'Tap and donate' scheme for city walls launched

The card reader, installed at Bootham Bar, allows users to pay £3, £5 or £10

A council scheme encouraging visitors to "tap and donate" to contribute to the conservation of York's city walls has launched.

The card reader, installed at Bootham Bar at a cost of £10,000, allows users to pay £3, £5 or £10 towards stonemasonry maintenance works.

It can cost £600,000 per year to maintain the walls, according to City of York Council. If 5% of the city's 2.5 million annual visitors paid £5, the expense would be covered, the authority added.

While visits to the walls remain free, councillor Pete Kilbane said donations would ensure that the largely medieval walls could be enjoyed for "thousands of years to come".

"We're constantly looking for ways that we can raise money to maintain the fabulous ancient monuments we look after in York," he said.

"It's a great honour and a privilege to be the custodians of one of the world's great historic sites."

York is one of the only councils in the country with its own in-house stonemasonry team looking after the city's heritage assets, with six people currently employed to maintain the walls.

Councillor Pete Kilbane, pictured with ancient monuments manager Liam Dennis, hopes visitors will consider donating

Visitors to the walls who spoke to BBC News on Wednesday were largely positive about the move.

A couple from Peterborough said that asking for a contribution to a historic landmark "made sense" - but admitted they had failed to spot the new donation point.

Karen, visiting the city from London, said she understood the reasoning but wondered if "the people of York" would feel the same.

"As long as people aren't pressured into doing something - everyone is watching their pennies at the moment," she said.

If the pilot proved successful, Kilbane said more donation points could be installed.

• 'I'd donate money to preserve city's ancient walls'

He added that while it was "quite ambitious" to expect the donation point to raise the required yearly funds, it would would all contribute towards general upkeep.

"What we're hoping for in the very least is this new money coming in will help to improve the experience from anyone walking around our walls," he said.

"We're asking for a donation from people who really appreciate what they're viewing, and who understand that these things do cost to maintain."

Listen to highlights from North Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North.