Brigg Matters Issue 53 Winter 2018

Brigg Matters 

Issue 53 Winter 2018 

Haaaaappy Christmas Everyone!! 

The Community Magazine for Brigg and District 

FREE

2 Brigg Matters

Mario - "Buon Natale un buon 

anno - due mille - diciannove." 

Alice - "I do sincerely apologise 

for Mario; he's been on the cooking 

sherry, again! In the meantime, 

Merry Christmas to all and a Happy 

New Year for 2019." 

Page 9 

Page 15 

Page 18-19 

Featured in this issue: 

Swimming a Mile for Children in Need 

See the photo of the 8 year-old who swam a 

mile to raise money for Children in Need. 

Creative Writing Corner 

See the creative talent we have in the area. 

Made in Brigg 

Read about Guy Whitney's business and 

more about his life. 

Page 23 

Page 27 

Walking the Great Wall of China 

Read the diary of how Brigg Matters 

committee member, Katie Woodward, took 

on the challenge of the Great Wall of China. 

The Grounds Behind the Jump 

Learn more about Becky Reynolds' skydive 

and more about the charity Pancreatic 

Cancer Awareness. 

Page 39 Remembrance Day 2018 

See some photos from the Remembrance 

Service in Brigg. 

Hello Brigg Matters Readers, 

I hope you are all well and keeping 

wrapped-up as we enter the colder 

months. 

In this issue we have lots of photos 

from throughout the year as well as 

some from Remembrance Day in 

Brigg. You can also read about how 

some members of the Brigg Matters 

committee have been raising money 

for charity. 

We also congratulate committee 

member Paul Hildreth who will be 

taking over as president of the 

Yorkshire Geological Society for the 

201 9-2020 term. 

Wishing you all a Merry Christmas 

and a Happy New Year! 

Becky Reynolds 

Editor 

Contributions from members of the 

public are very welcome - either as an 

article or a letter - subject to normal 

editorial considerations. Please send 

your contributions to: The Editor of 

‘Brigg Matters,’ c/o The Local Link 

Office, The Angel, Brigg, DN20 8LD. 

Or email: 

briggmatters@yahoo.co.uk 

With the exception of letters, please 

send any written matter as a .doc or 

.txt file, and images as .jpg. The 

deadline for articles and letters to be 

included in the next issue is: 

1 February 2019 

All of the information within this 

publication is believed to be correct at 

the time of going to press; we cannot 

be held responsible for any 

inaccuracies. The views expressed in 

Brigg Matters are those of the 

contributors and are not necessarily 

those of the magazine or publishers. 

Cover: Becky Reynolds' tandem 

skydive at Skydive Hibaldstow in 

October. 

Contents: Alice and Mario courtesy 

of Shipley's Curiositeas Tearoom. 

Photo by Ken Harrison. 

Advertising 

Brigg Matters offers amazing value for 

advertisers to reach readers in Brigg 

and the surrounding area. Around 

5,000 magazines are distributed every 

quarter with a potential readership 

considerably in excess of this figure. 

Advertising spaces range from one 

eighth to one whole page. We also 

offer a significant discount for 

multiple adverts that are paid for at 

the first insertion. 

Prices begin from just £18.00! 

To receive an advertising rate card 

containing prices, sizing and our 

profile, email: 

briggmatters.advertising 

@yahoo.com 

(Public service notices are accepted free of 

charge - at the committee's discretion.) 

Chair: 

Committee: 

Committee 

Ken Harrison 

Sandy Andrews 

Paul Hildreth 

Danielle Li 

Becky Reynolds 

Graham West 

Katie Woodward 

Sharon Worth 

Brigg Matters is a not-for-profit Local Community Enterprise produced and distributed by a team of volunteers. 

Brigg Matters 3

Movers and Shakers 

New Location, New Partnership, 

New Slimming Club! 

Lighterlife Brigg has now relocated from above Adore 

Fashion Boutique to become a stand-alone business 

operating from 1 Morleys Yard, Chapel Court, the 

passage next to Oxam Book shop. 

Forming a new partnership and welcoming Neil 

Webster to the business of weightloss managment and 

one to one weightloss support 

which has been established for 

over 25 years. 

Lighterlife in Brigg is 

launching its new Xpress 

slimming club running every 

Thursday at 7pm in St. Johns 

Church Hall in Brigg. These 

are free weekly meetings 

offering a new approach to a 

healthy mind and body to 

change your relationship with 

food. 

Looking Good 

Strengthening Brigg's increasing reputation as a pivotal 

hub of quality health-and-beauty related salons, 'Serenity 

Beauty Clinic' opened recently. 

Located adjacent to the Mumbai 

Lounge restaurant in Old Courts, 

the clinic offers an extensive range 

of beauty treatment, including 

anti-wrinkle injections and 

plasma blast. 

Kerry Oxborough has over 1 7 

years experience as a mobile 

beauty consultant and the Briggbased 

clinic is her first venture 

with a shop-based unit. 

www.serenitybeautyclinic.co.uk 

Brigg WI 

The ladies of Brigg Morning WI held a meeting 

“Celebrating the Suffragettes” in September. 

After tea and coffee, the President, Kate Broome, 

welcomed members and guests from other WIs as well 

as the chairman & trustees from Lincs & Humber 

Federation. In the manner of a meeting held in 1 91 8 

she announced the right to vote for women over the 

age of 30. She also spoke about the WI resolution 

urging local authorities to take advantage of the 

government scheme for state-aided housing. 

There followed a craft demonstration by Lisa 

Rabin-Smith. Councillor Holly Mumby-Croft of North 

Lincolnshire Council then spoke on how the politics of 

the country had been influenced by women. A light 

lunch of soup, bread and cakes was served by 

members of the committee. 

Brigg Morning WI meets on the 2nd Wednesday of 

each month at St John's Church hall, Brigg. 

Jewellers Shop Under New Ownership 

A.C. Pailthorp Jewellers in Wrawby Street, Brigg has 

been acquired by Tracey and David Riggall. Tracey, who 

first worked for the Brigg shop some thirty years ago and 

at intervening intervals, was the shop manager for the 

last five years, whilst her husband David is well known in 

Brigg for his thirty years service as a fire officer at the 

local fire station. 

The business, which was formerly owned by Jeremy 

Mason, has been in Brigg for more than forty years and 

was the remaining one of four similarly named shops he 

ran in Lincolnshire. Tracey has a number of exciting 

plans for the future and has 

already introduced several new 

brands that appeal to the 

younger generation but will 

continue to stock the many 

high quality international 

brands of watches and 

jewellery that A.C. Pailthorp 

built its reputation on. 

A Horse is Back in the Race 

Since the beginning of November the well-established 

Black Horse pub in Wrawby has been up and running. 

The pub was in a moribund state for some time and folks 

had begun to ponder its future. 

Taking over the reins of the Black Horse are Mo and 

Jeff Maloney. The couple had previously lived in 

Broughton and ran a bedding stall at local markets, 

including Brigg. Before 

that, they gained valuable 

experience as relief pub 

managers around the new 

town of Milton Keynes. 

Mo has already opened 

an early morning coffee 

lounge with the intention 

of offering further dining 

facilities as time evolves. 

Up & Coming Enterprise 

A brotherly emporium has recently opened. Adjoining 

Brian's DIY premises in Grammar School Rd. South, 

David and Peter Wilson have opened a mobility centre. 

Offering services such as 

repair and servicing by a 

qualified mobility technician, the 

shop displays a wide range of 

pre-owned mobility scooters and 

aids, as well as tendering the 

facility of being able to hire a 

mobility scooter on a 

daily/weekly basis. Further 

details can be found on their 

website; 

http://www.briggmobility.com 

and their e-mail address is 

info@briggmobility.com 


Harvest time in Wrawby during the month ofAugust. 

A 1940's murder mystery play at the 

Servicemen's Club during April. 

Mastering a coracle on the Ancholme 

during the month ofMay. 

2018 

In 

Pictures 

Time for tea at Shipley's 

Curiositeas in August. 

The BTBP's Pudding Party at St. John's 

Church in October. 

Bowling in August. 



As the year draws to a 

close the Brigg Live Arts 

committee is taking time to 

review a very busy year 

and is looking forward to 

201 9 as it continues to 

"bring the enjoyment of the 

Arts to Brigg". Following on 

from the stunning evening on 6 October when Box Tale 

Soup performed "The Picture of Dorian Gray", the year 

ended on 1 6 November with a lively evening featuring 

Mambo Jambo. During the afternoon the duo also 

performed at Brigg 

Primary School where 

some of the pupils 

enjoyed a fabulous 

musical treat when Pete 

and Frankie turned up in 

their tour bus packed to 

the brim. 

The highlights and 

successes of the year 

have been numerous. The 

town was ‘buzzing’ on 

Fest day in May with 

incredible live music, 

workshops and craft 

stalls. In August, 500 

people visited the Art 

Exhibition and many new 

artists submitted work. 

There has been increased 

involvement with other 

community groups and 

Brigg Live Arts has also 

sponsored musicians to 

perform in local schools. 

A challenge for next year 

is sustaining the amount 

of events so the very friendly committee is seeking new 

members. It is looking for people with a little bit of time 

and enthusiasm to help promote the 'Arts' in the Brigg 

area. It would be good to hear from anyone who would 

like to join our friendly committee (meetings every 4/6 

weeks for about an hour and a half at a time to suit the 

members). New ideas welcome and it involves as much 

time as you can spare with no expectation to be at every 

event. Tel 0771 61 26982 if you would like to know more. 

