'We can show Grimsby in a different light'

Grimsby's success in being shortlisted for the Town of Culture gives it the opportunity to show itself to the rest of the country in a different light, the area's MP believes.

Melanie Onn said the bid not not "shy away from the fact that Grimsby is a gritty town".

"It's got a lot of determination and pride and commitment to its heritage," the MP for Great Grimsby & Cleethorpes told Richard Stead on BBC Radio Humberside.

Culture Minister Ian Murray said it was "no mean feat" to be shortlisted to become the first UK Town of Culture.

Grimsby is among other bigger places in the running for the title, with others including Basildon, Birkenhead and Rotherham.

Medium and smaller-sized places such as Corby, Great Yarmouth, Isle of Bute and Strabane are also on the shortlist.

The historic seaport town, one of 15 places to have made the list, will now receive a £60,000 funding boost to develop a full bid and stand a chance of being in the top three.

The winner will be chosen by a judging panel early next year and will be crowned the UK Town of Culture 2028, along with getting a £3m grant for cultural events.

The two runners-up will receive £250,000 each to carry out part of their programme.

Murray said Grimsby Minster, the Fishing Heritage Centre, Turntable Gallery, Hammond House and the town's link to football were all strong features of the bid.

Speaking to Kofi Smiles on BBC Radio Humberside, artist Dale Wells, who runs the Turntable Gallery in the town, said: "It means an awful lot. We're going to really run with it.

"I think it's time to raise our horizons and really look to what this could potentially do for the town."

Charlotte Bowen, director of arts organisation The Culture House, said: "Grimsby isn't always seen as the most cultural place but there's been a lot of ambition and talent here coming to the front."

The town entered the running in February with a bid endorsed by the Greater Grimsby Board.

It was backed by both North East Lincolnshire Council and Horizon Youth Zone, a charity in Grimsby aimed at providing a safe place for young people and those with additional needs.

Grimsby made the shortlist out of almost 400 entries across the UK.

Onn made a comparison with Hull, which was City of Culture in 2017, saying it had had a "fantastic effect" on the city.

"It will help us in Grimsby to show ourselves in a different light to residents and across the whole country," she said.

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