions then began in 1951 on a 10 year cycle. The original production in 1951 was in Museum Gardens against St Mary's Abbey, so York Theatre Royal's production in 2012 is taking these historic plays back to its famous setting.

There are only four cities in the UK that do the cycles historically and York is the most famous one. This production will perform one of the biggest, most historic theatre productions in the country, staged outdoors in the Museum Gardens against the backdrop of medieval St Mary's Abbey.

A manuscript of the York Plays dating back to 1463 still survives in the British Library. Past performers of the York Mysteries have included Judi Dench (launching her career), David Bradley (playing Jesus in 1976), Christopher Timothy (Jesus in 1980), Simon Ward, and Robson Green.

Press contact: Rebecca Storey, Press and Media Manager, Tel: 01904 550149, Email Rebecca.storey@yorktheatreroyal.co.uk

 

Discover York by Bike

Scoot Cycling Holidays have launched a new programme of city cycling tours for visitors to York who fancy getting a more active view of the city on two wheels.

The tours will run on a regular basis throughout the summer and offer the perfect cycling introduction to the city, covering key historical sites, beautiful buildings and hidden gems.

Bikes are provided for the two hours, led by experienced and fully trained guides. The route has been carefully chosen to follow cycle routes, as well as allowing the visitor to experience more of the city than they could on foot, yet go a lot deeper than the buses can take them.

Public contact: For more information, please visit www.scootcyclingholidays.co.uk  or phone 01904 720003 to book.
Press contact: Cai Mallett, Director of Scoot Cycling Holidays Tel: 07808 0777 25

 

Rose of York Minster

Recently launched at the infamous RHS Chelsea Flower Show, the York Minster Rose will be available for purchase this Autumn.

The York Minster Rose is a repeat flowering floribunda bush with creamy, full petals and a delicate flush, echoing the centre of the wonderful Rose Window in York Minster, now restored to its former glory after extensive damage during the 1984 fire. It has a delightful scent and is a particularly healthy and vigorous cultivar that will mingle naturally with other plants in a mixed border.

The York Minster Rose was developed by Harkness Roses of Hitchin (originally founded in North Yorkshire) and was chosen by members of the York Minster Fund and the Dean of York, the Very Reverend Keith Jones, as a powerful and evocative living symbol of York Minster for many years to come. Funds raised from the sales of the rose will help to restore and preserve York Minster, a glorious expression of our cultural heritage, for future generations.

York Minster has closely been associated with roses since the Middle Ages, from this medieval inscription in the Chapter House ‘As the rose is the flower of flowers, so this house is the house of houses', to the great 16th century Rose Window in the South Transept, commemorating the union of Lancaster and York after the War of the Roses, to the new Blue Peter rose boss for the ceiling of the South Transept, created in the late 1980s after the devastating fire.

The first roses were planted last year in a stunning new rose bed in Dean's Park, visible
from the Minster's West End entrance.

Press contact: Lisa Sinclair, Communications and Marketing Officer, 0844 939 0014 , 07843339979, lisas@yorkminster.org

 

Castle Howard wins 2011 Garden of the Year Award

The historic gardens of Castle Howard, just outside York, has won the 2011 Garden of the Year Award sponsored by the Historic Houses Association and Christie's.

This prestigious national award, now in its 27th year, is designed to recognise the importance of the gardens with outstanding horticultural and public appeal, either in their own right or as the setting for a historic house and Castle Howard, famous as the film location for Brideshead Revisited, embodies both.

Castle Howard offers visitors thousands of acres to explore, with endless corners to discover and a huge variety of ways to enjoy a visit.

Visitors are amazed by temples, lakes, statues and fountains; admire the 18th-century walled garden enjoying the collections of roses and delphiniums; or gather inspiration from the bountiful harvest of the ornamental vegetable garden. An exploration of the serpentine pathways of Ray Wood is a must, bordered with seasonal displays of rhododendrons, magnolias and azaleas; or simply take a stroll along the gentle grass terraces and lakeside pathways at leisure.

Families can let off steam on the adventure playground, take boat trips on the Great Lake and discover the gardens with a new illustrated adventure trail.

