Great dive into Grimsby and a poignant glimpse into the resilience of its community. Wow even though it's facing years of economic hardship, the spirit of solidarity shines through in the efforts of local volunteers and charities.What legends! Your compassionate portrayal of their work highlights the importance of community support. Great job guys! Here's to hoping for brighter days for Grimsby and its resilient residents. Keep up the great work in shedding light on these important issues.
Hi guys thank you so much for this great comment! the people here in Grimsby were some of the nicest we have met and the community spirit was sot on! we are glad the series is finalised with tonight’s video it has been hard work and has drained us mentally, sick of the sight of boarded up shops 🤣 Happy Easter have a lovely weekend ❤️
As a resident of Grimsby I can say that although freeman street is deprived and run down. It is NOT the main shopping area. Victoria street and surrounding areas are where you'll find shops and businesses. What upset me most is that anyone who ever visits the area is under the impression that this represents the whole of the area. This isn't the case.
I did do a google street view of all the shopping areas and can clearly see as many shut shops on Victoria as you have on Freeman. my intention was to film it all but honestly got sidetracked by all the amazing people in your community who talked to me at great length on and off camera about the struggles facing Grimsby. the one thing I wanted to present was a different side from the videos that just show all the x-cons, drug addicts and homeless. hopefully this video shows how many wonderful people are dedicating their life to make positive change in a town that has been overlooked by consecutive Governments for decades.
Wow, what a fantastic video Nick & Jill highlighting the sad state of retail in Grimsby. But, what a great community pulling together with their food banks & workshops. Great highlighting the state of our high streets 👌🏻
Thanks so much Kim we are coming to the end of this series with quite a different one ending it next week! Then we will be back to our usual hiking silly selves for a while! we are quite passionate about some of these topics so more will be covered in the future! Love you guys have a great weekend 👍❤️
It is so sad what has happened to some of the towns across both the UK and US. Online shopping really hit businesses hard. I always try to shop locale whenever I can to support those businesses. I even did a bunch earlier today! LOL. Thanks for sharing what is going on in Grimsby. Nice that they still have a great sense of community there. The fish and chips looked great! I hope you are both doing well. I am off to Greece in a couple of days. I am pretty excited about that. Take care!
Thank you for sharing this heartfelt journey through Grimsby. Your documentary shines a light on the struggles faced by its residents while highlighting the incredible solidarity and resilience within the community.
I love seeing your boarded up videos because it shows the true hardships that places are experiencing lately and aren’t all just the touristy stuff you would typically see online. This is real, and so sad to think of how many businesses used to thrive and are now declining and how it affects the town. Seeing all the boarded up places is so sad, but needing 7 food banks in one area really shows the situation in the town, you are so right. In excess of hundreds of numbers 😢 I really liked the interview and learning about these volunteers and how they are helping their community. I love the classroom “of curiosity”. I can see why renting a market stall would now be more profitable that leasing a location 😢 nice little market! Awe donating fish and chips to food banks. And a big portion. Amazing how the community steps up to help each other and so sad when politicians don’t step in to help 😢 heartbreaking. So sad they never got the fishing quotas back from Brexit. Amazing video as always! So well done!
Hi there guys thank you so much for another amazing comment! it’s such a shame that as the sixth richest country there is so much hardship! it’s great to see communities pull together! USA actually comes top in the richest countries but is on such a bigger scale and we are aware there is as much deprivation going on there! We are just thankful for the considerate human beings that are so kind hearted that they pull the communities together! These are the people that need to be our politicians! Hope you guys are well and having a lovely weekend! Take Care ❤️
I live in Grimsby myself sometimes its a struggle with town centre at the night time with crouds of kids but lucky we have the youth clubs they do their best to keep kids out of trouble and support them in many ways
Hello my friend. We have many places in the US that are also declining. So sad to see these stores closed up. So great to see place like that food bank to help the people. Also, great prices at Mathews fish and chips. Thanks for sharing your video with us.
Such a sad thing to see this happening all over the world…so many places are in decline…the homeless here has gotten worse and worse in the 15 years I’m living here…it was so nice to see so many people who are helping there with food and meals…we have that too, soup kitchens and restaurants donating food…you’ve done an incredible job bringing all of this information to our attention 👏🏻thanks so much Nick and Jill
I left Grimsby nearly twenty years ago. While I never completely forget where I come from, you do become detached from it. I've been fortunate to become reasonably successful, I live in Derbyshire now, and I only ever spend my time in nice places. It's only watching this video and some others recently that have bought the reality of my hometown back to me. It has got worse. The decline was already firmly set in when I left, but it is now significantly worse. I said to my friend recently that what you're seeing with Grimsby now is the equivalent of a rotting cadaver. The patient died many years ago, and you're just watching the body decomposing. I don't mean that disrespectfully to people that live there; it's simply a fact. When I lived there, it was well past the apex of the fishing industry, and the place was, to be frank, a bit of a dump, but there were still some signs of life. It's weird to look at videos like this, and see that even places that I considered to be undesirable at the time, but which were, in some respects, hubs of the community, are now defunct. Given that Grimsby is so isolated and easily brushed under the carpet, and other much better connected post-industrialised towns have suffered equally badly, it's hard to see the situation ever improving. It does make me grateful for the life that I lead now, and it is a somewhat weird feeling to think I used to work just off Freeman Street, in an ugly, depressing building, and that area was my day-to-day reality.
Hi there Chris thank you so much for this heartfelt comment and it is sad! We too feel the same as we are originally from Blackpool and have watched some shocking videos of late on how it has changed! We to are pleased with our choice in how we changed are lifestyle but do feel for the people who are not that fortunate to make such changes! It appears from our comments it’s happening in places the world over! It was so great to see the communities coming together and out of all the places we have visited we met some of the kindest, nicest people here! All the very best for your future ventures! Have a great weekend 👍
Hi Nick and Jill, it was so sad to see such a devasting decline. It was hard to imagine this was once an important fishing port and the home of a huge fishing industry. It was sad to see all the boarded-up shops and the effects of the high crime rate in certain areas of the town. On a positive note, it was good to see that organizations were giving well-needed support and aid to those in need. The indoor market looked like it was a good place to find fresh foods. Thanks, as always, for telling us like it is. I really appreciate you tackling subjects like this. Best wishes to you both ~ Julie & Lucy ❤❤
thank you so much Julie and Lucy 🙏 it was a real eye opener for sure. felt like I couldn’t put this series to bed without visiting the start of the UKs high street decline. now that I have visited it has left a life long impression on me and the amazing work carried out by the community there is nothing short of outstanding.
Ironically it was the rise of Victoria St / Freshney Place that caused the decline of Freeman St. To be fair Victoria St and surrounding areas appear to be in decline as well.
It’s such a shame John and it’s happening everywhere, poor decisions by Councils, opening retail centres next to ones that are already struggling, it’s a pattern the UK over. I’m sensing we might be over the worst of it and hopefully with the Levelling-up and Regeneration Act 2023 coming into force with hopefully some campaign promises met by Labour things will now slow,y improve..
We have dying towns and centers all over America also. Good showing today, retail is moving on line. Have a great week and we look forward to the next one 🫵🙏
How do the poor manage in America? Do they get state benefits and pensions? Do they get medical treatment and housing? I'm a pensioner in the UK and I do well enough.
Fab video here Nick, sad to see another one of the UK's important trading centres just crumble away like many of our other cities and towns. I think you do such an excellent job in giving us the facts, not giving the bullshit and showing us the real impact and real life. So thank you. Obviously going like it is, but what exactly is going to be left for us? Nothing. Everything is online now and it's so so depressing. I feel awful for the people of Grimsby, it seems so rundown and unlooked after. Absolutely brilliant to see the foodbanks and listening to the amazing volunteers, they really are a lifeline for those less fortunate, so sad that this is our reality. Thank you Nick, Jill xx
thank you Alessa 🙏 a real humbling visit for me and one that has left its mark. I couldn’t film this series without visiting the very worst and first place to fall victim to the death of the UK high street. the people there have accepted their fate and the incredible work that is going on there by the amazing community has left a life long impression on me. Sadly, we are all hurtling down this path and shutted up shops, closed pubs and a huge increase in homelessness and crime whilst public services are reduced at an alarming rate. public outreach programmes and food banks are becoming more commonplace. its so hard to believe we live in a country where this is so widespread and yet not first and foremost on the political agenda. why is nobody fighting for our working class towns and cities? is it because all the MPs live in affluent boroughs? I think they do..
Thanks for the video. It's disappointing to see some areas in decline. The sense of community is good to see. The fish and chips looked fantastic. Matthew's is doing what they can to support the locals, which is nice.
thank you Simon. it’s sad to see the decline of our working class towns and cities. starting to take its toll on me this series. the series finale is this Friday..
tore me apart this one, this pretty much cemented the fate of the first series as experiencing what they go through each and every day and for so long is truly heartbreaking. the people that live there and the people that help the community are all Saints.
Hi Nick and Jill thank you for another thoughtful video. At least the fish and chips looked great value and tasty. The outreach and people pulling together are a glimmer of hope. Hope you have a good weekend Best wishes Dave and Dawn ❤️
Really liked how you chatted to the people volunteering in the food banks. Hope it inspires local people to volunteer. It has made me think about contacting my local food bank for volunteering.
Hello. Thank you so much for this lovely video. Yeah. lovely And that's the wrong word that it's sad to see what's happening in the world. It's crazy. So sad. I hope. Really. I hope that Grimsby will be back. The town they used to be. Thank you so much for this. It's really great to watch this.... it touched my heart. have a great weekend, Jill and Nick. I hope to see you soon on my channel. Thank you.
Us who live here and have seen alot of the big wage factorys go Courtaulds, Novartis, Tioxide just get on with it on the minimum wage jobs. We are a great bunch of people who take life as it comes, The top end of Freemo that almost never gets shown isn't that bad at all the markets great. Show the good side for a change chat to a few of us. I love grimsby and would not want to live anywhere else.
I was born in and lived in Grimsby from 1990-2014. I moved due to a lack of work in general. I moved to Gainsborough and its doing it here now. Lack of work. Lots of houses being build but no jobs in general. Its sucked.
Ah it’s so sad, I spoke to so many of the locals and they were all lovely, articulate, intelligent and amongst the nicest people I’ve ever met in the UK. For some they cannot leave. its criminal that they should have to and that they get royally screwed by the Government at almost every turn.
Thanks for showing us around Grimsby sad state of affairs a once thriving fishing town left behind. So many shops restaurants, even a bank empty. Good bits of graffitiart on the tour around. Good help the food banks are doing 👌 Big market area lots of empty stalls. The crime-ridden street & estate not good be careful Generation Xplorers 😂 The chips looked nice big portion. Beautiful cleethorpes beach ⛱️ and old pier . Let's hope things get better . Thanks for sharing with us Generation Xplorers Generation Xperiences 👍
thank you so much Adzey 🙏 apparently the estates are really bad at the night time (same case everywhere I suppose), talked to a few scared locals off cam and they feared about reprisals if they spoke on camera. not pretty though. very helpful graffiti though, esp. if your after a fix! the food banks and outreach programmes were truly humbling. sad times indeed, how long before we are all the next Grimsby? two years, five? nobody is slowing down this mad approach..
Hi Nick and Jill, interesting to hear about the decline of Grimsby. Such a shame. Its a good job there are the food banks today. Never thought this would be happening, good job for all of the charities and the volunteers. Nice market but quite a few stalls empty. Fish and chips looked nice. Enjoy your weekend x Julie and Tony x
It is such a shame, but like you say when a town loses its main industry it has to find a way to reinvent itself. Like you say how depressing for the residents that those in charge don't seem to care. The volunteers you highlighted are doing an amazing job. I do love a wander down the coast of Cleethorpes and a great meal at Papas. It is great to hear about the sense of community at Grimsby Nick.
that was my first visit to Grimsby and Cleethorpes. sadly as I got to Cleethorpes I only had about fifteen minutes of daylight left. what a lovely place and night and day to neighbouring Grimsby. all the arcades were open, Papas was open (I ate my £3 fish and chips close by!). I spoke to a lot of the residents in the estates who didn’t want to be on the video for fear of reprisals, some had lived there for over 40 years and said how nice a place it was but now it’s just not safe and it’s overrun with gangs and drugs. there isn’t the police to cope with it and the few cameras they do have on main streets either aren’t manned or are only referred to after a crime has happened. its utterly heartbreaking to see.
