Over 7,000 came to Business Week last year – not bad, not bad.

Two events have caught my eye for 2010;

“Let’s Get Ready to Futureproof” (on Tuesday) will see five primary schools present ideas to a business audience before the children set the adults a task of designing and marketing a product that they must present to a panel of children judges…  styled like a Dragon’s Den inquisition. 

“Business Education Day” (on Wednesday) will also see future entrepreneurs from 16 secondary schools working with some of the Humber’s leading business figures in a Humber-wide school competition.

Both of these events – designed to inspire children – seem fantastic. I wish I could have been involved in something like this when I was younger. Let us know what it was like if you end up going or even taking part

Find out more here

We’ve been knocked out of the race, with the four cities still in the running for the UK’s first City of Culture 2013 being Birmingham, Derry/Londonderry, Norwich and Sheffield.

The sense of disappointment is still there, but we have been faithfully reassured by the team behind the bid that Hull is going from strength to strength.

According to Hull City Council, we just have to remember the ‘feel good’ factor resulting from events like Hull’s Freedom Festival and Beverley’s literature festival, and that “whether we win or not, this process will give us a focus for culture for the area for the next five years and will help us to attract more funding for cultural activity.”

Plus there’s always the 2017 bid…

I’m just waiting until about… I’d say… the end of February before the novelty wears off.

Gyms must love it as they then sit back and rake in the monthly fees as attendance figures tail off.

Then again, I may be doing everyone an injustice. Maybe 2010 is going to be the year to get fit. Hull has been chosen again as one of 16 cities to host the Sport Relief Mile in March, so the 6 mile option must be an incentive if ever I’ve heard one.

Don’t forget you could always find a personal trainer in Hull to motivate you too, especially if that mid-February lull starts to take hold.

You can enter for the Hull Sports Relief Mile and raise lots of cash in the process to make all your gym going seem worthwhile.

And when you come to think about it, there has been quite a lot happening in recent months – the Freedom Festival and Clipper Race are two good examples.

There is a classic quote from Carl Minns extolling the region’s virtues, which include

“…our nine free museums… venues such as the Deep and Hull Truck Theatre, and in our rich maritime and social justice heritage.”

In other words, we have lots of information on William Wilberforce and are surrounded by fish?

As much as I would love to see it happen (the winner has the chance to host lots of high-profile events like the Turner Prize, the Brits and the TV Baftas), I think we may struggle. We’re up against the likes of Oxford and Manchester, so probably best to not spend all your time watching this space.

Anyway, you can’t totally deny that we do actually offer some interesting things to do in Hull and you can read the latest news article on it here

Whilst that might be pushing the boat out a little, we can all appreciate the effort it takes to promote the event and Hull in general.

As with anything, it’s good to support these events, especially with big names like Al Murray and impressionist Alistair McGowan amongst the 200 comedians.

And as the Hull Daily Mail claims, aside from bringing a smile to faces, the festival should also provide a welcome boost to the local economy – whether that’s through people visiting pubs, restaurants or staying in hotels in Hull

Interested? You can find out more about the line up, times and details on the Hull Comedy website.

We’re now celebrating over 700 years of Hull Fair, including white-knuckle rides, side stalls and not forgetting the biggest ride of them all…? Those scary looking tea-cups, designed for small children (although you often catch the parents on them too!)

It no doubt frustrates the neighbouring residents as they watch the cars pile in to park up as near as possible though. Don’t forget the Park & Ride to Hull Fair or other buses to the Walton Street site if you’re looking for that hassle free evening or want to avoid candy-floss in your car…

Enjoy!

It’s quite an impressive list given the usual complaints that Hull & the Humber never attracts anything big…

The Winmau World Masters Darts Championship hits Bridlington in September (4^th – 6^th) and will be live on the BBC, as well as the British Darts Open.

We’ve also scooped the chance to host on of the British Kite Surfing Championships in September on Bridlington’s South Beach

Finally, our stretch of coastline is also home to the European Open Beach Championship, which is now the biggest 3-day beach angling tournament in Europe, and we’ve also already seen the Men’s National Cycle Race tearing round Beverley this year.

And of course, we can now (for the time being at least) boast proudly of having the best football team in Yorkshire. The question is; how much longer can we stay a top-flight football team at the rate we’re going??…

It all links, of course, to Hull’s most famous son – William Wilberforce – and we’re celebrating the 250^th anniversary of his birth this year as part of the Freedom Festival.

In case you missed last year’s, the festival is planned for 11^th – 13^th September 2009 and we’re being promised that the city will be awash with activity and entertainment throughout the weekend; a Jazz Festival in the Marina, The Proms in Queen Victoria Square and live bands performing in Queen’s Gardens.

This year’s Freedom Festival will also incorporate the start of the Clipper 2009-10 Round the World Yacht Race, so we really are celebrating and pushing the boat out.

 All in all, looks like a good weekend is brewing. You can keep an eye out on the latest news for announcements of times, performers and venues here

Your chance to see it all is on Sunday 31^st May, at 11am, when the Hull Race for Life kicks off. It’s always an amazing event, which strikes the very delicate balance of emotion and high excitement.

To register, visit Raceforlife and join in one of the 230+ events being held across the country from May to July. The aim is to raise over £60m to fund Cancer Research UK’s work, which you can read more about here 

(In case you missed it last year, the race is at Costello Stadium on Anlaby Park Road North, HU4 6XQ)

Bob Carver’s chips, bright lights, stomach-churning rides, toffee apples and a great view of the City from the Big Wheel – what more could you ask for?

I know it’s got some complaints over the years – and with everything these days it seems to be more and more expensive each year – but I just think it’s magic. The weather always seems to hold out, I get wonderfully disorientated each time with all the distractions and you always end up with a prize.

Favourite memory? Winning the bingo and having the choice of a new kitchenware set or a desk lamp. Trust me, at the time, I was overwhelmed!

I love walking down Walton Street and seeing all the stalls, and a particular favourite has to be watching the terrified faces of the people regretting their choice of white-knuckle ride.

Don’t miss out on this year’s Hull Fair, it’s from Friday 10^th Oct to Saturday 18^th Oct (excluded Sun 12^th Oct).