On the first day, both the Dutch and Rhenish delegates arrived. The very first activity was a presentation about sustainability, given to us by experts from The East Riding of Yorkshire Council on different aspects of sustainability but concentrating on coastal erosion which is affecting all of coastal Europe. It was very informative, and the subject brought up some food for thought and several conversations between delegates, officials, and representatives. After having some tea and cake, where we all got to know each other a little better, we were on our way to a presentation about Fair Trade. This took place in a Methodist church in the centre of Beverley. After that we went back to the accommodation where our kind host Hamish gave a welcoming speech to all of us. All our activities for the coming days were about regional history, and so was our group accommodation. We stayed in a 600-year-old friary near the centre of town. It is now a youth hostel which holds a lot of history and has some amazing medieval architecture. This left a great impression on the delegates. In the evening, the group had time to explore Beverley led by the expertise of the delegates from Beverley.
The following day we were able to see the beautiful architecture and learn about the history of York by visiting the castle museum. The museum let us experience York in a tangible way by building sets, which show visitors how people from different periods of time lived. After a group lunch held in a former ancient church called St Sampson, which is now a café, we had time to explore York by ourselves. We once again experienced a beautiful clash of classical and Roman architecture and modern culture. Our exploration of the city took us down its most historic parts where some tried the sweet treats and tea that York had to offer. Everyone had their own quests and had a fun time doing their own things. We boarded the bus back to Beverley, and we were greeted by a delicious meal at our accommodation. This energized the group to go out and enjoy Beverley’s nightlife. With that the second eventful day came to an end.
The day after was focused on the history of Beverley with a guided tour that had very enjoyable comedic elements and plenty of anecdotes. We also got to experience the beautiful city centre by ourselves, which also had the famous Beverley Saturday Market taking place on that day. After the tour with our very excitable guide, a group formed to explore the beautiful Minster of Beverley. Afterwards the day was celebrated with a dinner and a few cozy drinks at the Monks Walk ancient Inn, where we sat outside in the sunny, yet windy weather and discussed our trip with one another.
On the morning of the final day, the group parted their ways, and everyone made their way back home while reminiscing over the lovely time that we had in Beverley. The excitement will continue for when we meet each other during the Hansetag in Gdansk in in June this year. All parties agree on doing something similar next year.
Such a great and pleasant event does not only need young people who are interested and open-minded in getting in an international cultural exchange. It does need people who have a vision at the beginning and are willing to turn that vision into reality: And therefore we, the Youth Hansa participants of the cities Wesel, Kalkar, Neuss, Harderwijk, Oldenzaal, Ommen, Zwolle and Beverley, want to stress our big thanks! To you, dear Hamish, as the main organiser of the event and to all our sponsors: Especially the company Dunbia in Great Britain and the Hansegesellschaft-Neuss e.V.!
