It's great that the Town Council, and others, are working to improve and develop the River Ancholme, in an effort to make the riverside more attractive to visitors - local and of the tourist variety. This is not a short-term thing and will take a great deal of time and effort.
However, once the river scheme is finished, we suggest the Recreation Ground as the next project for development and improvement. It's sadly under-used but with plenty of space available and bags of potential.
You only need drive over to Caistor's sportsground to see what can be achieved through a partnership.
When Brigg Urban District Council was wound up in the mid-1970s the Rec Ground should have passed to the newly-formed Town Council but didn't. Instead, along with the Corn Exchange, it went (almost by default) to the new Glanford Borough Council. That's the point when the slow decline started. No fault of Glanford; why should it have looked after Brigg Rec Ground when places like Wrawby, Barnetby and Broughton ran their own, at their own expense?
That's in the past, let's look to the future. Unfortunately, "the present" at Brigg Rec is none too impressive with that functional but ugly changing room block surrounded by a big metal stockade to keep the vandals out. Not the sort of thing to impress visiting sportsmen and women. Not that we see anywhere near the number of matches played at Brigg Rec as was once the case.
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Why doesn't the Council (?NLC) offer plots in the Rec to official sport and recreational clubs. These could be on a free-leasehold for x years on the understanding that the plot will be developed for both private and/or 'membership' public use.
This will create a sort of sporting/recreational commune of such clubs as tennis, bowling, five-a-side football, crazy golf and even a runway for aero-modellers and a live-steam track for model loco engineers...and etc.
Conditions could apply such as landscaping and use/access by/for disabled and children.
As the commune (a combination of private enterprise and Council coopertation) develops (each club/organisation could apply for funding from the Sports Council, the Lottery) the Rec could become the focal point of leisure activities, even just sitting in the sunshine with the kids having a coffee and ice-cream from a (new)kiosk.
Such facilities would not only attract local folk, but competitions and other events will attract folks from outside Brigg and district. It, if planned properly, could offer facilities for all age and many interest groups.
Like the river, the Rec is presently grossly under-exploited.
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