PLANS to stage the York Mystery Plays on wagons this summer have received a boost from the National Lottery, the Evening Press can reveal.

Money from the Heritage Lottery Fund will help York Civic Trust meet the costs of acquiring a wagon and creating a set, so it can perform one of the plays, The Fall Of The Angels.

Lottery funding is also set to pave the way for the staging of a grand Georgian Ball in the city's Assembly Rooms.

The Mystery Plays are due to be staged at four different city centre locations on Sunday, July 9 and July 16 by the Guilds of York.

York Civic Trust chairman Darrell Buttery, pictured, said in a letter to members, seen by the Evening Press, that it had been awarded a Young Roots grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund to meet its costs in staging the first in the cycle of 12 plays, The Fall Of The Angels, directed by Paul Toy. But he said it now needed help in finding a home for the wagon during the construction of the set, and also volunteers in helping to create the set.

He said the HLF had also "most generously" agreed to provide funding towards a grand Georgian Ball, hopefully to be held in the Assembly Rooms next September.

"This will involve about 100 sixth form pupils, drawn from all secondary schools in the York area.

"Professional dancing masters will be employed to give a series of practice sessions, and wigs and costumes will be hired." He said the trust also hoped to draw upon the expertise of a number of York scholars for training in etiquette and the social graces, and for the students to explore other aspects of 18th century life in the York area.

"Our food will have a distinct Georgian flavour, using recipes popular in the Yorkshire region in the 1770s," he added.

Mr Buttery declined to comment at this stage to the Evening Press.

Updated: 11:41 Wednesday, March 01, 2006