Andrew Lowson: What happens when a city comes together? 

Andrew Lowson is Executive Director of York Business Improvement District. As York Food & Drink Festival fills the city centre, he reflects on the people whose commitment helps make York such a special place to live, work and do business. 

Walk through York during the Food & Drink Festival and you’ll find plenty of reasons to stop. You might chat to a trader, discover somewhere new for lunch or hear live music drifting across Parliament Street as you head home. 

For city centre businesses, those moments matter. They bring people into York, encourage them to explore and give them reasons to stay longer. As I’ve spent time around the festival this week (I can highly recommend the tacos), I’ve found myself thinking about the people who make it all happen. 

Few people demonstrate that better than Michael Hjort. As voluntary Chair of York BID since 2017 and a driving force behind the York Food & Drink Festival, Michael gives an extraordinary amount of time and energy to this city because he believes in its businesses and the people behind them. Much of that work happens quietly behind the scenes, but the success of the festival shows what that commitment can achieve. 

The festival is also a great example of organisations working together for the benefit of the city. Come back into the centre in the evening and you’ll find Live for St Leonard’s. Organised by York BID alongside the festival, and produced brilliantly by our music manager Chris Bush, it combines free live music with fundraising for St Leonard’s Hospice.  The hospice provides end of life care and support to people and families across York. Its shops are also levy paying businesses within the BID area.

Across nine evenings, local performers help create a vibrant atmosphere in Parliament Street and St Sampson’s Square after the festival stalls have closed. It supports nearby businesses, gives artists a platform and helps raise funds for a charity that means so much to many people across York. 

Since the event began in 2021, more than £25,000 has been raised for St Leonard’s Hospice. Every donation, donated performance fee and contribution from local businesses has played a part. It’s another reminder that when people work together, the impact can be far greater than any one organisation could achieve on its own. 

There is much more to the festival than many visitors will see. Its Education Workshop Programme offers free places to over 1,000 primary school pupils and members of local Scout and Guiding groups. Young people have the opportunity to make food, learn new skills and take part in something happening right here in their own city. 

That same willingness to get involved extends beyond the festival itself. Our latest York BID Rejuvenation Day was fully booked once again, with volunteers giving their time to improve streets we all share. Later this year, the relaunch of the York Art Trail will encourage even more people to explore the city centre, discover local businesses and enjoy York from a different perspective. 

At York BID’s recent AGM, we talked about the importance of experiences to the future of our city centre. Shopping habits are changing and businesses continue to face real challenges. I hear about those pressures every day. 

That’s why creating reasons for people to visit, spend time in the city and feel connected to it matters more than ever. Successful city centres are not built by one organisation alone. They thrive when businesses, partners, volunteers and local communities all play a part. 

That is what I see when I walk through the Food & Drink Festival. Behind the stalls, the music and the busy streets are people who genuinely care about York and are prepared to do something for it. 

Their collective effort supports businesses, helps local causes and strengthens the city we are all proud to call home. 

That’s what happens when a city comes together.