"I WOULD be very sad and probably cry if we lost the Ice Factory because I love it and don't think they should blow it up with C4."
Those were the words of St Martin's Preparatory School student James Roberts, 7, the youngest honorary member of the Great Grimsby Ice Factory Trust (GGIFT).
And that is why he tried to enlist his friends in the war to save the landmark by inviting Project Ice – which is researching the history of the building – into his school.
James added: "It's a beautiful building and I think they need to clean up the roof , but keep all the machinery as it is so people can have a look round.
"I really love it and I wanted to show my friends so they would help me save it."
Project Ice was given a grant by the Heritage Lottery Fund to look at the history of the Grade II listed building, currently in a sorry state, and compile an exhibition about the lives of the ordinary people who worked there.
On Monday, they showed the St Martin's students a video and asked them what questions about the Ice Factory they would like answering.
Roy Horobin, trustee of the GGIFT and researcher for Project Ice, said: "Our project is about providing a social history of the building and the people in it.
"But we want to find out exactly what it is that people want to know and so the questions from these students and many other people will be the basis of our research."
Mr Horobin hopes that other schools will invite the group in to teach students about the Ice Factory – which St Martin's teacher Diane Crookes thought was extremely productive.
GALLERY: Historic Grimsby Ice Factory pictures
Mrs Crookes said: "Students so young do not necessarily know that things were ever any different than they are today.
"What this experience has given them is a glimpse into their heritage and a time gone by, which shows them how dramatically things have changed over the last 60 years or so."
Priyasha Nijjar, 7, said: "I want to know how many people work there and how old it is – I think it's about 1,000 years old, but I'm not sure."
Tenaya Wong, 7, said: "I want to know how cold it was in there and how they made the ice when it was hot outside."
If you would like Project Ice to come and speak to students at your school, e-mail roy@royhorobin.org
Search for ProjectIceGY on facebook
