A short recap HU4 was formed in 2019 to help fill a huge void on the estate due to lack of facilities and community spaces for residents to make friends, have a coffee and so on, the Hub is the only space on the entire estate that’s available for use by the community.
We took the challenge and how things have improved for the residents of the estate and beyond our HU4 postcode, even though the building as all agree is too small to fully meet the demand for services.
With the support from FORUM, we applied to the Charity Commission to become a charity. so that we can continue the growth and development of HU4. We want to be recognised by not only the community but by bigger organisations to get involved.
Our Charity registration number is 1203139, and we have a board of 8 trustees, who meet monthly.
We work with many organisations that bring either food donations, funding, days out for families, free internet, working with families and building strong relationships with the local primary schools. We are supported with donations of fresh food and vegetables, healthy eating, awareness of healthy living.
Our open days at the café we offer especially during the cost-of-living crisis, hot food and drinks, warmth, winterwear such as hot water bottles, body fleeces, slow cookers, nappies, and much more the green doctor and information for support and help with external organisations’.
We run drop-in sessions of the importance of immunisations for all.
We stay open over Christmas and offer to all free cooked meals, hot drinks small Christmas presents that have been donated by many kind-hearted groups, Age Uk, Hull Fibre, Hull Libraries and many more individuals.
We get many donations from organisations and individuals, donations from food, clothing, nappies, bikes, prams, cots, cd players and tonnes of Wool. We utilise this by teaching all ages to knit and crochet, we make Serenity blankets and muffs for people living with Dementia, we then deliver these to the Dementia Unit at HRI, usually on the same run to the mother and Baby ward to donation feminine items, nappies and clothes.
HU4 attracts media attention, from BBC Radio Humberside, Calendar, GB and SKY news by coming over to the café and speak to local people of all ages, main topics are Anti-Social Behaviour and the cost-of-living issues and the impacts it has on the community, “Do you feel safe in your street” “Heat or eat”.
We are proud to say that we are creating employment, may not seem much but we are proud of this for many reasons, but it was a dream that we had and was determined to make this happen, so we have our very own Café Manager. So that we can concentrate on taking HU4 further forward.
As mentioned earlier about the current business unit being too small to accommodate many outreach services that are vital to our area, we do have CAB every Wednesday Morning, Renew used to come over but due to cutbacks it had stopped.
HU4 was a registered Warm zone, (October 2023 to March 2024) working with Food Alliance, Winter warmth Scheme and Turner Price. I have sent you our report back to Forum and Food Alliance.
Early August 2024, the council and HU4 meet to discuss the possibility of larger premises to meet the rising demand for residents in poor health get localised support.
The Community of HU4 needs as much exposure and support as possible to thrive and live healthy and meaningful lives.