Hull tabletop gamers level up struggling high street
Mr Stephenson says the idea for a club first came about when they realised nowhere else in the city had the capacity for Warhammer games on this scale.Millions play the Games Workshop wargame, with the worldwide tabletop sector worth about £8.6bn in 2023, according to consumer data firm Statista.Created in 1983, players simulate battles between armies using painted plastic miniatures. "You may have a 100 model army," explains Adam, "all the way down to a five model. It's available for all sizes and budgets."Hull's Angels have set up their own leagues, matching players who want to get involved."It's great for growing that community and getting people together."
Connor O'Neill says he first got into the hobby during Covid-19, "to keep [his] sanity", but has since found it is a great alternative to boozy nights out."As I got older I stopped going out partying and drinking and it was just a way for me to socialise," explains the 30-year-old. "A lot of the friends and people I associate with now are from this place."Asked what has driven the recent surge in interest he cites ex-superman actor Henry Cavill being a "poster boy" for the hobby as well as the videogames and media surrounding the game.Chris Taylor, 32, thinks games like Warhammer offer a "very different sort of experience" to online games. "It's very social," he adds.Paul Atkin agrees. "I get bored after about 20 minutes," he says. "The computer's doing it all, whereas here I'm physically moving the pieces."The 70-year-old started playing in the early 1980s and says, while the scene in the city has "massively increased", having a place like Hull's Angels has really helped. "I had my garage kitted out, but it's much easier to come to a central hub."
Amy Snuggs is sitting with her partner Tim Davis learning a new tabletop game. "It's changed my life," says the 32-year-old."Before I met him, I had no idea about miniature painting or war gaming."Finding she loved the painting side, she has now turned it into a job, becoming a professional miniature painter for tabletop gaming company Modiphius.In 2020, Hull City Council received a £1.75m grant from Historic England to regenerate and "breathe new life" into Whitefriargate. The council said the street had been impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic.Mr Stephenson says centres like Hull's Angels could help revitalise Britain's high streets. "We see it in the news all the time. Our high streets are struggling and shops are struggling to stay open.""Places like this really seem to thrive and succeed, and it's maybe time for the high street to change."Listen to highlights from Hull and East Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, watch the latest episode of Look North or tell us about a story you think we should be covering here.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mail
20 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
ALEX BRUMMER: Bank fears Farage turmoil in No 10
As a public figure, the governor of the Bank of England Andrew Bailey receives most attention from consumers and businesses alike for his role in setting interest rates. Critical as that is to national wellbeing, it has long been my belief that Bailey is more comfortable with the Bank's other, less discussed role of maintaining financial stability. Bailey was first to the battlements in his early days in office in March 2020 as the pandemic shut down Britain and much of the world. Bond markets in New York were in panic, and the Bank, led first by Mark Carney and then Bailey, moved to calm events. A currency swap deal with the US was activated, interest rates were cut to the bone and more money printing, through quantitative easing, was authorised. Bailey passionately urged government to take steps to prevent scarring to the economy. He was also at the tiller in the autumn of 2022 when Liz Truss's tax-cutting mini Budget sparked a run on the pound and a sudden retreat from British government bonds. The scale and suddenness of the move caused ructions for pension funds which had used derivative products to gamble on returns. The episode had threatened, without Bailey's intervention, to cause a cascade of financial collapses among banks who had provided credit for the trades. The Bank of England became a butt of criticism, not least on these pages. Its twice-yearly Financial Stability Report had in the past warned of the potential danger of liability driven-investment products (LDIs) but neither the Bank nor the Pensions Regulator addressed the matter. It is one thing for the Financial Stability Committee to identify and warn of dangers to the financial system, but quite another to tackle a weakness and close it down. Bailey was in the Bank's engine room in the Great Financial Crisis of 2008, so has vast experience of dealing with fractures in the financial system and knows how rapidly contagion takes place. All this experience tells him that Chancellor Rachel Reeves' efforts to encourage growth, by deregulating the City, could be a huge error. It is a reminder of the light touch regulation in the run-up to the collapse of Northern Rock in 2007 and the crisis which followed. Readers of this month's Financial Stability document would find few clues to what Bailey believes is the most acute concern at present. It is not Trump tariffs or the present Government's borrowing needs, as serious as they may be. The governor's biggest worry is political uncertainty. It may seem mad to think that this should be the case given Labour's vast Commons majority and four more years in office. The significant statistic is that Nigel Farage's Reform UK has led the other parties in 65 consecutive polls. And the present kerfuffles in Epping and the record small boat arrivals in a long hot summer make the potential for a Farage journey to Downing Street ever more credible. Bailey and the independent Bank never indulge in party politics. But for the governor, pound sterling, the bond markets and the whole stability of the financial system, the number one threat is a big-spending populist released into Downing Street. Reach for the safety straps.