"Little Seeds Music" will be performing at St John's 

Church on 9 March 2019 

Future Dates: 

The first planned event for 201 9 is a family event on 

Saturday 9 March at 3pm at St Johns Church, Wrawby 

Street, Brigg. "Climb That Tree" will be performed by 

Little Seeds Music (David Gibb) as he ventures on his 

one man mission to make brilliant, engaging and high 

quality music for families and children. It is a brand new 

show from this award-winning songwriter and musician 

as he takes his audience on a musical journey through 

his hilarious and often surreal imagination. "Prepare to 

be carried away with the music..packed full of catchy toe 

tapping numbers" - The Guardian. Tickets are priced at 

£6 for adults and £3 for children. 

Friday 22 March at 

7.30pm Winter Wilson in 

Concert at St. John's 

Church Hall (re-scheduled 

from 1 1 May). This superb 

duo, Kip Winter and Dave 

Wilson toured with Fairport 

Convention earlier this 

year. They bring a sense of 

intimacy to every venue, 

blending superb, often 

hard-hitting original songs, 

stunning harmonies and 

musicianship with 

sometimes hilarious tales of 

life on the road. Make sure 

the date is in your diary. 

Saturday 1 1 May 1 0am- 

4pm Brigg Live Arts Fest. A 

full day of events to suit all 

ages with the proposed 

theme of 'melodies and 

harmonies'. As it is now 

only 7 months away it's 

definitely time for any local 

groups, choirs, performers 

or creative artists to get in 

touch if they would like to be part of another fantastic 

day. 

Tickets for all events will be available from Brigg 

Tourist Information, 01 652 657053 or tel 0771 61 26982. 

More events including Film Lincs are in the planning 

stage so make sure you follow us on Facebook, find us 

on Twitter @BriggArts, check your emails (add your 

name to our mailing list by emailing 

brigglivearts@gmail.com) or look out for publicity 

around Brigg. 

Beware! Gift Card Scam 

Tesco Brigg has had several elderly people trying to 

buy iTunes and Google vouchers to the value of £1 ,000. 

They are receiving phone-calls to say they owe 

money and are being told not to say anything as it is 

for "personal reasons". This is a scam and we are trying 

to raise awareness, especially to the elderly and the 

vulnerable who may not use social media. 

Wrawby Make & Sale Group 

We are hosting the renowned ‘Doughty’s Fabric 

Roadshow’ on Saturday 5 January 

1 0.30am–2.30pm in Wrawby Village Hall. 

£1 entrance fee includes refreshments. Monies 

raised go to support Wrawby village organisations. 



Brigg Midweek Geology Group 

By Paul Hildreth 

The group has met twice since the last issue of Brigg 

Matters. Helen Gamble of the Lincolnshire Wolds 

Countryside Service gave an illustrated talk on the 

geology of the Lincolnshire Wolds stressing the links 

between the foundation rocks and landscape, soils and 

human activity. 

In the last issue I referred to an invitation to 

collaborate with members of the Stamford Geological 

Society on the excavation of an important and exciting 

discovery in our local area. This was the remains of a 1 50 

million year old pliosaur, a top predator that reached 

lengths of up to 1 5 metres. Pliosaurs were short-necked 

carnivores with large heads and massive toothed jaws. 

They lived alongside other marine swimming reptiles 

such as plesiosaurs and ichthyosaurs, the remains of 

which have also been found in North Lincolnshire. 

The working group uncovered, and was able to 

remove, a part of the skull together with several ribs and 

vertebrae. At present the remains are with expert 

renovators and it is hoped that they will form an exhibit 

to be housed at the North Lincolnshire Museum in 

Scunthorpe. Unfortunately, I have not managed to 

persuade one of the Stamford group to come to Brigg to 

address us in November but Mike Oates and myself, who 

were involved in supporting the excavation, will give a 

presentation outlining the significance of the find. 

Our Christmas Workshop and Quiz will be based on 

identifying geological specimens, punctuated by 

consumption of mince pies, to find clues that lead to the 

revealing of a festive message. 

The focus in January will be on the use of natural 

stone in buildings across the traditional county of 

Lincolnshire. There is an interesting distribution pattern 

which is defined by a variety of natural and human 

factors. 

Autumn Programme (provisional): 

December 20th: Christmas Workshop and Quiz 

January 24th: Building stones in Lincolnshire 

February 28th: Title/subject to be arranged 

Meetings take place above the Bank Hairdressers at 1 

Bigby Street, Brigg and start at 7.30pm but please enter 

at the side door (opposite the Le Raj restaurant) and not 

via the salon. 

Contact panda_hildreth@hotmail.com for further 

information or telephone: 01 652 655784. 

Children in Need Swim 

Eight year old Eva has been 

swimming since she was 

three. On 1 0 November she 

swam a mile for the first 

time to raise money for 

Children in Need. She is 

currently working on her 

silver award and has loved 

swimming at Brigg for many 

years. She has always loved 

dressing up for Children in 

Need and thought that this 

year she could combine her 

own personal challenge with 

an opportunity to raise 

money for other children. 

Well done Eva! 

Brigg Inner Wheel 

Eva, in yellow, 

succesfully 

completed her one 

mile swim 

The ladies of the Inner Wheel of Brigg have been out and 

about the last six months trying out the various coffee 

lounges in the North Lincolnshire area. 

So far we have tasted the coffee at; Lindsey Lodge 

Café, Brigg Garden Centre Coffee Haven, Messingham 

Farm Shop Café, Melcot Garden Centre Café and 

Shipley’s Curiositeas Brigg. 

September saw 1 6 of us travelling to St Nicholas 

Church Lincoln to our District Rally, an opportunity for 

clubs of the whole District to get together, wear our hats 

and celebrate with a church service and slap up lunch at 

Hemswell Court! It gives us a chance to meet our District 

Chairman and our Association President, who was the 

main guest. 

September also saw our second ‘outside’ meeting of 

President Kate’s year. It had been a lovely sunny Autumn 

day as we met outside the Brigg Heritage Centre to 

begin our walk around Brigg to look for all the buildings 

that were once pubs! No it wasn’t a pub crawl, though 

during our interesting half hour tour with Robert 

Jackson, as our very knowledgeable guide, we could have 

done to have nipped into one of the pubs for a hot toddy 

as the wind was definitely cool and we were still in 

summer clothes! 

We then were taken into the centre which is housed 

inside the Angel where we viewed the Brigg raft, a 

Bronze Age flat bottomed oak raft that was used to ferry 

people, animals and goods. First found in 1 888 it was not 

excavated until 1 974. An absolutely fascinating and 

interesting evening rounded off by a meal at The King 

William 1 V pub at Scawby Brook. 

If you haven’t been yet then The Heritage Centre is 

well worth a visit. 

We are looking forward to marking the Centenary of 

the Suffragette movement, our stall at Brigg Christmas 

market and our Christmas meal at The White Swan, 

Scotter. 

We have lots of exciting events and speakers planned 

for 201 9 so if you would like to join us for a taster 

meeting please contact 0781 2661 31 2. 

Any lady is welcome to come along and join us at 

these informal coffee mornings and find out what we are 

all about, just ring 0781 2661 31 2 and we will tell you 

where we are meeting up next. 


1 0 Brigg Matters

Brigg Town 

Business Partnership 

As you would expect this time of the year is a busy one 

for The Brigg Town Business Partnership. To mark the 

commemoration of the Armistice of the First World War 

1 91 4–1 91 8 a window competition was held, with many 

businesses in the town getting involved and mounting 

very moving displays. The competition was judged by a 

panel including a retired Lieutenant Colonel who 

marked them on the criteria of; originality, impact and 

relevance to armistice and historical context. It was very 

close with only a few points between the top windows 

so it was decided to award joint 1 st place to Mason, 

Baggott & Garton and Orchard Court. 

The Partnership is organising the town’s second 

Festival of Christmas Trees and Christmas Wreaths 

which is to be held at St John’s Church and St John’s 

Church Hall, Brigg between 1 3 and 1 5 December (1 0am- 

3pm) and Sunday 1 6 December 1 1 am-1 pm. 

The event will see the church filled with over 30 

individually decorated Christmas trees and wreaths, all 

of which will be sponsored by local businesses and 

organisations. There will also be an avenue of trees 

leading from Wrawby Street to the church entrance. 

Admission will be free with donations welcomed in aid 

of St John’s Church. Refreshments will be available 

throughout the four days in the Church Hall where 

memory cards and raffle tickets will also be available to 

raise money for the two charities supported by The 

Brigg Tree of Light. Background music will be played 

during the Festival. 

Prior to the event closing on Sunday 1 6 December, a 

carol service will be held in the church at 2pm with 

music provided by Barnetby Band. A collection will take 

place during the service and will be shared between St 

John’s Church and Barnetby Band. Following the 

service, refreshments will be served in the Church Hall – 

donations welcome. 

On Saturday 1 5 December, an augmented Brigg 

Churches Together Choir will perform items from 

Graham Kendrick’s ‘The Gift’. This will be held at Café 

Courtyard at The Angel in Brigg commencing at 6.30pm. 

Admission is free, however, tickets need to be obtained 

in advance from the Churches Together Shop at 75 

Wrawby Street, Brigg with donations being welcomed 

on the night towards the two charities supported by the 

Brigg Tree of Light. 

