George Hudson namesakes invited to boardroom opening (From York Press)

George Hudson namesakes invited to boardroom opening

1:13pm Thursday 20th December 2012 in News

George Hudson namesakes invited to boardroom opening

NAMESAKES of York’s railway king George Hudson are being invited to a special event in the city next month.

City of York Council wants anyone called George, Georgina or Georgia Hudson to come to the official opening of the George Hudson boardroom in its new headquarters.

The room is being reopened as part of the council’s move into West Offices, which was formerly York’s previous railway station. The station was designed by GT Andrews in 1840 and was the vision of George Hudson, who later became Lord Mayor of York. The boardroom will host council or public meetings.

Tracey Carter, the council’s assistant director, said: “We want to celebrate the fascinating heritage of this building by marking the re-opening of the George Hudson boardroom. We thought: what better way to do that than to invite modern day George or Georgia or Georgina Hudsons to come along and be part of our weekend event, and to hear about their Victorian namesake, share their personal stories and get the inside view of this fantastic renovation project.”

Coun Julie Gunnell, the council’s cabinet member for corporate services, said: “We’ve no idea who they are, where they live or even how many there are and that’s what makes it so exciting. Who knows what they might have in common and what railway, York or other stories they may have to tell.”

The event is at noon on January 26. Numbers are limited to 120. Guests must make their own way to York but will be offered refreshments and can view displays on the building’s history.

Anyone interested should email wearegeorgehudson@york.gov.uk by Friday, January 19, mentioning any links with York and/or the rail industry. On twitter, use the hashtag #wearegeorgehudson