The Lord Mayor of York's campaign to light up the city this Christmas has won a major boost - from the new Naburn Designer Outlet Village.

BAA McArthurGlen, owner of the out-of-town centre which opens this autumn, has donated £10,000 to help ensure York has its best-ever festive lights display.

The Lord Mayor, Councillor Derek Smallwood, said the money would help illuminate potential "black holes" in the city centre, not covered by lighting schemes being organised by individual streets with council financial backing.

It might, for example, go towards "tasteful and appropriate" lighting on bridges over the River Ouse, such as Lendal Bridge.

But he stressed that such decisions would be made by the Christmas Lights Committee, a partnership organisation involving the Mayor, the chamber and city economic development unit, and also the Evening Press - which kicked off the appeal with a £1,000 donation earlier this year.

Coun Smallwood said he hoped the latest donation was just the first in a series of important boosts to the fund, revealing that he was in talks with two or three other potential donors.

Patience O'Connor, director of management and marketing UK and Europe for BAA McArthurGlen, said it decided to help out after reading about the Mayor's appeal in the Evening Press.

The donation reflected the company's desire to be involved in, and be a part of, the York community.

She claimed the outlet village would not compete with the city centre but complement it. "We couldn't compete with somewhere like York," she said.

The company believed extra shoppers attracted from many miles around to Naburn would in many cases go on to shop in the city centre.

This was borne out at Swindon, where she said the town centre had enjoyed an increase in trade of more than 10 per cent since a similar outlet village opened nearby last year.

But the company also believed that if more shoppers were attracted to the city centre, Naburn would also benefit from extra trade.

"The more successful York is, the more successful we are."

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