Brigg Town Business Partnership is again organising 

a Tree of Light which will stand in Chapel Court (just off 

the Old Courts car park). It will be lit from Saturday 1 7 

November at 3pm until Saturday 5 January 201 9, 3pm. It 

will be seen as a symbol of hope and comfort for many 

people who find Christmas a sad and lonely time. 

The tree provides an opportunity for all members of 

the community to place a memory card on it in 

remembrance of departed loved ones. Cards will be 

available from Saturday 1 7 November at; Design 

Orchard, E-cig, Cure DM (Formerly Rosa), Brigg Carers’ 

Support Centre, St John’s Church, Brigg Methodist 

Church, The Deli Diner, Co-op Funeralcare, Naylor’s 

Funeral Directors, Brigg Tourist Information Centre and 

Essence Beauty. Raffle tickets will also be available for 

sale from the same businesses/organisations. The 

winners will be announced on Saturday 5 January 201 9 

at 3.30pm. 

There will also be a Book of Remembrance at The 

Tourist Information Centre for those who want to record 

an entry for a loved one in addition to placing a memory 

card on the tree and the names will be read out on 

Saturday 5 January. 

All monies raised will be donated to the Brigg Carers’ 

Support Centre who touch the lives of many local 

individuals and families during difficult times, and to the 

Congenital Myotonic Dystrophy Fight – a charity run by 

Cure DM (Formerly Rosa in Brigg), which helps children 

suffering from a serious muscle-wasting condition and 

supports local families. 

An informal dedication service taken by Father 

Owain will take place on Saturday 1 7 November at 3pm 

and will be followed by a final service when the tree 

lights are switched off on Saturday 5 January at 3pm. All 

are welcome at both services. The Partnership would like 

to thank Scunthorpe Rotary Club, Brigg Rotary Cub and 

Nisa Store (Queen Street, Brigg) for their generous 

support of the Tree of Light. 

On Tuesday 20 November the Brigg Town Business 

Partnership will hold its pre-Christmas Meeting/Social 

with mulled wine and mince pies at The Buttercross 

commencing at 5.30pm. The event will also mark the 

start of this year’s Posada journey around Brigg and will 

also see the launch of the 201 8 “Visit Brigg at 

Christmas” leaflet. 

The Partnership will also be running the usual 

Christmas Window Competitions again this year which 

will start on the evening of Brigg Christmas Market – 

Friday 30 November with entry forms available from 

Brigg Tourist Information Centre. 

As we get closer to Christmas you can keep up to 

date with all the town’s seasonal events by picking up a 

copy of the Christmas Events leaflet which has been 

very generously supported by Brown & Co or by visiting 

the dedicated Facebook Page – Visit Brigg at Christmas. 

Visit the Brigg Town Business Partnership website at 

www.briggisbest.co.uk to keep up to date with Festival 

of Christmas Trees and Christmas Wreaths information 

and details of other Brigg events. 

For further information please contact Deb 

Dunderdale – Chair on 07581 205302 or Jane Kitching on 

07442 1 60785 or e-mail briggisbest@gmail.com 

Brigg Matters 1 1


Red Squirrel 

or Grey Squirrel? 

By Andy Mydellton 

To some people grey squirrels are pests or pesky. 

Moreover they are a North American invasive species 

that is replacing our own red squirrel. Yet ‘greys’ still 

manage to get friends. So why is this? 

Some people design their wildlife gardens to help all 

local wildlife. This is because they see all animals as 

equal but different, and as valid strands in the web of 

life. 

Furthermore, many conservationists believe that all 

animals have their place in the appropriate habitat 

without being classified as either good or bad. Usually 

negative terms are often imposed on animals from a 

human perspective, each tag depending on our own 

values and wishes. 

The squirrel gets its name from the Latin word 

meaning ‘shadow’ caused by its large bushy tail curling 

up over its back when it eats. The tail is also an 

important tool in the squirrel’s spectacular acrobatics of 

leaping across voids and scurrying along branches. 

Moreover the grey squirrel has proven itself to be a 

winner! It is hardy enough to live as far north as the 

Arctic Circle, and has evolved over the millennia to 

survive really harsh conditions. It has also had to fend 

off other animal competition. I have just returned from 

the USA and seen the North American red squirrel* 

bully the ‘grey’, despite the red squirrel’s diminutive 

size. 

We can still see some of the ‘greys’ instinctive 

behavioural patterns here in the UK. Previous 

generations of squirrels have learned to grab what food 

they could in order to survive in their original cold and 

hostile environments. Excess food was buried to create a 

larder for leaner times and to prevent rivals from eating 

this precious food. When the grey squirrels bury nuts 

and then either die or simply forget where they have 

buried them, new saplings emerge, maturing into life 

giving trees. This is an important part of a forest's overall 

natural regeneration. 

This tactic was so successful that nowadays the 

squirrels living in warmer climes still practise the same 

survival techniques. At Millstream Fork we see squirrels 

instinctively burying their excess food in the lawn, 

flower beds and even in the flower pots and tubs. Much 

of this food is usually peanuts that they have 

gymnastically prized from the bird feeders. 

May it be that some of these ancient survival 

strategies lead them into fighting members of their own 

family? This year I have had four squirrels in the 

Millstream Fork wildlife garden where I saw them 

chasing one another across the lawn, backwards and 

forwards along the path and over the patio, with the 

losers having to leap into the hedging trees, fleeing their 

aggressor. This is probably because Millstream Fork is a 

valuable food source right inside their territory where 

the alpha male and female must protect their natural 

rights as they see them. 

Would I want to see the demise of the grey squirrel? 

Never… not unless I am guaranteed the pleasure of 

having our own red squirrel in their stead. 

*The North American red squirrel is a smaller species 

than the European red squirrel. 

Photos by Laurie Campbell 

Andy Mydellton FLS is an environmentalist journalist and 

founder ofthe British wildlife charity, the Foundation for 

Endangered Species. He is also Chairman and Environment 

Advisor to UNESCO ASPnet, advisor to parliament on 

climate change and a Fellow ofthe Linnean Society. The 

charity contact details are: www. ffes. org. uk; and e-mail: 

info@ffes. org. uk 



Creative Writing Corner 

Who Needs Father Christmas? 

By Elizabeth Johnson 

‘Twas the night before Christmas, and what do you 

think? 

Father Christmas had gone for a drink! 

He’d taken the elves with him ‘cos they’d worked really 

hard, 

They’d left all the reindeer out in the yard. 

“We’ll be back before long, we promise we will, 

We just need a nip to keep out the chill!” 

The clock struck the hours eight, nine and ten 

Before the revellers came back again! 

They stomped through the snow that lay thick in the 

yard, 

Alerting the dogs who were always on guard. 

Mother Christmas was ready to open the door, 

In tumbled her husband and fell flat on the floor! 

He looked up at her – on his face a daft grin, 

The fumes floating up were from whiskey and gin! 

“Oh no!” cried Ma Christmas, “this is no joke!” 

She went up to the loft and came down with her cloak. 

She donned a false beard and pulled up her hood, 

The boots were too big, but still she looked good. 

Thank goodness the sleigh had been loaded before 

Nothing was left, there was room for no more. 

The reindeer were stamping and tossing their heads 

Aware the world’s children were tucked up in their beds. 

With a jingle of bells and a clatter of hooves 

The sleigh and the reindeer rose over the roofs. 

Ma Christmas took charge – it happened each year. 

Who needs Father Christmas? No-one, I fear! 

All Change 

By Bill Grant 

If copper coins disappear 

How can we spend a penny? 

Public loos, things of the past, 

You won’t be seeing any. 

Penny for the guy was asked, 

Though seldom with a please, 

Daily papers, bag of chips, 

No thought of parking fees. 

Two a penny had to go 

Buy one get one free, 

Poundshops had the right idea 

No change for you to see. 

Two hundred forty to the pound 

Not just one hundred, 

When they’ve gone, what is left? 

Not a lot ‘tis said. 

Coppers when you need them, 

Walking round in two’s 

Ain’t seen one for ages 

C.T.V will do . 

Shops will up their prices 

To me that is just fine, 

I can’t wait to see the end of 

That cursed 99. 

Images of Brigg 

from Edwardian Times 

By John and Valerie Holland 

Our new book on Brigg came out at the end of July after spending two 

years putting it together. It is our third book on our town, but the first 

one to be just on Brigg and not including any of the surrounding villages. 

The 200 images are a mixture of our own photographs, taken over the 

decades, and old images from our collection. The six chapters begin with 

the life and times of Brigg photographer & business man Walter Bee 

Robinson (died 1 947), followed by chapters put into sections of twenty 

year groups, ending with the beginning of a new century, the Millenium! 

Brigg Tourist Information Centre is the main outlet, and so far all the 

comments regarding our book have been most complimentary. It is hoped 

the folk of Brigg appreciate it and our efforts, we think it is our best! It is 

priced at £1 0.99. 



College Yard – More than a Passage 

from the Car Park 

By Paul Hildreth 

There are several routes you 

can use to access the main 

shopping and business area of 

Brigg from the Old Courts Car 

Park. One of these is College 

Yard, a 1 00 metre-long, 

pedestrian-only “passage”, 

which is well worth more than 

a casual glance on the way to 

Wrawby Street, the Market 

Place or back to your vehicle. 

