St Helen’s Square given full refresh through volunteer efforts and new public artwork

St Helen’s Square has been given a new look this week following a series of volunteer-led Rejuvenation Days and the installation of new public artwork coordinated by York BID.

Across two days, nearly 100 volunteers joined York BID to clean and repaint street furniture across St Helen’s Square and the surrounding area, including bike racks, benches, and bollards. Residents and businesses took part in the volunteer effort, including Portakabin, Hilton York, Trustmarque, GMI Construction, Nestle and many more.

Carl Alsop, Operations Manager at York BID, said: “We’re always blown away by how willing people are to support our Rejuvenation Days and help make a visible difference to the city centre. This latest series has been a fantastic example of what can be achieved through partnership working – from our dedicated volunteers to Portakabin’s sponsorship of materials, and the installation of brand-new public artwork.

Together, Outside the Box and the Rejuvenation Days have given St Helen’s Square a real lift. It’s all part of York BID’s ongoing work to create a cleaner, safer, and more vibrant city centre for everyone who lives, works, studies, and visits here.”

The Rejuvenation Days were made possible thanks to sponsorship from Portakabin. Tabatha Hurst, Head of Sustainability at Portakabin, said: “Having a positive community impact is really important to us here at Portakabin. We encourage all of our employees to use their annual volunteering days to make a difference to their local area and The Rejuvenation Days organised by York BID are a brilliant way for everyone to get stuck in and make a big difference in a matter of hours.”

Alongside the volunteer-led refresh, York BID has partnered with York-based brand and design agency United by Design and poet, writer and performer Kitty Greenbrown to create ‘What we’re made of’ – a love letter to the city of York told through poetry, typography, colour, pattern and symbolism.

Installed across 14 electrical cabinets and bins, the individual artworks combine to form a single poem celebrating York in all its dimensions: from the immediately recognisable to the easily overlooked, and from the city’s grand stories to the small details and everyday experiences that give it character. Each installation includes a QR code inviting people to discover the inspiration and meaning behind its particular line.

Owen Turner, MD and Creative Director at United by Design, said: “The opportunity to create a love letter to York, one that residents and visitors can encounter, explore and enjoy as they move through the city, was irresistible. It has allowed us to bring together expansive thinking, design, typography, colour and symbolism with Kitty’s extraordinary command of language.”

“We wanted to celebrate the York everyone recognises, but also look between the landmarks and familiar stories to uncover the smaller details, contrasts and nuances that make the city what it is. As a UNESCO City of Media Arts, York has a creative voice and ambition that can resonate on a global stage. ‘What we’re made of’ demonstrates how that creativity can begin with something deeply local and transform everyday parts of the public realm into moments of discovery, connection and delight.”

Kitty Greenbrown, Poet, said: “York is a city of remarkable stories, but its character also lives in the spaces between them – in the fragments, encounters and easily missed details that become part of our everyday experience. The poem embraces some of the things York is known and loved for, while making room for the less obvious qualities that give the city its texture, humour and humanity.

“Working with United by Design has enabled those words to become something people can experience visually and physically as they explore York. I hope each piece offers a moment of recognition or surprise and that, together, they encourage people to see the brilliance of the city with fresh eyes.”

The installation forms part of Outside the Box, a York BID project that transforms worn out street furniture into vibrant works of digital art, celebrating York’s status as a UNESCO City of Media Arts. Outside the Box also sits within the BID’s York Art Trail, an ongoing programme that tells stories reflecting York’s unique history and identity through public art.