I was born and raised in Grimsby/Cleethorpes until my family fled south in 1965. I've been back a couple of times over the years but never saw it this bad. They've done a great job of the market though, I remember it as just a canvas topped array of stalls in an open space. The Icelandic cod wars certainly set the rot for this once proud fishing port, so sad. My son maintains that I put the "Grim" in "Grimsby" btw!
oh no Carol! I’m sure he doesn’t mean it! the market was a vibrant place and full of really nice characters. The Icelandic Cod wars and then the fishing quotas imposed by the EU have done a real number in the place. Boris’s empty promises haven’t helped either. I can’t see the Tories doing well there this time.
Freeman Street used to be a main shopping area up until the late seventies, so I'm not sure why you are trying to represent it as one today. Why didn't you film in the Riverhead area?
did honestly run out of time on that visit. the food shelters and people doing good were a real priority for me on this one to show a different perspective from what has already been shown by Wendall and GB News. a walk through on Google Maps showed me that Riverhead, now the more preferred area, has just as many closed shops as other towns and cities but it’s typically, given the previous videos on the area is where the homeless and x convicts reside. really wanted to show the good in the community, hopefully it came across. met a lot of wonderful, caring people there..
You can understand anyone looking at this video would have a biased discerning view on grimsby and cleethorpes but as previous comments made nothing of the normal area even cleethorpes pictures of the underneath structure of the pier and the beach at low tide doesn't do it any justice
I was born in Lincoln, but worked a lot in Grimsby. There even used to be a Marks and Spencers on Freeman street if I remember right. I travelled the country with my job, and was amazed at the affluence down south. Went to Housing estates with thriving shops. So much taxpayers' money is spent on London and the south, silly bridges, crossrail, etc etc. Politicians don't give a toss about the north, there lies the real problem in my opinion.
i think your right, there is definitely (still) a real North/South divide in terms of priorities and spending. the only time the North ever comes onto political agenda is just prior to a General Election when the main candidates will do there tours of the North offering us all everything we could possibly ever want if we are daft enough to vote for them. this next month will see a really interesting battle fought over places like Grimsby. it will be a battle of empty promises..
Yes. When we visited Freeman St in the 1950s, it was heaving with crowds. There was an M&S there and in Victori Street too, (plus Woolwoths, etc etc.) Best people in the entire world!
@@ParcBlondel The shopping mall (Freshney Place) used to be really busy. There was a lot of independent retailers too. M&S is still along Victoria Street, woolworths closed around 2007/2008 from what I can remember. Its now a poundworld store. So many empty units within the mall now and the Riverhead is dire. They started the so called re-generation just over 3 years ago and it's still not finished. You go over to Lincoln and what a difference. The bus terminal is all under one roof unlike Grimsby. People are having to walk quite a distance from the mall to get a bus due to bus stops being dotted all over the place. Not good for disabled or the elderly. They should have left the bus shelter/terminal at the Riverhead and made it all under one roof like they have done in Lincoln.
My Dad had a friend who lived in Grimsby, my Dad when he was 17 worked in Grimsby and worked in findus, so he knows a lot about garden peas. Me and my parents have not been to Grimsby in years (like 30 years)
Very sad. My home town, Billingham has ended up this way. However this shows how people can come together. So it's sad and hopeful which is something lots of people need ❤
Rhyl would be good for you! Poor Grimsby - it looks so sad. I played a show there back in the late 90's and it looked similar then. Bloody hell it looks like Pontins. Food banks are normal now. The hall I teach in runs a food bank and a warm space every week and it's full. Makes you cross that all those buildings standing empty and people sleeping on the streets. Well done Matthews chippy! Great video 🍻
thank you Rachel, gosh was it that bad in the 90s too? this poor town has never had a break has it? what amazing people, the place is full of Saints. one of the most humbling experiences ever filming this one. Well done the people of Grimsby and I hope things get better soon. boarded up series one ends next Friday (thank goodness), there will be a follow up series later in the year (when we have recovered), Rhyll might be a contender.. 👍
thank you Thomas, it is definitely leading the way in how things are going for us in the UK. the great thing? the people seem to have accepted it and are just going on doing the best they can.
Picked the worst places to go while in Grimsby, most town or cities have run down areas. Give me a shout next time your down this way ill take you to some of the better places in the area.
Wow Nick this is sad after how it used to be, over the last 15 years the decline sounds and looks so bad. Shocking but good to gear what the community is doing for the homeless with the food and the showers at the food bank . Sooo thought provoking 👍~ Anna
thank you so much Anna 🙏 the real decline of the high street and the massive cuts to services has all happened under the same leadership. sadly I imagine the high street might be a little better under the alternative but all our Councils would be bankrupt and our taxes would be ten times higher. the answer has to lie somewhere in between with a focus on the UK and less focus on overseas spending. final part next week, thank goodness, I think we all need a rest after these last few videos.. fun and frolicking will return in a fortnight. hope your having an amazing weekend!
WOW! deserted thats for sure. Deprivation at its best. Very sad to see Nicholas. Looks like there is much poverty in the area. No retail, no work! "We are one Foundation", are doing some great things. Looks like the Market is a better place, although it seems quiet. Sad to hear about the Crime rate. Sounds like the poorer are getting poorer and the rich, richer! Great Vlog Nicholas, I hope things will turn around for Grimsby one day. Have a great weekend. Say hello ti Jill.
thank you so much Joseph. its a pretty sorry state of affairs in most of the UK at the moment and it still seems that the Government are oblivious to it. the decline of the high street has barely touched Main Street media and the politicians all live on very wealthy boroughs. it wont be long before 75% of the UK is in the same position as Grimsby. hope your having a fantastic week. PS this depressing series ends next Friday and it’s back to some fun and frolics on this channel in two weeks time. thank you for your patience!
@@GENerationXplorers finding it very interesting and given it’s happening there, could it happen here. We are already struggling in the retail sector. With many empty shops. COVID-19 has done us no favours and we are still feeling the after effects. Employees are hard to find too, especially in our industry and hospitality.
Hello Nick and Jill 👋. That’s really sad to hear and seen on your lenses this situation. It’s really hard to put back again in a happy city. It’s really painful to see but still life must go on and looking forward to live. Have a wonderful day 👍.
Another sad video of the declines taking place in so many areas and supposed wealthier country's. I descend from a fishing family up on Lake Superior here in the US. The fishing industry died in the 60's when I was young. Happily my hometown changes into a tourist destination that was successful. My hot's off to all the volunteers who give up their time to help out in the food banks. Homeless shelters here in the US too! 150 out of every thousand people is the crime rate? That's absolutely horrible and higher than I've ever heard of in a developed country. As you mentioned it didn't look that bad when you showed some of the affordable homes. But, I'm sure that's deceiving. Many challenges. Sadly, not many answers. Thought provoking, Nick and Jill.
thank you Dave 🙏 I did encounter some very scared locals on the estates. I was filming B Roll and a row of cars had been trashed and tagged. a woman who had lived there for forty years owned one of them and she was worried I was part of a returning gang that was trashing her property. she was still waiting for the police to attend a serious crime on her property days before and wasn’t holding her breath. she said the place used to be a lovely place to live but now it’s full of gangs and dealers and the police turn a blind eye. her story was mortifying and wasn’t the only one. for fear of reprisals they didn’t want to be filmed. sadly it gets a lot worse at night. I really feel for everyone there and my heart goes out to them and the brave soles that help that community each and every day. the government has forgotten them but in the community life and a little hope lives on..
That was a great piece of video Nick. Despite all of the promises in the last election the Tories have failed to level up much at all in the North. You can argue that Grimsby is too far gone to be sorted out in four years but it really needs significant investment. Good to see the people of Grimsby taking action and helping themselves and their fellow Grimbarians.
Grimbarians love that. they do have to bear the brunt of being lied to by Governments for decades. the North has well and truly been let down. oh let’s connect Manchester to London and throw a ridiculous amount of money at it. we need some real change and one that doesn’t make every Council bankrupt. it wont be long before most working class towns and cities look like Grimsby.. the only consolation? its happening down South too! yay 🎉
Wow Nick & Jill it’s depressing to see what was once a thriving place, is now so empty and boarded up…makes me sad. I like the place that is helping people who are in need, it seems that is happening everywhere now. I love a visiting markets…glad Freeman street is holding up. Crime here in Niagara is bad too. Thanks for sharing and keeping people informed. 👍😊🇨🇦
really gosh Christine I hadn’t realised crime was bad there too? I guess it attracts a lot of visitors and maybe it has transient residents, people that find comfort there before moving onto the next place? thats very interesting!
Councils have left the gate (of the week) open en the horse has bolted. Rental and internet, two of the largest 'influencers' killing mid town shopping Also the expanded city borders creating more distance between suburbia and the city centre has given rise to large shopping malls and centers for easier access. We have somehow turned the corner from being 'town' shoppers. What also helped change our way and place of shopping are the extended opening hours. Now I'm not ancient _but_ : In my day- you had a shopping night for things other than groceries so it was a treat to go into town and be able to shop till 9pm. It also gave rise to having a not too expensive meal out. The rise in rent, the other issues you mentioned, add financial losses due to the pandemic, lack of staff, a pure recipe for financial disaster. I winder what is needed for the tide to turn?Another thought provoking video 🇳🇱🙋♀🇳🇿🦘😎
😂👍 Fabulous comment all the way from down under! that first sentence is brilliantly genius for us and our channel! You'll be pleased to know Anita only one more of this series before our silliness returns! we just wanted to get all this, that we are passionate about off our chests for now but it has been mentally exhausting 😂 hope you are having a lovely weekend 👍
If a big time investor put time money and businesses back on the high street, do you think it has the potential to be cleaned up and transformed into a much cleaned livable environment, Because I know the UK has a huge housing problem and it seems to me that the government don't want to replenish this town I'm asking myself why??
because they dont want you to own anything, they will give you the house and you will work hard for them to maintain it. They buy the rundown houses let them get dilapidated and knock it down for the land. There is potential but the country needs to change drastically in order for any of these towns to thrive
@kruck1764 houses in grimsby are only 41k why are monopoly players not buying and replenishing for a higher price or is the market turnover no good 🤔 I wonder what the most expensive houses are going for
@@shaundocherty96 You can get houses around he for cheap yeah but to get someone to live in one is different. much like the $1 detroit homes they need one investor to buy the whole lot and rebuild because no one wants to live on a street of broken houses and crackheads. There are also good houses around here dont get me wrong a lot of investors do come from places like london to invest because you can sell houses upto around £350,000 that you can buy for £150,000. The area is the problem we need jobs, proper education and bit of respect for ourselves and the rest will follow. Sad to see the decline
Hi Nick It brings tear to my eyes. I have learned the UK's economy declining after the glory of British Empire as I grew up. I wonder how the effect of the UK leaving European Union. Each country has economical issues and here it is you expose one by one. For my curiosity, how the young generations plan for their future.. Nobody cannot blame they leave town like this for their financial gains. Better job and better pay. I am happy to know that the local non-profits(I assume) support PPL in needs. It is challenging to find one solution...but we all have hopes.. For my curiosity, can you find out a town successfully recovering from the crisis??? maybe there is an answer... Nick, so sorry I hope my comment is not making misconception... again, great work.
Thankyou Ms Kayak. I think it’s a real divide in the UK now. Id say there is a middle class where all the money is and that probably accounts for 25% of the UK and then there is the working class towns and cities that are really struggling making up the remaining 75%. in the final part of this series (next friday) I’ll be delving into that 25% unaffected and not bothered by the plight of the working classes. and then thank goodness it’s back to singing, twirling and skipping on this channel! phew! 😅
you can slate my town has much as you want,you can portray it in a bad light,but you will find the local Grimbarians so friendly and welcoming,something that you do not find in many other places.
thank you for paraphrasing everything I set out to do in this video. I went AGAINST the trend of showing Grimsby people as toothless jobless drugged up idiots that EVERY other video about Grimsby shows YOU as and showed the amazing work on and off camera that every intelligent Grimsby local came across as. id hope Rob, that you were as intelligent as your fellow Grimsby residents and maybe watched the video before shouting a lot of shit.
I’m sorry Rob. I have to say out of all the places I’ve visited I think everyone I met in Grimsby were absolute Saints, made connections there on and off screen that will last with me for a lifetime. You’ve had a raw deal from the crap British Government but how the locals cope with it is nothing short of incredible. I’m in awe of your community and boarded up shops which I went there to see isnt a Grimsby problem it’s a UK problem, we are all In the same boat sadly and I suspect that Labour don’t give two “you know what’s” about that.
