YORK Minster has been given a big cash boost to invest in three new stonemasonry apprenticeships and help safeguard the future of the cathedral.

York Press:

The creation of three new apprenticeships will be funded by a £170,000 grant from Yorkshire, North and East Ridings Freemasons.

The apprenticeships are being introduced over three years, with each individual learning their craft in the cathedral’s Stoneyard alongside award-winning craftspeople, while studying part-time at York College.

The funding is being given in memory of Iain Ross Bryce, a former Provincial Grand Master of Yorkshire and East Riding Freemasons, who died in June 2015.

The first apprentice to benefit from the grant is 27-year-old Lewis Morrison, who joined the cathedral in August 2016 after completing an NVQ Level 2 stonemasonry qualification at York College. Lewis is currently working on his first carving as part of the cathedral’s South Quire Aisle project.