You may be surprised at 

the diversity of business and 

what is on offer. But do not be 

surprised if you find a friendly 

welcome and smiling face, I 

certainly did when I invaded 

their premises and began 

asking for information to 

include in this article. As I 

entered College Yard early on 

a Tuesday morning, joinery 

work was being undertaken at 

Charlie-Lu’s in readiness for 

its opening on October 27th. Formerly occupied by Guy 

Whitney, the shop has been refurbished by Debbie 

Newell and offers interior decorations, scarves, jewellery 

and bags; an ideal place to find a gift for someone 

special perhaps. Next door, at Margaret Devai’s antique 

shop, 2nd Chance, there is a treasure trove of jewellery 

(Margaret’s particular interest) and other period items, 

the sort of shop that would not 

be out of place in an episode of 

“Antiques Road Show”. 

Margaret has been in College 

Yard for 37 years but has only 

recently moved premises from 

an adjacent shop. 

Margaret’s former premises 

are now occupied by Green-Jay 

(www.green-jay.co.uk). 

Proprietor Jacqui Stirling offers 

plastic-free and environmentally 

friendly alternatives to everyday 

products at a time when society looks to “do its bit for 

the planet”. Here you can find solid shampoo, bamboo 

toothbrushes, soap knots, which are an alternative to 

soap powder, and lots more innovative items; just don’t 

expect a plastic bag to carry home all of your purchases! 

Coffee at College Yard Café (my favourite Americano 

venue in Brigg) is always accompanied by a friendly 

chat with proprietor Sarah Carter, Alison or Clarissa but 

beware, there is a great temptation to complement your 

coffee (or tea) with something from the range of homeproduced 

sweet and savoury offerings on display. The 

café can also provide “Meals on Wheels”; just phone 

40871 5 for details. Sarah has recently redecorated the 

café and has begun a programme of display of work by 

local artists. I was fortunate enough to meet Dameon 

Strong, whose work is currently on show, as he was 

hanging some of his sea and surf studies. Work by Rob 

Holmes who specializes in pop artist portraits “with a 

twist” is scheduled to follow Dameon’s exhibition. 

Opposite the café is Indulge (tel. 409381 ) which offers 

luxury bath products and a “pampering experience”. I 

called in to find Niamh arranging a display of luxury 

scented candles in 

readiness for the Christmas 

season. Until the end of 

October the shop was 

known as The Water Room 

but proprietor, Fiona, has 

changed the name to avoid 

confusion; many callers 

believed them to be a 

plumbing business! The 

Water Room continues to 

operate from premises in 

Wrawby Street. 

Towards the Old Courts 

car park the former pet 

shop is being converted 

into a shoe shop by Sarah 

Sadler and will cater for all 

tastes in footwear. To be 

known as The Shoe Room, 

this is not, as many people 

seem to think, a 

replacement for Sarah’s 

other outlet on Wrawby 

Street which will continue to operate but will be 

renamed Sarah J’s. Sarah hopes to open the College Yard 

shop in mid-November but certainly in time for the 

Brigg Christmas Fair. 

Caritas (www.caritas.co.uk) have operated from 1 1 -1 3 

College Yard for about 20 years and offer a wide range of 

medical testing services such as drug and alcohol 

screening, occupational health and general medical tests 

for certain sports and recreation. 

Hair and Beauty is the focus of activity further 

towards Old Courts Road. Guys & Dolls (tel. 655935), as 

its name might suggest, offers hairdressing services for 

both genders. At what was “Michelle’s”, Stephanie Slack 

has taken over the business since Michelle retired but 

her staff, which includes senior stylist Victoria Morwood 

and stylist Stephanie (SJ) Pick, 

remain. I called in on a busy 

Farmers’ Market day to learn 

that, as well as hair care, staff 

had been trained to give cutthroat 

razor shaves. 

Opposite, Corner House (tel. 

659898) offers a myriad of hair 

and beauty treatments under 

one roof. The business is run by 

Clare and Will Ash who offer 

advanced anti-ageing treatment 

and body sculpting and also 

retail premium brand products. 

There is an air of 

collaboration between the proprietors in College Yard so 

it is no big surprise to learn that together they are 

planning an “awareness campaign” to attract more 

people into their “strip”. This will include new signage at 

each end of College Yard and possibly some “street 

activities”. Perhaps this article can provide a modest 

contribution to their combined efforts. 


Made in Brigg 

By Graham West 

Made in Brigg - now there’s a rare claim. In 

days of old Brigg, like many other market 

towns, had a thriving local manufacturing community. 

Small scale maybe and making 

products that we perhaps don’t have much call 

for today such as carriage wheels, rabbit skins, 

sails or ropes, it nevertheless provided jobs and 

generated much needed wealth for the town. 

More recently jam, mineral waters (otherwise known as 

‘pop’), stockings, sugar and bicycles were made in Brigg, 

but sadly these businesses have also steadily disappeared 

in spite of the fact that all of these products remain 

very much in demand. 

Fortunately the surrounding farming and agricultural 

industry has helped to support a lot of businesses in the 

town but even that is under threat with the large scale 

acquisition of local farms and land by distant buyers, 

thus diverting much of the income away from the area. 

Somehow we seem to have either given up or lost the art 

of making things locally. 

The good news is that Brigg has, to date, avoided becoming 

a retail clonesville, so often the precursor to 

dwindling footfall, with a healthy mix of original, independent 

shops and multiples making the reason for visiting 

Brigg by people from afar worthwhile and thus 

helping our local economy. 

There is one business in Brigg, however, that ticks all 

the boxes when it comes to both making and selling 

things, Guy Whitney. Guy is a designer-goldsmith who 

has been hand crafting modern, contemporary gold and 

silver jewellery for more than thirty-four years, nineteen 

of which have been from his base in Brigg. Talking to 

Guy it’s obvious from the start that he is not from these 

parts. Although living in the UK for more than thirtyfour 

years his Canadian accent has lingered. Born and 

raised in Western Canada, he moved to the UK in 1 982 

Inspired when he was quite young by the processes 

involved in the design and creation of beautiful objects 

from precious stones and metals, he enrolled with the Sir 

John Cass College (now part of the London Metropolitan 

University in London) in 1 984 to study diamond mounting 

and setting. 

After attaining his City and Guilds certificates with 

distinction in 1 986, Guy worked for two London-based 

designer/goldsmiths for four years adding to his wealth 

of knowledge and expertise. He then moved to Lincolnshire 

in 1 990, where Gillian had lived prior to them 

meeting. Working from home, he started his own business 

designing and making fine pieces of intricate, contemporary 

jewellery and in the process began to build 

up an appreciative clientele, not just locally but across 

the country. 

He then opened a workshop on the top floor of 

premises in Dunstall Street close to the centre of Scunthorpe 

before relocating to a modest ground floor workshop 

and showroom in College Yard, Brigg in 1 999. Just 

three months ago he moved his business into a much 

larger showroom and workshop in Market Place, Brigg. 

having married Gillian (who hails from GuyBarnsley). 

Whitney, Emma Whitney, Brett Whitney. 


jewellers at his home workshop as well as providing a 

high quality repair service. What better place to entrust 

your precious jewellery to? 

Guy Whitney’s business is the very essence of what 

is needed to help the Brigg high street survive the cold 

winds that are currently blowing through the UK retail 

environment. Independent, specialist shops both making 

and/or selling merchandise that can’t be found in every 

other town in the country, or indeed any of the global 

online organisations, has to be one positive way to 

address the challenge. It would also be good to see 

‘Made in Brigg’ being applied to a few more products in 

the future. 

Workshop corner ofthe new showroom 

Guy has always had his own very positive and 

innovative ideas on how jewellery should look and feel 

and his designs reflect his individual approach. As well 

as producing highly original pieces of jewellery for sale 

in his own shop, by far the most important part of the 

business is welcoming bespoke commissions, but what 

he does not do is supply other retail outlets. It must be 

in the genes or else catching, because his enthusiasm for 

his craft has influenced both daughter Emma and son 

Brett to follow him into the same career. Both studied 

and graduated with first-class honours degrees in 

jewellery and silversmithing at the Birmingham School 

of Jewellery, the largest jewellery school in Europe 

located at the heart of Birmingham’s famous Jewellery 

Quarter where much of the jewellery made in Britain 

today is manufactured. 

Whilst Brett works with his father in Brigg, Emma 

married Ben and moved to live in Worcester eight years 

ago. She recently opened her own showroom and 

workshop in Worcester (Whitney Designer Goldsmiths) 

and sells jewellery made by all three members of the 

family. If you would like to see some examples of Guy’s, 

Emma’s and Brett’s work but unable to visit his 

showroom then you can visit his online shop at 

www.whitneygoldsmiths.co.uk. Alternatively you can log 

on to his facebook page and view some fascinating 

videos of his jewellery in the making. Guy also teaches 

diamond-setting and casting courses to students and 

Top: Diamond crossover dress ring 

Middle: Pink Tourmalin Trillian split ring 

Bottom Gold pear shape Topax pendant 

Men's seal signet ring 



St John’s Flower Festival 

October 2018 

Our recent Flower festival with the theme of ‘Praise & 

Prose’ gave us time to reflect on all those who gave so 

much for us, those who built the church 1 75 years ago 

and those who gave their lives in WW1 . During the war 

many wives, mothers, sisters and sweethearts waved 

goodbye to their men folk never to see them again. 

Women offered their help by nursing the wounded and 

offering support where necessary. For those who were 

fortunate to return home their lives were changed 

forever. We offer our unreserved thanks for their 

sacrifice. 

Unfortunately, wars still continue today and people 

suffer more than we can imagine. We wonder, 

why does this torment of death continue? 