Absolutely fantastic film. Highlighting the decline of these areas but also the hood that is apparent with the food banks and the chip shop looking after the community. I don’t know the answer to the issue. But whoever is in power. My guess is it won’t change. Great video. Top work. 👍🏻🚶🏻♂️🚶♀️🏴
thank you Watto, emotional rollercoaster this one and I’ll be very happy to put this series to bed. I have met some very wonderful people on this journey and on filming this one so many scared and horrified locals about the reprisals they would get if seen on camera. it really is a broke town and the few angels holding it together? I’m not sure how long they can continue.. ..its not an easy watch for me.
Real sad how the decline of the fishing industry there, especially as it had once been so powerful. Never been to Grimsby before but I had an idea what it would look like but it was even worse than I was expecting. Even the food banks have iron shutters down when they are not open but good to see there was hope with the Foundation Outreach but given we are one of the richest countries in the world and give away Billions in Foreign Aid, the fact there is a need for these places is a disgrace. Makes you wonder how Matthews fish n chips can survive (just) selling at £3 (looked bloody amazing as well) yet you can pay 6 times that amount at other places who say they are only 'just' making a profit.. I feel sorry for the people of Grimsby and thank goodness I do not live there, cheers Alan
Mathews was great, they source their fish at 80p each at the docks, apparentley that is the price that all fish and chip shops pay for their fish but after batter, cooking it, chips, side, electric, rates and staff they are making no money by selling it at £3. they donate 100s of fish and chips to the homeless and that price point in the poorest estate in the UK is a real life line. it was 17C outside when I filmed this and in that chippy it must have been close to 40C by the fryers in that small place. I chatted to the mum and daughter for half an hour and they are saints and seeing first hand the people that went through (and they are there everyday) is really touching. I wanted to see Grimsby first hand but having seen it I can never unsee it. truly shocking. I’m so glad this series comes to an end next Friday as the whole process has taken its toll. it’s been a real eye opener and we’ve both learnt a lot and met some truly amazing human beings in the process!
I made a little video in Grimsby last year and the damn GoPro formatted and I lost all the footage. I was gutted at the time. Now I'm relieved, because it was nowhere near as good as this video! Great job Nick! And great job those volunteers at the food bank. It's astounding that people are struggling so much when you give those figures of how much money the UK (or should I say the elites) has. Levelling up, I haven't heard that particular bs little catchphrase for a while. Boris told lies about brexit, couldn't see that coming 😂
Sorry about your Grimsby video Matt, im having real issues with my GoPros atm. I will never use the 12 again as I cant find an audio setting even with the media mod that sounds decent. and the 10 which I used for this sometimes just won’t record any audio (I lost two great interviews on the day thanks to no audio). time to look at a competitor cam for me. Levelling up? what an absolute load of nonsense. this country is in tatters, if anyone can leave the UK they need to get out now as its only going to get a lot worse unless enough votes go away from the two main parties. my hope? that enough votes do go away and that one of them has to form a coalition. that’s the best the UK can hope for right now. the fight for BREXIT was pretty much won on fishing rights and not only have we not reclaimed any but some of the EU partners that worked through Grimsby have left since BREXIT making the town even more worse off. very sad to see and very humbling seeing the great work in the community. I couldn’t find any of the toothless, tattooed nutcases that feature on other Grimsby videos, just a lot of intelligent, friendly, helpful locals, even in the estates.. im starting to think that these people are brought in? 🧐
@GENerationXplorers I didn't see any of those characters on my trip to Grimsby either Nick! In Kent a lot of people seemed to vote for Brexit because we could 'take back control of our borders', well we all know how that's gone. I hope Grimsby improves, like you say it's got a lot of soul, like many of the towns that are suffering. So annoying about the camera, smartphones never seem to have problems so why are cameras going wrong all the time 🤦♂️
It’s a sad state of affairs. I didn’t vote as thought both options had merit but the deal we got with brexit was no deal at all. I understand now why the deal Boris “brokered” was such an appalling laughing stock. Better no deal than the one we got,
Well done Tony. I spoke to a lot of residents who have lived there for 50/60 years and they detailed how much it has changed over the years in almost every regard. its very upsetting, im glad you were able to get out and I hope something decent happens for the people of Grimsby soon.
I moved to Derbyshire in 91 then onto Buckinghamshire and I have to say it’s soo sad how the town has declined. I cannot see me moving back home despite all my family living in the area. All I ever see is crime and drugs such a shame. I worked on most of the council estates Nunsthorpe Grange and East Marsh but never saw it this bad. Such a shame as we have some of the most generous people living in these areas not money but love and thought always willing to help.
@markburch3056 yeah it is really heart breaking Mark, its a town of Saints desperately doing the best to help those left in need by our lacking governments.
@@GENerationXplorers Yes no doubt most of the current residents of Grimsby would be shocked to know that few people back in the 1950s to early 1970s NEVER LOCKED THEIR DOORS at night.
@user-TonyUK it’s so sad Tony, I spoke to a lovely lady that had lived on the East Marsh for over 60 years, she was a double victim of crime just a couple of days prior (still waiting on the police to attend the incidents) and I talked to her at great length how wonderful it was growing up and how it has changed over the years. She is still there, holding onto her memories but at the same time afraid of what happens after dark. It’s absolutely mortifying.
I didn't know much about Grimsby before this video... except it's hometown to one of my favourite TH-camrs.... Laurence from Lost in the Pond. But he lives in Chicago now 😉
@@GENerationXplorers he is brilliantly hilarious! You really should check him out. Don't watch his most recent video about his puppy, watch one of his British culture videos that he normally does
Grimsby sounds a bit grim. I was beginning to wonder if any shops were open. You'd think the council would do something to try to reinvigorate the place like low business rates or something. I'm no expert on it. However good to see that the market looked good and clean but not busy when you visited. Also great to see the community coming together tho it's not great that more and more people are relying on food banks. The bit on successive Government I'll decline to comment 😊
Had several caravans in Cleethorpes for 15 years and loved it but had to sell up 2 years ago with the ground rent going through the roof with ridiculous increases every year but the facilities weren’t improving. Grimsby Top Town is a great place to shop, you gave a false impression of the shops as you concentrated on the poorest outskirts of the town. Cleethorpes shopping is also excellent. I am sure all towns and cities have run down area so feel you are being unfair to Grimsby. All that dereliction needs bulldozing down and the space could be used for new homes.
thanks for the comment Tony. Would love to spend more time there to be fair. We did run out of time after spending so long with the shelters and outreach program. wanted to show a different side of Grimsby from the side shown by Wendall and TalkTV, they focused on the main shopping area (which has as many closures as the rest of us sadly). I wanted to portray the Grimsby people fairly as intelligent, articulate angels that go above and beyond to help the poorest in the community. a far cry from how it was portrayed by the other two. Cleethorpes looked delightful and we hope to return to take in its many delights.Sorry about the ground rents, seems very unfair.
@@GENerationXplorers an American company took over the holiday camp and ground rents rocketed from roughly £1300 ten years ago to around £4000 for the same plot now. They even levied a compulsory sure charge which from memory was about £300 to pay for a climbing wall and outdoor stage even though I can’t walk! They built it in a different place to where they had applied for planning permission and the local council has told them to move it to where it should be. Scandalous. Top Town is a very nice shopping centre so I can understand why people would not want to go shopping on Freemen Street. It was always rough there back in the 70’s so nothing has changed.
@tonyjedioftheforest1364 gosh that really is scandalous. Imagine news of that made it harder to sell the units too. The Market on Freeman Street was nice and had that lovely Outreach Program situated inside it. Would like to check Top Town out, at some point I plan on recovering all the place “one year on”, to see what has changed, improved or indeed worsened and see what affect, if any a change in government has meant for each place. Your comments have been really helpful in guiding me on my future visit! Hopefully get to spend a lot longer there and spend, for different reasons of course, more time in Cleethorpes.
I'm Grimsby born-and-bred, and Grimsby it's been dying on its arse since I was a kid. I'm 54! At this stage, it's only famous for TH-camrs wandering around "Freemo" looking shocked at plyboard. 😂
Certainly being dying for the longest time I can think of in the UK. The only other places that have suffered for long time are coal and steel towns. It’s always where the political battles are fought though. The coast is always the areas on the fence about political ways to vote. Today will be interesting from a political point of view as will the General Election when the real battle will be fought and Grimsby will be front and centre of broken promises..
That did look rough Nick (good to see the food banks doing some good amongst this dire situation 😥)(what happened to the leveling up ???) Great documentary mate All the best to Jill and your self 🙏🏼 Simon
thank you so much Simon. I guess that’s about as bad as it gets (well I really hope it is). a true town that has been kicked to the kerb by consecutive Governments for decades. the community there is amazing, whilst it might be just the norm to most growing up there, its still not the norm to a lot of the UK. I really hope we can put the brakes on this rapid decline before we are all the next Grimsby..
@@GENerationXplorers your right there Nick even in the more affluent areas you see the start of this decline (things are changing I’m afraid 😟) but not for the better
fish n' chips and mushy pea.s..... bargain.... i paid in ashton town centre in thamesside... which is a working-class area.... £11.47p....... £3 for fish n'chips and mushy pea's... bargain.....wish it was £3 everywhere.
It's so sad that they even prefer places stay empty for years instead of lower the rents. And It's sad how fast all can move in wrong direction. At least happy you found some good things there.
Yeah we know these videos are sad and a little depressing but being who we are we do try and find some good! Thanks Sanniz hope you are having a lovely weekend 🖤🖤
Not until the council starts treating people like human beings and not as nuisances! People do not even get replacement bins for the many used to the point of overflowing by others and those stolen. They do not even get collected as I found out. No wonder so much gets tipped on the streets. You still get charged council tax though!
sadly things are only going to get worse. under Labour our Council Tax might double and under Conservative nothing will get done and most public services will be on strike. I’m already considering moving because of the amount of Council Tax I have to pay. Surely services should improve with the amount it increases each year?
@@GENerationXplorers I too have been contemplating moving even as a pensioner. My pension is under 900 since this rise. I will be taxed on this. Fortunately I have capital, long worked for. With council tax, phone, internet and energy, TV licence and this excludes food, my direct debits with being thrifty are well over four hundred, effectively over half my pension and with food not included. Yes, it keeps me alive but not exactly comfortably so, even by only flushing every third time, never buying take aways and walking as a recreation, not affording pubs and theatre visits. I am using capital to pay for teeth as our NHS dentists are not available. I am grateful for the bus pass and being able to bend and touch my toes and can afford to colour my own hair! I may Google how to cut it at home! It irks me that those younger get so much more on benefits with no tax forms, but who can blame them! I've often checked out bipolar symptoms and how to lean convincingly on a stick!
@@LindenButters So sorry to hear about your situation. It's not good for anyone with all that's going on. The UK is a disgrace and it's disgusting the way people are being treated. With regards to benefits, so many people are under the illusion that anyone in receipt of welfare (UC) are on a good thing. It's simply not the case and the way Jobcentres look for ways to deliberately cut/reduce people's monies is beyond disgusting. These so called work coaches aren't there to help people find work. They're installed to make claimant's lives as stressful as possible. What these civil servants fail to realise is the fact that they won't have jobs for too much longer either. The more psychotic you are, the better you get on within jobcentre/dwp environments.
Thank goodness I now live down on the South coast. I use too live in Louth in the 70s & 80s & use too catch the Lincolnshire road car bus too either Lincoln or Grimsby for a few hours but nothing too visit Grim ..Grimsby for 😢 .
Ah it’s a real shame Karl. It’s the same place getting consistently looked over by every horrible iteration of Conservatives and Labour. Give the place the recognition it deserves and let the funding flood in..
I think most of the northern areas of England are well and truely finished. I think because all the industry was up there. All gone now. There are still some nice areas however. Such as Cumbria, Lake District, York.
Hi Nick! Sad😮. Online shopping is really the killer of retail shops. And I hate to think that some stuff we buy online atleast here in the US, could potentially be stolen goods from big stores where shoplifting are very rampant and most of the time unpunished!! Are they bankrupt?
I lived there through work in 2004. Depressing place which had an air of menace about it, but you could tell it did have money once with some lovely Victorian areas. I worked in a school and the children there were feral, violent, abusive… there was zero aspiration. After about 6 months of this I broke down in tears in a classroom and left to move to a nicer town - Lincoln.
