Grimsby Auditorium issues alert ahead of spill-the-beans talk by former England footballer

                                                        

A WARNING has sounded by the management at Grimsby Auditorium ahead of a forthcoming event - a talk to be given by former footballer Paul Gascoigne.

The advance publicity suggests the evening is unsuitable for under-14s and may contain "strong language and stories of a certain nature".

"Ticket buyer discretion is recommended," it states. 

'Gazza', as he is known, is due to  chat about his times at  Glasgow Rangers, Newcastle, Tottenham, Everton and Lazio, not to mention his colourful period in the England squad until he was controversially dropped by the manager, Glenn Hoddle.

There will be reminiscences about individual matches, stories from dressing room and playing field and about managers and famous fall-outs.

There are also likely to be candid revelations  about his struggles since quitting the game.

An Evening with Paul Gascoigne takes place at 7.30pm on Friday June 14, with tickets costing £33.

Grand old Cleethorpes Monterey Cypress tree spared the chop because of its amenity value to the area

                                                 

Not much seems to grown under the canopy of the conifer

A LANDMARK tree in a Cleethorpes back garden has been  spared the chop.

An application was received by North East Lincolnshire Council for the 10-metre tall Monterey Cypress at Benjamin's Walk to be felled because of ;

* Natural daylight being blocked

* Bird droppings

* Fallen pine needles clogging  drains and gutters.

* A neighbour's concerns over the safety of an overhanging branch.

However, NELC's trees supremo Paul Chaplin has refused to grant consent for felling because of the tree's amenity value in the area.

By way of compromise, Mr Chaplin has given the nod for the tree to be reduced to 9-metres in height and for lopping of  some of the branches.

The application was submitted not by the occupants of the house but by a Humberston man who is believed to own the property.

Council hires hawk handler to drive out 'unwelcome' birds from Grimsby town centre

                                                         

One of the hawks that is being engaged to swoop at other birds 

TWO Harris Hawks are being engaged to drive birds out of Grimsby town centre.

North East Lincolnshire Council today announced  that the fearsome raptors were being used in an initiative which seeks to make Top Town bird-free at least during this spring and summer.

The authority fears that if active birds' nests were found, it would be illegal to disturb them, and redevelopment of Freshney Place and the proposed new bus station off Osborne Street would be delayed.

The council is particularly targeting street pigeons and herring gulls.

What about the threat to smaller birds such as blackbirds, starlings, wagtails, robins and house sparrows which also occur in this part of Grimsby?

Says the council: "The hawks are well trained and will not attack other birds - they are purely used as a deterrent."

NELC has not revealed the identity of the hawk handler but says the birds' names are Mavric and Chief.

                                       

NELC does not want birds anywhere near its Freshney Place development site

The Grimsby News says: NELC and its partner firm Equans, will not win many friends with this initiative. Pigeons and herring gulls  bring personality and liveliness to the town centre.  Furthermore, the latter are declining so fast that they are now categorised as a red-listed species. The two hawks may be trained not to 'attack' smaller birds, but their presence will undoubtedly cause terror. For an organisation that purports to be wildlife-friendly, the council is setting an extraordinarily cruel example.  

NELC: 'There would be advantages to bringing library services together under one roof'

 

                                                          

Council keen to 'align library service with community needs'

 

AS the row over the future of the borough's libraries service simmers, North East Lincolnshire Council says its current review  was prompted by a post-Covid decline in library visits  of approximately 43 per cent.

It states: "There would be economic and social advantages of bringing services together under one roof.

"It needs to be recognised that the current library buildings  require significant future investment to develop vibrant spaces that better align libraries to meet community needs.  

"A focus on children and young people is a clear priority while continuing to build on the service’s strong connection with the older community."

The NELC cabinet member with responsibility for the libraries is Cllr Hayden Dawkins (Con, Humberston and New Waltham) who states: "I wish to make it clear that no decisions have been made on the future of the service. 

"That will only take place after a full analysis of the  consultation responses and further discussions.

"The one main aim here is  to ensure a full, vibrant and growing service  that is future-proofed and that everyone can enjoy."

He continues: "Our vision is to create libraries that appeal to all ages and offer something for everyone. 

"Looking at other services around the country we can see that bringing services together and creating community hubs has worked well. 

"Immingham, which is  located in the town’s civic centre, is an example of that."

