A £150,000 Government cash boost will help throw open the doors of one of North Lincolnshire’s finest listed buildings – Baysgarth House in Barton-upon-Humber. The investment will enable extensive repairs to be carried out to the fabric of the building, which is set in 30 acres of Green Flag award-winning parkland – allowing it re-open as early as Spring 2025. An ambitious programme of works will then breathe new life into the 18th century building – with exciting plans to create a museum and exhibition space, gift shop, café, archive, and community spaces. It comes as Barton receives a further £5,000 to promote the town’s heritage, putting it on the map as a visitor destination of historical significance and attracting waves of new visitors. Cllr Rob Waltham, leader, North Lincolnshire Council, said: “It’s brilliant to see this Government cash being used to give a new lease of life to local landmarks and historic buildings like Baysgarth House that residents hold dear. “Together with hardworking volunteers, we are working hard to preserve North Lincolnshire’s fascinating heritage, but we want to go even further – creating new and improved attractions, increasing community pride and showcasing our area to even more people.” Another of the town’s impressive buildings, and the longest Grade II listed structure in the country, The Ropewalk, will receive £7,600 to tell the story of world-renowned horse painter, George Stubbs – who’s connection to North Lincolnshire is being explored this year in a series of events and workshops. Liz Bennet, managing director at The Ropewalk, said: “Barton-upon-Humber is a historic town with many hidden riches and this funding will go a long way to publicising this important heritage on our doorstep. “The artist George Stubbs created many of his important early works whilst under the patronage of the Nelthorpe family who were the owners of Baysgarth House at the time. The funding will enable The Ropewalk to work in partnership with Scawby Hall, the current home of the Nelthorpe family, and North Lincolnshire Museum to explore the importance of North Lincolnshire in this artist’s work.” The cash comes from the UK Shared Prosperity Fund.   Image credit: North Lincolnshire Council

South Kesteven District Council has announced its biggest investment in social housing in a generation in a £6.5m deal to help replace council housing sold to tenants under the Government Right to Buy legislation. The Council has exchanged contracts to purchase 36 newly built homes for people on its housing register to help mitigate the loss of more than 40 homes a year as a result of Right to Buy. The new homes are part of a development off Swinstead Road, Corby Glen, and will be paid for and built in seven phases up to June 2028. They range from one bedroom apartments to four bedroom family homes and have been secured by the Council to make the best use of funds. Cabinet Member for Housing and Planning, Cllr Phil Dilks, said: “The number of houses we can rent to those most in need has been falling year on year at the same time as the demand is rising. “We are determined to do what we can to mitigate average loss of more than 40 homes a year to Right to Buy so we can continue providing decent housing for those most in need. “We have adopted a hybrid flexible approach to acquiring replacement homes by building on sites we already own as well as negotiating with house builders to buy off-plan, particularly where registered housing providers are unable to secure funding to purchase the ‘affordable’ homes on major developments that have to be agreed as a condition of planning permission. “We are also in discussions with house builders on further sites in the District, which are all moving in a positive direction. “The Corby Glen new-build housing will all be allocated to people on the Council’s housing register when they are completed and handed over.” SKDC has also acquired 21 properties as part of the Local Authority Housing Fund tranche 1 and a further eight properties are being purchased around the Bourne area for a second tranche of the LAHF money. These properties were specifically to house Ukrainian and Afghans as part of a central government scheme. In addition, the Council is using Section 106 developer contribution money to buy a fully adapted bungalow in the Market Deeping area, where a number of people require specific types of properties. The property team is looking at acquiring further properties to meet these needs. Progress on SKDC’s own new-builds includes:

• Swinegate, Grantham: Demolition and site preparation under way for 20 new homes
• Elizabeth Road, Stamford: All four units due for completion in August 2024
• Larch Close, Grantham: work due to start in September on 21 units
• Wellington Way, Market Deeping: Planning process under way for 14 new homes
• Gorse Rise, Grantham: Six units at design stage
• Kesteven Road, Stamford: Discussions under way for a 14-unit build
• Bourne End Road, Colsterworth: Potential nine-unit scheme