Visit www.castlehoward.co.uk  for more information. Castle Howard, York, YO60 7DA. Tel: 01653 648333. Email: house@castlehoward.co.uk  

Press contact: Rachel Jack, Marketing Manager, Tel: 01653 648624 or email rjack@castlehoward.co.uk

 

Fly into a film at Yorkshire Air Museum

Yorkshire Air Museum has recently reopened its refurbished Astra Digital Cinema. Boasting a state-of-the-art screen and audio visual projection equipment the updated cinema will allow the museum to show their historic films to visitors.

The kind donation by Saville Audio Visual of York, highlights the Museum's growing focus on independent film making, and will enable the team to build on this expertise and additionally enhance the visitor experience. The opening will see the first private screening of the Museum's film "Flightpaths", which recently achieved runner-up position at the Imperial War Museum Film Awards 2011 in London.

Public contact: Visit www.yorkshireairmuseum.org  
Press contact: Ian Richardson, Communications Manager, Tel: 01904 608718, Mob: 07740 992 832

 

New Exhibitions

 

A Book Fit for a King at York Minster
17 August 2011 - 30 November 2011

This August, York Minster's centre for Historic Collections will celebrate the 400th anniversary of the Authorised Version of the Bible with an exhibition in the Upper Hall. The exhibition will unveil how the King James Bible encouraged people to explore their own thoughts, and reveal why the authorities used propaganda to convey their message. View some of the collections most interesting objects dating back to the 14th century. Learn how this bible still influences our language today and how it became the most printed book in the history of the world.
Open 12-4pm Mon, Tues, Thurs, Fri at The Old Palace, Dean's Park. For more information, visit www.yorkminster.org  
Press contact: Lisa Sinclair, Communications and Marketing Officer, 0844 939 0014, 07843339979, lisas@yorkminster.org

 

Costumes fit for a King... and a Queen... go on display in York

This year, York's medieval townhouse Barley Hall is hosting the first public appearance of costumes worn by Colin Firth and Helena Bonham Carter in the multi-award winning film, The King's Speech, alongside a whole host of other BBC and Hollywood favourites.

The costume displays are part of York Archaeological Trust's new ‘From Hamlet to Hollywood: fashion from film' exhibition which will run until May 2012. The exhibition displays costumes worn by some of the best-loved stars of stage and screen, and explores changes in fashion from Tudor times through to the 20th century.

Among the wardrobe treasures on display will be Mr Darcy's riding coat worn by Colin Firth in Pride and Prejudice; the 1811 lilac ball gown worn by Emma Thompson in Sense and Sensibility; and the jewel encrusted stage dress worn by Elizabeth Taylor in Young Toscanini. Other world-famous actors and actresses who have brought the costumes to life include Dame Judi Dench, Kiera Knightley, Nicole Kidman and the late Heath Ledger.

The Trust has organised a programme of clothing-themed events to accompany the exhibition, which will run in its current format until 2012. Visit www.barleyhall.org.uk  for full event details.

Press contact: For more press information, please contact Hannah Trinder at The Partners Group on 01904 610077 or Hannah@partners-group.co.uk

 

 Art in Yorkshire - in York

Works by some of the most famous names in the world of art are coming to Yorkshire this year as part of a compelling programme of exhibitions and events.

The latest exhibition to take place in York is:

York St Mary's
Cornelia Parker's Thirty Pieces of Silver
Until 30 October

More than 1,000 objects that world-renowned artist Cornelia Parker, has flattened by steam roller into 30 disks, including plates, spoons, candlesticks, trophies, cigarette cases, teapots and trombones, are currently hovering above the ground in the serene and peaceful setting of York St Mary's, for its latest contemporary art exhibition.

Thirty Pieces of Silver is the seventh installation to be displayed in the medieval church. The work, part of Tate's collection, shows Parker's fascination with materials and discovering their range of possibilities. Objects made from silver are meaningful and are often ceremonial but through artistic intervention, their life is ended and they are reborn as something else.

Though they may have begun life with different meanings, purposes and values, each object is resigned to the same fate and has equal value. Silver is exciting for Parker in its versatility. She describes it as "the most reflective metal that exists and also [has] the ability to be the opposite, to tarnish black."

