Tuesday, August 06, 2019
PART TWO: HOW BRIGG HAS CHANGED IN THE PAST 20 YEARS
The popularity of Brigg Blog's recent post highlighting some of the changes that have taken place in the town over the last 20 years - VIEW IT HERE - has prompted us to produce a follow up. So today we take a nostalgic look back at other aspects of Brigg life in 1999.
(Emily?) Watkinson, from Bigby, was perhaps the most senior and longest-serving trader on Brigg Market back then, selling veg from a stall near the Black Bull.
Flowers for all occasions could be obtained from The Wold Florist at 50 Wrawby Street.
Brigg Police still had an inspector in charge of the local area, assisted by two sergeants, a number of constables and support staff.
Sub-Officer Melvyn Cooper managed Brigg Fire Station, also on Barnard Avenue - with Dave Riggall, George Dyer and Sean Turner among the retained fire-fighters 20 years ago.
The Springbank Residents' Unity Group arranged events, including some on the Recreation Ground, while Brigg & District Civic Society took a keen interest in the town's historic buildings.
There were only three town centre charity shops in 1999 - Oxfam, Red Cross and RSPCA
Varlows - the renowned local company - was still selling ladies' fashions from its shop in the Market Place, also having premises in Market Rasen.
Brigg Amateur Operatic Society staged shows in the town at Vale of Ancholme School, and members and officials were already looking ahead to the society's 100th anniversary in 2003.
Stennett's Market, on land at the end of Station Road, was attracting sizeable Thursday attendances, with people snapping up everything from brussel sprouts to bikes!
Recruitment specialists Apollo were based at Pelham House, on Bridge Street.
Long-serving councillor Chris Gunnee was involved with running the Brigg Motability Scheme in 1999, while Coun Ann Eardley did likewise for the DONKEY environmental action group of young people.
Keith Norris was secretary of Brigg Chamber of Trade, while Bob Taylor was secretary of Brigg Town Football Club and Stan Mosey co-ordinated activities for Brigg Town Cricket Club.
As he had done since the 1960s, Ronald 'Geordie' Fox was in charge of Brigg Servicemen's Football Club which played home games at the Rec, where the men's and ladies' hockey clubs were campaigning strongly for a floodlit, all-weather pitch to be provided.
This, of course, has since been realised by North Lincolnshire Council, although too late for certain senior hockey players of that era to enjoy games on the coveted 'Blue Astro'.
On the last day of 1999 hundreds of Brigg people visited local licensed premises to say farewell to the old millennium and welcome in a new one (plus year and century).
We took pictures of many revellers on December 31, 1999 and even today still meet up with some of those we photographed having a good time 20 years ago. That memorable night still crops up in conversations.
Sadly, we didn't down a single pint, having to report for night duty at the Scunthorpe Telegraph as part of a small team checking that all the computer systems had survived the Millennium Bug.
Some experts feared that PCs and networks across the world would be unable to cope with the 2000 date at midnight and forecast the Bug would cost billions. However, it failed to cause major mayhem.
In 1999 the town had only been pedestrianised for a few years, and North Lincolnshire Council (created in 1996) was a relative newcomer in local government, taking over services previously provided by Humberside County Council and Glanford Borough Council (both abolished). However, Brigg Town Council, established in 1974, continued.
PICTURED: Wrawby Street, Brigg, in the 1990s.
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