THE damage caused by vandals to a Nunsthorpe house is the worst local estate agent Harp Chatha has ever seen.

But Mr Chatha, who lets properties across North East Lincolnshire, insists that the estate is no worse than in many other towns and cities across the country.

Mr Chatha, the owner of Aston Estates, told the Grimsby Telegraph about the "carnage" caused to the house on Winthorpe Road, which was targeted within 24 hours of the occupants leaving.

He spoke out after watching the recent ITV documentary Exposure: Driven From Home, about life on the Nunsthorpe estate. As reported, it caused a mixed reaction among residents, community figureheads and politicians.

Speaking about the damage, Mr Chatha said: "The wall between the bedroom and bathroom had been knocked out, the windows had been shattered and all the pipework and electricals had gone.

"The damage that has been done has not been done to steal. It's been done randomly just to cause carnage.

"In my experience this is the most damage I've seen to any property throughout my career."

But he added: "It's not just the Nunsthorpe. This happens in every city and town round the country."

As reported in yesterday's Grimsby Telegraph, a fire sparked by arsonists gutted another house, at the junction of Winthorpe Road and Redbourne Road.

Residents said more should be done by the authorities to prevent privately-owned homes from falling into disrepair.

Meanwhile, Mr Chatha claimed undercover reporters who lived on the Nunsthorpe Estate while filming the ITV documentary left without paying the full terms of their tenancy agreement.

He told the Grimsby Telegraph that he let a property on Milton Road to a Tom Randall and a Claire Adams on a six-month contract. He claimed the pair "fed him a lie" about moving from London to get away from Claire's ex-partner, and then vacated the house after paying rent for just the first three months.

Mr Chatha said: "These people go on TV preaching about crime and anti-social behaviour and yet they have breached a six-month tenancy agreement."

Mr Chatha said that although he had suspicions about the pair, who insisted on a property in Nunsthorpe, he finally discovered their true identity after being tipped off by locals on the estate, who told him about them secretly filming inside the Nunsthorpe Tavern.

But by that time the pair – whose names appeared on the closing credits of the programme – had disappeared, and the phone numbers they provided to Aston Estates turned out to be false.

Mr Chatha said: "We are now having to chase ITV to recoup the three months' rent that the landlord is entitled to. It was all a bit sneaky and underhand."

A spokesman for ITV said: "The reporters are clear that they honoured the agreement they had with the agency regarding their rent."

FOOTLIGHTS edged a close clash against Louth Tennis & Sports Centre B to keep their title drive on track.

The Grimsby & District Senior Netball Winter League Division Four team triumphed 14-13 and lie second in the standings.

With five wins and one defeat from six matches, they trail leaders Brigg Ladies, who have won all of their games, by four points.

Floodlights were made to work hard for the victory after a determined effort from Louth, who led at the halfway mark.

Amid damp conditions at Oasis Academy Wintringham, both teams had to adjust their game.

Footlights had the best of the early play, producing some flowing moves through the court. But Louth made some good interceptions and were more accurate in the shooting circle – goal attack Charlotte Postle produced some impressive shots.

She had to – any rebounds were snapped up by Footlights' goal defence, Haley Wood, and goalkeeper, Emma Cox.

But Floodlights struggled to match Postle's form at the other end, and trailed at the break by nine points to five.

More impressive defending in the second half from Wood and Cox meant Louth's goals began to dry up in the second half.

The play was still end-to-end but, importantly for Floodlights, goal shooter Tracey Glover began to find her range.

Sarah Bratton, Louth's goal defence, was in good form, helping to transfer defence into attack, but Floodlights took their chances and held on in a nail-biting finish to take the spoils by one point.

A NEW book has charted the life of one of the most universally-liked figures in not only the history of Grimsby Town, but football as a whole.

'There or Thereabouts' tells the story of Keith Alexander – a man whose death in March 2010 was mourned from the lower leagues, where he plied most of his trade, right through to the upper echelons of the game.