NELC says it will  also be setting up focus groups and community engagement events in order "to capture as full a picture as possible".

The consultation, which began in mid-April,  ends on July 9.

It  does not include Immingham Library as no change to the current location is being considered. 

Cleethorpes councillor accuses NELC administration of treating residents as if they are 'stupid'

                                                                    

Cllr Morland - unhappy with NELC administration's attitude to libraries

A LABOUR councillor has accused North East Lincolnshire Council's Conservative-led administration of treating residents as if they are 'stupid'.

The outburst  came from Cllr Malcolm Morland (Croft Baker) at a public meeting called the discuss the threat to three libraries - those in Grimsby, Cleethorpes and Waltham -  which are at high risk of cuts in their funding by North East Lincolnshire Council.

What seemed to prompt the attack was the ongoing libraries consultation exercise which purports to be an impartial and independent survey of  public opinion about the best strategy for the libraries in the months and years ahead.

Cllr Morland - and others who attended the public meeting - think the  exercise is a sham.

This is because some of the questions seem to be skewed in such a way as to prompt responses that will endorse the council's wish to quit both the Grimsby and Cleethorpes libraries and hand over the Waltham building to community volunteers.

Among the consultation questions thought by library campaigners to be  'loaded' are the following: 

Grimsby

A library hub in an empty town centre location could provide space to shape a modern library. This concept could include a library service, public archives, adult skills and learning and further include potential for integrated café, community and exhibition space. 

a) I support exploring this option

b) I have the following concerns around this option

c) I do not have a view on this

Cleethorpes

A library and leisure hub within a reconfigured Cleethorpes Leisure Centre could provide space to shape a modern library offer.  This concept could include dedicated library space with extended opening hours and further include potential for refurbished leisure facilities. 

a) I support exploring this option

b) I have the following concerns around this option

c) I do not have a view on this

Waltham

Would you support the library to:  

a) Become a local community-run library that offers public access to borrowing books and reading materials, alongside other activities and services to develop a more viable service?

b) Remain as the existing library, recognising that the current operation could limit possibilities for other activities and this could lead to challenges around future viability?

c) Neither of the above, I have an alternative suggestion that the council should be considering for the future use of Waltham Library building.

The full libraries consultation document can be viewed at: 

Have your say | NELC

We don't want a downgraded library service! Anger bubbles up at packed public meeting in Grimsby hotel

 

So many attended the meeting that, for late arrivals, it was standing room only 

ALARM bells are again jangling over the uncertain future of three cherished local libraries - the central one in Grimsby's Top Town and its smaller sisters in Cleethorpes and Waltham.

At Saturday's surprisingly well attended public meeting in St James Hotel in Grimsby, attendees expressed both dismay and fury at the prospect that all three might be diminished, to a greater or lesser extent, by North East Lincolnshire Council. 

Fears are that  the current administration might: 

* Relocate the books from  the current Grimsby building to a unit in Freshney Place shopping centre

* Relocate the books and services at the existing purpose-built premises on Alexandra Road, Cleethorpes to the leisure centre

* Downgrade Waltham from a service run by professionals to one run by volunteers.

More than 100 library lovers  attended the meeting which was held in a swelteringly hot room on the third floor of the hotel and expertly chaired by Angela Garner of Grimsby, Cleethorpes and District Civic Society.

Also on  the panel were Grimsby and Cleethorpes MP Melanie Onn, NELC's Labour Group leader Cllr Emma Clough and Independent councillor Steve Holland 

In the audience were at least three other Labour councillors. 

It is not thought that any Conservative or Liberal-Democrat councillor, nor any member of the administration were present - not even Cllr Hayden Dawkins who is cabinet portfolio holder with responsibility for libraries.

A recurring concern of the meeting was that NELC, whose financial woes have  been well documented, might seek to raise cash by selling off the Grimsby or Cleethorpes buildings, possibly for redevelopment as apartments.

Earlier this year, the 1960s-built Grimsby Library closed indefinitely for proposed removal of asbestos, and there is no indication that any specialist firm has yet been appointed to carry out the work - nor even that the contract has been put out to tender.

Both the MP and Cllr Holland were critical of what they perceive to be a  'lack of transparency' by the administration.

