Make It York

Winners of Visit York Tourism Awards 2023 Revealed

On Thursday 23rd March, the winners of the Visit York Tourism Awards were revealed at a prestigious awards ceremony at York Racecourse. The Visit York Tourism Awards, headline sponsored by LNER, celebrates the best of York’s businesses across tourism, hospitality and culture to win one of 16 trophies.

Hosted by previous Visit York Tourism Award winner Alicia Stabler, also known as Mad Alice from The Bloody Tour of York, and BBC’s Elly Fiorentini, the ‘Tourism Oscars of the North’ sees eligible winners across a number of categories automatically put forward to the national VisitEngland Awards for Excellence 2023.

This year’s winners include Middletons Hotel, who take Large Hotel of the Year, with judges commenting on the ‘high-quality’ hotel and food, as well as praise for ‘team members who deliver great service’. The hotel’s General Manager, Adam Wardale, went on to win the national VisitEngland Award for Excellence in 2022 following his award win for Unsung Hero at last year’s Visit York Tourism Awards.

Small Hotel of the Year and Taste of England Award goes to Grays Court Hotel and The Bow Room Restaurant, with judges commenting that they were “hard to beat” offering a “unique stay” and “excellent” standard of food.

Elsewhere in accommodation, The Bishop & The Bison took the award for B&B and Guest House of the Year, with judges praising their “friendly and warm atmosphere” and “luxury”. The Dovecote Barns were awarded Self Catering Accommodation of the Year, judges commented that their “attention to detail shines through” and that “the personal touches were brilliant”.

Camping, Glamping and Holiday Park of the Year was awarded to Wigwam Holidays Ball Hall Farm, with judges commenting that it was a location they’d “come back to again and again”.

No.1 by GuestHouse, York was awarded New Tourism Business of the Year. Judges praised the “positive attitude of this hotel” and that the “standards of service were excellent”.

This year’s awards introduced two new categories, including the Ethical, Responsible & Sustainable Tourism Award which was presented to Stillingfleet Lodge Gardens who were praised by judges for their “really outstanding application” and “a peaceful and tranquil environment”.

The second new award for 2023 was Cultural Venue of the Year, which was won by York Theatre Royal. Judges said they show “an excellent approach and passion for the future potential of theatre”.

York Theatre Royal also picked up a second award for Event or Festival of the Year with ‘An Evening with Kyiv City Ballet’. Judges commented that the “key here is the event sold out, the money raised for charity, but the biggest result was that the event was held in the first place”. The event raised over £25,000 for UNICEF’s Ukraine Appeal in June 2022. Kyiv City Ballet will be returning to York Theatre Royal on Thursday 30^th March for another very special fundraising gala performance.

Next Door But One CIC took the Resilience and Innovation Award, with judges commenting that “the team should be commended for the adjustments made during the pandemic” and that they deliver “important and valued work”.

Small Visitor Attraction of the Year was awarded to Mother Shipton’s Cave, with judges commenting that “there was a large focus on cultural and historical aspects of the experience” and that they were “very well communicated”.

Castle Howard was awarded Large Visitor Attraction of the Year, with judges remarking on the “well-trained and enthusiastic” team members who focused on “providing a positive experience”.

Experience of the Year was awarded to The Cookery School at The Grand, York, with judges commenting on the “excellent” quality of food and that the experience was “interesting, engaging and interactive”.

York Gin took Retailer of the Year, with judges praising their “excellent initiatives” across the business supporting “staff, local producers, partners, sustainability and the community”.

Pub of the Year was awarded to The Drovers Arms Restaurant & Country Pub, with judges commenting on the “hard-working and pleasant” team and “good food”.

Sarah Loftus, Managing Director at Make It York, said: “A huge congratulations to our thoroughly deserving winners and finalists at this year’s Visit York Tourism Awards. Every single business and organisation nominated tonight is one of the reasons why York has been recognised as such a welcoming place to visit. The Visit York Tourism Awards celebrate the very best in tourism, hospitality and culture; many of our winners tonight will automatically be put forward to represent York at the national VisitEngland Awards for Excellence – we wish them the very best of luck!”

David Horne, Managing Director at LNER, said: “York has a huge amount to offer visitors and continues to be one of the most popular destinations on the LNER route. We’re therefore very proud to continue to support the Visit York Tourism Awards which shine a spotlight on the individuals and businesses that work tirelessly to make York a brilliant place to visit. On behalf of everyone at LNER, congratulations to everyone involved in this year’s awards.”

Darryl Smalley, Executive Member for Culture, Leisure and Communities said: “Congratulations to all finalists and winners who have demonstrated excellence in their sectors across tourism, hospitality and culture. They have all been rightly recognised as providing the very best experiences for residents and visitors to the city. Throughout York there are so many businesses that work hard to make our beautiful city so welcoming and vibrant. A huge well done to all the finalists, and congratulations to the winners for their impressive achievements.”

