YORK Minster is to investigate launching a permanent endowment fund to secure its long-term future.

The Dean of York has revealed how he spent ten days in America this autumn, assessing whether large sums of money could be raised to establish such a fund.

The Very Reverend Raymond Furnell's fact-finding mission took him to Washington, York Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, New York and Nashville.

"Everywhere, the welcome was warm and supportive," he said.

And because of the positive initial response, the Minster Chapter has now commissioned a feasibility study to decide whether to press ahead.

The Dean said the Chapter was facing a "daunting but exciting" task of generating new income from both home and abroad to secure the Minster's long-term future.

He said expenditure had been examined very carefully over the past three years, and he was confident that spending was now under control.

But the Minster had been less successful in attracting new money, apart from notable exceptions such as the introduction of a photo permit scheme.

He said foot and mouth disease, floods, train disasters and overseas terrorism had all helped lead to a dramatic drop in tourism.

The Evening Press reported earlier this week how visitor numbers at the Minster had fallen by eight per cent in 2000, before some of those problems had even arisen.

The Dean anticipated there would be another drop in the figure for 2001. However, he stressed that the numbers attending services at the Minster had been rising strongly.

He said the average donation from Minster visitors was just 27 pence per person.

Asked whether the Dean and Chapter might have to abandon their policy of free admission, he said the position was reviewed from time to time.

He said the endowment fund's aim would be to support the provision of music at the Minster, which was expensive, rather than the fabric of the building.

The results of the feasibility study, to be conducted in America, would probably not be known until the middle of next year.

"Then a decision will be taken on whether or not to proceed on that basis," said the Dean.

Updated: 11:11 Friday, December 21, 2001