A few thoughts from Emily…
It was almost 7 years ago to this date that I saw a job advert for a gig buddies coordinator in Hull, it was hosted by national charity Royal Mencap at that time. Not in a million years did I expect it to grow into what it is now.
Royal Mencap had 2 years of funding to host Gig Buddies in Hull and East Yorkshire and 1 year in Covid hit taking our second year online. Running virtual gigs and matching pairs to keep in touch online and eventually pairs meeting up for the first time in parks 2 meters apart!
When the funding was coming to an end, I approached Hull Red to see about working together. Mencap generously gave Red a kickstart with a small grant to continue the work of Gig Buddies in 2021.
Alex and the trustees were beyond supportive in my vision for gig buddies and set out to fundraise to keep it alive. We began running monthly gigs as a way to keep the project going on a very tight budget and supported existing pairs throughout our two years of fundraising (whilst doing two other jobs – silly!). This was only possible from the hard work and support of Alex, the trustees and the volunteers!
In July 2024, we were successful in receiving funding from the National Lottery which meant we could onboard a small team and really kickstart gig buddies again. Red is a really small charity led by a group a volunteer trustees, they had never recruited staff before so the work began to create policies and put structures in place. Our new team started in December 2025 and we have recently been able to add two community connectors to the team.
At the same time, Hull Red also took on a new project called Nice Twice Club. This project was the direct result of a community led pilot ran by Royal Mencap from 2021 to 2024. A 3-year project which was one of ten pilots in the UK called My Community. This community led work saw the creation of the campaign which was named and curated by community members of Hull. This campaign exists to raise awareness and improve venue accessibility in Hull.
Since July 2024, Hull Red has hosted these two projects which only exist due to their trust back in 2021.
When it was announced that Hull was to host the Music Cities Convention in 2026, we knew we wanted to be involved but little did we expect to be nominated for two of their awards.
The Music City Awards celebrate the most innovative projects from around the globe that are using the transformational power of music to improve their communities. The 2026 edition received 222 applications across 9 categories, representing 50 countries across 6 continents. Of the 222 applications, 28 projects have been selected by the panel to attend the award ceremony being held in Hull on the 11th June where a winner in each category will be announced.
Gig Buddies have been nominated for the Local Music Impact award, alongside two well-established community music organisations from Hull, The Warren and Beats Bus.
Nice Twice Club has been nominated for the Nightlife & Safe Space in Music award. This award honours initiatives that support a thriving, resilient night-time music economy while prioritising safety, inclusion, and community care. Nice Twice have been nominated alongside Barcelona City Council, and a project from New Orleans in the USA.
Nice Twice Club is run by community members; the work exists only because of passionate people in Hull. All credit goes to people with lived experience who share their lived experiences and strive for a more inclusive society.
These nominations have given me a opportunity to reflect on the last 7 years, the work of gig buddies and nice twice club wouldn’t exist without all the people around them. From Royal Mencap in 2019 for bringing gig buddies to Hull, the trustees and Alex back in 2021 to all the volunteers and people of Hull who have kept the work alive.
This feels like it’s just the start – we’ve got some really exciting things in the pipeline, not to mention the band Tuesday Tea Club!
Whatever the outcome of the awards, the recognition alone feels enough. We are super grateful for the nomination and it brings excitement for the future of both projects.
The team, Aleesha, Ed, Jess, Ash and Alex – legends!