Hundreds of people gathered to spread Christmas cheer in York.
The group – over 360 of the city’s older residents – met in the Assembly Rooms, Blake Street, for the Lord Mayor and Sheriff of York’s Christmas Cheer Receptions on Tuesday, December 5.
They were the first receptions to be held for three years, with Covid preventing previous events from going ahead.
Guests were treated to festive entertainment provided by choir groups from Clifton Green Primary School and St George’s RC Primary School.
York Philharmonic Male Voice Choir lead the community singing of some of the most popular Christmas carols and tunes at both of the receptions.
The Lord Mayor of York, Chris Cullwick, welcomed the guests as they were served with sandwiches, cake and mince pies. Everyone was then entered into a raffle with prizes donated by local businesses.
During the Carol singing, the Civic Party were invited to sing the opening verse of Away in a Manger and received a very warm round of applause.
These receptions are to free to attend and have been held since the mid 1950’s.
They are partly funded by York’s Annual Community Carol Concert – to be held at York Barbican on Sunday, December 17, at 2pm.
Visitors can join Shepherd Group Youth Band, Badger Hill School Choir, Track 29 Ladies Harmony Chorus, York Stage School and Steve Cassidy for a Christmas sing along under the baton of Musical Director Mike Pratt. Carol concert favourites Adam Tomlinson and Rev Andrew Foster will also return to keep audiences entertained.
This year the concert will raise money for the Snappy Trust after being nominated by The Press as their chosen charity.
The small charity is based in the city and dedicated to maximising the personal development of children and young people with wide ranging disabilities.
Sheriff of York's Christmas Cheer Fund had always been the charities supported by York's Annual Community Carol Concert.
From 1986 the newspaper decided to choose a different charity to benefit each year from the festive concert. Since then numerous local charities have received thousands of pounds in donations.
This year marks the 65th anniversary of the concert.
Read next:
- Incident rooms open as fresh flood warning issued for York
- York firms in major village housing scheme
- Two British music icons to join forces for headline gig in North Yorkshire
A spokesperson for the event said: "It wouldn’t be Christmas without York’s Annual Community Carol Concert. For 65 years the concert has marked the start of the festive season and we are back at York Barbican with a bang - and maybe some snow too - to celebrate 65 years of festive fun and all your favourite Christmas carols and songs.
"Help us make a difference to the lives of people in our community this Christmas. Be ready for laughs and maybe some festive surprises."
Last year more than 1,300 people attended the annual festive show.
Tickets are priced at £8 adults and £6 children with a family ticket costing £25 for two adults and two children. They are available online from the York Barbican website or by emailing: ticketing@yorkbarbican.co.uk
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here