With just a few weeks until we celebrate Grantham Nub News' first anniversary, it's the perfect time to remind ourselves - and our readers - about what makes the town special.

Undoubtedly, Grantham is best-known for its most famous son and daughter, Father of Modern Science Sir Isaac Newton and Baroness Margaret Thatcher.

Born above her parent's grocer's shop and a pupil at Kesteven and Grantham Girls' School, The Iron Lady was the first woman to lead the Conservative Party in 1975 and made history again when she became the UK's first female Prime Minister in 1979. She achieved a triple whammy when she went on to become the longest serving British PM of the 20th century. Sir Isaac Newton - mathematician, astronomer and physicist - was born, raised, educated and made his most significant scientific discoveries at Woolsthorpe Manor, near Grantham. He left at the age of 12 to attend The King's School and then Trinity College in Cambridge, returning only once to escape the plague in Cambridge when, during a brief two-year period between 1665 and 1667, he discovered the principles of differential calculus, the laws governing planetary motion, succeeded in refracting light through a prism and developed the concept of gravity. The biennial Gravity Fields Festival is a highlight of the town's calendar of events and celebrates and explores Newton's historic connections to South Kesteven through science, arts and heritage. Organised by South Kesteven District Council it is being staged again this September with the theme 'Illumination, Innovation and Imagination'. But Sir Isaac and Baroness Thatcher are not the only pioneers to hail from Grantham. Richard Hornsby & Sons built the world's first oil-engined railway locomotive 'Lachesis', for the Royal Arsenal in Woolwich, as well as the first compression-ignition powered automobile and the first tractor using this engine type - purchased in 1897 it is the earliest recorded sale of a tractor in Britain. Still on the subject of tractors, the agricultural division of Grantham's Aveling-Barford, Barford of Belton, developed the world's smallest tractor in 1947. The Barford Atom, a walking garden tractor, weighed just 177lbs and ran for eight hours on a gallon of fuel. The town notched up a policing history first in December 1915 when Edith Smith became the first woman in Britain to be sworn in as a police constable with official powers of arrest. A conference room at Grantham Police Station was dedicated to Edith Smith in a special ceremony last year. Whether by virtue of their architecture or the treasures they contain, Grantham is home to a number of historic buildings. There's The Angel and Royal, reputedly one of the oldest hotels in the world, and Grantham Museum with exhibitions dedicated to famous folk from the town. Then there is the jewel in the town's historic crown - medieval St Wulfram's Church. Brimming with treasures, the greatest being the first public library in the country, the Francis Trigge Chained Library, founded in 1598 and used by Sir Isaac. On March 20 this year the church, which hosts regular theatrical productions and an annual beer festival, commemorates the 1,300th anniversary of the death of its patron. A programme of commemorative events is being staged including a torch-lit procession through the town and a Festival of Angels. In common with all towns across the country, Grantham has seen shops and businesses come and go - although it continues to thrive thanks to its cafe culture, indoor shopping centres, traditional Saturday street market and monthly Farmers' Market. Grantham residents are also spoilt for choice when it comes to entertainment and just-for-fun leisure opportunities. There's Guildhall Arts Centre, home to live performances, a comedy club, exhibitions and community arts events, and Grantham Savoy Cinema, which opened last year, with its five auditoria and regular subtitled and parent and baby screenings as well as silver screen shows for film fans over 50. The future of Meres Leisure Centre is still under discussion, with consultations on improvements to leisure facilities in Grantham currently ongoing. The options are for a smaller facility in the town centre, a refurbishment of the existing centre or a new facility on the current site. Four outdoor fun there are three parks - Queen Elizabeth Park with more than 22 acres of parkland and floral conservation areas, adventure playground and the Diamond Grove of 60 birch trees planted to commemorate the Queen's Diamond Jubilee, Dysart Park and award-winning Wyndham Park. The 2.5-mile Riverside Trail - a cycle and walkway beside the River Witham - runs through the public parks and there's a dedicated cycle route, part of the Sustrans National Cycle Network, through Wyndham Park. We asked Grantham Nub News readers to sum up the town in three words - 'friendly/welcoming', 'historic' and 'picturesque' were by far the most popular. Others included reference to its famous folk and one simply said 'strategic development potential'!