Top class events

Now that the dark nights are closing in, it's good to look back and remember the fantastic events held in the city this year.
The Freedom Festival, which took place on August 30 in Queen's Gardens, was, for many people, the highlight of the summer.
Thousands of people came along in brilliant sunshine to attend the day-long music and arts festival, and it was all laid on free for them to enjoy.
Not only that, but there was a wealth of talent from the Hull Urban Collective on the Freedom stage and these young performers got their chance thanks to support from The Warren.
(You can read more about this story on page 29.)
Hull can feel proud of its creative young people, and another group of young artists featured in this month's magazine (on page 31) have recorded a CD to raise money for the Vision for the Blind project in Freetown, Hull's twin city in Sierra Leone.
Looking back over some of the other events of this year, such as the Tour of Britain, the Hull City victory parade for clinching promotion to the Premiership, the Lord Mayor's Gala, Race for Life, Hull Jazz Festival and the Hull Maritime Festival, all will live long in the memory for many people and for many different reasons.
Some of the best sights from the year's events can be seen in a picture special on pages 20 and 21, and images of Freedom can be seen on page 28.
I remember how people told me how much they enjoyed the Freedom Festival and asked that it will not be just a once in a lifetime experience for the city.
So I hope to welcome Freedom back next year, and I will continue to work on behalf of the city, to ensure we do not miss out to Sheffield, Leeds and others in attracting high-profile events in the future.
Meanwhile, there is a wide range of news and features in this month's Hull in print, so enjoy your read!

Cllr Carl Minns
Leader, Hull City Council