From refugees to Vuelta: 2022 in twelve Utrecht Instagram posts

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From refugees to Vuelta 2022 in twelve Utrecht Instagram posts

Today, 07:00 • 6 minutes reading time

© RTV Utrecht / Carmen Nelissen

Province of Utrecht – The year is almost over. More than enough reason for us to look back: what kind of year was it?

We do this with our Instagram page. All kinds of stories passed by in 2022: surprising, sad, hopeful, funny or sometimes just ‘remarkable’. A selection of the most talked-about stories you saw on social media this year.

Help from all corners for Ege (13)

Ege from Leerdam is told just before the turn of the year that he has acute leukaemia. The only chance to get better is to find a stem cell donor. But that is anything but easy: few donors with a non-Western background can be found in the worldwide stem cell bank.

He will tell his story in December 2021. He tells how he felt unwell “for a while” and how he then went from doctor to doctor. Until that nasty diagnosis. His story appears with us on social media and the site. And that works! By the end of January 2022, 4,000 people have already registered. In April it turns out that the stem cell transplant was successful.

Solidarity with Ukraine

On February 20, Russia invades Ukraine. In the first weeks after that, the entire province is in motion. Municipalities symbolically express their support, but Utrecht residents also collect items and money en masse, receive refugees or even pick them up at the Polish border.
According to figures from September 2022, about 5,000 Ukrainian refugees are being received in the province of Utrecht. They go to school, take language lessons, go to work and try to get on with their lives as best as possible.

Beautiful orange isn’t ugly?!

Fuss in Utrecht! The well-known wall painter Jan is de Man (Jan Heinsbroek) has painted a colorful fruit basket. But not everyone likes those colors. For example, according to local residents, the mandarin is “too bright orange”. The artist must adjust the painting.

He does. He transforms the mandarin into a… purple (sour) plum.

This means that the smiling mandarin orange has not completely disappeared from Utrecht. Jan has now painted it in all kinds of different places.

Journalist accidentally films explosion

On the morning of April 21, a gas pipeline at an apartment complex on the Weescale in Bilthoven breaks. Combustible natural gas escapes and an explosion occurs. When all emergency services are already present en masse and the building has already been largely evacuated, there is a second explosion. At the same time, a local reporter from Road TV is filming. He records the explosion.

Later it becomes clear how big the damage is. Seven people are injured; a firefighter ends up under the rubble. The facade is so badly damaged that you can see right through the apartment on several floors.
Six months later, the damaged homes have largely been cleared and a new home has been found for almost all residents.

Ramadan as usual

After two corona years, Ramadan can finally be celebrated as usual again. We receive photos of meals with friends, family or even the entire neighborhood.

Can’t find a room? Then a garden shed

In 2022, unfortunately, little changed in the tightness of the housing market. Rents and sales prices rose almost throughout the year, and scams also recurred.
In 2022, almost all municipalities in the region will also introduce purchase protection. And although the market seems to have cooled down somewhat in the meantime, the problems for home seekers are still great. This necessitates alternatives, such as converting vacant spaces above shops and building flex homes.

(International) students are also still suffering from the problems in the housing market. This means that they are increasingly using alternatives, such as living in an – let’s face it – idyllic garden shed:

The municipality of Utrecht takes a controversial decision

You could call it a ‘radical measure’: the decision of the municipality of Utrecht to give almost all social rental homes that become available to status holders for six weeks.

Mid-July, aldermen Rachel Streefland (Asylum and Integration) and Dennis de Vries (Housing) announced that they opted for “the short blow”. In this way, the municipality wants to make up for the backlog in housing status holders. The frustration among Utrecht residents who have been on the waiting list for a long time is great.

Viva La Vuelta!

Special visit to the region, which will turn the province upside down for a few days in mid-August. The reason? The arrival of the Spanish cycling race ‘La Vuelta’ and with it the whole circus around it. In the days leading up to the ‘Vuelta fever’, tens of thousands of people search our site for the best spots along the route.
It kicks off with a team presentation in Utrecht on Thursday evening, the day after that the team time trial will be held through the same city (and won by Jumbo-Visma). On the last day, the 182 drivers race from Rhenen, via the Utrechtse Heuvelrug, Amersfoort and Zeist to Utrecht.
With thousands of people along the course, summer temperatures and numerous Spanish events, the atmosphere is good for three days.

Grief for British Queen

As it turns out, the biggest world news can also be very local. The British Queen Elizabeth dies on September 8. And that plunges 14-year-old Daan from Everdingen into deep mourning.

Young and old in rainbow

Already quite old and still can’t be yourself? According to Margreet and Gon, this is still too common among LGBTI elderly people. On the National Coming Out Day in October, the two ladies organize a symposium to draw attention to this among healthcare providers.

80-year-old Henk is still making streets

Wow! Deep respect for road maker Henk. Despite his respectable age of 80, he still squats, sweeps, carpenters and hauls. He does this together with his son Richard.

He admits: the knees are getting a bit worse now. But stop? That is not negotiable for the time being, says Henk.

Biltse bus lock goes viral

Rarely has a bus lock attracted as much attention as this example in Bilthoven. It goes viral in December after two people from Bilten start an Instagram account. It shows videos of motorists who completely break their car on the concrete.

It will not be long before the municipality feels compelled to intervene, but is that enough?

We are curious what 2023 will bring us. In any case, one thing is certain: we will be there for you. On our Instagram page, but of course also on the site, app, TV, radio and our other social media.



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