A bid to give York’s riverside a Spring clean is three-quarters complete.

York BID, with partners and volunteers, have been sprucing up tired-looking benches, bike racks, bollards, bins, and other street furniture.

The project began in January, made possible from Barclays Bank and Middletons Hotel paying for all the supplies.

Four Rejuventation Days have seen over 50 volunteers refresh more than 150 items of street furniture in Parliament Street, High Ousegate, Coppergate, Piccadilly, Davygate, Lendal, and St Sampson’s Square.

The initiative started as just one of many outputs from the Cleaning and Rejuvenation Partners meeting; a bimonthly gathering between York BID, City of York Council, York Civic Trust, Make It York, and York High Street Forum, which identified city centre infrastructure needing attention.

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The current riverside project has seen nearly 60 volunteers and contributions from Hilton York, Barclays, Yorkshire Building Society, Howl, Queens Hotel, McDonald’s, Premier Inn, Indie York, York Conservation Trust, Eboracum, York Civic Trust, York BID, City of York Council, Middlethorpe Hotel, Nuffield Health York Hospital, and residents.

They worked on the riverside area, refreshing street furniture on King’s Staith, King Street, Cumberland Street, Low Ousegate, Nessgate, Clifford Street, South Esplanade, Castlegate, Tower Gardens, Spurriergate, and Tower Street. Three quarters of the way through, more than 300 items of street furniture has been refreshed.

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To prepare for their efforts, the York BID Street Cleaning Team hot washed the area, cleaned off stickers and posters, and removed weeds and moss to help the riverside look its best.

Carl Alsop, Operations Manager at York BID, said: “These kinds of projects can often go under the radar; however, they make such a difference in the city and at the areas that need it most. The riverside is such a great part of York but has had a really tough time with flooding over the past few months, I’ve now seen firsthand how much of a difference this project has made in the area - just in time for some great weather!”

John Laud, Head of Corporate Banking for West and North Yorkshire at Barclays, said: “Wfelt a sense of pride and personal achievement by giving our time and seeing the impact we had. It was great to see more people and more businesses joining in this time and I hope that can continue in the future York BID projects.”

Adam Wardale, General Manager of Middletons Hotel, said: “It was great to see so many local businesses come together to assist the BID Team in revitalising areas of the city. Following York’s recent accolade as the number one city to visit in the country, it is crucial that we maintain and improve the appearance of our city – not only for visitors but also for local residents.”

To join on the Friday May 24 Rejuvenation Day or any others, email info@theyorkbid.com