A WEEKEND of spectacular events raised a staggering £1.4m to help protect York Minster’s world famous collection of stained glass.

Organised by the York Minster Fund, the Northern Lights weekend opened last Friday with a gala fundraising dinner enjoyed by 700 guests in the Minster’s Nave, before the cathedral opened its doors after hours on Saturday and Sunday for two sell-out screenings of a new sound and light projection by artists Ross Ashton and Karen Monid.

The events were organised to support an innovative campaign to build sufficient funds to extend state-of-the-art external glazing to all of the Minster’s historically important windows, 60 per cent of which currently have no protection from the elements.

The work will take 20 years to complete in partnership with the York Glaziers Trust and cost £11m in total.

The director of York Minster Fund, Neil Sanderson, said: “We’re hugely grateful to our sponsors and everyone who came to support the spectacular Northern Lights weekend and are delighted, with the support of the Heritage Lottery, to have raised such a fantastic amount to kick start our fundraising campaign.

“York Minster’s windows hold one of the most important collections of medieval stained glass in the country, with the earliest pieces dating back to the late 12th century. Our work with York Glaziers Trust over the next 20 years will ensure these irreplaceable masterpieces are protected for generations to come.

“Our three-year fundraising campaign is to establish an endowment fund for the 20 year programme and involves a match-funding grant of up to £1m from the Heritage Lottery. This means that for every £1 raised over the weekend, at least £4 will be added to the conservation project pot, and we are hugely grateful to the lottery for this support.”

The money raised will then be invested and the returns from the fund used to help pay for the ongoing conservation work over the next two decades.