I have lived in Grimsby for the best part of 40 years (minus a few years for Uni, various jobs etc). But no matter where I go, I don’t think anywhere has shaped me as a person, in the same way that Grimsby has. So, I decided to start a new blog series, focusing on the places around Grimsby and Cleethorpes that shaped the people we Grimbarians and Meggies have become, starting – of course – with me. So, here are:
The Places That Made Me: Kat Musselwhite
Top Town Library
Some of my earliest memories are heading down into the depths of Town Library, with a sense of excitement. Whoever thought it was a good idea to put the kids library in the dungeon, might actually be a genius! I won’t be hearing anyone telling me it isn’t/wasn’t a dungeon, because 6-year-old Kathryn insists that it most definitely is.
I wholeheartedly credit Town Library for sparking my love for books.
I loved handing over my selection of books (I almost always took out the maximum number I was allowed to), and watching as the Librarian took out the little card, placed it in my records and stamped it with the date the book had to be returned. I dreamt of stamping books and eventually being a Librarian (I was never a Librarian!). I still have a little bit of an obsession with stamping things…call me weird, I’m okay with that!
Wybers Wood Primary School
I was that weird kid that – up to a point – loved school. I loved learning, and I credit a lot of my love for the creative arts on my time at Wybers Wood Primary School (both Infants and Juniors). My fondest memory was the final year in Infants; our teacher was arguably my favourite ever teacher: Mr Prestwood. We started the day with art, ended with singing and he would often cook things in class.
In year 6, I remember we were really encouraged to be creative. We had “Story Books” and were encouraged to spend time every week writing in them, and as someone who aspired to be a writer from a very young age, this was a big deal for me.
Book Shop off Freeman Street
It makes me sad that I cannot for the life of me, remember the name of the book shop off Freeman Street. I feel like it was a sister shop to Chapter Five which was literally on Freeman Street, but this one was on a side street. If memory serves me correctly, I believe that it suffered from flooding, and closed many years before Chapter Five did.
I spent so many Saturdays in the early to mid-nineties in this bookshop, either with my Nana or my Mum and older brother. I was obsessed with Point Horrors and the ‘Cheerleaders’ books, and Marc always bought those little Commando magazines, that I don’t think you can buy anymore.
Scartho Baths
I learnt to swim at Scartho Baths. I have so many memories of jumping off the high board, doing handstands, diving for bricks, swimming what felt like a billion lengths of the pool for various awards, learning how to save lives (I’m not sure if I would remember now though!), doing crocodile dives off the side of the pool and throwing myself in wearing pyjamas.
As an adult, I am not the biggest fan of sport, however swimming is my place of calm and I definitely credit Scartho Baths with being at the core of that.
Was I devastated when it closed? Absolutely. I’m still a little angry about it – understandably, and it is only recently that I managed to get myself to go swimming again, this time at Grimsby Leisure Centre.
Grimsby Ice Rink
I don’t remember when I first started ice skating, but I remember it being a big part of my life when I was around 9/10 years old. Sunday evening were spent at the Eskimo Kids Club, I had lessons, although don’t ask me what grade I got to; I’m certain I still have the certificates somewhere (my name spelt wrong on every single one!) but I have no idea what they are. My Nana learnt to ice skate at the same time, and I often went skating with my mum and older brother.
I think it was the Christmas of 1993 I even – somehow – made it into a production of The Wizard of Oz on Ice, playing a Munchkin, a Poppy (yes, really!) and a person of the Emerald City. I had so much fun doing that, and it still amazes me that I did it, because I was never very good at ice dancing. Going in circles; fine, but anything more dramatic? Probably not!
