A northern Lincolnshire artist will today host a free community workshop all about bringing hovercrafts back to the River Humber.
From 11.30am to 1.30pm today (Saturday, August 17), members of the public are invited to attend Our Big Picture in Bethlehem Street, Grimsby to take part in ‘The Humber Hovercraft’ workshop, and learn about how Grimsby and Hull were connected before the Humber Bridge was built.
Paul Drury-Bradey, who was born and raised in Scunthorpe, has organised the entire project with the support of North East Lincolnshire Council and Create North East Lincolnshire, and thanks to funding from Arts Council England.
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Keen to highlight the need for improved transport links between Grimsby and Hull and allow young people to have their voices heard, Paul will lead a series of artist-led mapping activities during the workshop, with the aim of brainstorming public transport options of the future for the region.
The project focuses on the hovercraft, a futuristic air-cushion vehicle that can travel over land, water, mud, ice, and various other surfaces, by using blowers to produce a large volume of air below the hull, or an air cushion slightly above atmospheric pressure.
(Image: Grimsby Evening Telegraph)
The first hovercraft that was used to transport people across the River Humber in 1969 was called Mercury and operated under a service called Hoverlink. It meant that for the first time in history, people could travel from Grimsby to Hull and vice versa in just 30 minutes.
Speaking to the BBC, Paul said he would “love to be part of a team bringing hovercrafts back to the Humber”.
He said: “Trains are expensive and often irregular. The roads are crowded and [there are] so many delays. I think it’d be great for local authorities to think outside the box in terms of how people get around Yorkshire and Lincolnshire.
(Image: Humber Hovercraft)
“This project is about really listening to people, exploring what they want for the future of the region and learning from stories of the past.”
The workshop will take place today (Saturday, August 17) between 11.30am and 1.30pm. Free pizza and soft drinks will be served to participants.
Further workshops and community events are due to take place in September. To speak to Paul about the project further, you can email him on humberhovercraft@gmail.com.
