THE Friends of St Nicholas Fields celebrated its 20th anniversary year as a registered charity last week.

St Nicks formed after a successful campaign in the 1990s to turn a part of the former Tang Hall Tip into a nature park, and today the 24-acre site is a haven for wildlife including endangered water voles.

The charity runs projects, events and services to help make York a more sustainable city, including a community recycling scheme and Ecotherapy project helping people recovering from mental ill health.

Helping to celebrate the anniversary were Cllr. Andrew Waller, deputy council leader and current chair of One Planet York, and the charity’s patron Anneliese Emmans Dean, who both shared their personal accounts of their involvement with St Nicks over the years.

Anneliese Emmans Dean said: "My personal experience is that St Nicks believes in people, sees their potential, gives them opportunities and allows them to blossom."

The celebration event included a treasure hunt for families and a guided walk through the nature reserve, and one of the charity’s Eco-Crafters - Pam Mills - made a cake in the shape of the Environment Centre which was cut before the event closed with a panel debate on the future of York.