Residents of Greenwood Avenue, North Hull and Orchard Park, are asked to come forward with memories of the area as the former rent office is being refurbished to create a community hub for everyone living in HU6, to learn, meet and train.
The Greenwood Centre has long been an ambition of North Hull based charity, Unity in Community, which last year finally got the go-ahead and funds to start work on the refurbishment after a number of years, in the pipeline.
The Greenwood Centre will replace Unity’s current premises on Endike Lane, a modular building which has served its purpose for over 20 years, housing a public computer suite, foodbank, training centre and providing employment skills and guidance.
Liam Woods is the Project Manager at Unity. He says:
“Our premises at 501 Endike Lane are closed to service users temporarily, during the government lockdown. However, work is continuing at the Greenwood Centre and although we have delayed the opening, we have hired a small local contractor whose team is working in different parts of the building, giving more than adequate spacing to work within the recommended social distancing guidelines.”
Ettridge Architecture has re-designed the Greenwood Centre which was originally built prior to the construction of North Hull Estate, the site had been enclosed farmland and was developed in the 1920s to provide much-needed housing to replace insanitary ‘slums’, in other parts of the city.
This followed a shortage of housing stock due to lack of house-building during the First World War.
The rent office was centrally located to act as a nerve centre for the estate’s workers, to congregate and to take delivery of building supplies for the large-scale build of the estate’s more charming and characterful houses.
The estate started to take shape with the initial Quadrant, also known as the ‘Queen of Estates’ which surrounded the Greenwood Centre.
Liam continues:
“The rent office, now known as the Greenwood Centre has witnessed significant change throughout the years. Now, as a community, we have many challenges on our hands – anti-Social behaviour, substance misuse, unemployment and low aspiration. In response, it is the aim of Unity to make HU6 a great place to live and suitable premises to run our projects from has been central to our ambitions.”
“We would like to hear from people who were born and brought up on North Hull Estate as well as those who have since relocated to other parts of the City and around the UK.”
“We’re asking who were the local characters who frequented the area? What are your memories of seasonal events and world-events? I’m sure one day in the future, project runners at Unity in Community will be recalling memories of the Corona days and how we came together as a community too!”
If you have memories of the area, please contact Unity direct via their Facebook page, Unity in Community HU6.
Unity in Community is proud to be supporting the Hull Helpline to ensure the most vulnerable and those unable to leave their homes are able to get the food they need to get by, during the coronavirus pandemic. The team at Unity has been supporting this for the past week and we continue to make ourselves available to deliver food parcels every day of the week.
The Hull Helpline has been set up for those who may have no other means of support and who may need help to receive essential items and services including food, health and wellbeing and financial advice. #StayAtHome
Hull Helpline: 01482 300307 – Available seven days a week 9am-5pm.
