Sustainability is not such a modern concept
As the chase for net zero gathers momentum SMEs are being increasingly challenged to not just create plans for sustainability but to achieve them.
According to some reports, 50% of businesses have ambitions to achieve net zero by 2050 but only 11% believe they have the right strategy to get them there.
The focus on the environment may seem like a relatively recent movement but for some it has been a philosophy for well over a century.
Known as Lincolnshire’s favourite coffee roaster, Stokes Tea & Coffee is an award-winning family business with more than 120 years of experience in sourcing, roasting, blending and supplying the freshest coffees, finest teas, equipment, servicing and barista training. The company also runs multiple destination cafés and hospitality spaces.
Stokes has built a reputation amongst its peers for leading the way in sustainable practices. This is in part, testament to some solid habits which are as alive today as they were when the company began back in 1902. The mantras of ‘make do and mend’ and ‘waste not want not’ together with an uncompromising commitment to world-class levels of quality, are not just standing the test of time, they’ve been instrumental for decades in delivering effective ethical and eco practices.
Emma Olivier Townrow, Business Development Manager at Stokes, is helping to co-ordinate the sustainable efforts, she describes the journey so far.
“Stokes has never been just about profit. The family has always given back to its communities, operated responsibly, ethically and sustainably. These are not just snappy sound bites. I can honestly say that these behaviours and values are quite literally built into the DNA of the company. Minimising waste, being efficient and valuing resources is the Stokes philosophy.
“The company has just got on with it for decades and never been interested in virtue signalling or labelling its efforts when it comes to environmental or community activities. This has presented a very different challenge, as unlike many other businesses where sustainability initiatives are being developed to meet the requirements of things like B Corp certification, Stokes has so much in place already that is just business as usual.
“The behaviours and practices require retrospective ‘labelling’ as it were, rather than having to start something new, it’s been a case of finding and formalising what’s already in place. I’ve been working on the B Corp application to help Stokes get formal recognition and certification for the amazing work it’s been doing.
“There’s a vast amount already in place including investment in new heating systems and eco-friendly coffee roasters that significantly cut down on energy usage and emissions and a clear focus on minimising waste through upcycling, recycling and re-purposing. Stokes is close to its supplier base at home and abroad to ensure every penny spent benefits communities near and far. The company demonstrates that a team focus and strong principles can make huge headway when it comes to the sustainability journey.”
Emma’s Top Tips for Achieving Net Zero Targets:
1. Don’t be overwhelmed by the prospect of driving sustainable agendas, the UN targets all ultimately lead to overall benefits for businesses including efficiency, savings and greater business/community engagement.
2. Start small, for example by finding 3 ways to reduce single-use plastic, switch to greener suppliers or support a community project to develop a fresh perspective and approach towards tangible and sustainable business practices. Once you start looking, you’ll be surprised by how many ways you’ll find to reduce your carbon footprint.
3. Get your team onboard, share your ambitions and seek ideas from your people, better still create incentives or rewards for innovative ideas. Nothing breeds success like success, so find the wins and celebrate them.
4. Rethink how you dispose of your waste products – can they be reduced, reused or recycled?
5. Don’t be nervous about sharing your aims and ambitions with your customers, data shows consumers appreciate and value sustainable businesses. So, share your aspirations and seek collective solutions.
Find out more at: www.stokescoffee.com
Image shows Emma Olivier Townrow
Grimsby Crematorium donates £12,000 to British Heart Foundation
The British Heart Foundation is the latest charity to benefit from a donation of £12,000, following the sale of recyclable metals collected at Grimsby Crematorium.
The Institute of Cemetery and Crematorium Management (ICCM) Metals Recycling Scheme has been in operation since 2014, collecting recyclable metals such as parts of the coffin and replacement implants or joints that can be salvaged following a cremation.
Proceeds from the sale of the metal go into a charity fund, which is donated twice a year.
Melanie Meik, Community Engagement and Fundraising Manager at the British Heart Foundation (BHF) for Lincolnshire and Rutland, said: “The money donated will help the British Heart Foundation fund vital research into heart and circulatory diseases like heart attacks, stroke and vascular dementia, and the risk factors that can cause them, such as diabetes and high blood pressure impacting the 160,000 people living with these conditions in Lincolnshire.
“Since forming in 1961, the British Heart Foundation has funded research that has contributed to lifesaving breakthroughs such as heart transplants, pacemakers, portable defibrillators, and valve replacements. Despite the huge progress made, heart and circulatory conditions are still the world’s biggest killers – and every three minutes in the UK, a family loses a loved one to a heart or circulatory disease.