In particular, there is a question mark over who authorised that the £3.7-million Whitehall grant monies that had been earmarked for renovating and  upgrading  Grimsby Library should be diverted to the proposed Freshney Place cinema scheme.

Dismay was also voiced both at historic under-investment in the fabric of Grimsby Library and the prospect of precious meeting facilities being lost at all three libraries to the numerous community groups who use them.

But perhaps the main complaint of the meeting was about NELC's ongoing consultation exercise on the future of the three libraries.

Speaker after speaker protested that many of the questions have been skewed in such a ways as to elicit the responses sought by the NELC administration to fi its agenda.

"The consultation is about as balanced as an elephant on a see-saw," quipped one.

In the coming weeks, the future of NELC's library service is likely to come under the spotlight at scrutiny panel meetings.

There is also due to be a demonstration outside Grimsby Town Hall prior to the next full council meeting at 7pm on July 24.

A call for transparency - Cllr Steve Holland (right) addresses the meeting

                            

With a price tag of circa £125,000, is a buyer poised to swoop for Grimsby's long-empty Welholme Galleries?

 

Welholme Galleries - has a buyer at last been found?

 

IS a fresh chapter set to open for the Welholme Galleries building in  Grimsby'?

The Grade II Listed building's use as a museum and, before that, as a United Reformed Church have long since ceased, and it has stood empty for many years.

A few years ago, there were hopes that it might find a buyer, when, priced at £200,000, it was said to 'under offer' .

Since then the price has been reduced to £125,000, and according to commercial property agents PPH, it is again under offer.

The property is of traditional solid brick and stone construction beneath a series of pitched slate roofs with ornate windows and various period features, both internally and externally.

Might it once again become a church - or perhaps even a mosque? Could it be converted to offices or maybe to apartments? Or even a restaurant?

More details are available from the Grimsby office of  PPH.

* Elsewhere in the borough, the empty Methodist chapel on Humberston Avenue, Humberston is also reported to be under offer.  

The magnificent interior of a building that time seems to have forgotten

Its injury was so severe that deer had to be put down after becoming trapped in Cleethorpes railings

 

Above and below are scenes outside a property on Parker Street in Cleethorpes where the fire brigade attended after having been alerted to a deer becoming trapped in fence railings just after daybreak. Although the stricken annual was freed, it was so badly injured that it was unable to stand on its legs, and there were strong doubts that it would survive, let alone recover. As a result, a decision was taken for it to be put down humanely. It is understood that the creature was put out of its pain and panic by an RSPCA officer with a single gunshot.

Motorist fined after CCTV captures him chucking McDonald's food bag out of car window in Grimsby

                                        

The littering incident was captured on CCTV

A MAN has been fined for throwing litter - thought to be a McDonald's brown bag - out of a car window on a Grimsby street.

North East Lincolnshire Council's CCTV system captured the incident on Park Street.

Following investigation by the Environmental Enforcement Team, the man was identified and issued a £150 fine for breach of Section 87 of the Environmental Protection Act 1990.

A fine was issued and was paid in full a few days later. 

Those who do not pay the fine can be summoned to court as part of the Single Justice Procedure (SJP).

This allows magistrates’ courts to deal with minor offences  efficiently and quickly.

The man has not been named.

NELC cabinet member Cllr Ron Shepherd (Con, Scartho) commented: "Littering is not something the council take lightly -  this incident is the perfect example. 

"The authority will not tolerate anyone flouting the law."

                                       

Cllr Shepherd - tough approach to lawbreakers

                             

Up to 50 Travellers' families set up impromptu encampment in Grimsby play area

Travellers have chosen a leafy site in Grimsby to park their vehicles

 

A GRIMSBY play area has become home to as many as 50 Travellers' caravans and other vehicles over the Bank Holiday weekend.

The families have pitched up on the field and kiddies' play area at the junction of Cleethorpe Road and Victor Streeet.

Some may have relocated from the car park behind the cinema in Cleethorpes where a few caravans  were parked earlier in the week.

It is thought their arrival is what prompted the closing of some roads and car parks in other parts of Cleethorpes at the start of the weekend.

It is anyone's guess how long they will choose to stay in Grimsby. 

So far, there has been no statement from North East Lincolnshire Council about whether there will be any response to the Grimsby arrival.

