‘Let’s use the easing of lockdown to create a safer nightlife’

ON PATROL: Hull Street Angels Trinity.

The restrictions imposed on the hospitality sector as part of the easing of lockdown presents a unique opportunity to finally create a café bar culture in Hull city centre.

That’s the view of Chris Howell, chair of trustees for Hull Street Angels Trinity, who was among those on patrol when pubs, bars and cafés threw back open their doors on Saturday.

Social distancing measures were put in place across venues, including one-way systems, limited numbers allowed inside at any given time, and orders being taken from tables instead of at bars.

Mr Howell said that, although he has every sympathy with licensees whose business have been devastated by Covid-19, he hopes the city can draw on a positive from the current situation.

He told The Hull Story: “There is an opportunity here and I hope people take it.

“All the landlords have been put in a very, very difficult position because it is their livelihoods we are talking about, so I wouldn’t judge any of them for wanting to reopen. But by the same token, the reason the hospitality sector has been the last to reopen is because it poses the highest risk.

“The positive to come out of it is that people’s behaviour in the city centre, from what I observed, was better than it was before.

“Many years ago, when we were talking about regeneration, we were talking about a café bar culture, with a more sensible environment.

“We didn’t ever get there, but what I saw at the weekend was actually quite close to what we had wanted to achieve. We had people sitting outside, just having a drink and enjoying themselves. Behaviour was a lot better.

“I see it as an opportunity to make positive changes to the city centre. It is pushing us towards a place where the night time economy does change.

“If the city centre adapts, which I’m sure it can and I’m sure it will, I think we could see quite a different and welcome atmosphere in the city centre.”

Mr Howell was one of five Hull Street Angels Trinity patrolling the Whitefriargate and Silver Street areas of the city centre on Saturday evening.

He said the team were pleasantly surprised by how well those who ventured out behaved and adhered to guidance, though there was a noticeable difference later in the evening.

“We didn’t have any serious incidents to deal with at all,” he said.

“We were expecting it to be really, really busy but it wasn’t actually. It was quite quiet and it was a strange atmosphere.

“Not all the pubs were open and those that were could not play music, so that changed the atmosphere.

“In terms of the social distancing, I would say most of the pubs did their very best to comply. It was under control and they were making people queue.

“The staff we were talking to said it was working quite well. It was relaxed and it was working well.

“Most people were abiding by the guidelines but you could certainly see it deteriorate over times, and that’s inevitable as people drink.

“As people have a few drinks, they forget.”

Mr Howell, who has been a member of Hull Street Angels Trinity since it launched nine years ago to support the emergency services and help make people feel safer on a night out in the city centre, said it is difficult to draw many long-term conclusions from the weekend’s experience.

“It was nowhere near the norm,” he said.

“There were so many police out, along with the Street Marshals service that the council has commissioned, so at this stage it is really hard to judge how it might pan out further down the line.

All Street Angels Trinity volunteers receive first aid, conflict management, safeguarding and mental health training. They must also undergo a successful DBS check.

The angels patrol the city centre on Friday and Saturday nights, on bank holidays and during major public events, to provide a reassuring presence.

They distribute bottles of water, hand out flip-flops to prevent revellers who have removed their footwear from hurting their feet, and administer basic first aid when required.

The volunteers also all carry radios to enable them to exchange messages with the emergency services and door staff.

PRAISE: Assistant Chief Constable Paul Anderson

Assistant Chief Constable Paul Anderson, from Humberside Police, praised licensees for putting in place stringent safety measures in line with government guidelines.

He said: “While we did have to go to a handful of premises following reports of altercations, most were quickly resolved without the need for further action from us and very few arrests were made in relation to issues arising from people who had been out drinking.

“It was also clear that while restrictions may have eased, people were mindful that there is still a pandemic out there and there are still government guidelines in place to help limit the spread of Covid-19.

“It was obvious that the licensees and their teams had done a lot of work to ensure that measures were in place to mitigate any risk and we were happy to see that people were also taking a great deal of personal responsibility in keeping their distance from each other.

“We’ll continue to monitor the situation and have additional officers in place, so that if any issues emerge or we find anyone to be behaving inappropriately, we can and will deal with them quickly.”

To find out more about Hull Street Angels Trinity, including how to volunteer, visit hullstreetangelstrinity.org.uk.