Grimsby Imp visits Minster

The Grimsby Imp, the 32nd of the Lincoln Imp trail, has taken up residence in the Minster and is ready to be painted by Creative Start, a local organisation that uses art as recovery.

The design reflects the women working within the frozen fish industry in the 1950s and 60s. Grimsby is now one of the largest and busiest fish processing operations in Europe.

The legend of the imps tells us the story that begins with two imps, who flew around looking for mischief.

Firstly, the imps went to Chesterfield and twisted the church spire. Chased away by the angels, the imps then flew over to Lincoln, where they tried to trip up the Bishop in the Cathedral.

An angel appeared and asked the imps to stop. One of the imps threw stones at the angel, the other imp hid and the angel turned the first imp into stone.

The imp that didn’t throw stones was given a chance by the angel and allowed to fly away, so the imp flew to Grimsby.

The Grimsby Imp will help with the challenge of raising £28,000 to repair the Minster clock, and the painting of the Imp will take place at the Minister Café all next week.

The Minster's Covid Recovery Consultant Emma Olivier-Townrow said: "The Grimsby Imp will form the start of the creative, heritage and tourism journey for the minster, we hope to welcome many visitors to see the imp and the minster."

The Grimsby Imp is the 32nd imp to join the ranks of the other 31 imps that landed in the county last weekend with the launch of the Lincoln Imp Trail, and visitors touring the Lincoln Imp trail will be encouraged to find the 32nd imp within Grimsby.

Sarah Loftus, Chief Executive of Lincoln BIG said ‘It’s great to add this 32nd Imp to the Main Imp trail and a new addition along with the Education Imps being launched.

"This shows true partnership working with the creative sector in Lincolnshire. Many people will not know that there is an IMP hiding in Grimsby Minister as well as in Lincoln Cathedral. Hopefully, this addition to our programme will bring more interest to the IMP Trail!

“This project has the ability to unite the county during this really challenging time, it will bring something positive to both residents, workers and businesses this year.”

The Imp landing at the Minster also coincides with the reopening of the Minster cafe on Friday.

The Minster is looking for volunteers for a host of roles within the venue and in the cafe. Registration to become a volunteer is now open, and to find out more, you can visit Grimsby Minster's website here or call 01472 277277.

Positions are available for volunteer tour guides, welcome staff, and heritage helpers to assist with the general day to day running and maintenance of the minster.