5 tips for end-of-tenancy cleaning
When you sign up for a rental contract, you will likely part with some cash for a deposit. This is often one- or two months rent, depending on the value of assets within the property. Your landlord is legally required to put this deposit in a tenancy deposit protection scheme to safeguard the money until the end of the contract period. Should the property remain in good condition, you should get this figure back after you leave. As this is no small amount of money to part with, you may well want to do everything you can to ensure that you see it enter your bank account again.
One of the simplest ways you can do this is by making sure the property is sparkling clean when you hand the keys back. With our five tips, this renting chore will be a doddle.
Make two checklists: Most properties have marks, scuffs, or scrapes from previous tenants which can be classed as natural wear and tear. Note these down at the beginning of the tenancy on a checklist. Go through this with your landlord and have them acknowledge the existing damage by signing the checklist. This protects you from any existing issues being blamed on you later.
Before beginning your cleaning at the end of the contracted period, ask your landlord for a checklist of cleaning expectations. If they don’t provide this, create one yourself and ask for approval in writing that it covers all required areas.
Get cover: Even with the best of intentions, accidental damage can happen. Unfortunately, if you’re held liable, you may find yourself obligated to pay for repairs or replacement items. By taking out tenants’ insurance, you protect yourself against potentially costly reimbursements. At a time when every penny counts, this may provide priceless peace of mind.
Start in advance: Regular cleaning takes a deceptively large amount of energy and time, but this is doubled when you are doing a deep clean. Start your cleaning in advance of the end of the tenancy to make sure you’ve been able to complete every task on your list. If you can, go room by room to keep the task manageable.
Don’t overlook details: It’s easy to take a global view of your cleaning and forget the details. For example, when cleaning the kitchen, don’t forget to wipe the shelves on the inside of the cupboards. Ahead of vacuuming, be sure to dust skirting boards and door frames.
Take pictures: Before handing back the keys, take pictures of each room, including wide views and close shots. This way, if the return of a deposit is contested, you will have visual evidence of your comprehensive cleaning. For people in a shared tenancy, it’s especially important to demonstrate that you’ve fulfilled your portion of the obligations.
Marshalls Land Rover to attend opening of Lincolnshire Conference Centre
Marshall Land Rover are set to attend the grand opening of the new Lincolnshire Conference Centre on the 1st and 2nd of November, where they will be offering attendees the chance to view the newly launched, and award-winning, Range Rover Sport.
At the event, attendees will also have the chance to enter a prize draw for a complimentary Land Rover off-road experience at one of the centres throughout the UK. All entrants need to do is meet with Nicki Oldershaw, and the Lincoln Fleet and Business team at the Lincolnshire Conference Centre on the 1st or 2nd of November and put their business card into the draw.
For more information visit www.jaguarlandroverfleetandbusiness.co.uk
Filmmaker, musician and BBC radio host Don Letts to perform in Lincoln
“The man who introduced reggae to punk”, iconic musician Don Letts comes to Lincoln
Lincoln arts venue, The Drill, will host the musician and director Don Letts for a special screening of his explosive 2020 documentary ‘Rebel Dread’, followed by a Q&A and DJ set.
Featuring previously unseen footage, ‘Rebel Dread’ focuses on Letts’ rise to fame as the first-generation Black British filmmaker known for directing such quintessential classics as ‘London Calling’ by The Clash, ‘Pass The Dutchie’ by Musical Youth and ‘One Love’ by Bob Marley & The Wailers.
Set at a time of growing disaffected youth in Thatcher’s Britain against a backdrop of racism and unemployment, it centres around a unifying message that the film’s director William E. Badgley says is especially relevant now “in the culturally hostile climate of today.”
Lead by exclusive interviews with the likes of legendary DJ Norman Jay, Grantley Marshall (aka Daddy G) of Massive Attack and John Lydon, former frontman of the Sex Pistols, it explores how Don was at the very centre of the cultural crossover between Rastas and Punks in 1966-7 as the resident DJ of The Roxy – a London nightclub created during the original emergence of the Punk-rock genre.
