At Christmas, we are told stories about generosity and togetherness.

But in many UK cities, the reality looks very different.

Shrinking public services.

Widening inequalities.

Communities carrying more with less.

In this Christmas Special of Builders of the Broken Bazaar, Dr Tabish Zaman returns to Hull — a city often reduced to statistics, but held together by people.

Joined by Paul Hamnett, CEO of the Hull KR Foundation, and Vikki Tate, Employability and Skills Manager, this episode explores how a rugby league club has become a form of social infrastructure.

This is not a story about sport.

It is a story about belonging, dignity, and civic repair — and what happens when community organisations step in where systems fall short.

Together, they explore:

• How sport becomes a vehicle for trust and connection

• Why community organisations now fill gaps left by shrinking public services

• How youth employment, mental health, education, and inclusion intersect

• Why prevention is undervalued — and crisis is always more expensive

• What real inclusion looks like beyond slogans

🎙 “When a sporting institution becomes social infrastructure, it’s worth asking why it had to.”

This episode reframes rugby not as entertainment, but as care.

A conversation about leadership rooted in service.

About communities holding the social fabric together.

And about what Christmas really means in places rarely associated with hope.