What’s on in York – Afternoon Tea with Helen Cadbury: To Catch a Rabbit

Homestead Park Pop-up Reading Cafe :
Thu 15 Sep : 2.30pm – 3.30pm :
£10

Helen CadburyAfternoon tea with a difference is on offer in the marquee at Homestead Park Reading Cafe with freshly brewed tea, fabulous cakes and top quality conversation.

At this exclusive event author Helen Cadbury will talk about her award-winning book To catch a rabbit and her inspirations for writing it followed by a discussion and the opportunity to have your book signed.

£10 to include afternoon tea and a copy of the book.

There are a maximum of 15 tickets and can be booked at any library in York.

t : 07917599895 e : homestead.park@exploreyork.org.uk t :@HomesteadPark

Olympic gold medallists set to take to York’s streets!

Delays expected in City centre tomorrow (Sunday)

York is gearing up to welcome several Team GB track cyclists fresh from their success at the Rio Olympic Games. The cyclists will take to the city’s streets alongside people of all ages and abilities as part of Sky Ride York on Sunday 11 September.

olympicsTeam GB medal winners from Rio, Joanna Rowsell Shand, Katie Archibald and Phillip Hindes will be joined by Tre Whyte, Shanaze Reade and Kyle Evans.

 

Sky Ride is a free, fun bike ride along a scenic 7km route taking in some of York’s famous landmarks including the Minster and Clifford’s Tower. The route will also take riders through the Festival of Cycling in Rowntree Park.

During Sky Ride York there will be music and entertainment, competitions and above all, a great traffic-free route to ride around the centre of York that will allow bike riders to see York from a different perspective.

Riders will also be able to take in the Festival of Cycling when the route passes Rowntree Park. The free festival has something for the whole family with all sorts of pedal powered activities for people to take part in. There will be bikes and trikes of all shapes and sizes including adapted bikes, balance bikes and tandems for people to test ride.

There will also be ten adapted bikes available to hire from Rowntree Park (near the Millennium Bridge entrance). Bike hire is free of charge, and available on a first come, first served basis.

The Sky Ride York route will be closed to all traffic from 10.30am until approximately 5pm, or as soon as possible after the event has finished to ensure the safety of everyone taking part.

Residents and visitors are urged to make use of the city’s extensive Park&Ride network on the day, particularly by using the Park&Pedal facilities at any of York’s six Park&Ride sites.sky ride York

Bus routes will be altered to ensure that access into and out of the city centre is maintained, whilst avoiding those roads closed as part of the route.  Revised timetables will be put into place to ensure the smooth running of bus services. Residents and visitors are being encouraged to check their travel plans in advance and allow extra time for their journeys on the day. A complete list of bus route diversions will be available to download from http://www.itravelyork.info/news/get-in-gear

Castle car park will continue to be open on the day, however there will be reduced capacity to allow for one of the Sky Ride ‘activation zones’ featuring activities for residents and visitors to enjoy. A traffic management stop/go process will be in place here to assist the smooth flow of traffic.

Rowntree Park car park will be closed on Sunday 11 September due to the Festival of Cycling taking place, as in previous years. For safety reasons there will be no access to parking inside the route.

Don’t miss out on the chance to be part of this fun, free celebration of cycling at Sky Ride York. Sign up now at www.goskyride.com/YorkSkyRide

Sky Ride York road closures on Sunday

On Sunday 11 September Sky Ride York will once again take to the city’s historic streets in partnership with City of York Council, British Cycling and Sky.

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Click to view

In 2015 Sky Ride York saw over 8,500 cyclists take to a 7km route taking in famous York landmarks including Clifford’s Tower and York Minster

Due to the size and scale of the event there will be a number of temporary traffic and transport changes to ensure the safety of everyone taking part.

The Route (more…)

Get in gear for the York Festival of Cycling

A renowned free event, the York Festival of Cycling will return once again on Sunday 11 September.

The event has something for the whole family from toddlers to grandparents with all sorts of pedal powered activities for people to take part in. There will be bikes and trikes of all shapes and sizes including adapted bikes, balance bikes and tandems for people to test ride.

While the Council is right to promote cycling as an environmentally friendly way of getting around, we are increasingly worried about the quality of some of the cycle paths and cycle lanes in the City.
Cars blockig cycle path exit Bishopthorpe 23rd June 2011 Detritus leaves and litter Grange Lane cycle path 1400 13th Dec 2015 Detritus on cycle path near tesco roundabout Tadcaster rd Entrance to sustans cycle path blocked by overgrown hedge 19th June 2011 PM Hedge overgrowing cycle path back Martin Cheeseman Court nettles Water Lane Hazelnut Grove cycle path 0900 5th Sept 2016 Overgrown cycle path near Tesco 5th June 2012 Trees impeding cycle path Tadcaster near Tesco 19th June 2011 Trees overhanging cycle path Tadcaster Road 19th June 2011 Overgrown hedge cycle path Skiddaw to Eden Close

Many cycle paths have become overgrown by nettles, brambles, bushes and trees. Some entrances to the paths are obstructed by parked vehicles while broken glass can also be a problem.

