York Minster prepares for an active summer!
With the weather outside continuing to look rather dreary, York Minster is doing everything it can to ensure that visitors’ spirits are not dampened, with great days out that even the traditional British summer cannot spoil!
Over the school holidays, York Minster will be hosting a range of family-friendly activities designed to keep the younger visitors entertained, including a free discovery trail with Monty the Monkey, craft activities where children can design a shield or a stained glass sun-catcher, make a Minster monster (or grotesque) from clay, or even a crown fit for a king – all under York Minster’s watertight roof!
“Just as York Minster has long been a place of spiritual pilgrimage for Christians, today it is a hub for visitors to the city and residents alike. Whether it is blazing sunshine or pouring rain outside, the temperature in York Minster remains pretty comfortably constant throughout the summer months, and even the most regular visitor can come back and find something new with every visit,” comments York Minster’s Learning Manager, Kate Whitworth. “Best of all, up to four children can come in free with any paying adult, and the ticket is valid for a full year, so it will cover holiday visits right through into 2013!”
Another highlight is the Stoneyard Open Day, taking place on Friday 10 August. Free tours of the workyard to meet the masons and apprentices and watch them at work on the latest carved artworks which will replace worn stone on York Minster combine with themed tours inside the Minster, and a rare chance to take the lift to the top of the scaffold on the East Front to see the masons at work hundreds of feet above ground level!
The summer holiday plans complement a raft of other activities taking place within York Minster. Visitors can climb up the Central Tour to the top of York Minster – the highest publically-accessible point in the city – for views over York and beyond, including a birds-eye view of the restoration works currently taking place on York Minster’s East Front (a small additional fee applies).Meanwhile, for those who would rather avoid the steep climb to the top of the tower, ground-level tours take place every hour from 11.00am to 3.00pm daily, with special Minster Curiosity Tours on Saturdays at 2.30pm.
The timetable for children’s workshops is as follows:
- Design a Shield - Wednesday 25 July, 10.00am – 12 noon
- Handmade Tiles – Wednesday 1 August, 10.00am – 12 noon
- Stained Glass Sun Catchers – Wednesday 8 August, 10.00am – 12 noon
- Fabulous Flags - Wednesday 15 August, 10.00am – 12 noon
- Clay Creatures – Wednesday 22 August, 10.00am – 12 noon
- Crowns fit for Kings – Wednesday 29 August, 10.00am – 12 noon
Please note that places on the workshops are limited, and should be prebooked online at wonders.yorkminster.org. Workshops cost £2.50 per participant.
“For visitors who perhaps don’t have time at the end of their day to come and have a full look at York Minster, we’d always encourage that they pop in to our sung Evensong services, Monday to Saturday at 5.15pm, or 4.15pm on Sundays,” adds York Minster’s Acting Dean, Rev. Glyn Webster. “Entry into all services is free, and we welcome people of any faith or culture to share the services with us. During the school summer holidays, as our own choir takes a well-earned break, the services are performed by visiting choirs, creating a very different Evensong experience every day.”
York Minster is also running a series of organ concerts from July to September under the heading “Summer Royal Recitals”. The jubilee-themed concerts take place every Saturday evening from 28 July to 15 September. Top British Country folk bank, The Unthanks, are also performing alongside the renowned Rastrick Brass Band on 17 August in an evening concert in the Nave.
For more details on events and activities, or to book tickets for workshops or concerts, please visit www.wonders.yorkminster.org
ENDS
For further media information, please contact:
Jay Commins
Footprint
Tel: 0113 251 5698 / 07810 546567
Email: jay@fim.org.uk
