CHANGING TIMES

The popular Brigg business - known to scores of us just as "the Spar Shop" - has changed to a Nisa Local outlet.
A front view of the Queen Street convenience store, in its distant Spar days, was featured in the annual calendar produced by Brigg Amateur Social Historians (BASH). And that must have dated from the late 1960s or early 1970s.
Returning to the present, you, like me, may have been alerted to the change from Spar to Nisa Local by a leaflet delivered to Brigg homes with last week's Scunthorpe Target.

WELCOME NEW VENTURE

Coleman's Restaurant is opening in Queen Street, Brigg, next Friday (Nov 7).
It is sited in the former premises of the CeeCee's eatery, in what was once the Parker's Carpets showroom.
Coleman's is to offer a selection of free trade coffees and teas, plus home-made pastries and sandwiches, then additional British dishes in the evening.
Brigg Town Council this week raised no objections to the licence application being made for these premises, members being reminded that CeeCee's was no licensed to sell alcohol.
The signs for Coleman's Restaurant have yet to go up, but the one for the former restaurant has been removed.
For further details about this new venture call (01652) 659993.

BLOG READERS HELP

A thank-you message has arrived from Janice Siebert and John Simpson, in faraway South Africa.
Regular Brigg Blog followers will recall we recently appealed for information, on their behalf, about the Gurnell family. That appeal proved successful.
The email says: "Just to let you know that we have had two responses to our enquiry via your Blog - one from the grandson of the late Peter Gurnell and one from a lady who used to live on the farm next to Station House Farm (once a public house) who knew the family.
"There were a lot of farm names for Gurnell in all the available census from 1841, including Brumby House, Roxby Grange Farm, The Lodge, and two George Gurnells, father and son, were also innkeepers of The Queen’s Arms, either at Wrawby or Scawby (the census transcription is unclear)."
Our South African correspondents ask if we know whether these places still exist, and a reply has gone back giving information about the Queen's Arms, in Wrawby Street, recalling how it became the Fish Inn and now The Vines.
Our friends add: "One of these days the South African family would like to make a tour of the area to see where their ancestors lived.
"Again, many thanks for your help. Your Blog is so informative and puts our local free newspaper to shame for its content!"
With kind comments like that, they can't really go wrong, can then, if they want our help in the future!

The picture shows George Gurnell, a British member of the family the South Africans have been trying to trace, during a Briggensians' Association tour of Sir John Nelthorpe School, with headteacher Linda Hewlett-Parker.

STALWART MOURNED

Well-known Brigg man and long-standing resident of the town, Clarrie Middleton has died, aged 78.
As a painter, he was a familiar figure at houses in Brigg for many years, and was a worshipper at St John's Church over a long period being (if memory serves me correctly) both a sidesman and churchwarden at different times.
A service in his memory will be held today at St John's, in Bigby Street, at 1.45pm, followed by interment in Brigg cemetery.

WATCHING BRIEF

With one of Brigg's most important set of traffic lights out of action this morning it will be interesting to see how drivers react, and how much congestion results.
North Lincolnshire Council is clearly aware of the problem, as a colourful sign indicating the lights are not working has been pinned to at least one of the poles.
The failed lights are at the junction of Barnard Avenue (on the A18), Cary Lane and Ash Grove.
Obviously, making right turns out of both Cary Lane and Ash Grove this morning will be very, very difficult - without the assistance of the lights - as there is such a heavy flow of traffic along Barnard Avenue.
So how many thinking motorists, emerging from Cary Lane, will elect to go left at the lights and use the roundabout near Tesco to turn back into Barnard Avenue and then head off towards The Monument?
The 'no right turn' restriction, introduced some time ago for vehicles emerging from Tesco's main entrance road, has proved a great sucess. Cars and vans must now go left to turn at the roundabout.
You have to have sympathy for council highways and traffic staff. For however they adjust the timing of the Cary Lane or Old Courts Road lights, in response to complaints, it is bound to affect traffic flows in another direction.
There are just too many vehicles wanting to go in too many directions to please all the motorists all of the time. The best they can hope is to keep most people happy most of the time.

TAKING THE MINUTES

It would be unfair to apply the old phrase 'clock watchers' to staff at North Lincolnshire Council. Especially as the town's main timepiece, on the Buttercross, is still an hour fast this morning - four days after everyone else in the country seems to have adjusted their watches, alarms and digital displays for the winter.

PRIZES NEEDED

A lot of good work is done by the Brigg and District Breast Cancer Support Group, and tombola prizes, to help with fundraising, are now being sought.
If you can help, pop in at Bedroom Creations, near The Monument, on Bigby Street. Tel (01652) 651801.

JUST OUTSIDE TOP THREE

Brigg finished fourth in the best-kept small town/village competition organised by the Council for the Protection of Rural England.
Haxey won but the contest was 'very close' with Brigg not many marks behind the top three.

ROCKING NIGHT ON CARDS

There's a good night in prospect on Friday (Halloween) when the monthly rock and roll programme continues at Brigg's Ancholme Inn, on Grammar School Road, with live band Class of 58, plus a record hop. It's £6 - pay on the door.

TIME ON THEIR HANDS

Most Brigg folk altered all their clocks by an hour before going to bed on Saturday night - or did the job when they got out of bed the following morning.
However, North Lincolnshire Council - responsible for The Buttercross - has yet to get round to adjusting the hour hands on Brigg's top timepiece, on the clocktower overlooking the Market Place.
Maybe, later today, someone will bring Brigg into line with the rest of the UK.
It's not the first occasion we've had to point out the Buttercross being overlooked at clock-changing time. Will it be the last?

MONTHLY MEETING

Just a reminder that Brigg Town Council meets tonight in the Angel Suite, off Market Place, from 7.30pm. The meeting is open to the public.
See you there?

POP ALONG AND TRY IT

If you've never tried new age kurling, why not pop along this afternoon and give it a go?
There's a session of the popular pastime at St John's church hall, on Bigby Street, from 1pm to 3pm.
The cost is £1.50 and the person to contact for further information is Fresh Start's Marily Demott, tel (01652) 651127.
Tomorrow sees the Fresh Start Tuesday Crafters' group meeting from 10am-noon at Brigg Resource Centre, on Horstead Avenue. The cost is £1.50, with details being obtainable from Judith Davison, tel (01652) 618023.
The other Fresh Start event tomorrow is a Touch of Spice cookery session at the Resource Centre, from 2pm-4pm, for which the cost is £2, and Marilyn Demott will supply further information.

