This time it’s personal. Grimsby needs you, get involved…
Grimsby has been denigrated in media yet again, this time as the ‘worst place to live in the UK’, and we at The Straw That Broke the Haddock’s Back are calling on you to help us combat this. Here is how and why…
It’s fair to say, Grimsby gets more than its fair share of bad press, and most of us endure it with good humour. But this last occasion has got to be the straw that broke the Haddock’s back. Grimsby cannot continue to be held up as a stereotypical Northern backwater filled with uneducated illiterates with no aspirations…
We have to do something about this. Especially as we are set to get another pasting with the upcoming Sacha Baron Cohen film. Setting aside the usual spectres that always get mentioned alongside the word Grimsby (which actually plague many other towns of our stature) such as crime rates, drug problems, employment prospects, lack of opportunity and under investment in the local infrastructure and economy, the thing that offends most is the less than subtle implication running through all this negative commentary that our tribe are somehow an uncultured bunch of yobs.
This site is an attempt to turn that perception on its head. We are in fact artists, poets, wordsmiths, painters, thinkers, philosophers, ideas people, artists and creative entrepreneurs – and we will fight anyone who says otherwise!
Come on Grimsby, let’s show ’em. Send us your work, your words, your art, your music, your essays, your photography, your ideas – anything as long as its artful, heartfelt and articulate. The best of it will get published here as a permanent record of the culture of the Grimsby area. By way of an illustration of what we are trying to get from you, here is our poem in defence of our town and tribe.
Email your work to thehaddocksback or fire us over a comment. Any suggestions for who to include in the heroes and villains section are also welcome.
The straw that broke the haddock's back 
To be fair, Freeman Street looks alot like the picture
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Hi Chris. For sure it’s funny, and if we cannot make self effacing jokes about the place then who can? But, the point is there is much more than this to say about Grimsby as a place than riffing on the same old stereotypes. On a separate note, if Freeman St is neglected then there are lots of reasons why. One would be you have a huge Asda in proximity who trade on volume discounts because of their scale, sucking the life blood out of any local business that could set up in the street. Due to cheap rates, Freeman St could be a place full of local artisan businesses, and have a local identity/ character free of the homeogenous high street brands you see in every other high street. People would need to support those businesses though, and want to see the change.
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Hi
I went to freeman street market first time in 2 years .It looks amazing…it has changed so much . All new and bright. I was really impressed and felt uplifted as I have been frustrated by the use of the name GRIMSBY to represent a bad run down place. Some of the shop fronts are being replaced. I will be going back regularly again as I used to.
I wanted to tell you about some very talented local people who have websites and who are proud of their heritage….
womanwithafish.com/ (Sue Stone- an internationally renowned textile artist whose work is inspired by her Grimsby roots and the fishing),
dalemackie.com/- Dale Mackie works at Abbey Walk gallery in Grimsby and paints pictures of fisherman and the docks,,
abbeywalkgallery.com for Linda Ingham a portrait painter who also paints the local coastline ,
John Conolly on Face book…make sure you google Conolly with one’ n’ who, along with Bill Meek, has written songs about Grimsby for decades and sings all over the world at folk and shanty festivals, sarawebbstudios.com/ Sara Webb paints local scenes and landscapes and works in Grimsby and exhibits all over the country-
-I feel so proud that I know and have worked with some of these inspiring people
regards
Jane Clark
Please look these people up and feel inspired!!
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Thanks Jane. We will take a look at your recommendations and get back to you sharpish!
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