More than 1,000 people turned out to witness the unveiling of a
fishermen’s memorial that followed a six-year campaign spearheaded by
the Grimsby Telegraph.
In 1998 the editor’s assistant, Stuart
Russell, was having coffee with a trawler skipper, John Nicklin, who
stressed there was no permanent tribute in Grimsby to the thousands of
local fishermen lost at sea over the years.
Ever since, the paper
has helped to raise £100,000 towards commissioning a designer to make
the 12-foot bronze statue and arranging for its erection.
Telegraph
editor Michelle Lalor said: “It was wonderful to see so many people
present at the unveiling after such a long campaign.
Related
“The
unveiling of the memorial was, for many, a treasured moment in
Grimsby’s history. It was also a proud day for this newspaper and the
community it serves.”
During the campaign the Telegraph wanted to open up the task of finding the right memorial and the best site for it.
The Fishermen’s Memorial Committee was set up and Lalor became a member along with other representatives of fishermen.
Content from our partners
Sadly,
former Telegraph editor Peter Moore, who was also a member of the
committee, died in October 2004 and so never saw the statue’s
completion.
A series of designs were drawn up and the public voted that the memorial should go in St James’ Square in the heart of Grimsby.
Email pged@pressgazette.co.uk to point out mistakes, provide story tips or send in a letter for publication on our "Letters Page" blog
