Hull’s fishing heritage charity STAND is another step closer to realising its main constitutional objective in creating a memorial to honour Hull’s Lost Trawlermen at St Andrew’s Dock.
Citycare has been appointed to manage the project to create a specially designed landscape where the current focal memorial piece will be situated.
This focal piece – a sculpture of 13 trawlermen made from specialised corten steel – is currently in storage and will be reinstated during the construction phase of project.
The approved design of the memorial landscape has been integrated with the Environment Agency’s flood defence wall, part of which forms the shape of a trawler’s bow. The wall has been constructed on the River Humber frontage at St Andrew’s Dock, ready for the project to begin in early 2021.
Hull City Council has played an integral and supportive role while also taking on the lease for the land.
Funding to deliver the project has been secured by STAND through years of fundraising and generous support from a number of key individuals and commercial benefactors.
Citycare is now working with STAND and the Council to finalise procurement of a contractor to deliver the project.
Ron Wilkinson, Chairman of STAND, said: “The fishing industry contributed significantly to the wealth and prosperity of Kingston upon Hull, once the largest deep sea fishing port in the world.
“We owe recognition and respect to those who lost their lives and the signing of the lease is the catalyst to provide a fitting memorial tribute to them and their families.
“It will mean everything to us to see this memorial finished. A lot of people have worked so hard on this for many years and it will be wonderful to see it come to fruition.”
The completion of the memorial will be down to the working partnership between Citycare, Hull City Council, the Environment Agency and the landlord, Orchard Street. In addition, Colour UDL designed the memorial landscape, while local sculptor Peter Naylor won the competition with his focal point design of the trawlermen figures, which were manufactured by local steel fabricators, W Campbell and Son Ltd.
STAND and the project have had strong support from the charity’s patrons Hull West and Hessle MP Emma Hardy and Alan Johnson, who previously held the position.
Mr Johnson, who is also Independent Chair of Citycare, said: “I’ve worked with STAND for well over 20 years and, in all that time, they have been trying to secure a proper memorial to the thousands of trawlermen who lost their lives at sea.
“To see this come to fruition is such good news for the families of lost trawlermen, but also for the city of Hull.
“Having secured the memorial, STAND had to deal with all kinds of issues, including flood defences and the lease of the land where the memorial is situated, and I pay credit to Ron and his committee for their perseverance and skill.
“As Chair, I was honoured that Citycare had a role in finally bringing this Project to fruition. It is so important for the city’s heritage.
Jonathan Ramsey, Development Manager at Citycare, said: “We’re so pleased to be involved in a project which has such strong significance and importance to Hull’s fishing heritage.
“We take great pride in giving back to the community and this is something which will create a lasting legacy for people to visit and remember for many years to come.”
