Lunch Fest returns to Marshall’s Yard this weekend

Tess Egginton
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Lunch Fest returns to Marshall’s Yard this weekend
Gainsborough’s tastiest event is back! The ever-popular Lunch Fest Food & Drink Festival returns to Marshall’s Yard this weekend, bringing two flavour-filled days of street food, live music, family fun, and summer celebration. The event, sponsored by local accountancy firm Wright Vigar, will take place on Saturday 23rd and Sunday 24th August, running from 11am to 4pm each day. First launched in 2023, Lunch Fest has quickly become a much-anticipated highlight of the Gainsborough events calendar – and this year’s festival promises to be the best yet, with more than 20 food vendors serving up delicious global street food, sweet treats, and gourmet goodies to take home and enjoy. Taking place along the main walkway at Marshall’s Yard, this year’s festival highlights include: a packed programme of live music and entertainment – sponsored by S W Cowley & Co, free face painting and interactive craft workshops, walkabout performers and family games, food-eating challenges and fun competitions. Confirmed traders include favourites such as Joella’s Footlong Fries, Devon’s Kitchen Jamaican Street Food, and La Pitta Greek Food. Donut Box returns with their irresistible sweet treats, while Beard and Barrel will be running a pop-up bar and launching a new concept: Beard and Burrito serving fresh Mexican street food. There’s even a little something for the Yard’s furry friends with Holmes Hounds offering a range of tasty dog treats. Melissa Clement, centre manager at Marshall’s Yard, said: “We are really pleased to be working on this year’s event with two great local companies – Wright Vigar and S W Cowley & Co Builders, Joiners and Garden Buildings. “Their support is hugely appreciated in helping us deliver popular events like Lunch Fest. We have a great line-up planned and we’re looking forward to welcoming everyone – whether you’re a serious foodie or just looking for some great family fun.” David Goodall, director from Wright Vigar, said: “We’re thrilled to be part of such a fun and inclusive festival. Events like this are what make Marshall’s Yard and Gainsborough so special – they bring people together and support the local economy.” Jason Sault, managing director at S W Cowley & Co, added: “We’re proud to be sponsoring Lunch Fest at Marshall’s Yard – it’s a fantastic platform for local traders and performers, and as part of the local business community here in Gainsborough, we’re delighted to be supporting the entertainment.”

Safety hub opens to support Lincolnshire coast

April Lara
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Safety hub opens to support Lincolnshire coast

A new hub has opened in Mablethorpe to coordinate safety and emergency services along the Lincolnshire coast.

The base, located at Queen’s Park Beach Huts, brings together coastguard teams, lifeboats, police, local councils and other agencies under the Atlantis Alliance. It aims to provide a stronger presence for both residents and visitors in one of the county’s busiest tourist areas.

Lincolnshire Police proposed the initiative and will be managed by Mablethorpe and Sutton Town Council, with National Coastwatch Mablethorpe maintaining the site. East Lindsey District Council is also backing the project.

With around three to four million visitors each year, particularly in Skegness and Mablethorpe, demand on rescue and safeguarding services rises during peak seasons. The new hub is designed to streamline responses to incidents ranging from beach safety and missing persons to crime prevention and fire support.

The safety partnership will continue to operate throughout the summer and beyond, offering a single point of coordination for multiple frontline services.

 Image credit: Stock.adobe.com/ Anthony Dillon

Event with RAF photographer to go behind the lens of the Red Arrows

Tess Egginton
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Event with RAF photographer to go behind the lens of the Red Arrows
In a unique opportunity for local photographers, Lincoln’s London Camera Exchange (LCE) is offering a seminar with Corporal Phil Dye, RAF photographer and key visual storyteller behind the legendary Red Arrows. In this one-day event at the International Bomber Command Centre on Thursday 2nd October, Phil will take you behind the lens of one of the most celebrated aerobatic teams in the world. With three 45-minute sessions available, attendees will hear an in-depth talk from Phil, covering his career, workflow, and the stories behind some of his most iconic aerial and aviation images. Q&A time will also be provided to engage directly, ask questions, and gain insight into the world of military and action photography. Whether you’re an aviation enthusiast, aspiring photographer, or just passionate about powerful storytelling through imagery, this event offers a chance to learn from a true professional working in one of the most challenging environments imaginable. Between sessions, visit the LCE gazebo outside the venue for gear demos, Canon promotions, and a chance to enter an exclusive prize draw to win a Canon camera. With spaces limited, secure your spot today, here.