Pictured are Sheila Lever and John Lynch taking part in a new age kurling session at St John's church hall. They are showing the underside of the stones and how they can be used indoors.

THANKS FOR GENEROSITY

Generous residents of St Helen’s Road, Brigg, have been thanked for donating £64.90 to a collection for the Royal National Institute for the Blind, carried out by Coun Maureen Glossop on behalf of the charity.

CALLING THE TUNE

People and groups who book Brigg's Angel Suite for events which involve music are to be reminded about paying the society which collects royalties for the artists and composers.
Brigg Town Council, which runs the Angel Suite, is exempt from the need to obtain a Performing Rights License or Public Performance Licence, as it does not take a percentage of the door receipts.
However, it is 'incumbent' on the town council to ensure hirers are aware of their responsibilities. So a clause is to be added into the booking hire agreement.

BLAST FROM THE PAST

Spotted a green two-wheel scooter being ridden down Cary Lane this morning - B-registration (the first B-reg) making it a 1965 model. Brigg's changed a lot since then, but nice to see it's still roadworthy after 43 years.

GIVING IT A GO

This afternoon I'm visiting two Brigg families living together under one roof, in cramped conditions, because the younger contingent cannot get a council house.
Sorry, that should read 'a house from North Lincolnshire Homes', which is not connected with North Lincolnshire Council, if you didn't already know.
Grandma and grandad have taken in their son, his partner and kids - all now living in the same three-bedroomed semi.
Hopefully, when the story appears on the Scunthorpe Telegraph's Brigg Extra page, their plight may be looked on more favourably by those who allocated rented sector housing stock. That's the wish of grandma and grandad.
We can but try!

WONDERFUEL?

Some households on Brigg's St Helen's estate have been given due warning their gas supplies will be cut off for various periods of time while pipework is replaced.
It seems as though this essential work is now under way, and that sod's law - as usual - applies. For next week they are forecasting cold, windy conditions, with the threat of sleet and even snow.
Not really the time you want to be without your gas cooker, hob and central heating!

FIREWORKS FLY

Brigg's communal bonfire will be held on Saturday, November 1 at the Recreation Ground, off Wrawby Road.
Turn the clock back 40 years, or more, and there was no organised get-together for the town. Families would build their own bonfires in the back garden and stage their own limited display of fireworks, made by firms like Brocks, Standard and Lion.
A Laws or White's pop bottle would hold the small rockets upright, prior to lighting the blue touch-paper, with Catherine wheels nailed to the door of the garden shed.
Gingerbread (parkin) and baked potatoes were served, with hot soup. But however much parents tried to spin things out, these families displays would not last long.
The Guy Fawkes, fashioned from old clothes, would be consumed by the flames in a few minutes. And how tiresome it must have been for mums and dads, back then, to hear a knock at the back door and find a group of kids demanding: "Penny for the Guy!"
The home-made effigy would be trundled round the streets in an old pushchair or pram, or maybe shoved into a soapbox or cart.
Mike Tierney's or Ernie Taylor's shops were the favoured places for buying fireworks back then.
Penny bangers and loud repeated airbombs were the boys' favourites and disturbed many a peaceful evening in the run up to Bonfire Night which, back then, was observed on November 5. Unlike the current practice of finding the nearest available Saturday, as weekend will attract a bigger crowd.

Our colourful picture was taken at Brigg Recreation Ground during Bonfire Night in November, 1997.

KILL YOUR SPEED

Motorists are still travelling at 30mph (and above) on Brigg's Newlands Estate, despite it being a 20mph zone with traffic humps, according to Coun Ann Eardley, who lives in the area.
However, Couns Michael Doherty and Maureen Glossop expressed doubts about the claim, saying it would be impossible to travel at those speeds without vehicles being damaged.
Do you live on Newlands, or travel through? If so, which line of thought do you agree with? Post your comments below.
Our picture shows a car travelling at legal speed down Birch Avenue.

BIG BROTHER OF ALL VISITORS

Brigg's Angel Suite will be the venue for what the North Lincolnshire library service describes as an exciting event on Friday, November 28 (7.30pm).
Writer Peter Grimsdale will be talking about his first novel, the psychological thriller Perfect Night, chosen as Radio 4's Book at Bedtime in August.
He will also talk about his career as producer of Big Brother and Crimewatch, plus his time as editorial director of Yahoo Europe.
Tickets for An Evening with Peter Grimsdale, cost £3 to library members and £5 to non-members, and are now on sale from Brigg Library, on Old Courts Road, and North Lincolnshire Central Library, Scunthorpe.

RIVER DEEP?

Brigg town councillors are to consider whether to make representation to the Environment Agency 'that early action must be taken to lower the levels of the River Ancholme in advance of forecasted periods of heavy rainfall'.
That's one of the items up for discussion at Brigg Town Council's monthly meeting on Monday (Oct 27) in the Angel Suite, off Market Place (7.30pm).
Councillors will also consider applications received for co-option to fill the vacant seat on the authority, following the resignation of Pat Neal.
If you wish to raise an issue of concern to you, there will be a 15-minute period made available for public questions, from 7.30pm. However, it's not often anyone from Brigg exercises this democratic right.

SPORTING BOWNESS

Nice to hear yesterday from Owen Bowness, with some memories of the Bowness and Gray football team which used to play at Brigg Rec in the 1960s/early 1970s. Some of the 'lads' still live in the Brigg area, we understand.
However, it's sad to note no club football being played at Brigg Rec on a Saturday afternoon. Or hockey, too, for that matter.
The latter sport, at league level, is now played on floodlit Astroturf pitches, and we don't have one in Brigg.
But football remains a grass sport. And although North Lincolnshire Council provides some very good surfaces, and junior football is obviously very popular, there's currently a sad gap at men's level on a Saturday afternoon.
Let's hope no-one in authority begins to question the absence of anything in the 'income' column, or seeks to employ 'use it or lose it'.

