Held at Hull’s History Society, our Open Evening became a bit of a networking event as so many new organisations were introduced to the society. Connecting people is so important and our executive board are working hard to ensure we are working with a wide range of institutions and projects which allow our society to have as much beneficial impact as possible for both cities.
We began by viewing the Lord Mayor’s film of his time in Freetown earlier in the year. It was brilliant to see him alongside the Mayor of Freetown as they discussed how the two cities have inspired each other. The Lord Mayor met with the President who himself signalled his wishes to visit Freetown’s most valued partner, Hull. Mayor Yvonne thanked the society for the help we gave to support the prize for the Transform Freetown project and looks forward to our ongoing collaborations. It is great to have the Lord Mayors as the presidents of the Freetown Society here in Hull and of the Hull Society in Freetown. It allows us access to areas we otherwise may not be able to tread as a society and as such is enabling us to have greater impact.
One organisation which is having a great impact is Jacob’s Well. Helping mainly in the form of medical supplies aid, the charity supports hospitals and local medics in a range of areas, including central and Freetown’s suburbs. Through Jacob’s Well we were introduced to a range of projects that we will now look at supporting such as a women’s group who are working on solar panels to give power to the more rural areas of Freetown.
Taking inspiration from the Mayor of Freetown’s initiative to plant thousands of trees in Freetown, Hull is now having a similar project. One Hull of a Forest looks to ensure that Hull will rise up the ranks from being the least forested city in the UK. We are interested in how we can support this and the campaign in Freetown.
