Pink Look gives Shambles' Visitors the Blues

Shop owners on the most famous street in the historic city of York have removed pink bunting installed to mark Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Visitors complained that the bunting spoiled their attempts to photograph the street.

The above photograph was taken by Odddutch and was uploaded to Flickr on September 20, 2007. To view his photostream on Flickr please click here

One of the retailers involved in the campaign, Sarah Wells, the owner of the Elizabeth Wells lingerie shop told the York Press that: "It is a shame that people can’t get behind a charity that funds research into a disease that will touch us all in one way during our lives. However, it hasn’t stopped us from supporting Breast Cancer Awareness Month and we’re all doing our best to pink up the street at window level."

There are fourteen shops which will be displaying hidden pink ribbons in their windows. Shoppers who make a donation to the Breast Cancer Campaign can pick up an entry from any of the participating shops and win a chance to be entered in a prize draw.

In addition, this Thursday, Elizabeth Wells will be donating ten per cent of all proceeds of a pink shopping evening to the Breast Cancer Campaign (16:00 - 19:00). The shop is located at 23 Shambles.

Follow Elizabeth Wells @ElizabethWells on Twitter.

Visitors can hear about the rich heritage of the Shambles with the Best of York audio tour guide. The Shambles is one of the best preserved Medieval thoroughfares in Europe. It was mentioned in the Doomsday Book in 1086 and most of its structures date from the fifteenth and seventeenth centuries. Today, the Shambles link King’s Square and Pavement.

The Best of York tour is composed of commentary points (like tracks on a CD or iTunes album). Listeners hear about attractions and then receive instructions outlining how to get to the next commentary point. Each tour comes with a free downloadable map, too.

Visitors without the wherewithal to download the tour can hire it on a preloaded MP3 player from the cities two Tourist Information Centres.