NEW Grimsby Town signing Clayton McDonald is delighted to be joining "one of the strongest Mariners squads in years".

As revealed yesterday on www.grimsbytelegraph.co.uk/sport, the 6ft 6ins defender has penned a one-year deal at Blundell Park following his release by Port Vale.

The 24-year-old is expected to go straight into the squad for tonight's visit of Hull City (7pm kick-off).

ATTENTION is something, someone wants at many times during his/her lifetime.

Personally I don't believe wanting attention is a bad thing; it's the way you go about it to achieve it.

Another belief is that there are two types of attention, good and bad.

The good would be being praised and receiving compliments; on the other hand the bad would be being on the delivery end of gossip and rumours; although the receiver may not see it as bad.

Many may think that whether it's good or bad, attention is still attention.

However, the definition is taking notice of something then regarding it as important or interesting.

Therefore if it's bad is it still attention?

Today's new technology is highlighting attention seeking and the effects of bad attention.

With the new Facebook update – people, aka naive girls, are happily willing to upload photos with shorts that allow people to see bum cheek and tops allowing cleavage; I don't understand why they find it acceptable either!

I do have an understanding, however, that these adolescent girls believe it will appear attractive and gain attention from boys their age, not quite understanding they're more likely to attract sex offenders.

It seems to me that they don't realise it's bad attention they're receiving.

These naive girls will then go on to complaining about the bad interest they seem to be attracting, yet carry on with what caused the problem in the first place.

Though what do you do with attention you don't want?

We get told to ignore it but that seems to be impossible.

It's almost like bad attention is a lose-lose situation.

When thinking about attention, I often wonder why we want it.

In some cases the person may have low self-esteem and need a boost about how he/she feels about themselves.

With low self-esteem comes the two ways of compliments.

You either a) accept the compliment given to you whether or not you believe it or b) you don't accept the compliment resulting in more compliments and a dig of being an attention seeker.

Personally I don't think people who neglect compliments are always attention seekers, they are simply unwilling to accept that someone may have positive thoughts about them, leading back to low self-esteem.

Another belief is that someone may crave attention because of their past.

They may be missing out on the attention they feel they need at home, evidentially making themselves vulnerable.

My question is, if they aren't receiving attention at home and are lacking support does that make them attention seekers?

What I don't quite understand is who sets the line in the area of attention, society or yourself?

I have a strange feeling it's society but I don't believe that's OK.

Society is controlling too many people nowadays.

As always, fashion has to have some sort of input.

In this case it is impacting on attention; giving people an idea of what they believe attracts interest.

This connects with the short shorts and low-cut vest tops that are taking every town by storm.

Although body parts do seem to attract awareness whether good or bad, a fashion of "grunge", "hipster" and "indie" has also taken towns by storm, adolescents believing their style is individual and unique, that everyone stops to double take and you can't find their style anywhere else.

Well, in all fairness, they're wrong.

Their style is, in fact, everywhere and they are, in fact, no matter how hard they find it to admit it, following the crowd.

Piercing, tie dye tops, skinny jeans and a skateboard is everywhere you turn – it may have attracted the right attention at first but now it's common, and taking it to the extreme like some are, it's bad attention and abuse.

Just the way society likes to work, whether you want it that way or not.

There's so much more to say but not enough words to say it in.

Therefore I'll repeat, why do we want attention and what actually makes an attention seeker?

Students dressed to impress for the Havelock Academy, Grimsby, leavers' prom, held at the Oaklands Hall Hotel, Laceby.

GRIMSBY Borough continued their pre-season schedule with a narrow 5-4 defeat in a pulsating game with neighbours Gainsborough Trinity.

The Conference North side opened the scoring after five minutes at Bradley Community Stadium, through a Liam Davis free-kick, and doubled their advantage ten minutes later.

Borough then began to settle and started putting together some decent moves – earning a corner after 25 minutes, which Louis Grant whipped into the box for Steve Davis to head home.

Gainsborough looked shocked at conceding a goal, and five minutes later they conceded a another when Davis netted his second and put the home side on level terms with a 20-yard strike into the bottom corner.

And Borough nearly took the lead when a brilliant cross from Grant was headed against the up right by Luke Fanthorpe, and the visitors scrambled the ball to safety.

Gainsborough recovered and scored a third on half-time to make it 3-2.

The hosts changed their entire midfield at the break to freshen things up, and the changes almost made an immediate impact when Wright was sent through, only to strike his effort against the post.

However, Borough were caught napping and the quality of opposition told as Gainsborough increased their lead to 5-2.