I feel your pain. I worked at a School in Brid about the same time. Oh my days it was rough. Had kids jumping out of windows (not the ground flioor) and others arriving doing commando rolls over the desks talk about feral, almost put me of Bridlington for life! Can only imagine the horrors in Grimsby education 😱
Went through school growing up in grimsby and whilst I can only speak from my own experiences it was a living hell. Moved here from Normanton when I was 6 and Normanton is not the nicest area but the abuse I went through at school here I wouldn't wish on anyone. They even had metal detectors at one point and teachers scanning all kids entering and leaving with hand held detectors because of high rates of knife crime in the school. That was back in 2004 just before I left I'm sure it's got worse now
Sorry to say Nick (and I hope no ones from Grimsby is listening) but sadly it looks a mess. Those awful 1960’s shops and buildings sadly don’t help. You can imagine though, just after the war, it would be a bustling thriving town 😢
Yeah this is true! but they are a great help for the struggling community but the real question is why are there so many struggling communities in this day and age? x thanks for another great comment Pagrant! Have a great weekend 👍
My focus of filming all the retail areas of Grimsby shifted when I met all the great people in the community that are working hard to make the place better. that took up the bulk of my time and hopefully its a very different video than all the ones that just show the jobless, x cons, druggies and homeless. my video should be a stark contrast to those videos.
seen a few comments about this and there not wrong I’ve lived in Grimsby for nearly 13 years and there are really nice parts of it but it’s never shown on videos like this
good evening nick,mate. i was sorry to hear about the princess of wales. i hope she is o.k. i emailed jill a video, i thought she might find interesting. have a good weekend mates
The flats being knocked down didn't help freeman street traders ,it was the last nail in the coffin especially for the market ,which you only showed a small part of .
Gosh I suppose that would affect footfall in the Market. Pity as it was lovely in there, hopefully all the displaced high rise tenants will find their way back to the Market.
I will give you full credit for looking at the outreach programs and the good work that is going on. However, Freeman street has been dead since I was a kid over 30 years ago, the high street moved long long ago and that is not the centre of Grimsby. People here need to accept that particular area is NEVER going to be what it was and it needs to flattened and repurposed. Grimsby cannot live in the past, stop investing in dead wood and move the investment to the areas that are still alive. The only people who remember even a semi bustling Freeman street are over 60. That the people fell for Boris's brand of idiocy and voted for a Tory MP that doesn't even live in the town also shows that local people here need to take accountability and be part of the solution instead of the problem. Your video is good, but not balanced, you have shown only the area of Grimsby that was reliant on the fishing industry, you could have shown other areas as a counterbalance to give a more accurate view of the town.
thank you Dan, its really helpful to get great insight and local knowledge. I think I saw all the over 60s still enjoying the street whilst I was there, they were sat outside the coffee shop on the North side of the Street sunning themselves quite happily whilst having their daily cuppa. they seemed blissfully unaware of all the adjacent closed shops. they were a joy to behold! but yet flattening and repurposing the lot would be the best fix. to be fair that mantra could be applied to most of our towns and cities now including mine! do you know that was the tac I wanted to take with Lia too, I really couldn’t pinpoint her home address and I’m usually quite good at that. really ran out of time, I kept meeting and talking to so many great Grimsby locals. most of whom sadly didn’t want to be filmed, especially on the East Marsh Estate but they were all articulate and intelligent as you clearly are too. really wanted to show a different side to the side shown on other videos on TH-cam, that of an intelligent and caring community that have come together in the face of adversity. to be fair, i’ll probably need to revisit! 👍
@@GENerationXplorers I think you should, wish I had known you where coming I really could have shown you around properly and I think you would have left with a much more balanced view of my town. The good and the bad and who is really to blame for my towns utter abandonment , there are also answers to many of the towns problems when taking an over view but that's a long story. BTW, I am 60 was a fisherman in my young days and have lived here all my life.
Rather a tainted view of Freeman Street with some nifty camera work to miss out the good businesses that still support the area like Farmfoods, Iceland and Poundland that took over the Wilko that was closed. I do acknowledge it is bad, but it is in no way as bad as you have painted it, and why not a trip to Victoria Street and Riverhead to give it some balance? Like someone said in the comments a lot of what happens her is caused by the people that live here and not the politicians, I don't have a lot of money but I still possess dignity and good manners.....both of which are in sharp decline amongst a large proportion of the inhabitants of Grimsby.
Farmfoods Iceland and Poundland? Well wow. If that’s supporting a community then I will eat my hat, Freeman Street was as bad as it gets and believe me I’ve visited some overlooked places on this series. What I didn’t want to do was go down the route of Hollywood Grimsby Brothers, Wendall and his toothless Xcon entourage, sky news or gb news do to your lovely town. You have a town with an articulate and incredible community, quite possibly the greatest community in the UK working and helping yourselves survive. I met so many, hopefully a lot shown and talked about but many, many , many more met that were either too humble to be on camera or too afraid from the real day in day out terrors that happen on the Marshes that refused to be on camera, and unlike the people I mentioned before I honoured their request. Believe me I could have easily put up that footage. I’m sorry in my time to visit the saints of Grimsby and the real victims of the Marshes i didnt get to see the odd shop open on Victoria Street, if it makes you feel any better I have walked up and down it on Google Maps several times before and after filming and it looks every bit as rubbish as my high street and every other working class high street across this land. The point with this video is this.. nowhere in this country has anywhere been consistently let down as the lovely town as Grimsby and nowhere in the UK has the community not got together and worked tirelessly to hold itself together. Another four years of Tory? We will all be Grimsby, but will we have the community and soul that you do to save us?
Victoria Street and the Riverhead to give it some balance ? Both are shit holes, as is the rest of Grimsby Go to Victoria Street, constant threat of being mugged or worse - stabbed. Riverhead ? The local low life attacking the nesting swans and as an aside they've now descended on Sidney Park to attack the Roe deer that has ventured in there. Yes I was born and bred here and still live here. Agree its the people not the politicians but the council are spending all the money on the wrong things and in the wrong places. Nobody comes to Grimsby anymore - cos it's such a shit hole. Victoria Street and Riverhead included. Agree entirely about the sharp decline in inhabitants in GY It was never like this when I was a youngster and I lived in one of the roughest areas in Grimsby - there was never or little trouble back then. It's a tainted view of Grimsby as you stated - but that's why, because it is tainted. Don't want to start a war with you, just want to - say yes there are a lot of nice people in Grimsby but unfortunately there's a lot of bad too. And with bad people - comes bad places. Peace out.
Wow no place is immune to the things going on! Our town relies on fishing too, we get tons of tourist year round. They closed a lot of the bait shops to build fancy hotels that no one can afford. Good to see theres a great outreach shelter and organizations to help the needy. While our veterans are on the st homeless these people (unnamed) come over our boarder and get everything free. Ok I am gonna stop now LOL Thanks for the important info I hope someone from your govt sees this and maybe do something
Thankyou LB. yes it’s criminal, EXACTLY the same thing happening here. we are spending billions housing illegals in hotels whilst the streets of Grimsby (and most places) are filled with British born homeless. we are tactfully working our way around to it. there is a massive hotel full of illegals in Grimsby that was on our shooting schedule. but lack of daylight and only seeing a few homeless on the day changed the narrative slightly but the story is still there, waiting to be covered..
Oh look, a Town of nearly 100000 pople represented as usual by the run down East Marsh estate just to meet the posters expectations, there are so many nice areas in the Town but these are not shown, never are, it is so boring because every Town in the north have run down areas if you look for them. Grimsby is no different.
I went there to meet and speak to the great people that are working so hard to help your community. My entire day was spent with them on and off camera. I represented them rather than the toothless unintelligent locals that were being represented by the two other mainstream videos at that time. Hope my video brought balance to that.
@@GENerationXplorers absolutely no problem with you appreciating the people who work hard for other people, but my point is that there is a lot more to the town than the grotty areas that TV and TH-camrs visit, it's almost like there is an agenda to keep Grimsby as a laughing stock of a town, when it isn't, there are millions currently being spent to improve the town centre, there are some very nice residential areas a couple of beautiful parks yet why do we only see the worst of the town? It's because it suits the narrative that the entire town is a dump, when it isn't. Did you view any of the Town other than the east and West marsh estates which are the worst? Perhaps your motives where fine, but to a proud Grimbarian like myself it just seems like more ridicule.
There does need to be more done to showcase the delights of Grimsby, especially given that is shares its area with the much loved Cleethorpes. To be honest my motives for this series are just to look at retail decline, which is happening almost everywhere. I was pleasantly surprised to meet so many passionate people in the town on and off screen. Like I say at the end the place has a lot of soul. It’s definitely a place I will be doing a follow up on (I plan to revisit each place a year after my first visit) but that will be a great opportunity to showcase anything I missed.
Great dive into Grimsby and a poignant glimpse into the resilience of its community. Wow even though it's facing years of economic hardship, the spirit of solidarity shines through in the efforts of local volunteers and charities.What legends! Your compassionate portrayal of their work highlights the importance of community support. Great job guys! Here's to hoping for brighter days for Grimsby and its resilient residents. Keep up the great work in shedding light on these important issues.
Hi guys thank you so much for this great comment! the people here in Grimsby were some of the nicest we have met and the community spirit was sot on! we are glad the series is finalised with tonight’s video it has been hard work and has drained us mentally, sick of the sight of boarded up shops 🤣 Happy Easter have a lovely weekend ❤️
As a resident of Grimsby I can say that although freeman street is deprived and run down. It is NOT the main shopping area. Victoria street and surrounding areas are where you'll find shops and businesses. What upset me most is that anyone who ever visits the area is under the impression that this represents the whole of the area.
This isn't the case.
I did do a google street view of all the shopping areas and can clearly see as many shut shops on Victoria as you have on Freeman. my intention was to film it all but honestly got sidetracked by all the amazing people in your community who talked to me at great length on and off camera about the struggles facing Grimsby. the one thing I wanted to present was a different side from the videos that just show all the x-cons, drug addicts and homeless. hopefully this video shows how many wonderful people are dedicating their life to make positive change in a town that has been overlooked by consecutive Governments for decades.
Wow, what a fantastic video Nick & Jill highlighting the sad state of retail in Grimsby.
But, what a great community pulling together with their food banks & workshops.
Great highlighting the state of our high streets 👌🏻
Thanks so much Kim we are coming to the end of this series with quite a different one ending it next week! Then we will be back to our usual hiking silly selves for a while! we are quite passionate about some of these topics so more will be covered in the future! Love you guys have a great weekend 👍❤️
It is so sad what has happened to some of the towns across both the UK and US. Online shopping really hit businesses hard. I always try to shop locale whenever I can to support those businesses. I even did a bunch earlier today! LOL. Thanks for sharing what is going on in Grimsby. Nice that they still have a great sense of community there. The fish and chips looked great! I hope you are both doing well. I am off to Greece in a couple of days. I am pretty excited about that. Take care!
Thanks for your great comment Anita! it is happening the world over! have a fabulous time in Greece! safe travels 👍❤️
Thank you for sharing this heartfelt journey through Grimsby. Your documentary shines a light on the struggles faced by its residents while highlighting the incredible solidarity and resilience within the community.
Wow, thank you! nice comment ❤️
So interesting share my friend.
Big like.
I wish you a happy Thursday...👍👍
Thank you! You too!
Wow! 😮 I think it is commendable that you are highlighting the current situation at such places. I'm so sorry about this happening 😢
Thank you so much princess! it is sad but appears it happening the world over! ❤️
I love seeing your boarded up videos because it shows the true hardships that places are experiencing lately and aren’t all just the touristy stuff you would typically see online. This is real, and so sad to think of how many businesses used to thrive and are now declining and how it affects the town. Seeing all the boarded up places is so sad, but needing 7 food banks in one area really shows the situation in the town, you are so right. In excess of hundreds of numbers 😢 I really liked the interview and learning about these volunteers and how they are helping their community. I love the classroom “of curiosity”. I can see why renting a market stall would now be more profitable that leasing a location 😢 nice little market! Awe donating fish and chips to food banks. And a big portion. Amazing how the community steps up to help each other and so sad when politicians don’t step in to help 😢 heartbreaking. So sad they never got the fishing quotas back from Brexit. Amazing video as always! So well done!
Hi there guys thank you so much for another amazing comment! it’s such a shame that as the sixth richest country there is so much hardship! it’s great to see communities pull together! USA actually comes top in the richest countries but is on such a bigger scale and we are aware there is as much deprivation going on there! We are just thankful for the considerate human beings that are so kind hearted that they pull the communities together! These are the people that need to be our politicians! Hope you guys are well and having a lovely weekend! Take Care ❤️
I live in Grimsby myself sometimes its a struggle with town centre at the night time with crouds of kids but lucky we have the youth clubs they do their best to keep kids out of trouble and support them in many ways
Thanks for your comment that’s good to know they are giving the kids safe spaces to hang out keeping them off the streets 👍
That was so interesting but also very sad to see what is happening to these towns. Thanks for the great video 👍
Thanks for watching have a great week ahead 👍
Hello my friend. We have many places in the US that are also declining. So sad to see these stores closed up. So great to see place like that food bank to help the people. Also, great prices at Mathews fish and chips. Thanks for sharing your video with us.
