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.”
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.”
York Ice Trail 2023 will return on 4th and 5th 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
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.
The new Visitor Information Centre at 21 Parliament Street has opened its doors to the public for the first time today (Friday 9th 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 23rd December, as well as York Residents’ Festival and York Ice Trail coming up in the new year.
This winter, Make It York have collaborated with local artist Emma Feneley to produce a limited-edition bauble celebrating Christmas in York. Proceeds from the baubles will go into a new York Creates Fund, a new micro-fund that will support cultural and creative activity in the city.
The hand-decorated porcelain bauble is unique to York, with Emma’s design featuring famous York landmark Clifford’s Tower in the festive season. It was commissioned by Make It York as part of the 30th Anniversary celebrations of the St Nicholas Fair, following a public competition to create a unique design for the bauble.
Proceeds from the bauble will go into a new fund to support artists and makers in York. The York Creates Fund will provide opportunities for local creatives to produce new work through micro-grants, commissions and competitions. The fund will be held by Make It York and administered in reference to the objectives of York’s Creative Future, the city’s Culture Strategy.
Emma designs are created through unique collages that repurpose wastepaper for her art, and often depict places in the local area. The baubles are high quality white porcelain and hand decorated with Emma’s creation, produced by Foley Pottery.
The bauble is available to purchase from the Visitor Information Centre in York City Centre.
Helen Apsey, Head of Culture and Wellbeing at Make It York, said: “At Make It York, we’re really committed to supporting the cultural and creative sector, so we’re delighted to be collaborating with Emma to launch this beautifully designed bauble. The bauble not only celebrates and raises the profile of the work of a local artist, but its profits will go towards setting up a fund that can benefit even more creatives across York, so this is a key initiative for us. It’s also really nice to be able to do this at Christmas, to celebrate the 30th Anniversary of the St Nicholas Fair.”
Artist Emma Feneley said: “The MIY competition has been such a lovely, fun opportunity for me to share and develop my artwork within the local area. It’s always exciting to see your work in print or being used for a purpose, and this felt even more special knowing that the profits will go back into the community and support other creatives. As a smaller, ‘starting out’ artist, this really does make a difference and has already helped to build my profile. Outside of making, I also work full time at a local primary school. The children have been so excited to see the finished bauble and it’s really inspired them to experiment with their own art, knowing that there are opportunities like this to make artwork in a meaningful way.”
About York’s Creative Future
York’s Creative Future has inclusion and participation at its core, and the commitment to ensure that culture is relevant and accessible to everybody in York – regardless of age, background or postcode.
The Culture Strategy has the ambition to transform York – and by 2025 we believe York will be known as a city where outstanding, renowned heritage comes together with a cutting-edge and contemporary approach to creativity – reflecting the city’s rich history and its status as the UK’s first UNESCO Creative City of Media Arts.
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, including the St Nicholas Christmas Fair, and the city’s ground-breaking Culture Strategy.
To mark the 30th Anniversary of St Nicholas Fair, the city will come alive on the opening day of the Christmas market with a special programme of free events and activities for residents and visitors.
From 12pm to 9pm on Thursday 17th November, there will be live entertainment in St Helen’s Square, Parliament Street and Shambles Market to get everybody in the festive spirit. There’ll be choirs, bands and performances throughout the day and into the evening. Plus, an opportunity to meet St Nicholas himself at Shambles Market.
Those in the city centre on the evening of the 17th November, celebrating the opening of St Nicholas Fair, will be the first to see the spectacular light display for the 2022 festive season. This year will see more lights, new technology and new areas added to the scheme.
A partnership between York BID and Make It York, this year’s winter light display will increase the use of more sustainable LED and solar lights, with new areas to be lit up including George Hudson Street and Nessgate. The curtain of lights on York’s historic bar walls will remain, along with the magical ‘Tree of Light’ at the Eye of York with its 1km of twinkly LED lights which change colour to mark important dates and festivals.
What’s more, to celebrate the 30th Anniversary of St Nicholas Fair, all traders at this year’s Christmas market will be offering exclusive discounts for York residents when presented with a valid York Card or identity card with proof of address*. Each trader will offer a discount ranging from 10 to 30% discounts, more details can be found here.
The full schedule of free events on Thursday 17th November to celebrate the 30th Anniversary of St Nicholas Fair:
Shambles Market
12.00 – 19.00: Meet St Nicholas!
Suitable for families and children. Learn more about who St Nicholas is and was, all about the naughty list and enjoy some chocolate coins!
13.00: Musical Connections
Join Musical Connections for a special performance. A small charity based in York, empowering people to live happier and healthier lives through music.
St Helen’s Square
12.00: Dunnington Community Choir
Enjoy festive music, performed by local singers.
13.00 – 15.00: Buskers
15.00 – 18.00: York Theatre Royal
Look out for the York Theatre Royal nativity characters, handing out flyers and doing competitions.
