BRIGG WILL ENJOY A REALLY 'GRAND' WEEKEND OF ENTERTAINMENT

There is a varied and extensive programme of entertainment ahead on Brigg & district licensed premises this weekend, with a touch of nostalgia for music-lovers and also a major fundraiser for a very worthy cause.
This Saturday being Grand National Day, it's fitting that our events preview includes a Brigg hostelry which was once owned by a previous winner of this world famous horse race.
The weekend programme begins tomorrow (Friday, April 8) with a show at the Millers Barn, on Brigg Road, Wrawby, in aid of people from the Ukraine. Singer Connor Roberts will be performing from 5pm, followed by The Moggies band at 7pm. Admission costs £10 - pay on the door.
Brigg & District Servicemen's Club will be staging a special social & sporting event on Saturday afternoon (April 9) where people can watch live coverage of the Grand National 2022 horse race meeting. Everyone is welcome, the Coney Court venue says, and a free buffet will be provided.
Those fancying a wager are being advised by the club to place their bets at the nearby Betfred 'bookies' facing Old Courts Road. The club will be running its own sweepstake.
The Lord Nelson presents Liza McKenny on Saturday night. She will be performing 'greatest hits' from the 1960s right through to the modern era. Admission to the show is free.
A recent conversation in Brigg reminded us that not everyone living in the town today is aware of local links with the Grand National.
John (Jack) Proctor, a Grimsby fish merchant with a chauffer-driven Rolls-Royce, also owned Brigg's Lord Nelson, in the Market Place.
In 1948 his horse, Sheila's Cottage, won the Grand National at Aintree as a rank outsider.
Trained at Middleham in North Yorkshire by Neville Crump and ridden by jockey Arthur Thompson, the mare won despite very long odds, initially 66-1 and later 50-1.
Delighted and proud to own the winner, John sent a cash 'tab' to every pub in Brigg so their customers could have a celebratory drink to mark his famous triumph on the turf. And Brigg had a lot more pubs in those days.
It was also quite a night at the Nelson, as you might well imagine!
Later, it was said, somebody pinched the lid of the gold-coloured replica Grand National Trophy which was put on display in John's hostelry.
This must have come as a disappointment to the owner after his generosity.
The 1948 Grand National concluded with an exciting two-horse contest as the finishing line approached.
This link will take you to British Movietone News film coverage of the steeplechase 74 years ago which is well worth watching.
Saturday night (April 9) will also see live music on offer at the Woolpack in Brigg Market Place. Tribute band Statis Quo will be rocking all over the stage from 9pm, performing Quo hits from 1968-1979. Admission to this gig is free to all including, of course, ladies called Caroline!
The Dying Gladiator, on Bigby Street, has a disco & karaoke on Saturday night, while the Black Bull and Britannia Inn (both on Wrawby Street) will offer disco music.
Regulars at all these historic hostelries would have enjoyed a drink on the Sheila's Cottage owner back in 1948.
Broughton Working Men's Club will have Gilly Bee singing popular songs from the 1950s through to the present day this Saturday evening.

PICTURED ABOVE: Liza McKenny who will be singing at the Lord Nelson on Saturday night, Sheila's Cottage winning the Grand National, and Betfred's Brigg branch which will be enjoying a busy Saturday as locals place their bets on the famous steeplechase.

PLEASE NOTE THAT BRIGG'S THURSDAY MARKET TODAY HAS BEEN CANCELLED DUE TO FORECAST HIGH WINDS.