Freshney Place launches exhibition to celebrate 50 years of retail

Amanda Austin (front right) cuts the ribbon with Mayor of North East Lincolnshire Terry Walker and Mayoress Hazel Chase (second and third right) and participants whose stories feature in the display.

FRESHNEY Place Shopping Centre has unveiled an exhibition to celebrate the past 50 years of retail by displaying a showcase of local people’s stories, experiences and memories.

The Step In To Our Story exhibition, which was officially opened by The Mayor, Cllr Terry Walker, is now available for the public to view in Market Square near Starbucks. It celebrates memories from the precinct to the present day.

Comprised of 50 personal stories, the exhibition includes memories from a wide variety of locals, including Brenda Fisher, a Grimsby trawlerman’s daughter who swam the Channel in 12 hours 42 minutes in 1951, beating the previous record by 38 minutes. The Mayor along with actress and TV presenter Julie Peasgood are also amongst the 50 interviewees, each marking a year since the centre first opened its doors when it was called The Riverhead shopping precinct.

Individual stories recount times from when the Friar Tuck Pub was standing, the department store Lawson & Stockdale offered stunning window displays and when palm trees stood in Freshney Place!

Amanda Austin, centre director said: “We feel honoured that so many people have given us their time and shared their precious memories with us. The stories recall many happy times spent with family and friends, growing up and working, as well as the time people still spend in the centre today.

“Over and above anything else it highlights how important this retail space has been and continues to be bringing the community together at the heart of Grimsby.”

The exhibition will remain in the shopping centre until October 25 when it will be moved into window displays, so the public will still be able to view it.

Marion Piggott (left) and Dawn Charlton read Marion’s story.