Public contact: For more information about the programme, visit www.yorkshire.com/artinyorkshire  
Press contact: Lee Clark, Media Co-ordinator, York Museums Trust, Tel: 01904 687673 or email lee.clark@ymt.org.uk

 

A Passion for the Nude with William Etty at York Art Gallery

25 June 2011 - 22 January 2012

The life and works of one of Britain's most significant yet controversial artists will be explored in a major new exhibition at York Art Gallery. William Etty: Art and Controversy, will be the first comprehensive reassessment of Etty's art in over half a century. This will be the largest collection of his work including 78 paintings, more than 1,000 sketches and drawings, plus letters and other papers.

William Etty is York's most famous artist and was the first major British painter to specialise in the nude before the 20th century. Born in York in 1787, he was the seventh child of a miller and baker and would often draw in chalk on his father's shop floor. In 1798 he was apprenticed to a printer, but in 1805 his uncle paid for him to go to London and to enter the Royal Academy Schools in 1807.

The exhibition will explore in depth Etty's equivocal status; from stalwart of the Royal Academy - elected to be an Academician ahead of John Constable - to being exiled from the artistic elite because of what was seen as a "perverse" passion for the voluptuousness of the female nude.

Public contact: For more information, visit www.yorkartgallery.org.uk  
Press contact: For more information please contact Lee Clark, Media Coordinator at York Museums Trust on 01904 687673 or email lee.clark@ymt.org.uk

 

National Railway Museum on track to become art destination

Art lovers will be able to see previously unseen works of art at an exciting new gallery opening at the National Railway Museum in York this summer.

The brand new purpose-built exhibition space will host an exciting programme of temporary exhibitions showcasing the Museum's unseen art collection alongside railway-inspired works of art from across the world.

The National Railway Museum's vast art collection comprises of 11,222 posters, 2,358 prints and drawings, 1052 paintings and 1,500,000 photographs, many of which have never been on public display.

Upcoming exhibitions include:

Japan's First Railway: Colour woodblock prints from the 1870s
18 July - 30 September 2011*

To celebrate the 10 year anniversary of the arrival of the Japanese Bullet train, the Shinkansen at the NRM, the first exhibition with the working title ‘Japanese Railway Prints of the 1870s' will showcase Japanese Meiji era woodcuts. Loaned from The Modern Transport Museum in Osaka, these stunning prints reflect the period of ‘railway mania' which surrounded the opening of the first Japanese railway line between the administrative capital of Edo (Tokyo) and the port of Yokohama.
* Dates could be subject to change. Please contact the museum on 0844 815 3139 before making a special journey.

The Art of Advertising
15 October 2011 - 28 January 2012 (dates subject to change)
Explore the subtle art of advertising in this exhibition of posters commissioned by the London Midland and Scottish Railway Company (LMS) IN 1924 FROM 16 Royal Academicians. This eye-catching exhibition takes a look at the promotional artwork to encourage rail travel in the 1920s, and will be displayed in the National Railway Museum's brand new Art Gallery.
Forming part of the Art in Yorkshire supported by Tate project, the exhibition draws on loans from the Tate and other Yorkshire collections.

Public contact: For more information and exact opening dates visit www.nrm.org.uk  and to find out about future exhibitions.
Press contact: Catherine Farrell, Senior Press Officer, Tel: 01904 686281, Email: Catherine.farrell@nrm.org.uk  

 

Three new exhibitions at the Quilt Museum and Gallery for Autumn 2011

Quilts from the British Isles: 3 September - 23 December 2011
‘Structured' by textile group By Design: 3 September - 29 October 2011
‘How Times have ‘Changed' by the Traditional Quilt Group: 1 November - 23 December 2011

Three brand new exhibitions are scheduled for the autumn season at the Guild Museum and Gallery. The largest highlights quiltmaking in some of Britain's more remote areas like the Channel and Farne Islands and the Isle of Wight. The long dark nights of the Farne Islands in the late 19th century provided the inspiration for one lighthouse keeper's wife, whose colourful red, green and black star quilt made of silk must have taken an entire winter to complete. The move from Scotland to Ireland for the wife of a shepherd proved particularly inspiring in the early 20th century - working green shamrocks on a white ground to commemorate the move. These two particular quilts from The Quilters' Guild Collection are included in the exhibition in St Anthony's Great Hall.

