A SCHOOLBOY who is rushing to tick as many experiences off his wish list as possible before losing his sight has been on a tour of York's Mansion House.

Fred Howe, from Haxby, suffers from a rare progressive eye disease. He can only perceive light in one eye and can only see up to two metres in front of him with his other eye.

After hearing Fred's story, the Lord Mayor invited Fred on a VIP tour of the Mansion House. Fred was collected from Headlands Primary School in the civic car before being whisked off to the historic building, where he saw the sword and mace in the dining room the mummified cat in the state room. Fred's mum, Karen Newell, said he was fascinated by ghost stories about the site. She thanked the Lord Mayor, adding: "I was thrilled to hear that York Blind and Partially Sighted Society was one of the Mayor's charities this year. He has shown great interest in how to bring things alive and make them meaningful to Fred."

Lord Mayor Cllr Keith Orrell said : “When I read in the Press that Fred is trying to see as many things as he can before he loses his sight I thought he might like a visit to the Mansion House with a trip in [the civic car] DN1. I contacted Fred’s mother who asked Fred if he would like to do the visit. He immediately said yes.

“We collected Fred from his school – Headlands Primary School – and the Sheriff and I visited Fred’s class and talked to his classmates about being Mayor and Sheriff.”

Sheriff Verna Campbell added : “As a former head teacher I always enjoy going into schools and talking to children about being Sheriff and what this means. The children asked the Lord Mayor and I some interesting questions before we left to take Fred to the Mansion House.”