FIXES STILL NEEDED

Two updates on previous Brigg Blog postings:
Wrawby Street: One street light is still out of action (outside Brian's DIY).
Cary Lane: The remaining part of the litter bin inside the glass bus shelter has now been vandalised, the main section having been wrecked several weeks ago.
Any hope the powers-that-be might attend to these issues?

FORTHCOMING EVENTS

The Under-Fives Playgroup is to hold a jumble sale in St John's Church Hall, Bigby Street, Brigg, on Saturday, November 1 (10am-noon).
Meanwhile, live band Class of 58 will be performing at the Ancholme Inn, Grammar School Road, Brigg, on Friday, October 31 (7.30pm). Tickets are £6 - pay on the door.

SPADEWORK DONE

Fresh Steps has teamed up with Fresh Start to develop a disused garden at Brigg Resource Centre, off Horstead Avenue
The project is being developed by ex-substance misusing service users and the service users and staff of Brigg Resource Centre.
The produce has been donated to the centre for the service users, and to The Forge, which provides meals for the homeless.
Donations received will be put towards seed for next season.

NO NEED TO GO BARKING MAD

The phrase ‘it’s a dog’s life’ normally implies something negative. But that’s certainly not so for a small pack of dogs spotted on Brigg Recreation Ground yesterday afternoon.
The people with them had marked out a small course, near where the old grass tennis courts used to be, and the dogs were having a great time racing round it, in short sprints. There must be a name for this sort of sport, which wasn’t dog racing as we know the term.
Later, dogs and owners cleared away the course markers, loaded the dogs into a van and made their way home. No mess and no trace they’d been there, enjoying some good autumn weather.
It should be stressed this wasn’t on the actual recreation area, where the football pitches are marked out. So no harm done, and no need for anyone at the council to get hot under the collar. Just a good use of some spare land meant for recreation.

CATCH UP ON WHAT YOU MISSED

Did you know you can access scores of previous postings on Brigg Blog?
If you are currently viewing this on www.thisisbrigg.co.uk just click on the words 'Read Nigel Fisher's Brigg Blog' - in the bar at the top of the page - and it will take you into the complete list of posts, which has a handy search facility.
You will also see the posts listed in date order on the right-hand side of the screen.
Happy reading!

THE BOYS ARE BACK

Thursday night's annual meeting of the Lincolnshire County Cricket League saw Brigg Town Cricket Club's first team duly voted back into the 'big boys' league.
They had to leave (briefly) for pastures new after the Recreation Ground failed to meet the standard expected by the Lincolnshire League. However, improvements have since been made - and the league inspectors last month 'passed' the Rec as being satisfactory.
So Brigg's first team will be back in Lincs League division four next season, while the 2nds will remain in the East Yorkshire Alliance, playing teams from the North Bank.
It really is great to see Brigg's return to the county's biggest competition, which can boast 50 teams playing in five divisions. Brigg Town CC first joined the Lincolnshire League back in 1976, and has had several periods away since then.
Let's hope they are now back to stay. And, in due course, maybe the second team will also gain admission to the Lincs League.
The club has always been at its strongest with two Lincs League teams.

DOING THE SPADEWORK

Anyone remember gardening lessons at Brigg County Primary School, on Glebe Road, back in the late 1960s? They were overseen by headmaster Reg Stocks (pictured), of whom most pupils were in awe.
For a few pence you could take home some of the produce, such as rhubarb, roughly wrapped in newspaper.
The garden was on the Grammar School Road side of the school (where the swimming bath was built) and was presumably a throwback to the Dig For Victory days of the Second World War.
And what rekindled these distant memories? Simply walking past the now demolished school the othe day and seeing how the site is rapidly returning to nature.
All those weeds would have given Reg Stocks a fit!

GENERATING INTEREST

Tuesday's Brigg Extra page story in the Scunthorpe Telegraph about youths causing problems in the town centre has already prompted 31 people to post comments on our website.
If you haven't already, have a look at "Calls to tackle Brigg teen troublemakers" and read the comments.
There's a good cross-section, with some calling for greater police action, others blaming the parents and on or two thinking it's not something worth writing about.
Take your pic!

TAKES THE BISCUIT

It was a pleasant surprise to walk down Wrawby Street and see Cooplands' new shop up and running.
The bakery chain has moved across the street and refurbished the former Shoefayre shop.
Very tastefully done, too.

LINCOLNSHIRE DAY SUCCESS IN LOFT

The Loft, on Wrawby Street, Brigg, had a great response to its Lincolnshire menu the restaurant continued its Lincolnshire Day theme celebrations for another week.
Vicki Kress, partner of The Loft commented: “Lincolnshire is such a great county that celebrating our day with a specially designed menu was the obvious choice for us. All meal ingredients were sourced from within the county. We had Lincolnshire Poacher cheese for our Lincs breakfast frittatas, we used Lincolnshire back bacon with local honey, our Lincolnshire sausages are famous from our butcher, our eggs are local free range, we even had freshly sprung water from Tom Wood's Brewery.
“We have created such a wonderful Lincolnshire atmosphere with the county flag having pride of place, but we had no idea that our customers would love the menu so much!”
The Loft is a well-known restaurant specialising in nutritiously home-cooked traditional food. The ethos of the four ‘cooks’ has always been to support and serve freshly made locally grown produce.
Vicki continued: “Lincolnshire Day gave us a great excuse to source all of our products locally, including our spring water, and something that we will certainly be continuing in the future. Our customers have been impressed with our passion for great food and all things Lincolnshire.”
For further information contact The Loft on 01652 650416. Pictured are The Loft team (l-r) Bez, Denise, Liz and Sophie.

OFF, PAT!

A letter of thanks has been sent to Patrick Neal, of St James’ Road, Brigg, by the town council, in appreciation of his short stint as a councillor. His resignation was received with regret.
The vacancy is to be filled by co-option, rather than a costly election.
Pat, a popular and long-serving teacher at Vale of Ancholme, made some good, commonsense contributions to council debates while a member.
We'll keep you posted on who becomes the town's newest councillor.