Greed, power and selfishness play a part. One 

cannot help but feel that peace escapes the 

world sometimes. We are, as individuals quick to 

take offence, say a cutting word, or not allow 

others to be different from us. Even saints have 

found living with those who may be ‘different’ 

difficult. The following, written by Therese of 

Lisieux, born in 1 873, is a lesson for us all. She 

writes: “There is one sister in the community 

who has the knack of rubbing me up the wrong 

way at every turn; her tricks of manner, her 

tricks of speech, her character, just strike me as 

unlovable. But then she’s a holy and religious 

nun; God must love her dearly; so I wasn’t 

going to let this natural antipathy get the 

better of me. I reminded myself that charity isn’t a 

matter of fine sentiment; it means doing things. So, I 

determined to treat this sister as if she were the person I 

loved most in the world.” 

If we love one another as God loves us, then who 

knows, perhaps one day wars will cease. 

From the preview evening on Wednesday, to the 

Hymns of Praise, to close the event, on Sunday evening, 

everyone who came to view the flowers and partake of 

refreshments was very complimentary about the event. 

It was good to hear the buzz of enthusiasm and joy of 

those who visited St John's, not only in church at the 

time, but in conversations around the wider community. 

Through Brigg Matters we would like to express our 

deep gratitude to all who contributed in any way to 

make this a truly momentous occasion for Brigg’s Parish 

Church. 

St John's Singers on the occasion ofthe Praise & Prose 

Festival ofFlowers. Pic by Graham West. 



Brigg Town Council Newsletter Page 2



Walking The Great Wall of China 

By Katie Woodward 

We survived! Just. I still cannot believe that the 

challenge is done and over (my legs and back are 

certainly thankful). The views were absolutely breathtaking, 

my camera certainly could not do it justice. It is 

like nothing I can say I have seen before and struggle to 

describe. 

I wanted to give a quick overview of the schedule 

that the Charity Challenge company took us on. 

Day 1 we started on the renovated Jinshanglin east 

section where there were 1 ,000 steps just to get on the 

wall that day. 

Day 2 was the west section of Jinshanglin which 

started on the ancient section. We started at a temple 

entrance and took a beautiful walk up to the wall which 

was the oldest section we did. 

Day 3 was the Mitianyu section where the ‘heavenly 

staircase’ is situated. Thankfully we were going down it 

but had to walk through the woodlands and up a 

mountain to get on the wall in the morning. 

Day 4 was the Huanghuacheng section overlooking 

the Xishuiyu reservoir where some of the wall had 

completely disappeared and it was a misty kind of day 

which gave a different back drop to the scenery. 

Day 5 was the 

Badaling section which 

is the most touristtrodden 

section of the 

wall. It was so windy 

we could hardly stand 

and were in full fleece 

layers and bobble hats 

which was a contrast to 

the other days where 

we had sunshine and 

smog! The fact that 

each day the wall was 

so different and 

changeable was the 

most surprising fact to 

me. 

Breaking the Pain Barrier 

in the Name of Charity 

Staff at the Brigg-based NHS North Lincolnshire Clinical 

Commissioning Group rowed an impressive 1 00 

kilometres between 9am-5pm on 6 September and raised 

£1 75 for Scunthorpe Samaritans in the process. 

The event was organised by Emma Mundey, head of 

contract management, and Samantha Helmick, assistant 

commissioning officer. “It was a fantastic effort for a 

fantastic cause,” said Ms Helmick. “This was about 

everyone feeling they had the opportunity to contribute 

to a good cause and they did just that. Some had never 

used a rowing machine before but we kept it moving for 

the full working day.” 

Ms Mundey added: “We did go a little over 5pm to 

reach the target in the end – but that makes it more 

special. The fact so many colleagues, of all levels, got 

involved and contributed in the way they did and then 

put in some extra effort right at the end was great.“As a 

My total so far raised for 

Cancer research is £1 ,1 75 

and my just giving page and 

form is still open to 

donations. My mum has 

also a similar figure raised 

for Prostate Cancer UK and 

we couldn’t be more 

thankful for people 

supporting our causes. 

Anyone thinking of seeing 

the Great Wall or doing a 

similar challenge I would 

thoroughly encourage and 

wish them the very best! 

Brigg's Annual 10k Poppy Run 

The ever-popular, fully-licensed UK Athletic event was 

held at the end of October. Attracting a capacity of 500 

competitors, the annual run is divided into two parts; a 

1 0k (7mile) flat run for both discerning competitive 

athletes, as well as those having their own personal aims, 

and the Military Challenge section with weighted 

rucksacks and boots. Proceeds go to the Royal British 

Legion Poppy Appeal. 

CCG we are looking to get more involved with local 

charities. We’d like to thank Ancholme Leisure Centre 

for donating a rowing machine to us for the day, too.” 

The rowathon was kicked off by the organisation’s 

chief officer, Emma Latimer, at 9am. Thereafter members 

of staff, who had been given their own 1 0-minute slots, 

hit the rower and pushed the team to its 1 00-kilometre 

target. 

“I’m really proud of the team,” said Ms Latimer. “It 

didn’t matter whether you were a strong rower or that it 

was your first time, the important thing was seeing so 

many different levels of ability chip in as one to get the 

job done. And in the 

process we have shone 

the light on 

Scunthorpe 

Samaritans, who do a 

great job, and raised 

funds for them. “I’d 

like to thank everyone 

who took part.” 



Brigg Prostate Cancer 

Fundraising Group 

by Dave Brittain 

This group has been set up to support and raise funds 

for Prostate Cancer UK in the Brigg area. Amazingly, no 

such group has existed beforehand to support this 

aspect of men’s health. 

The idea was the brainchild of local councillor and 

Deputy Mayor Brian Parker and along with local 

residents Steve Pearce, David Brittain and Paul 

McCormick their aim is to raise awareness in the wider 

community, raise funds for ProstateCancer UK but most 

importantly to encourage more men to be open about 

the condition and take the diagnostic tests. 

Prostate cancer is one of the top causes of premature 

death amongst men and the development of advanced 

tests to diagnose the type of cancer and most 

appropriate treatment all takes money to fund research. 

Research is vital if we are to be as successful as the 

breast cancer campaign that has radically changed the 

lives of women through screening and advances in 

diagnosis and treatment. We would like to think that a 

higher profile of this condition could have a similar 

effect for men. 

Prostate cancer mainly affects men over 50 and your 

risk increases as you get older. Statistically, 1 in 8 men in 

the UK will get Prostate cancer at some point in their 

lives and it is important to diagnose the disease at an 

early stage to enable prompt and effective treatment to 

take place. 

Prostate cancer is now the most common cancer in 

men with over 47,000 men diagnosed with prostate 

cancer every year – that's 1 29 men every day. Every 45 

minutes one man dies from prostate cancer – that's 

more than 1 1 ,000 men every year, it has overtaken breast 

cancer to become the third biggest killer. The good news 

is that there are 330,000 men living with and after 

prostate cancer. 

With high quality research, we can dramatically 

reduce the avoidable deaths and enable sufferers to 

return to active and productive lives. Recent 

developments in treatment, detection and immune 

system therapy have been successful in some men but 

Caring Tea-Ladies! 

A cheery group of carers meet at the Carers' Centre in 

Redcombe Lane every Thursday. Their meetings alternate 

between chatter over tea and biscuits and more active 

events. 

are only the start of work needed to combat this cancer. 

A recent collection at Tesco raised almost £500 and 

Brigg Rotary Club has donated an additional £500 to 

kick-start the project. Individual donations, of any value, 

get us closer to a solution. We will be collecting again on 

Saturday 8 December at Tesco Brigg. 

If you would like to support the drive towards earlier 

and better diagnosis and treatment please contact Dave 

Brittain on 01 652 6521 60 or email at 

dave41 brittain@gmail.com 

Follow us on Facebook: 

https://www.facebook.com/BriggPCFG/ where you will 

find a link to a Just Giving page for on-line donations. 

Visit www.prostatecanceruk.org for more information. 

Pudding Party Success 

A Pudding Party organised by The Brigg Town 

Business Partnership held in Brigg in early October 

has been hailed a roaring success. Held at St John’s 

Church Hall, guests enjoyed a drink and nibbles on 

arrival followed by an array of puddings to tempt their 

tastebuds. 

The magnificent amount of £665 was raised at the 

event, in aid of the Brigg Tree of Light with the profits 

from the evening going to The Carers’ Support Centre, 

Brigg and Cure DM CIC. 

The Business Partnership would like to thank St John’s 

Church & Church Hall; The Carers’ Support Centre, 

Brigg; Cure DM CIC; Co-op Funeralcare; The Steel 

Rooms; The Loft; The Deli & Diner; 4 Heaven’s Cake; Ken 

Harrison and all the companies and individuals who 

kindly donated raffle prizes. 



The Grounds Behind the Jump 

By Ken Harrison 

Gracious me! What's our young 'Brigg Matters' editor, 

Becky Reynolds, doing plunging earthwards at sonic 

speed? (see Front Cover) It's certainly not a pre-requisite 

of taking on the role of editor that one is thereafter 

expected to launch oneself from the adrenalineproducing 

altitude of 1 5 thousand feet, free-fall for one 

minute and scream like mad! 

Veritably, our intrepid Becky was tandem 

parachuting at Skydive Hibaldstow to promote the 

Brigg-based Pancreatic Cancer Action (PCA) group. 

Driven by Andrew 'Sass' Markham, Zoe Hall, Lesley 

Whitehand and supported by Brigg Town Mayor, Cllr 

Donald Campbell, 

the objective of 

PCA is raise 

awareness and 

save lives through 

early diagnosis. 