ENDS

Notes to editors:

Winners of Visit York Tourism Awards 2023:

B&B and Guest House of the Year sponsored by Shambles Market

Winner: The Bishop & The Bison

Finalists: MonkBridge House, Westergate House, The Sidings Hotel & Restaurant

Camping, Glamping and Holiday Park of the Year sponsored by Greatest Hits Radio

Winner: Wigwam Holidays Ball Hall Farm

Finalists: Wolds Edge Holiday Lodges, York Meadows Camping & Caravan Park

Cultural Venue of the Year* sponsored by Latimer by Clarion Housing Group

Winner: York Theatre Royal

Finalists: York Mansion House, Grand Opera House York, York Barbican

Ethical, Responsible & Sustainable Tourism Award sponsored by The Fabl

Winner: Stillingfleet Lodge Gardens

Finalists: Avorium, Fairfax Corner

Event or Festival the Year* sponsored by LNER

Winner: York Theatre Royal – An Evening with Kyiv City Ballet

Finalists: York Proms, York Maze Hallowscream, Yorktoberfest, York Fashion Week

Experience of the Year sponsored by Destination Core

Winner: The Cookery School at The Grand, York

Highly Commended: The Wizard Walk of York

Finalists: The Hilt, The Deathly Dark Tours

Large Visitor Attraction of the Year sponsored by Ward Hadaway

Winner: Castle Howard

Highly Commended: North Yorkshire Moors Railway

Finalists: The York Dungeon, The Web Adventure Park, JORVIK Viking Centre (York Archaeological Trust), The Hole in Wand York

Large Hotel of the Year sponsored by Streamline Taxis

Winner: Middletons Hotel – part of Daniel Thwaites

Highly Commended: The Grand, York

Finalist: Malmaison York

New Tourism Business of the Year sponsored by PPS

Winner: No.1 by GuestHouse, York

Finalists: 22 Yards Wine Bar & Merchants, Avorium, A Brecks Away Holiday Cottages, The Wizard Walk of York

Pub of the Year sponsored by Hunter Gee Holroyd

Winner: The Drovers Arms Restaurant & Country Pub

Finalist: Valhalla York

Resilience & Innovation Award sponsored by York St John University

Winner: Next Door But One CIC

Finalists: City Sightseeing (Transdev), Yemen Heaven, The Deathly Dark Tours

Retailer of the Year* sponsored by Fidomoney

Winner: York Gin

Finalists: Avorium, Antiques Centre York, The Potions Cauldron

Self-Catering Accommodation of the Year sponsored by YO1 Radio

Winner: The Dovecote Barns

Finalists: Wolds Edge Holiday Lodges, A Brecks Away Holiday Cottages

Small Visitor Attraction of the Year sponsored by VisiSoft

Winner: Mother Shipton’s Cave

Finalists: York Army Museum, World of James Herriot

Small Hotel of the Year sponsored by Inglis Chartered Accountants

Winner: Grays Court Hotel & The Bow Room Restaurant

Finalists: Feversham Arms Hotel & Verbena Spa, No.1 by GuestHouse, York

Taste of England Award sponsored by Fowlers of York

Winner: The Bow Room Restaurant at Grays Court Hotel

Finalists: Corner Grill House Restaurant, Chopping Block at Walmgate Ale House, The Raj York

*Visit York only. These categories are not eligible to go forward to the Visit England Awards for Excellence.

Find out more about the Visit York Tourism Awards 2023 at visityork.org/tourismawards

For more information, please contact:

Sarah Foster and Brittany Guymer

Communications Team at Make It York

Comms@makeityork.com

About Make It York:

Make It York

Make It York’s purpose is to develop and promote the city and its surroundings – nationally and internationally – as a vibrant and attractive place to live, visit, study, work and do business. The company’s remit covers leisure and business tourism, city centre management, Shambles Market and festivals and events.

Visit York is a part of Make It York and is the leisure tourism brand.

Under the brand Visit York, Make It York’s aim is to market York as a must-see world-class destination to the leisure visitor and ensure investment to develop the quality of tourism in York.

Snooks with Books win public vote to feature in new trail coming to York in 2024

Culture, Events, Make It York News / By Make It York

Almost 2,000 people voted for their favourite character to feature in a new public art trail coming to York in 2024. The votes mean that the bookish Snook, created by Yorkshire artist Sian Ellis, will be the subject of a long form character trail which runs from February 2024.

Snook is a bookish breed, often found in cosy corners with their faces buried inside the pages of a good book. They’ve been here just as long as even The Norman House (the oldest building in York) but they are a little more hidden away than the historic sights of the city that you are familiar with. However recently Snook sightings have skyrocketed, and it looks like these friendly folk have been enjoying some sightseeing around the city walls.

Snooks with Books is created by Sian Ellis, a Yorkshire based illustrator and mural artist whose work is playful, fun and full of humour. She is inspired by the bold and the bright, the weird and the wonderful. Sian has created art on a national scale and in a range of mediums, ranging from detailed fine drawing to twelve foot paintings and even a metre long knitted head band for a fibre glass gorilla! Sian has created a number of murals around Yorkshire and has worked on a number of charity sculpture trails across the UK, with which the sales of her sculptures have to date raised over £100,000 for charitable causes.

Organised by Make It York, with charity partner St Leonard’s Hospice, the trail will see up to 30 Snooks with Books around the city. Each Snook will be sponsored by local businesses, who will be paired with an artist to create a bespoke design for each sculpture. Applications for artists to submit their designs will open in the coming weeks.

Businesses and organisations interested in sponsoring a sculpture can contact events@makeityork.com for more information.

Sarah Loftus, Managing Director at Make It York, said: “We’re really looking forward to bringing a tribe of Snooks to York in our new character trail for 2024. A huge congratulations to Sian and Snook for winning the public vote, and a huge thank you to our runner-up Christine and Barouse for their support and creativity.”

Dawn Clements, Director of Income Generation at St Leonard’s Hospice, said: “It’s fantastic to hear that Snook has won the public vote and we can’t wait to see the character appear across the city. The trail will be a fun way to help us engage further with our community, not only educating people about our services but also helping to raise vital funds to support people facing life-limiting illnesses and bereavement. We are proud to be partnering with Make It York to represent hospice care in such a unique way and we are also looking forward to working with new supporters and volunteers.”