  Image credit: Stock.adobe.com/Jo Panuwat D

Care and nursing homes in the Country Court group have welcomed young people into their homes throughout this academic year as part of the YOPEY Dementia Befriender initiative. This important intergenerational work is coordinated by Tony Gearing MBE of the charity YOPEY which builds relationships between care home operators and secondary schools. Established in 2012, YOPEY gives young people the opportunity to contribute to their communities through volunteering to provide company to elderly people living in care homes. At St John’s Care Home in Spalding residents enjoyed meeting sixth-form students from Spalding Grammar School. Natalie Parnham, Home Manager at St John’s Care Home, said: “Over the months, the students have built up meaningful relationships with our residents, many of whom are living with dementia. We can see the students’ visits have a positive impact on people’s moods and overall wellbeing. “In addition, they are a fantastic opportunity for young people to gain first-hand experience of dementia and learn about life in a care home. We hope the experience will inspire some to pursue a career in the care sector.” Tony Gearing said: “YOPEY loves giving young people the opportunity to both enrich the lives of care home residents but also to learn wisdom from their elders. Following our training, sixth-formers from Spalding Grammar are doing a great job at St John’s, a lovely care home.” After her visit student Milena said: “I met a new resident named Peter who was part of the army and the navy…. Peter talked about his time there and we talked about history (the world wars mainly). “He mentioned the countries he served in and what the borders between countries looked like. We also talked about which books we liked, and he read us some poems (from memory). He told us that he came from Ireland and talked about his family.” Student Oliwia reported: “I met a resident called Dave who gave me some encouragement, and good life advice. This was a very enjoyable conversation.” Student Jack said: “The residents were very friendly and greeted me with a kiss on the cheek. This was nice because it made me feel welcomed and that they appreciated my time there.” Natalie Parnham, Home Manager at St John’s Care Home, added: “Here at St John’s Care Home, we have first-hand experience of how challenging life can be for families who have a loved one living with dementia.  “We know our residents benefit from being in such a supportive community here in Spalding, where we can take advantage of initiatives such as the YOPEY Dementia Befriender Community Partnership.” For more information about life at St John’s Care Home please contact stjohns@countrycourtcare.com or call 01775 710567.

West Lindsey District Council has reached an agreement with the Home Office to explore temporary dual use of Lincolnshire’s former RAF Scampton site, marking a significant step forward in securing the council’s vision to deliver its regeneration plans for the site through collaboration. Under the agreement, outstanding legal action will be withdrawn. The Home Office, which has planning permission awarded through a Special Development Order can use the site for a fixed period of time, up to October 2027 and has agreed to house a significantly reduced number of asylum seekers. The agreement also allows the council to use a portion of the land to pursue the regeneration of the site with preferred development partner Scampton Holdings Limited. The Home Office will retain just 10% of the site to temporarily house up to 800 asylum seekers – compared to the original 2,000. Leader of West Lindsey District Council, Cllr Trevor Young said the agreement is the culmination of weeks of negotiations with the Home Office and the result provides the community and investors greater certainty for the long-term future of the site. He said:“The specific details of the agreement are still being finalised, but this agreement paves the way forward for the short-term and long-term use of the site. “The council have always been clear that whilst it is our view that the site is unsuitable for large scale asylum accommodation, protecting the investment and regeneration plans for the site is a priority. This agreement provides the principles by which we can collaborate to unlock our investment and regeneration plan by working with the Home Office through a shared use proposal.” Cllr Young thanked the community for its continued support and said the council will focus its scrutiny and challenge to ensure the impact of asylum accommodation on the local community is as little as possible. The Home Office has committed to working with the council and Historic England to protect the heritage of the site, which is the former home of the Dambusters. Two listed hangars, the listed officers’ mess and Wing Commander Guy Gibson’s dog’s grave will be transferred to West Lindsey District Council once a legal agreement is in place, with the remaining listed hangars being transferred in 2026. As previously announced, the £300m of investment into the regeneration of the former RAF Scampton will preserve, protect, and enhance the site by providing aviation heritage, business, aerospace, space and education opportunities. Sally Grindrod-Smith, Director of Planning, Regeneration and Communities at West Lindsey District Council said:  “This marks a turning point in the council’s journey to protect the £300 million investment and regeneration plan. Our strategy to challenge every detail and hold the Home Office to account has successfully delivered the conditions in which the opportunity to collaborate and deliver a temporary, shared use of the site now exists. “This includes a significant reduction in operating capacity of the asylum accommodation centre, a vastly reduced Home Office footprint, and a suite of conditions on the Special Development Order designed to mitigate the impact of the development. “I am confident that over the coming months we can continue to use our energy and passion to protect this site and to develop an innovative and creative shared use proposal which allows for the kickstarting of plans to bring significant investment into West Lindsey and Lincolnshire.”