The pancreas is 

a deep-seated, vital 

organ of the 

digestive system 

and is located 

behind the 

stomach. Amongst 

other functions, it 

secretes enzymes 

to break down 

proteins and 

important 

hormones, such as 

insulin to control 

blood-sugar levels. 

The Pancreatic Cancer Purple 

Window ofthe Angel in 

November. 

According to 

our PCA group, 

pancreatic cancer is 

often diagnosed 

during examination 

for another medical problem and, therefore, is often 

described as, 'the silent killer'. The aims of PCA is to 

improve survival rates by focussing on early diagnosis. 

Its deep-seated location tends to hide the development 

of a tumour and pancreatic cancer is currently the fifth 

biggest killer with only 5 percent surviving after 

diagnosis - the lowest survival rate of the 22 most 

common cancers. 

However, and an important, however, is that effective 

treatment and survival rates increase enormously with 

early diagnosis. PCA highlight the possible 7 important 

signs of pancreatic cancer in its early stages as; 

• Jaundice - yellowing of skin and whites of eyes and/or 

very itchy skin 

• Unexplained weight loss. 

• Indigestion that does not respond to medication. 

• Abdominal pain, or discomfort - new and significant. 

• Mid-back pain - in the area between the shoulder 

blades and/or where a bra strap would be. 

• Pale and smelly stools that don't flush easily. 

Other symptoms could include: new onset diabetes not 

associated with weight gain, pain on eating, fatigue and 

unexplained tiredness, moodiness. 

If you persistently experience one or more of these 

Lesley Whitehand ofthe PCA group and Becky 

Reynolds before the jump. 

symptoms, which are not normal to you, DO NOT 

IGNORE THEM. It is unlikely your symptoms are caused 

by a serious health issue, but you are not wasting your 

time by getting such symptoms checked. 

November has been Pancreatic Cancer Awareness 

Month and the local PCA team have used the time to 

raise awareness by illuminating the balcony window of 

the Angel, Pancreatic Purple, holding a quiz in St John's 

church hall, manning its regular PCA Awareness stall at 

the Farmers' Market and Sass Markham can regularly be 

seen fund-raising and giving out leaflets in local pubs. 

In addition, Brigg Town Mayor, Cllr Donald Campbell 

has chosen PCA as one of his sponsored charities during 

his term of office. 

As Lesley Whitehand said, 'If our efforts save the life 

of just one person, then our efforts are worth it.' 



Andrews Hedgehog Hospital 

Ronnie and Frank would like to thank everyone who 

took part in the Hedgehog Half Marathon on Sunday 7 

October at Normanby Hall and to all the runners who 

unreservedly deserved their medals (we wish we were a 

bit younger and could have taken part) and especially to 

Curley's for hosting such a professional and wellorganised 

event. 

Apart from the competitors the stars of the show had 

to be all the volunteers from Andrews who came and 

helped man the stall, talk to the public and give out 

medals to the runners. Everyone of them had appeared 

at 7am to begin the day either by cleaning, feeding and 

medicating hedgehogs or coming to help with the event. 

The support they gave us was unbelievable and they 

have our undying gratitude because without them 

Andrews would not be able to help so many hedgehogs. 

We sincerely hope that we will see you all again next 

year round about the same time 

To all those people who have expressed an interest in 

fostering for the winter it would be a great help as we 

are completely full with 90 hedgehogs. If you think that 

you could care for a rescued hedgehog over the winter 

months and want further details, please ring us on 01 724 

872726. We will always be on the end of the phone, if 

you need any help or guidance and support. 

Meanwhile plans are going ahead for the extension 

to our present hospital as, owing to circumstances 

beyond our control, we are not going ahead with the 

planned hospital at Elsham Hall. To all those kind people 

who bought a brick, with your permission we intend to 

use the donations for the extension unless instructed 

otherwise. Your names will still appear on the wall of the 

new extension and new building which should be open 

by the spring of 201 9. 

And finally a big thank you to everyone who has 

supported us during this journey for the love of 

hedgehogs. We hope you all have a very Happy 

Christmas, from all our grateful hedgehogs at Andrews 

Hedgehog Hospital, Appleby near Broughton. 

www.andrewshedgehoghospital.org.uk 

Telephone 01 724 872726 

Registered charity number - 1 1 66628 

Old Resident Re-Visits Brigg 

It was a scream as Billy Bones was overjoyed to receive 

two Halloween Trick or Treat revellers in the Grammar 

School Road area at the end of October. Billy indicated 

that this was a fleeting visit and was his first exhumation 

to the town since 1 679. 

During his brief 

moon-bathing 

experience, he 

enjoyed a skinny 

latte and was able 

to order some spare 

ribs from the local 

Chinese takeaway. 

He promised the 

youngsters that he 

would return next 

year. 

Carers’ Support Service 

- Vote for us! 

Use your tokens at the Brigg Tesco store to cast your 

vote during November & December 

We’re in the customer vote for a Bags of Help grant 

from Tesco. It’s a scheme which gives community 

projects like us grants of up to £4,000 – all raised from 

the sale of carrier bags in Tesco stores. The public will 

now vote in store during November and December on 

who should receive the awards. Please support us in 

your local Brigg store. 

www.tesco.com/bagsofhelp 

Thank you! 



Christmas Parcels 

We will be delivering well-stocked 

Christmas parcels to those 

individuals and families in need this 

year to bring a little cheer over this 

festive season and show that Rotary 

cares for those in our community 

less fortunate than ourselves. It is 

our aim to pack and deliver at least 

50 parcels but we are dependent on 

the generosity of local businesses 

and individuals that provide funds, free or at cost goods. 

We would like to thank all those who support this greatly 

appreciated goodwill gesture. 

Community Service 

In our drive to support the community we have checked 

on how much of their time members have given and it 

amounts to 1 ,400 hours of service during 201 7-1 8 and we 

have raised £9,900 to allocate to good and charitable 

causes. Almost 60% of our service time was dedicated to 

supporting young people in schools, as they are our 

future. Our international effort helps partner-Rotarians 

worldwide as they; dig wells from which they will never 

drink, restore eyesight for those they will never see, 

build houses they will never live in, vaccinate children 

they will never meet, plant trees they will never sit 

under, educate children they will never know and feed 

hungry people, regardless of colour, race or politics. If 

you would like to do something similar, why not come 

and join us? Call 01 652 651 065 to help. 

Purple for Polio for 2018-19 

On World Polio Day, 25 October, Brigg Town Mayor, 

our President and members planted purple crocuses to 

remind us of the need to continue the vaccination 

programme around the world. Volunteers, Churches, 

Scouts, Tesco staff and the ATC helped us plant the next 

batch of 22,000 purple crocuses that will bloom in the 

spring in and around Brigg. We have seen such a 

dramatic reduction in cases, 25 years ago polio struck 

350,000 children each year, now it is fewer than twenty 

but we are not there yet and slipping our guard could 

easily result in a resurgence leading us back into those 

dark days. The dream is to eradicate this dreadful 

disease entirely and it will become a reality if we all 

work towards that goal. 

Rotary Youth Leadership Awards, RYLA 

Returning graduates from 201 8 definitely gained 

maximum benefit from the course and presented their 

experiences to the club at a special meeting alongside 

their parents and RYLA tutors. Their new-found ability 

to present in public is a valuable life-skill, 

congratulations to Josh and Chloe. 

Defibrillator to be bought 

Brigg Rotary is delighted that it will be buying a 

defibrillator to be sited in King’s Avenue in early 201 9. 

Watch this space for more information! 

Peace Scholarship 

We are delighted and very proud that Mahlah Stamp, 

Brigg Club’s candidate and an employee of North 

Lincolnshire Council, has become our Rotary District 

1 040 nominated candidate for the Rotary Peace Fellow 

to attend a three month world peace studies programme 

at Bangkok University in January 201 9. 

We will not know if Rotary International, who has to 

select Fellows from worldwide applications, has chosen 

her before going to press. We are very grateful to North 

Lincolnshire Council for its support and encouragement 

to promote this prestigious award amongst employees. 

Huntcliff Academy – Making Maths Fun 

We were delighted to offer our support to the 

school’s maths department for this morning of 

awareness-raising highlighting four quite different 

aspects of maths to Year 7 pupils. This takes away the 

‘fear’ of maths felt by some pupils and helps them 

engage with the subject so that they can achieve better 

results throughout their school life. We will also support 

mock interviews of Year 1 1 students on 1 1 December. 

The students benefit greatly from the experience and 

appreciate our involvement. 

Burns Night 2019 

A date for your diary. On Friday 25 January we will 

be holding another traditional Burns Night in the Angel 

Ballroom. Tickets will be in demand following last year’s 

success. We will have our nationally renowned Piper, 

Andy, who will also entertain us during the evening. 

There will be a three course sumptuous meal followed by 

an entertaining talk about Burns as well as the 

traditional toasts to the lassies and laddies. Tickets are 

£26 and can be bought from Grandad’s Shed or ordered 

by calling 0751 9330432. 



The Buttercross 

- The Perfect Wedding Venue 

Right on your Doorstep 

Weddings come in all shapes and sizes nowadays, and 

there have never been more options available to couples 

wishing to exchange their vows. Did you know, for 

example that more than 70% of future brides and 

grooms are choosing a civil ceremony as opposed to the 

more traditional church wedding? Many feel that they 

don’t have the religious beliefs to get married in church; 

others would rather not have the formality that such a 

service brings. But more than anything it is the 

opportunity to personalise their special day that appeals 

most of all. 

