Businesses and organisations are being urged to tap into a pot cued up to support regeneration of Grimsby’s town centre.
An £850,000 kitty was secured through the £20.9 million Greater Grimsby Towns Fund. Accessible over a five year period, and launched back in November 2021, the Activation Community Engagement Fund - ACE - offers small and medium-sized businesses, including social, charitable, or community-based groups, the opportunity to apply for grants to support the establishment of alternative activities.
Pocketing a tidy sum was Racks Pool & Sports Bar as it launched a new venue, while near neighbour The Curious Cat secured backing to introduce shuffle boards.
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Running through to March 2026, it encompasses works at St James’ Square, Riverhead Square, and Garth Lane too.
Racks is the result of the conversion of the former Co-operative Bank on Osborne Street into an entirely new leisure venue, offering a pool hall and bar, sports bar and grill, and a retail unit for cue sports and accessories. A total grant of £25,000 from the ACE fund has helped support this investment by the private business.
Owner Jane Milson said: “We’ve taken a vacant building in the town and through the work we’ve done, converted it into an attractive property, with a healthy footfall.
“We wanted to provide a sociable activity for our local community in a safe environment.”
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Just along the road, on Bethlehem Street, The Curious Cat owner Lewis Parry also introducing the emerging bar game, where accuracy in sliding weighted discs is key to scoring.
“We wanted to bring something new to Grimsby – shuffle boards are becoming increasingly popular in hotels and bars operated by major chains, and we wanted to be the first in Grimsby. The grant from the Activation Fund helped us to do this.”
The core aim of ACE is to support the invigoration of waterfront and town areas, providing a broad range of pastimes and activities to be enjoyed by all.
Central Grimsby-based businesses and groups making bids must have projects delivering outcomes falling into one of six priority areas, including more diverse uses of the town centre, reconnecting to the waterfront areas, development opportunities, health and wellbeing activities, and employment opportunities.
Cllr Philip Jackson, council leader and portfolio holder for economy, net zero, skills, and housing, said: “The ACE Fund is a fantastic opportunity for local businesses to think of creative ways they can diversify, generating traffic into town. Making the centre more vibrant, appealing and interesting will attract more footfall and provide a springboard for private investment and growth.”
For full details or to apply to the fund, visit .