BEHOLD brave St George as he stands in the shadow of York Minster.

The Lord Mayor of York, Councillor Janet Looker, kneels in honour of the patron saint of England - played here by Sheriff of York, Bob Scrase - in preparation for the St George's Day Ball taking place this month.

The civic duo are hoping to inspire people to join them at the fundraising ball on April 23 at York Racecourse.

The event promises to be a lively bash, with a casino, raffle, tombola and music performed by Shepherd's Brass Band and The Goosehorns.

The pair hope to raise a substantial amount of cash for their two chosen charities, York and North Yorkshire Community Foundation and York One World Linking Association.

Coun Looker said: "I'm hoping that it will be really good fun for everybody. It's just an opportunity for us all to let our hair down and have a good time without being too formal.

"We have been working very hard and this will be a chance for some light-hearted fun at the end of the year.

"It's not quite too late to get a ticket."

Tickets, costing £45, are available by phoning the York and North Yorkshire Community Foundation on 01759 377400.

Meanwhile, an auction of promises on internet auction site ebay raised about £1,300 for the two charities.

Prizes on offer during the week-long auction ranged from a glamorous day at York Races to a day with the city's rat catchers.

Not surprisingly, the amount raised from each lot varied tremendously.

The most popular lot was a footplate ride on a GNER train, which attracted bids of more than £400.

Two VIP passes to York Races, including lunch and a walk around the course prior to the meeting, sold for £215.

A day with the grimebusters, or the Rapid Response Unit, raised £22.

Coun Looker said the auction was a gamble, but had been well worth it.

She said: "It was definitely a gamble. We just didn't know what to expect.

"Some of the lots did terribly well and some didn't do quite so well - we just didn't know.

"It's the first time we have ever done an auction like this, and we did get some interest from overseas. It was well worth doing."

Updated: 10:03 Friday, April 08, 2005