Hessle Country Park mural painted in bid to deter vandalism
The mural was painted by students from Malet Lambert School, Hull, and members of Gilberdyke Youth Club.Ms Garness said she was thrilled with the pupils' work."They were all a massive help, and as a group they were a force of nature," she said.An East Riding of Yorkshire Council spokesperson said: "In our experience, other sites benefitting from a mural rarely, if at all, suffer from more incidents of graffiti, meaning that there is a long-term improvement to the visual amenity of the area and no cost to the public purse in removing it."Lyn Healing, the council's cabinet member for housing and public protection, said the authority was committed to tackling issues such as graffiti. "This is a fantastic initiative and it's great to see so many volunteers play an active role in improving our communities," she said.Listen to highlights from Hull and East Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, watch the latest episode of Look North or tell us about a story you think we should be covering here.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
BBC News
12 hours ago
- BBC News
Rice, two curries and dal: The Indian cafes where you can pay in rubbish
Garbage cafes are springing up across India. The BBC visits the city of Ambikapur to find out how much impact they can really have on plastic – and people. As I approach India's first Garbage Cafe on a cloudy and foggy winter day in early 2025, the smell of hot samosas immediately makes the place feel cosy. Inside, people are sitting on wooden benches holding steel plates filled with steaming meals, some chatting, others eating quietly. Every day, hungry people arrive at this cafe in Ambikapur, a city in the state of Chhattisgarh in central India, in the hope of getting a hot meal. But they don't pay for their food with money – instead, they hand over bundles of plastic such as old carrier bags, food wrappers and water bottles. People can trade a kilogram (2.2lb) of plastic waste for a full meal that includes rice, two vegetable curries, dal, roti, salad and pickles, says Vinod Kumar Patel, who runs the cafe on behalf of the Ambikapur Municipal Corporation (AMC), the public body which manages the city's infrastructure and services. "For half a kilogram of plastic, they get breakfast like samosas or vada pav." I can get food for my family in exchange for the plastic I collect. It makes all the difference in our lives – Rashmi Mondal
BBC News
2 days ago
- BBC News
What next for Podsmead, one of Gloucester's most deprived areas?
"It's been the same since I was a little girl, nothing has changed."Keira Douglas has lived in the Podsmead area of Gloucester since she was a while the 28-year-old is proud of her home and community she, like many of her neighbours, feels left behind by measures show Podsmead is in the 10% most deprived areas of area is also the most deprived in Gloucestershire when it comes to employment, education skills and has been promised for years by politicians from multiple parties, but so far no large-scale projects have been brought to City Council said Podsmead remained a priority for investment and said it was committed to "delivering a future that reflects the aspirations of the community". But there is scepticism in Podsmead as to whether this pledge will be upheld."When you go up to other areas and you see how nice their areas are, and you come to Podsmead, it just seems like Podsmead has been forgotten about," Ms Douglas Balland, who has lived just off Podsmead's green space since he was born, agrees and said those with power were not listening."Podsmead has been left behind since I was a kid, there's been many things we've wanted," he resident Stephen Bartlett thinks there is little chance of change."Probably this will be the same in 10 years as it is now," he said. Some improvements have come to Podsmead. Last month, its first pharmacy opened, giving residents access to health advice within walking May, the £6m Blackbridge Community and Sports Hub welcomed its first visitors to its gym, exercise studio and sports no improvement has been made when it comes to was a £45m plan for what was described as a "once-in-a-generation opportunity" to regenerate the area and build 172 socially affordable was put forward by Gloucester City Homes (GCH) housing association but was voted down by Gloucester City Council last month over concerns including the loss of green space and the design of the vote followed objections to the plans from some residents in Podsmead. Some said they wanted GCH, which owns and maintains much of the social rented housing in the area, to invest in improvements to existing homes were also concerns around overcrowding and pressure on schools. The rejection of the regeneration plan has caused tension between the city's political MP for Gloucester, Alex McIntyre, said the decision was really disappointing and Conservative MP for the city, Richard Graham, who was involved in the creation of the regeneration project, also expressed his disappointment. He has said there needs to be "leadership, and a focus on action not rhetoric" to find a "positive way forward" for the in a council meeting in July, Liberal Democrat leader of the city council Jeremy Hilton said the planning process was carried out "properly without any interference from the administration" and the decision was reached through a "free democratic vote by the planning committee".In a statement, Gloucester City Homes said it would not pursue regeneration in what's next? Optimism Politicians claim they are entering talks to form a plan on how to invest in Podsmead.A spokesperson for the council has said it recognises the frustration of residents who feel the area has been left behind."However, we want to be crystal clear: Podsmead remains a priority for investment and regeneration, and we are committed to delivering a future that reflects the aspirations of the community," the spokesperson there are those who are optimistic change will come, such as Liberal Democrat councillor for the Podsmead ward, Sebastian Field."There's a lot going on in Podsmead elsewhere that is very promising," he pointed to a nearly completed housing development at nearby Earls Park and the "fantastic" Blackbridge Hub. "I think the future is bright and it's up to all of us to be positive about Podsmead," he said. One thing everyone can agree on is the benefit that regeneration will have on residents when it comes to health, life expectancy, educational attainment and life Gale is the chief executive of the charity Gloucestershire Gateway Trust, which runs social projects in the said: "There's such a high level of health inequalities here, you can just cross over the main road and the mortality rates are significantly lower just within a few hundred yards, and so there's so much that could be done."And he has a sobering warning for decision makers. "I think it's really demoralising and disheartening to be promised repeatedly that things will improve and then for those things not to be delivered," he said."People can only be promised things so many times and not see them being delivered before they begin to question whether anything is going to happen."
