44 BRIGG HOMES ABOUT TO ENJOY A NEW LEASE OF LIFE

North Lincolnshire Homes - social landlord for the area - has been granted planning permission to add external wall insulation to 44 of its Brigg properties in Hawthorn Avenue. That will help improve homes built in the 1930s which have undergone several revamps down the decades, notably by the Wimpey contractors in 1973/4..
As "Hawthorn" comprises 80 properties it's also an indication that many of the former council houses, dating back to the days of Brigg Urban District Council, have been sold to tenants under the Right to Buy Scheme instigated, we seem to recall, by Margaret Thatcher's administration more than 30 years ago.
Our family, on mother's side, was one of the first to move in to Hawthorn Avenue - living at No 58. So we'd better declare an interest, though grandad never bought his property from the council, being well into his 80s by the time Lady T's scheme really kicked in.
He was still working well into his 70s at Layne's, in Bigby Street, where he was a coachpainter/signwriter. You may recall the firm specialised in lorries that were customised for various agricultural and commercial companies in North Lincs.
Layne's would have celebrated its centenary next year. And the original "Layne's 1914" sign has been incorporated into brickwork on the small housing development that was built on the site, adjoining the Dying Gladiator pub in Bigby Street. Take a look next time you are passing.