Closed - one of the car parks on Cleethorpes foreshore

Access barred - the scene near the Humberston end of the Tetney Trail bridleway  

Above and below - signage yesterday morning on the the approach road to the Humberston Fitties car park 

                                                                              

It's keep calm and carry on for NELC cabinet as leader pledges 'stronger economy and safer community'

                                 

Cllr Swinburn - he continues to enjoy full confidence of his cabinet colleagues

  

A CALL for the resignation of  a senior member of North East Lincolnshire Council's cabinet has fallen on deaf ears.

The authority's main opposition Labour Group demanded the resignation of Cllr Stewart Swinburn in the wake of never-ending delays in the renovation of Grimsby's historic Corporation Road Bridge.

But at this evening's AGM of the council, it was confirmed that Cllr Swinburn would remain as portfolio for infrastructure and transport.

His brief  will also include responsibility for housing.

The full cabinet line-up for the following year is as follows: 

* Cllr P Jackson – Leader and Portfolio Holder for Economy, Regeneration, Devolution and Skills

* Cllr S Shreeve – Deputy Leader and Portfolio Holder for Health, Wellbeing and Adult Social Care

* Cllr M Cracknell – Portfolio Holder for Children and Education

* Cllr S Harness – Portfolio Holder for Finance, Resources and Assets

* Cllr H Hudson – Portfolio Holder for Environment and Net Zero

* Cllr S Swinburn – Portfolio Holder for Housing, Infrastructure and Transport

* Cllr R Shepherd – Portfolio Holder for Safer and Stronger Communities

* Cllr H Dawkins – Portfolio Holder for Culture, Heritage and the Visitor Economy

Expressing full confidence in his team, Cllr  Jackson insisted: "We will continue to press on with our priorities this year.

"We will deliver on our promises to help create a stronger economy and a safer  community."

New Cleethorpes Coastal Ranger Josh Forrester keen to fly the flag for wildlife and its precious habitat

                                           

Josh - eager to 'sell' the positives of safeguarding wildlife habitat on Cleethorpes foreshore

       

A NEW Coastal Wildlife Ranger has been appointed in Cleethorpes to engage with the community in celebrating and protecting the unique beauty of our coastline.

Born and bred in Grimsby, Josh Forrester’s background as a data analyst combined with a self-taught knowledge and enthusiasm for wildlife protection - plus his cheerful and engaging personality -  should stand him in good stead in his new role.

A seaside resort such as Cleethorpes is unusual in having a coastal  nature reserve that is central to a  tourist resort -  a situation which has its tensions.

On the one hand, there is the legal obligation for North East Lincolnshire Council to manage and protect an area designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest. 

On the other, there is the need to encourage and promote tourism and enjoyment of the beach, which is a mainstay of the region’s economy.

Issues of recreational disturbance can have detrimental effects on the internationally-renowned wildlife and migratory birds that depend on it.

While Josh’s role, which is funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund, is primarily about community engagement, with residents and visitors alike, educating people on the importance of the coastline, its significance to the environment as a whole and why North East Lincolnshire Council has a legal responsibility to protect it. 

It is also about management and protection of species and discouraging any recreational disturbance that threatens it.

Says Josh: "We want the people of North East Lincolnshire and our visitors to be aware of the valuable and wonderful habitat that is Cleethorpes

"By giving people some extra knowledge on what makes it so special, we can encourage more people to have a greater respect for it.

"A lot of recreational disturbance is unintentional, caused by paddleboarders going through the saltmarsh or people walking their dogs there. 

"There is no intended harm, but the saltmarsh is a rare ecosystem and it is under threat all over the world.

"As well as being made up of numerous plants, many of them rare, it acts as a natural flood defence and  also plays a huge role in carbon capture. 

"My job is to 'sell' the positives in the hope that more people can see why we should protect it.

"I also want to encourage coastal champions - organisations and individuals - to buy into the importance of protecting our coastline. 

"No one person can do that alone -  it has to be a community initiative.

"That is the goal I am setting myself -  to bring active engagement that gives everyone a reason to value this amazing stretch of coastline."

In his first fortnight, Josh has already conducted one highly successful guided  walk of the coastal,  and he has another planned for between 10am and 11.30am next Wednesday May 28. 

The circular walk will start and finish at Cleethorpes Leisure Centre.

At this time of year, the coastal nature reserve is full of orchids and other wildflowers plus bees and butterflies such as Green Hairstreaks. In the adjacent trees and shrubs, there are many singing warblers and finches.

