YORK City fan Jane Blythe and her husband Ian are set to enjoy a thrilling VIP day at Bootham Crescent tomorrow after lodging the highest bid for the treat in a Press auction.

Mrs Blythe bid £250 for the day, which will include a chance to meet manager Nigel Worthington and the player of the match after the game against Accrington Stanley, enjoy a pre-match buffet and half-time refreshments, watch the game from a box and be presented with a signed York City football.

Mrs Blythe, who lives near the ground, said she had been a loyal York fan for many years, having followed the team home and away for a decade when her son was young, and she was excited at the thought of the big day at the ground, at a time when York was chasing a place in the play-offs.

She said she was particularly pleased because York City was allowing them to take their six- year -old grandson McKenzie with them to the match.

The VIP day is one of a series of once-in-a-lifetime treats which are being offered in our City of York Afghanistan Commemorative Appeal auction.

The appeal is aiming to create a stained glass window at All Saints’ Church in Pavement to recognise the service of thousands of York men and women in Afghanistan over the past decade – including three servicemen who were killed in action.

The £250 from Mrs Blythe takes the total raised to about £14,750.

Other lots include the chance to ring the 10 ¾ tonne noontime bell at York Minster, followed by a standard tour for up to 10 people, to ride on the footplate of a steam loco on the North Yorkshire Moors Railway and to ride to York’s Mansion House in the Lord Mayor’s chauffeur driven limousine (from within the City of York Council boundaries) before a tour of the Mansion House and afternoon tea with the Lord Mayor of the day.

The deadline for bids for all remaining lots has been extended to noon on Friday April 25.

To bid, call 01904 567132 or email afghanappealauction@thepress.co.uk.