East Lindsey District Council have given their consent to plans for a new learning campus described as an ‘economic game changer’ to be built at Skegness. It will offer vocational skills training across a range of subjects, and has been designed to ensure programmes will be developed to meet the needs of the local area. The new facility is one of the transformational Connected Coast Town Deal projects for Skegness with the campus set to benefit from £14m in Town Deal funding from the government. The principal focus of the project is to create a new purpose-built college of further and higher education. Ann Hardy, Chief Executive Officer of TEC Partnership, is leading on the campus development and said: “The Skegness TEC campus development is designed to enable a transformational employment and skills programme to tackle the net outward migration of talent and deliver local skills that match the economic vision for the area. “The development of a college within Skegness is intended to drive up the levels of aspiration, improve local access to skills, training and employment, and support upskilling the local workforce.” Contemporary in design and advanced in functionality, the collaborative development of an exemplary Skegness TEC education facility will support the delivery of the highest quality learning in a range of disciplines including construction, engineering, hair and beauty, hospitality, tourism, sports, public services, health and social care, business, digital, sustainability, advanced manufacturing, renewables, electric vehicles and higher education. Chris Baron, chair of Connected Coast, said: “This new learning campus is an economic game changer for Skegness. Through the new state of the art learning offer, people will be able to gain the skills, knowledge, and training they need to access a whole range of employment opportunities. The new campus will enable people to achieve their ambitions, fulfil their potential, and aspire to more. “We are proud to be working together to help to bring this new campus to our community, and we look forward to seeing the significant impact it will have for Skegness and the surrounding area.” Cllr Steve Kirk, Portfolio Holder for the Coastal Economy at East Lindsey District Council, said: “The Skegness TEC provides a new learning and training opportunity for young people and adults to train in their vocations right here in Skegness without the need to travel to other towns to study. “A Further and Higher education facility has been much needed in the town and is something I have been pushing for ever since I became a Councillor. I am very pleased that the £14m of Town Deal funding and the consent through planning permission is now able to make this vision a reality.”

Work on a multi-million pound project to bring new investment, opportunities and facilities to Sutton on Sea is due to get underway in the coming weeks, following the granting of detailed planning consent for the redevelopment of the Colonnade and Pleasure Gardens.

A man who made and distributed over 700 child sex abuse material has been jailed. Andrew Kelsall, 31, of Boston Road, Sleaford appeared at Lincoln Crown Court where he was sentenced to 4 years and 8 months for the following:

• Arrange / facilitate the commission of a child sex offence.
• Make indecent photograph of a child – Category A.
• Make indecent photograph of a child – Category B.
• Make indecent photograph of a child – Category C.
• Possess a prohibited image of a child.
• Possess extreme pornographic image/images portraying an act of intercourse/oral sex with a dead/alive.
• Distribute an indecent photograph/pseudo-photograph of a child.

Lincolnshire Police received information from Police Scotland about Kelsall in January 2021 relating to chat logs detailing the severe sexual and physical abuse of children. Inquiries were carried out by the Paedophile Online Team (POLIT), and he was arrested on 27 January 2021 on suspicion of making and distributing indecent images of children. During the investigation, the chat logs revealed that Kelsall had planned to meet with a child under 10 years old and her mother to commit sexual acts. It later transpired that Kelsall had unknowingly been talking to a man in Scotland. Thankfully on this occasion, no child came to harm. Kelsall was found to be in possession of 70 Category A images and videos, 15 Category B and 34 Category C images. He was also found to be in possession of 679 extreme images and one prohibited pornographic image. Detective Constable Nicola Paradowski from POLIT said: “After receiving a referral from Police Scotland regarding Andrew Kelsall and the shocking nature of his activities, we immediately launched an investigation to get a dangerous offender off our streets. “This case is a great example of cross-border policing and a message to people out there that we will be relentless in our pursuit of those suspected of this type of offence. We take all reports of this nature incredibly seriously and Lincolnshire Police is committed to keeping children safe from harm.” Kelsall will be added to the Sex Offenders Register and will be subject to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO).

A 21-year-old Lincoln man who stabbed another man over a row about a missing jumper has been jailed. Connor Johnson appeared at Lincoln Crown Court where he was sentenced to 18 months in prison. Officers were called to a dispute between two men in the afternoon of 26 June 2022 in Larchwood Crescent, Lincoln. Specialist officers were deployed, and upon arrival, found a man in his late 20s with stab wounds to his neck and shoulder. The male victim received medical attention at the scene and was later transferred to hospital. Johnson left the scene but was located and arrested within 50 minutes by Response Officers with the help of the Drone Unit. The knife believed to have been used during the incident was found swiftly by forensics experts as well as officers from the Criminal Investigation Department (CID). Johnson was charged with wounding with intent and possession of an offensive weapon on 27 July. At Lincoln Crown Court, he was sentenced to wounding without intent and was not sentenced for the possession of an offensive weapon.

A 36-year-old man has pleaded guilty to murder and perverting the course of justice. Sam Church had originally denied the charges, following the death of Vincent Markham at a property in Whaplode Drove, near Spalding. Emergency services had received several reports of a fire at the property and an injured man in the front garden, shortly after 1am on 7 August last year. The man, who was later named as 52-year-old Mr Markham, from the Spalding area, sadly died at the scene. Initially it was believed that he had died as a result of the fire. However, it later became apparent that he had sustained a facial injury, with a post-mortem examination concluding that Mr Markham had died as a result of an assault. Suspect Sam Church, aged 36, of Acacia Avenue in Spalding, was located with burn injuries at the junction of Broadgate. Church told a member of the public who came to his aid that he had tried to get someone out of the fire. He was taken to hospital to be treated, but following his release was arrested and charged with murder and perverting the course of justice. Detective Inspector Adrian Czajkowski, from the East Midlands Special Operations Unit, said: “Our investigations revealed that Church had assaulted Mr Markham before starting the fire. This was a very tragic incident and our thoughts are with Mr Markham’s family.” Church has been remanded in custody and is due to be sentenced on 14 April at Lincoln Crown Court.