The Guardian
3 days ago
- The Guardian
Are we letting ‘stranger danger' get in the way of connecting with our community?
About six months ago, a friend and I took our kids along to the shopping centre in Ballarat for some school holiday activities. When I rocked up, my friend was already deep in conversation with another mum, who was not initially known to us. I joined in on the yarn, in my usual fashion, and by the end of it we'd all exchanged numbers and invited the new mum over to our home as well as an event at our community hub. Friends often gasp when we retell this story. Approaching someone unknown and proceeding to ask for their digits? The audacity! We have become so used to operating in isolation, segregating ourselves from the world and those around us, that it has become a challenge to push beyond our comfort zone and engage with people we don't know. God forbid we exchange words with someone random, let alone extend our circle of friends. According to the Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia survey, an estimated 15% of Australians aged 15 and over were experiencing social isolation in 2023. The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare states that social isolation and loneliness can harm mental and physical health and may affect life satisfaction. Sign up to receive Guardian Australia's fortnightly Rural Network email newsletter So why aren't we making more of an effort to embrace more people into our lives? To connect with more people? To even meet our neighbours? According to a 2020 study, there were 40 reasons which prevented people from making friends – with the main one being low trust, followed by lack of time, and introversion. But growing up, I saw how my parents and broader community constantly worked to foster friendships – old and new – with love, warmth and openness. Time wasn't a barrier. The aim of the game was to open our home, to invite people in, to share a meal. I will always see in my mum and dad their willingness to connect with those around them. Even now, more than 30 years after I moved to Ballarat, I'll see people from my childhood down the street and they'll stop to chat. 'You were my neighbour! I still remember eating all those Persian sugar cubes in your house!' And when we recoil at the thought of meeting new people, because we don't trust anyone or it's too hard, we run the risk of our children modelling our attitudes and behaviours. It makes me sad that we teach 'stranger danger' with no context, rather than teaching our children about how to be safe but still promoting that, at the end of the day, we are all part of one human family, interconnected and bleeding the same. I'm not suggesting we lead a life of ignorance. People have lost trust in humanity – and for good reason. We have become aware of harrowing cases of institutional child sexual abuse – in Ballarat in particular that trauma is never far from the surface. The recent case of a Melbourne childcare worker charged with the alleged sexual abuse of children and infants in his care has amplified parental concerns and sparked immediate childcare safety reviews and reforms at the federal and state level. Our interactions need to be approached with a level of wisdom and safety has to be a top concern. This isn't about welcoming everyone into our home without a second thought. Conversations about personal space and safety need to be a high priority in all settings. It's about being vigilant and educating the community – especially our young ones – about the signs to look out for, about when to speak out, about who to turn to for help. But we must not let fear come at the expense of community. I was recently reminded of the saying: 'A stranger is just a friend you haven't met yet'. I can't imagine my life without my friend who I met from being friendly at the shops on that day six months ago. We share our thoughts, clothes, food, and even shared our birthday together this past month. My village expanded the day I met her, and other friends like her, simply because I stopped to say 'hi'. A 2020 study found that preventing and reducing social isolation and loneliness required 'a comprehensive socioecological framework that fosters a broader culture of connection, rather than relying solely on individual-level interventions or targeting only vulnerable communities'. Quite often I'll be running errands and strike up a conversation with someone I don't know, wondering if they'll be my next new mate. My children wonder why I'm always talking to random people, though my son said just the other day that he too loves talking to strangers. I hope this openness will remain throughout his life, but more than that, I hope society will be in a position to have normalised it. Sign up for the Rural Network email newsletter
