Hull Red are a small charity making a big impact. They use music and arts to increase social opportunities for adults with learning disabilities.
They started in 2005 running nightclub events in response to conversations with Hull’s community; listening to the experiences of people with learning disabilities of bullying, loneliness and their desire to have more active social lives and access to partying and live music. Since then, Hull Red has expanded with two projects; Gig Buddies in 2021 and Nice Twice Club in 2024.
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.
Two of Hull Red’s projects; Gig Buddies Hull and East Yorkshire, and Nice Twice have made the shortlist.
Gig Buddies is a befriending project that matches pairs together with and without a learning disability and hosts inclusive gigs and events. It involves training and supporting volunteers, and matching them with a gig buddy to go to gigs together. Gig Buddy pairs are about real friendship based on mutual interests that go beyond a night out.
Gig Buddies have been nominated in the Local Music Impact category, alongside two well-established community music organisations from Hull; The Warren and Beats Bus.
Alex Hamlin (Operational Manager, Hull Red) said “We’re incredibly proud to be sharing a stage with The Warren and Beats Bus, who are two of the most respected and accomplished music organisations in Hull. Gig Buddies has only been operating in Hull and East Yorkshire for 5 years at Hull Red, at times working on a shoe-string of a budget. But since receiving funding from the National Lottery we’ve been able to significantly increase our impact. We believe music should be accessed by everyone, and that music is a powerful tool through which to develop relationships and community.”
Nice Twice, is a grassroots initiative run by people with learning disabilities and has been nominated for the Nightlife & Safe Space in Music category. This category 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.
Ashley Nobel (Community Connector), said “I have been there from the start of Nice Twice Club, before it was even a project. It grew from a group of people from Hull chatting about what was important to them. It’s really cool seeing it grow into what it is now and be able to be a part of the journey. I’m super excited and proud of everyone in the team that has helped get to this moment”.
Nice Twice Club is a campaign curated by the community of Hull; it is a direct response to a three-year listening campaign which explored important topics to Hull around accessibility. Nice Twice Club exists to raise awareness about the importance of being accessible to invisible disabilities and focuses on sensory access and people’s attitudes. The concept is that a venue is ‘so nice that people visit twice’.
Emily Clixby, one of the founders of Nice Twice explains; “Nice Twice supports local venues and arts organisations with their accessibility to reduce barriers to the music scene. We do this by bringing people with lived experiences and venues together to open dialogue and positive conversations around accessibility. We use creative advocacy to raise awareness and share Hull’s communities’ experiences”.
The winners will be announced on 11th June 2026.
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