William E. Badgley, Director of ‘Rebel Dread’ said: “Don was on the ground floor of the revolutionary and divergent London-based fashion scenes poised to be worldwide forces. He introduced first-wave British Punk to Reggae at London’s first punk Club, The Roxy [and was] an early multicultural voice as the music video director who brought MTV their first video starring a black musician, to decades worth of feature film work. “Don was able to see past the divisions and find unity in the world and in himself.
As a result of Don’s heart and vision, he has shown us the connection between us all by connecting the lives and careers of artists such as Joe Strummer & Paul Simonon of The Clash, John Lydon of The Sex Pistols & PiL, Bob Marley, Jimmy Cliff, Musical Youth, Gil Scot-Heron, Sun Ra, Mick Jones and Don’s own band Big Audio Dynamite.”
Rebel Dread, the story of Don Letts, will be shown in a special screening at The Drill on Friday 18 November at 7pm, immediately followed by the chance to speak to Don personally in an audience Q&A session.
The event will close with an energetic DJ set from Don himself, supported by selectress sugarKane, inviting guests to enjoy the skills of the man who, according to Ad-Rock of the Beastie Boys, “changed the way we thought about music.”
Castor Lodge Care Home celebrates 1st birthday with James Bond casino party
The residents of Castor Lodge Care Home in Castor were delighted to welcome members of the local community, families and The Mayor of Peterborough to celebrate the first year of opening for Castor Lodge Care Home. The care home hosted a sparkling James Bond themed party complete with casino, refreshments and stalls from local businesses.
In keeping with the theme, and marking 60 years of James Bond, the care home was transformed with Land Rover Defenders on the drive, a red-carpet entrance and bubbles upon arrival. Both guests and residents enjoyed testing their luck on a range of casino tables including Black-Jack and Roulette and indulged on canapes and martinis.
Laura Mills, Customer Relations Manager, commented on the day:
“Thank you to everyone who came along to help us celebrate such a special occasion. It was wonderful to share this day with our local community. It was lovely to see local businesses getting involved with our celebration and guests enjoyed browsing stalls from Korkor Yehoda, Cardyke Soay Sheep and Nene Valley Gin.”
The day was brought to a close with the cutting of the 007 themed cake created by Chef Manager Claudia Goode. The honour of which was given to Castor’s very first resident John Carr and Home Manager Natalie White. John was delighted to be asked and thanked the staff team for all their hard work in looking after him and the other residents.
One guest also commented “Well done to everyone that helped at the Birthday Bash – excellent do – everyone was having a good time and the helpers were brilliant.” – Chris Gilbert
West Lindsey scoops 11 out of 15 Awards at Business Success at Destination Lincolnshire Tourism Awards
The recent ‘Destination Lincolnshire Tourism Awards’ saw businesses coming together from across the county to celebrate their achievements.
15 awards were up for grabs spanning a range of categories all focussed on the visitor economy – a key sector for the district and county.
Out of the 15 awards, West Lindsey businesses were represented in 11 which is an outstanding contribution and a fantastic achievement for these businesses to make it this far. Leader of the Council, Cllr Owen Bierley was also in attendance at the awards and presented the Taste of England (Taste Lincolnshire) Award. He said: “It was a pleasure to attend the awards on Friday evening and to celebrate the successes of each business. Each category had some great contenders, and I was delighted to see that West Lindsey had such a fantastic representation.
“I would like to congratulate all the finalists as this alone is a huge achievement in itself and they are all a credit to the visitor economy in Lincolnshire”.
Amongst the winners were two West Lindsey businesses celebrating success! The Old Granary at Owmby took Self-Catering Accommodation of the Year, and Bridleway B&B won B&B and Guest House of the Year. Two stunning examples that really make Lincolnshire a beautiful place to visit.