Loose dogs on the saltmarsh can have devastating impact on feeding or nesting birds   

Visitor from Alaska says it how it is: 'There's nowhere on earth like Grimsby - it's such an incredible place!'

                                                       

All the way from Alaska - Selby with heritage centre tour guide Robert Mogg

ONE of the most recent visitors to the Grimsby Fishing Heritage Centre and Ross Tiger trawler has been a fisherwoman from Alaska.

Selby LeBlanc, from the port city of Cordova, is a deckhand on salmon fishing boats.

She came to Grimsby to learn more about the area’s maritime history and was treated to a guided tour by former skipper, Robert Mogg.

"In Alaska, we are very proud of our fishing history, and I know this town has that same culture," she said. 

"I had heard about Grimsby through a friend and always wanted to visit.

"I have loved being here, and I can’t wait to come back!

"You can sense the history and culture in the fabric of the buildings -  it’s amazing!”

Selby has been in the industry for four years, and, in summer, she works on a salmon tender - a mid-sized boat that collects fish from smaller gillnet vessels when they reach capacity at sea, then transports the catch to a processing plant.

There are five types of Alaskan salmon all of which are processed, then exported worldwide in various ways from oil to fillets.

At other times of the year, she goes longline fishing in the Gulf of Alaska.

Here, a long main line is deployed with numerous baited hooks - attached at intervals.

But the industry takes a breather for  two months in the icy depths of winter.

The worst conditions she has experienced are 30ft seas and 35 knots of wind. 

"Alaskan winds can be really gruelling," she says. "Overall it’s very cloudy and rough."

Selby's aim is to become a captain and to buy her own boat.

"I have quite a few female friends who are captains," she continues. "It’s a lot of pressure and responsibility, but I think I would be good at it.

"I absolutely want to own a longliner vessel and fish for halibut and black cod."

She said being a woman in the industry could still be hard and there are captains who would refuse to have females on board. 

However, the captain she now has does nothing but encourage and teach her.

After her heritage centre tour, Selby bought several fishermen’s jumpers from the museum shop to take back to her friends and colleagues in Alaska.

What advice would she be giving them?

"You have to get yourself to Grimsby - it's an incredible place."

Pews now replaced by chairs as part of makeover for chapel at Grimsby Crematorium

The chapel - it has  been upgraded from floor to ceiling 

WORK has been completed on a facelift for the Grimsby Crematorium chapel.

The upgrade is the first for several years and has included the replacement of pews with chairs in order to increase capacity.

The five-week refurbishment, which took place with minimum closures, saw the chapel refurbished from top to bottom.

There is also  a new ceiling, flooring, carpets, seating and the installation of thermal windows with heat-proof glazing and mechanically-controlled openers to assist in regulating the chapel's  temperature.

Says the crematorium's deputy bereavement services manager Daniel Intress-Franklin: "Some 200,000 people come through these doors each year at most emotional times of their lives.

"Providing them with the right people in the best possible environment is so important.

"The chapel is now brighter, more comfortable and more modern, and we hope it will be received well by residents, most of whom will visit it at least once, and sometimes a number of times in their lifetime, to say goodbye to loved ones."

The work was completed on time by contractors Unibuild who are based on the Poplar Road industrial estate in Cleethorpes.

Labour Group calls for NELC cabinet member to step down in wake of Corporation Road bridge fiasco

                                               

A job only half done? How many more months before the ill-fated bridge reopens?

A CALL has come for a senior North East Lincolnshire Council cabinet member to resign over the ill-fated  Corporation Road Bridge repair project.

The leader of the authority's Labour Group, Cllr Emma Clough, said today: "This project has been appallingly managed by the Conservative leadership from the very start. 

"The bridge is an important route through Grimsby, and people will have to wait even longer before it reopens. 

"Residents, local businesses, and drivers have faced more than two years of delays and disruption - with no clear end in sight. 

"What is more, the project has become a major financial risk for the council, with even more taxpayers' money needed to get the bridge reopened. 

"The position of the cabinet's portfolio holder for highways, Cllr Stewart Swinburn, is no longer tenable

"He must resign. 

"The administration must also apologise to the people of North East Lincolnshire for these unacceptable delays."

The repair project was originally projected to  take 10 months. 

