York Council election manifestos compared

5. Leisure

York’s cultural attractions have strengthened in recent years. The Art Gallery/Museums Trust is putting on a wide range of events while the Libraries management team have recently been awarded a 15 year extension to their contract. York has a strong theatre presence and attracted the new Shakespeare outdoor venue last year

Things are less promising for informal sport and open space provision. Playing fields in west York are being built on. Outdoor games areas are being closed and bowling greens lost.

All parties are promising to plant more trees, although none yet recognise that more needs to be invested in maintaining existing tree stocks.

Rather belatedly, the adverse impact of the cuts made to youth provision 7 years ago, are being recognised. All parties promise to do more to entertain teenagers.

The LibDems and Greens commit to a rolling programme of play equipment renewal.

Residents urged to plan ahead for Tour de Yorkshire

The Tour de Yorkshire will once again return to the regions roads from 2-5 May.

The first stage, taking riders on a fast and flat route from Doncaster to Selby passes through several villages on the outskirts of York, including Elvington, Wheldrake and Escrick in the late afternoon on Thursday 2 May.

The A19 near Escrick will be closed to traffic when the race passes through the area.No parking will be permitted on the race route during the race period. Details of the route are available on the Tour de Yorkshire website at https://letour.yorkshire.com/tour-de-yorkshire-2019/

To ensure the safety of spectators and riders alike there will be a rolling road closure for most of the race route, this will be managed by the police. This means that the traffic will be stopped at any given point between 10 and 30 minutes ahead of the first cyclist.

When the race, and all the official and team vehicles, have passed the roads will reopen again. The last vehicle in the race group is a lorry with screens on both sides telling people watching that the roads are open again.

Typically the closure is in place for between 20 and 50 minutes depending on the severity of the stage, how far into the stage the race is and the weather.

It’s expected that the race will reach Elvington at approximately 4.46pm, Wheldrake at 4.53pm and Escrick at 5pm. The route joins the A19 at Escrick and turns off again to Stillingfleet. This will mean that the A19 will be closed whilst the race passes through the area affecting travellers.

Bus routes 18, 36, X36, 42, 45, 46, X46 and 415 will all continue to operate, but will be delayed as a result of the race. It is anticipated that the closures and additional race traffic will cause delays in the area. Motorists are advised to plan their journeys to avoid the route during the race period if possible.

For more information visit www.itravelyork.info/buses/bus-routes-and-journey-times/diversion-information

Pedestrian access will be available to polling stations throughout the period. Voters in the wards affected have been notified of the access restrictions.

What’s on in York: Parsifal Hallé Orchestra Sir Mark Elder (conductor) at York Minster 17th April

BWagner – Prelude to Act 1 and Act 3 of Parsifal

For his final masterpiece, Wagner turned away from themes of power and romantic love towards the sacred realm, aiming to compose a work in which ‘the most sublime mysteries of the Christian faith are openly presented on stage’. His ‘festival play of consecration’ re-tells the ancient story of Parsifal, a ‘holy fool’ made wise through pity and redeemed by a simple act of compassion. Act III is the spiritual heart and emotional climax of the work, as Parsifal fulfils his journey towards understanding. After a solemn orchestral prelude to represent the turmoil from which the world must be saved, there follow two scenes of redemption. In the first, Parsifal shares his own transformation with Kundry by baptising her; in the second, he heals the wounds of Amfortas. Between the two scenes, the famous Good Friday Music celebrates the day on which the world is renewed – a moving paean to the beauty of nature that sees springtime as a reflection of the Resurrection of Christ on Easter Day. The work ends with an unforgettable chorus, a symbolic joining of earth and heaven, as boy trebles join a massed chorus while a white dove descends. ‘The hero’s path to compassion and understanding can be a metaphor’ says Pope Francis, ‘to better understand how human beings understand themselves today.’

Sir Mark Elder and the Hallé are second-to-none in this music. Their 2013 Proms performance was described by The Guardian as ‘a constant wonder’ and by The Spectator as ‘miraculous’, while for The Daily Telegraph he and the orchestra found the ‘spiritual halo’ and ‘all the essential pain and anguish’ of the work. Heard in York Minster during Holy Week, this will surely be an unforgettable performance.

Heard in York Minster during Holy Week, as part of the Ryedale Festival, this will surely be an unforgettable performance.

Tickets are available from the Ryedale Festival website.

DATE 17 Apr 19

TIME 7:30 pm

LOCATION Nave

PRICE From £20

What’s on in York: Bach St John Passion (sung in English) at York Minster on Saturday

  • Saturday 6th April 2019 7:30pm

Enjoy hearing this unforgettable work in the superb setting of York Minster, performed by York Musical Society with a choir of over 100 voices, six soloists and a full orchestra. The ideal music and setting as Easter approaches!

Bach wrote the St John Passion during his first year as director of music at Leipzig and it was first performed in 1724. The Evangelist’s words closely follow the text of Luther’s version of St John’s Gospel. The chorales used melodies and words that would have been sung by the congregation in Bach’s day. When you hear it, you will experience why the Passion is still frequently performed and greatly loved.

Ticket Information: Front nave £20 | Rear nave £15 | Side aisles £10 | Student & children 13-17 £5 | Children 12 and under 12 free with accompanying adult

2 hours 15 minutes (including 15 minute interval)
Doors: 6.45pmB

Available via the Theatre Royal HERE