The second exhibition - the work of South of England textile group By Design, presents an unusual and unique approach to textile design. The results are surprising and often appear unrelated. In this new exhibition, group members use structures derived from plant forms or buildings, travelling via wind turbines and peacock's feathers to traditional quilt forms.

The Traditional Quilt Group is a specialist group of The Quilters' Guild. As its name implies, it focuses on patterns and methods used over the years by generations of quilt makers. For this exhibition the group is focusing on familiar techniques of quiltmaking, and shows that while using traditional methods and patterns, the quiltmakers are also willing to embrace new ideas.

Public contact: The Museum is open Monday - Saturday 10am - 4pm (April to September) and Tuesday - Saturday (10am - 4pm) Visit www.quiltmuseum.org.uk  or phone 01904 613242 for more information.
Press contact: For images relating to these exhibitions and media enquiries, please email Director@quiltmuseum.org.uk

 

Investigate Coppergate - JORVIK Viking Centre continues its facelift

  

JORVIK Viking Centre has introduced two new galleries to the museum which use new scientific research to tell us more about the objects and human remains excavated at Coppergate over 30 years ago. These new galleries have been funded through a grant by the Wolfson Foundation.

In a new "Investigate Coppergate" gallery, displays include two human skeletons from the dig. Using newly commissioned studies the female skeleton is used to tell visitors how the Vikings of Jorvik lived, what diseases and afflictions they suffered from, what they ate and even what she looked like. Working with archaeologists from Universities across Britain this new research is brought to the public for the first time.

The final gallery at JORVIK has been transformed to reveal "The Last Vikings of Jorvik" and takes a look at the final battles of the Viking-age in York which signalled the end of the Viking -age and the coming of the Normans. Skeletal remains showing battle wounds and a full skeleton with evidence of severe trauma are on display and discussed in terms of what science can tell us about how they died. This gallery also discusses the legacy of the Vikings and mix of cultures that survived in York after 1066.

Press contact: David Scott, York Archaeological Trust, Tel: 01904 543426.

  

Accommodation News

  

Historic luxury for an overnight stay at Grays Court

Grays Court in York is a Grade I listed building and has recently opened their first bedrooms to the public. Situated in the shadow of York Minster, Grays Court is an oasis of calm in the heart of the city. Guests will wake to the sound of bird song and the Minster Bells which chime from eight o'clock in the morning, and then enjoy a hearty breakfast overlooking the gardens.

All bedrooms are delightful with comfortable beds, fine linen and well appointed bathrooms and provide visitors with the opportunity to extend their experience of this historic house. Rooms are all named after the historic owners and visitors of this Grand house. Examples include:

Cumberland - named after Prince William, Duke of Cumberland who was received by the Archbishop of York in the Long Gallery in 1746. Gray's Court's principal suite, it boasts a magnificent bow fronted bedroom/sitting room with panoramic views over the gardens towards the medieval City Walls.

Somerset - named after Edward Seymour, The Duke of Somerset and an enchanting twin room furnished with a bedroom suite from a Chataeu in Bordeaux complete with en-suite shower room.

Aislabie - A Duel took place at Grays Court on January 12th 1674 for the honour of a lady, Miss Mallorie, daughter of Sir John Mallorie of Studley Royal. Aislabie, the unfortunate casualty of the duel was carried home and died in the Long Gallery. George Aislabie was buried in York Minster. This double room, furnished in antique furniture complete with a Louis XIV inlaid bed is named after this unfortunate gentleman and enjoys views towards his final resting place, York Minster, with large walk in shower and further views over the historic courtyard.

Other rooms include Fairfax, Williams, Willoughby and Elizabeth Gray.

To find out more about this fascinating, exclusive accommodation visit www.grayscourtyork.com  or contact Tel: 01904 612613 Email: enquiries@grayscourtyork.com  
Press contact: Penelope Ward, Tel: 01904 612613 or 07756231454.