Alexander, who initially suffered a brain aneurysm in November 2003, passed away aged 53 after arriving home from his Macclesfield Town side's game at Notts County.

Written by former Lincoln City chairman Rob Bradley, the book charts the former centre-forward's remarkable career, with special mention to his "important" two-year spell at Blundell Park.

Alan Buckley brought Alexander to Cleethorpes in 1988 after seeing him play for Barnet, signing him for £11,500.

After making his debut against Torquay United, he went on to make over 80 appearances for the Mariners, becoming a cult figure in the process.

He then had playing spells at clubs such as Stockport, Lincoln City and Mansfield before managing the likes of the Imps, Peterborough United and Macclesfield Town, where he was in charge at the time of his death.

Speaking about the book, Bradley said: "There are a huge amount of biographies about people in football and I just thought that, having known Keith for quite some time, he deserved to have one written about him.

"The things that he did for football, albeit at a lower level, were fantastic and he was such a good bloke that I thought he deserved it and thankfully, a publisher agreed.

"It's the first 'proper' book that I've written and I am proud of it – it's a nice way of remembering Keith.

"Wherever he played or managed, he was always such a popular bloke and I know Grimsby is no different.

"Keith's time with the Mariners coincided with that of Alan Buckley – who is also a legend to Grimsby fans.

"With a team including Keith, Garry Birtles, Tony Rees and players like that, they had a successful cup run and got promotion.

"It was a good time in the club's history and one where Grimsby started to recover after a couple of relegations.

"Keith's time at Grimsby was a very important part of his career and one that I knew he looked back on with fondness."

As a lifelong Lincoln City fan, Bradley admits that he probably wasn't the person best placed to write solely about Alexander's time at Town, and so enlisted the help of those who knew 'Big Keith' best during his time at Blundell Park.

"The book gives a real insight into his life at Grimsby at that time" he said.

"I don't really have a connection with the club but I spoke to a lot of people who did.

"I had long conversations with John Cockerill – who was Keith's best friend both in and outside of the game – and others who were at Grimsby at the time.

"Keith lived with John and John's parents for a while and there are some nice stories in the book about that time.

"John eventually invested wisely in a house and because they were best friends, he and Keith moved in together, so there are also some tales about them living together in there as well."

In tribute, he added: "I remember Keith as someone who was really good at his job.

"He was brilliant with people and that helped him to be a very good football manager.

"Some people say that you can't be both, but with Keith, being a football manager never stopped him from being a nice bloke.

"He was always laughing and joking to put people at ease and he had a great sense of humour.

"Quite simply, he was one of the nicest people in the game."

'There or Thereabouts – The Keith Alexander Story is available from Amazon.co.uk from £14.99.

To read an extract from the book, visit www.thisisgrimsby.co.uk/sport.

THE future of a safety event for children has been secured thanks to a bequest.

Kath Hirst left instructions in her will for money to be left for the Kids And Cops event.

It was an annual summer spectacular she organised for 10 years before her death in 2008.

She was a community champion and worked with young people on Immingham's Ings Estate to ensure it was kept clean.

She founded The Trashpackers community group, recycling household waste.

Kath was invited to Downing Street to meet the then Prime Minister Tony Blair to honour her commitment to a tidy environment, and she collected about 15,000 abandoned shopping trolleys over her many years tidying up Immingham.

Chairman of Kids and Cops, Jean Keyworth, said: "Kath used the money she raised from collecting all those shopping trolleys for the Kids And Cops event.

"She never had a lot of money but what she has given will ensure we can run the event for at least a couple of years.

"The event relies on donations and grants and this bequest has helped us enormously.

"For a woman to give so generously we feel enormous gratitude. She would have enjoyed seeing the success it has become. It is growing year on year."

Kids And Cops will next year celebrate its 21st anniversary and has helped build relations between young people in Immingham and the surrounding villages with the emergency services.

The event held at Healing School entertains up to 190 children aged between eight and 11 years.

They are advised how to stay safe in the summer holidays and not go near pylons, take care on the roads and not to play with matches.

Kids And Cops can cost up to £1,000 to stage each year.