Sian Ellis, artist of Snooks with Books, said: “I am over the moon to be teaming up with Make It York and St Leonard’s Hospice to bring the bookish snooks to York in 2024. After years of hiding in cosy corners with a good book these usually shy creatures can’t wait to come out and explore the city’s streets! I’m really looking forward to seeing how artists from across the region transform each one and excited to see the creative ways that the books that the snooks carry are brought into each design. I cannot wait to see these gentle giants brought to life and hope that families in the city have a wonderful time on their very own hunt for snooks next year.”

Visit www.visityork.org/snooks-with-books to find out more.

Public vote opens to choose new character trail in York

Culture, Events, Make It York News / By Make It York

Larger than life, vibrant and bold characters will guide people through York’s cobbled streets and hidden gardens in a new sculpture trail coming to York in 2024. The chosen character for the trail is down to the people of York, who have two designs to choose from, with a public vote open from today until Tuesday 28^th February at 5pm.

Last year, Make It York put a call out for Yorkshire based visual artists, designers and illustrators to create a unique character or creature, bespoke to the city. The brief asked for artists to design a character or creature that represents the city, something new and something different. There were 75 submissions, with Make It York narrowing it down to two final designs. Will it be the friendly monster Barouse inspired by the city’s rivers and bars? Or the bookish Snook, who can be found hiding in the city’s corners?

Organised by Make It York, with charity partner St Leonard’s Hospice, the new trail featuring Barouse or Snook will launch in early 2024. Find out more about the two final designs and artists below:

Barouse by Christine Jopling

“Barouse” is a friendly monster who has a castellated head and a big droplet of a body. It’s battlement-shaped head is inspired by the bars around York’s unique wall, and its rotund frame is like a drop of water from the River Ouse, which runs right through York’s centre. Bringing together these two important aspects of the City – the walls and the river – in a fun and approachable figure. Barouse is a simple, chunky monster, and its friendly features are created to appeal to humans of all ages.

About Christine Jopling: Christine is a freelance illustrator based in a little studio, opposite a chippy in Pudsey, Leeds. Working as an illustrator since 1995, she’s still noodling and doodling – happy to hand-letter a wedding reading or a wall, paint British Birds or beer bottles, create monsters or maps, or ink in aliens and armadillos. All of Christine’s work starts with a doodle in pencil on paper, using Indian ink, watercolour, acrylic paint, Posca pens, emulsion paint or maybe a bit of digital scribbling to create the finished thing

Snook by Sian Ellis

There are plenty of old buildings around the city that you’re bound to have spotted, from the higgledy piggledy shops along The Shambles to Clifford’s Tower to the city walls, but have you ever set eyes on a Snook? They’ve been here just as long as even The Norman House (the oldest building in York) but they are a little more hidden away than the historic sights of the city that you are familiar with.

A bookish breed they are often found in cosy corners with their faces buried inside the pages of a good book. However recently Snook sightings have skyrocketed, and it looks like these friendly folk have been enjoying some sightseeing around the city walls.

Old habits die hard though and you aren’t likely to spot a Snook without a book in its hands. It could be a novel, an anthology or a playbook but it might also be a guide to bird spotting, a family photo album, an instruction manual for building a rocket or a travel diary and sketchbook.

About Sian Ellis: Sian is a Yorkshire based illustrator and mural artist whose work is playful, fun and full of humour. She is inspired by the bold and the bright, the weird and the wonderful. Sian has created art on a national scale and in a range of mediums, ranging from detailed fine drawing to twelve foot paintings and even a metre long knitted head band for a fibre glass gorilla! Sian has created a number of murals around Yorkshire and has worked on a number of charity sculpture trails across the UK, with which the sales of her sculptures have to date raised over £100,000 for charitable causes.

Vote for your favourite design here by 5pm on Tuesday 28^th February.

Sarah Loftus, Managing Director at Make It York, said: “We’re really looking forward to bringing a new trail and introducing a new character to York in 2024. Our final two artists have done a brilliant job at bringing the characters to life and we look forward to seeing the winning design in our city next year. We’re really pleased to be working with our charity partner, St Leonard’s Hospice, on this project.”

Dawn Clements, Director of Income Generation at St Leonard’s Hospice, said: “We are delighted to be partnering with Make It York and to be part of this exciting activity. It will be a fun way to help us engage further with our community, not only educating people about our services but also helping to raise vital funds to support people facing life-limiting illnesses and bereavement. We are proud that we can represent hospice care in such a unique way and it’s a great opportunity to work with new supporters and volunteers. We are looking forward to working collaboratively with Sarah and the team at Make It York and, of course, either Barouse or Snook.”

Councillor Darryl Smalley, Executive Member for Culture, Leisure and Communities said: “York’s latest trail will add more colour and fun to our beautiful city whilst supporting a wonderful cause. I’d like to thank all artists who submitted their ideas as part of the competition, it was extremely difficult to narrow the excellent submissions down to the final two. The final choice is now in the hands of York’s residents who have the difficult choice between these two fun characters.”

Christine Jopling, artist of Barouse, said: “I’m so chuffed that Barouse has made it this far, I still can’t quite believe it! It was quite a challenge to come up with something that represents York in a fun, approachable sculpture, but when Barouse popped into my head I thought – “That’s it!” If Barouse is chosen I hope it’s a fun form for the artists to let themselves loose on, and that the sculptures bring a smile to the faces of residents and visitors to York.”