The Buttercross – an elegant regency-styled room 

overlooking the Market Place in the very heart of Brigg 

– is fast gaining a reputation as one of the most 

attractive options for civil weddings in the area. 

Licensed for weddings and civil partnership ceremonies, 

it offers a very affordable and stylish alternative to 

churches, or indeed the registry office. 

But above all, it is a venue which gives you the 

freedom to tailor what will be one of the most important 

days of your life. Whether you want intimacy or 

extravagance; something traditional or unexpected, the 

Buttercross team will work with you to help you make 

the most of your special occasion. 

The wedding day will be one of the most important 

days of your life, one you will remember for a lifetime. 

The Buttercross is an elegant, distinctive, relaxing and 

memorable venue. But above all else, we recognise that 

this is YOUR wedding, and helping to perfect the little 

details that make your day so memorable is our 

pleasure. Why not contact us (at Brigg Heritage Centre) 

on 01 724 296771 to arrange a viewing. 

Santa's back at the Heritage Centre 

Yes, it’s that time of year again, and Father Christmas 

has just been in touch to tell us that he will be making 

his traditional visits to Brigg Heritage Centre. His first 

visit will be on Friday 30 November during Brigg 

Christmas Fayre. As soon as the lights are switched on 

he and his helpers will be ready to welcome children as 

usual. And in addition to your special time with Santa, 

there will be plenty of craft activities to take part in. 

Then he will be flying in again on successive Saturdays; 

8, 1 5 and 22 December, from 1 0.30am-1 .30pm. 

Brigg Singers Christmas Concert 

Brigg Singers will be presenting a Christmas Concert 

on Monday 1 0 December at Brigg Methodist Church 

at 7.30pm. 

Tickets are £5 each inclusive of light refreshments 

and can be obtained from Grandad's Shed, Wrawby 

Street, Brigg, Choir members, on the door or by 

calling 01 724 842485. 



Vehicles in the Pedestrian Zone 

by Ken Harrison 

One of the enduring, legitimate gripes that folks have 

about Brigg town centre, is the inordinate volume of 

traffic that uses the pedestrian zone. The unabated 

process, it would appear, continues without proper 

control and many of Brigg visitors claim that it's a bit of 

free-for-all that has spilled over the limits of safety. 

The source, but not necessarily the miscreant, of this 

unacceptable state of affairs came into force after 

Humberside CC imposed the new Brigg pedestrian and 

one-way traffic regulations on 30 June 1 994. The 

regulations banned all vehicular traffic, including riding 

a bike, but allowed exceptions to the pervading order. 

Supporting public notices that were issued at the time, 

alerted shoppers that some exempt vehicles would still 

be able to utilise the zone and such traffic could include; 

emergency and medical vehicles, Royal Mail, cars used 

for weddings and funerals and transport needing to 

load/unload heavy items to premises where alternative 

access was limited. 

Disabled drivers were not automatically exempt from 

the regulations. Drivers were warned to 'drive with 

caution' without any limiting speed-limit being 

expressed. Legally, the speed limit is an alarming 30mph. 

Where regular exemption was required, a Glanford 

Borough Council permit had to be displayed in the 

vehicles to aid identification by the enforcement agency, 

namely, Humberside Police in the guise of 'a police 

officer in uniform or traffic wardens'. 

The evolved flaws now seem to be that the world and 

his wife are able to drive along Wrawby Street without 

challenge, the town's CCTV system cannot be legally 

used to validate traffic violations. There now appears to 

be a game of ping-pong between North Lincs Council 

and the police as to whom should enforce the 

regulations and consider amendments to the 1 994 

regulations and implementing enforcement. 

Wearing the devil's advocate wig, the local authority 

welcomes such events as Bike Nights and car rallies, but 

this serves only to highlight the duplicity of 

interpretations of the 1 994 regulations - someone needs 

to amend the by-law to recognise such occasional usage. 

Since 1 994, the contingent of police-controlled traffic 

wardens, a time when parking was a criminal offence, 

has been superseded by North Lincs Council's civil 

parking enforcement officers. The understanding is that 

civil parking attendants have jurisdiction over general 

parking matters, but police still retain responsibility for 

moving-traffic offences and obstruction. 

Blue-badge holders are permitted to apply for a 

permit, but a Local Link representative indicated that 

such applications are severely scrutinised and assessed 

by North Lincs and a medical team before approval. 

May it be suggested that inter-disciplinary 

coordination is required to resolve the issues of whom, 

what, where and when vehicle movements and parking 

are permitted in the pedestrian zone to eliminate both 

the perception and actuality that the frequency and 

volume of traffic along Wrawby Street, at times, 

resembles a shipping lane on the Humber at high tide. A 

common sense declaration is needed for this whole, 

uneasy state; presently, an unacceptable practice that is 

feeding from the trough of vagueness, lack of 

enforcement and habit. 

Methodist News 

By Sylvia Thomas 

Over many weeks we were busy knitting poppies to 

commemorate the ending of WW1 and, from comments 

received, the results of our work was much appreciated. 

Both the large cross, plus a cascade of poppies was a 

talking-point within and outside our church 

congregation. Thank you to everyone who knitted, gave 

money to buy wool, or helped in any way. 

Two of our stalwart members, both well-known in 

Brigg, have died in recent weeks. Anne Spolton had 

worked tirelessly for both our church and Circuit for 

many years, and was known in Brigg for her work with 

other groups, especially Live Arts. In the summer of 201 7 

she developed Motor Neurone Disease. Her faith glowed 

bright even as MND took its course and all who cared for 

her or visited her felt uplifted after spending time with 

her. She was courageous throughout. A celebration 

service took place on 1 2 October in a packed church and 

we gave thanks for her life & witness. Alan Roberts 

served as our church organist for 50 years and, except for 

doing National Service, spent his whole life in Brigg. 

Alan’s health had been steadily declining for a handful of 

years, the last period being spent in Wrawby Hall. Alan’s 

Commemoration Service was held on 25 October. 

Looking ahead, we celebrate our Chapel Anniversary 

on Sunday 2 December at 1 0.30am when the preacher 

will be the Chairman of our District, Revd. Bruce 

Thompson. Along with the choir of St. John’s, we are 

presenting The Gift at the Angel Courtyard on 1 5 

December at 6.30pm. This is a ticket-only event as 

numbers are very limited. Free tickets will be available 

from Mary Knaggs 01 652651 242 or from the Churches 

Together shop, open on Thursdays & Saturdays from 

1 0am-2pm. 

We are busy making outfits and props for “Open the 

Book”, a project that aims to take the Bible into Primary 

schools in a visual way, telling the biblical story in 

costume. 

Wednesday Book Club on alternate weeks to the 

ladies' Wednesday Group. We meet in the Coffee Lounge, 

it would be great to see new members. The fellowship 

groups and Thursday coffee morning continue. Details 

can be found on Facebook or the notice sheet which is 

updated & attached to the front door of our church. 



Macmillan Cancer Support 

The Brigg & District Committee of Macmillan Cancer 

Support would like to thank everyone who attended our 

recent afternoon tea and talk by Hannah Dale of 

Wrendale Designs. We sold all 60 tickets and we would 

again like to thank Hannah for her interesting and 

inspiring talk about her career to date. A total of £707 

was raised at this event and a big thank you to everyone 

who attended. The following week we held an Autumn 

Fayre at Broughton Village Hall – a number of local 

crafts people attended and the hall looked amazing. As 

well as the usual cakes on offer we also provided hot 

dogs, which went down very well! Also many thanks to 

Jim for putting out tables and chairs and generally 

looking after us. From this event we raised £338. 

Our last event of the year will be a Christmas prize 

draw on Saturday 1 December at St John’s Church Hall 

from 1 1 am–2pm. 1 st prize is a £50 Love to Shop voucher 

donated by Humberside Airport and 2nd prize £25 cash. 

Many more fantastic prizes are on offer which have been 

donated by local businesses. We will again be having an 

interesting array of local crafts people attending and will 

be serving teas/coffees and mince pies. If anyone is 

interested in having a table (£5 per table) to sell their 

crafts please contact any of the 3 people named below. 

The draw will take place at 1 .30pm on the day and draw 

tickets can be bought from Gerry (075383271 39), 

Kathryn (078898751 81 ) or Anne (01 652 65351 6 after 

6pm). 

Once again the Brigg & District Committee would 

like to thank everyone who has supported us 

throughout the year including B&M, who have allowed 

us to collect outside the store on a number of occasions 

and who now have our collection tins near the tills, and 

Tesco and Brigg Garden Centre who continue to show 

their support. There are too many local businesses to list 

here but you all know who you are and we very much 

appreciate everything you do to help our fundraising 

efforts – thank you. 

We are a very small committee and would therefore 

love to hear from anyone who has a bit of time to spare 

and would like to help us raise money for the Macmillan 

nurses who give support both financially and 

emotionally to people with cancer and their families in 

the Brigg and surrounding area. If at any time you are 

considering holding an event for Macmillan please get in 

touch with a committee member as we will be able to 

help with advertising, bunting etc and any money raised 

will be spent locally. 

On behalf of the Brigg & District Committee we 

would like to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a 

Happy New Year. 

The Macmillan Cancer Support Long Service 

Awards event 

As another year comes to an 

end we hope that you have 

all stayed safe and well so far. 