Mrs Keyworth said: "Healing School is brilliant and let us have the venue, but we pay for the prizes, which include mountain bikes, and for raffle prizes and drinks and sweets for the children so they have a fun time learning about how to stay safe. They all get a doggy bag at the end."

LOCAL dancer Keith Clifton believes his son's partner Karen Hauer – who is leading Westlife singer Nicky Byrne, both pictured, on Strictly Come Dancing – will only go up in the league table.

On the hit BBC1 show last week, the 30-year-old Venezuelan mambo star led Nicky with ease through the quickstep dancing to Hey Pachuco.

Nicky donned a Jim Carey green mask and they gained a respectable 27 points for their lively routine.

Keith, who lives in Waltham and is the owner of Clifton's Dance Academy, said: "Karen and Nicky did really well on Strictly – the only way is up on the leader board.

"As soon as we got back home from watching my daughter dance in Slovenia we watched it.

"The previous live shows were electric and I could feel the pain of the competitors trying to remember their routine from after just a week – most dancing couples have years to perfect it.

"Nicky is getting better and better with Karen teaching him, and they are now sixth on the leader board."

Kevin said during the live shows he was sitting directly opposite the judges.

He added: "We were really well-placed and had a good view. You see the whole thing at once, and you see contestants run up the stairs to speak to host Tess Daly.

"It was very intense and we can't wait to attend the next live shows."

The next show will be on this Saturday at 6.30pm on BBC1.

A FORMER Waltham dancing star put her best foot forward to win the European Professional Ballroom Championship.

Talented Joanne Clifton, 29, was put through her paces at the prestigious event, performing five dances with her partner Palo Basco in Velenje, Slovenia.

Joanne's parents Keith and Judy – who were four times British Latin American Champions – are "over the moon" that Joanne is following in their footsteps.

Dancing genes must run in the family as Karen's brother, Kevin, is currently an assistant choreographer on BBC1's hit series Strictly Come Dancing and his partner, Karen Hauer, is leading Westlife singer Nicky Byrne on the show.

Keith said: "We are incredibly proud of Joanne. She has done remarkably well and she has put in a lot of hard work to win this.

"She trains for seven or eight hours every day and teaches on top of that.

"Joanne has been a dancer all her life and she is finally on the way to become top by being the best in the world.

"Fingers crossed she will gain the world title soon."

The dancing duo wowed the crowds with their grace performing the waltz, tango, foxtrot, Viennese waltz and quickstep – consequently they won each category hands down for Italy.

Her partner Paolo, who trains at the same dance school as Joanne in Bologna, Italy, has won the world ballroom dance title six times with his previous partner, who retired last year.

Mum Judy added: "Last time we saw them dance was in August, in Germany, and they have improved beyond belief.

"We are very, very proud of her."

Joanne moved to Italy about 12 years ago to train with Team Diablo – the biggest dance school in Europe – and was partnered with Marco Cavallaro.

The couple reached sixth in the world amateur rankings before Joanne was invited to team up with Paolo.

For updates keep reading the Grimsby Telegraph.

DWINDLING numbers and cuts in Government funding were behind the Grimsby Institute's decision to close its IT learning centre on the Willows Estate.

As reported in Tuesday's Grimsby Telegraph, the Institute is pulling out of the Bishop King Learning Centre in Wingate Parade, where it has held computer classes for the past 10 years.

However, a spokesman for the college said it was looking to relocate the service to another location close to the centre.

No jobs will be lost as a result of the changes as staff will be relocated to other sites.

The spokesman said: "We have leased the building from the Diocese of Lincoln since 2002 and have been delivering IT courses, funded by the Government, at this venue.

"The number of learners using the facilities at Bishop King has gradually decreased over the past few years, and with the change in Government funding priorities, it became apparent that the centre would no longer be a viable for us to continue to operate.

"We are currently looking at a potential relocation of these facilities, where we will be able to offer the same high level of service, from an existing site close to Bishop King Learning Centre.

