WISE man in town

Archbishop Desmond Tutu

Noble Peace Prize winner Archbishop Desmond Tutu has signed Hull's petition to end modern slavery.
Archbishop Tutu was in Hull for the International Slavery Conference, 'Unfinished Business,' hosted by the Wilberforce Institute for Slavery and Emancipation (WISE). He gave a lecture 'Emancipation, Reconciliation and Reparations' at Hull City Hall.
Archbishop Tutu, who is also patron of WISE, is best known for his tireless campaign against apartheid in South Africa in the 1980s, for which he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1984.
Thousands of people from pop stars to politicians have already signed the Fight for Freedom campaign petition, which calls for freedom for the world's 27 million slaves.
To sign the petition yourself visit www.wilberforce2007.com

Dance spectacular

Dancer Gauri Sharma Tripathi

Hull City Hall will come alive with the sights and sounds of live Indian music and dance when a touring production takes to the stage on Saturday June 16.
The show, called Waqt (meaning 'time') is based upon a poem of the same name by Javed Akhtar and explores how people experience time in different ways.
Highly-acclaimed dancer Gauri Sharma Tripathi is one of the world's leading exponents of the Kathak form of Indian dance and stars in the production.
Waqt comes to Hull courtesy of the Hull and East Riding Hindu Cultural Association.

Flying the flag

Hull Prison is supporting the Wilberforce 2007 anti-slavery campaign by flying the Wilberforce flag bearing the words 'Pride, Freedom, Belief, Change'.
"Flying a flag bearing the word 'freedom' outside a prison might raise a few eyebrows but we feel it is appropriate to mark the anniversary of Wilberforce and his achievements," says Martyn Barnsley, the diversity manager at Hull Prison.
"It's about freedom from slavery not freedom from jail and I'm sure our staff, visitors and inmates recognise that."
The flags are available free from Hull City Council to commemorate William Wilberforce's role in the abolition of the transatlantic slave trade, and to support ongoing efforts to abolish modern forms of slavery.
The prison usually flies an HM Prison Service flag and on some occasions the Union flag is flown.
Businesses and organisations across Hull can claim a Wilberforce 2007 flag by calling 300300.

Park life

An improvement scheme has been launched in Peel Street Park.
So far £98,500 has bought play equipment for children, toddlers, and children with disabilities.
The scheme was introduced after the area committee consulted with 325 local children and adults about park improvements.
Residents have formed the Friends of Peel Street Park group to develop more ideas for regenerating the site.
Meanwhile, Sculcoates Park in Fenchurch Street, Beverley Road, will be upgraded in a £30,000 scheme which will include a new basketball and five-a-side football pitch and new lighting.
Residents and councillors working together created this scheme.

Boost for church

A £500,000 project has begun to transform St John's Church, on Rosmead Street, off Southcoates Lane, east Hull into a centre for the whole community.
The work, financed by European funding, will be completed in October and includes a new mezzanine floor, meeting rooms and a snack bar.
Training in computers will be available as well as a wide range of activities for people of all ages, seven days a week.

Spring clean

Litter picking and the removal of illegally-dumped rubbish formed part of a scheme to tackle neighbourhood problems on the Ings estate.
The council's waste management team led the environmental clean-up while encouraging residents to recycle more.
Held between May 21 and 25, the 'East Area Action Week' also included visits from the council's antisocial behaviour team who worked with residents to find ways of cracking down on neighbourhood nuisance reported in the area.
St Mark's Church in Bellfield Road hosted the event but teams talked to people on the street to hear views and to respond to their requests.

Cyclists warned

Northern Area Committee is working with Humberside Police and Hull Community Wardens as part of 'Operation Warlock' to crackdown on cyclists riding bikes on pavements.
Cyclists in Hall Road and across the Avenues and Beverley wards caught cycling on pavements could receive a £30 fixed penalty fine.
Hull Community Wardens will visit local schools to advise children about riding bikes safely.
Operation Warlock was introduced after residents identified pavement cycling as a public safety priority for the area.

Keep home safe

Lives could be saved and property protected in a community safety scheme for residents in the Boothferry, Derringham and Pickering wards.
Free shed alarms and free household carbon monoxide detectors, which warn against leaks of the odourless, colourless and deadly gas from faulty gas appliances, are available to residents within those wards.
There are 1,200 free detectors and 2,100 alarms.
Priority for the carbon monoxide detectors will be given to vulnerable and older people, and the shed alarms will go firstly to residents in areas who have experienced break-ins.
The devices can be claimed by residents in the above wards by calling 300300.

Teaching course

Would you like to become a teaching assistant, or are you already employed in the role but need to sharpen your skills?
If the answer to either of these questions is yes, a teaching assistant course may be for you.
Applications are now being invited for the two available courses which will run inductions in July before the courses start in September.
The closing date for applications is June 16.
People with voluntary experience as teaching assistants can enrol on an NVQ Level 2 course, and those already in the job can develop their skills on an NVQ Level 3 course.
Courses will be held at the Avenues Adult Community Learning Centre in Park Avenue; Eastfield Community Education Centre in Anlaby Road and the Freedom Centre in Preston Road.
For an application pack call 300300.

Protect the elderly

World Elder Abuse Awareness Day takes place on June 15 when members of the public can gain advice about protecting the elderly.
Hull City Council staff and Age Concern will be available at Princes Quay shopping centre throughout the day to offer advice.
They will be raising awareness about forms of elderly abuse, which may include physical, psychological, financial and neglect, and how it can be prevented.
For more information contact the council on 300300 or Age Concern in Hull on 324644.

Vivid colours, fabulous sounds

An inflatable sculpture of interconnected chambers will form a remarkable visitor attraction for Hull people of all ages next month.
Not only will the walk-in labyrinth give visitors an intense experience of colour and light, but musicians, storytellers and poets will be inside to entertain the crowds.
The sculpture, called a Colourdome, will be pitched up in Queen Victoria Square on July 28 and 29 as part of the Wilberforce Weekender event
Meanwhile, an exhibition called Fabulous Sound Machines will be running at Ferens Art Gallery from July 14 to September 2.
It will feature a collection of 'sonic artworks' that visitors can play by hitting or banging them, or by activating them electronically.

Essential roadworks

Traffic in Anlaby Road will be disrupted from 6pm on Saturday June 16 to 11pm on Sunday June 24 due to essential roadworks at the entrance to Hull Royal Infirmary.
Temporary traffic lights will be installed to restrict traffic flow to one direction at a time. Drivers are asked to find alternative routes during this period if possible.