It’s our Birthday! Thanks to all our readers and supporters
The Deep. Picture by Tom Arran Commercial Photography
Today we celebrate the first birthday of The Hull Story online, and say a big thank you to all our readers, supporters, partners, and contributors.
It’s been a year like no other; dominated, of course, by the Covid pandemic.
But over that time, with your help, we’ve managed to deliver what we set out to do - to provide an alternative source of news, culture, comment, and opinion for this great city.
For those of you who may be new to The Hull Story, we’d like to take this opportunity to say a little about who we are, why we’re different, and to invite you to get behind us as we begin the next step on our journey.
But firstly, we’d like to thank those who have helped us so far.
The biggest shout out goes to our Patrons, who, by making a small monthly contribution to our running costs, are helping to sustain and build a credible independent alternative to mainstream media outlets in Hull.
We don’t have a billionaire owner, we are not part of a large media company, and we are not funded by a licence fee, so the support of our Patrons is crucial.
PIONEERS: Part of the team who dealt with the UK’s first two Covid cases.
From left, Nick Easom, Anda Samson, and Patrick Lillie
If you would like to support this independent journalism project dedicated to Hull, then please consider joining us as a Patron. It only costs £2.50 a month and it’s quick and easy to sign up.
You can join here.
A big thank you also goes to our Commercial Partners, some of the biggest and best organisations in the region, who also recognise the value of what we do.
They include Marketing Humber, Hull City Council, Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, East Riding College, City Health Care Partnership, Cobus Communications, and Bishop Burton College.
We are also delighted to be working with some of the best independent businesses in the city through our Independent Hull initiative.
We launched this because we wanted to support independents like ourselves. They are not just what help make Hull such a unique and diverse city, they are also the businesses that have suffered the most during the pandemic.
We celebrate them, support them, and with them we are building a mutually supportive community.
The Red Guitars. Picture by Syd Shelton
If you would like to become a member of our Independent Hull scheme, please email us via advertising@thehullstory.co.uk.
We must also thank our excellent contributors, who range from aspiring journalists to established freelance writers and photographers.
We are proud to work with them and believe we have some of the best columnists anywhere in Vicky Foster, Sam Hawcroft, and Russ Litten.
Editorially, we provide a broad range of content, ranging from breaking news to our excellent business coverage, features, comment and opinion.
Steve Brady, in his last days as city council leader
Much of it is exclusive to The Hull Story, whether that is:
The inside story of the UK’s first two coronavirus cases
Revealing the world’s youngest rock band
The reformation of Hull music legends Red Guitars
A feature on how art, industry and nature thrive together in Bankside, or
The only in-depth interview with former city council leader Steve Brady, who helped make Hull a City of Culture and guided it through a pandemic.
As some of the above stories indicate, we have a particular focus on arts and culture as we seek to help secure the legacy of Hull’s landmark year as UK City of Culture in 2017.
But perhaps the main distinction about The Hull Story is that because this site is owned and managed by professional journalists, we get to set our own editorial policy.
Bankside. Picture by Harry Foster
Our mission is to produce content that in some way nourishes our readers and city.
We don’t publish socially divisive content; we seek to strengthen our communities rather than divide them.
Our Patrons and partners support all of this.
And last but not least, we say a big thank you to you, our readers, who are the reason we exist.
The response to the first year of The Hull Story has been fantastic. Thank you for being there and for choosing us by visiting our site.
Please stay with us as we continue to build this independent alternative media platform in Hull.