"Any learners this may affect are welcome to utilise any of our other learning centres including The Learning Shop in the town centre or in Immingham."

PLANS have been unveiled for a new fine dining restaurant in Cleethorpes.

Local businesswoman Florence Spall is hoping to convert part of a vacant flat on Cambridge Street into an upmarket restaurant aimed at local customers.

The diner will open next door to Florence's cafe Twiggies, which opened in November last year.

It will be behind Eco Systems, which will not be affected.

Also included in her grand vision for the building, which currently contains three bedrooms, are two themed function rooms and a craft room.

Florence is hoping that – subject to obtaining planning permission for change of use for the building – the new restaurant and function rooms will be open to the public by early next year.

She said: "I am so excited. I just had this vision and I think it is going to be amazing for Cleethorpes. It will be unique and it will cater for local people as well as tourists."

Florence said the diner will be located on the ground floor and will serve a wide variety of quality dishes. It will create one full-time job.

She told the Telegraph the diner will be themed, possibly with decor and photographs from the era of the Second World War.

"It will be a plush setting with a lovely ambience – somewhere to relax and enjoy a glass of wine at the end of the evening."

The two first-floor function rooms which are to be hired out for birthday parties and other celebrations, will also be themed – one in grand Victorian style, the other to reflect the fashions of the 1960s, and in particular the model Twiggy, after whom Florence named her cafe.

The first-floor craft room will provide a space for people to practise arts and crafts.

Florence also revealed she was in talks with Tony Kyle from the Grimsby and District Archive Club about holding small-scale theatre performances at the venue.

She said Twiggies would be open as normal while the renovation work was carried out.

Florence, who worked in a cafe on Freeman Street at the age of 15, added: "This has always been a dream for me.

"It has always stayed close to my heart and it is what I enjoy doing most."

PHOTO enthusiasts are snapping up the opportunity to see images of Cleethorpes dating back to the 1900s.

A special exhibition organised by the Grimsby Telegraph is now open to the public inside the resort's Discovery Centre.

On display are photos featuring historical material from the newspaper's archive and pictures from readers, too.

They capture scenes of the resort and the surrounding villages, depicting what's great about the area now, and also celebrating times gone by.

One couple were surprised to find some personal connections while looking through the display.

Margaret Gledhill, of Grimsby, picked out a particular photo of a Humber Fort.

The 77-year-old described how her grandfather died near the fort during the Second World War.

She said: "He was walking from the fort to North Sea Lane one day when he unfortunately got lost and drowned in a deep creek.

"Seeing this picture reminds me of it all, I also kept all the cuttings from the Grimsby Telegraph which published his inquest all those years ago.

"It is nice to have an exhibition like this as you can learn a lot about the history of a certain place through photographs."

Margaret's husband John Gledhill, 80, found the exhibition very enjoyable.

He said: "It looked very good, it is certainly worth a visit if people have time."

The display will be on until Monday, November 5, and also celebrates the recent launch of the paper's Cleethorpes and Villages edition.

Among the images are two stern- looking firefighters on a fire cart, and flood damage at the Arcadia on the seafront.

Another shows youngsters having fun on the swing boats on the sand and people splashing around in the open-air pool.

Paul Jackson, chief officer for Artlandish who works at the Discovery Centre, believes these images really capture the historic changes to Cleethorpes and its surrounding areas.

He said: "We have had a fantastic response from the public since the exhibition opened on Monday.

"Some people have travelled a long way to see the images which may have some personal connections to them.

"I would encourage others to come out and have a look as there are around 80 photos to browse in the centre."

Telegraph editor Michelle Lalor said: "To celebrate the launch of our daily Cleethorpes and Villages edition, we thought there could be nothing better than shining a spotlight on all that makes Cleethorpes a special place.

"The exhibition features superb historical scenes that we have found in our extensive archives of brilliant bygone days in the resort and surrounding villages.

"They will appear alongside readers' Camera Club images of the resort.

"From children licking ice creams to a sunset over Humberston Fitties, we want the exhibition to be a true celebration."

