York Minster is set to stage an international heritage festival, featuring dignitaries from New York and other parts of the world.
The event was revealed in a debriefing of this year’s trip to New York involving the minster, West and North Yorkshire Chamber of Commerce, city businesses and the York Civic Party.
The self-funded May trip was to celebrate the 100th anniversary of New York presenting a bonze plaque to York in 1924, which can be seen in the Guildhall.
In return, York presented New York this year with a ledger stone, created at the minster, and erected at St Thomas Church in Manhattan.
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The visit included a trade mission, which featured a range of events including “The Great Yorkshire Show Comes to America” featuring a range of county businesses.
Sarah Czarnecki, president of the York and North Yorkshire Chamber of Commerce, said the links between the two cities are strengthening and it was “a very successful trade mission.”
James Mason, chief executive of West and North Yorkshire Chamber of Commerce said the visit “helped grow the wider footprint of our members.”
He then introduced business who have gained leads and custom from taking part.
Andy Callaghan of the Jammed online booking agency said he had been meeting with various people in the music industry and was expecting to announced contracts shortly.
Sarah Baines of Grantley Hall hotel near Ripon and Ammie Jones of Castle Howard said their visit led to ten bookings of five day stays. US Journalists are also looking to pay a media visit to both venues next year.
Alex McCallion, York Minster’s director of works and precinct, said the Centre of Excellence technical hub, which will develop stonemasonry skills, is nearing completion and will open early next year.
To celebrate this, a return delegation from New York will visit the city for the York Minster International Festival in August. Details were being finalised, but the minster was meeting with officials from New York to organise events.
The festival included a grand dinner in the Merchant’s Hall, where today’s debriefing was held.
Alex said: “Its an opportunity for all of us to showcase the city.”
York Minster is also working with organisations such as The Met Museum in New York. The ‘key link’ with them would help the minster better protect its collections of heritage items, he said.
Another ‘key link’ was formed during the New York visit with Visit Britain, for the minster and the city “to reach beyond the UK.”
The minster has also set up a charity “American Friends of York Minster” to help fundraise.
Alex added: “I look for opportunities all over the world on a global scale.”
At the event, the chamber also announced that following the success of the New York trip it was gauging members on a future trip to Dubai, or China, the USA or other countries.
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