‘Connecting people with our maritime past’: Hull Maritime awards £20,000 in community grants
Festival Of The Sea Mambo Jambo. Picture credit: Paul J Cunningham
By Simon Bristow
Community groups delivering maritime-themed projects across the city have received grants totalling more than £20,000 from Hull Maritime.
The second round of Hull Maritime Community Grant Scheme launched in October and received a record number of applications from community groups and residents in Hull and surrounding areas.
Micro grants of up to £500 and small grants of up to £2,000 were available in three categories: Heritage, Environment, and Wellbeing, reflecting important and timely themes and drawing links between Hull’s maritime past, present and future.
The first round in 2022 awarded eight projects with funding, including a new sculpture by Art You Experienced, created from community litter picks along the river Hull; helping the Beverley Barge Preservation Society to bring the historic Syntan to Hull Marina and take part in the Queen’s Jubilee Flotilla; and funding to provide information boards to accompany the Lost Trawlermen’s Memorial, which is being installed on St Andrew’s Quay.
The latest round has awarded thirteen grants and recipients include:
Tamar and Jo for a community dance project culminating in performances at Edinburgh Street Community Centre in July 2023
Mambo Jambo to co-create a podcast with young people at Ron Dearing UTC and West Hull Community Radio, focused on maritime themes
Twelve Tribes of Yorkshire for a community history project and exhibitions exploring the stories and experiences of local African and Caribbean seafarers
Lauren Saunders for a creative wellbeing course focused on our relationships to water and the maritime environment, to be delivered in partnership with NHS Humber Recovery and Wellbeing College
Three Ways East for a project exploring maritime identity and storytelling through tattoos, using photography, creative works, and exhibitions
Rooted in Hull for a maritime-themed arts, music, and culture event, and associated workshops, in June 2023
Hull Bullnose Heritage Group to support their research on fishermen and trawling histories, focused on the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries
Fantastic Faces for a collaborative maritime mural to be created in Pearson Park
The People Project for a photography exhibition of sixty portraits and stories relating to Hull’s fishing heritage communities
St Giles Scout Group for a maritime-themed day trip to Hull city centre in April 2023
The Headscarf Revolutionaries Statue Management Committee to hold four consultation workshops across the city in July and August 2023
Friends of Garrowby Orchard to create interpretation panels for Setting Dyke Community Greenspace, exploring the site’s historic role in flood defences and the future of blue-green spaces
Alex Hunt to work with young people to co-create a mural dedicated to women’s histories of maritime Hull, in partnership with Bankside Gallery
Councillor Mike Ross, leader of Hull City Council, said: “The latest round of the Hull Maritime Community Grant Scheme has had an exceptional response, with a range of creative projects led by our residents covering a vast range of themes including storytelling, dance and music, art, exhibitions, and exciting events.
“The selected projects will connect our communities with our maritime past, present and future, support skill development and improve wellbeing, as well as helping people to learn more about our city.”
Lauren Saunders, one of the recipients of a community grant, said: “I'm absolutely thrilled to have been awarded this community grant, to be part of the Hull Maritime story and to be working with Recovery College students.
“This is such a wonderful new opportunity to explore Hull's relationship with the water from a place of care and empathy, and I'm curious to see what emerges from the process. I'm excited to get going."
Future rounds of the Hull Maritime Community Grant Scheme will take place later in the year.
Hull Maritime is funded by Hull City Council and The National Lottery Heritage Fund and encompasses the redevelopment of five historic sites in Hull city centre: the transformation of the Grade II Hull Maritime Museum and Dock Office Chambers, the creation of a new visitor attraction at the North End Shipyard, and the restoration of two historic vessels, Arctic Corsair and Spurn Lightship.