What’s on in York: New heritage “Euro trail” launches on Sunday

Europe in York, York in Europe TRAIL event map

 

To celebrate Europe Day on Sunday May 9th, York for Europe is publishing a new trail “York in Europe, Europe in York”.

York has always been in the heart of Europe. Whilst Roman Eboracum and Viking Jorvik are all around us, many more countries of Europe have their markers in the city to the present day.

The trail explores York’s wide European heritage – through buildings, businesses, communities, individual stories and belongings.

The trail starts with three key points of York’s European connections, which merit a special visit in themselves: the old trading rivers of the Ouse and Foss, the Merchant Adventurers’ Hall, and the National Railway Museum which exhibits our historic and modern rail links across the Channel.

The trail then moves on to highlight 19 individual European countries present in York today, from Italy to Iceland, France to Finland, Portugal to Poland, Sweden to Slovakia and Norway to the Netherlands – allowing of course for the changes of country names and borders over time.  The compilers of the trail offer an “apology” to York’s Romans and Vikings: since they are already visible everywhere, they are side-lined a little to allow the limelight onto other countries.  However, they are still there in some remarkable personal items they left behind.

Sketch maps of the trail as well as a list of the countries in the trail with their numbered sites are attached.

York for Europe hopes that York people will enjoy a different way of looking at their city with perhaps some surprises, that our fellow European residents in York will find their longer history here, and that tourists from mainland Europe will have fun finding out if a bit of their country is built into York.

To access the trail guide go to 

www.yorkeuropean.uk   (click)

https://www.yorkeuropean.uk/trail_info.html

What’s on in York: Plant sale on 21st May confirmed

Poppleton Community Railway Nursery will be staging their annual plant sale in the Foxwood Community Centre car park on Friday 21st May.

The event will take place between 10:30am and 1:00pm.

The Foxwood Residents Association will also be running their “everyone a winner” tombola

What’s on in York: “Finding the Words” poetry events restarting at York Library

York Library is beginning to gets its events programmes sorted out for the post pandemic world.

Their poetry access sessions have been a popular choice in the past

 

Thursday 27 May 2021 at 7pm
Join us online on for our monthly warm and welcoming poetry evening Finding the Words with Rosalind Easton, Jill Penny and Jeffery Sugarman. 

 

 

 

 

Thursday 24 June 2021 at 7pm
Join us online on for our monthly warm and welcoming poetry evening

Finding the Words with Kathryn Bevis, Ellora Sutton and Shash Trevett

 

 

 

 

 

Thursday 22 July 2021 at 7pm
Join us online on for our monthly warm and welcoming poetry evening.

Finding the Words with Rachel Bower, Hannah Hodgson and Maggie Mackay

FREE Online Bridge Classes for Beginners

Did you know that York Bridge Club are moving from Holgate to Acomb? They are currently building new purpose-built premises in the grounds of Acomb Sports Club. The new clubhouse is due to open in late 2021.

When the new building opens the Club aims to attract a new generation of bridge players who are interested in taking up the game. If you are interested the bridge club would like to get you started straight away with your learning.

To encourage new players to get involved York Bridge Club has launched an initiative to offer free online bridge beginner classes. This is a great way to get rid of the those “lockdown blues” by taking up a new hobby.

Online presentations will be delivered by qualified teachers.  Ten weekly presentations each lasting around 45 minutes commence from 10am on Tuesday 23rd February. They will follow up each presentation the following day by facilitating themed practice of set hands.

All learners need is access to either a desktop, laptop or I-Pad. Instructions and invitations will be provided to registered students on how to access the learning. The Club will issue zoom invitations each week. If necessary, assistance with managing the IT requirement can be provided.

This opportunity is “not too good to be true”. It really is completely free of charge. The Bridge Club just hope learners find bridge compulsive and have an appetite for more when the free 10 weeks programme has ended. Eventually the Club hope you come and join them when their new clubhouse opens.

For more information and to register your interest, please email Mark Dunkley at secretary@theyorkbridgeclub.com.

Exercise during lockdown

Although group walks are banned during lockdown, there are a lot of options which can be followed on an individual basis in west York. Some are more taxing than others.

“Move the Masses“ produces a map covering three routes in the Acomb area including one that crosses Bachelor Hill (see below).

Click to enlarge

The same group also advertise routes which include Acomb Green (click) and Fishponds Wood (click)

Elsewhere the Westfield Ward Councillors have claimed on their Facebook page that the tree trunk, which currently blocks the Foxwood Lane access to Acomb Moor, will be moved “as soon as the ground dries out”.

Maybe so. But if this happens then we hope that walkers will restrict their movements to the perimeter of the field until the crop has been harvested.

One consequence of more people walking in the area is that the footpath infrastructure is deteriorating more quickly. There is a need for stiles to be repaired and for hardcore to be putdown at locations which are flooding.

Hardcore needed on some muddy sections of local footpaths

The Council has known about these pressures for some time and needs to reprioritise its leisure budgets to properly support healthy living routines.

What’s on in west York

Here are some events planned for the next few months

York Knights rugby was a popular choice on Acomb Green over the half term. We hope that they will return next year. We hope that the successful Acorn RLFC side will finally be able to get their season going in 2021.
Meanwhile Chesney Field based local football team The Beagle sit on top of their division. It is hoped that football fixtures will recommence on 5th December.
Foxwood Residents Association have announced their annual house lights competition. A little different this year with extra marks for displays celebrating the work of the NHS and essential workers.
Gardeners wanted
Acomb Explore Library. Now open Tuesday to Saturday for pre-booked appointments. There will be access to PCs and printers and pre-ordered books for collection.
& alot of “virtual” events still taking place during lockdown. Click image to see more

York Minster exhibition proving popular

Around 500 people a days are visiting a new exhibition at York Minster.

Running until 17 January 2021, the exhibition – The Heart of Yorkshire:  Creativity and Culture in York Minster’s Collections – takes place in the cathedral’s 13th century Chapter House and features around 50 items, including some rarely on public display.

Highlights include one of the oldest stained glass panels in Europe, ornate 13th century silver artefacts discovered in a former Archbishop’s grave and a copy of York’s first newspaper, printed in the city by an eminent female printer.

The exhibition also includes a copy of York’s first newspaper, the York Mercury, printed in the city by Grace White, who was one of three entrepreneurial female printers in the city operating in the 1600s and 1700s at a time when the industry was dominated by men.

Grace took over her husband’s printing press when she became a widow and ran the business between 1716 and 1721 leading the way with the creation of the local newspaper, with the city eventually boasting eight different titles.

Among the manuscripts on display in the exhibition is the Bolton Hours, a beautifully illuminated 15th century Book of Hours, the exquisite detail of which includes 47 full-page pictures of saints and biblical scenes, and six smaller miniatures.

The exhibition is open from during normal visiting times, currently Monday to Thursday 11am – 4.30pm, Friday and Saturday 10am – 4.30pm and Sunday 12.30pm – 2.30pm. Entry is included with a standard admission ticket and entry to the Minster is free for York residents with a valid proof of address.

Tickets click

NB. The organ is currently being reinstalled in the Minster. Next comes the not inconsiderable task of tuning the instrument! The internal scaffolding should be coming down shortly