Face of the place: Booklet of Mark Jones’ tweets published to support charities

‘MR HULL’: The much-missed Mark Jones MBE, who was Hull City Council’s director of regeneration and a champion of young people. Picture by Tom Arran Commercial Photography

By Simon Bristow, Co-Editor

A booklet containing inspirational photography and social media messages from the late Mark Jones MBE has been produced to support three charities.

Mark, Hull City Council’s director of regeneration who died in September 2023, worked tirelessly to drive economic opportunities for young people in Hull, particularly those from disadvantaged backgrounds.

He was also a prolific user of X (formerly Twitter), posting images and messages from across the city to more than 20,000 followers on his ‘@Jonestheregen’ account, and often posting early morning pictures accompanied by the words ‘Hull England’ and ‘Face of the place’.

COLLECTION: The booklet compiling posts of prolific Twitter user Mark Jones

The booklet, A Celebration of Mark Jones’ tweets, has been devised as a celebration to Mark’s commitment to Hull and its young entrepreneurs.

Some of Mark’s most popular posts have been reproduced in the booklet, curated by young entrepreneurs, along with a poem in his memory.

All proceeds from sales of the booklet will be split between the British Heart Foundation and two charities which support two young people with Duchenne – Action for Ashley and Joy for Joel.

The Lord Mayor of Hull, Councillor Kalvin Neal, said: “This booklet is a truly fitting memory to Mark Jones.

“He was committed to improving Hull for the people of Hull.

“Mark was also a frequent user of X and some of his photos really were awe-inspiring and it’s fantastic that these are all in one place to be viewed over time.”

‘FITTING TRIBUTE’: Lord Mayor of Hull, Councillor Kalvin Neal, with the booklet

Amanda Brockwell of Couture Fascinators by Amanda and Alex Costin of Alex Costin Photography were part of the project.

They said: “Mark was a huge supporter of young entrepreneurs and enabled the expansion of MC4C (Making Changes for Careers).

“We were proud as the MC4C team to be asked to introduce the booklet at Mark’s memorial at the Guildhall.

“It contains some breathtaking photos and Mark’s frequently used hashtags, as well witty remarks, whilst we also utilised training we received on Introduction to AI to generate a poem based on his X page.

“We hope that the booklet helps his legacy in Hull live on.”

A Celebration of Mark Jones tweets is available for just £5.

To order a copy email Amanda on amanda.brockwell@hullcc.gov.uk or youthenterprise@hullcc.gov.uk.