The Lord Mayor of York was jubilant today after his Christmas lights appeal topped the £20,000 mark.

A £200 donation from the bus company Arriva enabled Councillor Derek Smallwood, himself a former bus driver, to arrive at the key milestone.

The money will help him ensure the city centre sparkles with its best-ever illuminations display this Christmas.

"I am over the moon," he said after receiving the cheque from Arriva commercial director Justin Davies at a bus stop in Piccadilly, from where the company is this week launching a regular service to the new Naburn shopping centre.

"It's a fantastic milestone for the City of York."

He said workmen were now putting lights up at key locations across the city, including Parliament Street, and citizens were repeatedly coming up to him to express their appreciation of the campaign to light up York.

Coun Smallwood said he was hoping he might yet receive more donations, not least from another bus company, First York. The councillor said he worked for many years until 1987 as a bus driver for the West Yorkshire Road Car Company, which went through a series of ownership changes before becoming First York.

First York general manager Brian Asquith said today it had certainly intended giving a donation, and he would ensure that the matter was sorted out today.

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