Trinity Arts Centre also made it to the final in the Arts / Culture / Heritage category. Sadly, it wasn’t meant to be but after narrowly missing out to Lincoln Free Walking Tour. Trinity Arts Centre Manager, Craig Sanders said: “It was a great privilege that the Trinity Arts Centre, was a finalist in the Arts, Culture & Heritage category! Sadly, not a win this year but we’re proud to be a finalist and it was great to be part of the celebrations”.
West Lindsey businesses were represented in the following categories.
- Ethical, Responsible and Sustainable Tourism Award – Uncle Henry’s
- Experience of the Year – Rand Farm Park
- Pub of the Year – The Cross Keys Stow
- Resilience and Innovation Award – Hemswell Antiques & Rand Farm Park
- Self-Catering Accommodation of the Year – The Old Granary **WINNER**
- B&B and Guest House of the Year – Bridleway B&B **WINNER**
- Taste of England (Taste Lincolnshire) Award – The Cross Keys Inn
- Small Visitor Attraction – Bransby Horses and Uncle Henry’s Farm Shop
- Large Visitor Attraction – Woodside Wildlife Park
- Customer Service Excellence Award – Rand Farm Park
- Arts / Heritage / Culture – Trinity Arts Centre
High Sheriff of Lincolnshire to host event promoting warm space provision for vulnerable
Over the past few months many community centres and churches have been planning to open their doors to members of the community who may find it hard to stay at home this winter, owing to the rising cost of living.
As this initiative evolves, The High Sheriff of Lincolnshire Tim Strawson is holding an event for those involved in Warm Spaces, or for those who would like to help.
The event is open to organisations, companies, charities and individuals interested in helping and will take place on Monday 7th November at 6pm at the YMCA Lincolnshire. The purpose is to collaborate and build on the good work that has already been undertaken and to try and develop a full plan to deliver this long term.
Building on an established winter plan
Tim has applauded the efforts of community leaders, groups, church communities and local charities, for their swift action in establishing a network of Warm Spaces across the city, in response to the ongoing Cost-of-Living Crisis.
“I have been struck by the efforts across the city and the county to ensure no-one is cold and alone this winter” stated Tim. “This event aims to bring all of those selfless, hardworking community leaders and volunteers together to ensure the services across the county are consistent and safe. We really need a big plan; we need to identify gaps in provision and a way to coordinate how we can work together to find the resource, people and funds to open new sites where they may be needed. Our first task will be to try and map current provision in Lincoln, and to engage local businesses in this great work before quickly moving onto the rest of the county”.
Lincolnshire based charity His Church will also be attending the event, exploring how they can support the new Warm Spaces with supplies of food and drink.
The invitation to attend this event is extended to anyone involved in the provision of a Warm Space in the County, those organisations who are considering establishing a Warm Space, and local businesses and people who would like to help with this initiative in any way that they can.
Event Details
Event Details: Monday 7th November, 6pm
Event Venue: YMCA Lincolnshire, The Showroom, Tritton road, Lincoln, LN6 7QY
Parking: free parking available on site
Brigg power station chosen for UK first by adding hydrogen to gas supply
Centrica Business Solutions is to start injecting hydrogen into its gas peaking plant at Brigg in North Lincolnshire as part of a UK first trial with HiiROC aimed at better understanding the role of hydrogen in power production.
The 12-month trial will be part funded by a grant from the Net Zero Technology Centre, which has given 20 projects a total of £8m through its Open Innovation Programme. Each is aimed at developing technology which could reduce emissions offshore, accelerate clean energy production and enable the delivery of the UK’s net zero ambitions.
The 49MW gas fired plant at Brigg is designed to meet demand during peak times or when generation from renewables is low, typically operating for less than three hours a day.
It’s anticipated that during the trial, getting under way later next year, no more than three per cent of the gas mix could be hydrogen, increasing to 20% incrementally after the project. Longer term, the vision is to move towards 100% hydrogen and to deploy similar technology across all gas-fired peaking plant.
