A group of officials from Königswinter, twinned with Cleethorpes, have paid a visit to the new RNLI station and the regeneration projects in Grimsby town centre.
The German town has been twinned with Cleethorpes for 51 years, thanks to an official signing ceremony in 1974.
Following the creation of the twinning, Cleethorpes Borough Council arranged for a number of schoolchildren to visit the German counterpart in July 1976 and for members of the Grimsby, Cleethorpes and District Youth Orchestra to visit the following October.
Students and teachers from secondary schools across the borough of Cleethorpes spent four to six weeks in the German town with some fortunate enough to study with the local schools.
A number of visitors came from Germany to Cleethorpes throughout the year as well. In the following year, the Bürgermeister and a number of other dignitaries visited for four days, during which time, 20 schoolchildren and two teachers also came to the town.
Joining them were seven school teachers who worked alongside local teachers to help improve future exchanges.
51 years later, and the friendship is still as strong as ever. The current Bürgermeister, Mr. Lutz Wagner, joined by The Worshipful Mayor of the Borough Cllr Janet Goodwin, visited a number of places in his most recent visit, including the newly built RNLI station on the Central Promenade.
Andy Burden, Lifeboat Operations Manager for the RNLI in Cleethorpes, said: “It was a delight to welcome the Bürgermeister and Mayor to our new lifeboat station as our contractors get ready to hand the building over to us.
The Mayor, representatives from the Cleethorpes Trustees Group and Königswinter dignitaries at the site of Grimsby’s regeneration scheme
“We were able to show them how our volunteers will work from the station, our new B Class lifeboat, and the great visibility it gives us over the beach to help us save lives at sea.
“We’re looking forward to moving in shortly, becoming operational in our new home, and then welcoming everyone else in to see this iconic building which will provide so much benefit to the resort.”
After an ice cream and a paddle, the group made their way into Grimsby town centre to look at the regeneration works that are well underway.
With a large amount of demolition work already carried out, the group were thrilled to see the progress being made on the projects and were looking forward to seeing the completion of the works.
Speaking about the regeneration of Grimsby town centre, Leader of the Council, Cllr Philip Jackson, said: “We’re on a hugely ambitious journey, with significant investment of public funds across our towns and borough. We’re investing in one of the largest schemes this council has ever invested in.
“Local job creation and the involvement of local people in this project not only brings benefits to the economy but also promotes pride and ownership in the scheme.
“The repurposing of the western end of Freshney Place is the largest regeneration scheme in the area and, along with the other projects around the town centre, it is set to transform the centre of Grimsby, attracting in more people for a range of exciting, new activities.
“As the demolition work continues, residents and visitors to Grimsby can see transformational change taking place.”
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