Launching Today, 3rd of December, is the brand new ‘York Quest’ AR mobile phone app featuring a festive ‘Santa search’ to encourage families into the city to find a series of seven Christmas characters who have taken up residence on York’s historic streets. Take a fun photo and share on social media! The app is called York Quest, and is available on Google Play Store or App Store and has been co-funded by Make it York.
An event already started is a York Gift Card ‘Advent Calendar’ offering £25 York gift card prizes to customers who are lucky enough to be the ‘in the right place, at the right time, on the right day’, culminating in a grand lottery draw on Christmas Eve where someone who has shopped in a local business during December can win a whopping £1,000 York Gift Card.
To find out how to enter the lottery, please visit the York BID’s social media channels where you will find the terms and conditions.
Or visit the website HERE for more details.
Make a World of Different – Support Local This Christmas
The BID created a campaign to bring together all of their fantastic ideas – The ‘Make a World of Difference – Support Local This Christmas’ campaign which uses a striking ‘York Globe’ artwork from Ben Staves of local business StavesArt who trades on the Shambles Market will run alongside the above programme of events which will bring some festive fun into the city for visitors to enjoy.
Also being launched in December is a fantastic ‘Feature Tree’ to create a spectacular addition to the Winter light display at the Eye of York. With a staggering 1km of lights, it is the first installation of this type in the UK. There’s also something very special coming to the empty window space of Debenhams and Virgin Money stores which families won’t want to miss!
Andrew Lowson, Exec Director of the York BID says, “We are urging people to shop and spend local this Christmas. Our local businesses need us more than ever before, because we are not going to get visitors from further afield with many of our neighbouring counties in Tier 3”.
York’s businesses have spent time and money making their premises covid secure and welcoming environments. The BID and partners will highlight the great offering the city has, because if we can encourage local people, who we know use the city centre, to visit, and most importantly spend, it really could make a world of difference this Christmas.”
Ben Staves who created the York Globe is fully behind the business support message being promoted by the BID. He says, “I think the York BID campaign supporting local businesses in and around York is incredibly important, in this year more than ever. As we all know, 2020 has been full of difficulties and uncertainty for everybody, including many small independent businesses. The support that the York BID and York City Council has shown really will make a world of difference to us and I’m sure that we at StavesArt are not the only ones who have missed the busy weekends at The Shambles Market this year. We are really looking forward to getting back into York, especially with that festive atmosphere in the run up to Christmas!“