Some 26 months later - with more than an estimated £7-million spent - and it still has not been completed.

In the meantime, Hull-based bridge repairs contractors Spencer Group which has just been sacked by North East Lincolnshire Council for "unacceptable delays" in completing the project says it is "disappointed and baffled" by the decision.

It thought it had an "excellent" relationship with the council.

The parting of the ways might diminish the company's reputation in the short term but it may  not be too damaging for its finances.

Spencer is not short of work, and, earlier this month, announced that it had been  awarded repair and renovation contracts for three bridges in Scotland.   

* See also previous report.

                                       

Cllr Swinburn - NELC cabinet member is under fire

You're fired! NELC axes Corporation Road bridge firm over "unacceptable delays" in repair project

                                                          

Troubled bridge over water - the council has lost confidence in the contractor 

THE Hull-based firm commissioned to repair Grimsby's historic Corporation Road bridge has been sacked.

North East Lincolnshire Council today confirmed that it had taken "direct action" in the wake of the slow progress on carrying out the project.

In a statement, it said: "The authority  today announces that it is seeking a new contractor to finish the final stages of the refurbishment, which includes the lifting mechanism

"The contract with Spencer Group has been terminated."

The firm began work on the scheme in February, 2023, since when there have been significant delays with a number of issues cited. 

The council says that, in order to ensure the bridge is open in the quickest and most efficient way possible, it is time to go out to the market again for the remainder of the work.

 Portfolio Holder for Highways Cllr Stewart Swinburn who has been overseeing the works says: "This project was started two years ago, and while we accept that the level of rust and deterioration was not anticipated, and led initially to more surveys being required, we are now in a position where we believe the extent of the delays are unacceptable. 

"We have, therefore, decided to seek a new contractor."

He added: "We are now absolutely determined to move forward and bring a new specialist engineering firm on board to work with us on completing the lifting span

"This will bring to a conclusion the works to this important  historical structure."

Spencer Group has not yet made public comment on the council's decision.

It is not known how long it will take for NELC to appoint a new contractor, nor how long the further delay is likely to delay re-opening of the bridge.               

                                          

The bridge as it was in yesteryear - when it was in full working order

                           

All eyes will be on paintings by former professional footballer at Louth auction this week

                                               

Serene study of sailing boats (above and below) likely to be in demand at Louth auction  

NOT many former professional footballers go on to make a career for themselves as artists, but one who has done is John Trickett.

Trickett (71) now lives in Nottingham but he grew up in Cleethorpes and was educated at Grimsby's Winteringham Grammar School.

As far as is know, he did not play for the Mariners but was on the books of Torquay United.

After hanging up his boots, he became a self-taught artist, specialising in wildlife and hunting dogs.

His paintings command high prices so there is likely to be plenty of interest when four of them go under the hammer at a sale to be conducted by John Taylors of Louth on Tuesday of this week.                                               

Where is everyone? Quiet start to first Farmers and Craft Market in Grimsby's new-look Riverhead Square

 

Trading was probably slower than hoped for at today's Grimsby Farmers and Craft Market - believed to be the first event in Riverhead Square since its costly revamp. It probably needs more stallholders and better weather - and perhaps some musical accompaniment - if it is to draw in the shoppers and flourish in the months ahead. 

                                                                  

Lively opening day for Grimsby's Top Town indoor market at its temporary shopping mall home

Installing Grimsby's Top Town market within an unoccupied retail outlet in Freshney Place seems to have been a masterstroke by North East Lincolnshire Council. At its temporary new home, it seemed far busier than it had been at its previous site. Pictured above and below are traders and customers at some of the stalls.  

                           

Congratulations and good luck to Janet Goodwin - the newly-elected mayor of North East Lincolnshire

                                          

The new mayor has lived in Grimsby all her life 

CONGRATULATIONS to Janet Goodwin who has been elected mayor of North East Lincolnshire for the forthcoming year.

In this ceremonial role, she can look forward to  visiting all corners of the borough, meeting representatives of charities, community organisations and businesses as well as representing the Council at official functions.

Cllr Goodwin has lived in Grimsby all her life, growing up in Scartho with her two brothers and sister.

Her father worked as a fisherman, while her mother had  a part-time job at frozen food company Birds Eye. 

She is married to Barry and has two daughters, Lindsey and Victoria, along with four grandchildren.