Demolition work begins to make way for new transport hub

Tess Egginton
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Demolition work begins to make way for new transport hub
Demolition has begun on the site of a planned new transport hub in Grimsby, with phase one works underway at the Osborne Street units. The old units in Grimsby Town Centre are being taken down piece by piece, in a similar way to the work at Freshney Place. The plan is ultimately to use this 1.6 acre site to deliver a transport hub which connects with the railway station, encouraging public transport use and supporting the wider Grimsby Town Centre regeneration ambitions.
The businesses on Osborne Street will all be open as usual during the works, which  involves full recycling of all demolished materials including green waste, wood and metal. After demolition and phase one, the project will then move into the design stage, which will include consultation with stakeholders and the wider public with an ambition to seek funding for further development. Cllr Stewart Swinburn, portfolio holder for housing, infrastructure and transport, said: “It’s great to see this project start on the ground, and the view around here will really be opened up once these buildings go.” Council leader, cllr Philip Jackson, added: “As we see the progress now being made on the transformation of our town centre, for example our Freshney Place Leisure Scheme, the new Alexandra Dock housing and the OnSide Horizon Youth Zone, it is important that we make peoples’ travel to and from here easy and safe. “Having bus stops dispersed around the town centre, as they have been for many years now, does not work well and makes life more difficult for public transport users – proving a barrier for people visiting our town centre. From the comments I hear, there is no doubt that local people want a proper bus station in Grimsby Town Centre. “About three years ago, we were far-sighted and purchased this site which is ideally located for a new transport hub. Now we have some funding to make a start on the project, we are able to demolish the ugly, empty retail premised on Osbourne Street and kick off this exciting development.”  
Pictured is North East Lincolnshire Council leader, cllr Philip Jackson and the portfolio holder for housing, infrastructure and transport, cllr Stewart Swinburn

Grantham Museum to undergo £162,000 renovation programme

Tess Egginton
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Grantham Museum to undergo £162,000 renovation programme
Grantham Museum is set to undergo a £162,000 renovation programme – including a new heating system, new kitchen facilities and redecoration. It is hoped the project will help pave the way for relocation of the Grantham Collection, around 20,000 items of artefacts, art and local history items moved into storage when the museum changed the way it was run in 2010. The work is being paid for through a successful bid to the Government’s Future High Street Fund, administered locally by South Kesteven District Council. Grantham Museum will close to the public for five weeks from Monday 25th August to allow work to be carried out – reopening in October. Vivian Reichelt, chair of the Museum, said: “We are absolutely delighted to see this significant investment in Grantham Museum, made possible thanks to HM Government as part of South Kesteven District Council’s Future High Street Fund programme. “This work marks an exciting new chapter for the Museum, safeguarding our heritage while creating a more engaging and accessible space for our community and visitors. “This investment not only supports the improvements about to begin but also strengthens our ability to plan for the future – ensuring the Museum can continue to inspire, educate, and celebrate Grantham’s rich history for generations to come.” Cllr Paul Stokes, deputy leader of South Kesteven District Council, said: “Restoring the Grantham Collection to the town’s museum is a long-held ambition of Grantham Community Heritage Association, Lincolnshire County Council and SKDC. “We are proud to assist this with investment through the Future High Street Fund, both to support the Museum’s long-term sustainability, along with the further development of a vibrant heritage and cultural offer in Grantham town centre.” Work to relocate the Grantham Collection, held by Lincolnshire County Council, is a long-term project, which could take several years to fully complete, as environmental conditions will need to be monitored and conservation work undertaken on more sensitive items. Discussions between Grantham Community Heritage Association (which operates the museum) and with LCC Heritage Services about how best to return of the collection are ongoing.   Image credit: Google maps

Research to explore RAF losses in far east

April Lara
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Research to explore RAF losses in far east

The International Bomber Command Centre in Lincoln is beginning research into Royal Air Force losses in the far east during the Second World War.

Although Bomber Command itself did not operate in the region, its aircraft and crews were reassigned to Tiger Force, a unit planned to support the Allied campaign against Japan. The force was not deployed following Japan’s surrender in 1945.

To support the project, the centre is selling thousands of ceramic poppies arranged in the form of a Lancaster Bomber, marking both VE Day and VJ Day. The installation was created by Lithuanian artist Darius Sirmulevicius, now based in Lincolnshire.

Funds raised will contribute to the completion of the IBCC’s Losses Database, which aims to record every life lost across all bombing commands during the war, including operations in the Mediterranean and far east. The proceeds will also help extend the memorial walls at the site, increasing the number of names commemorated from 50,000 to more than 80,000.

Money from poppy sales will be shared between the IBCC, the RAF Benevolent Fund, the British West India Regiments Heritage Trust and Wooden Spoon, a children’s rugby charity.