The International Bomber Command Centre in Lincoln has welcomed its 500,000th visitor since opening in 2018. Simon Poole was the lucky visitor, visiting with his family for the IBCC’s annual InSpire Ride event. The momentous milestone achievement was celebrated by the team at the IBCC as Simon was given a family goodie bag. The centre which has a focus on Recognition, Remembrance and Reconciliation, includes a Memorial Spire surrounded by walls containing the names of the 57,861 men and women who lost their lives serving and supporting Bomber Command, 10 acres of peace gardens and the Chadwick Centre which houses immersive and interactive exhibition galleries for visitors to explore. Nicky van der Drift, chief executive of the IBCC, said: “Since opening my team has worked tirelessly to provide the best experience possible for visitors who are coming to learn more about and remember Bomber Command’s history and sacrifices. Hitting the milestone of half a million is quite the achievement, and we’ve reached it in a much shorter time than we could have hoped, particularly given the closure in the pandemic. “In that time, we’ve welcomed people from 54 nations, of all ages, hosted innumerable events, collected 34 different awards and played an important role in both the local and Bomber Command Communities. “Education is at the heart of everything the IBCC does, from introducing visitors to the history of the Command to the 26,000 children who have taken part in our learning programmes. We subsidise all school visits to the Centre to ensure that as many children as possible can learn of the service and sacrifice of those of Bomber Command. “We are funded solely through tickets, events and donations so our ability to further share Bomber Commands’ history during World War II is determined by how much interest the public shows in learning about it. This milestone proves the interest is strong, and we’re looking forward to continuing to answer it for the rest of 2024 and beyond.” Simon, the 500,000th visitor, said: “I’m amazed, I didn’t expect that this morning! We have visited the IBCC before and love it, so to be the milestone visitor is brilliant.” The IBCC’s InSpire Ride event is a charity fundraiser that sees hundreds of motorcyclists travel to the centre for the day to remember those that lost their lives during POW escape from the German prison camp Stalag Luft III on 24 March 1944. This year, for the 80th anniversary of the escape attempt, Steve McQueen’s iconic Triumph motorbike from the film adaption of the attempt, ‘The Great Escape’, was loaned to the IBCC. The International Bomber Command Centre created and utilises the world’s largest free to access digital heritage collection on Bomber Command. The Digital Archive has been carefully developed by an international team of more than 400 volunteers and contains thousands of first-hand historical accounts, photographs and documents from all sides of the war. The Losses Database carries 5.5 million pieces of information of those who perished. It is now a primary source for Ancestry.com and FindMyPast.com.   Image: Simon Poole and his family, the 500,000th visitors to the IBCC

The creation of a new £26 million South Holland Health & Wellbeing Hub has moved a step closer, with the submission of a planning application for the first phase of the project. The application for the transformational South Holland District Council scheme has been validated and will now be assessed by planning officers alongside consultation with neighbours and relevant bodies, with a decision expected in September. There is an intention for construction to get underway in Winter 2024, with the main Hub building opening to the public in Summer 2026. A further outline application for the second phase of work on the Levelling Up project, including an extra care housing scheme, is set to be submitted in the coming weeks. In 2023 the Council was successful in a bid to the Government’s Levelling Up Fund, receiving £20 million of investment for the existing Castle Sports Centre site in Spalding, to address health and wellbeing through the provision of improved sport, recreation and leisure facilities, alongside new health and wellbeing services and facilities for residents. The first phase of the application includes plans for the main Hub building, including the creation of a new two-pool swimming facility, outdoor splash pad, sports hall, gym, fitness studios, wellbeing spaces, café and play zones. New outdoor facilities installed on the site would include a 3G artificial turf floodlit football pitch as well as a separate outdoor multi-use games area, community gardens and park run track. The extra care housing scheme, on the current swimming pool site, would contain specialist accommodation made up of self-contained homes combined with communal areas designed to help people continue to live independently for longer. Submission follows a public consultation on the proposals in March, with 5,000 residents visiting the project’s dedicated website, over 250 attendees to in-person exhibition and drop-in events, and another 250 taking the time to share their thoughts on the plans via the online form or via email. The feedback given has helped the project team to refine the designs, with changes from the previous proposals including additional, accessible toilet provision on the first floor, amendments to site security out of hours, changes to the spectator seating layout at the swimming pool and the inclusion of a raised end in the pool for competition starts. Unfortunately, within the budget available for the project, not all suggestions could be added to the plans. Due to the extremely high installation, operation and maintenance costs the project is not expected to be able to incorporate sauna or steam room facilities, instead prioritising a wider range of sport, wellbeing and physical activity opportunities. Purpose-built balcony or tiered spectator seating for the swimming pool is also not possible within the current plans, but approximately 250 permanent and temporary seats will be available around the main pool for competitions, whilst still ensuring that the facilities cater for the wider community and daily users. Councillor Gary Taylor, the Council’s project sponsor, said: “I am really pleased that we are able to take another significant step towards making this incredible project a reality, and creating brand new facilities that will cater for our whole community for many years to come. “Thank you to everyone who took the time to be part of the consultation process or who has helped to shape the designs so far. Feedback from those who will visit, enjoy and live near the site is invaluable in making sure we can create a truly transformative and well-used Hub for South Holland’s residents.” The submitted plans can be viewed and commented on by visiting www.sholland.gov.uk/FindandComment and searching the planning reference number H16-0462-24. More information on the project is available at southhollandlevellingup.co.uk, and any questions or feedback can be sent to levellingup@sholland.gov.uk.