THE juniors at our school enjoyed a day at the Minster. When they saw that the Dean and Chapter were considering introducing entry fees they wrote their thoughts on the subject.

I enclose three of their letters.

S Groghegan,

Terrington CE School,

North Back Lane,

Terrington.

....THE Minster should charge entry fees because it needs to pay for repairs, cleaning and electricity which comes to about £50,000 a year.

However, some people want to visit the Minster to pray and they should not be charged. People who want to go to a service shouldn't be charged either.

Because it's a church, it should be at an affordable price so everyone can visit. They could still leave the donation boxes in case people want to give more.

Matthew Wilson.

...A GOOD way of raising the cost, but keeping the public interested, would be to have more hands-on activities for children and grown-ups so more people will want to visit the Minster.

This way you'll have twice the crowds and even more money. The Minster is an important part of history and needs to be preserved and this costs money.

Jonathan Crowe.

....We think there should be admission charges because the Minster has been losing money for the past year.

They need the money for the maintenance of the building. We think children should be admitted free, adults about £3. People who are going to pray should also get in free. York Minster is a wonderful place and it needs looking after.

Ben and Troy.

Updated: 10:26 Wednesday, February 27, 2002