The Woodthorpe Community Group’s ‘Merry & Bright’ event takes place on Saturday 1 December at 4pm at the shops on Moorcroft Road. There’ll be music, refreshments and of course Santa!
Recycling advice over Christmas period
City of York Council’s Recycling Team is helping residents to have a ‘green’ Christmas this year by providing festive dos and don’ts to make it even easier to recycle and re-use Christmas waste.
Greetings cards, wrapping paper and crackers are just some of the items that can be recycled through the council’s household waste and recycling collections.
Councillor Andrew Waller, executive member for environment, said: “Christmas is a time of great joy and celebration for most people, but it’s also a time when we create lots of extra waste.
“Just giving a bit of ‘One Planet’ thought to how we can recycle, re-use and compost Christmas waste can make a huge difference to the amount we throw away.
“Re-using items such as wrapping paper and gift bags can also be a great way to help keep costs down next Christmas.”
Festive ‘dos’ to recycle include:
- Greetings cards
- Wrapping paper (non foil)
- Cardboard
- Crackers (remove all the embellishments, such as bows, first)
- Bottles
- Tins
Real Christmas trees and wreaths (with tinsel and decorations removed) can be recycled at Hazel Court or Towthorpe Waste Household Recycling Centres. Lots of food waste can be composted and re-used in the garden. Visit www.getcomposting.com for more information.
Festive don’ts to recycle:
- Heavily glittered items
- Tinsel
- Foil wrapping paper
- Plastic Christmas trees and wreaths
For some tasty recipes on using up festive leftovers and hints on how to reduce food waste visit www.lovefoodhatewaste.com
Residents can check their recycling collection days using:
the calendar which the council distributed to households across the city in October and November
online at www.york.gov.uk/refuselookup
get free alerts to smartphones or tablets by downloading the OnePlanetYork app from itunes or google playstore.
The city’s household waste centres are open every day except Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year’s day (with Towthorpe also closed on Wednesdays). To check what can go in your recycling boxes, visit www.york.gov.uk/waste
For more information on festive waste and recycling visit www.york.gov.uk/festivereycling
Extra waste collections over the Christmas period
All households will get extra household waste collections (grey bins/black sacks) during weeks commencing 18 December 2017 and 2 January 2018… Put your waste out by 7.00am for collection! click CHECK YOUR COLLECTION DAY/DATES: WWW.YORK.GOV.UK/REFUSELOOKUP
Santas got his socks, now he needs more sweets!
Thanks to the nimble fingered residents of York who have donated over 800 stockings to this years Santa’s socks appeal we now need more sweets to fill them all!
These will then be given to those who are the most in need across the city.
The Santa’s Socks initiative is a community arts project organised by the council’s York Learning team. The project encourages groups and individuals to make stockings which will be filled with sweets and stationery items. They will then be donated to food banks across the city, IDAS, (Independent Domestic Abuse Service) and homeless shelters for young people. Extra stocking will be donated to changing lives organisations.
Due to the overwhelmingly generous response we’re asking residents and businesses to donate sweets to help fill the stockings. People are asked to ensure that the sweets will still be in date by 30 December 2017 and that they have all the wrapping intact, but not wrapped in Christmas paper.
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Something a little different for Christmas? Try Goddards on Tadcaster Road
Something a little different this Christmas?
Goddards on Tadcaster Road
Take a seat in the former Terry family dining room that overlooks the Arts and Crafts garden and enjoy a special two or three course lunch.
Friday to Sunday
17th Nov to 17th Dec
Booking essential
Menu
To start:
- Onion soup with gluten free cheese scone crouton.
- Mackerel and beet salad.
- Smoked salmon and herb mousse.
Main course:
- Conisbee turkey and trimmings with seasonal vegetables.
- Beef, onion and red wine pie with season vegetables.
- Polenta and squash salad with goat’s cheese and orange dressing.
To finish:
- Classic Christmas pudding.
- Ginger and caramel cheesecake.
- Poached pears in honey and orange.
Three courses £24.95
Two courses £19.95
More details and booking Call 01904 771956
Please look out for vulnerable neighbours over the Christmas period
City of York Council is urging residents to think of vulnerable friends and neighbours over the festive period.
It’s estimated that over half a million older people in the UK spend Christmas Day alone*.
Councillor Carol Runciman, Cabinet member for Adult Social Care and Health, City of York Council, said: “For many people, Christmas and the festive break is a chance to spend time with family and friends. But for hundreds of older and vulnerable people across the York area the holiday period can be a lonely and difficult time.
“I would urge people to pop in to check on vulnerable neighbours or make time for elderly relatives to make sure they have a warm, healthy and happy Christmas. No one should be lonely over the festive period.”
Top tips for supporting older or vulnerable neighbours, friends and relatives, include:
- Make sure they’re warm enough – the temperature in their home should be at least 18oC, particularly if they are not mobile, have long term illness or are 65 or over, and they may need to wear several layers of clothes to stay warm.
- Try to make sure they have regular hot meals and drinks throughout the day.