 

Calling all collectors for a special visit to York
Monday 29 August - Thursday 1 September

A specially packaged, exclusive short break is on offer from The Grange Hotel in conjunction with specialist tour operator Aspect Events, giving collectors a chance to visit some of England's most beautiful houses in the company of like-minded visitors.

This special break includes three nights at The Grange Hotel, transport to visits, entrance fees, guided tours of three exceptional Yorkshire houses, talks by Nicholas Merchant and dinners each evening at The Grange Hotel.

Newby Hall is a fine example of the smaller English country house, set in breathtaking gardens. Its small size belies the magnificence of its contents which represent the purchases of William Weddell on the Grand Tour in the 1760s. Beningbrough, a fine baroque house, originally built for the Bourchier family in 1716 has a notable collection of portraits from the National Portrait Gallery. The final visit is to Fairfax House, designed by John Carr and housing fine English furniture donated by Noel Terry of chocolate fame, is one of the finest examples of a Georgian townhouse in the country.

Public contact: For all bookings, please contact the General Manager George Briffa, The Grange Hotel, Tel: 01904 644744, email: gm@grangehotel.co.uk  
Press contact: Adrienne Dyson, Sales & Marketing Manager, Tel: 01904 644744, email: adrienne.dyson@grangehotel.co.uk

 

TripAdvisor Awards for Excellence

Low Penhowe, Burythorpe joined a host of B&Bs from across York in being awarded an EXCELLENCE Award by TripAdvisor due to consistently receiving excellent ratings from TripAdvisor members.

For Low Penhowe this Award comes on top of being awarded Visit York's ‘Guest Accommodation of the Year' for the third year running.

Christopher Turner commented " There is a great deal of criticism about the merits of TripAdvisor, however we are delighted as more and more of our guests use this travel site to help them to plan their holidays and book their accommodation. It's also encouraging to see that our guests take the time and trouble to post a review once they return home. This is really helpful to other guests when they are considering where to stay when visiting this wonderful part of North Yorkshire".
Public contact: To book a stay at York's top guesthouses and hotels, visit www.visityork.org

Upcoming Festival/Events

 

Wild about Wood 2011

Everyone at The Arboretum trust, Kew at Castle Howard is busy ‘chipping' away for the third annual Wild About Wood Festival, which welcomes visitors to a fabulous fundraising celebration of ‘all things wood'.

New activities and attractions for 2011 include axe-throwing, paper-making, pole-lathe racing and forest face-painting. There'll also be the opportunity to paddle a coracle on the arboretum's lake, unleash one's inner Robin Hood on the archery range, or gain a bird's eye view of things and have a go at the tree-climbing.

There will be fascinating demonstrations of traditional woodcrafts including heavy horse logging, willow weaving, chainsaw sculpting, furniture making, wood carving and charcoal burning. Meet a hawk or falcon - or even hold one - before they take to the skies in a stunning daily display. Enjoy a forest fairytale or take a free mini-tour of the arboretum, which will offer a glimpse of the beauty and ecological importance of this very special place.

The Wild About Wood Festival runs from 10am-5pm on Saturday 10th and Sunday 11th September 2011.

Public contact: For more information about Wild About Wood please explore www.wildaboutwood.org  or contact info@wildaboutwood.org  
Press contact: Anna Porter, Event Manager, Tel: 01904 643282, Email: anna@wildaboutwood.org

 

Shopping

Creative Glass makes a base in York

Situated in Back Swinegate, Creative Glass is a new addition to York's diverse retail offer, selling artistic glass by glassmakers from all over the UK.

Leaving family and friends behind in the West Midlands, Jane Johnson made the move to York to fulfil her ambition to sell innovative and creative glass by numerous artists under one roof. Glass became a passion for Jane when she worked at Himley Hall, the Red House Glass Cone and Broadfield House Glass Museum in the West Midlands, close to the famous and historical glass making area of Stourbridge.

Jane is currently building www.creativeglasslimited.com , which she hopes will be a means of promoting glass-making in York.