Sian Ellis, artist of Snook, said: “Since 2019 I have been travelling from my studio in Yorkshire to paint sculptures for trails across the UK. I absolutely love being involved with every trail so to get the chance to design a brand new and unique sculpture design would be an absolute dream come true for me! I would love love LOVE to see the Snooks with Books come to life and explore the city and it would be absolutely brilliant to see other artists unleash their imaginations onto each one. I think it could be such a magical addition for the local community to see them pop up on the streets of York. My menagerie of painted pals currently totals 17 including gorillas, wallabies, elephants and even a T-Rex, and the sales of my painted sculptures have raised over £100,000 to date for local charities. To be chosen as the artist to design the sculpture for the Make It York 2024 trail would be the cherry on top of my work with sculpture trails so far!”

ENDS

For more information, please contact:

Sarah Foster and Brittany Guymer

Communications Team at Make It York

Comms@makeityork.com

About Make It York

Make It York’s purpose is to develop and promote the city and its surroundings – nationally and internationally – as a vibrant and attractive place to live, visit, study, work and do business. Its mission is to grow the economic prosperity and wider wellbeing of York and its citizens. In practice, this means delivering a range of projects and programmes based around our corporate strategic priorities.

These are:

City positioning and profile-raising

Ensuring an exciting city centre
Delivering the city’s ground-breaking Cultural Strategy

York Residents’ Festival 2023: Over 100 attractions, events and offers

Events, Make It York News / By Make It York

The annual York Residents’ Festival returns on Saturday 28 and Sunday 29 January, with some offers continuing all week. Organised by Make It York, sponsored by Grand Central, there are over 100 attractions, events and offers for residents to take advantage of.

Historical attractions such as JORVIK Viking Centre, York Minster, Fairfax House, York Castle Museum, Barley Hall and The Guildhall will be opening their doors for free to residents across the weekend.

Residents can also take advantage of free wizard golf at The Hole In Wand, free river cruises with City Cruises and free chocolate tours at York’s Chocolate Story. For theatre lovers, there’ll be an opportunity to go behind the scenes with York Theatre Royal and experience virtual reality with Pilot Theatre Monoliths at York Explore Library.

There are offers across some of York’s most popular eateries and restaurants, including 22 Yards Wine, Brew York, Ambiente Tapas, Forest and Trio Mezze Bar. Plus, there are a range of special retail offers exclusively for residents at Avorium, The Yorkshire Soap Company, Dean’s Garden Centre, The Hat Shop and more.

For those preferring to explore the city on foot, there are plenty of free and discounted walking tours on offer. York Photo Walks will be offering free walks with a chance to learn and improve photography skills, while learning more about the history of York. Plus, The Wizard Walk of York will be offering free family-friendly walks that promise to be spellbinding.

To get involved in Residents’ Festival, please present a valid York Card, student card or identity card that proves York residency. If presenting an identity card, this must clearly state ‘York’ (e.g. driving licence or older person’s bus pass). For the full list of offers for York Residents’ Festival, go to www.visityork.org/resfest. Please note, some venues require pre-booking.

Sarah Loftus, Managing Director at Make It York, said: “We’re delighted that we have over 100 attractions, events and offers for Residents’ Festival weekend in January. This is a great opportunity for residents to rediscover some of the brilliant attractions, retail and food and drink offers on their doorstep. A huge thank you to our Visit York members for their excellent offers and to our main sponsor, Grand Central.”

Councillor Keith Aspden, Leader of the City of York Council, said: “I’m delighted that York Residents’ Festival is once again back this year. The weekend is a great way to enjoy our city and support our local businesses. There is a lot explore and discover, with I hope something for everyone on offer during this fun-packed weekend of activities.

“Our thanks go to all the partners around the city who have come together to make sure that over 100 attractions, events and offers are available for residents.”

ENDS

First Look at York Ice Trail 2023 and Sculptures Revealed

Events, Make It York News / By Make It York

Time Travel to prehistoric ages, walk through history and step into the future on ‘A Journey Through Time’ at York Ice Trail 2023. Organised by Make It York, with main sponsors York Park & Ride, the hugely popular free event returns on Saturday 4th and Sunday 5th February.

The first look at one of this year’s sculptures has been revealed. Photographed by Charlotte Graham in Museum Gardens, with the backdrop of the historic St Mary’s Abbey, Make It York’s ‘A Journey Through Time’ is one of 36 sculptures set to line York’s historic streets during York Ice Trail.

The grounds of Middletons Hotel will be transformed into a mystical world of mythology, including four show-stopping ice sculptures and plenty of photo opportunities throughout the day. York Gin, City Cruises and The Potions Cauldron will be on-site, with crafts, competitions and surprise creatures – there’s something for everyone to enjoy! Their sister property, The Judges Lodgings, will also feature a spectacular ice sculpture. Make sure you check out the famous Thwaites Shire Horses in all their finery too.

Fittingly, 2023 is a big year for anniversaries in York. The National Railway Museum will be celebrating the centenary of the Flying Scotsman, with their interactive sculpture. While the Grand Opera House celebrate 121 years of making magic and LNER will mark their 100-year milestone with their respective sculptures.

York is renowned for its rich chocolate heritage, which will be brought to the ice with York’s Chocolate Story’s working Terry’s Clock Tower – with a hot chocolate twist! Learn more about York’s history with York BID’s six sculptures, all inspired by York’s fascinating historical figures that can be found on the York Quest app.