DEDICATED FOLLOWERS...

Wardrobe of Brigg will be holding a fashion show on Wednesday, October 22 at Scawby Village Hall (7.30pm). Proceeds will go to the Lindsey Lodge Hospice.
The cost is £6, including glass of wine. For further details contact Bunty Jarratt (pictured), tel (01652) 653771.

LET THERE BE LIGHT!

For more than a week, two street lights in Brigg town centre have been out of action.
When working, they illuminate the vehicle-permitted part of Wrawby Street, between Cross Street and Queen Street.
One light is outside Brian's DIY and the other on the opposite side of the road, near the car accessory shop.
If the lights are still out of action come Halloween, it will add real atmosphere to the occasion for those on their way to the evening ghost walks, being run by Brigg Amateur Social Historians (BASH).
However, the lack of lighting does little to help the view of the CCTV camera which scours this stretch of town.
Maybe one of the 'leading lights' at North Lincolnshire Council, which is responsible for street lighting, will take note and get someone to come out and fix the problem. Possibly it's a power issue outside the council's control, but it needs looking into.
Watch this space!

POLICE APPEAL FOR PARENTS' HELP

The main story on today’s Brigg Extra page in the Scunthorpe Telegraph relates to troublesome youths in the town centre. Here is the complete statement from Insp Brett Rutty (pictured), responding to calls from councillors, and members of the public, for action to be taken.

About 8.50pm on Friday, September 26 we received a call from the security staff at Tesco reporting a gentleman ‘aged about 60-ish’ was being ‘picked on’ by a group of youths who were pushing the man about.
Officers were quickly on the scene but the gentleman had gone. A group of teenagers were spoken to by officers and, about the same time (9pm) the police received a call from a resident of Brigg who reported he had been ‘assaulted’ by a group of youths at Tesco car park who had thrown ‘items’ at him.
The gentleman was clearly upset by the incident, though not injured, and stated he did not want a visit from the police. We assume this report relates to the same incident reported by Tesco Security. In the circumstances the teenagers were given strong words of advice and moved on.
In a separate incident, sometime later the same evening, a Neighbourhood Officer, as part of his routine patrol of the Cary Lane area, a location the Neighbourhood Officers and PCSOs continue to focus attention on, came across a small group of teenagers who were fooling around with the sign.
The officer detained the group, established no criminal offences had been committed and sent them on their way with some stern words of advice. The officer recovered the sign.
The gentleman subject of the first incident has previously reported being subject of confrontation and abuse by young people. The Neighbourhood Officer and PCSOs have been in touch with the gentleman to offer support, advice and reassurance.
On one occasion, in August, he was assaulted at Tesco car park. This matter was reported to the police and fully investigated. Witnesses were spoken to and a 16-year-old male was formally interviewed about the matter. A file was submitted to the CPS but it was decided, taking account of all the circumstances, there was insufficient evidence to prosecute.
At this time of year we do receive an increase in calls for service relating to anti-social behaviour and the actions of a minority of young people whose conduct can cause distress and annoyance to residents.
In recent years a particularly unpleasant act of the throwing of eggs and flour at buildings, vehicles and even people has been reported as we approach Halloween and Mischief Night.
I am writing to all local traders alerting them to this problem and seeking their co-operation in refusing sales of eggs and flour to young people around this period. We will be putting additional police patrols out on the streets to focus on ’ hot spot ’ locations and engage with young people who congregate together.
Parents have a part to play, too. I would urge parents to speak to their teenagers about the impact their behaviour can have on the rest of the community, especially the elderly and to do all they can to ensure their sons and daughters do not cause anti-social behaviour.

MP BACK ON TRACK

With little progress being made to improve the approach to Brigg railway station, the town council is to ask Brigg and Goole MP Ian Cawsey to get involved again, in an effort to put pressure on landowner North Lincolnshire Council and Network Rail.

I REST MY CASE...

We realise the Tin Tabs have been refurbished, but for motorists coming round the Monument, in Brigg, the placing of this sign makes it look as though overnight accommodation might be on offer at our famous shelter. Not sure whether breakfast is included, though!

A REALLY OLD CHESTNUT!

While passing the conker trees outside the cemetery lodge, on Wrawby Road, yesterday afternoon, it struck me how times have changed down the years.
Back in the 1960s the area underneath these trees would have been buzzing with Brigg kids trying to get at the fallen conkers, or waiting for others to drop.
Wind the clock on 40 years to yesterday, and there was no-one in sight. Presumably today's 'youth' was at home playing computer games.

MESSING ABOUT ON THE RIVER

Today's main event in Brigg is on the Old River, organised by Ancholme Rowing Club. Lots of visiting teams, including some from Doncaster and Bradford, were busy getting their boats unloaded from trailers well before 10am today, and carrying them down to the boathouse on Manley Gardens.
The normally disused yard at what was Trent Foods, off Ancholme Way, had been unlocked for this purpose, and other boats were being prepared on Peacock and Binnington's frontage, in Forester Street, and along Bridge Street.
In view of the number of visitors, there will be a boost in trade for some Brigg shops and pubs today, although a couple of thirsty students I saw in Bridge Street were expressing disappointment the White Hart wasn't open...before 10am!
Perhaps the weather is a little too mild to be perfect for the rowers, but it can't be far off.

CAN YOU HELP?

