The Boulevard in West Hull was, in its hey day, mainly home to the middle classes connected to the fishing industry. These being the trawler skippers and fish merchants, many of whom would have had servants. The Hessle Road area was home to the trawlermen and fish dock workers. This close-knit community is a far cry from the story we find ourselves in today. With the rapid decline in the fishing industry we have seen the Boulevard/Hessle Road area struggling with it's identity. As with the rest of the city it is trying to reinvent itself but, as yet, hasn't achieved this. Hull YFC chose this area to begin it's incarnational approach to ministry in 1993. St Andrew's Ward has become one of the most deprived in the country, with high levels of unemployment, drug and alcohol addiction leading to an increased crime rate. But all is not lost, the government is ploughing money into deprived communities and this one is no exception. We have a state of the art sports stadium on our door step and streets with new railings and lighting. This doesn't as yet add up to a vision but is going some way to raising hope which is a start for a community with few aspirations, low self-esteem and low confidence.
Hull YFC is presently involved with the Boulevard community in several different ways. To find out about each part of our work click on the following links: