A NEW attraction which will welcome visitors from around the world to the set of Coronation Street is being run by a York company.

The Coronation Street Tour was officially launched yesterday, inviting soap fans to the former set where the filming took place for more than 50 years, before moving to MediaCityUK in Trafford.

The task of operating the attraction has been awarded to York-based Continuum, which was approached by ITV to run the new tours.

From its base in Margaret Street, Continuum now boasts a portfolio of seven attractions, including The Canterbury Tales in Canterbury, The Spinnaker Tower in Portsmouth, Oxford Castle Unlocked in Oxford, and, closer to home, the York CHOCOLATE Story.

The contract, which will see Continuum run the Coronation Street Tour for its six-month lifespan, has seen the creation of 50 jobs, bringing the firm’s total work force to more than 400.

Juliana Delaney, chief executive of Continuum, said: “We feel privileged to be involved in a national treasure that brings so much pleasure to people. We will honour this by making it a memorable guest experience to be talked about for a long time to come.

“It is great to be bringing our total number of attractions to seven, and reinforce our status as a York-based company leading the way in commercial and cultural visitor attraction operations and ownership.”

The tours, which are set to start in April, will give visitors the chance to go behind the scenes at the former set, taking in the famous street, as well as interior sets and dressing rooms.

Kieran Roberts, executive producer of Coronation Street, said: “After 53 years at the Quay Street studios, Coronation Street has now moved to our new home in MediaCity, but I’m thrilled that our old set is opening as a visitor attraction this year. We’re very excited to be able to share with the public so many unforgettable stories and magical memories from over five decades of Coronation Street production.”