It looked as though they were going to rack up a big score, but the home side had other ideas as Dave Walsh picked the ball up from 20 yards and chipped on to the crossbar, with Fanthorpe the quickest to react to make it 5-3.

James Swann kept Borough in the game with a reaction save from ex-Mariner Michael Leary, following a good move, but the home side were soon rewarded for their persistence.

Walsh found Fanthorpe, who turned his marker and played in Grant for a one on one chance, and the striker made no mistake in lifting the ball over the goalkeeper and into an empty net.

Borough nearly got an equaliser with a powerful header from Kieran Wressell, but his effort was cleared off the line.

It was a great workout for the home side, who continue their preparations for the Northern Counties East League Division One campaign with a trip to Bridlington on Monday.

THE forthcoming Grimsby Angling Club Championships are now full – all 11 spaces have been filled

Several of the teams have been practicing on the various lakes at Wold View Fisheries, Claxby.

The event is not until September, but there is already a lot of friendly banter between the clubs taking part.

The last time the championships were held was in the late 1970s.

Among the favourites to take the title are the very experienced NATs team, who feature Paul Mountford. Also hotly-tipped are the LOR team, who are managed by one of the area's top anglers in Keith Easton.

Mountford organised a match on the Ultimate lake at Wold View last Saturday, and he himself took the honours with a creditable 48.6lb bag. He caught on the pole from peg 13.

He said that it was so hot, the fish were not really interested.

Next in was an angler who is currently doing very well – Scott MacAteer. He had 48lb from peg 10.

Third was Steve Riley with 37lb off peg 12.

Tomorrow, many of the top local anglers are descending on Bradley Ponds.

Tony Booth, who does a fantastic amount of work encouraging people to take up the sport, is holding a charity match in aid of St Andrews Hospice. The draw will be at 9am and anglers will fish from 10am-4pm. Pools money on the day is £15.

First prize will be £125 plus a trophy, second prize is £75 plus a trophy, third prize is £50 plus a trophy, fourth is £25.

Contact Sharon or Tony on 07501719025 or Ben on 07707295502 to book in.

Pelham AC travel to the Great Ouse in Cambridgeshire on August 3 for the Division Two national.

For some strange reason, Pelham have asked me to fish, which will be interesting to say the least. By all accounts, it will be a struggle.

I am sure all of you wish the team all the best. We will see if we can gain promotion to Division One.

Westlands AC went to Moon Lakes at Tattershall and it was case of hero to zero for club secretary Graham Rouse. After his sterling performance on the last match, he failed to get a single bite in this match.

But it was a struggle for most as the fish did not seem to be interested.

There were no problems for Paddy Ballans. Fishing down the edge on pellet with the pole, he weighed in with 42lb. Next in was present Dave Edwards Junior with 29lb. He was fishing with the 16-metre pole and using pellet as bait.

The weights then plummeted to 8lb for Billy Braithwaite. So it was certainly a hard-fought match.

Carr Lane AC were at Spilsby, on the Woodlands Lakes.

There were a lot reeds that had been cut down, but the roots were still there. They provided ideal escape routes for the carp.

Many anglers lost several feeders, floats and fish. Jez Waters, who has benefited greatly from his lesson from Lee Kerry, used several methods to catch 62lb of quality carp – doubling the weight of the next angler.

Healing AC were in action at Messingham Sands on the Swan Lake and it was Martin Young who showed the others how to do it.

He had 13 fish for 104lb, all on the pellet waggler.

Second was Trevor Oliver. He had 63lb, again using the pellet waggler. Third was David Selby with 58lb.

Oberon AC were in action at Messingham last Sunday. John Agnew was first – fishing off peg 37, he weighed in with 119.5lb. Second was Paul Jaycock with 56lb off peg 35. John Davies was third with 36lb. He said that he lost lots of bigger fish in the reeds.

Over at Saltfleetby Fisheries, a match on the main lake was won by Glen Tucker with in 55lb. Lewis Jones was second with 48lb off peg 8 and Trevor Fretwell was third with 40lb off peg 3.

IMMINGHAM motorcycle racer Rob Wilson is hoping to get back on track this weekend at Rockingham in round six of the Thundersport GB Golden Era Superbike Championship.

Wilson's frustrating spell started at Cadwell Park in round four when his Endotec/C-tech electrical Kawasaki ZX7R suffered a broken fuel line in qualifying, tyre problems in race one and two, and a blown engine in the last race of the weekend.

His highest-place finish was sixth, which was not what he had hoped for on his home track.

