YORK'S "hello girls" are planning a "goodbye bash", and are trying to find former friends and colleagues to help them.

The city's telephone exchange will take its last directory inquiries call next month, before the 192 service centre closes down.

But the "hello girls" - and boys - who staff the lines say they are not willing to let the place go without throwing a party to commemorate its long history.

"It really is the end of a very long era in York," said event organisers Wendy Bryant and Phyllis Ridsdel. "And we felt that we wanted to mark it with a special occasion.

"We hope that as many employees as possible, both past and present, will turn out to make sure the end of that long era is marked properly.

"It is not just former operators who are invited to take part, staff from all departments who worked in the Stonebow or Lendal exchanges are invited to come along and join in."

York's first telephone exchange was opened by the National Telephone Company in Parliament Street in 1886, when there were only 11 subscribers in the city.

The Stonebow exchange opened in 1955, boasting 5,928 telephone lines and 11,255 telephone sets connected.

There are now 202,000 customers connected to Stonebow, receiving services ranging from ordinary telephones to high-speed Internet access.

But a recent downturn in the number of people using directory inquiries has prompted BT to close the centre down.

All calls will now be re-routed to other centres, while the 35 full-time BT staff have had their jobs transferred to the company's customer inquiry centre, also in the Stonebow building.

It is expected that temporary staff will be found new positions by employment agency Manpower.

A BT spokeswoman said: "Customers are now able to use the Internet to access directory inquiry services for themselves.

"There are a number of other options as well, such as phonebase and phonedisc for businesses to use.

"This played a major part in the decision to close down the directory inquiry centre and transfer the calls we take there to other centres."

For information on how plans for the party are progressing, phone exchange manager Sylvia Marsham on 01904 657430. Former members of staff wanting to attend must register, and can do so by phoning the same number.

Updated: 11:30 Monday, February 04, 2002