City of Culture Volunteers celebrated at winter event

A Christmas party like no other, on Wednesday 19 December, Hull’s iconic Volunteer army swapped their blue coats for festive sparkles and a front row seat at Hull’s newest cultural venue, the Bonus Arena.

For the first time, each and every one of Hull’s 2,000-plus City of Culture Volunteers were invited to gather under the same roof to celebrate and what a night it was.

Volunteers came together for the one-off event to be entertained by award-winning illusionists, comedians and singers not to mention Hull’s favourite dancers the Ruby Red Performers from Britain’s Got Talent.

Shaun Crummey, Head of Volunteering at Absolutely Cultured, said: “2017 was only the beginning for Hull’s blue-coated army of City of Culture Volunteers. This year their journey has continued as part of Absolutely Cultured, completing 600 shifts each week, which equates to more than 2,400 hours of volunteering.

“Our Volunteers continue to sing about our great city, spreading their infectious energy and magic across Hull. A Christmas party in an arena, with an action packed line up we couldn’t think of a better place to bring everyone together to celebrate and say thank you.

“The continuation of the Volunteering Programme shows the appetite for volunteering in the city and wider region.We’re incredibly proud. Not only of what the Volunteers have achieved to date but what the future holds.”

Withernsea-based Ruby Red Performers said: “We were thrilled and honoured to take part in this amazing event at the Bonus Arena. It was even bigger than the Britain’s Got Talent stage. The City of Culture Volunteers have been outstanding and we can’t thank them enough for their help at Hull Pride and WOW. They carried out their duties in such a professional way whilst at the same time maintaining a fun and friendly attitude at all times.”

If you are interested in becoming a City of Culture Volunteer, applications are now open, you can sign up online.  Get involved for an extraordinary 2019.

The Volunteering Programme is supported by funding from Spirt of 2012, Nesta and the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS).