Make Hull Great Again

Hull has always been a city built on resilience. From its docks to its creative spirit, the people of Hull have weathered storms and built something special from them. But recently, the city has also become known for something far less inspiring: the rise of the Reform movement, which has fuelled division, resentment, and hostility towards those who look, sound, or live differently. Instead of uniting us, it has highlighted an ugly divide.

But that’s not the whole story of Hull. Nor should it ever be. Because while some voices try to drag us back, there are countless people, businesses, and communities proving every single day that what truly makes Hull great is its diversity, compassion, and creativity.

So, how do we really “make Hull great again”? By celebrating the very things that bring us together, not tear us apart.

Celebrating Cultural Businesses

Walk down any Hull street and you’ll see it: immigrant-owned businesses and cultural gems that keep the city vibrant. But this isn’t a curse, it’s a blessing. We’re lucky to have our streets alive with rich flavours, diverse voices, and vibrant cultures. Everything Toastie puts a creative spin on a simple comfort food, giving it an African twist that reflects the richness of Hull’s global community.

There's something for everyone! Hull Cut & Go offers an authentic Turkish barber experience, a slice of another culture right in the heart of the city. Independent Polish bakeries, Moroccan restaurants like Marrakech Avenue, and small African and Asian shops make our food scene richer and more welcoming.

These businesses don’t just serve products or meals. They weave new traditions into Hull’s everyday life, making the city more colourful, more delicious, and more alive.

Supporting the LGBTQ+ Quarter

Hull is proud of its LGBTQ+ community, and rightly so. The Humber Street area has become a hub of queer nightlife and culture, with venues like Fuel providing safe and celebratory spaces. Pride in Hull, one of the biggest annual events in the city, brings thousands together to stand for love, equality, and visibility.

To make Hull great again, we need to keep protecting and supporting these spaces. A vibrant LGBTQ+ quarter doesn’t just make life better for LGBTQ+ people; it makes the entire city more inclusive and proud.

(Images by Pride In Hull / University of Hull)

Lifting Up the Less Fortunate

True greatness is measured in how we treat the most vulnerable. Hull is home to charities and community groups that step up when others turn away.

• Hull Foodbank and Emmaus Hull work tirelessly to provide dignity and care.

• Open Doors Hull supports asylum seekers and refugees, offering a hand of friendship where hostility too often greets them.

• Hull Sisters, a women-led group, gives migrant and refugee women the tools and support they need to thrive.

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Supporting these groups doesn’t just change individual lives — it makes the whole city stronger.

Arts, Culture and the Heartbeat of Hull

Culture has always been Hull’s superpower. Festivals like Freedom Festival bring international performances to our streets, proving that art transcends borders. Hull Truck Theatre stages voices that challenge and inspire, while Humber Street Gallery showcases bold, contemporary art.

Grassroots music, spoken word nights, and creative hubs across the city remind us that Hull is at its best when it is creating, sharing, and imagining. These spaces are not just entertainment; they are where communities come together and new futures are imagined.

Faces of Hull’s Greatness

Hull’s greatness is not found in political slogans or in movements that exclude. It’s in the immigrant families building businesses from scratch, the volunteers giving their evenings to help others, the creatives putting on shows in small venues, and the young people shaping the city’s next chapter.

So, How Do We Make Hull Great Again?

Not through division. Not through fear. Not through scapegoating.

We make Hull great again by:

• Supporting immigrant-owned and independent businesses.

• Showing up for LGBTQ+ spaces and events.

• Donating time or money to charities that help the vulnerable.

• Celebrating and investing in arts and culture.

• Amplifying voices too often pushed to the margins.

  
  

Because Hull doesn’t need to be “made” great, it already is. We just need to protect, support, and amplify the things that make it so.