ORGANISERS of York Roman Festival today urged people to roll up to an auction in the city that is being held to raise cash for the free event.

Local businesses and individuals have donated dozens of prizes to the auction, which is taking place at the Monkbar Hotel, in Monk Bar, at 7.30pm today. The items up for grabs include an overnight ferry trip to Holland for two people and their car – donated by P&O Ferries. Stonegate Yard bar and brasserie, in Little Stonegate, York, is supplying food and a chef to cook a three-course meal for four in the winning bidder’s own home, and Hotel Du Vin, in Tadcaster Road, is offering a special wine-tasting in its cellar. Entry to the auction costs £3 on the door, with all proceeds from the event going to the festival.

Keith Mulhearn, who is organising the festival, which is happening on Saturday, May 23, and Sunday, May 24, said about the auction: “It’s to help keep the festival free for everybody. It’s really important to me and everybody involved in it that we don’t have to start charging people. The festival itself is for the city. We just want to start raising funds and this is one way of doing that.” The festival promises to be a weekend of fun for all the family. The main part of the event is the Living History Camp, located next to the central library. The attraction features various craftspeople, including weavers, blacksmiths and a wood turner, with people in the camp dressed as Romans and Celts.

“They set it up exactly how it would have been in Roman times,” Keith said. Children have the chance to become Roman soldiers, and there is a competition for youngsters to design and make their own shield.

There are also marches around the city on both days of the festival when Romans and Celts will tread York’s streets.

York Pullman Bus Company is transforming one of its buses into a “Roman vehicle”, which will do a tour of the city – complete with Romans on board. Members of the public will be able to hop on the bus and join their “ancestors” on the tour. York Minster is also joining in with the festivities. Roman soldiers are going to be residents in the building’s undercroft and visitors will be able to talk with them.