“Two for four pounds of English strawberries,” bellows Lewie, under the canopy of his family’s fruit stall in Hull city centre. It’s a familiar noise to those walking down King Edward Street, with their hoods and umbrellas up on a gray, rainy day.
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But not from Lewie, who assures me this is unique as he takes me through the city center reminiscing about his life and love of Hull.
“I’m 30 years old and I get more nervous now than when I was 12 or 13,” he says.
“I used to hate doing this when I was a kid, my dad would make me do it when my classmates walked by and I would feel so embarrassed.
“My father’s fruit and vegetable stand is one of the main reasons I am here today. That place gave me and my three brothers a life and a platform to raise.”
Looking up at the sky, Lewie takes a deep breath: “Wherever he is now, I’m sure he looks down with immense pride and everything he did for me as a child was for the right reasons.
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“He didn’t always show his emotions. He wasn’t the type to ever put his arm around us and tell us he loved us, but if he called you ‘son’ when you did something good, it was a sign that he loved us and was proud of us. It was the most powerful word.”
He pauses for a moment: “My brother Joe said that at his funeral.”
The Coyle and Sons stall, which has been running for more than 30 years, was created by his father, Chris Coyle, who died in 2022.
“It’s not nice that the old man isn’t behind him like he normally would, which is sometimes difficult, but between all of us as a family, this position will be here for as long as possible,” he insists.
Three of the four Coyle brothers stand with their father, Chris, from left, Tommy, Lewie and Joe (Family Booklet)
Lewie has a sporting background. His brother Tommy was a Commonwealth lightweight champion boxer, Joe is a PGA golf professional and the youngest of the four, Rocco, follows Lewie’s path and is in the under 21 category for Hull City.
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Between them, they have shown their support for the city by giving back.
Lewie runs the Lewie Coyle Football Academy, training hundreds of boys and girls each week, while Tommy hands out free school uniforms annually as part of his charity work. He was recently given the freedom of the city.
As we continue our walk through downtown, Lewie can’t help but look up at the large City Hall building.
“Our Tom fought there many times,” he recalls proudly.
“I used to sell it. I used to be able to get about 1,500 people there.”
I asked him if it was stressful watching his brother fight in front of such a large audience.
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He responds: “It stresses me out even more when one of my brothers does something, because I’m not in control. In football, it’s me, I’m the one in control. But, because Tom fights, I can’t do anything to help him.”
Fans stop us as we cross the road towards Whitefriargate and he poses for photographs, before asking some of the younger fans about City’s upcoming games.
This meeting helps him reflect on his own childhood dream of becoming a footballer.
Although his ambition was to play for Hull City, his first opportunity came as a youngster at Leeds United.
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“My father would take me to football, going back and forth on the highway for years.
“I used to take the bus back from my school, we had to quickly pack up the fruit and veg stall to get to Leeds in time for training.”
Lewie credits his father’s support when he was a young player learning his trade at Leeds United as a key factor behind more than 300 professional appearances (Family Handout)
As you pass the HMV store, you pause again and can’t help but remember once again: “I used to love buying CDs at HMV if my mom or dad gave me some pocket money.
“I was always trying to get Mighty Ducks on DVD. It’s an ice hockey movie, it was a favorite of my brothers and I.
“That was back in the days before Apple Music… oh no, I’m showing my age.”
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Looking at some of the empty stores, Lewie adds: “I know how tough this city is.
“We all have difficulties sometimes. Again, life is hard and, especially here, not much has always happened.”
Pointing towards Queen’s Gardens, he admits he hasn’t “always been a saint”, and has occasionally gotten into “moments of annoyance” while growing up, but adds: “Hull has my heart, I’m a Hull boy through and through.
“I love my city and I wouldn’t want to end my career anywhere else.
“I’m just a Bilton lad and my dream came true.”
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