‘Busloads to Love’ by main sponsor York Park & Ride gives you the chance to be the driver and get a selfie. The sculpture, celebrating the importance of the bus in public transport, will be situated on St Helen’s Square.

Travel from York to London with Grand Central’s spectacular Skyline sculpture, or transport into another space and dimension with Hiscox’s adventure bound sit-on space shuttle. For those wanting to go back to the future, don’t miss Ate O’Clock’s DeLorean inspired ‘ATEY ATE Miles Per Hour’ sculpture.

There’ll be live ice carving across the weekend at St Sampson’s Square with Icebox, where you can see for yourself how ice sculptors bring the ice trail to life. Plus, there’s a chance to win some cash with YorkMix’s Casha-saurus T-Rex, who can be found on Parliament Street across the weekend.

The last York Ice Trail took place in March 2022 and was a huge success, following a one-year hiatus due to the pandemic. Over 40 ice sculptures lined the streets of York over the March weekend, with an estimated 25,000 people participating in the trail. Research commissioned with Qa Research showed that 94% of participants would recommend the trail to family and friends.*

The free trail also had a positive impact on businesses in the city, with 81% of participants eating out or drinking in the city’s restaurants, cafes and bars. Plus, more than 50% were likely to go shopping or visit an attraction.

York Ice Trail 2023 will once again see the ‘coolest’ sculptures around the city, all sponsored and concepted by local businesses. UK and Europe’s leading ice specialists, Icebox will design and create all the sculptures for the 2023 trail for the second year.

Free trail maps will be available from the Visitor Information Centre on Parliament Street or can be downloaded online at visityork.org/ice

Sarah Loftus, Managing Director at Make It York, said: “We’re incredibly thankful to all the brilliant local businesses who support the York Ice Trail and to our headline sponsor, York Park & Ride. Their support makes it possible for us to keep running these much-loved free events in the city. York Ice Trail 2023 will spark imaginations, transporting visitors across time and dimension from sculpture to sculpture. Our ice partners at Icebox have done a phenomenal job at bringing the ideas to life and we can’t wait to see all 38 sculptures line the streets of York in February.”

Councillor Keith Aspden, Leader of the City of York Council, said: “The York Ice Trail brings imaginative, ‘cool’ and unique sculptures to York’s streets and is much loved by residents and visitors, so it’s excellent to see the event return once again. This year’s theme and creations are paying a fitting tribute to York’s rich history and imagination of our local businesses.

“Our city is well known and loved for its vibrant businesses, so many of whom have joined the festivities this year, with an impressive 36 sculptures set to bring some extra magic to the city. With so many sculptures and ways to get involved, this year’s festival promises to be another unmissable event.”

Greg Pittard, Managing Director at Icebox, said: “It is our privilege to be returning as the sculptors for the second year for York Ice Trail 2023. From mammoths to DeLoreans, the carvers have been working non-stop since late August to deliver ‘A Journey Through Time’. This year’s theme has inspired some incredible designs and we can’t wait to unveil all of this year’s ice creations!”

John Godfrey, Head of Marketing for First Bus in York, said: “We’re delighted to continue our commitment to supporting one of the must-see attractions in York this year. Leisure and social life in the city has really bounced back, from local people and visitors.

“We would encourage everyone planning to come and enjoy the Ice Trail to think about sustainable travel to get here and consider leaving the car at home or using the Park and Ride network. This helps avoid congestion, which makes travel around York easier, especially with such an event creating a bustling and lively atmosphere.”

For more information, visit https://www.visityork.org/york-ice-trail #YorkIceTrail

*Research based on a survey of 393 visitors

ENDS

Full list of sculptures for York Ice Trail 2023:

A Journey Through Time, Parliament Street – Provided by Make It York
Growing The Future, Parliament Street – Provided by Dalby Forest
Cash-asaurus T-Rex, Parliament Street – Provided by YorkMix Radio
York to London Skyline, Parliament Street – Provided by Grand Central

ATEY ATE Miles Per Hour, High Ousegate – Provided by Ate O’Clock
121 years of making magic, Spurriergate – Provided by Grand Opera House York
Every Moment Matters, North Street – Provided by Park Inn by Radisson
Where ever I lay my hat…. , Station Rise – Provided by The Grand, York
100 years of LNER, Station Road – Provided by LNER

York Quest App: The Roman, Micklegate – Provided by York BID
The Enchanted Unicorn, Middletons – Provided by Hole In Wand
Ginny the Dragon, Middletons – Provided by York Gin
20,000 Leagues Under the Ouse, Middletons – Provided by City Cruises
The Monstrous Chimera, Middletons – Provided by Middletons

York Quest App: The Butcher, Kings Staith – Provided by York BID
Coppergate Viking, Coppergate Centre – Provided by Coppergate Centre
E.T. COMES HOME, Piccadilly – Provided by Spark: York
York Quest App: Dick Turpin, Walmgate – Provided by York BID
Adventure Is Out There, The Stonebow – Provided by Hiscox

York’s Chocolate Story Clock, Kings Square – Provided by York’s Chocolate Story
Erupted Volcano, Grape Lane – Provided by Lucia Bar
The York Rose Diamond by Kay Bradley, Low Petergate – Provided by Bradley’s Jewellers, York
Minus 200 Degrees Coffee, Low Petergate – Provided by 200 Degrees Coffee
York Quest App: Anne Lister, Goodramgate – Provided by York BID

Gothic Grotesque, Minster Piazza – Provided by York Minster
Celebrating 100 years of Flying Scotsman, High Petergate – Provided by National Railway Museum
York Quest App: Guy Fawkes, Gillygate – Provided by York BID
The Pearly Cow, Clifton – Provided by No.1 Guesthouse
Layers of Time, Exhibition Sq – St Leonard’s Place – Provided by North York Moors National Park

