YORK Civic Trust has described its first-ever recruitment weekend as a thumping success.

The trust set up a marquee in St Sampson’s Square last Friday and Saturday. Free guided walks left from the square every half hour. In the marquee itself, meanwhile, Trust staff and volunteers talked about the organisation’s work, which ranges from keeping a watching eye on planning applications to making improvements to monuments and public open spaces, putting up blue plaques, and running an active educational programme with local schools.

Trust chief executive David Fraser said the event had helped to raise the Trust’s profile and boost membership.

Almost 60 new members were signed up as a result of the event, and more than 400 people took part in the guided walks.

“We were able to talk to people about the work of the Trust and the range of activities that we do,” he said. “It was a very great success.”

It has been a good week for the Trust, which on Monday night was presented with a special award at the York Design Awards in recognition of its ‘contribution to the monuments and public paces of the city over many years’.