Running his spare bike in round five at Oulton Park, it was a 'double points weekend' with racing only taking place on the Saturday.

Qualifying in 11th, he was confident a little more track time would get him familiar with his spare bike and different engine spec.

It all came good in race one and, after a last-lap battle, Wilson clinched second behind runaway winner Ian Simpson.

In race two, gear selection problems resulted in a sixth-place finish

Wilson said: "After the last two rounds not going to plan, we are looking at turning things around at Rockingham.

"We will have both bikes ready – and we will be looking to close the 57-point gap on championship leader Richard Blunt.

"There are four rounds and 400 points still up for grabs."

JAMIE Carter advanced to this afternoon's T34 400m final at the IPC World Championships in Lyon.

The 18-year-old wheelchair racer made it through after coming fourth in his semi-final yesterday.

Carter set yet another personal best to book his place on the start line today. He clocked 57.30 to progress.

The Cleethorpes Athletic Club speedster also came seventh in the 800m final earlier this week, and set a new personal best in the 200m semi-finals – but it was not enough for a place in the final.

The championships are the biggest competition for disabled athletes since last year's Paralympic Games in London.

It has been a successful week in the French city for Lincolnshire athletes.

As well as Carter's pbs, former Holton-le-Clay teenager Hollie Arnold won gold in the javelin.

The championships are being televised by More4.

I AM CONSIDERING ploughing up to £400,000 in 2013-14 into a soon-to-be established Community Safety Fund and looking at investing almost £200,000 a year in local community safety and crime reduction initiatives.

This will comprise of savings identified in the past year from the budget inherited for running the office from the former Police Authority and a one-off underspend in 2012-13 savings set aside for this purpose.

The idea behind the scheme is that individuals and community groups can apply for grants for projects that achieve my goal of preventing crimes happening.

These might include ideas such as CCTV cameras, security gates, smart water or, indeed, any innovation.

I have asked my team to press on with developing the detail of the scheme so that a public launch can be made.

This work will ensure that the process for submitting bids is easy to follow by everyone, while also ensuring bids are assessed against clear criteria that ensure the best ideas for preventing crime receive funds.

I have always thought that some of the best ideas come from individuals and community groups.

I've already identified savings of almost £200,000 compared with what the Police Authority was spending. I can think of no better way than to use this directly to prevent crime rather than being used to pay for administration and bureaucracy.

As soon as my team comes back with the details of how the scheme will work then I will make a public announcement through the media and my website explaining what people and groups need to do to get money for their ideas.

In the meantime, I want to encourage people who believe they have a good idea to start developing them now.

WHATEVER the weather, the volunteers at St Hugh's Centre, Grimsby, dish up a hearty meal for scores of needy people. Reporter Peter Craig found out more.

VOLUNTEERS and organisers of the area's meals on wheels service have celebrated their success on a plate for hundreds of home diners.

They have enjoyed freshly cooked meals every week day for a year now, thanks to meals service manager Sandra Mason and her staff.

Even as temperatures topped 30 degrees centigrade the charity group carried on preparing hot meals for up to 100 clients per week.

And when there is ice and snow on the ground, the dedicated team of volunteer drivers will make sure there is a hot meal for everyone in need.

Clients receive a two-course meal for £5, or two of them for £9.

And the portions are so substantial that some even split them into two.

Sandra, who is also the manager of St Hugh's Centre, in Grimsby, where the team is based, said Fresh Start Meals is self-sustaining thanks to grants from The John Ross Community Trust Fund, Community First funding and money from North East Lincolnshire Council ward councillors, who have grant cash to give to worthwhile projects supporting the community.

West marsh councillors Darren Billard and Ian Lindley gave money for a new cooker at the centre.

Thanks to grants and the fees from clients, Fresh Start Meals have been able to employ cook Shirley Ellis.

She supervises a team, including Shelley Mitchell, Ann Salt and Lucy Marshall, and together, they secured a five-star rating in the council Scores On The Doors catering assessment this year.

The team prepares meals which are delivered by volunteer drivers.

The group currently has ten volunteers supporting the work in the kitchen and delivering meals.

Sandra said: "They are amazing. They keep coming back week after week. Without their support we could not provide the service.

"It is a worthwhile job, supporting people who do not have family around them. For some, the volunteers are the only people they see all day. We look after them as well. We do shopping for them, hang out washing and post letters and pick up prescriptions."

She added: "They are basic meals based on meat with two vegetables and we have a rolling menu which is four weeks in advance so clients can chose what they would like. We are flexible to suit their needs.

