The July 2021 issue of the Friends of York Walls Newsletter contains a lot of information on the York Walls Festival August 2021
The 2021 York Walls Festival, and the next FPT Open Days, are on 14th & 15th August.
We need your help as a Festival Volunteer – can you help us ?
To all volunteers past, present, and future – Thank you so much for your support in the past for the Friends of York Walls and the York Walls Festival.
We’re still in the process of finalising the exact programme for the 2012 Festival – as you can appreciate planning has been a challenge these last 12 months as it’s not been possible to make firm plans regarding events, partner and potential public participation until relatively recently, and there are still a few activities we’re hopeful to confirm in the coming weeks.
Please consider helping us by volunteering to help. You are of course welcome to pick and choose when you are available and for how long! But anything you can do will help!
Email the Festival Organiser(s) at = yorkwallsfestival@gmail.com
Draft Schedule
Week Before the Festival (Monday 9th to Thursday 12th August)
a) We’re hoping to have an event called ‘Twilight Walls’ up and running, which will allow members of the public to access a section of York’s Famous Bar Walls ‘after hours’. We will need volunteers to help as stewards for this event. This will take place on two evenings that week, with timings around 20.00 to 22.00.
b) Distributing leaflets. Some organisations and groups may not yet be able to accept promotional materials due to Covid-19. We’ll keep this under review and hope to supply tourist information locations and hotels etc. with promotional leaflets if at all possible.
c) Friday 13th August (Day Before the Festival)
i) Litter-picking around the entire Walls circuit (day time). There will be a risk-assessment and other safety/information arrangements made before this is confirmed.
ii) If anyone is able during the day to offer to provide a car to help move items to Festival locations, that would be very helpful indeed. This will include items such as trestle tables for stands and stalls.
Festival Weekend (Saturday 14th & Sunday 15th August)
d) Saturday 14th August (Festival Weekend Day 1)
i) Fishergate Postern Tower (free entry to the public, minimum 2 volunteers at all times, open 10.00 to 16.00).
ii) Museum Gardens Festival Information Point (minimum 2 volunteers at all times, open 10.30 to 16.00).
iii) Baile Hill TBC (open 10.00 to 16.00)
iv) Red Tower Craft Fair and Grass Labyrinth (open 10.00 to 16.00)
v) Other activities to be confirmed
e) Sunday 15th August (Festival Weekend Day 2)
i) Fishergate Postern Tower (free entry to the public, minimum 2 volunteers at all times, open 10.00 to 16.00).
ii) Museum Gardens Festival Information Point (minimum 2 volunteers at all times, open 10.30 to 16.00).
iii) Baile Hill TBC (open 10.00 to 16.00)
iv) Red Tower Craft Fair and Grass Labyrinth (open 10.00 to 16.00)
v) Other activities to be confirmed
Week After the Festival
f) Monday 16th August (Day After the Festival)
i) Litter-picking around the entire Walls circuit (day time). There will be a risk-assessment and other safety/information arrangements made before this is confirmed.
ii) If anyone is able during the day to offer to provide a car to help move items back from Festival locations, that would be very helpful indeed. This will include items such as trestle tables for stands and stalls.
The plan is to create a volunteer schedule that includes breaks, and also provides a variety of assignments at the various locations, to make it as an enjoyable experience for volunteers as possible!
Volunteer Duties
As you probably know/would expect, the main responsibility of volunteers at the Festival will be assisting members of the public as they attend and experience the activities we’ve arranged at the Festival. Answering questions, giving directions, talking about the Festival and the Friends of York Walls, and in some cases overseeing stands and stalls.
We’ll have partner groups and their volunteers attending, so it will be a great chance to find out about other groups in York and meet some new people as well!
Refreshments and Facilities
Please bring your own water, snacks and lunch. There are toilets and kitchen facilities at Red Tower, but there may be social distancing measures in place which could cause a wait/queue.
At Fishergate Postern tower we usually ask The Postern Gate Wetherspoons if volunteers can use the toilet facilities there, plus it’s likely volunteers will be able to use the toilets at The Phoenix Inn, Fishergate Bar as well.
Please provide your name and a contact telephone number, and please let us know your availability and preference if you have one, for which or how many events you would be interested in attending/supporting. Please reply to this email with those details.
We’ll aim to meet up for a ‘thank you’ drink, somewhere such as The Phoenix Inn later in August or in early September.
Covid-19
We will be following the Government guidelines in place as at Monday 9th to Monday 16th August in terms of the pandemic.
A risk-assessment for volunteers will be undertaken closer to Monday 9th August.
Hand sanitiser will be available for volunteers (and members of the public at specific locations such as Fishergate Postern Tower).
Disposable masks can be provided on request, but please do bring your own if you can.
