'Blue coat' volunteers to push into East Riding

A volunteering scheme that saw 2,500 people promote Hull during UK City of Culture in 2017 is to be rolled out to other areas of East Yorkshire, a tourism chief has said.

Chris Blacksell, chairman of Visit Hull and East Yorkshire (VHEY), said volunteers, known for their distinctive sky blue jackets, would continue to be used in the city, but added there was now a desire for them to be used more further afield.

He said: "These volunteers are the first people visitors to the area see."

Mr Blacksell said VHEY had received £200,000 of lottery funding to extend the scheme, including in Goole where volunteers will help at events marking the town's 200-year anniversary in 2026.

Volunteers were first recruited in 2016, prior to Hull's year in the spotlight.

Mr Blacksell said: "We've been running a pilot extension of the volunteers' scheme in Bridlington.

"Following on from this, over the next year, we're planning to use our volunteers further afield, supporting large events, museums and galleries, just as they are in Hull."

The latest funding has come from the Heritage Innovation Fund and will be used to train volunteers, he said.

Funded by Hull City Council and East Riding of Yorkshire Council, VHEY supports 1,700 businesses across the region.

Mr Blacksell said Hull and East Yorkshire is a "fabulous tourist destination", but added its "biggest benefit is the people".

He said: "I think it's the most welcoming place in the country, and we need to capitalise on that."

Meanwhile, VHEY released details of its master plan, to encourage more people to visit the region.

Mr Blacksell added: "The economic climate at the moment is challenging, so it's crucial we support businesses to be as effective and successful as possible, whilst also drawing in more tourists."

A key part of the plan will involve VHEY increasing its national and international marketing of the region, he said.

Mr Blacksell said leaders would seek to fully exploit the area's links to the film industry.

"This will be an area of growth," he said.

The city has earned the nickname "Hullywood" in recent years, after productions including The Crown, Enola Holmes 2 and Blitz made use of its historic buildings.

And in October 2024, Stephen Graham, who plays Hayden Stagg in the TV series Peaky Blinders, told staff at a Goole restaurant he was in town filming scenes for the show's feature film Immortal Man at the docks.

Mr Blacksell cited sculpture trails, which he considered successful, to celebrate famous sons and daughters, such as the aviator Amy Johnson and Philip Larkin, who, though born in Coventry, spent many years in Hull.

However, he said "there is scope" to celebrate such key characters more, in particular Hull-born Ebenezer Cobb Morley, the founder of the Football Association.

"Perhaps more could be done to honour Ebenezer Cobb Morley; without him we would not have football as we know it today."

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