St Nicholas Fields Urban Nature Park did indeed start as a campaign in 1988 by a call from the then chair of York Natural Environment Trust to remain a natural area which he hoped "would remain gloriously overgrown."

I joined YNET in their campaign, indeed I became the St Nicholas Fields Co-ordinator.

We (YNET) campaigned for four years with petitions, letters and public awareness day trips around St Nick's.

The old York City Council listened to what people were saying, but it also helped that the cost of turning the site into a large industrial area with some social housing became too expensive. So 18 acres was designated as a "nature area".

However, by 1992 a new group had been formed by local residents called the Friends of St Nicholas Fields.

The council saw this group as being the natural managers of the area, in keeping with devolving local responsibility to residents.

The aim of the 'Friends' was to promote the site as a natural area of flora and fauna, which could also provide leisure amenity space and educational opportunities for everyone.

We still do.

We are affiliated to YNET but are a totally separate body with our own constitution and trustees. We are not a council run organisation, but we do receive financial support from them. Anyone wishing to find out more about St Nicholas Fields can phone me on 01904 430402 or pop into Tang Hall Community Centre.

Gordon Thomas,

Project Co-ordinator,

Tang Hall Community Centre,

Fifth Avenue,

York.

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