Brigg Blog readers with information about the Gurnell family are being asked to help with family history research in South Africa.
Janice Siebert has emailed to say: "I am helping a friend research his family history from South Africa. His grandfather was a George Edward Gurnell, who emigrated in 1911, son of John Henry. I have traced the family back to 1804 with the birth of the first George Gurnell (Stallingborough) through the archives on line and have been looking at links to Brigg and surrounding areas. I have found some Gurnell names mentioned in your Briggensian reports, a Neville Sowden Gurnell in 2000from Canada (left school 1939) and also George (1932-1938) and wonder if you would know if they are still around, noting their great age Neville’s e.mail address was returned unknown.
"I have also seen the website for the RAF with mention of Peter Gurnell and his death (his widow was a Pam or Pat) and see from the Telecom on-line phone numbers that there are three/four Gurnells in the area today but don’t know if they are of the same family.
John Simpson (his mother, a Gurnell, is now aged 93) would like to get in touch with any surviving Gurnells in the UK and if you are able to help we would be grateful.
If you can help, please email johnsiebert@worldonline.co.za
I have emailed already to say I recall George, well into his 80s, attending a Briggensians' Association dinner only a few years ago. He was then living in Sheffield, and I took his photo during a guided tour of the old grammar school buildings (now Sir John Nelthorpe Upper School). I have passed on email addresses for a couple of officials of the Briggensians' Association, Barbara Kernon and Dave Brittain, and recommended the website www.briggensians.net

COLD COMFORT

Most of us cannot grasp the reasons for the current world financial crisis. So now it's been revealed North Lincolnshire Council invested £5.5-million in Iceland, it's maybe just as well Iceland's shop in Brigg closed down a few years ago. Otherwise, those of us who don't understand these matters of high finance and faltering banks, might have been giving the Spring's Parade shop the cold shoulder!
OK, we all know the store chain, advertised on TV by 'typical British mum' Kerry Katona, is not connected to Icelandic banking.
But how many of us in Brigg, and other parts of North Lincs, had any idea funds from so many local authorities in Britain were going to the homeland of the geysers who always seem to run West Ham United?

WHAT'S THE POINT?

Wish I'd had a camera with me this morning to show Blog visitors the view along Wrawby Street and the Market Place. So many vehicles were there that some were having to move to let others get past. And all that in what's supposed to be a pedestrian area, free of cars, vans and lorries. Something brought in to make Brigg a more pleasant place to shop.
This column has banged on many times about the authorities' continuing unwillingness to take any decisive action against drivers who contravene the regulations.
Yes, driving into a pedestrian area is not a life-threatening crime, nor is it the most serious on the statute book. But surely if it's an offence in law, it's an offence. Simple as that. And someone ought to be doing something about it. We can't pick and choose which laws we obey and which are enforced, can we?
The CCTV cameras - on their lofty perches in Wrawby Street and the Market Place - have a good view (leafy trees permitting!) of all this going on. So let's get someone in authority viewing the footage regularly, noting the numberplates and setting the wheels in motion so prosecutions can be processed.
This morning a van, having made a delivery in the Market Place, didn't exit the pedestrian area via Cary Lane, or go over the County Bridge, but, instead, threaded its way down Wrawby Street, past an estate car parked outside a shop, two vans near Cooplands and a council truck at the side of a flowertub, before joining the road near Wallhead's.
Meanwhile, back in the Market Place, a removal van was outside the front of North Lincolnshire Council's Angel office suite. Now, as far as I know, there's a perfectly good car park at the back of these premises. So why not park up there and make the required pick-up?
Able-bodied drivers go into the pedestrian area to visit cashpoints because they are too lazy to walk. Simple as that. And the more people who are seen to be getting away with it, the more others are encouraged to follow their example.
Then there's the question of businesses. Unless I've misunderstood things, it's OK for vehicles to go in there to deliver to premises as long as there's no rear access available (those on most of one side of Wrawby Street), or the loads are bulky.
Turning the clock back more than 25 years to when Wrawby Street was on the A18 and thousands of cars and lorries rumbled past each day, our efficient traffic wardens used to be a frequent sight. We used to watch them from the upstairs office of the Lincolnshire Times at No. 57. Cheeky drivers who tried to park up for a minute or two while they nipped into Bowen's shop for a loaf or a pasty, ran the real risk of being taken to task by the 'yellow peril'.
Where are the traffic wardens, PCSOs and neighbourhood beat officers today? Shouldn't they be checking, as often as possible, whether all these cars, vans and lorries have valid reasons to be there?
They shouldn't be needed, or course. People should obey the signs marking out the pedestrian area.
Next time I'm in conversation with Insp Brett Rutty - our likeable head of rural policing - the issue will be raised. Unfortunately, Brett only has a very small team of officers at his disposal to police the entire rural area from Goxhill to Haxey.
Earlier, reference was made to the early 1980s. Well, back then, Brigg was a policing sub-division in its own right (also covering Barton, but not the Isle of Axholme). It was headed by a Chief Inspector, and there were Inspectors based at both Brigg and Barton, plus a team of Sergeants and PCs.
Today there's a very uneven, and some might well say unfair, allocation of police in favour of Scunthorpe at the expense of the rural area which surrounds it, certainly when your compare the relative populations.
Go to Scunthorpe town centre/Precinct/Foundry Shopping Centre and you see plenty of police walking the streets (which is a good thing) and hardly any delivery vehicles (also a good thing). Yet Scunthorpe town centre is a massive area, compared with our own Wrawby Street and the Market Place.

GETTING NOTICED

National Farmers' Union Mutual is seeking planning consent from North Lincolnshire Council to display a non-illuminated hanging sign above 14/15 Wrawby Street/2 School Court.

GARAGE MOVING PLAN

No objections have been raised to the repositioning of an existing garage at 1 South View Avenue, Brigg, and the construction of a new access to the highway and a boundary fence.
Last night, Brigg Town Council's planning and environment committee - the first chain in the planning process - saw no reason for North Lincolnshire planners to refuse the application.

YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!

Motorists take note that ‘a period of enforcement’ is to come on Bridge Street, Brigg, which has high priority in terms of road safety.
The information was released by Pete Scott (pictured), head of safer roads at North Lincolnshire Council, during the quarterly Brigg Neighbourhood Policing Panel, held in the Angel Suite.
We’ve already had the ‘flashing’ signs on Bridge Street, warning motorists about the 30mph speed limit.
So be sure to keep your speed down in the months ahead, just in case a police patrol is waiting!
Meanwhile, Pete Scott has finally been alerted to to the problem caused by overgrown vegetation on Cadney Road, which is cutting down drivers' visibility near the small bridge over Candley Beck.
Now he has the matter in hand, we can expect an end to a saga which has dragged on for months, since it was first drawn to the attention of someone (not Pete) at North Lincolnshire Council.