Image credit: Stock.adobe.com/Robert L Parker

Fusion future takes shape at West Burton

April Lara
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Fusion future takes shape at West Burton

A major step in the UK’s shift from coal to clean energy has been marked at West Burton, where the STEP Fusion project is setting out to create thousands of jobs and long-term investment in the region.

The site, located near the River Trent, is being developed as the country’s first prototype fusion power plant, with operations targeted for 2040. The transformation comes alongside the demolition of cooling towers at the former Cottam coal station, one of the largest demolitions of its kind, symbolising the area’s move from traditional power to advanced fusion technology.

The programme, backed by £2.5 billion of government investment over the next five years, is expected to drive growth across Greater Lincolnshire and the East Midlands. Colleges and universities in the region are already expanding fusion-related courses to prepare local people for high-skilled careers in construction, engineering and energy.

A 20-year skills partnership between the UK Atomic Energy Authority and the East Midlands Combined County Authority has been established to support this transition, ensuring local communities benefit from the opportunities generated.

As the site develops, West Burton is set to remain a central hub for energy generation—this time powered by a new era of fusion.

Image credit: GOV.UK

Lincolnshire architects to revive historic Boston building following purchase

Tess Egginton
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Lincolnshire architects to revive historic Boston building following purchase
Lincolnshire architects have bought an historic Boston building ready for a £1.1m conservation project. Scorer Hawkins Architects has bought the Grade II* Listed Shodfriars Hall for a six figure sum. It will now carry out work to conserve the building, which has been part of Boston’s townscape since the fifteenth century and is on English Heritage’s Heritage At Risk Register. The sensitive refurbishment is being grant funded by the Towns Fund, overseen by Boston Town Board. Refurbishment work and structural repairs will include improvements to the roof and the timber frame structure, conservation of windows and historic features, and external decoration plus repairs and repointing to the brickwork. Chris Bowen, director at Scorer Hawkins Architects, said: “The purchase and conservation of Shodfriars Hall is part of our ongoing and long-term commitment to the town. “The work we do is about caring for the places that we love and treasure, and this is an opportunity for us to invest in the town and the business within it to continue to deliver heritage-led regeneration. “The grant funding agreement means the refurbishment can now move forward, breathing new life into one of Boston’s best-known buildings.” Plans for the local landmark include providing space for commercial and community uses, plus new employment opportunities. Travis Wood, senior associate commercial property solicitor at MD Law, who acted for the purchasers, said: “It has been a pleasure to be able to work with and support Chris and Jonathan on their project to acquire this building, and that will see the preservation of our property heritage for future generations.”   Image credit: Google maps

Families dive into free summer swims across North Lincolnshire

April Lara
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Families dive into free summer swims across North Lincolnshire

Thousands of local residents have taken advantage of North Lincolnshire Council’s free swimming initiative this summer, with more than 2,100 visits recorded between 4 and 12 August.

Figures show that 1,061 children joined junior swim sessions, while 1,044 families took part in family swims across leisure centres in the area. The Pods proved the busiest venue, welcoming over 1,400 swimmers during the nine-day period.

The free swimming offer is part of a wider programme designed to support families through the school holidays. Alongside pool access, the council has been delivering the Summer Reading Challenge, the Fuelled Programme providing free meals and activities for children on free school meals, and a variety of community and cultural events.

The council’s focus on accessible activities reflects its effort to promote health, wellbeing, and togetherness over the summer break.

Image credit: Stock.adobe.com/Kalpana

Historic Burghley House celebrated in new book

Tess Egginton
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Historic Burghley House celebrated in new book
A new book about Burghley House will be published this September, offering readers a privileged tour of one of the UK’s most impressive stately homes. Published by Rizzoli, Burghley House brings together specially commissioned photography, fascinating archive images, and expert commentary to explore the remarkable history, art and architecture of Burghley. Authored by esteemed architectural historian John Martin Robinson, with photography by designer, artist and photographer Ashley Hicks and a foreword by Miranda Rock, custodian of Burghley, the book offers an intimate and richly detailed look inside one of Britain’s grandest surviving sixteenth-century estates. “Burghley has inspired wonder for nearly five hundred years,” says Miranda Rock, who lives at Burghley House with her family. “The book tells the story of this great house, including many discoveries and fascinating insights uncovered through recent research. Through its pages, I feel sure that readers will be transported into the magic of Burghley.” It is the first major publication about the house in over thirty years. The book traces Burghley’s story from its Elizabethan beginnings under William Cecil, Lord High Treasurer to Queen Elizabeth I, through the eighteenth-century transformation of its parkland by Capability Brown, to the estate’s ongoing preservation today. Copies are available to order online via the Burghley House website or to purchase in the Burghley Courtyard Shop from 9 September. A limited number of signed editions – personally signed by Miranda Rock – will be available while stocks last.
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