Revellers see in the year 2000 outside York Minster

York's year of Millennium celebrations are to be captured on videotape for posterity for present and future generations.

Whether it was the huge celebrations at the Minster on New Year's Eve, the upcoming Lord Mayor's Parade or any one of hundreds of smaller events put on by the city's residents, the contents of the video will provide a snapshot of life in the year 2000.

The film is a City of York Council initiative, but its organisers are appealing for residents of the city to come forward with their own ideas and events they would like to see captured on tape for all time.

City of York Council voluntary services officer, Wesley Zepherin, who is co-ordinating the project, said: "The idea is to produce some sort of memento of the year 2000 that is available for people to study or enjoy.

"We are looking for any events in the city we can film that will add to the flavour of the year that other people might otherwise not know about." Mr Zepherin added: "We are totally open to suggestions and need interesting smaller events to complement the larger ones, although we can't promise that everything will get in as we are limited with the length of the video."

York-based director Binny Baker will blend the images together into a 60-minute video which the council plans to distribute to libraries and to have on sale in the city early in the year 2001.

Rob Parker, manager of the Old Dairy Studios in Tadcaster Road where the video will be compiled and edited, said: "The focus will be on the activities in York from one end of the year to the other.

"It will be a documentary record of what happened over the course of the year and will be a great archive and reference tool."

* If you are planning a Millennium event you would like to see on the film, contact Rob Parker on 01904 708333.

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.