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

A small lorry was in the Angel Suite car park, about 8.30pm last night, prompting a Brigg councillor, emerging from a meeting, to say she'd never seen one parked there before.
At that very moment a couple of men appeared down Exchange Place, and one said very apologetically: "It's ours - we've been for some food, and we are just moving it."
It set me wondering, later, how the lorry driver had managed to find his way to Elwes Street, which only leads to Cadney village.
Still, their visit generated a bit more welcome trade for one of our town centre takeaway outlets.

JUKEBOX JURY'S OUT

A press release about unusual Christmas gifts set me thinking about jubeboxes in Brigg. 'A jukebox sure beats the hell out of a pair of socks', the release suggests, urging women to 'surprise their man this year with something different – a jukebox.
It says a purchase from Jukeboxes Direct - at www.wurlitzer.co.uk - can evoke memories of a bygone era and whether you go for an original or one of the latest models it’s a sure fire way to make him think that you have put a lot of thought and effort into his Christmas gift.
Today, in Brigg, the most famous jukebox is surely at Scanlon's (Nelthorpe Arms), in Bridge Street. The Irish music so beloved of veteran landlord and landlady, the dearly departed Myles and Mary Scanlon, is still there and very popular. Indeed, a visit there is not the same without the Pogues or Dubliners. Muscially, we mean, not in person!
Turn the clock back some 25 years and the Queen's Arms, in Wrawby Street (later The Fish Inn, now The Vines Restaurant) used to sell off its unwanted discs, once they faded from the hit parade and came up for replacement with new tunes.
However, they kept overlooking a personal favourite of mine - Stool Pigeon by Kid Creole and the Coconuts - which lasted for a very long time, if you keyed in a certain number not actually listed for selection (could have been 10A).
If all that has got you in nostalgic mood, and you are thinking of getting your 'other half' one for Christmas, read on and get ready to raid the piggy-bank.
Models available from Jukeboxes Direct include the Wurlitzer One More Time Bubbler (priced from £4,495) or the 1950s-style Wurlitzer 2100M, which includes atmospheric lighting effects and a full view of the record-changing mechanism, available from £6,495. The online shop details all the models currently available including vintage jukeboxes. For more information call 0114 267 6333 or visit www.wurlitzer.co.uk

BETTER SAFE THAN SORRY

Road safety concerns have been voiced by residents in the Glanford Court area of Grammar School Road, Brigg.
They have sent photographs to the town council, showing how vehicles are being allowed to park right up to the junction.
Town clerk Jeanette Woollard (pictured) suggested it would be a good idea if councillors had a look themselves.
The matter will then be considered at a future meeting.
Complaints continue to reach Brigg Town Council about poor visibility for drivers on Cadney Road, caused by overgrown bushes on the roadside.
The town council raised the issue many weeks ago with North Lincolnshire Council, the highway authority, but as yet no reply has been received.

WORK TOGETHER TO CRACK CRIME

Here's the full report delivered to the Brigg Neighbourhood Policing Panel's quarterly public meeting, held in the Angel Suite, by Insp Brett Rutty (pictured), head of rural policing.

Crime

Burglary to people's homes is always a priority for the police across the Division so it is of great concern when we have an increase in this type of offence. We have a target to reduce Burglary by 7.4%. A significant increase in crimes during June and July, impacting an all areas of North Lincolnshire, including the Rural area, has pushed us over our year to date target. Although we had several good arrests in July and August, resulting in offenders being remanded to prison we have drafted in additional force resources to respond swiftly to reports of crimes, provide a policing presence and to target offenders.
Vehicle crime, both thefts of and thefts from motor vehicles, although currently at a lower level than this time lastyear has shown an increase during the last couple of months. I would urge people to always secure vehicles and not leave items of value on display.
The Neighbourhood Team continue to focus on Criminal Damage, with a target to reduce this crime by 7%. The Brigg Team so far this year (to end of August) has had 157 crimes of damage which is 15 over target.
Incidents of Anti-social behaviour cause concern to the community and to the Neighbourhood Team. A 7% reduction target, numerically, means we aim to have fewer than 11 calls for service per week for Brigg and Wolds, 4 for Broughton and Appleby and 5 for Ridge Neighbourhood. The average number of calls per week, over the last 4 weeks, have been 14 at Brigg and Wolds, 5.5 at Broughton and Appleby and 6 at Ridge. However, 'hot spot' locations are identified and attention is paid to those areas by Officers, PCSO's and through the Respect Patrols on a Friday and Saturday evening.
Turning to the three Neighbourhoods making up that Brigg team area, I would like to provide an update on policing activity.
The villages of the Ridge Neighbourhood have received attention from PC Tracey Teal and PCSO's Kev Horsfall and Craig Tomlinson.
Focus on criminal damage reports is continuing especially in the Scawby area. There have been recent Graffiti offences and damage to motor vehicles which are currently under investigation by the Neighbourhood Policing Team. Follow up visits are being made to victims by the PCSOs who are doing an excellent job responding as soon as practicable to reports of damage.
The Ridge ward team have done a targeted leaflet campaign at Gainsthorpe, near Kirton Lindsey to increase the communities awareness of their responsibility in relation to parking vehicles during the hours of darkness without lights (this is a 40mph area). The message is to educate and seek cooperation with the legal requirements. This will be followed by an enforcement campaign if the request for compliance is not heeded fixed penalty notices will be issued.
PCSO Kevin Horsfall will shortly be rolling out the School Drawing competition initiative to all schools in the Ridge, Brigg & Broughton Wards. Kevin has put a lot of work into this action which will be aimed at raising children's awareness in respect of in car safety, which will tie in nicely with the current running seatbelt awareness and enforcement campaign, in the Humberside Police area.
Neighbourhood watch is a very useful organisation to help make the community a safer and better place in which to live and work. PCSO Craig Tomlinson has been in touch with all the Neighbourhood watch groups in the Ridge Neighbourhood and will maintain regular contact to progress our working partnership. A prospective Neighbourhood Watch Coordinator has been identified for a new group at Hibaldstow and details have been passed to Ken Bates.
The Ridge Nieghbourhood Action Team continues to be a success. The last meeting in July was again well attended, chaired by Cllr Neil Poole and had 21 members present. Only a small number of issues were raised but included parking markings (Scawby), street drinking (Messingham), fly tipping (Hibaldstow) and weed cutting (River Ancholme).
PC Vince Potter and PCSO Vicky Petty have been busy on the Broughton and Appleby Neighbourhood.
They have been actively involved in an investigation into an incident of disorder, resulting in damage being caused to vehicles and property at Trinity Court Broughton recently. Vince also instigated an investigation into a case of the theft of a purse from a ladies handbag at a local supermarket. Although the offence was committed at Scunthorpe the elderly victim is a Broughton resident and credit/cash cards from her purse were extensively used causing great distress to the lady. Vicky and Vince's enquiries and examination of shop CCTV systems resulted in a suspect being identified. The investigation is now being progressed by Crime Investigators.
Concerns have been raised about the contractors use of heavy plant equipment, particularly during school start and finish times at the former Bishop Burton College. PCSO Petty visited the site and was able to secure the cooperation of the contractors not to use heavy plant machines between 8 and 9 in the morning and 3 and 4 in the afternoon.
Another local issue concerns the West Wood at Broughton. The wood is private property but the owners allow local people to use them for walking and recreation. Due to the level of damage being caused to signs, inappropriate use of motor vehicles in the car park and woods and the litter problem the owners have intimated access will be denied if there is no improvement.
We would urge residents to respect the area and encourage teenagers to do the same or this local facility may be lost.
Vince and Vicky are keen to engage with local groups and organisations. They have recently delivered a talk on Neighbourhood Policing to the Broughton Branch of the Women's Institute and also address the local Beavers meeting.
They are currently working with residents and the Parish Council at Dragonby to try and secure funding to improve a play area in the village to address the needs of local children.
On the Brigg and Wolds Neighbourhood, the 3 main issues being tackled by Rob Armstrong with PCSO's Rob, Lisa and Lynsey are:

