The Evening Press today weighs in to back York Business Pride.

The paper has become the official media partner in the campaign to create a city wonderful for traders, shoppers, potential inward investors and tourists.

We already publish a monthly Business Pride column on the Evening Press Business Page and there's a special section on our website, www.thisisyork.co.uk

Within just a few weeks, York businesses have raised £150,000 towards the initiative to spruce up the city.

This will eventually involve improved signs and litter bins; supporting the police's tough stand on begging, street drinking and shoplifting, while backing shelter organisations to help the genuinely disadvantaged; and beautifying key locations like Duncombe Place, the art gallery and Exhibition Square.

The Evening Press is offering its full support for the initiative which carries on the work started by our Proud To Be York campaign a few years ago. York & County Press managing director Liz Page said: "We are proud to be a partner with York Business Pride, not only as a newspaper but as a local business which employs more than 300 full-time staff and indirectly employs 1,000 people locally.

"Some years ago we launched Proud To Be York, aimed at persuading local schools, residents, streets and businesses to smarten up their respective areas of the city.

"The campaign was particularly successful, but Business Pride is taking the idea much, much further and has really captured the imagination of the city's business community."

Adam Sinclair, chairman of the Business Pride board, said: "We are delighted to have the Evening Press's backing in this initiative.

"The paper has already done a wonderful job promoting the work we are doing but to have them as a partner adds a powerful voice which can only increase the credibility of York Business Pride."

Updated: 11:02 Friday, April 02, 2004