New parents help Register Office raise £6,000 for York’s special babies

The team at City of York Council’s Register Office has raised £6,000 for the Special Care Baby Unit (SCBU) at York Hospital thanks to the generosity of new parents in the city.

York Register Office 56 Bootham, York YO30 7DA

Parents registering a birth are offered a folder in which to keep their new baby’s birth certificate. The folders are supplied free to the office so that every penny of the donations for them from the public goes towards supporting SCBU’s work with ill or premature babies.

The Register Office team, which also offers a death registration service at York Hospital Bereavement Suite and attends a local Sure Start centre to register births, has raised over £39,000 in the last decade.

Amanda Sykes, York Register Office Manager said: “We are delighted that our partnership with the Special Care Baby Unit is continuing to help ill and premature babies across the city.

“This is only made possible through the generosity of our visitors so I would like to thank everyone who has donated. Through our work we get a glimpse into the brilliant work of the Special Care Baby Unit so to raise over £35,000 in the past decade is amazing.”

Sister Beth Howarth from the Special Care Baby Unit said: “We are unbelievably appreciative of this generous gift and would like to say a massive thank you. Donations of any size allow us to go that extra mile for our families at what can be a difficult time. This wonderful donation will allow us to purchase additional equipment which otherwise would not be able to happen; so thank you.”

York’s Register Office re-opens after refurbishment

York Register Office 56 Bootham, York YO30 7DA

York’s Register Office at 56 Bootham – will re-open for weddings on Saturday (10 March) following a refurbishment of the Grade II listed Georgian building.

The £130,000 scheme has seen the creation of the new ‘Ebor room’ where wedding parties can chat to the registrar and prepare themselves for the ceremony; an improved reception area; the relocation of the upstairs ceremony room to the ground floor making it more easily accessible, and an additional interview room, which will enable the office to carry out more appointments.

In addition to the refurbishment, registrars have been working on a digitisation project which means that customers will soon be able to book appointments with a registrar, make payments and order copy certificates online 24/7 for the first time via www.york.gov.uk, making it even quicker and easier.

Amanda Sykes, Registration Services Manager, City of York Council, said: “I’d like to thank all our customers and staff for their patience while the refurbishment was going on. We’re delighted with the new-look office and hope it will really improve facilities for our customers.”

Ann Reid

Councillor Ann Reid, Interim Executive Member for Culture, Leisure and Tourism, City of York Council, said: “The Register Office is a key civic building in the city and I’m really pleased that we’ve been able to improve the facilities, whilst keeping the unique look and feel of the historic building.”

Contact information for York Register Office is unchanged: call 01904 654477 or email registrar@york.gov.uk.

During the week commencing 12 March, some appointments will still take place at West Offices – customers are advised to double check when they make their appointment whether it will be at Bootham or West Offices. All ceremonies will be held at Bootham from 10 March

York’s Register Office to temporarily close for refurbishment

 

York Register Office 56 Bootham, 

York’s Register Office will temporarily close early next year (7 January – 9 March) while the building undergoes a programme of refurbishment.

Residents will be able to register births, deaths and statutory marriage ceremonies at the council’s West Offices Headquarters during the temporary closure. Registrars will also be based at York Hospital and at the city’s children’s centres, making it easier to register deaths and births.

Wedding ceremonies will take place at York Mansion House or Bedern Hall during the closure period, while the monthly citizenship ceremonies will be held at the Mansion House.

The refurbishment will see the creation of a new ‘bride room’ where brides can chat to the registrar and prepare themselves for the ceremony; an improved reception area; a second, ground-floor ceremony room, and an additional interview room, which will enable the office to carry out more appointments.

Cllr Ann Reid, Interim Executive Member for Culture, Leisure and Tourism, City of York Council, said: “We’re really excited about the programme of refurbishment, which will make the facilities at the Register Office even better for our customers and staff.
“We hope that the temporary relocation of registration services to West Offices, in addition to registrars being located at York Hospital and children’s centres, will ensure that we can continue to provide a first class service for York residents.”

Contact information for York Register Office will not change during the relocation. Call 01904 654477, or email registrar@york.gov.uk.

Emergency contact is also available from 10.00am to 11.00am on Saturdays, Sundays and Bank Holidays (not Christmas Day), should people need to contact the team about an emergency funeral for religious reasons; please telephone: 0778674859.

The Register Office will reopen on Saturday 10 March.