By Ava Hodson
The Our Future history walk attracted over twenty walkers from a range of backgrounds, including community work, charity, architecture, local politics. It offered a chance to have conversations about personal connections to the town, history, experience, and how Grimsby could and should be improved in the future.
It started with a tour of the Grimsby Docks; the weather was cool and a little breezy, setting the scene for a history talk about Grimsby’s industrial and fishing heritage.
Many of us walkers had fascinating connections to the Docks, and it was evident that this had fostered a sense of excitement in seeing the historic Ice Factory, smoke houses and Kasbah up close and personal. However, these Grimsby icons remain hidden gems, described as “so close and yet so far away from us all”, since current access to the iconic Docks is limited for the members of the town.
The walk took us next to Freeman Street, which at lunch time on a Saturday afternoon was bustling with families and shoppers. We spoke about how, historically, Freeman Street was the heart of community life in Grimsby, characterized by strong, matriarchal homes in the surrounding estates – it was clear this was still the case.
The group moved on and paused before a notorious Grimsby icon – The Footbridge. This prompted a conversation about community connection, transport links and making improvements for the future of Grimsby. Indeed, we agreed that walking and cycling infrastructure throughout the town needed substantial investment and could mitigate feelings of isolation and fragmentation. These enhancements would reconnect ‘uptown and downtown’, as residents had always historically done.
Our passion for Grimsby and its rich and interesting history brought us together, but the walk ended up offering a unique opportunity for residents’ voices to be heard. And it was thirsty work – fancy a pint?
This walk was part of the Grimsby Together initiative, where citizens are shaping a vision for their town through a series of workshops, conversations, and gatherings. You can see more on the webpage: https://www.our-future.io/grimsby-together