The exhibition is open during Discovery Centre opening hours.

THE unexpected announcement that Kimberly-Clark is to close its south bank plant has been greeted with shock.

Opened in 1992, the site was named as one of the best 100 Employers in Britain by The Sunday Times ten years ago.

A further £30 million was also invested a decade ago with the creation of a non-woven materials operation, but it has not been making a profit.

A machine operator from Grimsby, who did not wish to be named, said: "The rumours have been going around for a few months.

"We thought they were going to shut one of the nappy factories in Europe, but it turns out they're going to shut all but one.

"They said they've never made a profit in the 20 years they've been here. I think they are losing market share and as people are tightening their belts they are going for the cheaper brands instead of Huggies – although we do make some of the cheaper brands as well.

"I have been here for 18 years and it's been a really nice place to work. But we've got orders to fulfil and we are going to be here until March.

"It's not going to affect me too much as they are putting together a decent redundancy package, but for the younger people it must be a worry."

A machine operator from Barton, who has worked at the factory for 16 years, said she was "absolutely heartbroken" by the news.

"When I got to work I realised it was serious. You could see from the look on everyone's faces that they were all heartbroken. The staff are all totally devastated. It's just a horrible feeling.

"It is the best place I have ever worked. It is like having an extended family. Everyone is treated the same – there is no them-and-us atmosphere.

"It's going to be a really sad loss for Barton."

Dave Faddis, vice-president of supply chain at Kimberly-Clark Consumer Europe, said: "It is with regret that we have to propose the closure of Barton. My priority is to ensure that employees are treated respectfully and fairly.

"These are tough choices, but they are necessary to improve our competitive position.

"The decisions which involve our employees are the most difficult ones to take.

"There is nothing the staff could have done that would have altered this decision, they have performed marvelously, they have made tremendous progress in manufacturing processes. This workforce has always responded to the challenges and request made of them.

"The reason this has been made is because of our performance in the market place not meeting our expectations."

A MOTHER and her partner were jailed for producing cannabis after a judge dismissed "fantastical" and "preposterous" claims they were victims of corrupt police officers trying to cover up framing her son for murder 18 years ago.

Barbara Wakefield and Nick Riley, of Sixhills Street, Grimsby – the mother and stepfather of convicted murderer Melvyn 'Aidie' McLellan – were jailed at Grimsby Crown Court after fighting their accusations of cannabis production for two years.

However, the couple still contest the facts, telling the court that they were the victims of police corruption.

The court heard police found 1.5kg of cannabis in their former Heneage Road home in three separate rooms in October 2010.

Riley, 47, claimed that he had taken the equipment from the home of a friend, Jason Short, who he found hanging in his Grimsby Road home on July 28, 2010, which the police attended.

He had originally claimed that the 1.5kg of cannabis, worth £3,340, was for personal medicinal use.

However, representing himself at the latest hearing, he tried to retract his guilty plea in favour of an even more outlandish defence.

Riley claimed to the court that his deceased friend Short bought his cannabis production equipment – which he believed was seized by police from previous operations – from two police officers for £1,000, promising a share of the crop.

He alleged at the hearing that one of these officers, Dave Chapman, had become involved in a relationship with Vicky Sanders, the former lover of McLellan, and the two conspired to have him framed for the murder of Gregory Dalton in 1995 – and he had since adopted McLellan's daughter.

McLellan used this conspiracy as a defence in 1997 and the jury rejected it and convicted him – but Riley told the court he had evidence that the police were trying to "shut me up".

Riley claimed that he was growing the cannabis because the two officers in question "would be back for it", intending to set them up to be caught.

Judge Graham Buckingham dismissed his "serious allegations" as "fantastical", sentencing him to 15 months in prison for the production of a controlled drug.

Wakefield, 59, previously claimed that she had no knowledge of the operation but was proven guilty by a jury after a trial.

Judge Robinson also said that Wakefield's claim that she was "unaware" of the operation was "preposterous", given its scale, and sentenced her to eight weeks in prison for allowing a controlled substance to be produced on her premises.