We think that the Council needs to check the paths and lanes on a regular basis and make sure that they are clear and safe for users. 

BMX stunt team ‘Savage Skills’ will be performing throughout the day showing some of the amazing tricks that can be done on two wheels. There will also be ‘The AirBag’ for BMXers to try out their airborne tricks without the worry of a hard landing.

North Yorkshire Police will be on hand with their state of the art ‘dot peen’ property marking machine. They will be security marking cycles and other valuable items during the day free of charge.

Re-Cycle York will be providing a Doctor Bike service at the event to give festival attendees a free health check of their bike.

Cllr Nigel Ayre, Executive Member for Leisure, Culture and Tourism, said: “Now in its seventh year the Festival of Cycling continues to draw huge crowds year after year. The festival gives residents and visitors a great opportunity to find out about the health benefits and how fun cycling can be for people of all ages and abilities.”

The i-Travel York team will also be available to provide travel advice and information for residents to encourage them to try out sustainable modes of travel, including cycling and walking. For more information visit Festival of Cycling.

On Sunday 11 September Sky Ride York will take place giving people the chance to ride around a 7km traffic free loop taking in some of the city’s picturesque streets and historic landmarks. The route will be open from 11am-4pm giving residents the chance to ride it as much, or as little as they want and at a pace to suit everyone. Residents and visitors can sign up to Sky Ride York at www.goskyride.com/YorkSkyRide

Cyclists on the Sky Ride York route will be able to enter Rowntree Park from both the Butchers Field/Butchers terrace and Terry Avenue entrances.

More concern over Community Stadium project

The proposed operator of the Council’s indoor sports facilities is under fire in some parts of the Country over safety standards.
PE extract 2nd Sept 2016

Private Eye magazine 2nd Sept 2016

According to Private Eye magazine (right) Greenwich Leisure has been slow to respond to complaints of tainted water in one of its pools in Swindon.

Greenwich Leisure is a not for profit “community interest company” which ran the Waterworld leisure centre on behalf of the council before it was demolished as part of a larger project to build a new community stadium.

Use of Waterworld declined rapidly and the, then Labour led, authority made additional subsidy payments to the operator between April and November 2014 to keep the pool open.

The payments were later subject to an auditor’s report.

Greenwich Leisure were appointed as the preferred contractor not only for the Stadium and associated swimming pool and sports centre but also the Yearsley pool and Energise sports centre on the other side of the City.

We reported in August 2014 that increasing costs were threatening the future of the Community Stadium complex. Things have deteriorated further since then with planning permission for additional commercial development now subject to a Judicial Review.

It has been clear for several years that the increasing size and complexity of the project has jeopardised not only the interests of taxpayers but has even brought into question whether some sports facilities in the City may also now face closure.

Recently the Council agreed to subsidise the use of Bootham Crescent by the Rugby Club until the new stadium has been completed. It is unclear how much this will cost taxpayers.

The York Council has yet to comment on the reports about swimming pool safety.

What’s on in York: Big City Read 2016 launched today

Programme launch and event booking from 1st September

Big City Read 2016 LogoEvents from 5 October to 1 December

In July 1917, Siegfried Sassoon wrote an open letter to the Times protesting about the conduct of the war. What happened next is the subject of Pat Barker’s book Regeneration which will be our Big City Read for this year.

York Libraries are giving away 5,000 free copies of Regeneration over October and November and asking readers to immerse themselves in the world of 100 years ago.

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click for summary

“We have put together a fantastic programme of events, together with our partners in the city, which offers something for everyone.

We are delighted to be welcoming Pat Barker to both launch and conclude the Big City Read at York Explore.

You can download the programme here Big City Read 2016 Events, and find details of Big City Read events in our What’s On listing. Copies of the programme will be available from 6 September at all York Libraries and other outlets in York.

You can collect your free copy of Regeneration from any Explore Library from 6 October while stocks last.

Events can be booked from 1 September either in person at any library in York or by phone, (01904) 552828 or (01904) 552651.

We advise booking in advance for all of our events, if applicable, to make sure of a place.

Read, Enjoy, Discuss, Share”

Celebrating Ability

Energise :

Tue 30 & Wed 31 Aug :

10.00am – 3.00pm & 9.30am – 2.30pm :

£3.70

Aug 30_AbilityThere will be an open day at Energise Sports Centre on Tue 30 Aug showcasing some of the great opportunities York offers.

There is also sport for those who are Deaf and hearing impaired in the morning (BSL interpreters available) and Visually impaired in the afternoon at York St John University on Wed 31 Aug.

You can just turn up to both of these events. The only sporting activity that needs booking is climbing which can be done on the day.

The session at Energise is £3.70 and the deaf and hearing impaired and Visually impaired session at York St John is FREE.

For more information please contact Hannah on 01904 551431 or hannah.higginson@york.gov.uk