Volunteers are free to exercise their own judgement and can take additional measures to that outlined by the government if they want to. No-one is under any pressure to do anything they are uncomfortable with, in terms of proximity to other people etc.
Other Ways You Can Help
i) Please tell all of your friends and family about the Festival! Promote it as much as you can in the groups and organisations you’re part of, and feel free to mention it on any social media accounts you may have!
ii) Do you work for or know of a York or nearly-York-based company or organisation that could donate an item, preferably something they make themselves, that could be a prize given away as part of the Festival? In return we’ll promote that group/organisation on our social media.
iii) If you know of anyone else who may be able to volunteer some time, (even an hour would be useful!), please put them in contact with us, via this email address, or my contact details below.
Please do think carefully whether you are able to commit to volunteering at the Festival, as withdrawals may affect our ability to run certain activities, and may put pressure on other volunteers.
As you know, everyone involved in the Festival is a volunteer and gives their time and energy for free. The aim of the Festival is to run as many free and family-friendly activities as possible, on the theme of history and heritage. We also prioritise community engagement and care for the environment. Your help and support is invaluable – thank you again, so much!
Please let us know if you have any questions. We look forward to seeing you soon!
Thank you so much for your support – without it we wouldn’t be able to have the Festival!
Kind regards,
Baz Jones
York Walls Festival Director
Email = yorkwallsfestival@gmail.com
Website = yorkwallsfestival.org
Twitter = @YorkWallsFest
The next FPT openings are on the Saturday 3rd July and 17th July, from 10am to 4pm. FREE ENTRY No Need to Book!
Opening will then be to the latest published 2021 dates for the remainder of the year (subject to any changes to Covid regulations).
WE LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING YOU, BUT PLEASE DO NOT VISIT THE TOWER IF YOU OR ANYONE IN YOUR HOUSEHOLD HAS TESTED POSITIVE OR DEVELOPED SYMPTOMS OF COVID19 WITHIN THE LAST 14 DAYS.
We have followed the Government Guidelines closely in assessing the risks of COVID 19 and as a result there will be changes to how we operate on open days to ensure that we can open safely – for both our visitors and our volunteers. These changes will be regularly reviewed and revised as necessary.
The current rules for May, June & July opening will be =
- Max group size: 6 people
- People from different households must maintain a social distance.
- Face coverings must be worn inside the Tower, unless exemptions apply.
- Visitors will be asked to scan the NHS QR code or provide their contact-details.
Groups will be limited to a maximum of SIX and we are restricting the total number of visitors in the building at any one time to 16 (i.e. an average of 4 per floor) and asking everyone to maintain social distance from other groups/individuals not with them in their party. Visitors waiting to go inside will be asked to queue around the building observing the 2 metre distance markings on the paving stones under foot.
Within the building, there will be a one way system in which visitors on the way up stop off at each floor, staying clear to allow any visitors descending to pass down.
There will be a hand sanitiser outside the entrance which we ask everyone to use before entering. Please limit any unnecessary touching of surfaces or objects. Please also note that Fishergate Postern Tower has no water supply – so there are no hand washing or toilet facilities available.
Volunteers will all wear face-masks. Visitors are also required to wear face-masks themselves (unless exemptions apply) and, in case anyone would like one, there will be a supply of face-masks available at the entrance for a donation in our donations bucket, or bring your own mask.
Please note that the number of volunteers on duty will be reduced and this means the level of First Aid support will be lower than usual.
A copy of our full COVID 19 Risk Assessment is available HERE on this site.
York’s City Walls elevated sections are open BUT with a ONE WAY CLOCKWISE ONLY system in place. Access up onto the walls at Fishergate Postern Tower will NOT be possible.
See separate posting HERE for details of walls access points.
If you are local to York and can spare some time to help us, as a volunteer guide, a walls guide, join the committee, etc,. then please get in touch via friendsofyorkwalls@gmail.com
Enjoy your visit, “Rate Us” on Trip Advisor
Published 2nd July 2021 A F
As we come to the end of UK Volunteer’s Week 1st – 7th June 2021 the Friends of York Walls would like to say a big “thank you” to all our volunteers past and present for all the help and time that you have given over the years.
New Volunteers are always needed
As always, we would like to welcome more volunteers to help run the Friends of York Walls, and especially to greet visitors at the Fishergate Postern Tower on open days, to train as walks and talks guides, and to help with the preparation for and during the weekend of the 2021 York Walls Festival on 14th and 15th August. We also need additional committee members and trustees to help with the running of the organisation. An organiser and co-ordinator for “Volunteers activities and communication” is also needed – if you are currently a volunteer and fancy the role please get in touch.
If you live in or near to York, and think that you might like to join us, please email friendsofyorkwalls@gmail.com or just turn up for a chat at FPT whenever we are open.
Posted 6th June 2021 AF