Gold Anchor award shows Hull Marina is ship shape
Hull Marina is literally flying the flag for excellence after making its mark in a revamped awards scheme.
And now Hull BID is working with the marina operators and Hull City Council to build on the success by ensuring visiting seafarers and their friends and families receive a warm and informative welcome to the city.
The marina was awarded a rating of four Gold Anchors in an international assessment scheme operated by the Yacht Harbour Association.
Derek Newton, Managing Director of British Waterways Marinas Limited (BWML), said the award, symbolised by a commemorative flag, recognised the hard work and investment ploughed into Hull Marina and demonstrated its facilities are now up there with the best in the industry.
BWML took on the responsibility for managing Hull Marina with a 99-year lease in 2008. The company and Hull City Council have invested heavily in the site, and Hull BID has come on board to strengthen links between users of the marina and the local business community.
“Hull Marina has had its problems in the past but this award shows how much progress it has made,” said Derek.
In partnership with the Royal Yachting Association, the Yacht Harbour Association has been operating the Gold Anchor standards for more than 20 years. The accreditation process includes an assessment, a mystery shop and a questionnaire for berth holders.
“The process has become much more stringent recently,” said Derek.
“Awards range from one Gold Anchor to a maximum of five, and any award is seen as a sure sign of a credible and quality marina. To achieve a four Gold Anchor award reflects the high quality of our facilities and the way we operate Hull Marina. It is a great achievement.”
Hull BID’s support includes liaising with Humberside Police to improve security at the marina site, supplying radio sets to enable direct communication with the BID Support Officers and providing visitor information for use by people arriving at the marina.
“Occupancy at Hull Marina is increasing and we get visitors from many different parts of the world,” said Derek.
“We get flotillas from the Netherlands and Belgium coming in for weekend trips and many of our visitors, wherever they’re from, get people from other parts of the UK coming to Hull to see them. I can’t think of any other marina in this country that has such a good location, with the city centre just across the road, and Hull BID helps us make the most of that.”
Hull BID City Centre Manager Kathryn Shillito added: “Hull Marina is a real success story and presents a great opportunity to showcase what the city has to offer to visitors from the UK and abroad. The city has lots of events and activity in the pipeline and we want to ensure users of the marina know about them.
“We aim to do all we can to help British Waterways Marinas look after their guests and send them away with the sort of positive impressions that make them want to come back to Hull.”
