Pictures: ‘A champion of the city’ – Lord Mayor leads tributes to retiring York Town Crier
York’s leaders have united to thank Ben Fry for his work as York Town Crier as he prepares to hang up his bell.
As we reported yesterday (Wednesday), Ben has announced he is leaving the voluntary role at the end of the year.
It comes after he has attended more than 750 events in the three and a half years he has been York’s bellman.
Tributes were led today by the Lord Mayor of York, Cllr David Carr.
He said: “Everyone at City of York Council wants to thank Ben Fry for his voluntary work in the role of Town Crier and to wish him all the best for the future.
“As he has said himself, the role is a symbol of York, providing pomp and pageantry, often alongside the Lord Mayor or Sheriff, and can be the best warm-up act in the business.
“I want to offer a huge, personal thank you to Ben for his years of service too. In his time as Town Crier, he has combined the rich history of our city with our vibrant modern culture and dedicated hundreds of hours to promote an incredible range of events, charities and organisations across the city.
“His impact will live on for many years.”
Andrew Lowson, executive director of the York BID, said: “A lot of York businesses have taken advantage of the Town Crier to help them with openings and promotions and the city as a whole has benefitted from the publicity.
“I would like to thank Ben for the countless hours he has given for free, especially when it has benefitted charity and community projects.”
And Sarah Loftus, managing director at Make It York, said: “Ben has been such an asset to the city during his time as Town Crier.
He has championed many of our events, from the Rugby League World Cup to York Ice Trail, Residents’ Festival, St Nicholas Fair and many more over the years.
“We can’t thank Ben enough for all the time he has given to the city and his dedication to making every event he has been involved with a huge success.”
