A COLOSSAL fundraising effort by the Lord Mayor of York and his committee has raised more than £63,000 for his chosen charities this year.

The cash will be split between York Against Cancer and the Brunswick organic nursery and craft workshop in Bishopthorpe – a workplace for adults with learning difficulties.

Coun John Galvin and his fundraising team put on a packed schedule of events over the past year, including a Venetian masked ball, two Gurkha curry evenings, a sponsored bike ride and a festive flower festival. Other highlights included a ceildih, a fashion show, a wine tasting evening, a golf day, a historical lecture series and a carol concert.

The grand finale was a drinks reception and tour hosted by the Archbishop of York, Dr John Sentamu, at Bishopthorpe Palace.

Coun Galvin, who will hand over his mayoral duties next week, said: “It really is a remarkable result and that is largely down to the hard work of my charity committee and the tremendous support we’ve had from right across the community.”

Adam Myers, the manager at Brunswick, said he had been “completely bowled over” by the money that had been raised by the committee, chaired by Iain Robertson.

He said: “We really do appreciate their hard work and creativity, as it would have taken us so long to raise that sort of money.

“Our workers have also really enjoyed getting involved with the fundraising. The added kudos of having the Lord Mayor of York helping them pack bags at Sainsbury’s really meant a lot to them.”

He said they hoped to use the money to extend an office and build a new farm shop and workshop on the site to replace the temporary buildings that are currently being used. Julie Barnie, general manager at York Against Cancer, said its share of the money would help to fund the charity’s three projects – cancer care, education and research.

She said: “It is absolutely amazing and we would like to say a really big thank you to the Lord Mayor, the civic party and everybody on the committee.”