- Check that they have enough medication to last the period that their GP practice is closed, so they don’t risk getting ill if they run out.
- Information about social groups and activities for older people is available through www.connecttosupport.org/york or through contacting Age UK York on 01904 627995.
Christmas can also be a particularly difficult time for people living with dementia. For information about how to support people with dementia over the festive period, visit http://www.alzheimers.org.uk/ and search for ‘tips for Christmas support’.
For more information about Age UK’s national Spread the Warmth campaign visit http://www.ageuk.org.uk/ or see http://www.york.gov.uk/for more information about keeping well during winter.
*figures based on research carried out by Age UK in 2011
Christmas bus services in York
“Free” Park and Ride from some sites on Boxing Day
All Services
- Click to access
[5]Additional buses from:
- (1) Wigginton at 0607, 0633, 0725 /
- Chapelfields at 0625, 0655 /
- (5/5A) Strensall at 0620 /
- Acomb at 0620, 0650 /
- (11) Bishopthorpe at 0703 /
- Ashley Park at 0753 /
- (12) Foxwood Lane at 0635, 0725 /
- Monks Cross at 0658, 0728
Park and Ride
Click for full timetable
[6] Free buses on 3, 7 and 9 running every 15 minutes, calling at all stops: York Boxing Day timetable
Catch your Christmas pudding on the Knavesmire tomorrow (Sunday)
Date: Sun 6 Dec
Time: Registration opens 9am
Venue: York Knavesmire
Cost : £10
Dress up like Santa and chase a christmas pudding around the Knavesmire. Run up to 6Km and raise some money for a great cause.
This event is a 6km walk, jog or run with a difference. Your £10 entry fee will get you a free Santa suit for you to dress up in and complete the 3km or 6km circuit.
The event is organised by the British Heart Foundation and all proceeds go to the charity. Now in its 6th year the event is a fun Christmas packed morning that helps you burn of a few calories before the festive season.
All abilities are welcomed and children can take part too.
There is even a Christmas themed fancy dress competition for those aged under 14 years old.
Later park and ride bus services this Christmas
City of York Council and First York are making it easier for residents and visitors to stay in the city centre longer and take advantage of extended shop opening times in the run up to Christmas with a later running Park & Ride service.
Park & Ride services will be operating later than usual every Thursday evening until 17 December inclusive, with last buses leaving the city centre at around 9.30pm.
Additional late buses will also be running to and from the Designer Outlet with the last pick up from the city centre at 9.30pm on weekdays and 8.19pm on Saturdays until 23 December.
Shoppers looking to take advantage of the Boxing Day sales will be able to make use of three of the city’s Park & Ride services for free. Services from Askham Bar, Designer Outlet and Monks Cross will be free of charge on Saturday 26 December and will run from 7am with the last city centre pick up at approximately 6.40pm.
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What’s on: Father Christmas opens York toy museum tomorrow (Monday)
30 Nov, 1, 5, 6, 7, 12, 13 and 17 – 24 Dec
11am – 4pm (2.30pm on 24 December)
This Christmas holiday, Father Christmas will be opening his very special festive Toy Museum at York Castle Museum!
Experience some Christmas magic as the toys come to life to tell tales of Christmas traditions and re-discover some of the most popular Christmas toys of past and present.
Father Christmas will be making special appearances throughout the day to finish making his list of presents to deliver on Christmas Eve. Each child will receive a chocolate treat for the Christmas tree.
For more information visit www.yorkcastlemuseum.org.uk
Santa needs more socks!
Nimble fingered residents are being asked to join in the Santa’s Socks appeal and create Christmas stockings which will be filled with sweets and passed to food banks in York and to local charity IDAS (the Independent Domestic Abuse Service) for distribution to their clients.
The Santa’s Socks initiative is a community arts project organised by the council’s York Learning team, encouraging groups and individuals to make stockings which, once filled, will be donated to local families and children. Residents are invited to sew, knit, crochet, felt, quilt or embroider their stockings.
Councillor Nigel Ayre, Executive Member for Culture, Leisure and Tourism said: “Last year residents, craft groups, knitting circles and other organisations all set to work and generously produced over 400 amazing Christmas Stockings and we hope that even more will be created this year. They were greatly appreciated and we hope that residents will again have fun supporting the initiative for a very worthwhile cause.”
Each stocking should measure approximately 40cm long and 25cm wide. The shape may be inspired by classic stockings, Victorian or elf boots or any other Christmassy stocking shape. Templates are available online.
All socks should be completed by Wednesday 25 November and when finished contact santassocks@york.gov.uk or Claire Douglas, York Learning on 07990 774420. Photos of completed socks or work in progress will be shared on York Learning’s facebook and twitter sites to inspire others. Finished Santa Socks can be handed in to City of York Council, West Offices or any library.
Santa’s Socks is one of many York Learning community arts projects, which this year has included the mass portrait project, Face of York, a mosaic arts project at Acomb Explore and a family learning project discovering more about the past and present at Lidgett Grove Methodist Church.