Cheers Gasper it’s happening the world over unfortunately! catch you soon 👍❤️
Such a sad thing to see this happening all over the world…so many places are in decline…the homeless here has gotten worse and worse in the 15 years I’m living here…it was so nice to see so many people who are helping there with food and meals…we have that too, soup kitchens and restaurants donating food…you’ve done an incredible job bringing all of this information to our attention 👏🏻thanks so much Nick and Jill
Thanks Donna thank goodness for the amazing people in the local communities ❤️
I left Grimsby nearly twenty years ago. While I never completely forget where I come from, you do become detached from it. I've been fortunate to become reasonably successful, I live in Derbyshire now, and I only ever spend my time in nice places. It's only watching this video and some others recently that have bought the reality of my hometown back to me.
It has got worse. The decline was already firmly set in when I left, but it is now significantly worse. I said to my friend recently that what you're seeing with Grimsby now is the equivalent of a rotting cadaver. The patient died many years ago, and you're just watching the body decomposing. I don't mean that disrespectfully to people that live there; it's simply a fact.
When I lived there, it was well past the apex of the fishing industry, and the place was, to be frank, a bit of a dump, but there were still some signs of life. It's weird to look at videos like this, and see that even places that I considered to be undesirable at the time, but which were, in some respects, hubs of the community, are now defunct.
Given that Grimsby is so isolated and easily brushed under the carpet, and other much better connected post-industrialised towns have suffered equally badly, it's hard to see the situation ever improving. It does make me grateful for the life that I lead now, and it is a somewhat weird feeling to think I used to work just off Freeman Street, in an ugly, depressing building, and that area was my day-to-day reality.
Hi there Chris thank you so much for this heartfelt comment and it is sad! We too feel the same as we are originally from Blackpool and have watched some shocking videos of late on how it has changed! We to are pleased with our choice in how we changed are lifestyle but do feel for the people who are not that fortunate to make such changes! It appears from our comments it’s happening in places the world over!
It was so great to see the communities coming together and out of all the places we have visited we met some of the kindest, nicest people here!
All the very best for your future ventures! Have a great weekend 👍
@@RTAC_1234 youre not wrong brother. I don't expect a labour Gov't is going to do much better but you can only hope.
Hi Nick and Jill, it was so sad to see such a devasting decline. It was hard to imagine this was once an important fishing port and the home of a huge fishing industry. It was sad to see all the boarded-up shops and the effects of the high crime rate in certain areas of the town. On a positive note, it was good to see that organizations were giving well-needed support and aid to those in need. The indoor market looked like it was a good place to find fresh foods. Thanks, as always, for telling us like it is. I really appreciate you tackling subjects like this. Best wishes to you both ~ Julie & Lucy ❤❤
thank you so much Julie and Lucy 🙏 it was a real eye opener for sure. felt like I couldn’t put this series to bed without visiting the start of the UKs high street decline. now that I have visited it has left a life long impression on me and the amazing work carried out by the community there is nothing short of outstanding.
Ironically it was the rise of Victoria St / Freshney Place that caused the decline of Freeman St. To be fair Victoria St and surrounding areas appear to be in decline as well.
It’s such a shame John and it’s happening everywhere, poor decisions by Councils, opening retail centres next to ones that are already struggling, it’s a pattern the UK over. I’m sensing we might be over the worst of it and hopefully with the Levelling-up and Regeneration Act 2023 coming into force with hopefully some campaign promises met by Labour things will now slow,y improve..
Man, that is crazy. Some neighborhoods in NYC are boarded up too. This is the sign of things to come, I hope not but it looks like it. LIKE 103. 👍👍👍
Yeah according to the comments it’s happening the world over! Happy Weekend 👍
That's so devastating to see Grimsby in this state of decline. On a high note the Fish & Chips looked delicious. Thanks so much for sharing. 👌😊
It is sad Paul but yes those fish and chips were one of the nicest we have ever had! 👍❤️
We have dying towns and centers all over America also.
Good showing today, retail is moving on line.
Have a great week and we look forward to the next one 🫵🙏
Cheers guys! Catch you soon 👍❤️
How do the poor manage in America? Do they get state benefits and pensions? Do they get medical treatment and housing? I'm a pensioner in the UK and I do well enough.
Quite, sad to seen
Thank you for sharing
Great explore 🙏🏽😊
Thanks Martha ❤️
Sad story, unfortunately there are many places like this in the world 🙁 thanks to volunteers at the food bank.
Very well said! Thanks Walkerwoman 👍❤️
Fab video here Nick, sad to see another one of the UK's important trading centres just crumble away like many of our other cities and towns. I think you do such an excellent job in giving us the facts, not giving the bullshit and showing us the real impact and real life. So thank you. Obviously going like it is, but what exactly is going to be left for us? Nothing. Everything is online now and it's so so depressing. I feel awful for the people of Grimsby, it seems so rundown and unlooked after. Absolutely brilliant to see the foodbanks and listening to the amazing volunteers, they really are a lifeline for those less fortunate, so sad that this is our reality. Thank you Nick, Jill xx
thank you Alessa 🙏 a real humbling visit for me and one that has left its mark. I couldn’t film this series without visiting the very worst and first place to fall victim to the death of the UK high street. the people there have accepted their fate and the incredible work that is going on there by the amazing community has left a life long impression on me. Sadly, we are all hurtling down this path and shutted up shops, closed pubs and a huge increase in homelessness and crime whilst public services are reduced at an alarming rate. public outreach programmes and food banks are becoming more commonplace. its so hard to believe we live in a country where this is so widespread and yet not first and foremost on the political agenda. why is nobody fighting for our working class towns and cities? is it because all the MPs live in affluent boroughs? I think they do..
Thanks for the video. It's disappointing to see some areas in decline. The sense of community is good to see. The fish and chips looked fantastic. Matthew's is doing what they can to support the locals, which is nice.
The fish and chips were delicious! Cheers for your great comment Dan! have a good week 👍
Another fantastic and sad look on how things have decliend in our cities great info
thank you Simon. it’s sad to see the decline of our working class towns and cities. starting to take its toll on me this series. the series finale is this Friday..
ที่นี่แทบจะกลายเป็นเมืองร้าง ติดตามตอนต่อไป 👍💯
Thank you 👍
So sad to see another declining place but heartening to see the wonderful foodbank/meal provision.
Good to see the indoor market.
tore me apart this one, this pretty much cemented the fate of the first series as experiencing what they go through each and every day and for so long is truly heartbreaking. the people that live there and the people that help the community are all Saints.
Beautiful and refreshing view of the place and delicious food thanks for sharing
Thanks for visiting love your positivity 😂
Hi Nick and Jill thank you for another thoughtful video. At least the fish and chips looked great value and tasty. The outreach and people pulling together are a glimmer of hope. Hope you have a good weekend Best wishes Dave and Dawn ❤️
Hi guys the fish and chips were delicious up there with the best, it needs a reward or recognition at some point! have a great weekend 👍❤️
That really was an eye opener and so so interesting ❤
Thanks Cara 😘
Really liked how you chatted to the people volunteering in the food banks. Hope it inspires local people to volunteer. It has made me think about contacting my local food bank for volunteering.
Hi Lisa and Giles yeah it’s so great at how communities pull together! Jill too has been researching local food banks 👍❤️
Sounds interesting 🤔
All ur videos carry a great value 😊
Thanks Aishu 👍❤️
Hello. Thank you so much for this lovely video. Yeah. lovely And that's the wrong word that it's sad to see what's happening in the world. It's crazy. So sad. I hope. Really. I hope that Grimsby will be back. The town they used to be. Thank you so much for this. It's really great to watch this.... it touched my heart. have a great weekend, Jill and Nick. I hope to see you soon on my channel. Thank you.
Thanks so much Fred, great comment! catch you soon dear friend 👍😉
Us who live here and have seen alot of the big wage factorys go Courtaulds, Novartis, Tioxide just get on with it on the minimum wage jobs. We are a great bunch of people who take life as it comes, The top end of Freemo that almost never gets shown isn't that bad at all the markets great. Show the good side for a change chat to a few of us. I love grimsby and would not want to live anywhere else.
yeah I chatted to loads of you, mostly wanted to stay off screen. really intelligent, friendly and with the best community spirit I’ve ever seen.
I was born in and lived in Grimsby from 1990-2014. I moved due to a lack of work in general. I moved to Gainsborough and its doing it here now. Lack of work. Lots of houses being build but no jobs in general. Its sucked.
Ah it’s so sad, I spoke to so many of the locals and they were all lovely, articulate, intelligent and amongst the nicest people I’ve ever met in the UK. For some they cannot leave. its criminal that they should have to and that they get royally screwed by the Government at almost every turn.
Thanks for showing us around Grimsby sad state of affairs a once thriving fishing town left behind. So many shops restaurants, even a bank empty. Good bits of graffitiart on the tour around. Good help the food banks are doing 👌 Big market area lots of empty stalls. The crime-ridden street & estate not good be careful Generation Xplorers 😂 The chips looked nice big portion. Beautiful cleethorpes beach ⛱️ and old pier . Let's hope things get better . Thanks for sharing with us Generation Xplorers Generation Xperiences 👍
thank you so much Adzey 🙏 apparently the estates are really bad at the night time (same case everywhere I suppose), talked to a few scared locals off cam and they feared about reprisals if they spoke on camera. not pretty though. very helpful graffiti though, esp. if your after a fix! the food banks and outreach programmes were truly humbling. sad times indeed, how long before we are all the next Grimsby? two years, five? nobody is slowing down this mad approach..
@@GENerationXplorers Sure is sad times
Hi Nick and Jill, interesting to hear about the decline of Grimsby. Such a shame. Its a good job there are the food banks today. Never thought this would be happening, good job for all of the charities and the volunteers. Nice market but quite a few stalls empty. Fish and chips looked nice. Enjoy your weekend x Julie and Tony x
Thanks guys hope you are enjoying your weekend ❤️
It is such a shame, but like you say when a town loses its main industry it has to find a way to reinvent itself. Like you say how depressing for the residents that those in charge don't seem to care. The volunteers you highlighted are doing an amazing job. I do love a wander down the coast of Cleethorpes and a great meal at Papas. It is great to hear about the sense of community at Grimsby Nick.
that was my first visit to Grimsby and Cleethorpes. sadly as I got to Cleethorpes I only had about fifteen minutes of daylight left. what a lovely place and night and day to neighbouring Grimsby. all the arcades were open, Papas was open (I ate my £3 fish and chips close by!). I spoke to a lot of the residents in the estates who didn’t want to be on the video for fear of reprisals, some had lived there for over 40 years and said how nice a place it was but now it’s just not safe and it’s overrun with gangs and drugs. there isn’t the police to cope with it and the few cameras they do have on main streets either aren’t manned or are only referred to after a crime has happened. its utterly heartbreaking to see.
@@GENerationXplorers that is all so sad, I hope they can somehow find a way forward one day!
Interesting one. I'm at Grimsby about twice a year but only on a brief visit for other things. Times are tough.
True that but in this day and age things need to be different! get yourself to Mathews Fishband Chios next time you are there 👍😂 they are delicious
I was born and raised in Grimsby/Cleethorpes until my family fled south in 1965. I've been back a couple of times over the years but never saw it this bad. They've done a great job of the market though, I remember it as just a canvas topped array of stalls in an open space. The Icelandic cod wars certainly set the rot for this once proud fishing port, so sad. My son maintains that I put the "Grim" in "Grimsby" btw!
oh no Carol! I’m sure he doesn’t mean it! the market was a vibrant place and full of really nice characters. The Icelandic Cod wars and then the fishing quotas imposed by the EU have done a real number in the place. Boris’s empty promises haven’t helped either. I can’t see the Tories doing well there this time.
Freeman Street used to be a main shopping area up until the late seventies, so I'm not sure why you are trying to represent it as one today. Why didn't you film in the Riverhead area?
did honestly run out of time on that visit. the food shelters and people doing good were a real priority for me on this one to show a different perspective from what has already been shown by Wendall and GB News. a walk through on Google Maps showed me that Riverhead, now the more preferred area, has just as many closed shops as other towns and cities but it’s typically, given the previous videos on the area is where the homeless and x convicts reside. really wanted to show the good in the community, hopefully it came across. met a lot of wonderful, caring people there..