HiiROC’s proprietary technology converts biomethane, flare gas or natural gas into clean hydrogen and carbon black, through an innovative Thermal Plasma Electrolysis process. This results in a low carbon, or potentially negative carbon, ‘emerald hydrogen’.
Because the byproduct comes in the form of a valuable, solid, pure carbon it can be easily captured and used in applications ranging from tyres, rubbers and toners, and in new use cases like building materials and even as a soil enhancer.
Greg McKenna, MD of Centrica Business Solutions, said: “Gas still plays a huge role in maintaining a secure, stable supply of power in the UK, with around 40 per cent of our power coming from natural gas. So, it’s vital that we find ways to reduce the carbon intensity of gas plants like that at Brigg.”
Alexander Stafford MP, Chair of the Hydrogen All Party Parliamentary Group, said: “This is the first time hydrogen will be used within a grid connected gas fired power plant in the UK, making this trial an important step forward towards realising the role hydrogen can play in decarbonising our energy system. It is an exciting milestone that will help accelerate the transition to a hydrogen economy and its role in achieving Net Zero. The All Party Parliamentary Group on Hydrogen will be following the progress of this trial keenly.”
Tim Davies, HiiROC’s CEO, said: “This exciting project with Centrica and the NZTC at the Brigg facility will be a first step on the journey to enable the decarbonisation of gas peaking plants. With the continued and crucial rollout of renewable energy generation, intermittency of power supply is a key issue, and the programme we are developing with Centrica will explore routes to address intermittency without generating CO2 emissions.”
Novartis Ings – past, present and future
The Novartis Ings has now been completed near the shore of the South Bank of the Humber and has been formally unveiled at a short ceremony today by the Mayor of North East Lincolnshire, Cllr Steve Beasant, along with other Councillors, and representatives from Novartis, Solenis, funding partners and a range of interested groups who all helped to create the site.
The site has been developed, thanks to funding from ERDF and the Greater Lincolnshire LEP, and support from Novartis Grimsby to create a temporary stopping off point for wildlife on their migration journeys where the waders in particular can feed on the very rich invertebrate food source on the mudflats.
Large numbers of golden plover, lapwing, black tailed godwit, curlew and others also stay all winter to benefit from the relatively mild climate combined with a reliable food source revealed twice a day by the tide. Eventually most migrate back to their Northern breeding grounds in the spring.
More than 500 curlew have been counted in recent weeks using the site, and as it becomes established over the next few years, just as more people use motorway service stations when they’re opened, more birds will use it as a haven.
The aim of the site is to provide a haven for wildlife ahead of future potential development in the area. Companies looking to expand or invest in the area would have previously been required to obtain land for wildlife to offset their developments as a planning requirement, which can delay developments for months and can be hugely expensive. Thanks to the mitigation project, the land is ready and waiting for them.
Cllr Philip Jackson, Leader of North East Lincolnshire Council, said: “This is a fantastic site. This element of our industrial investment strategy has already been praised for leading the way for future developments. Along with our other site, the nearby Cress Marsh, we’re protecting the natural environment, mitigating the impact of climate change and reducing barriers for new businesses investing in our area.”
Ian Johnson, Managing Director, Novartis Grimsby, said: “We are proud to leave this important environmental legacy to our local community. This will permanently mark the 72 years that Novartis Grimsby has been manufacturing in the local area when the site closes in 2023.”
Halina Davies, Partnerships and Programmes Executive Manager at Greater Lincolnshire LEP said: “We are very pleased to have supported this important mitigation site, not only will the scheme ensure protection of our natural environment, but importantly will enable further development and economic growth to progress the South Humber Industrial Investment Plan and support expansion of our major South Humber ports.”
The site was created following the transfer of 35 acres of land, free of charge, from the pharmaceutical company, Novartis Grimsby. This generous gesture was their lasting legacy to the local community after manufacturing at the site next door for more than 70 years. Land formerly owned by Solenis completed the total site area.
