This one of two showy muntjac deer that provided a weekend talking point among Cleethorpes Country Park visitors. For how long had they been on the island and how did they get there? By swimming through the water, skating over the ice or jumping? Anyone know?
It looks like a chapter has closed in the life of a Cleethorpes meeting place. The Tipsy Terrace has not been open in recent days, and an ominous notice has been placed on one window with the announcement that the premises have been repossessed by the landlord and the locks changed. Particularly in current economic conditions, trading is fiercely competitive among the town's bar and pubs - nowhere more so than in and and around the High Street.
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| Melanie Onn - enjoys confidence of fellow MPs |
GRIMSBY and Cleethorpes MP Melanie Onn has been elected to the influential Labour Party National Executive Committee
This is the party's governing body which sets the overall "strategic direction" of the party and policy development.
It is made up of representatives from each section of the Party - the Cabinet, MPs, councillors, trade unions, Socialist societies, Constituency Labour parties, Young Labour and Black and Ethnic Minority Labour.
The current membership is:
Chair: Ellie Reeves MP
Vice Chair: Shabana Mahmood MP
Leader: Sir Keir Starmer MP
Deputy Leader: Angela Rayner MP
Treasurer: Mike Payne
Frontbench: Shabana Mahmood MP
Frontbench: Ellie Reeves MP
Frontbench: Jonathan Reynolds MP
Shadow Scottish Frontbench: Jackie Baillie MSP
Welsh Labour Representative: Ann Jones
Young Labour: Elsie Greenwood
Disabled Members: Ellen Morrison
Black and Minority Ethnic Labour: Carol Sewell
Trade Unions: Nicola Jukes (Transport Salaried Staff's Association)
Trade Unions: Isabelle Gutierrez (Musicians’ Union)
Trade Unions: Wendy Nichols (Unison)
Trade Unions: Karen Rose (Communication Workers' Union)
Trade Unions: Gavin Sibthorpe (GMB)
Trade Unions: Mary Williams (UNITE)
Trade Unions: Kathy Abu-Bakir (GMB)
Trade Unions: Ian Murray (FBU)
Trade Unions: Mick Whelan (ASLEF)
Trade Unions: Joanne Thomas (USDAW)
Trade Unions: David Agbley (UNITE)
Trade Unions: Maggi Ferncombe (Unison)
Trade Unions: Jane Jones (USDAW)
Socialist Societies: Anu Prashar
Constituency Labour Party: Cat Arnold
Constituency Labour Party: Jessica Barnard
Constituency Labour Party: Ann Black
Constituency Labour Party: Gemma Bolton
Constituency Labour Party: Yasmine Dar
Constituency Labour Party: Angie Davies
Constituency Labour Party: Abdi Duale
Constituency Labour Party: Peter Mason
Constituency Labour Party: Jane Thomas
Labour councillor: Cllr Claire Holland
Labour councillor: Cllr Peter Wheeler
Parliamentary Labour Party: Luke Akehurst MP
Parliamentary Labour Party: Melanie Onn MP
Parliamentary Labour Party: Gurinder Singh Josan MP
In addition, the General Secretary (Hollie Ridley), the Parliamentary Labour Party Chief Whip (Alan Campbell MP) and Parliamentary Labour Party Chair (Jessica Morden MP) attend ex officio without a vote.
The Grimsby News says: The fact that Melanie Onn has been elected is a reflection of the respect she enjoys among her parliamentary colleagues. NEC is obviously not a forum for her to fly the flag for her own constituency, but it is pleasing that any contributions she makes to discussions will be informed by her understanding of what matters to people in Grimsby and Cleethorpes. Whether she will be able to exert much influence on the shaping of policy is questionable. Judging by membership numbers, it looks like trades unions are the most powerful lobby. And many Labour MPs, including Ms Onn, are themselves sponsored by unions - in her case Unison.
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| Credit to contractors from BCJ for installing anti-slip surfacing on the footbridges in Cleethorpes Country Park. The paths had become treacherous, particularly during the recent cold snap, and the team worked well to carry out the work this week in temperatures that were sometimes below zero. |
AN upbeat note on prospects has been sounded by the chief executive of the Luxembourg-based company which owns discount retailers B&M and Heron Foods - two stores popular with North East Lincolnshire shoppers.
According to chief executive Alex Russo, trading of its Christmas merchandise, including toys, was "excellent", and he is confident that performance will prove resilient during the rest of 2025.
In a statement, he says: "Our performance reflects disciplined operational execution across our businesses, driving volume and in turn profit growth.
"The business remains undistracted by the current economic headlines.
"Our operating model is well set up to give customers exceptional value when they need it most."
He continues: "Our strategy is clear - we are an everyday low-price discounter with a laser-like focus in keeping excellence in retail standards and lowest costs."
The company has come a long way since founders Malcolm Billington and Brian Mayman opened their first store in 1978.
It now has almost 900 stores across Britain and 104 in France (where it originally traded under the name Babou).
In September 2023, the company acquired 51 former Wilko stores but not the one in Cleethorpes where the premises were not large enough, nor the one in Grimsby top Town where it already has a premises.
There has been occasional speculation that it might be tempted to open a store on part of the site occupied by the former Pleasure Island theme park, but there is no prospect of this while the Lidl-led redevelopment scheme remains snarled in planning red tape.
Elsewhere, the company says it is on track to open 73 new stores in the coming months - 17 Heron Foods plus 45 B&Ms in the UK and 11 in France.
Some of the products in the company's extensive winter range