Her career has spanned various roles, beginning with packing fish at Chaldur’s Frozen Food Company, followed by working as a barmaid while raising her children. 

Later, she joined Greggs, before moving on to work with the BFAWU (Bakers, Food and Allied Workers Union), where she focused on engaging workers in educational opportunities. 

After 15 years in this role, she returned to Greggs until retirement, now focusing more on community work within the borough's South ward which she represents.

Cllr Goodwin enjoys socialising, travelling and spending time with her grandchildren. 

She is committed to supporting communities across North East Lincolnshire, ensuring that those who may struggle to access help know that support is available

She was diagnosed with dyslexia at the age of 55, an experience that she says has given her greater confidence in the journey she has taken.

Following her election, Cllr Goodwin thanked her 41 fellow-councillors.

"This is a really proud moment for me," she declared. "I am looking forward to the year ahead.

Cllr Marian Boyd, one of the borough's Park ward representatives,  has been elected Deputy Mayor.

During the year ahead, Cllr Goodwin's chosen  charities will be Women’s Aid and Not Home Alone.

                                       

Cllr Goodwin, NELC chief executive Rob Walsh and Cllr Boyd following this week's mayor-making ceremony in Grimsby Town Hall 

Charity issues plea to public after deer that wandered on to Cleethorpes Beach died after being chased

Deer regularly venture on to the beach which can prove dangerous habitat

A PLEA not to chase any deer that venture on to the beach has been sounded  by Cleethorpes Wildlife Rescue.

It says: "Unless a deer is collapsed, or stuck, the best course of action is to leave  undisturbed and unpanicked."

The appeal follows an incident earlier this week when one died, apparently from exhaustion  or stress having been chased by beach-goers.

Continues the charity: " Unfortunately, even though each safety teams did a great job monitoring the deer and asking people to stay back, some members of the public continued to  chase them.

"It is unclear whether this was an attempt to capture the deer or to encourage them back inland, but sadly, it caused unnecessary stress -leading to panic and exhaustion.

"Deer are extremely sensitive animals and can suffer from post-capture myopathy - a condition triggered by extreme stress that can be fatal.

"Later in the evening, one exhausted deer was recovered and received emergency care at East Lincs Emergency Vets. 

"Despite everyone's best efforts, the animal passed away."

Cleethorpes Wildlife Rescue says that, even for experienced  rescue teams, capturing multiple healthy deer across miles of open beach is neither safe nor realistic.

Attempting to do so often puts the deer at greater risk and can cause more harm than good. 

It insists: "The best approach is to allow the deer to return on their own - calmly and in their own time - which they regularly do without issue." 

Temporary new location but same friendly faces - Top Town indoor market to re-open in Freshney Place mall

                                                    

All set to open on Friday - Top Town's indoor market 

GRIMSBY'S Top Town indoor market is due to reopen this Friday, May 16, in a new temporary location within Freshney Place.

A unit close to Primark, at the Riverhead end of the mall, , will accommodate traders previously based at the old market hall which is currently being demolished to pave the way for a cinema-and-leisure scheme.

The temporary market is a space for traders to continue operating throughout redevelopment while also supporting footfall within Freshney Place.

Market traders offer a wide variety of products including fresh produce, jewellery, key cutting services, books, collectables, flowers as well as fashion.

The traders who have moved across to the temporary space are:

* Birketts Butchers

* Black Cat Books

* Carl’s Meats

* Cobblers & Keys

* Girlie Gear

* Graham Thompson Jewellers

* K&P Collectables

* Temple Ranch Clothing

* The Card and Party Box

* The Veg Stall (incorporating New Haven eggs)

* Upsa Daisy florists (Friday and Saturday only)

Opening hours for Top Town Market are the same as they were in the previous location, 9am to 4pm, four days a week: Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday.

Enthuses  the leader of North East Lincolnshire Council, Cllr Philip Jackson: "It looks fantastic!

"Friday is likely to be a really busy day for everyone because there will be  the Farmers’ Market in Riverhead Square on the same day."

Equally upbeat is the director of Freshney Place, Amanda Austin, who says: "We are delighted to host the market during this transitional period and are looking forward to welcoming their customers. 

This move highlights Freshney Place’s role as a cornerstone of the town’s regeneration - not only a place to shop and meet friends, but a hub of community life."