Top tips if you’re considering home renovations
Have you caught yourself looking around the walls of your home and thinking that things could do with sprucing up?
Well, you’re probably not alone. The surge in home renovations during the strongest grip of the COVID-19 pandemic saw many of us fork out for extensions, redecorations, and other improvements.
But some of these may now be a couple of years old and in need of another round of TLC.
If you’re thinking about touching things up at home, here are our top tips to make sure you get the most for your money and a finish that will last.
Create a budget
Household finances have been turbulent, to say the least in the past year, with the cost of living crisis swinging from soaring fuel prices, to the energy explosion and now mortgage rates set to become the latest concern.
This level of uncertainty means that any renovations you make should be done within a very strict budget. Divide your budget into a proportionate amount per room dependent on the severity of each room’s needs and what you hope to do with it. For example, if you’re planning a kitchen refit this will need significantly more than a bedroom redecoration.
Not only should you consider what spare cash you have right now, but also think about what reserves you might need over the coming years as uncertainty in global financial markets continues to bite.
Plan by room
Think about what you use each room for, and how they could be optimised to help you get the most out of the space and existing décor in there. Making sure to take precise measurements can help you streamline the process of picking new furniture and planning out how you can make the flow of the room work best for its purpose.
If your rooms are smaller than you’d like, consider space-saving alternatives such as fitted furniture or multi-use furniture, such as toy-storage ottomans, to help keep clutter to a minimum.
Focus on the present and future
Working to a budget means you might not be able to splash out on those expensive curtains you dreamed of or be able to spend on decorative pieces right away. Try to prioritise your absolute needs ahead of wants to help ensure your home remains a safe and comfortable place to live, as you can always start to save towards the smaller pieces as the months go on.
It’s also important to consider any changes that are coming up in the near future. Will an elderly loved one be moving in to help with their care? Or are you planning to add a child to your family? Taking these into consideration can help make sure you make adequate adjustments to keep your home functional for all family members.
Consider sustainability
If it’s time for renovation in your home, consider what other uses the items you no longer want or need could have. Could they be upcycled, or used for another purpose? Or could you donate them to someone who might find a use for them?
Finding a local charity shop and offering a donation could help out someone in a time of need – especially as belts begin to tighten up and down the country.
Similarly, you should consider taking a look around charity shops and local markets when shopping for new furniture as these can be a great place to pick up vintage pieces at a vastly reduced price- making them friendly for the environment and your wallet!
New PM must restore business confidence says BCC
Reacting to the announcement of the new Prime Minister, Shevaun Haviland, Director General of the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC), said: “We would like to congratulate Rishi Sunak on his appointment as Prime Minister.
“The political and economic uncertainty of the past few months has been hugely damaging to British business confidence and must now come to an end.
“The new Prime Minister must be a steady hand on the tiller to see the economy through the challenging conditions ahead.
“This means setting out fully costed plans to deal with the big issues facing businesses; soaring energy bills, labour shortages, spiralling inflation, and climbing interest rates.
“We cannot afford to see any more flip-flopping on policies – the UK’s businesses need a sustainable, long-term economic plan they can believe in.
“The BCC is writing to the Prime Minister to set out the action needed to tackle the main challenges facing business. It is vital we see progress made in these areas to keep doors open and promote investment.
“Firstly, the Government must provide more certainty on the energy support package for businesses and quickly communicate how the system will work from April. Firms need to know what support to expect in the medium and long term.
“Secondly, they must fix the extremely tight labour market. Without the skilled people to do the jobs businesses need, the economy will stagnate.
“Thirdly, to grow the economy, Government must set out a strategy to boost our international trade and exports.
“People run businesses and businesses rely on people. The new administration must grasp that the cost of living and cost of doing business crises are two sides of the same coin.
“We need a clear long-term vision of how the new Prime Minister will deal with the challenges ahead and create the business conditions that allow firms, and the communities that rely on them, to thrive.”