York Quest App: Wally Herbert, Museum Street – Provided by York BID
Ryedale Roman Hoard, Museum Gardens – Provided by Yorkshire Museums Trust
Greek Minotaur, Lendal – Provided by The Judge’s Lodging
Busloads to love! St Helen’s Square – Provided by York Park & Ride
The Bettys Express Train, Davygate – Provided by Bettys

Fire Breathing Dinosaur, St Sampson’s Square – Provided by Cut and Craft
Live Carving, St Sampson’s Square – Provided by York Ice Trail

For more information, please contact:

Sarah Foster and Brittany Guymer

Communications Team at Make It York

Comms@makeityork.com

Notes to Editors

York Ice Trail 2023 will return on 4th and 5^th February from 10am. York Ice Trail is a Make It York event, sponsored by York Park & Ride.

About Make It York

Make It York’s purpose is to develop and promote the city and its surroundings – nationally and internationally – as a vibrant and attractive place to live, visit, study, work and do business. Its mission is to grow the economic prosperity and wider wellbeing of York and its citizens. In practice, this means delivering a range of projects and programmes based around our corporate strategic priorities.

These are:

City positioning and profile-raising
Ensuring an exciting city centre
Delivering the city’s ground-breaking Cultural Strategy

Make It York introduce Members Advisory Board

Make It York News / By Make It York

In October 2022, Make It York put a call out to their 800+ Visit York members, inviting them to apply to join the new voluntary Members Advisory Board.

The introduction of the Make It York Members Advisory Board aims to support with the organisation’s activities, encourage membership and champion the city as the best place to live, work and stay. The Members Advisory Board will also take the role of constructive feedback, offering their insight into what they feel Make It York could do better and what they feel is most beneficial from their membership with Visit York.

After 75 expressions of interest, 15 people have been appointed to the board with representatives from a wide range of sectors including attractions, accommodation, retail, corporate services, tours, advertising, blogs and more.

The members of the voluntary board are:

James Dickinson, Nettl

John Gallery, World of James Herriot

Martha Morley, Yorkshire Air Museum

Jay Commins, Pyper

Emily Pickard, York Mumbler

Matthew Greenwood, Exploring York

Alan Wellock, Your Creative Source

Janet Scally, The Grand, York

John Wright, York Carriage Awaits

Neringa Didzgalvyte, The Star Inn the City

Polly Bennett, Little Vikings

Emma Godivala, York Gin

Lorraine Wilson, Yorguest

Stuart Jarman, The Potions Cauldron

Lee Miles, Mountain Goat

Sarah Loftus, Managing Director at Make It York, said: “We are introducing the Members Advisory Board to allow us to gain a more detailed cross-sector insight into what our members think we are doing well, and any areas that they think we could improve on. We are incredibly pleased with the response and support we have received from members so far, and we look forward to working even more closely together in the future. My thanks to Philip Bolson, who has helped us to develop and implement the board.”

Philip Bolson from Mr B Hospitality: “The Members Advisory Board is about keeping Make It York relevant and keeping them focused on what matters to the businesses and residents in the city, and keeping it real, talking about what’s actually happening and what’s needed. Above and beyond that, it’s just supporting Sarah Loftus and the Make It York team, it’s a tough job promoting York around the world so anything that these advisors can do to help them be successful is a good thing.”

Lorraine Wilson from YorGuest said: “I was born and bred in York and we get a lot of visitors that come and stay with us. We get lots of feedback from visitors, so this gives me a real opportunity to share that feedback and influence as much as I possibly can to make York a better place to visit and live. There’s a real variety of people in the group and it’s really interesting to hear other people’s viewpoints and I’m excited about the future of the group. There’s so much potential and we could make a real difference.”

Polly Bennett from Little Vikings said: “We’ve been a member of Visit York for about 10 years now and have some good ideas for helping York be the best it can be. By being in this room with all these great people, we can help York be on the map. We speak to people from attractions and families every day who tell us what they’re going to and what they’re not going to, so we can feed this back to Make It York and give them some pointers for the future.”

ENDS

About Make It York

Make It York is the city’s Destination Management Organisation, with the purpose to develop and promote the city and its surroundings nationally and internationally. The company’s remit covers leisure and business tourism, city centre management and Shambles Market, as well as delivering world-class festival and events and the city’s ground-breaking Culture Strategy.

Visit York is a part of Make It York and is the leisure tourism brand. Under the brand Visit York, Make It York’s aim is to market York as a must-see world-class destination to the leisure visitor and ensure investment to develop the quality of tourism in York.

New Visitor Information Centre opens on Parliament Street

Make It York News / By Make It York

The new Visitor Information Centre at 21 Parliament Street has opened its doors to the public for the first time today (Friday 9^th December).

Located in a higher footfall area, the move from Museum Street to Parliament Street aims to encourage more visitors and residents to utilise the Visitor Information Centre, which has assisted over 150,000 people this year so far. Following its successful launch earlier this year, the Visit York Information pod at York Station will remain open and has recently extended its operating hours.

The new Visitor Information Centre on Parliament Street is on the doorstep of Make It York’s biggest events of the year, including St Nicholas Fair which runs until 23^rd December, as well as York Residents’ Festival and York Ice Trail coming up in the new year.

