Gerald is pictured above. Right photo taken by photographer Lewis Outing. A SCULPTURE dedicated to the magic Minster Cat of York is set to be unveiled tomorrow by a star of the screen. Gerald was renowned as the famous Minster Cat after he adopted the building and the neighbouring stoneyard and was regularly seen patrolling the area. He was sadly found dead outside St Michael le Belfrey Church, next to the Minster, at the end of August last year, it s not known how he died. In the hours that followed the announcement, his owner Justine Spencer, who lives near the famous cathedral, received messages from people across the globe and a campaign to immortalise him swiftly followed.
Bar walls in York will turn purple for the Census A YORK landmark will turn purple at the weekend to help celebrate a national poll. The city’s historic Bar Walls as well as St Michael le Belfrey Church next to York Minster will be highlighted in purple in celebration of the Census, the once-a-decade survey which gives a snapshot of UK life. They will join more than a hundred buildings and landmarks across England and Wales by lighting up purple to celebrate the upcoming census and its importance to communities. The event is being organised by The Office for National Statistics (ONS) to raise awareness of census day on March 21, a survey that happens every ten years and gives a picture of all the people and households in England and Wales.
GERALD the much-missed Minster cat is coming to life again - in stone. Stonecarver Anthony Bartyla has been making a stone sculpture of Gerald which should be ready for unveiling next month. Gerald, a six-year-old Bengal cat belonging to Justine Spencer, came to York when Justine moved to the city in 2017. He became a familiar figure around the Minster and was unofficially adopted as the Minster cat. He was sadly found dead near St Michael le Belfrey Church at the end of August last year. A few days later the Minster bells tolled to mark his death. Justine received messages from around the world from visitors who had seen him at the cathedral.
A GROUP of York residents and students are heading to Cambodia to help women and children affected by HIV, Aids and the sex trade. The group of 13 from St Michael le Belfrey Church will work with a local charity, the Cambodian Hope Organisation, in Poipet, They hope to raise £20,000, which will allow them to build and fund a home for vulnerable children and women, and also to leave substantial funds with the host organisation. The group from York will be doing some health-care teaching, building work and children’s work. To help raise funds, a charity auction takes place from 7pm to 9.30pm on Thursday in the Belfrey Hall at 52a Stonegate, York.