River Hull - Freedom

After months of restrictions and lockdown the group of teenagers head out on bikes to the countryside and arrive at the River Hull at Hull Bridge, Tickton.

Like a scene from a Stephen King novel on a summer’s day under the backdrop of the real life modern horror story of Covid 19 they arrive at the River Bank full of excitement and anticipation ready to swim in the River and jump from the bank and the footbridge.

Groups of teenage boys & girls from Hull and Beverley and other East Yorkshire towns who yearn for freedom and adventure, their usual go to places of pools & leisure centres closed or with heavy restrictions in place to limit social contact, so they reinvent themselves & instead look to the places & pursuits of the past & the natural environment for fun.

Walking the banks of the River Hull as part of my ongoing project; I have spoken to a handful of the regions older generational residents along with stories from family, friends and neighbours who have lived lifetimes beside the River Hull, in conversation about life lived beside the River they fondly reminisced of long childhood summers spent on the banks & the River, swimming, boating, fishing and living free with the clean clear spring water at their disposal.

Memories of past times which society of Modern Man have moved away from with our new emphasis on safety and controlled, supervised fun, which we all see the importance of and yet there is an appeal and certain understanding especially this year 2020; in seeing a group of kids been mildly reckless once again, pushing their natural boundaries, finding fun and excitement not through substance abuse that so many inner city kids turn to for escape, smoking, drinking, getting stoned, popping pills, none of that life ruining shit, just a group of friends on bikes under the summer sun along country lanes & paths, swimwear in backpacks, the daring spirit for adventure and a clean environment, all that a young person or anyone for that matter needs for a good time.

They arrive on push bikes and in excitement jump over walls & fences, 15, 16 years old at the waters edge, they strip behind towels into their swimwear, the daring line up along the footbridge, the timid & wise check the water from the bank, they assess the situation, the depth of the water, the cleanliness and a route to get back to the bank. They lineup and pluck up the courage for the jump ahead, for the shock of the cold water, for the thrill of freedom found in the few seconds of air time away from safety and comfort, the challenge in the daring leap of faith and fun, the concrete edge of the bridge, the wooden plank of timber, the big step and leap finding freedom as they fall, nervous, brave and happy, it could go wrong they know it, anyone watching knows it, but they are beyond caring, in this new world of fear and virus, of rules and regulations, missing school and normality, they instead have this personal challenge to focus on; this jump, this summers day, the River water, the height of the fall allows them to live in a minute, in a second, in a moment, nothing before and nothing behind, suspended in time as their feet leave the ground and they fall through the air before hitting the safe embrace of clear river water below, breath held tight and splash they are consumed, as gravity pulls them down, deep & deeper until at the right moment they fight the gravity and the pulling force of their falling momentum, using the water to resist, to swim to surface for air and life, they fight with arms pulling and legs kicking, breaking through the water once again, back into air and they breath and cheer, relieved & exhilarated, their friends from the bank clap and laugh together at this jump and every jump before and after.

The broken water ripples and is unable find stillness before another jumper leaps into their own journey of freedom, the fall and the splash. They swim and climb, at the steps & the bank eager to line up and go at it again, until their arms & legs grow tired and the fear and thrill of the first jump after several more is lost. Over time the water grows still as they dry together on the Riverbank, animated and excited, satisfied by the thrill of adventure they disperse on bikes again for the journey home and the River flows as it always has, undisturbed by the brief visitors of the summers day.