Kevin Keegan had illustrious and glory-filled career in football - and an awkward moment at Blundell Park

                                 

Kevin Keegan - uncomfortable moment in Cleethorpes

As tributes pour in for former star footballer Kevin Keegan who died today, aged 75, it is perhaps worth recalling that, as a lad, he was a regular summer visitor to Cleethorpes and other seaside towns on the Lincolnshire Coast.

These were the easiest beach destination from his childhood homes - firstly in Spring Gardens, Doncaster, then, a short distance away  in Waverley Avenue, Balby.

One of the earliest photograph is of him astride a donkey called 'Trigger' in Mablethorpe.

At that time, there was never thought to be any prospect of his becoming a professional footballer. 

Because he suffered from croup and a wheezy chest, his parents were told to forget any idea about their son playing active sport.

But while playing local league football, he was scouted by Scunthorpe United who gave him him his debut, aged 17, against Peterborough in the old Division 4.

"While we played well, we were beaten, so there was no romantic start to my league career," he later recalled.

At his time with The Iron, he used to get up to a jape with Tom Taylor, the sports editor of the Scunthorpe Evening Telegraph.

To the amusement of team mates, he used to perch on the journalist's knee and mimic being a ventriloquist's dummy.

Although Kevin Keegan went on to achieve star status, playing with Liverpool, SV Hamburg, Southampton and England, he also impressed as a manager with Newcastle United - a period of his career which brought him, on at least one occasion, to Blundell Park.  

In his autobiography, he recounts one of his experiences thus: "My assistant, Terry McDermott, and I sat on either side of the charming lady mayor in the directors' box.

"We had enjoyed a curry on the way to the game, and, as we sat chatting, the inevitable happened.

"I looked sharply at Terry, but the mayor carried on talking and appeared not to have noticed.

"It was an impressive display of diplomacy on the part of the town's representative, if not by Terry."

He continues: "A week or so later, to our huge embarrassment, we received a letter from the mayor, thanking us for the charming conversation and company, but adding that one of us had a terrible wind problem that should be attended to immediately.

"I told Terry that he should have owned up and apologised in case she thought it was me.

"We thought we would never be able to go back to Grimsby and sit in the directors' box until we discovered that the letter was a hoax written by the wife of one of the players, Brian Kilcline.

"I had made the mistake of telling him about the incident on the coach on the way home from our next away match." 

Name that plant! Tiny yellow flower defies the spray truck to bloom on Cleethorpes North Promenade

                                                    

It is reassuring that some wildflowers are surviving on the streets and pavements of North East Lincolnshire despite extensive spraying with Glyphosate poison by North East Lincolnshire Council. A Grimsby News reader  has submitted these photographs of a delightful yellow-bloomed  plant currently flourishing on North Promenade in Cleethorpes. The identification has not been confirmed, but it iss thought to be a snapdragon.

                                                                  

                                                                  

Worshippers likely to be highly delighted by enchanting new look planned for Grimsby church

                                             

These imaginative images from Georgina Walker of Cleethorpes-based Hodson Architects indicate what lies in prospect for St Mark's Church on Laceby Road in Grimsby. Part of the existing property is to be demolished and replaced with two new extensions - one of a single storey and the other of two storeys. There is also an attractive landscaping scheme. The church, which is currently flourishing across the generations, dates back to 1959-60 when it was built at a cost of £31,600 by Messrs F.A. Would. The first priest in charge was the Revd Peter Clarke.

                                              

                                         

   

Does place in Andy Burnham's Government beckon for Grimsby and Cleethorpes MP Melanie Onn?

                                                       

Melanie Onn - energy expertise

IF she has not already been notified, Grimsby and Cleethorpes MP Melanie Onn should  know by the end of this weekend if a place beckons for her on the Government front bench.

Although she may not have been tipped for high office in the mainstream media, 'king of the north'  Andy Burnham could be lining up Ms Onn for a ministerial position in the Department of Energy.

Probably no one in Parliament has greater expertise when it comes to the merits of Renewable Energy, yet, at the same time,  our MP  has never known to have said anything to antagonise the likes of BP, Shell and the other multi-national giants of the fossil fuel world.

