LOVELY POEM ON DISPLAY AT BRIGG LOCATION WITH ROYAL LINKS

A poem praising a far-reaching scheme to improve Brigg town centre is still being read many years after it was written by a local man.
The regeneration project in the 1980s and 1990s made grants available to restore and improve town centre properties, including the landmark Buttercross (now housing our  award-winning Tourist Information Centre).
Stan Witty, well remembered for his keen interest in Brigg, and his time as a local taxi driver, welcomed the project and broke into verse to make his feelings known.
His poem featured in the verse class at the Brigg Music and Drama Festival and was printed, in full, by a local newspaper.
It can still be enjoyed today, as the newspaper cutting has been placed in a plastic sleeve and is on display under Brigg's "royal tree" beside the Old River Ancholme.
Lady Diana, The Princess of Wales, planted the ornamental pear to commemorate the inauguration of the Brigg Regeneration Project on Tuesday, March 29, 1988.
The opening verse of Stan's poem reads:
I have so criticised the things of Brigg's past
But now a new future I'm seeing at last
The Market Place so attractive, a nice place to be
The Buttercross Centre, there's so much to see
 
Later in the poem he added:
Although there are many things that still need to be done
Walking through Brigg now really is fun
 
Stan also made reference to wonderful beer gardens, lounges, bars, and food outlets, with particular reference to fish and chips.
The poem is directly under the inscribed stone  (pictured below) marking the tree planting by The People's Princess.
The tree adjoins the small car park serving the Spring's Parade shops and the Bargain Madness (B&M) store.
In its introduction to Stan's poem, the newspaper said the verses conveyed "a welcome, positive feel about the town's present state."
Brigg Blog recommends stopping to read the poem in full next time you are in this part of town.