Mrs Gumley, 59, from Foxwood Lane, has been donating her time to St Leonard's Hospice and has made a Citizens' Pledge to continue her work.

She has prompted husband James and other volunteers to do the same and urged others to join them.

She said: "The work that St Leonard's Hospice is doing is very good and I wanted to commit myself to keep helping them.

"I know the hospice could always do with more volunteers, so I would urge others to do the same as me."

The Citizens' Pledge is a City of York Council scheme to encourage people to make promises to improve the city they live in.

So far, pledges have been varied and include swapping cars for bikes, keeping neighbourhoods clean and planting flowers.

Erzsi Lyne De Ver, voluntary services and personnel co-ordinator at the hospice, said: "We rely very heavily on our volunteers.

"They are one of our most valuable resources and they provide a first-class service in so many areas.

"Their willingness and adaptability is amazing and we would certainly be much the poorer without their skills and generosity.

In fact, we could not survive without them."