What Hull does best

2007 has been a tough year for flood-hit families and hundreds of them are still living in temporary accommodation and caravans across the city.
Celebrating Christmas under these circumstances will be a challenge, but knowing the resilience of Hull people, as I do, I'm sure they'll refuse to let adversity spoil the festive season.
Getting on with it is what Hull people do best, and that's exactly what an army of workers both in the public and private sectors will be doing on December 25 as the rest of us tuck into our Christmas dinners.
I'm talking about nurses, police, and fire officers – not to mention Hull City Council workers including gritter lorry drivers, residential care home workers, and the Civic One team which monitors the hundreds of CCTV cameras throughout the city.
The people who work behind the scenes on behalf of the public also help to keep our city safe.
On pages 14 -16 of this month's Hull in print you can read more about the work being done to keep you safe over Christmas, and also about measures you can take yourself to avoid becoming a victim of crime.
Meanwhile, on page 26 you can read about a very special celebration for one of the oldest schools in the city.
Newland School for Girls has been celebrating its centenary in 2007 - and has staged a number of special events over the year.
One event was an Edwardian day in which pupils experienced how lessons would have been back in 1907, including using ink pots, having nail inspections and sitting in silence for long periods.
What a journey the education system has made since then, especially since the introduction of information technology!
The good news is that all secondary schools in Hull are to be taken even further forward into the future with the £250 million Building Schools for the Future programme.
It's the biggest transformation in education that the city has ever seen – and will create brighter futures for the children of Hull and their children, and their children.
That's a worthy cause for a Christmas toast if ever there was one!
Happy Christmas.

Cllr Carl Minns
Leader, Hull City Council