Plans for Holderness Road move on

Hundreds of people gave their views on an ambitious plan to transform the Holderness Road area of east Hull during a six-week consultation in March and April this year.
Over 800 comments were made on the four options for change in the plan, which could see a £600m transformation of the area over the next 10 to 15 years.
Now these comments are being considered as part of the next stage of the regeneration of the area, which will see some of the elements from the previous four options brought together to form one clear plan of action.
This plan is expected to be published towards the end of this year, when there will be another six week period of consultation with local people.

Awards success for council

Hull's Community Court Payback team is in the running for two prestigious justice awards.
The team runs the Payback Taskforce project, featured in last month's Hull in print, which puts low-risk offenders to work on community projects suggested by the public.
It is made up of members of the council's Citysafe team, Her Majesty's Court Service, the Humberside Criminal Justice Board, the Humber Probation Trust and the Goodwin Trust Charity, and has been nominated in the Partnership of the Year category of the local and national Justice Awards 2009.
Meanwhile, the council's building cleaning team and its Young People's Support Service have both been shortlisted at the 2009 Association of Public Service Excellence (APSE) awards.
At last year's APSE awards the council was named Overall Council of the Year, while the cleaning team took the top team prize,

Tourism boost

Hull now has its first four-star hotel as the city continues to stake its claim as a tourism destination.
The 126-bedroom Portland Hotel in Paragon Street has been awarded a four-star rating by the AA.
The hotel, which employs 65 people, achieved the rating thanks to the quality of its customer service and the facilities it offers guests, including fully en suite rooms, a selection of restaurants and bars, conference and dining facilities, and high speed Wi Fi internet access.
Meanwhile, the recent Freedom music and arts festival and the launch of the Clipper Round the World Yacht Race are just two of many events held through the year which help attract many thousands of visitors to Hull.
For more information on tourism visit www.realyorkshire.co.uk

Utterly imaginative exhibition at the Ferens

An interactive exhibition at the Ferens Art Gallery is proving to be a hit with under 7s and their families.
'Green Drops and Moonsquirters – the utterly imaginative world of Lauren Child' brings the work of popular children's author and illustrator Lauren Child to life.
More than 40 original illustrations from Child's best-selling stories are on display, featuring characters including Charlie and Lola – of BBC CBeebies fame – and Clarice Bean.
As part of the exhibition, children can make meals with food from Charlie and Lola's fridge and dress up in their favourite outfits, including Lola's very best alligator suit.
The free exhibition is a Manchester Art Gallery Touring exhibition supported by Arts Council England. It runs until Sunday 8 November, with free family activities taking place every Saturday morning until then.
For more information call 300300 or visit www.hullcc.gov.uk.

Sport for all

Residents in the Preston Road area now have a £606,564 multi-use games area (MUGA).
The Flinton Fields site, at the rear of Foredyke Primary School, opened in August, and provides a modern and safe environment for local people to take part in sport and recreation.
It has three senior, two junior, and two mini-soccer grass football pitches plus purpose-built changing facilities.
"This fabulous site, situated in the heart of the community, provides a fantastic opportunity for residents of Preston Road and surrounding areas to access high-quality facilities," said Cllr John Robinson, Hull City Council's portfolio holder for image and culture.
The project was funded with the help of a £308,564 grant from the Football Foundation, with further funding provided by Hull City Council and Preston Road New Deal for Communities.

Put it in writing

A new group for young writers is looking for members with a passion for plays, prose or poetry.
Hull City Council and Hull Truck Theatre want to hear from 13-19 year olds who are interested in joining Hull Young Writers.
Members will work with an experienced writer to learn new skills and will also see their work performed at Hull Truck Theatre.
Ruth Drake, youth arts co-ordinator for Hull City Council, said: "This new and exciting group has been set up after a successful project at the Humber Mouth Literature Festival, when three youth theatre groups wrote and performed their own plays at Hull Truck Theatre Studio Space."
To apply, email your name, age, a short paragraph about yourself and a sample of your writing (no more than an A4 page) to hullyoungwriters@hotmail.co.uk.

New hostel for homeless

A new hostel for homeless people is to be built in Great Union Street, near Hull city centre.
The £4m hostel will replace two hostels nearby which will be knocked down as part of regeneration plans.
The new facility will be managed by English Churches Housing Group (ECHG) and homelessness agency Hull Homeless and Rootless Project (HARP).
John Glenton, regional manager for ECHG, said: "This is a very welcome and common sense step that will support and rehabilitate homeless people, and create training and employment opportunities in the local community."
The government-funded development will include a community café, gym, IT suite and employment services.
Construction on the new site is due to start in January 2010, with completion expected by January 2011.

Antisocial behaviour competition winner

Young people from north Hull have taken part in a competition linked to anti social behaviour.
The Hull Citysafe prize draw competition was one of the activities at a recent family fun day held to mark the refurbishment of Shaw Park on the Orchard Park Estate. It asked children and young people to draw a picture or write a story about their thoughts on anti social behaviour.
The winner was Jack Marrow of 31st Avenue and his take on problems with loud noise. Jack won a £10 HMV voucher and a Hollywood Bowl voucher for him and five friends.
Antisocial behaviour enforcement officer Chris Cook (pictured above with Jack) said: "We had a great response to the competition and the entries showed that children and young people understood a wide range of anti social behaviour issues and the effects they can have on a community."