"We plate it out for them and probe it to ensure it is the right temperature and not below 63 degrees. We started a year ago because our lunch club was so successful. Some people said they wanted meals at home.

"The Care Trust provides frozen meals, and we thought about that, but decided they were not filling enough and it is better for people to have freshly cooked meals made with food which is sourced locally.

"I spent nine months researching how the WRVS did their meals on wheels in North Yorkshire and other places."

The group cares for people who have been referred to Fresh Start Meals by the local authority social services department.

A number have also been newly discharged from hospital.

Sandra said: "Some of them are just going to be temporary. They come to us as a short-term solution before they get back on their own feet and start cooking for themselves.

"Others are longer term, particularly those with dementia and those who have relatives who live away. Family will often pay the bills so they don't have to worry about mum or dad eating healthily."

The 100 clients per week served by the group live throughout North East Lincolnshire. Some have meals five days a week, and others three.

Sandra said: "I have a social work background. If I can make a difference to the lives of people in a small way, that means everything to me.

"People have said they could not manage without the help of Fresh Start Meals.

"For many, the contact with them is a lifeline. There was a couple who used to come to our lunch club. Sadly the husband died. The widow said she would not eat if we did not go out to her.

"You have to detach yourself. I tell the volunteers to help the clients in any way they can and if they are concerned about any matter of health or well-being to tell me immediately. I don't want volunteers out there stressing about people."

Volunteer driver Mike Pleasants said: "This is my way of giving something back."

Former Watmough's biscuit factory worker Freda Carroll, 93, said: "Having the meals is a big benefit. They come three times a week and on Wednesdays I go to St Augustine's Church lunch club and on Friday I walk to the St Hugh's Centre for my lunch.

"They are really lovely meals. Everyone should try them. I like all the meals and the desserts."

Cook Shirley Ellis said: "I was asked if I wanted the join the group in December. It is so rewarding. It is the pleasure of going out and delivering the meals."

She told how one day they found one client up a ladder in a pantry rearranging tins and may have prevented her suffering a nasty fall.

She added: "Some of them ask us to split the meals in two so they get another meal out of it. I get told not to put so much on the plates. But there is nothing worse than going somewhere for food and still feeling hungry."

Fellow cook Shelley Mitchell said: "We are told not to get emotionally attached, but you can't help yourself. We lost one of our favourites. It was heartbreaking, it is part of the job. When you are dealing with OAPs they deserve respect."

Joyce Nielsen, 80, of Cleethorpes, said: "I became associated with the group because I have been poorly. Carers come in every morning.

"I went off my food and lost a lot of weight. This is building me up again."

"The meals are making me strong because I get a cooked meal every day. They are a very nice group of people."

Sandra said she would be pleased to hear from other prospective volunteers.

Anyone wishing to volunteer or needing the meals on wheels service can contact Sandra on 01472 231507.

A SECOND World War veteran who has just been awarded the newly-created Arctic Star feels the Government should have issued the medal much sooner.

Alan Heumann has received the medal and ribbon which was introduced this year to veterans of the Arctic Convoys. It is awarded for service to men who served in the campaign.

But 70 years after being demobbed from the Royal Navy, Mr Heumann said the medal should have been issued much sooner.

He said: "My first thoughts were that, now that so many of those who would have qualified are long gone, why spend taxpayers' money on making and delivering another medal and its ribbon to the very few still able to receive it? One suggested figure is that only 200 of us remain.

"It is an insult to all the people who would have appreciated it, but have now died.

"It should have been 20-30 years ago. If the Russians can issue a medal and ribbon to all who were entitled, then there was no reason why we couldn't.

"It is a good thing to receive but it should have been sooner."

Mr Heumann, of Louth, received his Russian Star.

He came to Lincolnshire in 1972, moving to Skidbrook, where he grew his own food and lived fairly self-sufficiently.

He moved to Louth in 1999 where he has lived ever since.

He goes to Louth Hospital Club and used to serve on the committee at Spout Yard Park and latterly as a governor at Cordeaux.

Mr Heumann, who is entering his 90th year, said memories, although sometimes vivid, were fragmented.

He recalled how in winter, the seas could get rough, into hurricane gales of category three.

He said: "One never forgot the ship – a carrier of some 18,000 tons – yawing its way through 100ft high waves. The ship first stood on her stern with bows out of the water, and then on her bows with stern out of the seas. When this happened the screws would scream and thunder with a frenetic whirr of props, shafts and engines until the stern re-entered with a crash and a bang.