“We are honoured that Grimsby crematorium has chosen to support the British Heart Foundation and help fund the scientific breakthroughs of tomorrow. For more than 60 years, the British Heart Foundation has funded research that has turned ideas that once seemed like ‘science fiction’ into treatments and cures that save lives every day, but millions of people are still waiting for the next breakthrough. It is only thanks to generous donations that we can keep research going and discover the treatments and cures of the future.”
Councillor Stewart Swinburn, portfolio holder for environment and transport at North East Lincolnshire Council, added: “Since the ICCM scheme began, almost £100,000 has been donated to charity.
“We are pleased to be able to donate funds to the British Heart Foundation, contributing to the excellent work they do in our community. Most of us will know someone affected by heart problems and we are happy to be funding research that could ultimately save lives in the future.”
Daniel Intress-Franklin, deputy bereavement services manager at Grimsby Crematorium, added: “The work that the British Heart Foundation undertakes in North East Lincolnshire and indeed throughout the whole nation is invaluable. We are pleased to be able to use the ICCM Metals Recycling Scheme to help support them with this donation.”
Relatives of the deceased are asked to give their consent before the cremation so the collection of the metals can go ahead.
Classic Ibiza at Burghley House to celebrate the life of iconic Faithless frontman
With preparations now in full swing for Classic Ibiza’s return to Burghley House near Stamford on Saturday 29 July, the concert organisers have revealed their plans to pay homage to iconic Faithless frontman Maxi Jazz, who sadly passed away late last year.
We Come 1 by Faithless is one of 15 new tracks being given the special Urban Soul Orchestra (USO) treatment on Classic Ibiza’s eight night UK tour. You can check out a video here of the track being rehearsed in London last week. USO will also be performing two other Faithless anthems and firm crowd favourites, Insomnia and God Is a DJ, in the tribute.
Classic Ibiza’s Lisa Ward says: “We know how much our audience love tracks by Faithless, so it feels right for us to celebrate the life of Maxi Jazz – someone who lives on in his music and continues to touch so many of us with his emotive lyrics and unique delivery style.”
These new tracks will be joining a set of over 30 house classics, reimagined by an orchestra who have worked alongside the likes of Groove Armada, Nightmares on Wax and Robert Miles.
Commenting on the artistic process involved in reinterpreting house music for a 32-piece orchestra, Stephen Hussey, USO’s founder and Classic Ibiza conductor, says: “While it’s important to use a lot of the original essence of a track, such as hooks and riffs, the process is about imagining what I’d have done on the original recording. All the tracks we perform at Classic Ibiza have great melodies and of course beats – giving them the full orchestral treatment turns up the dial by creating this immense wall of sound. That’s gotta be good for the soul!”
Gates open at Burghley House at 5.30pm, with the show starting with a Chill-Out DJ Set. Former Pacha Ibiza resident, DJ Jose Luis then takes control of the decks for his Latin House Set, which includes a live jamming session with members of USO.
Next up, USO and DJ Goldierocks take centre stage for the Sundowner set, followed by Goldierocks’ Deep House DJ Set. The show then reaches a rapturous crescendo at 11pm, following USO’s return to the stage for the Dance Set and laser & light show.
Classic Ibiza at Burghley House is proud to be supporting East Anglia’s Children’s Hospices. There will be various fundraising initiatives taking place on the evening, including a £2.50 donation from every programme sold. Tickets for Classic Ibiza are going fast and are due to sell out in advance.
Information: Parking is free and there are no booking fees. Bring your own picnic or visit the on-site street-food vendors and San Miguel Bar. Prices: Adults (over 18s): £48, Children (aged 5–17): £24, Under 5s: free. Visit: classicibiza.co.uk
Image credit: David Evans
Teenage Market coming to Boston
Boston will host its first Teenage Market on Saturday (3 June), providing young traders and performers with the chance to showcase their creative products and talents for free.
The Teenage Market is a fast-growing nationwide initiative set up by teenage brothers Joe and Tom Barratt in Stockport to transform our town and city centres with the creativity of young people.
The energy, diversity and vibrancy of the young people who take part in Teenage Markets is helping to bring life back into high streets, town centres and market areas all across the country, with events being run in over 25 locations.
Boston Market operates in the Market Place every Wednesday and Saturday throughout the year. Trading fairs or “marts” have been held in Boston since at least the 12th Century – the earliest historic record of a fair or “mart” is in 1132. In 1545 Boston obtained its Charter of Incorporation from Henry VIII, via his son Edward VI.
Councillor Dale Broughton, Deputy Leader and Portfolio Holder for Town Centre and Markets, said: “We are really looking forward to bringing this amazing opportunity to Boston to enable local young people to trade on our historic market. For us to be able to give young people a chance to showcase their fledgling businesses and creative talents is so importance to us.”