You can understand anyone looking at this video would have a biased discerning view on grimsby and cleethorpes but as previous comments made nothing of the normal area even cleethorpes pictures of the underneath structure of the pier and the beach at low tide doesn't do it any justice
I was born in Lincoln, but worked a lot in Grimsby. There even used to be a Marks and Spencers on Freeman street if I remember right. I travelled the country with my job, and was amazed at the affluence down south. Went to Housing estates with thriving shops. So much taxpayers' money is spent on London and the south, silly bridges, crossrail, etc etc. Politicians don't give a toss about the north, there lies the real problem in my opinion.
i think your right, there is definitely (still) a real North/South divide in terms of priorities and spending. the only time the North ever comes onto political agenda is just prior to a General Election when the main candidates will do there tours of the North offering us all everything we could possibly ever want if we are daft enough to vote for them. this next month will see a really interesting battle fought over places like Grimsby. it will be a battle of empty promises..
Yes. When we visited Freeman St in the 1950s, it was heaving with crowds. There was an M&S there and in Victori Street too, (plus Woolwoths, etc etc.) Best people in the entire world!
@@ParcBlondel The shopping mall (Freshney Place) used to be really busy. There was a lot of independent retailers too. M&S is still along Victoria Street, woolworths closed around 2007/2008 from what I can remember. Its now a poundworld store. So many empty units within the mall now and the Riverhead is dire. They started the so called re-generation just over 3 years ago and it's still not finished. You go over to Lincoln and what a difference. The bus terminal is all under one roof unlike Grimsby. People are having to walk quite a distance from the mall to get a bus due to bus stops being dotted all over the place. Not good for disabled or the elderly. They should have left the bus shelter/terminal at the Riverhead and made it all under one roof like they have done in Lincoln.
My Dad had a friend who lived in Grimsby, my Dad when he was 17 worked in Grimsby and worked in findus, so he knows a lot about garden peas. Me and my parents have not been to Grimsby in years (like 30 years)
Hi there we always love getting your comments you are so knowledgable or have experiences of the places we visit! Thank you 👍❤️
Very sad. My home town, Billingham has ended up this way. However this shows how people can come together. So it's sad and hopeful which is something lots of people need ❤
Yeah thank goodness for the good of the local communities! Hope you are well Mr Brilltastic have a great week 👍❤️
Rhyl would be good for you! Poor Grimsby - it looks so sad. I played a show there back in the late 90's and it looked similar then. Bloody hell it looks like Pontins. Food banks are normal now. The hall I teach in runs a food bank and a warm space every week and it's full. Makes you cross that all those buildings standing empty and people sleeping on the streets. Well done Matthews chippy! Great video 🍻
thank you Rachel, gosh was it that bad in the 90s too? this poor town has never had a break has it? what amazing people, the place is full of Saints. one of the most humbling experiences ever filming this one. Well done the people of Grimsby and I hope things get better soon.
boarded up series one ends next Friday (thank goodness), there will be a follow up series later in the year (when we have recovered), Rhyll might be a contender.. 👍
That's a terrible sight, when even most of the main street is boarded up. I hope you'll have a great weekend.
thank you Thomas, it is definitely leading the way in how things are going for us in the UK. the great thing? the people seem to have accepted it and are just going on doing the best they can.
nice tour
thanks for the sharing
Greetings from Istanbul
Thank you very much! 👍
Picked the worst places to go while in Grimsby, most town or cities have run down areas. Give me a shout next time your down this way ill take you to some of the better places in the area.
thanks for that Jases, will do. we will be doing a follow up, would be nice to see the parts where positive changes are taking effect.
A shame to see such decline. The indoor market gives hope of what can be achieved to help stimulate the local economy though. Thanks for sharing.
Totally agree! Thanks for your comment have a great weekend 👍
Wow Nick this is sad after how it used to be, over the last 15 years the decline sounds and looks so bad. Shocking but good to gear what the community is doing for the homeless with the food and the showers at the food bank . Sooo thought provoking 👍~ Anna
thank you so much Anna 🙏 the real decline of the high street and the massive cuts to services has all happened under the same leadership. sadly I imagine the high street might be a little better under the alternative but all our Councils would be bankrupt and our taxes would be ten times higher. the answer has to lie somewhere in between with a focus on the UK and less focus on overseas spending. final part next week, thank goodness, I think we all need a rest after these last few videos..
fun and frolicking will return in a fortnight. hope your having an amazing weekend!
WOW! deserted thats for sure.
Deprivation at its best.
Very sad to see Nicholas.
Looks like there is much poverty in the area. No retail, no work!
"We are one Foundation", are doing some great things.
Looks like the Market is a better place, although it seems quiet.
Sad to hear about the Crime rate.
Sounds like the poorer are getting poorer and the rich, richer!
Great Vlog Nicholas, I hope things will turn around for Grimsby one day.
Have a great weekend. Say hello ti Jill.
thank you so much Joseph. its a pretty sorry state of affairs in most of the UK at the moment and it still seems that the Government are oblivious to it. the decline of the high street has barely touched Main Street media and the politicians all live on very wealthy boroughs. it wont be long before 75% of the UK is in the same position as Grimsby. hope your having a fantastic week. PS this depressing series ends next Friday and it’s back to some fun and frolics on this channel in two weeks time. thank you for your patience!
@@GENerationXplorers finding it very interesting and given it’s happening there, could it happen here. We are already struggling in the retail sector. With many empty shops. COVID-19 has done us no favours and we are still feeling the after effects. Employees are hard to find too, especially in our industry and hospitality.
Hello Nick and Jill 👋. That’s really sad to hear and seen on your lenses this situation. It’s really hard to put back again in a happy city. It’s really painful to see but still life must go on and looking forward to live. Have a wonderful day 👍.
Thanks so much Kenn it is sad but always nice to see local communities pull together 👍❤️
Another sad video of the declines taking place in so many areas and supposed wealthier country's. I descend from a fishing family up on Lake Superior here in the US. The fishing industry died in the 60's when I was young. Happily my hometown changes into a tourist destination that was successful. My hot's off to all the volunteers who give up their time to help out in the food banks. Homeless shelters here in the US too! 150 out of every thousand people is the crime rate? That's absolutely horrible and higher than I've ever heard of in a developed country. As you mentioned it didn't look that bad when you showed some of the affordable homes. But, I'm sure that's deceiving. Many challenges. Sadly, not many answers. Thought provoking, Nick and Jill.
thank you Dave 🙏 I did encounter some very scared locals on the estates. I was filming B Roll and a row of cars had been trashed and tagged. a woman who had lived there for forty years owned one of them and she was worried I was part of a returning gang that was trashing her property. she was still waiting for the police to attend a serious crime on her property days before and wasn’t holding her breath. she said the place used to be a lovely place to live but now it’s full of gangs and dealers and the police turn a blind eye. her story was mortifying and wasn’t the only one. for fear of reprisals they didn’t want to be filmed. sadly it gets a lot worse at night. I really feel for everyone there and my heart goes out to them and the brave soles that help that community each and every day. the government has forgotten them but in the community life and a little hope lives on..
That was a great piece of video Nick. Despite all of the promises in the last election the Tories have failed to level up much at all in the North. You can argue that Grimsby is too far gone to be sorted out in four years but it really needs significant investment. Good to see the people of Grimsby taking action and helping themselves and their fellow Grimbarians.
Grimbarians love that. they do have to bear the brunt of being lied to by Governments for decades. the North has well and truly been let down. oh let’s connect Manchester to London and throw a ridiculous amount of money at it. we need some real change and one that doesn’t make every Council bankrupt. it wont be long before most working class towns and cities look like Grimsby.. the only consolation? its happening down South too! yay 🎉
Wow Nick & Jill it’s depressing to see what was once a thriving place, is now so empty and boarded up…makes me sad. I like the place that is helping people who are in need, it seems that is happening everywhere now. I love a visiting markets…glad Freeman street is holding up. Crime here in Niagara is bad too. Thanks for sharing and keeping people informed. 👍😊🇨🇦
The fish & chips place is awesome!
really gosh Christine I hadn’t realised crime was bad there too? I guess it attracts a lot of visitors and maybe it has transient residents, people that find comfort there before moving onto the next place? thats very interesting!
insanely cheap, they are angels to keep them at that cost. I could go back 40 years and not find them at that price in the UK!
Councils have left the gate (of the week) open en the horse has bolted. Rental and internet, two of the largest 'influencers' killing mid town shopping Also the expanded city borders creating more distance between suburbia and the city centre has given rise to large shopping malls and centers for easier access. We have somehow turned the corner from being 'town' shoppers. What also helped change our way and place of shopping are the extended opening hours. Now I'm not ancient _but_ : In my day- you had a shopping night for things other than groceries so it was a treat to go into town and be able to shop till 9pm. It also gave rise to having a not too expensive meal out. The rise in rent, the other issues you mentioned, add financial losses due to the pandemic, lack of staff, a pure recipe for financial disaster. I winder what is needed for the tide to turn?Another thought provoking video 🇳🇱🙋♀🇳🇿🦘😎
😂👍 Fabulous comment all the way from down under! that first sentence is brilliantly genius for us and our channel! You'll be pleased to know Anita only one more of this series before our silliness returns! we just wanted to get all this, that we are passionate about off our chests for now but it has been mentally exhausting 😂 hope you are having a lovely weekend 👍
If a big time investor put time money and businesses back on the high street, do you think it has the potential to be cleaned up and transformed into a much cleaned livable environment,
Because I know the UK has a huge housing problem and it seems to me that the government don't want to replenish this town I'm asking myself why??
because they dont want you to own anything, they will give you the house and you will work hard for them to maintain it. They buy the rundown houses let them get dilapidated and knock it down for the land. There is potential but the country needs to change drastically in order for any of these towns to thrive
its like they have deliberately overlooked it for decades. I guess Grimsby isn’t alone in this but it must be one of the most unfortunate examples.
@kruck1764 houses in grimsby are only 41k why are monopoly players not buying and replenishing for a higher price or is the market turnover no good 🤔 I wonder what the most expensive houses are going for
@shaundocherty96 about £240K for a fully detached in an area away from the East and West Marshes.
@@shaundocherty96 You can get houses around he for cheap yeah but to get someone to live in one is different. much like the $1 detroit homes they need one investor to buy the whole lot and rebuild because no one wants to live on a street of broken houses and crackheads. There are also good houses around here dont get me wrong a lot of investors do come from places like london to invest because you can sell houses upto around £350,000 that you can buy for £150,000. The area is the problem we need jobs, proper education and bit of respect for ourselves and the rest will follow. Sad to see the decline
Very interesting video. Greetings from Argentina.
Thank you very much! 👍
Hi Nick
It brings tear to my eyes.
I have learned the UK's economy declining after the glory of British Empire as I grew up.
I wonder how the effect of the UK leaving European Union.
Each country has economical issues and here it is you expose one by one.
For my curiosity, how the young generations plan for their future..
Nobody cannot blame they leave town like this for their financial gains. Better job and better pay.
I am happy to know that the local non-profits(I assume) support PPL in needs.
It is challenging to find one solution...but we all have hopes..
For my curiosity, can you find out a town successfully recovering from the crisis???
maybe there is an answer...
Nick, so sorry I hope my comment is not making misconception...
again, great work.
Thankyou Ms Kayak. I think it’s a real divide in the UK now. Id say there is a middle class where all the money is and that probably accounts for 25% of the UK and then there is the working class towns and cities that are really struggling making up the remaining 75%. in the final part of this series (next friday) I’ll be delving into that 25% unaffected and not bothered by the plight of the working classes.
and then thank goodness it’s back to singing, twirling and skipping on this channel! phew! 😅
Great ! Happiness and Joy to you. Be Well.
Greetings ~ Milan
You too lovely friend from Milan 👍❤️
you can slate my town has much as you want,you can portray it in a bad light,but you will find the local Grimbarians so friendly and welcoming,something that you do not find in many other places.
thank you for paraphrasing everything I set out to do in this video. I went AGAINST the trend of showing Grimsby people as toothless jobless drugged up idiots that EVERY other video about Grimsby shows YOU as and showed the amazing work on and off camera that every intelligent Grimsby local came across as. id hope Rob, that you were as intelligent as your fellow Grimsby residents and maybe watched the video before shouting a lot of shit.