Hawthorn Avenue

Hawthorn Avenue in Brigg has been the scene of Anti-social Behaviour and calls for service in respect of disruptive tenants and teenagers causing a nuisance. The local policing team have been working closely with North Lincolnshire Homes, the local Neighbourhood Watch Group and Safer Neighbourhoods in an effort to resolve problems and increase confidence amongst residents. Joint visits have been carried out and a number of residents have been issued with 'Alert Boxes', which they can use if they feel threatened or there is an ongoing incident

Bigby Street

There continues to be concerns about Anti-social Behaviour and Criminal Damage in the Bigby Street area of Brigg, predominantly late at night on a Friday and Saturday. Although not resolved yet, the local officers have been working with Safer Neighbourhoods, and Alert Boxes have been issued to a number of residents, along with a CCTV camera and liaison with the Council CCTVto ensure a better usage of the current cameras in the area. Incident Response officers based at Brigg are aware of the problems and paying attention to the area too. A new Neighbourhood Watch Group is being set up and the Rob is liaising closely with the co-ordinator - who deserves our thanks from us all and the support given.

Youth Issues

'Youths causing annoyance ' continues to be a problem within several areas of the ward, often alcohol fuelled. Regular 'hotspot' areas are regularly patrolled by neighbourhood officers, PCSO's and receive attention from the respect patrols. Where alcohol is found, it is seized and disposed of.
Teenagers involved in these activities, if no criminal offences are revealed, have letters sent to their parents/guardians alerting them to their sons or daughter's presence and the problems and seeking their support in helping to reduce anti-social behaviour. A new lottery funded initiative set up jointly by Brigg, Broughton and Barnetby Councils, The 3Bs Project, has now started and aims to give the local youths something to do, by providing regular street based activities with trained 'youth workers', throughout the three areas.

SPEEDWATCH

Members of the Brigg and Wolds Neighbourhood Action Team (NAT) in liaison with the Road Safety Partnership have been involved in the setting up of a community based 'Speedwatch' project. This will use flashing signs which monitor speeds and warn motorists who are exceeding speed limits. It is intended that the devices will be deployed at locations which are not currently receiving attention under the road safety strategy but where a local speed related problem has been identified. This is still in the planning phase whilst funding is sought, but a pilot will be taking place soon in the low villages, between Worlaby and Bonby. Following evaluation of the pilot some work will be completed to establish processes and protocols for deployment of devices. This is a good example of how local concerns and issues can be raised through the forum of the Neighbourhood Action Team and a partnership approach can be used to find solutions.

By working together with partners and the community we can make a difference and help make the area not only be safe but feel safe.

EMBROIDERY SKILLS

An embroidery workshop is to be held on Thursday (Oct 9) at Brigg Resource Centre, Horstead Avenue, from 10am-noon.
For further details contact tutor Helen Danson, tel (01652) 635175.

BE-SPOKE SOLUTION NEEDED?

Getting a new cycle route in Brigg is turning into a mini-crusade for town councillor Ben Nobbs.
Having persuaded Brigg Town Council to ask the North Lincolnshire highway authority to install the new route - and seen that rejected - Coun Nobbs tried a different approach.
He renewed his appeal for action during the road safety and highways section of the quarterly Brigg Neighbourhood Policing Panel meeting in the Angel Suite.
Coun Nobbs wants to see a cycle lane along Bridge Street, Ancholme Way Bridge and Atherton Way, down as far as the new primary school.
He thinks the footpath is wide enough to allow joint useage by pedestrians and cyclists, along the lines of that so successfully introduced along Wrawby Road by North Lincolnshire Council.
However, Pete Scott, head of safety roads at North Lincolnshire Council, suggested to Coun Nobbs that Bridge Street and Wrawby Road were not comparable, and stressed national criteria needed to be met.
A spoke in the wheel for Coun Nobbs? Somehow I can’t see him letting this subject drop.

TURNING FULL CYCLE

It looked to me this morning as though the police were stopping traffic near Tesco roundabout, on Ancholme Way, so, not wanting to spend time helping them with their inquiries, I turned off at Cary Lane and parked near Lidl.
However, a closer looker revealed the men in yellow jackets near the roundabout were not PCs or PCSOs but marshals from today's triathlon - and their blue warning signs were merely telling drivers to beware of cyclists.

ON THE BALL?

