WE CONTINUE our Review of 2011:

May 2011: The local elections dominated May which took place on the 6th. We published the Hedon Town Council results, we revealed who won in the East Riding Council elections, and we summed up an exciting day in politics in Tweets (Twitter). Whilst the election threw up many issues, debates on the Blog in May asked: Hedon Market – Could it offer more? and PCSOs: Should they be funded through the Town Council?

Also in May Hedon residents were invited by Yorkshire Water to tour the Waste Water Treatment Works at Saltend. Perhaps more residents would have attended if they had suspected the scale of the problem with smells from that site that would occur later in the summer!

Hedon did not make the news in 1086 when the Domesday Book was published – we commented on the first online publication of the Domesday Book in May 2011.

Councillor Ann Suggit (pictured) was made the 664th Mayor of Hedon and took part in the traditional Penny Throwing Ceremony. Also making news for the town, and representing Hedon Primary School, in London was 9-year-old Luke Mathews who made it through to the finals of the Top Trumps National Schools Tournament.

June 2011: A report commissioned by the Environment Agency and published in June claimed controversially that dredging Burstwick Drain does not significantly reduce flooding! The Hedon Blog captured key moments from the Hedon Civic Parade in June and followed the progress of Humberside Police in their first ever online community meeting. The Blog published the Hedon Pubs Walk guide .

July 2011: The foul smells from the Saltend Waste Water Treatment Works had been an ongoing issue in the town since the facility was built by Yorkshire Water. The Hedon Blog had felt it necessary to publish details of how residents could Report the Smells. However, the sickening, nauseating stench that came from the site in the summer of 2011 turned even the hardest stomachs! Something had to happen!

A lobby of the Town Council about the smells caused much heated debate at the Town Hall. It was suggested that a public meeting be held in the town and that a petition be started. July finished with the publication of the online petition declaring that Smells from Yorkshire Water’s Waste Water Treatment Works were a public nuisance!

Other things in July: BP was in the news following being fined £30,000 for a gases leak. The new Hedon Town Council newsletter was published in the Holderness Heartbeat. The Blog published a delightful YouTube video depicting the Withernsea to Hull railway journey from 1957 filmed in super fast speed. Hedon Drama Group was busy recruiting pirates for their annual pantomime! We reviewed the book about the future Hedon MP who took part in a Voyage Round the World. We also revealed for the first time the potential role that our area might play in the Humber Enterprise Zone.

August 2011: The campaign against Yorkshire Water Smells continued to dominate the Blog during August. But other stories emerged as well.

The Hedon Blog named the Shakespeare Inn’s outdoor music venue The Vineyard – will it catch on? We highlighted a campaign by John Hockless to expose the dangerous traffic going through Preston in Monster Wheels Accident Risk. Pop band Man Made Noise produced a Charity Single to honour Amy Black – the single is still available to buy from local shops with the proceeds going to CRY. Paull was taken over by Scarecrows at the end of August as part of the village’s Annual Scarecrow Festival.

August was a busy month for the Hedon Blog during which it recorded over 13,000 page views. This was undoubtedly due to the campaign against the smells waged by Hedon Blog readers.

The final part of this Review September – December 2011 will be published tomorrow which is New Year’s Eve.

THIS IS the time of year when we review what has happened during the past 12 months:

January 2011: The New Year started off quite badly when, in the early hours of New Year’s Day, the Hedon Christmas tree was vandalised. However, the most controversial topic covered was the proposal to open a Chinese take-away at the site of the former florist shop in the Market Place. But as residents in the town reacted to this perceived ‘threat’ to the character of the town, another campaign celebrated its success this month as HOTI successfully fought off plans to build a waste incinerator at Saltend.

Mike Covell and gravestone of Mary Jane Langley

February 2011: BBC Radio Humberside visited the town as presenter Andy Comfort stopped off in the town as part of a charity Big Breakfast bike ride.  Local Paull author Lorraine Ellis published her second book compilation this month: Mini-Hen Legs and Ladybird, Lady Bird Fly away Home. The Hedon Blog welcomed a new blogger to its team as Mr Grumpy wrote his tirade against overcrowding on local buses. Mike Covell visited Hedon and Preston in March to investigate the 120 year old murder of local girl Mary Jane Langley. Mike would later announce that the suspect in the local murder was also a suspect for being the infamous ‘Jack the Ripper’.

March 2011: Hedon’s history has often been featured during the year. In March we had a look at Hedon’s oldest buildings Painter’s Cottages. Neil Shillito, a local businessman, did the opposite to current trends in March, by moving his online virtual business into a real one: Internet Pet Store hits the high street. The Hedon Blog featured photos showing the construction of the new council-built homes on Cloeberry Way. The National Archives published previously secret files about UFOs over BP at Saltend.

April 2011: The Royal Wedding preparations of Prince William and Kate Middleton dominated coverage on the Blog during April 2011. The campaign for the Local Elections led the Hedon Blog to set up a special website to cover the elections. Local Blogger UKSweetheart reported on the Holderness Tractor Charity Road Run and Jim Lindop reported on BP RUFC local rugby champions. Reduced local bus services prompted passenger complaints in March whilst the Blog launched its Hedon Local News Hub concept.

For May to August 2011 see tomorrow’s post on the Hedon Blog.