He added: “With so many positive opportunities coming out of this, our aim is all about inspiring the next generation of market traders in Boston and we hope this motivates them to trade with us in future.
“The future of markets nationwide is in the hands of young people and we hope to be a small part of making sure markets remain at the heart of this and other historic market towns across the country.”
Grantham gets new £60-a-year parking permit arrangement
From next Monday June 5 residents and businesses in parts of Grantham must pay £60 a year for permits to park a vehicle between 8am and 6pm every day except Sunday.
All permits for the scheme will be virtual with no paper versions needed. They will be available to all residents and businesses in ‘Zone 1A’ allowing eligible vehicles to park in designated on-street bays, with a requirement for vehicles to be registered to the property within the zone to be eligible for a permit.
Residents and businesses will need to set up an online account via the Lincolnshire County Council website to apply for the permits and visitor vouchers.
Permits will cost £60 each for 12 months and there can be up to two permits per property, allowing two vehicles to park within the zone at the same time.
Residents within the zone who are the registered owner of the vehicle, and a Blue Badge holder will be exempt from the £60 charge.
For visitors, there will be two-hour limited waiting bays and residents can also buy up to 100 visitor vouchers a year at the charge of £1 each. There is no need to have a resident or business permit to be able to purchase visitor vouchers.
Cllr Richard Davies, Executive member for Highways at Lincolnshire County Council said: “The new permits will go some of the way to help the frustrations that residents have felt about parking around these streets in Grantham for a long time.
“Naturally, there will be a period of adjustment for all concerned but once the scheme is in place and the benefits are felt, we will be able to serve the parking needs of the area in a much more constructive way.”
New recruits are a hoot at Lincs & Notts Air Ambulance!
Lincs & Notts Air Ambulance are thrilled to announce the arrival of two special recruits to its aviation team! But hold on, they’re not what you might expect.
A devoted supporter of the charity has discovered a delightful pair of Barn Owls nesting in their garden and has lovingly named them ‘Lincs’ and ‘Notts’.
This incredible supporter said: “As an avid fan of the Lincs & Notts Air Ambulance and residing just a stone’s throw away from their base, I often catch glimpses of the helicopter soaring to aid those in need.
“On the very evening the barn owls settled into their new home, the helicopter happened to fly directly above at the same time. It felt like destiny, so I decided to name them ‘Lincs’ and ‘Notts’.”
And that’s not all! These adorable, feathered friends have laid five precious eggs, and LNAA are eagerly awaiting their hatch in early June. Enchanting owl updates as well as footage capturing the precious first few weeks of these owlets’ lives will be featured over the next few weeks on the charity’s website http://www.ambucopter.org.uk
Be a part of this heart-warming journey.
Asylum seekers could come to RAF Scampton direct from Kent, council is told
West Lindsey District Council has been advised by the Home Office that the asylum proposal for RAF Scampton has changed, with it now being understood that asylum seekers arriving at RAF Scampton would come directly from the asylum detention centre at Manston, Kent.
The Home Office has also confirmed the site would not be ready for occupation until mid-August at the earliest, despite claiming only a week ago that the first service users would arrive by 3 July 2023.
The Council’s position remains that RAF Scampton is not a suitable site for asylum seekers, nor is it a deliverable or cost-effective solution to tackling the immigration issues faced by the country at this time.
Cllr Trevor Young, Leader of West Lindsey District Council, said: “It appears the Home Office does not have a clear and deliverable plan for accommodating asylum seekers at RAF Scampton. Initially we were told the site would be up and running by April. We are now three months in and there is still no delivery plan. We firmly believe this is because you cannot make RAF Scampton safe for the purpose of housing asylum seekers.
“The news that asylum seekers would now not be coming from hotels is concerning. Not only does this totally undermine the Government’s argument that large sites are about reducing the dependency on hotels, but it changes any planning assumptions we have been able to make around the delivery of services and mitigating the impact on our communities.”
Since the announcement of plans to use RAF Scampton as asylum centre emerged in March this year, the Council has been clear that any use of the site would put at risk the delivery of the £300 million investment plan.
West Lindsey District Council’s Director of Planning, Regeneration and Communities is Sally Grindrod Smith. She said: “As soon as the Home Office proposals for RAF Scampton emerged, we made it very clear that there was a significant risk to the investment plan and that the site was not deliverable in the timescales and for the purpose proposed.”
The Council has worked with the Ministry of Defence for more than three years to develop the plan for the site, post its use as an RAF base. As a result, the Council is in the unique position of fully understanding the constraints of the site and the deliverability of the Home Office proposals in a timely and cost effective way.