As you read this article you 

will have already enjoyed the Christmas Lights switch on 

in town and hopefully be all stocked up on Christmas 

presents from ours and other stalls. Thanks to those of 

you who dropped by to show your support, it is very 

much appreciated. We cannot do what we do without 

your continued help. 

You may have heard in the news the reports of Glenn 

Hoddle (former England football player and manager) 

collapsing while on set during the filming of some 

football matches for which he was providing summaries. 

Due to the training and awareness of the on-set sound 

engineer he was successfully resuscitated and taken to 

hospital. In this case there was an on-set defibrillator 

that was able to be used to help the first aider. Early 

intervention with a defibrillator and CPR were two of the 

main contributing factors in saving Mr Hoddle's life. Even 

if you have no previous experience of using a 

defibrillator, the machine will take you through 

everything. The most important thing to recognise is 

that the collapsed person is not responding and not 

breathing. If you can gain access to a defibrillator, all the 

better. We are lucky enough to have 9 defibrillators sited 

around our town. 

Please familiarise yourself with where they are as 

they may help you save someone's life one day! As ever if 

you wish to join as a responder please get in touch via 

brigglivescoordinator@hotmail.co.uk or or contact LIVES 

HQ on 01 509 525999. Merry Christmas! 



Remembrance Day 

Photos 2018 




B r igg & D is tric t E ve n ts : D e c e m b e r to F e b r u a r y 

6-7 December 

Epworth Old Rectory Candlelit Tours. Costumed guides 

& refreshments. Cost is £1 2.50, booking essential on 

01 427 872268. 

Friday 7 December 

Danni Nichols at Kirton Town Hall, with special guest 

Robbie Cavanagh. Advance tickets £1 3.50 from One Stop 

(Kirton) or Brian on 01 652 659230. 

Scunthorpe and North Lincolnshire Concert Society 

presents Louise Thomson (harp) at Outwood Academy, 

Foxhills at 7.30pm. www.scunthorpe-concertsociety.co.uk 

Saturday 8 December 

Scunthorpe & District Choral Society Christmas Concert 

Brumby Wood Lane, Scunthorpe. Call Central Library on 

01 724 8601 61 for tickets. 

December 8, 9, 14, 15, 16. 

Festival of Christmas Trees Old Brumby United Church, 

Ashby Road, Scunthorpe. Free Entry. Friday & Saturday 

1 0.30 – 5.30pm. Sundays noon-4pm. 

Sunday 9 December 

In Comes I, music, dance and mummers play featuring 

John Harrison at Barrow Village Hall, 2-4pm. Tickets £3 

on the door or call 01 469 5331 45. 

Monday 10 December 

Brigg Singers Christmas Concert at Brigg Methodist 

Church. Tickets £5, from Grandad’s Shed, on 01 724 

842485. 

Wednesday 12 December 

Singing For Pleasure Choir Winter Concert at the 

Diamond Jubilee Town Hall, Kirton in Lindsey at 7.30pm. 

Tickets £7 on the door or on 01 652 648435/01 673 81 8805. 

Thursday December 13, 14, 15, 16. 

Festival of Christmas Trees and Christmas Wreaths. 

Decorated trees and wreaths sponsored by local 

businesses and organisations. St John’s Church, Brigg. 

Admission free. 

Saturday 15 December 

Sandtoft Airfield Christmas Market & Fly-In. 1 0-4pm, £1 

entry. Call 01 427 872034 for info. 

The Del-Vikings at The Assembly Rooms, Barton. 

Sounds of the 60s! Tickets £7 (£8 on the door) from 

Lindsey Relay, George St, Barton. 

The Gift, modern music and poetry. The Angel 

Courtyard, Brigg, 6.30pm. Admission free but by ticket, 

available from the Churches Together Shop or on 07899 

674587. 

Sunday 16 December 

Town Carol Service, St John’s Church, with Barnetby 

Silver Band, 2pm. More information on 

www.briggisbest.co.uk 

Saturday 6 January 

Tree Of Light service, Chapel Court, Brigg, 3pm. More 

information on www.briggisbest.co.uk. 

Tuesday 8 January – Saturday 12 January 

Scunthorpe Little Theatre presents Dick Whittington at 

the Plowright Theatre. Tickets £9, family £34. Box office 

on 08448 542776. 

Friday 11 January 


presents the Magnard Ensemble at Outwood Academy, 


Saturday 26 January 

Scunthorpe Indoor Bowls Club free open day. Carlton 

Street, Scunthorpe, 1 0.30-4pm. Contact 01 724 280777 for 

more information. 

30 January & 28 February 

Barton Ghost Walk. Starts at Baysgarth House Museum 

at 7.30pm. Tickets are £5/£3 on 01 469 531 003, or come 

along on the night – if you dare! 

Friday 8 February 


presents Ensemble Mirage at Outwood Academy, 


This non-exhaustive list is compiled in conjunction 

with Brigg Tourist Information Centre and believed 

correct at the time ofgoing to press. Neither party 

can be held responsible for any inaccuracies. Brigg 

TIC can be contacted on 01652 657053 or by email 

at brigg.tic@northlincs.gov.uk 

www.visitnorthlincolnshire.com 


Advertisers 

A C Pailthorp 2 

Accolade 36 

Adele Cook 43 

Almond Builders 36 

Alpine Tree Care 36 

Althams Travel 6 

Angela Powell 28 

Bennetts Timber 6 

Breast Cancer Support 38 

Brian’s DIY 6 

Brigg & Humbs Roofing 8 

Brigg Beds 8 

Brigg Optical 1 0 

Brigg Town Council 

Middle 

Brown & Co 

Back 

C Dawson 1 0 

Conservative Party 1 2 

D Stewart Ltd 1 0 

Daz Jordan 43 

Dean Wray Carpets 1 0 

Design Orchard 1 2 

DJW Tiling 38 

Expest Solutions 41 

Foremost Feet 8 

Help!—Useful telephone numbers 

In a true emergency dial 999 

Forrester Cleaning Services 38 

Fun Forest 1 2 

Grace Gardens & Decorators 8 

Grandad’s Shed 40 

Greensleeves 20 

Greenthumb 34 

Guy Whitney 32 

Harrison’s Hideaway 24 

Hidden Garden Florist 42 

Homecrafts 1 4 

Ian Jobson Pest Control 39 

J Naylor 39 

Jaylaurs Sewing Studios 38 

John Winship 40 

Jolly Miller 21 

Lincs Locks & Glazing Repairs 1 6 

Link 2 Resource 1 6 

Mason Baggott&Garton Solicitors 1 6 

MG Joinery 42 

Molly’s Flowers 31 

N J Bell 26 

Newell’s of Brigg 20 

No7 DIY Garry Davies 33 

Norfolk Optics 41 

O’Brien’s Opticians 40 

Ovenu 27 

Electricity—Emergency 0800 375 675 

Gas—Emergency 0800 1 1 1 999 

Water (Anglian Water) 08457 1 45 1 45 

Police 1 01 

Fire 01 724 295900 

North Lincs Council Helpline 01 724 297000 

Travelling 

Brigg Railway Station : Northern Railway (24hrs) 0800 200 60 60 

Traveline 0871 2 002233 

Humberside Airport 01 652 688456 

Health 

NHS Non–Emergency 1 1 1 

Scunthorpe Hospital 01 724 282282 

Doctors 

Bridge Street 01 652 657779 

Riverside Surgery 01 652 6501 31 

Pharmacies 

Boots 01 652 652269 

Whitworths 01 652 6521 96 

Riverside Pharmacy 01 652 600301 

Parkers Carpets 41 

Pawfection by Emma Watson 35 

Peacock & Binnington 34 

Pickerings 20 

Pure Health 37 

RBM 1 4 

Rebecca Beaton Accountancy 20 

RNS Chartered Accountants 1 4 

RNS Financial Advisors 20 

Roger Green Chimney Sweep 37 

S B Electrical 24 

S Christian Decorator 31 

Safe At Home 24 

Sirius Heating Solutions 24 

Smithy's Pond 26 

Stuart’s Decorating Services 26 

T’ai Chi 26 

The Buttercross 32 

The Craft Cabin 29 

The Deli and Diner 28 

The Old Chapel 33 

The Old Parsonage 28 

Turnerwarran 28 

Whitelock Financial Planning 30 

Whitworth Chemists 30 

Wrawby Roofing Services 32 

Dentists 

Bigby Street 01 652 6531 63 

Dudley Road 01 652 652070 

Opticians 

O’Brien’s 01 652 653595 

Brigg Optical 01 652 650400 

Norfolk Optics 01 652 65371 0 

Helplines 

Alcoholics Anonymous 01 472 362058 

Asthma Campaign 01 724 764000 

Blind Society 01 724 840456 

Cancer Support Group 01 724 282282 

Carers’ Helpline 01 652 650585 

Citizens Advice Bureau 01 724 870941 

Cruse Bereavement Centre 01 724 870941 

Diabetes UK 0845 1 20 2960 

Drug Problems 0800 776600 

Lone Parent Helpline 0808 802 0925 

Marriage Care 0800 389 3801 

Macmillan Cancer Support 0808 808 00 00 

North Lincolnshire Rural Community Transport 

—Mornings Only 01 652 637700 

The Samaritans—Local 01 724 860000 

The Samaritans—National 1 1 6 1 23 

If you would like more information about these or any other community organisations, 

contact Voluntary Action North Lincolnshire on 01 724 8451 55. 

These numbers have been checked recently, please inform us of any errors, changes, or omissions.

Brigg Matters Issue 53 Winter 2018

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