"During this trip our sister ship, the carrier Nirvana, lost her flight deck. On arrival back at Scapa it was curled like a gigantic C."

Mr Heumann said that, during 1944-5, one-and-a-quarter million tons of cargo was shipped from the UK to Russia.

He said: "In those 12 months, 28 enemy ships were sunk and 57 damaged.

"At least 55 German aircraft were shot down, five U-boats were definitely sunk and another eight possibly.

"The UK lost four escort ships and at least nine merchant ships."

HUMBERSIDE'S Police and Crime Commissioner said he will not be "pinned down" on police numbers in the future during a visit around the area.

Matthew Grove highlighted Waltham and Immingham as great examples of "neighbourhood policing at its best" when he took a trip to both areas.

In Immingham, he told the Telegraph that people have seen an improvement over two years and "want current policing levels protecting – a message I'm hearing from all corners".

These concerns come after Mr Grove announced that the force will have to save £25 to £30 million before 2018, earlier this month – on top of £31.9 million savings that need to be made between 2011 and 2015.

However, Mr Grove believes that guaranteeing officer numbers is not the way forward.

He said: "People keep trying to pin me down on the number of bobbies on the beat but I won't be drawn into that commitment just to make a cheap political point.

"If you guarantee those numbers, you end up cutting support staff and transferring administrative functions to much more expensive police officers – who will have less time to spend in communities.

"Yes, we face certain financial pressures but as I have always said, it is not about the total head count but what you have them doing that really makes a difference."

Mr Grove was impressed with Waltham because of how closely their parish council work with the neighbourhood policing team.

He also praised the fact that when he walked round Kennedy Way shopping centre and Oasis Academy, in Immingham, almost everyone knew PCSO Robert Dove by his first name.

PCSO Dove said: "We have been asking people to put forward their questions and concerns and the reaction has been really positive.

"It's good because the more people we get involved, the more help we have with catching the people who continually drag this area down."

Mr Grove added: "I'm here to represent people and hold the police force to account, but to do that I have to meet them on the ground level, which is why I visit a different area every week.

"I think it's important to engage with the community because we need their help to catch the criminals and, more importantly, to prevent crime, rather than react."

Councillor Dave Bolton (Lab, Immingham) joined Mr Grove and believes that things have improved in Immingham over two years.

He said: "Police face budget constraint like the council and everybody else in these times of austerity but I believe Mr Grove that policing can still be improved – I have to believe him.

"We've talked before about the community working together and we are all on the same wavelength but days like today are important so Mr Grove can find out what local people really think."

THE former Western Technology School building in Grimsby will be demolished when council staff vacate the premises next April.

North East Lincolnshire Council then plans to put the Cambridge Road site, including the playing field, on the market.

The council has set aside £575,000 for its regeneration partner Balfour Beatty to carry out the demolition, which council bosses say will reduce maintenance costs and make the site more attractive to potential buyers.

The building currently houses council offices, a pupil referral unit and teaching space, but is being vacated as part of the authority's property rationalisation programme.

The Municipal Offices in Grimsby are currently being remodelled to increase the number of workers it can accommodate, in a bid to reduce the number of core office buildings the council occupy from 20 to two.

Staff are due to move back into the Municipal Offices early next year, and the Agile Future project is expected to save the council £1.1 million a year in running costs.

The Western site is also occupied by third party users, including the council's educational improvement partner Serco and the Grimsby Institute.

Serco staff will relocate to the Municipal Offices, while Institute staff based at the site will move into new facilities being developed at its Nuns' Corner campus.

The decision to demolish the building, which has been approved by Cabinet, will result in a loss of £72,000 rental income from the two tenants.

However, a report prepared by council officers states that the level of income was expected to fall as the Institute had already commenced "part withdrawal" from the site and now occupies a smaller area than in previous years.

The report adds: "Should demolition not proceed then estimated on-going revenue costs would be incurred for insurance, security, business rates and boarding up. Business rates costs alone are £70,000." Upon demolition, the council intends to market the entire 25.7-acre site, and seek permission from Sport England for permission to dispose of the playing field, which accounts for 17.3 acres of the site.

The report states that initial discussions with Sport England suggest they would "object to the disposal and loss of any playing field without adequate reprovision."

A spokesman for the Grimsby Institute Group said: "We have always planned for any provision at Space to be transferred to our new state-of-the-art facilities that are under development for the arts, performing arts and music curriculum areas.

"These will be based at our Nuns' Corner campus once our new facilities are completed. NELC's decision to demolish the site will in no way cause disruption to any of our staff or learners."