Our new series of interviews with our Grimbarians was commissioned for the We Are Great Grimsby event supported by Grimsby Creates. We talk to Toni , James , Ruchita , Jim and Jess about inspiration, success and wellbeing. Watch the interviews below...

5 years ago, on 1st January 2018, we launched Grimbarians, a photo documentary project to shine a light on people who are making positive changes to Grimsby in their own way. Since then, and with your continuing support, we’ve achieved quite a bit… - Showcased 58 Grimbarians , each nominated by you for their dedication to Grimsby - Teamed up with Grimsby Town Football Club to shine a light on the people behind the Club - One Of Our Own - Commissioned creatives for a history project, telling stories of the people from Grimsby’s past - Grimbarians Through Time - Collaborated with talented artists who have created exclusive hometown artwork - Held exhibitions - Hosted panel talks, including one under the moon with TheCultureHouse - Published three editions of a good news only newspaper - Launched an online shop - Won an award - And preparing to open our very own studio! And, we have much more to come in 2023! To celebrate, we’ll have big updates and news to share throughout the year, but for now we have to say a huge THANK YOU for supporting Grimbarians CIC, for sharing all the positives of our hometown, and for proving time and time again that #GrimsbyReallyIsMore .

Our current Artist in Residence, Francesca Young, is here to tell us about her journey so far.

Following on from our Grimbarians Through Time post, Geoff Scargill (From the Watkin Society) delves a little deeper into 'Mr Grimsby'

Coming Soon… The Grimbarians Studios!

What excites us most about the Artist in Residence project, is seeing how each artist interprets their life experiences of Grimsby, using their signature styles, colours, and techniques to create a piece of artwork that is truly inspired by this town we call home. From Creative Start CIC’s ‘Adockalypse Now’ , which combines po p culture with the historic Docks, to Francesca Young’s distinctive maritime illustration that encapsulates the welcome feeling of coming home to Grimsby. 

For many who worked on Grimsby Docks in the past, it represented much more than a place of work – it was a community, bringing people together for generations. This is why the restoration of the Kasbah heritage zone has been much anticipated, so these “truly unique” historic buildings can experience a new lease of life. It seems fitting that the organisation kickstarting this regeneration is Creative Start. Established in 2012 by Grimbarian Sam Delaney, Creative Start is a community of supportive peers encouraging people going through addiction recovery and with mental health issues, providing creative, hands-on projects. ‘The Great Escape’ is the team’s latest workspace and will serve the local community as a place to build their own creative projects.

Ever heard the term blue mind? Ever wondered why time spent in, on or near water feels therapeutic?

For far too long, the town of Grimsby has been a victim of its own name. After all, “it’s grim up north,” is an all too popular phrase. Though the town gets its fair share of drizzle, the word “Grim” means a lot more to its residents than typical English weather and the smog of industry. For us, it’s a syllable that speaks of myth, legend, history, and the very founding of our proud community.