I’ve written articles about the Sustrans Cycle way in Scunthorpe over the past year or more and also followed its construction, I was also quick to nominate three local hero to be depicted on a bench to be situated along the route. The bench will be placed between West Common Lane and Bridges Road near the site of two proposed new bridges that will link Manor Park and Atkinson’s Warren.

As reported before, North Lincolnshire Council submitted a successful bid to Sustrans as part of the Connect2 project for the development of an off-road pedestrian/cycle facility that runs through the western side of Scunthorpe, from the A1077 to High Leys Road. The scheme, the largest that has been proposed in the area is estimated to cost around £3.3 million and will provide a safe route away from traffic, encourage more sustainable travel and healthy lifestyles and provide an excellent route linking some of the key facilities in the area e.g. schools, colleges, Scunthorpe town centre, central park, the Pods and Atkinson's warren. It links in with a range of other areas such as improving health and reducing obesity, safe routes to school and reducing the school run as well as reducing the carbon footprint. The total cost of the Core Route set out in the bid was approximately £3.3 million of which Sustrans had provisionally allocated£1 million to the scheme.

Requests were made for members of the public to nominate people who they thought should be depicted on the bench. The following three people have been selected to represented on a new bench on the Scunthorpe Ridgeway.

Albert “Lal” White was many times English grass track cycle racing champion and more famously a winner of the silver medal at the1920 Antwerp Olympics. He also rode in the 1924 Paris Olympics.  He worked at Lysaghts Steelworks and was given light work and not much of it so he could train for his cycling.
 

Jack Tighe, still a successful businessman, was an early member of Scunthorpe Polytechnic Cycling club who became a National Champion and an International competitor during his triumphant racing career. Jack has been a devoted supporter of the club for a period delivered by the Club to be unmatched by any other sponsor in the sport of cycling. His active engagement in the sport continued as a leisure cyclist, both at home and abroad, until he was finally persuaded to 'hang up his wheels' at age 74!
He retains and maintains his latest lightweight cycle as one of his proudest possessions.

Liz Smith was born Betty Gleadle in the Crosby area of Scunthorpe in 1921. Before retiring from acting she was made an MBE for services to drama and was best loved for her role as Norma (nana) in the Royle Family. Some of her other roles included Letitia Cropley in The Vicar of Dibley, Grandma Georgina in the 2005 film Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. She also appeared in long running TV shows such as Last of the Summer Wine, The Sweeney and The Gentle Touch.

Why North Linconlnshire Council have agreed to portrait Liz Smith on the bench ahead of more worthy people is a bit of a mystery. She has made her feelings about the town well known over her life time with various stabs in the national press and TV as well as her autobiography.

In an interview with Metro Magazine she said, “I never belonged to Scunthorpe. Even as a child, it was a place I wanted to get away from. There were family sadnesses there. I still feel like a small-town girl, though. Even a train journey feels like a huge, great thing to be doing because in Scunthorpe all you had was a shilling trip to Cleethorpes Beach.”

Surely Rowland Winn, the man for whom the reason the town ever grew and brought the railways is more deserving that an ex-actress who turned her back on the town.