Public contact: Creative Glass Limited, 28 Back Swinegate, York, YO1 8AD
Press contact: Jane Johnson, Tel: 01904 628600, email: jane@creativeglasslimited.com

 

 Food and Drink news

New menu by top Chef Chris Finnigan at the Ivy Brasserie

 

Raymond Blanc trained Head Chef at the Ivy Brasserie in York has put the finishing touches to a new menu for the award winning AA 2 rosette Ivy Brasserie.

The sensibly priced menu of 8 starters, 8 main courses and 6 desserts features a well-balanced range of seasonal dishes made from the finest and wherever possible, locally sourced produce. Diners can enjoy fresh Yorkshire Duck - a succulent roast duck breast with sweet potato, pak choi, braised chicory and orange jam or a Trio of Wateredge Lamb, consisting of chump, shoulder and sweetbread with rosemary and lemon jus.
For more traditional tastes there's also The Grange Fish and Chips - a beer battered Pollock, minted mushy peas, chunky tartare sauce and duck fat chips.

Head Chef Chris Finnigan was trained by the very best, after a chance meeting with Raymond Blanc at a catering show in Fenwick's department store. Raymond Blanc offered Chris, fresh out of catering college and still just a teenager, the opportunity to train at his highly acclaimed Le Manoir Aux Quat Saisons in Oxfordshire and work with 3 of the country's best chefs, all with Michelin Stars.

The Ivy Brasserie is open from Monday to Saturday from 6.30 - 9.30pm and before 7.30pm guests can enjoy 3 courses for the price of 2.

Public contact: Ivy Brasserie, The Grange Hotel, 1 Clifton, York, YO30 6AA.
Press contact: Adrienne Dyson, Sales & Marketing Manager, Tel: 01904 644744, Email: adrienne.dyson@grangehotel.co.uk  

 

Find out more about ‘hidden York...'

 

Take a walk in York...

Lady Peckett's Yard, Coffee Yard, Mad Alice Lane, Whip Ma Whop Ma Gate. The names alone are irresistible. A network of ‘ginnels' or alleyways winds through the historic core of York as it has done for centuries, each with a story to tell. You can explore almost the whole of the city centre using these medieval shortcuts. York has its own name for these tiny lanes - ‘Snickleways' - a word coined by a local tour guide made up of the word ‘Snicket', ‘Ginnel' and ‘Alleyway'. YorkWalk, established in 1990, offers a programme of themed walking tours of York throughout the year. Many of these explore the hidden York, and unwind the fascinating history of the city. These include, amongst others:

Inaccessible and Hidden York
A unique chance to enter parts of York never open to the public, to descend into cellars and Roman remains, and explore secret passages, crypts, medieval churches and hidden Georgian interiors.

The Graveyard, Coffin and Crypt Tour
A chance for visitors to explore the hidden city of the dead; descend to a secret crypt, sample Roman and medieval coffins and visit plague sites.

Historic Toilet Tour
A saga of convenience from Roman hygiene to C19th attempts to prevent ‘nuisance' and promote public decency. Also visitors are able to sample the dubious comforts of medieval garderobes.

Guy Fawkes Trail
Visitors can explore the (several!) birthplaces and haunts of one of York's most infamous sons - Guy Fawkes of Gunpowder Plot fame.

For more information visit www.yorkwalk.co.uk  Tel: 01904 656244 Email: admin@yorkwalk.fsnet.co.uk  

Press contact: Kay Hyde, PR Manager, Visit York. Tel: 01904 554451 Email: kh@visityork.org

For those who prefer self-guided walks and tours, Visit York has produced a series of nine walking trails for the city, including Medieval Churches, a Railway Heritage Trail, A Rowntree Trail - taking visitors on a tour of the city's chocolate heritage, a Roman Trail and many more. For full details visit www.visityork.org/explore

The Retrace York City Rubbings Trail

The Retrace York City Rubbings Trail is an experience for visitors on the city walls. A map of York has been split up and scattered around the city's ancient walls. Visitors can assemble a complete map, travelling around the walls in any direction, by taking a rubbing of each panel. The panels highlight a route around the historic defences and also reveal some of York's fascinating past along the way. The trail's aim is to encourage children to walk the whole way around the city walls and experience areas of the city which are not normally used.