16.00: Musical Connections – The Rolling Tones
Join Musical Connections’ The Rolling Tones for a special performance. A small charity based in York, empowering people to live happier and healthier lives through music.
17.00: University of York Brass Band
A selection of classic Christmas carols to get you into the festive mood!
18.00: Lucy’s Pop Choir
A choir performance from grown-ups who love singing!
18.00 – 20.00: The Island
Meet the York-based children’s charity as they fundraise to enhance children’s quality of life through mentoring.
19.00: York Phoenix Harmonies
Join York’s Newest Vocal Harmony Group for a special performance of Christmas carols.
Parliament Street (next to the Christmas Tree)
12.00 – 17.00: Buskers
18.00: York RI Golden Band
6 to 10 players performing Christmas Carols.
19.00: Larks Christmas Band
Lively vintage Christmas performance in full costume.
20.00: Olivia Tingle
An unapologetically authentic duo playing a classy mixture of anthemic covers and soft sympathetic originals. Not to be missed!
Christmas cheer will be spread across the city, with carol concerts, festive events and the return of panto season. For more information about what’s happening in York this Christmas, please visit visityork.org/christmas.
Visit York’s festive press pack can be found here and press images can be downloaded here.
*To qualify for the resident discounts offered by traders at St Nicholas Fair, you must present a valid York 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). The full list of offers can be found here.
St Nicholas Fair runs from 17th November to 23rd December on Parliament Street and St Sampson’s Square, open daily from 10am to 7pm. St Nicholas Fair is a Make It York event.
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.
To mark the 30th Anniversary of St Nicholas Fair, the city will come alive on the Thursday 17th 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 (17th November – 23rd 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 3rd 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!
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 30th 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
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.
A delegation of city partners, business leaders and attractions came together to mark their support for York’s return to World Travel Market next week. Representatives from Make It York, City of York Council, York BID, Hospitality Association York, York High Street Forum, Federation of Small Businesses, Chamber of Commerce, City Cruises, National Railway Museum, The York Dungeon, JORVIK Viking Centre, The Bloody Tour of York, The Grand and York’s Town Crier came together to celebrate taking York to the world at the leading industry event for travel and tourism.
World Travel Market London is the market leading international travel event, unlocking business opportunities for inbound and outbound tourism professionals. Visit York and Visit Leeds will join forces on the UK Inbound stand from 7th to 9th November at London Excel.
Visit York, a part of Make It York, will launch the national Love York with LNER short break campaign to international partners, showcasing how quick and easy train travel is to York from London Kings Cross from 1 hour and 47 minutes. Partners featuring in the campaign include York Minster, JORVIK Viking Centre, National Railway Museum, City Cruises York, Castle Howard, The Grand, York. Visit York will also be promoting the forthcoming York Christmas Festival from 17th November to 23rd December, in celebration of the 30th Anniversary of St Nicholas Fair.
World Travel Market is the premier location where travel professionals come together to connect and hear about how leading companies have reshaped their businesses and data insights into trending destinations and products.
The B2B event allows tourism businesses from around the globe to showcase their brand and exhibit at the show along with the biggest names in accommodation and hospitality, renowned tourism destinations and attractions, innovative travel technology providers and airlines. Helping NTO’s and international travel providers to do business with world-class travel buyers, as well as to showcase their services to the international press. Attendees from over 160 countries and over 3,000 exhibitors.
Sarah Loftus, Managing Director at Make It York, said: “We are thrilled to be attending World Travel Market this year with our partners at Visit Leeds. World Travel Market is the ultimate destination for travel and tourism, and a brilliant opportunity for us to reconnect with key tour operators old and new. We will be representing over 800 of our Visit York members to international partners, showcasing the exceptional offering we have in York and Yorkshire.”
Councillor Keith Aspden, Leader of City of York Council, said: “York is proud to be the home of so many excellent businesses and individuals who work incredibly hard to create unique visitor experiences for residents and the millions of visitors exploring our city each year. These businesses are an essential part of our city and local economy. It’s important that their work is represented on the national and international stage.”
Andrew Lowson, Executive Director at York BID, said: “York has always been very popular with international tourists, but with Covid we have suffered over the past couple of years. It’s great to get down to World Travel Market and tell people what a great place York is and remind them to come back to the city.”
Sarah Czarnecki, Vice Chair at Hospitality Association York and representative for the Chamber of Commerce, said: “International visitors are crucial and have never been more important than they are right now. The whole city is dependent on driving the international market. It’s a wonderful opportunity for us to go to World Travel Market and attract more visitors.”
David Skaith, Chair of York High Street Forum, said: ”York is one of the most amazing cities in the world. It’s a great place to come and visit, amazing tourist attractions, fantastic bars, restaurants and shopping. It’s a beautiful city and we want to showcase it to the world, attracting as many people as possible to come and appreciate our wonderful city.”
Yesterday afternoon (31st 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 2nd 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 2nd 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 14th 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. “
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
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
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