Head to Hull and you might just come across a trio of world champions as they celebrate the city’s maritime heritage.
Three maritime characters from Hull have sailed to victory to become the world’s best Living Statues after clinching victory in the world championship staged on the streets of Alkmaar, in the Netherlands.
Three in a Boat competed against more than 100 acts from across 20 different countries in the competition which attracted more than 200,000 visitors – boosting Hull’s profile as a seafaring destination.
The act was created to promote Hull Maritime, a £30.3m, four-year project to transform the city’s maritime treasures across five sites and two historic ships, ultimately creating a new route through the city, highlighting its outstanding maritime heritage.
Representing some of the seafaring industries that shaped the city over the centuries, Three in a Boat has already proved a hit in its home city, after making their first appearance in summer 2021.
Now, visitors are being urged to watch out for the characters as they continue to entertain families and raise awareness of Hull Maritime.
Andy Train, better known for his living statue alter ego ‘The Gold Man’, performs as ‘The Docker’ alongside his friends from Giddy Kipper Arts, Arabella Murray-Nag and Thomas Stee who are ‘The Trawlerman’ and ‘The Whaler’ respectively.
All three are experienced living statue performers, and originally formed Three in a Boat in homage to the proud history of Hull, Yorkshire’s only maritime city.
Paying tribute to the industries that played a major part in Hull’s history as a seafaring city, as well as the many generations that have worked in some of those industries, the trio have brought their living statues to life at Maritime City events, Hull Kraken and The Awakening.
Hull Maritime – funded by Hull City Council and The National Lottery Heritage Fund – aims to make the city’s 800 years of seafaring history even more of a key part of its tourism offer. Once completed, which is expected to be early 2025, visitors will be able to chart a course through Hull, exploring its connections and contributions to the UK and the world.
The project includes the restoration of two of the city’s historic ships, the Spurn Lightship, which will return to its temporary location on Hull Marina, whilst works for its permanent berth are completed, and the Arctic Corsair, which is expected to set sail for the last time to her final berth at the North End Shipyard in early 2023. Among other new-look attractions will be Hull’s popular Maritime Museum, which closed its doors in 2019 for a £12m refurbishment.
As the transformation continues, there are still opportunities to share in its rich maritime history and seafaring links at special events, exhibitions and guided maritime history tours – as well as its world beating street performers.
For more information visit maritimehull.co.uk
For all other tourism information about Hull, see www.visithull.org
Photo: Jason Shipley