MORE than a thousand schoolchildren across North East Lincolnshire are either overweight or obese, according to new figures released.

However, parents can today breathe a sigh of relief as two brand new state-of-the-art junior gyms for 8 to 15-year-olds, located in Cleethorpes Leisure Centre and Western Youth Centre in Grimsby, are hoping to tackle the issue.

Between September 2011 and September 2012, two sample year groups, 1,849 reception children and 1,608 Year Six pupils across the borough had their weight measured by a National Childhood Measurement Programme.

Of this, 501 children aged between four and five years old and 566 aged between 10 and 11 years, were over the healthy weight target – nearly a third of the 3,457 children.

A child's BMI is determined using an age and sex specific percentile.

Underweight covers anyone under the 2nd percentile

A healthy weight is seen as anyone between the third and 84th percentile

Overweight is at, or above, the 85th percentile, but lower than the 95th

Obese is anyone above the 95th percentile

Out of all the reception children measured during the last academic year, 10 were classed as underweight, 1,338 fell into the healthy weight category, 297 were overweight and 204 were obese.

For year six students, seven were underweight, 1,035 were healthy, 264 were overweight and 302 were obese.

As a way to get those unhealthy back into shape, North East Lincolnshire Council has spent £100,000 to create two new gyms.

All the equipment is tailor-made for youngsters – from mini-weight machines to exercise bikes – and there are only a handful like it across the whole of the UK and these are the first in North East Lincolnshire.

The facility at Cleethorpes Leisure Centre is now open to the public. The one at the Western site will open next month to existing young people's service groups, and to the public at certain times later on.

Zoe Burkill, of Cleethorpes, took a look round the venue in the resort before signing up her two sons.

She said: "William's 10 and Joe is 9. They have both wanted to come to a gym for a long time but are not old enough yet.

"I think this is wonderful and I am really impressed by it all.

"Children need to start thinking about their health from an early age and I think having these junior gyms will help give them a good start towards their future.

"A gym is also an alternative to football or swimming, which not every child is interested in.

"I also feel confident leaving my children here knowing they are in the safe hands of qualified instructors."

The junior gym in Cleethorpes has a variety of activities available, including dance mats, interactive boards, punch bags, exercise bikes, cross-trainers, a treadmill, and more.

Mia Porter, 10, of New Waltham, finds the junior gym a more exciting way to exercise.

She said: "I don't feel as though I am working out because it is so much fun.

"The cross-trainer machine is the best because I can feel my whole body stretching.

"I love all the interactive boards as well, as I can play on them with others I meet at the gym.

"I have told all my friends about it and they are going to start coming, too."

Cleethorpes Leisure Centre can be contacted on 01472 323200.

THIRTY million pounds of Government funding will help the South Bank pick itself up from the 500 job losses that will come when Kimberly-Clark shuts its plant.

That is the pledge from council bosses after the American nappy manufacturer said it was dropping production of its Huggies range – leading to the 20-year-old Barton plant closing in March.

The news was broken to staff yesterday and one told the Telegraph: "I have given the last 20 years of my life there. Everyone is in shock. Up until now, they have never told us anything, and this news has come as a complete shock."

Plant manager Graham Tongue said: "As a plant, we are not a profit centre.

"My focus and my team's focus is very much with the employees here. It is very shocking, unsettling news for them and our focus is about supporting them and their families now, and in the coming months as well.

"As with anything as shocking and unsettling as this, people react in different ways. We made sure everyone was called in to site so we could do this face to face, and it was appreciated by the team."

The news came just days after the Humber area won £30 million of funding – £10 million to come directly to the North East Lincolnshire area for renewables and food sector growth and development.

Councillor Peter Wheatley, portfolio holder for environment and regeneration at North East Lincolnshire Council, said: "We will be working closely with the Local Enterprise Partnership and our partners at Jobcentre Plus to offer help and support.

"Recent success in securing £30 million of Regional Growth Fund money to support priority sectors across the Humber enables us to better help people realise their employment and business ambitions."