Read our previous announcement about the move here: Visitor Information Centre and Make It York to relocate to Parliament Street

York Busking Slots over the Christmas Period

Events, Make It York News, St Nicholas Fair / By Make It York

To mark the 30th Anniversary of St Nicholas Fair, the city will come alive on the Thursday 17^th November with a special programme of free events and activities across the city centre. From 12 – 9pm there will be live bands and choirs bringing the city to life with festive performances. We are working with Covent Garden Entertainment, and everyone is welcome to join the celebration and there are slots available throughout the day for buskers / street performers!

Here is the programming timetable for the event in the locations St. Helens Square, Shambles Market and Parliament Street.

Herbie’s Treehouse: The Treehouse Rooftop bar will be running again on top of Herbie’s Treehouse on the corner of St Sampson’s Square. Sound and lighting are supplied, and you can use your own case, or a large busking collections cup is available. Buskers are very welcome to come and perform and are invited to book in with the bar manager for time slots.

There are busking slots available for the opening event on St. Helens Square and Parliament Street (outside the Christmas tree) throughout the day please book this directly through events@makeityork.com. If we receive too many bookings, we can do a draw for the busking slots.

Important Information:

Throughout the duration of the Christmas Markets (17^th November – 23^rd December), due to concerns of crowd management at peak times we need to ensure there is adequate space around the Christmas Tree on Parliament Street and both the Christmas Market and the Shambles Market.

We will be monitoring congested areas and asking street performers not to perform or leave any equipment to reserve the pitch around the Christmas Tree on Parliament Street. We work with a range of city centre partners, businesses, and traders throughout the year to deliver a successful Christmas Market and experience. We want to ensure that all visitors and users of the city centre have an enjoyable and profitable experience and therefore we would like to propose a system that works for all to help us manage entertainment bookings at St. Helens Square during this period.

Throughout the Christmas Period on weekends Make it York will have choirs and bands booked between the hours of 2pm and 4pm at St. Helens Square. Outside of these times buskers can manage the square for their performances. On Saturday 3^rd December we are using St. Helens Square from 10am – 2pm as we have a charity booked and 4 choirs performing.

Please email events@makeityork.com to book your slot for the opening event we would love to have you involved!

Many thanks

The Events Team

Make it York.

Visitor Information Centre and Make It York to relocate to Parliament Street

Make It York News / By Make It York

After 12 years at Museum Street, the Visitor Information Centre is set to move to a new address on Parliament Street this autumn.

21 Parliament Street will be the new home of the Visitor Information Centre, with Make It York occupying the accompanying office space. Located in a higher footfall area, the move aims to encourage more visitors and residents to utilise the Visitor Information Centre, which has assisted over 150,000 people this year so far. Following its successful launch earlier this year, the Visit York Information pod at York Station will remain open and will extend its operating hours from November.

The move to Parliament Street will also bring Make It York’s two city centre offices closer together, with the Shambles Market team based at Silver Street. The new Parliament Street office will also be on the doorstep of one of Make It York’s biggest events of the year, St Nicholas Fair, which celebrates its 30^th Anniversary this year.

The Visitor Information Centre and Make It York offices will run business as usual at 1 Museum Street until the move later this autumn.

Sarah Loftus, Managing Director at Make It York, said: “This is an exciting new chapter for Make It York and our Visitor Information Centre. Our new home in Parliament Street is in a higher footfall area of the city centre, which we hope will encourage more visitors and residents to make the most of our brilliant and knowledgeable Visitor Information Centre advisors. The move this autumn will bring us closer to Shambles Market and our Silver Street office, plus we’ll be on the doorstep of our world-class events such as St Nicholas Fair and YorkLife Festival.”

About Make It York

Women’s Rugby League World Cup teams receive Civic Welcome in York

Events, Make It York News / By Make It York

Yesterday afternoon (31^st October), The Rt Hon Lord Mayor of York welcomed Australia, New Zealand, France and Cook Islands Women’s Rugby League World Cup teams to the city at The Principal, York. The four teams are staying in York for the duration of this year’s tournament and will be playing in their first matches at LNER Community Stadium on Wednesday 2^nd November.

The Women’s teams from Australia, Cook Islands, France and New Zealand join the New Zealand Men’s team as the five teams and four nations being hosted by York this tournament. The Civic welcome for the New Zealand’s men team took place earlier this month.

York’s LNER Community Stadium is hosting eight women’s games, more women’s games than any other host city or town in the tournament. The first game in York takes place on Wednesday 2^nd November, with a double-header New Zealand v France and Australia v Cook Islands. There will be six group stage games in York in total, followed by the double header Semi-Final on Monday 14^th November. Tickets are on-sale from www.rlwc2021.com/tickets

The Women’s Rugby League World Cup title will be contested by eight teams, the highest number in the tournament’s history. Since its inception, the tournament has only ever been won by two teams. New Zealand have taken home the trophy a record three times, while Australia have won the title twice including the most recent final in 2017.

Kezie Apps, Co-captain for Australia’s Jillaroos, said: “I would like to thank York for hosting the Women’s Rugby League World Cup, it’s very special and I know we’re all really excited. All the teams have worked extremely hard to be here and have waited a very long time for this moment, so I know that the Jillaroos are really excited to get out and play. We love York so far, we’ve only been here for a week but it’s been amazing. Everyone is so lovely, we’re so close to everything, it has a rich history and we’re grateful for York and can’t wait for the Rugby League World Cup to kick off.”

Elianna Walton, Player for Cook Islands, said: “Thank you to the City of York for hosting us and all the special dignitaries, we really appreciate it. It’s been a long travel for us, we’re super excited to be in the ‘pool of death’ as we call it. We’ve got the world number one and world number two, so we’re looking forward to it and really excited.”