For more information visit www.visityork.org  Tel: 01904 550099 Email: info@visityork.org

Press contact: Kay Hyde, PR Manager, Visit York, Tel: 01904 554451 Email: kh@visityork.org

 

York - An award-winning city

 

York Scoops ‘Most Group Friendly Destination in the UK' Award

Proving its popularity with group visitors, York has been crowned ‘Most Group Friendly UK Destination' at this year's Group Travel Organiser Awards, which took place in June 2011 at the Park Plaza Riverbank Hotel in London and was hosted by top Travel Journalist and Travel Editor of the Independent, Simon Calder.

The Group Travel Organiser Awards are decided on by the readers of Group Travel Organiser Magazine and have earned an enviable reputation as the most prestigious event serving the group travel market. The glittering awards ceremony is an annual celebration of the very best suppliers to the group travel industry and is regularly attended by over 400 key members of the travel trade.

No stranger to this title, which York won in 2006 and 2009, this year York was one of eight finalists, beating off competition from Blackpool, Canterbury, Eastbourne, Hull, Isle of Wight, London and Stratford-upon-Avon.

Visit York's dedicated Groups Desk offers a free accommodation booking service, itinerary planning advice and a one-stop information point - as well as a website full of special offers and group travel news at www.groupvisityork.com . Email groups@visityork.org  or telephone 01904 550080 for more information.

York - Recent Tourism Awards
*York was voted (May 2011) ‘Britain's Favourite Small City' in an independent poll commissioned by the Rough Guide (and conducted by YouGov)
*Petergate has been shortlisted as the ‘Best Shopping Street' in the UK in the 2011 Google Street View Awards.
*York was given an ‘Honourable Mention' in Annual British Heritage Awards, awarded by www.BritainExpress.com
*York won a European Excellence Awards (2010) - for ‘Best Tourism Campaign', awarded by the magazine ‘Communication Director'.
*York won 'best city' in the Yorkshire and Humber region in the Yorkshire in Bloom competition for the first time in 2010, with a Silver Gilt Rose award for the spring judging and the rare and coveted Gold for the summer round. Yorkshire in Bloom is a regional heat of the Royal Horticultural Society's Britain in Bloom competition.

York is now in the National Finals of Britain In Bloom 2011 - representing the Yorkshire region in the city category. York will be one of 77 villages, towns, cities and urban communities from across the UK for the coveted RHS medals. York will be competing against Richmond upon Thames, Bury, Stockton and Wrexham in the City category. Judging will take place during the first two weeks of August 2011 and York's judges are Nigel Bishop and Roger Burnett. They will be putting York under the microscope in terms of florals and horticultural practices, environmental efforts and how local communities participate to make York and their local neighbourhoods greener places to live, work and visit.

Contact Elizabeth Levett
Head of Environmental Enforcement & Parking Services liz.levett@york.gov.uk Eco Depot Hazel Court James Street York
YO10 3DS
01904 553101

*2010 - Google Street View Awards -

The Shambles - Most Picturesque Street in Britain
Stonegate - 2nd Best for Fashion in Britain
Fossgate - 3rd Best in Britain for Food

*Most Group Friendly UK Destination - Group Travel Organiser Magazine Awards - 2009

*Best UK City - Telegraph Travel Awards - 2008

*Finalist - Most Group Friendly UK Destination - Group Travel Organiser Awards - 2008

*Best UK City - Telegraph Travel Awards - 2007

*European Tourism City of the Year - European Cities Marketing - 2007/2008

*Coach Tourism City of the Year - Coach Tourism Awards - 2008

For a complete history of York's awards, please contact Kay Hyde, PR Manager on 01904 554451 or email kh@visityork.org  

Journalists:
If you would like to visit York on a press trip we'd be delighted to hear from you, please contact:

Kay Hyde
PR Manager
Visit York
1 Museum Street
York
YO1 7DT

Email kh@visityork.org

Visit www.visityork.org/media

Public Contact: York Visitor Information Centre, Tel 01904 550099 or visit www.visityork.org