A NEW man has been announced to lead fund-raising efforts at one of the region’s great seats of worship.

Neil Sanderson has been named as the new director of the York Minster Fund, succeeding Michael Benson who has held the role for the last nine years.

The York Minster Fund was established in 1967, to raise money to pay for the underpinning of the Minster’s Central Tower.

Since then, through the support of donors drawn from many different sources, it has raised more than £30m to support the restoration of the Minster’s fabric.

Mr Sanderson has had a successful career in the food industry, both in the UK and Europe. He has more than 20 years’ experience in managing director roles with businesses such as Findus Group, Tryton Foods and Danone.

For the past five years he has been managing director of Florette UK and Ireland - the UK’s leading salads brand and a subsidiary of Agrial, a French agricultural co-operative.