Grimsby’s famous Fisherman’s Memorial Statue was carefully lifted from its St James’ Square home today and taken away for base renovation.
The bronze figure, standing 12ft, will be fitted with a new York stone plinth and given a spruce up before being returned to the Square and re-positioned as part of the present transformation of the area into a family-friendly public space.
After seeking specialist advice on its lifting, required due to its weight and shape, slings were secured, and a crane slowly raised it from its present base and placed it onto a low-loader. The operation was carried out at 6.30am today.
The statue was designed and erected in 2005 after a major community and corporate fund-raising campaign and has stood proudly in the Square ever since.
As reported, the Square, part of the Heritage Action Zone, is undergoing a £1.8m overhaul with new furniture, planting, lighting and CCTV. Managed by North East Lincolnshire Council’s regeneration partner ENGIE, funding for the project was secured from the Humber Local Enterprise Partnership (Humber LEP) as part of the Government’s commitment to the Northern Powerhouse.
Addressing some of the past issues that people had experienced in the Square, Cllr Fenty said: “We are looking at holistic solutions to tackling some of the problems, such as anti-social behaviour. We know that homelessness is also an issue and that is a real focus of local concern for us. We are determined not to turn a blind eye but to deal with it.
“What we are doing here in this Square, and in other areas, will have a massive impact upon driving footfall in and around the town centre, it is a new opportunity for the whole area,” he added.
In addition to the main works in the Square, further monies from the Cultural Development Fund, (CDF), which is funded by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport and administered by Arts Council England was won to introduce creativity and art. Grimsby-based Our Big Picture has been commissioned to lead on this arts project, along with the regeneration underway at Garth Lane. It has pulled both projects together under its new Our Haven umbrella brand.
For details on how you can get involved with Our Haven please go to http://ourbigpicture.co.uk/projects/our-haven
Article and image from NELC.
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