York building firm's £100,000 for Minster fund

11:20am Friday 26th May 2006

THE battle to save the magnificent East Front of York Minster was today handed a £100,000 boost by a York building company.

The Shepherd Building Group has donated the cash to support the York Minster Development Campaign - aiming to raise £30 million to restore medieval glass and stonework around the Great East Window, the largest expanse of mediaeval stained glass in the world.

The company, which is based in Fulford Road, today said it had a long-standing relationship with the Minster. When the central tower was in danger of collapsing, Shepherd Construction was the contractor responsible for underpinning the whole building, between 1969 and 1972.

This engineering led to the creation of the Undercroft, allowing visitors to the Minster to gain access to layers of history previously buried. Patrick Shepherd, deputy group chairman of the Shepherd Building group, said: "York Minster has immense significance. It is York's most important building and, just as certainly, is one of Europe's finest examples of Gothic architecture.

"Shepherd Building Group is a York-based business and we are proud to extend our links to this great church by supporting the Minster Development Campaign.

"A successful campaign will ensure that future generations can be inspired by this wonderful testimony to human aspiration and technical achievement."

The donation comes only four months after city housebuilder Persimmon Homes pledged £700,000 to the appeal over the next ten years.

That money will go towards the training of apprentices in the ancient craft skills which will be used to repair and conserve the Minster.

Dr Richard Shephard, York Minster's director of development, said: "This is a most significant donation from one of the City of York's most important companies. Needless to say, we are all extremely grateful for the large sum of money given, but almost as important is the message which this gift sends out.

"York Minster belongs to the city, the county and the whole of the north of the country. If we are to attract national and international financial support - which we must - it is clearly vital that potential funding bodies can see that there is strong local support for the Development Campaign.

"The Shepherd donation sends out the important message that the people of Yorkshire are strongly behind the whole project."

Anyone wanting to help keep York Minster in its full glory by contributing to the development campaign can send a cheque, made payable to York Minster Fund, to The Development Office, Church House, Ogleforth, York, Y01 7JN.

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