Grimsby and proud – why we celebrate 11th March

11th March is a significant day for our hometown of Grimsby. On this day in 1201, Grimsby’s Royal Charter was signed.
At the time, Grimsby was one of only seven places in England with this charter, giving it the right to govern itself, set its own taxes, and pave the way for democracy. This was 14 years before the Magna Carta (one of the important documents in British History).

People often ask where Ascend is based, and we proudly say Grimsby. This is usually met with slightly puzzled looks as no one knows where it is or quips about it being ‘grim in Grimsby’.

So, on this prestigious day, we wanted to highlight 10 things that make Grimsby great.

1. The Vikings founded Grimsby in the 9th century AD. It is named after the Viking Grim and the word ‘by’, which is the old Danish word for village – Grimm’s -by
2. Elton John sang a song about Grimsby, written by his writing partner and Grimsby lad Bernie Taupin. In it, Bernie celebrated his home town with the lyrics, “Oh Grimsby, a thousand delights couldn’t match the sweet sights of my Grimsby. Oh, England, you’re fair, but there’s none to compare with my Grimsby.
3. Grimsby and fish are synonymous. In the 1970s, Grimsby had the UK’s largest fishing fleet, with 400 vessels. Although the fishing fleet may no longer be in the port, Grimsby still has the largest fish market in the UK.
4. The iconic Dock Tower dominates the skyline (well, we are in flat Lincolnshire) and is based on the design of the Torre del Mangia in Sienna, Italy. There is even a Lego model of it at Legoland, Windsor.
5. Grimsby is a hub for food processing, and in the 1990s, Grimsby was responsible for making more pizzas than Italy!
6. The mascot for our local football team, Grimsby Town, is Harry the Haddock. Fans not only take inflatable fish to matches but can be heard chanting the football song “(Clap, clap, clap, clap) FISH!”. Grimsby Brewery, Docks Beers, even has a craft beer named after the football chant.
7. Grimsby is surrounded by outstanding areas of natural beauty, from the sweeping, golden beaches of the Lincolnshire coastline to the gently rolling hills of the Wolds. Just up the coast from Grimsby is one of England’s major grey seal colonies, Donna Nook, where over 2000 seal pups are born on its beach every winter.
8. Grimsby is on the Humber Estuary, which makes it ideally placed for the renewable energy sector and offshore wind farms. Ambitious plans are being made for the Humber area, and Grimsby in particular, to become the UK capital of the renewable energy sector.
9. Grimsby’s full name is actually ‘Great Grimsby’.
10. We do the best fish and chips (and it is haddock all the way – skin on).

As a town Grimsby has had many ups and downs. The loss of defining industries such as fishing hit the town hard but we are a resilient bunch and new sectors like renewable energy are transforming the area.

Ascend is investing in the area and building our team of expert payroll professionals. The future for the town and Ascend is certainly looking bright!