A HUGE fundraising effort by the former Lord Mayor of York and his committee has raised nearly £50,000 for his chosen charities.

Councillor Dave Taylor, who was the Lord Mayor in 2016/17, and the fundraising committee helped raise a total of £49,111 during his year in office.

The cash has been split between York Civic Trust, York LGBT Forum, York Racial Equality Network and St Nick’s, which looks after St Nicholas Fields and the York Environment Centre.

Cllr Taylor said: “We are very pleased with the amount raised.

“We are delighted to have raised more than £10,000 each for the chosen charities.

“I think the representatives were delighted.

"They were also pleased with the publicity it gave them to be associated with the Lord Mayor’s fundraising over the course of the year.”

He added: “It’s been a great and fun year. I’ve made lots of new friends.

“It is the first time the Green Party has put forward a Lord Mayor of York, so to have raised such a sum is wonderful, for the first time of doing so.”

Cheques were recently presented to representatives from the four charities at Hotel du Vin, in The Mount, York, by Cllr Taylor.

He was joined by the other members of the 2016/17 Civic Party - Susan Ridley, who was Lady Mayoress and the former Sheriff of York and Sheriff’s Lady, Jonathan and Brenda Tyler.

Also in attendance were the chairman of the fundraising committee, Paul Murphy, and civic officer, Anne Platt.

Cllr Taylor and his fundraising team helped organise a packed schedule of events during his term as Lord Mayor, including a comedy and live music event as part of the Great Yorkshire Fringe.

A chocolate trail, historic walks by York Civic Trust, charity balls, two golf tournaments, and the Lord Mayor’s Curry Club also raised vital funds for Cllr Taylor’s chosen causes.

The current Lord Mayor of York, Cllr Barbara Boyce, has chosen to raise money for three charities - Refugee Action York, Hearing Dogs for the Deaf and Age UK York’s Keep Your Pet service.