Join the Hull Minster first birthday party!
Hull Minster is inviting people to join a weekend of celebrations marking the first anniversary of its re-designation.
People are invited to join a weekend of festivities at Hull Minster to celebrate a year since the Archbishop of York re-designated the church.
The festivities and activities will mark a year since the Archbishop of York, Dr John Sentamu, bestowed Minster status on the then Holy Trinity Church.
The weekend will also celebrate the major boost to the church’s profile from becoming Hull Minster, which has helped to draw thousands more visitors through the doors of the magnificent 700-year-old building.
Hull Minster re-opened its main West Doors in mid-March after two years of redevelopment works, including the clearing of the Nave to form an open and flexible space for worship and a wide range of events.
Thousands of people thronged Trinity Square a year ago for a ceremony in which the then Holy Trinity Church was re-designated as Hull Minster.
Since then the church has seen a significant increase in visitors, due in part to Minster status and the increased profile that has come with it.
The Minster attracted more than 70,000 visitors in 2017 during Hull’s year as UK City of Culture, three times the number just two years earlier, despite the disruption caused by the physical changes to the church.
Now, the Minster’s clergy and staff believe annual numbers could reach 100,000, as it welcomes more people through the doors and hosts an ever-growing number of events.
Weekly visitor numbers have climbed to up to 4,500, with as many as 800 visitors on Saturdays alone. A Kilo Market and Craft and Flea Market each attracted 1,500 people recently, while 450 music fans attended a concert by Cockney Rebel singer Steve Harley.
The Vicar of Hull Minster, the Reverend Canon Dr Neal Barnes, said: “It’s hard to believe it’s been a year since we became Hull Minster, but so much has happened since then and we want people to join us to celebrate everything that has been achieved.
“It’s so exciting to see so many people coming to the Minster, many of them re-discovering the place or visiting for the first time. We’re also seeing the continuing benefit of the City of Culture year, with people coming to Hull from across the country and aboard and making the Minster one of the key places they want to see.