Taking action

Residents in the Wyke area of the city teamed up with Hull City Council staff for an action week to remove graffiti.
Local people and representatives from various community organisations, including Rhema Youth Works and Hull Vineyard Church, worked alongside the Wyke Environmental Action Team.
They used a jet wash to remove more than 100 graffiti 'tags' from garage doors, walls, houses, and buildings in Ella Street, Victoria Avenue and Park Avenue.
"The area looks cleaner and better now," said community participation officer Jacqui Buckley.
"Everyone who took part worked hard throughout the week." Action Weeks and environmental clean ups are held across the city at various times of the year.
For information on the next one in your area, call your local area team whose number is listed in the back of this magazine.

Upgrade for marina

Refurbished lock gates, an improved electricity supply, and new pumps for filtering silt are among a £650,000 package of improvements for Hull Marina (pictured above).
The work - financed by Hull Forward, the city's development company, started last month and will ensure the long term future of the site.
"The marina is used by hundreds of boat users every year and has the potential to be one of the city's greatest attractions," said John Holmes, chief executive of Hull Forward.
"It also plays an important role in our ambitious regeneration plans for the waterfront area, particularly the Fruit Market and Humber Quays, so we are happy to fund the improvement works."
For more information on Hull Forward and regeneration projects in the city visit www.hull.co.uk

Can you help?

Volunteers from the Hull Churches Home from Hospital service

A charity which helps older people live at home is seeking volunteers.
The Hull Churches Home from Hospital Service is supported by Hull City Council, the Hull Teaching Primary Care Trust, and Macmillan Cancer Support and provides a range of vital services.
The charity supports and befriends people on their discharge home from hospital for up to eight weeks, providing help with shopping and changing surgical stockings.
Volunteers also give respite care to those who look after someone with cancer or other life limiting illnesses, and they promote independent living through services such as Stream TV – a system which provides local information and email through a digital set top box.
For further information or to volunteer please call 475262 or visit www.hchfh.org.uk

VIP visit to 'flood' schools

David Bell at Tilbury primary school

A top government civil servant visited two Hull schools to see the progress made since last summer's floods.
David Bell, the permanent secretary for the Department of Children, Schools and Families, met pupils, parents, teachers and school governors during his visits to Tilbury Primary and Sydney Smith School in west Hull.
Tilbury was badly affected by flooding and pupils were temporarily accommodated at Pickering High School until the end of the summer term.
The school re-opened last September and pupils are now being taught in a fully refurbished building.
Sydney Smith was the most severely affected school in the region and 11,502 pupil school days were lost due to flood damage.
Mr Bell showed keen interest in the fully refurbished and re-opened school and heard how flooding had affected the lives of pupils.

In the know

An on-line guide to life in Hull is helping migrant workers from overseas settle in the city.
The information - available in Polish, Vietnamese, Spanish, Latvian and other languages – can be found by following a link on the homepage of the council's website at www.hullcc.gov.uk.
From using banks and post offices to finding a job, a home, learning how to tax and test motor vehicles, and registering with a doctor and dentist, it's all there on the website.
"We've had some positive feedback from users since we launched the life guide earlier this year," said project development manager Melanie Boswell.
"We'll update and monitor the site to ensure migrant workers and their families have all the information they need at the click of a mouse."

Clued up with Hull FC stars

The new website for children and young people in Hull – www.cluedupinhull.com – is offering youngsters the chance to meet the Hull FC players and attend one of their training sessions.
For a chance of winning the prize, children and young people need to visit the website, follow the links, and answer a question.
The lucky winner will also be able to have their picture taken with the players, and invite them to sign up to the pledge, made by Hull City Council and its partners, to help make Hull "a family friendly city where no child is left behind."

Award for carers

Staff at Karelia Court

A team of Hull City Council care staff have been named the Council Workers of the Year in recognition of the way they assisted clients with special needs during last year's floods.
The national award was given to the team from Karelia Court, west Hull, at the Local Government Association annual conference in Bournemouth.
Karelia Court is home to eight people with autism and learning disabilities and routine is crucial to their well-being.
When the home flooded, and needed evacuating, the staff kept residents as calm and comfortable as possible.
"This is a fantastic win for a great team," said Cllr Stephen Baker who has responsibility for health and voluntary services.
"In the wake of the floods they worked beyond their shifts and over weekends when many of their own homes were under water.
They deserve their recognition."