The site’s decades as an operational base have left behind significant risks and contamination, including asbestos within the Grade 2 listed hangars, aviation fuel leakage across areas of the site, and the need to make safe and secure more than 100 derelict former operational buildings. In addition, it is likely that water and electrical services would require upgrading and there are requirements for the management and maintenance of the important heritage assets on site.
Cllr Young said: “We recognise that there are still many unanswered questions about these proposals and ongoing concerns within the community. Please know we are doing all we can behind the scenes, and we continue to stress the importance to the Home Office of them keeping residents and businesses updated on their asylum centre plans for RAF Scampton. We are continuing to press the Home Office for more details including urging them to engage proactively and honestly with our community and we will continue to keep residents updated.
“Whilst we fundamentally oppose the use of RAF Scampton as an asylum centre, it is important that we prepare to support our community and any asylum seekers should our legal proceedings not be successful.
“We are continuing to work with local partners including health providers, police, fire and social services, to plan for this to ensure any provision is safe, legal and compliant and mitigates any pressure on local services and the impact on the local community.”
The Council is also currently working closely with Braintree District Council and the other parties involved in the three judicial reviews brought against the Home Office’s large site proposals.
The Council have today received confirmation from the Court of Appeal that the application to intervene in the Braintree District Council appeal hearing on 12th June has been approved, despite Home Office objections.
Furthermore, confirmation has been received from the High Court that the permission hearing on all three judicial reviews (which will determine whether the parties are granted permission to proceed with the judicial reviews) will be heard on 12 and 13 July 2023.
Online information evening offers chance to find out more about fostering
Could you offer a child in Lincolnshire a safe and secure home?
Lincolnshire Fostering Service are currently recruiting foster carers in your area and are running an online information event on 30 May, 6:30pm-8:30pm, where you can learn all about Lincolnshire’s Fostering Community!
Come along and find out about the rewarding and supportive journey that is fostering with Lincolnshire County Council.
The event will cover:
- What is fostering and the different types of foster care you can do
- Current recruitment needs
- Practical requirements to become a foster carer
- The voice of the child in foster care
- Q&A with some experienced foster carers
- The support and rewards to the fostering community
- The process to become a foster carer
Boston Library reopens following refurb
Boston Library has reopened following refurbishment.
The town’s library is based in the County Hall building in the centre of Boston. To allow the owner of the building to turn a large part of it into a hotel, the refurbishment has focussed on separating the library internally from the rest of County Hall, including putting in a new entrance.
The dedicated entrance for the library is now on Bank Street, near Tates Fish and Chips and Argos.
Double glazing has been installed in the library atrium, and new LED lights have been put in throughout to make the library more energy efficient.
The layout of the library has also been changed to improve the flow around the site from the new entrance.
Louise Egan, library client lead at Lincolnshire County Council, said: “I want to thank library users in Boston for bearing with us whilst we carried this work out at the library. Over the last week, since the bulk of the building work finished, we’ve been busy moving all the furniture back in and restocking the shelves.
“We’re looking forward to welcoming back our library users and community groups – just don’t forget to find us via the new entrance on Bank Street.”
Solar panel installation at council offices set to cut tons of carbon
Installation of 195 solar panels at the North Kesteven District Council offices has now been completed, making a significant contribution to the council’s aim of achieving net zero carbon emissions by 2030.
The installation will reduce the council’s electricity bill by 21% and save over 14 tons of CO2 per year.
Amidst increasing calls for everyone to reduce their environmental impact in order to halt climate change, the council hopes this will also serve as an example of the possible benefits from going green.
The solar panels installed on the Kesteven Street building came at a cost of £152,000, drawn from the council’s ‘Invest to Save’ reserve – a fund specifically ear-marked for projects that reduce the council’s long-term overheads.
With the rising cost of energy impacting all organisations as well as individuals and families, the council stands to save nearly £22,500 per year, with the panels predicted to pay for themselves in less than seven years.
The new panels add to an existing, smaller, installation that currently provides a modest contribution to the council’s energy usage and carbon footprint.
Council leader councillor Richard Wright said: “We’re keeping to our commitment to reach net zero carbon from energy by 2030 and expanding our use of renewables to help us get there. With energy costs rising for all of us, this is an investment in the future that will save us money in the long term, money that we can put back into local services.
“I’d encourage everyone to look at what they can do to improve the energy efficiency of their buildings and homes. You can save money and help keep us on track for net zero by 2030. Do take a look at our website for information about support schemes for businesses and households.”
North Kesteven District Council’s Executive Board unanimously agreed the plan at a meeting last year. Planning restrictions saw 35 panels removed from the originally proposed array.
