SOME of Britain’s finest minds will converge on York next year for the annual gathering of Mensa members.

Up to 300 of the high-IQ society members will take in the city’s tourist and entertainment attractions on a trip in September including a gala dinner, a helicopter trip and a ghost walk.

Brian Page, the York-based editor of Mensa magazine, said: “I have been to a lot of Mensa annual get-togethers but I think York will be one of the best – there’s so much to see and do.

“As well as having intellectual talks and lectures, the Mensa weekends are also the society's biggest social event of the year.”

Previous destinations for the event have included Bristol, Chester, Coventry and Belfast.

To mark the event, Visit York teamed up with Mensa to challenge its members to come up with a suitable logo for the weekend.

The competition winner, Elaine Newington Ward, of Giggleswick, produced a bright design which incorporated the city's historic and cultural influences, from Vikings to the Minster to the National Railway Museum to Clifford’s Tower.

She was presented with her prize – a pair of passes to the city's tourist attractions and an overnight hotel stay – by Visit York chief executive Gillian Cruddas.

Ms Newington said: “I’m thrilled and can't wait to explore York and all of its wonderful attractions.”

Kay Hyde of Visit York, said: "We're delighted that Mensa has chosen York for its annual gathering – it shows that as well as being a fun place with lots of historic and modern tourist attractions, it's also the really intelligent choice for conferences and weekend gatherings."