@@GENerationXplorers it was a general comment,saying that people slate Grimsby in there vlogs,it was not aimed directly at you
I’m sorry Rob. I have to say out of all the places I’ve visited I think everyone I met in Grimsby were absolute Saints, made connections there on and off screen that will last with me for a lifetime. You’ve had a raw deal from the crap British Government but how the locals cope with it is nothing short of incredible. I’m in awe of your community and boarded up shops which I went there to see isnt a Grimsby problem it’s a UK problem, we are all In the same boat sadly and I suspect that Labour don’t give two “you know what’s” about that.
@@GENerationXplorers no problem bro,take care,
Ur serious it's a shithole and no one is friendly there your al l backward inbreds
Absolutely fantastic film. Highlighting the decline of these areas but also the hood that is apparent with the food banks and the chip shop looking after the community. I don’t know the answer to the issue. But whoever is in power. My guess is it won’t change. Great video. Top work. 👍🏻🚶🏻♂️🚶♀️🏴
thank you Watto, emotional rollercoaster this one and I’ll be very happy to put this series to bed. I have met some very wonderful people on this journey and on filming this one so many scared and horrified locals about the reprisals they would get if seen on camera. it really is a broke town and the few angels holding it together? I’m not sure how long they can continue..
..its not an easy watch for me.
Hi Nick and Jill, very nice video, good documentary, have a great weekend 😃
Thanks, you too! ❤️
tolle bilder einfach nur klasse 👍🏻 danke fürs teilen wir wünschen euch ein schönes Wochenende grüße Semare
Thank you for taking the time to comment 👍
Very sad. Thanks for sharing 👍🏻
it’s such a shame that it’s been left to decline by so many Governments. I think there are a lot of places in the UK of becoming the same soon..
Real sad how the decline of the fishing industry there, especially as it had once been so powerful. Never been to Grimsby before but I had an idea what it would look like but it was even worse than I was expecting. Even the food banks have iron shutters down when they are not open but good to see there was hope with the Foundation Outreach but given we are one of the richest countries in the world and give away Billions in Foreign Aid, the fact there is a need for these places is a disgrace. Makes you wonder how Matthews fish n chips can survive (just) selling at £3 (looked bloody amazing as well) yet you can pay 6 times that amount at other places who say they are only 'just' making a profit.. I feel sorry for the people of Grimsby and thank goodness I do not live there, cheers Alan
Mathews was great, they source their fish at 80p each at the docks, apparentley that is the price that all fish and chip shops pay for their fish but after batter, cooking it, chips, side, electric, rates and staff they are making no money by selling it at £3. they donate 100s of fish and chips to the homeless and that price point in the poorest estate in the UK is a real life line. it was 17C outside when I filmed this and in that chippy it must have been close to 40C by the fryers in that small place. I chatted to the mum and daughter for half an hour and they are saints and seeing first hand the people that went through (and they are there everyday) is really touching. I wanted to see Grimsby first hand but having seen it I can never unsee it. truly shocking. I’m so glad this series comes to an end next Friday as the whole process has taken its toll. it’s been a real eye opener and we’ve both learnt a lot and met some truly amazing human beings in the process!
Thanks for sharing Britain poorest town, greeting from Texas 16:05😊fully supported
Much appreciated 👍❤️
I made a little video in Grimsby last year and the damn GoPro formatted and I lost all the footage. I was gutted at the time. Now I'm relieved, because it was nowhere near as good as this video! Great job Nick! And great job those volunteers at the food bank. It's astounding that people are struggling so much when you give those figures of how much money the UK (or should I say the elites) has. Levelling up, I haven't heard that particular bs little catchphrase for a while. Boris told lies about brexit, couldn't see that coming 😂
Sorry about your Grimsby video Matt, im having real issues with my GoPros atm. I will never use the 12 again as I cant find an audio setting even with the media mod that sounds decent. and the 10 which I used for this sometimes just won’t record any audio (I lost two great interviews on the day thanks to no audio). time to look at a competitor cam for me. Levelling up? what an absolute load of nonsense. this country is in tatters, if anyone can leave the UK they need to get out now as its only going to get a lot worse unless enough votes go away from the two main parties. my hope? that enough votes do go away and that one of them has to form a coalition. that’s the best the UK can hope for right now. the fight for BREXIT was pretty much won on fishing rights and not only have we not reclaimed any but some of the EU partners that worked through Grimsby have left since BREXIT making the town even more worse off. very sad to see and very humbling seeing the great work in the community. I couldn’t find any of the toothless, tattooed nutcases that feature on other Grimsby videos, just a lot of intelligent, friendly, helpful locals, even in the estates.. im starting to think that these people are brought in? 🧐
@GENerationXplorers I didn't see any of those characters on my trip to Grimsby either Nick! In Kent a lot of people seemed to vote for Brexit because we could 'take back control of our borders', well we all know how that's gone. I hope Grimsby improves, like you say it's got a lot of soul, like many of the towns that are suffering. So annoying about the camera, smartphones never seem to have problems so why are cameras going wrong all the time 🤦♂️
It’s a sad state of affairs. I didn’t vote as thought both options had merit but the deal we got with brexit was no deal at all. I understand now why the deal Boris “brokered” was such an appalling laughing stock. Better no deal than the one we got,
I escaped Grimsby by joining the Army in 1976 and never really when back. I am now happily retired in Essex.
Well done Tony. I spoke to a lot of residents who have lived there for 50/60 years and they detailed how much it has changed over the years in almost every regard. its very upsetting, im glad you were able to get out and I hope something decent happens for the people of Grimsby soon.
I moved to Derbyshire in 91 then onto Buckinghamshire and I have to say it’s soo sad how the town has declined. I cannot see me moving back home despite all my family living in the area. All I ever see is crime and drugs such a shame. I worked on most of the council estates Nunsthorpe Grange and East Marsh but never saw it this bad. Such a shame as we have some of the most generous people living in these areas not money but love and thought always willing to help.
@markburch3056 yeah it is really heart breaking Mark, its a town of Saints desperately doing the best to help those left in need by our lacking governments.
@@GENerationXplorers Yes no doubt most of the current residents of Grimsby would be shocked to know that few people back in the 1950s to early 1970s NEVER LOCKED THEIR DOORS at night.
@user-TonyUK it’s so sad Tony, I spoke to a lovely lady that had lived on the East Marsh for over 60 years, she was a double victim of crime just a couple of days prior (still waiting on the police to attend the incidents) and I talked to her at great length how wonderful it was growing up and how it has changed over the years. She is still there, holding onto her memories but at the same time afraid of what happens after dark. It’s absolutely mortifying.
I didn't know much about Grimsby before this video... except it's hometown to one of my favourite TH-camrs.... Laurence from Lost in the Pond. But he lives in Chicago now 😉
lost In the pond, i will have to check him out. I’m hoping it was a move for the better on Laurence’s part. 🙏
@@GENerationXplorers he is brilliantly hilarious! You really should check him out. Don't watch his most recent video about his puppy, watch one of his British culture videos that he normally does
Grimsby sounds a bit grim. I was beginning to wonder if any shops were open. You'd think the council would do something to try to reinvigorate the place like low business rates or something. I'm no expert on it. However good to see that the market looked good and clean but not busy when you visited. Also great to see the community coming together tho it's not great that more and more people are relying on food banks. The bit on successive Government I'll decline to comment 😊
😂👍 well said Paul cheers it is a shame but everyone we spoke to was lovely 👍
Like 3. Watching now 👍
Had several caravans in Cleethorpes for 15 years and loved it but had to sell up 2 years ago with the ground rent going through the roof with ridiculous increases every year but the facilities weren’t improving. Grimsby Top Town is a great place to shop, you gave a false impression of the shops as you concentrated on the poorest outskirts of the town. Cleethorpes shopping is also excellent. I am sure all towns and cities have run down area so feel you are being unfair to Grimsby. All that dereliction needs bulldozing down and the space could be used for new homes.
thanks for the comment Tony. Would love to spend more time there to be fair. We did run out of time after spending so long with the shelters and outreach program. wanted to show a different side of Grimsby from the side shown by Wendall and TalkTV, they focused on the main shopping area (which has as many closures as the rest of us sadly). I wanted to portray the Grimsby people fairly as intelligent, articulate angels that go above and beyond to help the poorest in the community. a far cry from how it was portrayed by the other two. Cleethorpes looked delightful and we hope to return to take in its many delights.Sorry about the ground rents, seems very unfair.
@@GENerationXplorers an American company took over the holiday camp and ground rents rocketed from roughly £1300 ten years ago to around £4000 for the same plot now. They even levied a compulsory sure charge which from memory was about £300 to pay for a climbing wall and outdoor stage even though I can’t walk! They built it in a different place to where they had applied for planning permission and the local council has told them to move it to where it should be. Scandalous. Top Town is a very nice shopping centre so I can understand why people would not want to go shopping on Freemen Street. It was always rough there back in the 70’s so nothing has changed.
@tonyjedioftheforest1364 gosh that really is scandalous. Imagine news of that made it harder to sell the units too. The Market on Freeman Street was nice and had that lovely Outreach Program situated inside it. Would like to check Top Town out, at some point I plan on recovering all the place “one year on”, to see what has changed, improved or indeed worsened and see what affect, if any a change in government has meant for each place. Your comments have been really helpful in guiding me on my future visit! Hopefully get to spend a lot longer there and spend, for different reasons of course, more time in Cleethorpes.
A lot of people dont know that Hollywood actor Lee Van Cleef took his stage name from a visit to Cleethorpes when he was a child in the 1930s
wow Lee Van Cleef, I didn’t know that, what a superb fact! thankyou
I'm Grimsby born-and-bred, and Grimsby it's been dying on its arse since I was a kid. I'm 54! At this stage, it's only famous for TH-camrs wandering around "Freemo" looking shocked at plyboard. 😂
Certainly being dying for the longest time I can think of in the UK. The only other places that have suffered for long time are coal and steel towns. It’s always where the political battles are fought though. The coast is always the areas on the fence about political ways to vote. Today will be interesting from a political point of view as will the General Election when the real battle will be fought and Grimsby will be front and centre of broken promises..
@@GENerationXplorers Grimsby was always Labour. A Tory MP was never going to make themselves that comfortable.
@FatNorthernBigot end of the line for the lesser seen Lia then?
@@GENerationXplorers Lia Who? 😂
@FatNorthernBigot exactly 👍
That did look rough Nick (good to see the food banks doing some good amongst this dire situation 😥)(what happened to the leveling up ???)
Great documentary mate
All the best to Jill and your self 🙏🏼
Simon
thank you so much Simon. I guess that’s about as bad as it gets (well I really hope it is). a true town that has been kicked to the kerb by consecutive Governments for decades. the community there is amazing, whilst it might be just the norm to most growing up there, its still not the norm to a lot of the UK. I really hope we can put the brakes on this rapid decline before we are all the next Grimsby..
@@GENerationXplorers your right there Nick even in the more affluent areas you see the start of this decline (things are changing I’m afraid 😟) but not for the better
Our country is in such a mess now its heartbreaking....
and it still doesn’t seem to be getting any MPs attention.
@@GENerationXplorers there all lying charlatans mate there paid to lie to us they don't give a shit ...
Very nice brother
Thanks Kris 👍
fish n' chips and mushy pea.s..... bargain.... i paid in ashton town centre in thamesside... which is a working-class area.... £11.47p....... £3 for fish n'chips and mushy pea's... bargain.....wish it was £3 everywhere.
Us too that’s amazing right we’d have it for breakfast, dinner and tea at that price! 🤣 probably not wouldn’t want to burden the nhs 🤣
Like done 👍✅nice sharing ❤️❤️❤️❤️
Cheers 👍
It's so sad that they even prefer places stay empty for years instead of lower the rents.
And It's sad how fast all can move in wrong direction.
At least happy you found some good things there.
Yeah we know these videos are sad and a little depressing but being who we are we do try and find some good! Thanks Sanniz hope you are having a lovely weekend 🖤🖤
Not until the council starts treating people like human beings and not as nuisances! People do not even get replacement bins for the many used to the point of overflowing by others and those stolen. They do not even get collected as I found out. No wonder so much gets tipped on the streets. You still get charged council tax though!
sadly things are only going to get worse. under Labour our Council Tax might double and under Conservative nothing will get done and most public services will be on strike. I’m already considering moving because of the amount of Council Tax I have to pay. Surely services should improve with the amount it increases each year?