Daily Mail
23 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Ozzy Osbourne's Black Sabbath bassist recalls final gig and admits the late rocker was 'frail' and 'needed assistance' during rehearsals
's bassist has recalled Black Sabbath's final gig and admits the late rocker 'needed assistance' during rehearsals. The beloved musician, famously known as the Prince of Darkness, died on Tuesday at the age of 76 - just weeks after performing his final show with the band. Ozzy was reportedly warned by insurers that they wouldn't cover the concert if he insisted on standing to bid farewell to his devoted fans. But his wife Sharon managed to sort something with providers to ensure his last concert went ahead. Despite Ozzy not being in the best state of health, Black Sabbath continued to rehearse and after a few weeks they were ready to greet their adoring fans and give them a show to remember. Bandmate Geezer Butler has since spoken out about his passing, revealing how Ozzy was in his final moments. He told The Times: 'I knew he wasn't in good health, but I wasn't prepared to see how frail he was. 'He was helped into the rehearsal room by two helpers and a nurse and was using a cane - being Ozzy, the cane was black and studded with gold and precious stones.' Geezer went on to share the one thing he wished he had done before he passed. He added: 'I wish I'd had more time backstage with Ozzy, but wishes are redundant now. As Ozzy used to say: "Wish in one hand and s**t in the other and see which comes first."' Ozzy took to the stage for his farewell concert at Villa Park Stadium in his native Birmingham less than three weeks before his death. The rocker reunited with his original Black Sabbath bandmates Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler and Bill Ward for the first time since 2005 to bid an emotional farewell to his decades of performing live on stage. After selling out in minutes, over 42,000 fans packed into Villa Park for the aptly-titled Back to the Beginning show, which saw Ozzy and Black Sabbath return to their hometown - 56 years after they formed there. Geezer said it was a 'privilege' to have spent the past 56 years of friendship with Ozzy and it's been 'one hell of a ride'. His final words on stage were: 'It's the last song ever. Your support has enabled us to live an amazing lifestyle, thank you from the bottom of our hearts.' A message on screen then read: 'Thank you for everything, you guys are f***ing amazing. Birmingham Forever,' before the sky lit up with fireworks. On Wednesday, MailOnline revealed that an air ambulance was called to Osbourne's multi-million-pound country home as paramedics battled to save his life. The Thames Valley air ambulance landed in a field close to Welders House, the singer's Grade II listed mansion on Tuesday morning at around 10.30am. It's believed that calls from Welders House had led call handlers to believe that the Black Sabbath singer's life was in the balance.
Daily Mail
23 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Charging point shortage dents demand for EVs
A shortage of charging points is denting demand for electric vehicles, according to industry experts. Figures show there are just 82,369 public chargers in the UK with 48 added each day on average so far this year. Analysis by the Mail reveals Britain needs to build around 130 a day – nearly triple the current number – to reach the goal of having 300,000 public charging points by 2030. The shortage of charging points – which has fuelled so-called 'range anxiety' among motorists worried about where they can plug in – has been highlighted as one of the reasons why demand for electric cars has dwindled. Drivers have also been put off by the price of electric vehicles, which are typically more expensive than petrol and diesel cars. The Government has this summer announced plans to give motorists up to £3,750 to switch to EVs in a bid to boost demand to meet net zero targets. But experts said the shortage of charging points was a major threat to these efforts. Quentin Willson, founder of FairCharge, said the Government 'should do more to fast track and better support installations, especially in areas where there are charging deserts'. He added: 'Consumers rightly worry that there aren't enough public chargers. 'Government needs to send out a clear message to drivers that they are in control of the EV charging narrative, that they will support investment into the charging sector and help keep prices down.' According to charging point statistics website Zapmap, about 8,670 were added to the public network in the first half of this year. But this is less than half of the 19,834 added in 2024, suggesting the rollout is slowing. Just 1,371 were added to the Zapmap database in June – or 46 a day. Susan Wells, a director of EV charging point firm Hive, said: 'Charging must become as straightforward as filling up a petrol or diesel car.' A Department for Transport spokesman said: 'We're adding a public charge point every half an hour.