Making the announcement, Kimberly-Clark revealed how the £200 million site in Falkland Way has never managed to build a stable, profitable business.

The company said there was a backdrop of declining sales and it had suffered from an unfavourable currency exchange rate. It added it was "making strategic changes in Europe in order to deliver better returns. Only Italy will now sell its nappies in Europe.

Staff – 378 permanent and 120 indirectly employed – were sent home after the announcement, but were due back in today.

One said: "We were called in for a meeting on site and there were about 450 of us there. They told us they are pulling out of Europe because it is not profitable.

"I have worked there for 20 years and the majority of employees have been there for a long time, too. It has always been their job.

"The only good news is that the company will offer a reasonable redundancy package. People were worried they would walk away with nothing, but this is at least the positive out of the situation."

Another 60 jobs are to go in North Wales, with three other plants in continental Europe also affected.

Are you searching for a job? Have you been made redundant recently? Join the editor in a debate tomorrow between 12.30pm and 2pm on This is Grimsby

NOT content with wowing millions of viewers every Saturday night with their performances on The X Factor, Ella Henderson and Micky Parsons are now rubbing shoulders with the A-List!

The pair – along with their fellow contestants – were among the guests at the royal world premiere of the latest James Bond film Skyfall on Tuesday.

Dressed to impress in a black dress, 16-year-old Ella, from Tetney, was accompanied by mentor Tulisa Contostavlos, and the other two acts in her category – Lucy Spraggan and Jade Ellis.

Cleethorpes-born Micky and his District3 bandmates Dan Ferrari-Lane and Greg West were dressed in navy and black tailored suits to hit the red carpet at the Albert Hall for the star-studded event which was also attended by the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall.

Proud mum Carol Parsons said Micky and his band mates had their suits specially made for the premiere event.

She said: "He was so ecstatic about going – he loves films and he always wanted to be a film director when he was younger.

"He must have been in his element at the event and he looked really smart. He has never had the chance to wear anything like that before because he missed out on his school prom.

"They all scrubbed up well, and I saw on Facebook they had been shaving before the event – I didn't even know Michael had facial hair!"

Carol said she was "ecstatic" with District3's performance last week at the live shows.

"Michael kept up his energy and really gave it his all," she said.

"He pronounced his 'b' in Beggin'perfectly pushing the sound out – it must have been so difficult whilst dancing. I wanted to go up on stage and give them all a big hug.

"On the night, I was the one screaming 'District3' behind Gary Barlow!"

Ella Henderson and Micky Parsons' District3 turn in electrifying performances

Members of Clee Academy of Dance backing Ella Henderson and Micky Parsons (Video)

Micky Parsons' District3 make it in final seconds as Ella Henderson sails on through

Ella Henderson: X Factor is nerve-wracking but such an incredible feeling

Send your messages of support for X Factor stars Ella Henderson and Micky Parsons

Youngsters in Ella Henderson's home village of Tetney get behind singing star (Video)

Bobsleigh world champ Nicola Minichiello supporting Ella Henderson and Micky Parsons (Videos)

School's support for X Factor stars Ella Henderson and District 3's Micky Parsons (Videos)

X Factor hopefuls Ella Henderson and District 3 still going for gold

Ella Henderson blows away X Factor competition

Ella Henderson and District 3 make it to next X Factor round

Download a 'Vote for Ella and Micky' poster (PDF format)

BIDDERS competing to take on the old Lindsey Lower School went head to head at a meeting to discuss the landmark building's future – but who made it through to the next round still remains a mystery.

North East Lincolnshire Council's Policy, Performance and Resources Scrutiny Panel made the unusual decision to invite petitioners and bidders to present their cases to them at the public meeting yesterday before they make recommendations to Cabinet in November – but only two of the nine arrived to present their case.

These were Grimsby disability charity, the Rock Foundation, and Yorkshire-based care home company, Yorkare Homes Ltd.

Once each made their presentations, the panel excluded the press and public from the meeting to hear recommendations made by council officers and an evaluation by the authority's strategic director of resources.