Alice Varela, Team Captain for France, said: “The French players have left their families, their children and have had to take unpaid leave from work to participate in this World Cup. We do it with great pleasure, because it is a real passion for each and every one of us. We are aware that the pool is particularly a death sentence, but my girls are warriors. They are ready to face the best, they are not afraid. We are lucky to be welcomed in York, a beautiful city to walk around. The hotel is great and the university facilities are top.”

Georgia Hale, Vice Captain for New Zealand’s Kiwi Ferns, said: “On behalf of the Kiwi Ferns, we’d like to extend our massive gratitude and thanks to the City of York for hosting us for the duration of our campaign and to everybody involved in putting on, contributing and organising the World Cup that we have been waiting for for quite some time! Being in York so far, the weather is quite similar to New Zealand so we’ve felt really at home. We’ve really appreciated being shown around the city and our training facilities. We’re really proud to represent our home and our heritage on an international stage and to showcase how amazing women’s Rugby League is.”

Councillor Keith Aspden, Leader of City of York Council said: “We are delighted to welcome these world-class athletes to our city and we wish them good luck during the tournament.

“The next few weeks will provide a unique opportunity for the city and wider region. The games will have a huge reach with fans across the world and give York invaluable exposure on the international stage.

“By continuing to work closely with our partners our focus is on this tournament having a long-term impact. The city has already seen community rugby league events, as well as investment in facilities and equipment. With the first women’s games soon to be played York we are hopeful that the action will inspire a new generation of sporting stars.

“I hope the teams enjoy their stay in our wonderful city. I know that the people of York will give all the teams a warm welcome.”

Councillor Darryl Smalley, Executive Member for Culture, Leisure and Communities, said: “It was great to welcome the women’s teams from Australia, the Cook Islands, France and New Zealand to York before the women’s Rugby League World Cup kicks off.

“It has been a fantastic start to the world cup so far and we are hugely excited for the women’s tournament to get underway this week. With York hosting eight games across four matchdays, including both semi-finals, it promises to be a fantastic few weeks of sport. To have the reigning world champions, Australia, playing at the LNER Community Stadium, which will host international fixtures for the first time, is very exciting. With the added hope of England playing in a World Cup semi-final in York, there is so much to enjoy these next few weeks.

“I look forward to following each team’s progress in what promises to be an amazing few weeks of world class sport. Tickets are still available for the matches in York, so don’t miss out on these great events.”

Sarah Loftus, Managing Director at Make It York said: “In a year where women’s sport has made front pages and captured the imagination of so many, we couldn’t be prouder to be hosting more women’s games in York than any other host city or town.

“All eight games at the LNER Community Stadium are set to be a great occasion, including the highly anticipated double header Semi Final fixtures. It is a huge opportunity to showcase York on the international sporting stage, and a brilliant chance to see world class teams play international sport on our doorstep.

“Bringing the Rugby League World Cup to York has been a city effort from partners across the city including City of York Council, York City Knights, Make It York, GLL, York St John University, University of York and Queen Ethelberga’s. “

For more information, please contact:

Make It York

Sarah Foster and Brittany Guymer

Comms@makeityork.com

Rugby League World Cup

Rob Meaden, Head of Communications: rob.meaden@rlwc2021.com / 07890561448

Abby Burton, Communications Lead: abby.burton@rlwc2021.com / 07435985333

Aaron Gales, Communications Lead: aaron.gales@rlwc2021.com / 07533707363

NOTES TO EDITORS

About Rugby League World Cup 2021

The Rugby League World Cup is the pinnacle major event of rugby league, globally contested every four years. RLWC2021 will be a breakthrough moment in the tournament’s history with the men’s, women’s and wheelchair competitions being staged together for the first time.

The three tournaments will take place across 21 venues throughout England. Both the women’s and wheelchair competitions will be contested by two groups of four teams, whilst the men’s tournament will see 16 teams compete across four groups.

RLWC2021 will be the most visible rugby league event in history with all 61 games in the men’s, women’s and wheelchair competitions being broadcast live on the BBC.

Fixtures in York:

New Zealand vs France (women’s) – LNER Community Stadium (Wednesday 2nd November) – 17.00pm

Australia vs Cook Islands (women’s) – LNER Community Stadium (Wednesday 2nd November) – 19.30pm

New Zealand vs Cook Islands (women’s) – LNER Community Stadium (Sunday 6th November) – 17.00pm

Australia vs France (women’s) – LNER Community Stadium (Sunday 6th November) – 19.30pm

France vs Cook Islands (women’s) – LNER Community Stadium (Thursday 10th November) – 17.00pm

Australia vs New Zealand (women’s) – LNER Community Stadium (Thursday 10th November) – 19.30pm

Women’s Semi-Final (Teams TBC) – LNER Community Stadium (Monday 14th November) – 17.00pm

Women’s Semi-Final (Teams TBC) – LNER Community Stadium (Monday 14th November) – 19.30pm

For full ticketing details visit rlwc2021.com/tickets

About Make It York

Make It York’s purpose is to develop and promote the city and its surroundings – nationally and internationally – as a vibrant and attractive place to live, visit, study, work and do business. Its mission is to grow the economic prosperity and wider wellbeing of York and its citizens. In practice, this means delivering a range of projects and programmes based around our corporate strategic priorities.

These are:

City positioning and profile-raising

Ensuring an exciting city centre
Delivering the city’s ground-breaking Cultural Strategy

Make It York

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