March 31, 2017, and an unusually warm and sunny day here in Kingston-upon-Hull, Yorkshire. Hull as it is known locally and sometimes called for obvious reasons is the U.K.s City of Culture 2017. This sometime bruised and battered semi-northern city, situated on the North Bank of the River Humber, just keeps bouncing back after each hit; high unemployment, bad press nationally, increased crime figures, poor health and more have all hit the reputation of this city and its population at one time or another and we are not quite out of the woods yet; in fact we may never be but we will continue to fight for a way out. In party of the city centre of Hull the world famous Ferens Art Gallery, City Hall music and theatre venue and Hull Maritime building await your discovery. Some fine statues bedeck a raised part in the middle of these buildings. But Queen Victoria and her cohorts only offer you long established free toilet facilities. Crossing Victoria Square to access these toilet facilities was a daring feat when this blogger was a child as traffic whirled around but these days like much of Hull's city centre it is pedestrianised. Until recently a huge wind turbine blade boldly dominated this square as a temporary art installation for the City of Culture festivities. Initially the square looked so empty when the blade was removed but there have been some changes now. Construction work, the accompanied staff, equipment and barriers are still visible in parts of the city centre almost one year and five months after work started but the construction sites are shrinking fast as completion nears. New and stylish seating is in the square. And appearing to tumble down the outside of the city's former Dock Offices, now the Maritime Museum, are bright red ceramic poppies. These 'poppies' began a tour of the U.K. following a successful installation in London: "The major art installation Blood Swept Lands and Seas of Red at the Tower of London, marked one hundred years since the first full day of Britain's involvement in the First World War. The major art installation Blood Swept Lands and Seas of Red at the Tower of London, marked one hundred years since the first full day of Britain's involvement in the First World War. Created by artists Paul Cummins and Tom Piper, 888,246 ceramic poppies progressively filled the Tower's famous moat between 17 July and 11 November 2014. Each poppy represented a British military fatality during the war." In November 2014 BBC News reported "888,246 poppies will start to be dismantled by a team of about 8,000 volunteers" and thousands were to go on a nationwide tour. The ceramic poppies displayed in London were for sale with money raised going to the British Legion and five other charities; "Chancellor George Osborne has previously agreed to waive the £1.1m VAT from the poppy sales, also using money from Libor fines." The Maritime Museum was chosen for the Hull installation of "weeping window" because of the sacrifices made by the city's Merchant and Royal Navies. This blogger's grandfather was a merchant seaman who died during WWII. His vessel was sunk by a U Boat while it was travelling off the coast of Egypt. But the city has a history of service on land, in the air and at sea during various conflicts. It has severely bombed during the WWII Blitz though that was kept an official secret nationally for many years. Hull's "weeping window" is small compared to the installation in London but it sits well in its temporary location. On a sunny day the blue sky, cleaned up stone buildings and red of the poppies contrast wonderfully. But remember each poppy represents a person lost in WWI. The display in Hull will end in May 2017. The ceramic poppy tour of the UK ends in 2018 one hundred years after WWI ended. Note:
More: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-29965477 http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-humber-39378163 
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 Originally written October 2016 Hull Pride is rapidly approaching
"Pride LGBT events feature annually in many UK cities and further afield. But in 2017 the first ever "UK Pride" event will be held and Kingston-upon-Hull which is having its year in the spotlight as the country's City of Culture 2017. On July 22 Queen's Gardens in the centre of Hull will play host. The venue is not pun intended but a popular city centre area for outdoor events. A Pride march will be followed by a series of fun-filled events in the "gardens." There will be a week of events timed to coincide with an important 50-year-anniversary; the decriminalisation of homosexuality in the UK. But though there was a legal change in 1967 attitudes took a long time to catch up. There are still hate crimes relating to the Lesbian, Gay, Bi-sexual and Transgender communities. Hull should be and hopefully will be proud to welcome the first UK Pride event. The city staged Hull Pride Summer 2016. With a range of events on for City of Culture 2017 it is just another one that highlights the diversity of this sometimes troubled but always welcoming northern city. UK Black Pride [October 2016 there were reports that pranksters had filled the familiar Queen's Garden's rose garden fountain with washing-up-liquid. The response was mixed with senior councillor Terry Geraghty saying "It's vandalism. We are getting ready now for Christmas and that will be where all the lights are put up again, and this spoils it. It's a lovely part of the city and I don't know what they get out of it. "The rain will wash it away. It's not going to cause any damage. People ought to be more vigilant and report things like this when they happen."] 2018 latest - Pride In Hull, Yorkshire  Radio 1 is staging the big weekend free festival at Burton Constable, near Hull, although in truth it is not quite "free". The event will take place the weekend of 27 May – 28 May 2017 in the grounds of Burton Constable Hall near Hull and for the city's year as City of Culture the big headline act is Katy Perry. The line-up over the weekend also includes Kings of Leon, Little Mix and Stormzy. Tickets will be available soon; Booking opens at 9.10am on Monday 10 April and will be handled by Ticketmaster on behalf of BBC Radio 1.