A match involving a Brigg football team had an incident similar to the infamous one in the recent clash between Reading and Watford, when the officials gave a goal although TV footage showed the ball had gone the wrong side of the post.
In the case of the Briggensians' FC match, some thought the ball had gone into the goal but then crept through a hole in the netting, giving the impression it might have gone wide of the post.
In this case, after some delay, the 'goal' was ruled out.
In cricket, if there's any doubt, the umpires give the benefit of the doubt to the batsman, and say 'not out'. Maybe there's some unwritten law in football along the same lines, in favour of the defending team.
Clearly, in both sports, officials can't give what they didn't see. Even if the players and officials think they ought to have seen it.

THINGS NEED SORTING

A public-spirited Brigg householder has drawn up a list of improvements she feels should be carried out by the powers-that-be, mainly in the area where she lives, but also in a few other parts of the town.
She does not wish to be identified but we can tell you she lives on one of North Lincolnshire Homes' estates. As North Lincolnshire Council no longer owns the stock, it's no longer politically correct to use the phrases 'council house' or 'council estate'.
Our concerned informant has given Brigg Blog a guided tour of the area to point out some of the things she feels need improving to make it a better place for her, and her neighbours, to live.
Below is her wish list, which Brigg Blog will be forwarding to North Lincolnshire Homes, North Lincolnshire Council and Brigg Town Council, where Town Mayor Coun Mike Campion says he will take a look.
We will be happy to include the authorities' responses, if, or when, received.
The resident said of her list: “These are thing I have noticed. I'm not moaning, it’s just I feel if we as a community don't communicate the authorities/council are not mind-readers and we all need to put a positive imput into our homes and surrounding areas. Then we would have a good/even better place to live.”

* Garages damaged at the side of the old school on Glebe Road/Hawthorn Avenue area.
* Western Avenue/Poplar Drive: Paving very bad; very, very bad drainage on very wobbly, slippy paths when raining; lots of weeds and rubbish in the snickets. The grassed areas are cut but are overgrowing on to the pathways which doesn't help drainage when it rains.
* We also seem to be getting a lot of Tesco trolleys. I have notice it’s actually adults pushing their shopping home in them, it’s not the kids.
*It would be nice to have some more dog-poo bins.
* A lot of rubbish around the benches in the recreational area.
* Rubbish in the park and under the shed.
* Vale Ancholme School sports hall (Grammar School Road): Before you go in the gates, there is a grassed bank area when the grass is not growing. There is lots of rubbish.
* Down the side of the riverbank there seems to be lots of rubbish and bottles, and the kids hang out under the bridge. What can be done?
* In the Cherry Tree Avenue area there is a public pathway at the back of the houses. It's extremely overgrown and full of nettles. The dog bin has been pushed over/gone.
* Near the Rescource Centre, Horstead Avenue, the pathways area untidy with general weeds.

She added: “I recently got the highways department, who I must say were very prompt, to view the problems we are having of flooding down on the estate and the next day they came and cleared all the drains and they also kindly cleared the drains at the back of the property on Western Avenue, even though they were North Lincolnshire Homes’ responsibility.
“These particular drains have not been cleared for 18 years. But I was told they are far too small and really need replacing and the path needs re-designing.”

HISTORY PRESERVED

Here's a flashback to August, 1964 with Brigg Town Football Queen, Sandra Shaw, arriving at the Hawthorns for the club's annual gala. With her is club committee member Coun Vic Gray.
Public-spirited Vic served on Brigg Urban District Council and Brigg Town Council for many, many years. He had a cafe in Market Place, and his family ran the shop in Glebe Road, opposite the school.
Does anyone know whether Sandra is still living in the Brigg area?
The football club gala was a good fundraiser for Harry Williams and his helpers.
This image came to light as a result of tests were are doing on a new, upgraded archive facility, shortly to be introduced for editorial staff on the Grimsby and Scunthorpe Telegraphs, among others.
Thousands of images have been scanned from yellowing bound copies by our Grimsby-based archivist, Linda Roberts, and given captions which are now searchable through the marvels of the modern computer age.
A simple search for the word 'Brigg' produced 362 matches just in this section of our vast archive - and the one featuring Vic was the first I spotted containing a familiar face.
We will feature some more in Brigg Blog, from time to time.
So keep watching!

PLANNING AHEAD

Planning permission to re-position an existing garage within the site, construct a new access on to the highway and a boundary fence at 1 South View Avenue, Brigg, is being sought by Miss M Cook, from North Lincolnshire Council.

TIME TO MOVE ON

The private hire skip in Bigby Street, near the Tin Tabs, is fast becoming a permanent feature. It's parked on the roadside - and full. And it's been like that for a considerable time.
I'm not sure about the regulations controlling how long a skip can be on the public highway. But you'd have thought that as scores of North Lincolnshire Council staff at Hewson House drive past it each working day, someone would notice and make a few inquiries about how much longer it's going to be there.
General household, or business, rubbish would seem to cover the contents of the skip, much of which it wrapped up in black bin bags.
A few years ago a similar long-term skip at the Recreation Ground eventually played host to the front of a Reliant Robin, of the kind made famous by Del Boy on Only Fools And Horses.
As Del might say, it would be 'cushty' if the Bigby Street skip was taken away and emptied in the not too distant future.

BOOK YOUR SEATS

Brigg Amateur Operatic Society has been presenting shows in the town for more than a century.
And tickets went on sale this week for the latest production, Crazy For You, which will be staged at Vale of Ancholme Technology College's Westmoor Hall, on Grammar School Road, from October 28 to November 1. There will be evening performances at 7.30pm with a Saturday matinee at 2.30pm.
Tickets are available from Brigg Beds, on Prince's Street, Monday to Saturday, 9.30am-5pm. The production features music and lyrics my famous duo George and Ira Gershwin.
Scores of people from Brigg and surrounding area support the operatic society and look forward, each year, to attending its annual production.
Brigg's Peter Bell, long-serving member of the society, produced an excellent book to celebrate the centenary. Get your hands on a copy, if you haven't already done so.

Our picture turns the clock back many years to a previous production with Hetty Roberts and A E Lawrence in a duet, possibly from the opera Mikado.