THIS weekend, York and surrounding areas will be hosting all manner of activities showcasing the magnificence of ‘God’s Own County’ on Yorkshire Day.

From today until Sunday, Visit York will be placing giant TV screens in the city centre in both Tower Gardens and St Sampson’s Square - showing archive footage of York from times gone by, as well as fun family films including Wallace and Gromit and Shaun the Sheep. Deckchairs will be available to sit back and relax on.

The streets in the city centre will be decorated for the occasion with bunting and flags spreading the Yorkshire love.

A number of ‘selfie points’ will be dotted around the city with Yorkshire-based scenery and props, allowing people to take a snap and share their Yorkshire pride across social media platforms. Share your Yorkshire Day pictures and selfies using ‘#York_ShireDay’ and ‘#LoveYork’ tagging @VisitYork and @theyorkbid. The best selfie will win a £250 York Gift card for each day of the celebrations.

A spokesperson for Visit York said: “Some of the finest local products will also be taking centre stage, with York Gin, Crumbs Cupcakery and Love Cheese all with stalls on St Sampson’s Square, as well as our own Visitor Information Centre team, on hand to give you great local advice on making the most of York and Yorkshire.

“Venues across the city will be joining in with special offers, events and experiences inspired by wonderful Yorkshire, so keep your eyes peeled and don’t forget to give everyone you meet a friendly Ay up.”

The Run For All York 10k will kick off on Sunday at 9.30am - raising money for a huge range of charities.

The New Zealand branch of the Yorkshire Society are set to hold a Skype call with the Lord Mayor and Sherriff of York on Sunday. At the New Zealand end will be the Deputy Mayors of Auckland Council and the Waikato District Council.

This link with the city or town hosting the UK Yorkshire Day celebrations has gone ahead for some years - now despite the official UK one being cancelled due to the pandemic.

Meanwhile, Sewerby Hall and Gardens will host a full day of activities including morris dancing by The Raven Morris Dancers, as well as Yorkshire Pudding and Spoon Racing and flinging a flat cap.

General manager, Marie Gascoigne said: “We always look forward to Yorkshire Day here at Sewerby Hall and Gardens, and we have a very varied programme of fun activities this year.

Award-winning Yorkshire Tonics will be expanding its range of mixers with the launch of a new tonic called ‘Paradise’ to mark Yorkshire Day.

The company has introduced the new tonic following demand from consumers for a crisp and refreshing mixer from the county.