That highlights the first cost. The second cost comes by way of transport. Access to the site will only be via park and ride or a shuttle bus at a cost of £13 per person. And if you use the park and ride service to park your car at one of the areas in Hull you will have to stump up a further £7.50 per car. Organisers claim the access limits to the site are for safety reasons. There will be no drop off points available at Burton Constable. For regular theatre and festival goers the costs may be acceptable but for local people who are struggling on a tight budget they are still too high. But at least this time local people may have a better chance of getting a ticket if they have the cash. With 50,000 tickets available organisers are still warning tickets are usually oversubscribed and if you want get tickets you will need to act fast. The advice is go online to get tickets. If you do not have Internet access you can ring 0844 453 9012. Burton Constable, Skirlaugh, Hull HU11 4LN is worth a visit in its own right. Described online as "East Yorkshire's finest historic day out, proudly supporting Hull City of Culture 2017" check it out. Posting this reminds me that the last time I visited Burton Constable Hall was many years ago, either in the late 1960s or early 1970s. The headline act was the rock band Free. It was a heady, noisy affair very much of the day. There was almost a tragedy as we were pushed along through a tunnel with police and sniffer digs at one end. Well is was the era of sex and drugs and rock and roll. It was a great event however. Check out http://www.bbc.co.uk/music/articles/33fd2012-3611-4680-b868-1ed128a1e4ae   Hull folk festival is during July for 2017, Kingston-Upon-Hull's year as City of Culture. In 2015 it ran from August 14 until Sunday August 16 and we visited briefly. Hull Folk Festival 2015 Sunday early performers (starting around 1pm) were blessed with great weather and beautiful sunshine. By the afternoon clouds had wiped away the brilliant blue sky but the weather remained dry and relatively warm. With many of the events outdoors it could have so easily been a washout. Kingston-upon-Hull city centre was also playing host Sunday to a 'Sky Ride' event meaning it was very busy; the city centre was alive and bustling. Visitors from around the U.K. and abroad were in the city, some for one event or the other but some for both. Cafes, bars, restaurants and ice-cream sellers were doing a roaring trade. We opted for lunch at the long established Minerva pub on the old pier front. A 'Minerva stage' outside was hosting musicians throughout the day. When it was time to stretch our legs we walked around the 'old town'. Hull suffered badly in the WWII blitz of the U.K. and that removed so many fine old buildings but some have survived. The Sky ride was in most parts of the city centre meaning traffic was diverted and roads closed accordingly. Various musicians, bands and individual performers were dotted around the old town and Marina. FRUIT which is housed on one of the old buildings that used to be part of a bustling fruit market had stalls and a performer on stage. Along the marina a couple were singing from the top of a boat which was open to visitors. On a long canal type of boat or barge a 'family' of musicians were setting toes tapping. But have you guessed the best part about Sunday's events yet? They were all free. Of course most visitors spent some money here and there on food and drink but it was not compulsory. There was nothing to stop visitors bringing a picnic. The Hull folk festival sort of morphed out of the earlier version, the Sea Shanty festival. As always the weather in the north of England can make or break events that are largely outdoors. 2015 was a roaring success and as Hull's preparations for its year as City of Culture 2017 continued we looked forward to 2017 and beyond. Note; In 2015 - The paid events were Friday at FRUIT, The Tannahill Weavers, £12, and Saturday Martin Carthy at Kardomah94, also £12. Where is Hull? On the north bank of the River Humber, Yorkshire, England |
