THE National Trust has said thank you for the gift of time by honouring almost 500 years of dedicated voluntary service.

At a lunch last week in the Treasurer's House, in York, it rewarded 29 volunteers who had each given more than 20 years' service at a number of Yorkshire properties.

Each was presented with a special badge and a letter signed by the director-general of the Trust, Fiona Reynolds.

The Trust's volunteering advisor for the region, Elizabeth Binns, said: "We are enormously grateful to all our volunteers and especially to those who have given their time over so many years.

"It is quite simply amazing that last year, in Yorkshire alone, the 3,400 volunteers we have gave more than 155,528 hours of their time to Trust properties and projects."

l The Trust currently has vacancies for volunteers at sites across the county, ranging from office and gardening assistants to room stewards, joiners and shop helpers.

For further details, contact Tracey Staveley at the regional office in York, on (01904) 771947.