This is by contrast with current Energy Secretary Ed Miliband - seen by some as an anti-oil  'zealot'. 

As Prime Minister, Andy Burnham knows, one of his chief tasks is to dispel  the gloom that has long prevailed over much of the country and to make people feel cheerful again.

He is old enough to remember how, on the other side of the Atlantic, this was the challenge met by the ever-upbeat Ronald Reagan when he was President of the United States at the end of the last century

And to achieve this, he knows he needs to surround himself with happy, optimistic people - not glumsters.

Ms Onn fits the bill. She has a  personable, ready-to-smile  nature. People, of whatever political persuasion,  are never uncomfortable when she is in the same  room.

Also likely to  in her favour as Mr Burnham  reflects on who to appoint to his team  is that, relatively speaking, she is northerner.

He will also have known that she had a gritty upbringing in a part of the country which has seldom been given its fair share of the nation's spoils. 

Another possibility is that Ms Onn could be appointed Leader of the Commons.

In her first term in office (2015-19), she was, for a short while, Shadow Deputy Leader of the House when Jeremy Corbyn was Leader of the Opposition.   

It's our own little bit of Lincolnshire - and Whitehall agrees that's how it should remain

                                    

Staying separate - North East Lincolnshire Council

NORTH East Lincolnshire Council - and neighbouring North Lincolnshire Council - are to remain independent unitary authorities.

This has been confirmed by the Government which, in a review of local government,  had considered merging them and/ or amalgamating them with other local government authorities in Lincolnshire.

The decision has been welcomed by NELC's Leader, Cllr Oliver Freeston (Reform UK) and his counterparts in the other political groupings - Cllr Emma Clough (Lab), Cllr Philip Jackson (Con), Nicola Aisthorpe (Lib-Dem) and Cllr Paul Bright (Ind).

Claim that holiday visitors' lives could be put at risk from flooding if Pleasure Island scheme goes ahead

 

                                                    

A guard dog patrols the former theme park site

AN alert has been sounded  that hundreds of visitors could be in peril from drowning if  the proposed Pleasure Island redevelopment scheme goes ahead with a Lidl supermarket, two hotels and 272 holiday cabins.

Richard Buxton, head of a specialist Cambridge-based law firm, says: "The application is contrary to both national and local flood risk policy.

 "Given the risk to lives, it  should not be permitted on the submission presently before the Council."  

The whole site lies in Flood Zone 3 and would, in the case of mega-high tides, be vulnerable to overtopping both from the North Sea  and the Buck Beck.

Redevelopment of the former theme park was due to have been recommended by senior case officer Cheryl Jarvis at last week's meeting of North East Lincolnshire Council's planning meeting, but  this letter, and another from Tesco's legal representatives resulted in debate and a decision being deferred.

Pending reflection of the solicitor's letter and discussions with the council's own lawyers, it is not known if Ms Jarvis might choose to  reconsider her recommendation.

It seems improbable that either she or councillors would be prepared to back a proposal that could lead to loss of life.

And, if the committee does grant planning consent, that might not be the end of the matter.

The law firm - which is acting on behalf of an individual, Katherine Collett - says it could request a judicial review of the decision in the High Court.

Cool for cats! Go-ahead for new 'hotel' for moggies despite objections from neighbours

                                                             

Cat - somewhere to stay in Immingham

A NEW commercial cattery is in prospect for North East Lincolnshire.

NELC planners have granted consent for change of use of a detached garage at 13 Orkney Place which is a cul-de-sac in Immingham.

Applicant Lisa Thompson was given the green light despite objections from the town council and some neighbours fearful of noise, smell and general disturbance.

Her intention is to divide the building into seven pens, each of 3ft x 6.5ft, with a walkway in front.

At two felines per pen, the maximum 'guests' at any one time will be 14.

Says Ms Thompson, who already runs one other well-regarded cattery, says: "The cats will be regularly monitored throughout the day.

"I feel this new facility will be an asset to the area."

The consent is for a two-year trial period, to assess the impact, if any, on the neighbourhood, and Ms Thomson will have to reapply if she seeks to make the planning consent permanent.

Pawnote: A little-known fact is that an average  domestic cat spends about 10,950 hours purring during the course of its life.