Diamond Jubilee and Olympic Torch celebrations
set to pull crowds to city centre
City centre traders could be in line for a double boost for business as The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee and the Olympic Torch provide opportunities to pull in the crowds.
Hull BID will be working with businesses to raise awareness of the events, which will take place during June.
Among the activities planned for the Diamond Jubilee is a flotilla of 60 vessels organised by Hull Sailing Club.
Yachts, motor boats and barges will sail from Hessle Foreshore to Hull Marina late on the afternoon of Monday 4 June, which will be part of a four-day Bank Holiday weekend.
Events on Sunday 3 June will include the Jane Tomlinson 10k run in the morning and a special Diamond Jubilee “Songs Of Praise”-style service at Holy Trinity Church at 6.30pm.
The national Torch Relay will arrive in Hull on Monday 18 June, with the flame taking centre stage at an evening celebration in West Park.
Thousands of people are expected to turn out for the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to catch a glimpse of the torch as it passes through Hull on the first day of its journey through Yorkshire.
The timing of the events is ideal for city centre leisure businesses, with people being encouraged to stay in the city centre after work to join the celebrations.
The torch will be carried through Kingswood, Bransholme and Sutton to Diadem roundabout. From there it will pass along Holderness Road, through the city centre and along Anlaby Road to the main celebration at West Park.
The city centre route of Drypool Bridge, Alfred Gelder Street and Carr Lane will take the torch past a number of vantage points which are expected to prove popular with the public and the media. Another factor likely to encourage people to stay in the city centre is road closures along the route.
“The whole relay is being timed right down to the minute, with the torch due in Carr Lane just before 7pm,” said Kathryn Shillito, Hull BID City Centre Manager.
“As with the Diamond Jubilee celebrations we expect it to attract a lot of people into the city centre and that will present an opportunity for businesses,” said Kathryn.
“Hull City Council and Humberside Police have a lot of experience in organising such events with open top bus tours for our football and rugby clubs, and for the Torch Relay they will operate a programme of rolling road closures from about 5pm.
“Any inconvenience is likely to be minimal but we’re hoping that people working in the city centre who can’t get to the main event at West Park will decide to stay around, maybe enjoy a meal and a drink and watch the Olympic Torch on its historic journey through our city.”