Lincs & Notts Air Ambulance (LNAA) will soon say goodbye to home grown pilot Ben Hare as he leaves the life-saving charity to embark on a new adventure with his wife caring for cheetahs in South Africa. He said: “My wife has been given an opportunity to do some conservation-based field research in South Africa working with cheetahs. We met on a similar project, 5 years ago, and having worked with these beautiful cats before, it was probably only a matter of time before Africa called one of us again.” Ben is a Lincolnshire lad and since he can remember always desired to work within a Helicopter Emergency Medical Service (HEMS). In fact, so keen was he to be a member of the LNAA crew that he applied to join two years before a position became available! “My parents are farmers, and I would see helicopters land on neighbouring farms to attend agricultural accidents, so I realise the value that the service has to our county, especially with its poor road network.” Ben joined LNAA in 2021 and has flown over 170 life-saving missions taking doctors and paramedics to all corners of Lincolnshire & Nottinghamshire and transporting some of the most critically ill patients to hospitals across the counties and beyond. One tasking on Christmas Eve, 2022 is burned into his memory. He recalls: “Our team was activated to attend a cardiac arrest near Grantham. We were the first medical resource to arrive and after treating the patient, we flew him to Lincoln County Hospital. It was certainly the speed of our helicopter and the immediate intervention from our highly skilled HEMS medics that played a pivotal role in the patient survival.” Chief Pilot Llewis Ingamells valued the impact Ben has made at LNAA. He said: “Ben is a true ‘Lincolnshire Lad’ and will be immensely missed. Not only a superb pilot, Ben is also one of a small number of people internationally qualified to service and repair our state-of-the-art night vision goggles in-house.” Ben will keep a hand in flying helicopters alongside supporting his wife’s work as he has taken a flight role in oil and gas support, something he did prior to joining LNAA. He sums up his experience working with LNAA: “I am grateful for the opportunity to serve at LNAA and to my colleagues for the comradery and friendship over the last 18 months. HEMS is known for being difficult to find work close to your home, and many pilots travel across counties to serve an air ambulance. “That being said, I have strong family ties in Lincolnshire, and I hope that when my personal situation allows me to return to the UK, an opportunity at LNAA will again present itself. I would certainly love to come back and serve the people of my county.”

The area surrounding Grade 1 listed St Mary Le Wigford Church on Lincoln’s High Street is to be transformed with removal of hard landscaping to create a grassed area within a refined historic boundary.

Grimsby’s Fishing Heritage Centre has secured Arts Council Accreditation status for the next five years, the benchmark for well-run museums and galleries. The award demonstrates that Grimsby Fishing Heritage Centre is well-managed and governed to the nationally agreed industry standard, and shows the museum takes proper care of its collections, sharing them with visitors and keeping them safe for future generations. Accreditation opens up exciting funding opportunities, allows museums to host touring exhibitions and gives access to professional advice and support. It also gives confidence to donors and sponsors who may wish to support the museum in preserving heritage and inspiring future generations. Louise Bowen, collections officer for the centre, said: “Our team provide a quality experience which engages visitors with Grimsby’s heritage, while preserving important its historical objects. We will continue to maintain this standard through development and improvement of our displays, exhibitions, and activities.” The attraction was also assessed by anonymous inspectors from Visit England earlier in the year, to be re-awarded the Visit England Quality Rose Marque, attaining one of the highest scores to date. The museum has, for the second year running, attained 100 per cent in the staff category, and an award nomination for the scheme’s Welcome Accolade. In late 2022, the attraction was honoured to beat competition to achieve the prestigious Welcome Accolade in recognition of the high standards. The report states: “As experienced at the previous assessment, staff have that ‘can do’ attitude and clearly enjoy working at the centre. There is nothing else I could have expected from them. The 2022 ‘Welcome’ Accolade is very well deserved.” The efforts of the catering team were highlighted with acknowledgement to how staff have coped during staff shortages, commenting: “Heather was working on her own in the café due to staff shortages and did an excellent job of preparing lunch for us all in a timely manner, making sure we were looked after” – as well as the unique experience that is offered by former fishermen at the site. Former Skipper Dennis Avery and former Third Hand Ron Telford also impressed the inspectors, who wrote: “They actively engaged with all visitors, tell fascinating stories from their time as trawlermen and the harsh realities of fishing life. They taught the children how to tie ropes and make secure knots and answered any questions visitors had.” Operations manager David Ornsby said: “It is very fulfilling to see the hard work of the team rewarded with nationally recognised awards like this from Visit England. It is important during challenging times to receive this positive reinforcement. The reports and meetings with the inspectors following these assessments are invaluable to us in our work to maintain these standards and to explore areas of improvement.” Councillor Tom Furneaux, portfolio holder for culture, heritage, and the visitor economy at North East Lincolnshire Council, added: “It is great to see all the staff at Grimsby Fishing Heritage Centre recognised for all the work they do. From the café to the museum experience, it all makes for a truly enjoyable time, so be sure to visit and see for yourself!”