@@GENerationXplorers I too have been contemplating moving even as a pensioner. My pension is under 900 since this rise. I will be taxed on this. Fortunately I have capital, long worked for. With council tax, phone, internet and energy, TV licence and this excludes food, my direct debits with being thrifty are well over four hundred, effectively over half my pension and with food not included. Yes, it keeps me alive but not exactly comfortably so, even by only flushing every third time, never buying take aways and walking as a recreation, not affording pubs and theatre visits. I am using capital to pay for teeth as our NHS dentists are not available. I am grateful for the bus pass and being able to bend and touch my toes and can afford to colour my own hair! I may Google how to cut it at home! It irks me that those younger get so much more on benefits with no tax forms, but who can blame them! I've often checked out bipolar symptoms and how to lean convincingly on a stick!
@@LindenButters So sorry to hear about your situation. It's not good for anyone with all that's going on. The UK is a disgrace and it's disgusting the way people are being treated. With regards to benefits, so many people are under the illusion that anyone in receipt of welfare (UC) are on a good thing. It's simply not the case and the way Jobcentres look for ways to deliberately cut/reduce people's monies is beyond disgusting. These so called work coaches aren't there to help people find work. They're installed to make claimant's lives as stressful as possible. What these civil servants fail to realise is the fact that they won't have jobs for too much longer either. The more psychotic you are, the better you get on within jobcentre/dwp environments.
Thank goodness I now live down on the South coast. I use too live in Louth in the 70s & 80s & use too catch the Lincolnshire road car bus too either Lincoln or Grimsby for a few hours but nothing too visit Grim ..Grimsby for 😢 .
Ah it’s a real shame Karl. It’s the same place getting consistently looked over by every horrible iteration of Conservatives and Labour. Give the place the recognition it deserves and let the funding flood in..
I think most of the northern areas of England are well and truely finished. I think because all the industry was up there. All gone now. There are still some nice areas however. Such as Cumbria, Lake District, York.
Thanks for your comment you are right although we did cover York there are a lot of boarded up shops there too! have a great week ahead 👍
Great work thanks for sharing keep it up l hope we always communicate 🛎👈👉👀👍🎁🌹🌷🌺🤲
Thanks and sure 👍
So sad to see the decline in some places 😔😔 such a shame
it seems almost a forgone conclusion now Yasmin that we all follow down this path unless there is massive change..
first here....watching now for you Jill and Nick
Aaww thanks Fred ❤️
Hi Nick! Sad😮. Online shopping is really the killer of retail shops. And I hate to think that some stuff we buy online atleast here in the US, could potentially be stolen goods from big stores where shoplifting are very rampant and most of the time unpunished!! Are they bankrupt?
at least some are being put to good use..Rich or poor nation can be brought to their knees and be humbled.
business go down,crimes go up. I hope Grimsby's future won't remain grim, no pun intended.
all the high street brands all have internet stores too, so its not down to that. its down to crippling council rates.
I lived there through work in 2004. Depressing place which had an air of menace about it, but you could tell it did have money once with some lovely Victorian areas. I worked in a school and the children there were feral, violent, abusive… there was zero aspiration. After about 6 months of this I broke down in tears in a classroom and left to move to a nicer town - Lincoln.
I feel your pain. I worked at a School in Brid about the same time. Oh my days it was rough. Had kids jumping out of windows (not the ground flioor) and others arriving doing commando rolls over the desks talk about feral, almost put me of Bridlington for life! Can only imagine the horrors in Grimsby education 😱
Went through school growing up in grimsby and whilst I can only speak from my own experiences it was a living hell. Moved here from Normanton when I was 6 and Normanton is not the nicest area but the abuse I went through at school here I wouldn't wish on anyone. They even had metal detectors at one point and teachers scanning all kids entering and leaving with hand held detectors because of high rates of knife crime in the school. That was back in 2004 just before I left I'm sure it's got worse now
Sorry to say Nick (and I hope no ones from Grimsby is listening) but sadly it looks a mess. Those awful 1960’s shops and buildings sadly don’t help.
You can imagine though, just after the war, it would be a bustling thriving town 😢
that would definitely have been its heyday Phil. literally the definition of a “booming” generation..
In the 1990s I have never heard of food banks, only since 2019 I have had people talk about foodbanks and that was at adult college courses
Yeah this is true! but they are a great help for the struggling community but the real question is why are there so many struggling communities in this day and age? x thanks for another great comment Pagrant! Have a great weekend 👍
Freeman Street is not the main street, it's Victoria Street nr train station. All these TH-camrs do is film the worst parts just for views.
My focus of filming all the retail areas of Grimsby shifted when I met all the great people in the community that are working hard to make the place better. that took up the bulk of my time and hopefully its a very different video than all the ones that just show the jobless, x cons, druggies and homeless. my video should be a stark contrast to those videos.
seen a few comments about this and there not wrong I’ve lived in Grimsby for nearly 13 years and there are really nice parts of it but it’s never shown on videos like this
The focus was on the great people helping your community.
So true Scartho Humberstone waltham even Seaview street and St Peters avenue
good evening nick,mate. i was sorry to hear about the princess of wales. i hope she is o.k. i emailed jill a video, i thought she might find interesting. have a good weekend mates
Great video Kris! The princess is doing well! you too for a great weekend! much love across the pond 👍
The flats being knocked down didn't help freeman street traders ,it was the last nail in the coffin especially for the market ,which you only showed a small part of .
Gosh I suppose that would affect footfall in the Market. Pity as it was lovely in there, hopefully all the displaced high rise tenants will find their way back to the Market.
Really interesting 👍 😊
Thank you 👍
i miss jill. its been 3 weeks since i have seen her.
One more week without her then we are both back! will get her to send some pics 👍
I will give you full credit for looking at the outreach programs and the good work that is going on. However, Freeman street has been dead since I was a kid over 30 years ago, the high street moved long long ago and that is not the centre of Grimsby. People here need to accept that particular area is NEVER going to be what it was and it needs to flattened and repurposed. Grimsby cannot live in the past, stop investing in dead wood and move the investment to the areas that are still alive. The only people who remember even a semi bustling Freeman street are over 60. That the people fell for Boris's brand of idiocy and voted for a Tory MP that doesn't even live in the town also shows that local people here need to take accountability and be part of the solution instead of the problem. Your video is good, but not balanced, you have shown only the area of Grimsby that was reliant on the fishing industry, you could have shown other areas as a counterbalance to give a more accurate view of the town.
thank you Dan, its really helpful to get great insight and local knowledge. I think I saw all the over 60s still enjoying the street whilst I was there, they were sat outside the coffee shop on the North side of the Street sunning themselves quite happily whilst having their daily cuppa. they seemed blissfully unaware of all the adjacent closed shops. they were a joy to behold! but yet flattening and repurposing the lot would be the best fix. to be fair that mantra could be applied to most of our towns and cities now including mine! do you know that was the tac I wanted to take with Lia too, I really couldn’t pinpoint her home address and I’m usually quite good at that. really ran out of time, I kept meeting and talking to so many great Grimsby locals. most of whom sadly didn’t want to be filmed, especially on the East Marsh Estate but they were all articulate and intelligent as you clearly are too. really wanted to show a different side to the side shown on other videos on TH-cam, that of an intelligent and caring community that have come together in the face of adversity. to be fair, i’ll probably need to revisit! 👍
@@GENerationXplorers I think you should, wish I had known you where coming I really could have shown you around properly and I think you would have left with a much more balanced view of my town. The good and the bad and who is really to blame for my towns utter abandonment , there are also answers to many of the towns problems when taking an over view but that's a long story. BTW, I am 60 was a fisherman in my young days and have lived here all my life.
Rather a tainted view of Freeman Street with some nifty camera work to miss out the good businesses that still support the area like Farmfoods, Iceland and Poundland that took over the Wilko that was closed. I do acknowledge it is bad, but it is in no way as bad as you have painted it, and why not a trip to Victoria Street and Riverhead to give it some balance? Like someone said in the comments a lot of what happens her is caused by the people that live here and not the politicians, I don't have a lot of money but I still possess dignity and good manners.....both of which are in sharp decline amongst a large proportion of the inhabitants of Grimsby.
Farmfoods Iceland and Poundland? Well wow. If that’s supporting a community then I will eat my hat, Freeman Street was as bad as it gets and believe me I’ve visited some overlooked places on this series. What I didn’t want to do was go down the route of Hollywood Grimsby Brothers, Wendall and his toothless Xcon entourage, sky news or gb news do to your lovely town. You have a town with an articulate and incredible community, quite possibly the greatest community in the UK working and helping yourselves survive. I met so many, hopefully a lot shown and talked about but many, many , many more met that were either too humble to be on camera or too afraid from the real day in day out terrors that happen on the Marshes that refused to be on camera, and unlike the people I mentioned before I honoured their request. Believe me I could have easily put up that footage. I’m sorry in my time to visit the saints of Grimsby and the real victims of the Marshes i didnt get to see the odd shop open on Victoria Street, if it makes you feel any better I have walked up and down it on Google Maps several times before and after filming and it looks every bit as rubbish as my high street and every other working class high street across this land.
The point with this video is this.. nowhere in this country has anywhere been consistently let down as the lovely town as Grimsby and nowhere in the UK has the community not got together and worked tirelessly to hold itself together.
Another four years of Tory? We will all be Grimsby, but will we have the community and soul that you do to save us?
Victoria Street and the Riverhead to give it some balance ?
Both are shit holes, as is the rest of Grimsby
Go to Victoria Street, constant threat of being mugged or worse - stabbed.
Riverhead ? The local low life attacking the nesting swans and as an aside they've now descended on Sidney Park to attack the Roe deer that has ventured in there.
Yes I was born and bred here and still live here.
Agree its the people not the politicians but the council are spending all the money on the wrong things and in the wrong places.
Nobody comes to Grimsby anymore - cos it's such a shit hole. Victoria Street and Riverhead included.
Agree entirely about the sharp decline in inhabitants in GY
It was never like this when I was a youngster and I lived in one of the roughest areas in Grimsby - there was never or little trouble back then.
It's a tainted view of Grimsby as you stated - but that's why, because it is tainted.
Don't want to start a war with you, just want to - say yes there are a lot of nice people in Grimsby but unfortunately there's a lot of bad too.
And with bad people - comes bad places.
Peace out.
Wow no place is immune to the things going on! Our town relies on fishing too, we get tons of tourist year round. They closed a lot of the bait shops to build fancy hotels that no one can afford. Good to see theres a great outreach shelter and organizations to help the needy. While our veterans are on the st homeless these people (unnamed) come over our boarder and get everything free. Ok I am gonna stop now LOL Thanks for the important info I hope someone from your govt sees this and maybe do something
Thankyou LB. yes it’s criminal, EXACTLY the same thing happening here. we are spending billions housing illegals in hotels whilst the streets of Grimsby (and most places) are filled with British born homeless. we are tactfully working our way around to it. there is a massive hotel full of illegals in Grimsby that was on our shooting schedule. but lack of daylight and only seeing a few homeless on the day changed the narrative slightly but the story is still there, waiting to be covered..
Oh look, a Town of nearly 100000 pople represented as usual by the run down East Marsh estate
just to meet the posters expectations, there are so many nice areas in the Town but these are not
shown, never are, it is so boring because every Town in the north have run down areas if you look
for them. Grimsby is no different.
I went there to meet and speak to the great people that are working so hard to help your community. My entire day was spent with them on and off camera. I represented them rather than the toothless unintelligent locals that were being represented by the two other mainstream videos at that time. Hope my video brought balance to that.
@@GENerationXplorers absolutely no problem with you appreciating the people who work hard for other people, but my point is that there is a lot more to the town than the grotty areas that TV and TH-camrs visit, it's almost like there is an agenda to keep Grimsby as a laughing stock of a town, when it isn't, there are millions currently being spent to improve the town centre, there are some very nice residential areas a couple of beautiful parks yet why do we only see the worst of the town? It's because it suits the narrative that the entire town is a dump, when it isn't.
Did you view any of the Town other than the east and West marsh estates which are the worst?
Perhaps your motives where fine, but to a proud Grimbarian like myself it just seems like more ridicule.
There does need to be more done to showcase the delights of Grimsby, especially given that is shares its area with the much loved Cleethorpes. To be honest my motives for this series are just to look at retail decline, which is happening almost everywhere. I was pleasantly surprised to meet so many passionate people in the town on and off screen. Like I say at the end the place has a lot of soul.
It’s definitely a place I will be doing a follow up on (I plan to revisit each place a year after my first visit) but that will be a great opportunity to showcase anything I missed.
With you asking people to help out and donate I trust you will donate any revenue from this video to help out?
I tell you what if and when this video even breaks even I will do even more than I already have. 👍