The Telegraph understands councillors have agreed to send four of the officers' preferred bids to Cabinet and one will be chosen as the best option.

The names of the four bids were not disclosed to councillors, only how they scored against criteria, such as the number of jobs created and the social benefits it would bring.

As reported, the Rock Foundation wants the council to hand over the £1 million building to them for free and they would run it as a resource centre for people with disabilities, while Yorkare hopes to transform it into a £6 million nursing home specialising in dementia, complete with an indoor street. Both want to save the 1925 building from demolition.

Representing Rock Foundation – supported by 1,550 signatures – Ken Smith and Pam Hodge argued the building was built for the community and should be used for their benefit.

Mr Smith said: "It has a heritage that means a tremendous amount to people because of its involvement with the community. It wasn't built to provide a financial return. It was built for the hundreds of families in the area and as such we feel it necessary that continues.

"We want it to help people with difficulties in their lives, like people with disabilities because that then takes the original idea of the school to a higher level. After all, the community is what the school is all about and that should judge your decision. The school should be there for the community, not just for a commercial group."

Development manager for Yorkare, Lawrence Garton, urged councillors to back their bid which meets an "urgent need" in Cleethorpes and Grimsby.

The indoor street – which would have shops, hair salon, bar and cinema – would generate an estimated £80,000 per year for the local economy and the home as a whole would bring 100 jobs – or an estimated £1.1-million a year in wages.

Mr Garton said: "Your support is important because of how bad the current situation is. Currently there are no nursing beds in this area.

"The home will be central to the community. It is innovative care in an innovative environment."

George Georgio, of Cleethorpes, also presented a petition to save the building, arguing it could be run by the community.

A 4-2 FA Cup defeat at the first hurdle doesn't necessarily spell the end of your season – just ask Matt Tees.

The Grimsby Town legend was part of the Mariners Division Four title winners of 1971/72.

And just like the current Mariners – who lost 4-2 to Kidderminster Harriers last Saturday – that side also exited the cup after only one match.

Tees, Dave Boylen, Dave Worthington and co lost by the same score at York City in the First Round of the competition that year.

But, far from damaging their promotion hopes, Town went on to clinch the title, losing just one of their final 11 matches as they stormed to top spot.

"That defeat allowed us to focus on the most important thing – the league," said Tees.

"It helps you in a way because it takes a lot of the pressure off, and, to be truthful, you're not going to win the FA Cup anyway.

"It means you're not playing as many games over the season and are less likely to pick up injuries here and there.

"Hopefully the Town team can do the same this season – forget about the cup, that's gone, and get promotion.

"They've only got one big thing left now and that's the league. That should be their aim."

He added: "It would be great for the town if they could get back into the League.

"It looks like they've got a decent chance this season but there are still some decent teams at the top of that league.

"You've got to win your home games for a start if you're going to have any chance."

Tees – who had two spells at Blundell Park, scoring more than a century of goals in the process – netted 29 times in the 71/72 campaign.

And the Scottish forward, who recently celebrated his 73rd birthday, says it was a truly magical time for the Mariners and their supporters.

"We got to the stage when we didn't believe we could get beaten," Tees added.

"We were playing so well and everything was going our way.

"But the most important thing was that the players were all backing each other up and playing well.

"At the start of the season you've got to aim high and think 'we're targeting promotion here'.

"The manager at the time, Lawrie McMenemy, was a very good speaker and he convinced us all that we were going up.

"When you get someone like that telling you every week, you start to believe it.

"You're going to get the odd hiccup, of course, and you're going to lose occasionally but we were certain we would bounce back and go up – which we did.

"We had the set-back with the cup game and it would have been nice to have had a cup run to get some money in for the club and get the home matches for the fans.

"But I still have great memories of that season and that's something nobody can take away from any of us."

Lawrie McMenemy and some of the stars of '72 will be at Blundell Park on Friday, November 16 for a special evening organised by the Mariners Trust. Call Dave Boylen on 07903 504682 for tickets.