We were saddened to learn of the passing before Christmas of our former colleague and local Cleethorpes resident Alan Johnson.
Alan passionately believed in his community and it was through this interest that he joined the Big Local North Cleethorpes committee way back at the start in 2013 and was then connected to that programme almost throughout the entire twelve years of its existence.
The team at VANEL came to know Alan well – especially as our offices and community hub at 82 Grimsby Road, owes to a very great degree its existence to the hard work of Alan.
Our building was purchased through the Big Local North Cleethorpes programme and Alan jumped straight in to DIY’ing this former insurance office and flat into a proper space fit to be our local community hub.
Alan was a volunteer – and a very busy one at that. Many will have known Alan in the earlier chapters of his life, but we had the privilege of connecting to him in his retirement years – which for Alan, were very full of volunteering and activity!
As a volunteer, Alan joined the committee of Big Local North Cleethorpes when it was getting established way back in 2013. He was always one with fresh ideas and was great at connecting to the community around him. He was always the one to gather feedback from shopkeepers, people in the street or in a cafe in order to decide what Big Local could be tackling next.
But Alan was not just about talking about it – he was a do-er. The very first project Big Local undertook was the refurbishment of the Sidney Sussex Pavilion to bring it back into community use. Much of that refurbishment was down to Alan. Not only did he bring the experience and expertise on what needed to be done, but he was great at planning the work, overseeing the work and getting it done himself. We still have photographs of him painting the walls, tiling the kitchen and doing everything else that was needed.
That the Pavilion is still in use for the community today – a decade on – is in no small part to the efforts Alan made.
And when Big Local came to purchasing our current building at 82 Grimsby Road, Alan was the one to rip up floors, tackle woodwork, pipework, tiling, painting and everything else. There’s probably very few parts of our building (except perhaps for our Red Shed in our yard) that Alan hasn’t touched. He polished every square inch of our wooden floor in the main office and handcrafted the wooden chopping board in our kitchen. Everything around us now is a reminder of the hard work, dedication and enthusiasm Alan brought to his days.
There were so many other local projects too that Alan made happen. The bench for dog walkers in Sussex Rec was his idea. He was involved when the Cycle Hub building at Cleethorpes Railway Station was refurbished – ensuring that we had a bike ramp put in place for easy access.
A project to bring planters full of plants (and eventually palm trees) to North Prom was his idea and he made that happen through support from local traders and from members of the Council environmental team.
But Alan also supported every other project we delivered – whether that was our youth work, our arts projects or our work with young people. Alan embodied our idea of ‘inter-generational work’ as it is called. He loved gardening and loved sharing that enthusiasm with other – especially young people.
The outdoor space at Reynolds Family Hub was barely useable by the children – until Alan got involved. Personally building beds, ponds and planting things, he transformed the garden and worked with the staff and of course the children to develop, use and love their garden space. In May 2023 the Mayor formally reopened the Reynolds gardens as the “Alan Johnson Garden” in recognition of the hard work and love that Alan had put into that space. To this day the children continue to enjoy that legacy.
So many more Big Local projects were touched by Alan. You’ll find him mentioned throughout our ‘reflections’ website about the programme. He pops up in many of the photos and has a few starring roles in a few of the videos we produced – especially the ones about gardening!
And remember that Alan was a retiree and a volunteer. He got involved in everything because that was what was in his nature.
Alan Johnson embodied the purpose of Big Local North Cleethorpes. He embodied community and embodied the values of volunteering and purpose. He was warm and genuine and I’m sure anyone that ever met Alan remembers their conversations with him.
At VANEL and from those previously involved with Big Local North Cleethorpes we’ll remember Alan with gratitude and respect and we extend our condolences to his family, friends and all others who were touched by his life, his work and his volunteering.
In the projects, buildings and initiatives around Cleethorpes that Alan helped put in place and in the memories of those who knew him, Alan and his legacy will be remembered.
Happy gardening Alan.
Karl Elliott and the team at VANEL and Big Local North Cleethorpes.
Alan Johnson 1940-1925