PEOPLE who are passionate about York have volunteered to act as hosts to welcome and guide visitors and help them feel safe in the city.

The York BID (Business Improvement District) have organised the City Host programme in the belief that the more people on hand to offer advice to locals and visitors, the stronger and safer York will be.York Press:

The city hosts have come from a pool of City of York Council volunteers who are York residents with a good knowledge and love of the city.

They will be providing friendly advice to the public, including measures and restrictions in place.

City hosts will work in pairs and will receive a uniform, an ID badge, and relevant training.

Carl Alsop, operations manager of York BID, said: “We hope the City Hosts will give visitors an extra sense of confidence as they visit our city. Things have obviously changed a lot in recent months, and the City Hosts can offer friendly advice to help navigate some of these changes.”

Stuart Smith, who has taken on the new role, said: “I’m really happy to be part of this scheme. It’s great to be out and about, contributing something useful, and it’s nice to see the city getting busier.”

The City Hosts will be located in the city’s main squares where footfall is high and social distancing can be more easily maintained – St Helens Square, Kings Square and St Sampson's Square, as well as the Coppergate Centre. They will be on duty from 10am until 4pm and can be easily recognised by their maroon vests.

This is one of a number of measures introduced by the York BID which provides support to businesses in the city. As well as bringing practical improvements, it also works with procurement specialists to help drive down business costs.