Lincolnshire residents encouraged to nominate a charity to receive a festive financial boost
Benefact Group’s Movement for Good Awards is giving away £120,000 as part of its annual 12 Days of Giving Christmas campaign.
For 12 days in the lead up to Christmas the specialist financial services group is giving £1,000 to ten charities each day – with 120 charities in total benefitting from a festive financial boost.
Nominations are now open and Lincolnshire residents are being encouraged to nominate a cause they care about to give them a chance of receiving a share of the award money.
Draws will take place every weekday between 1st – 18th December and nominating is easy using the online form at www.movementforgood.com. Winners are drawn at random and the more times a charity is nominated the more chance it has of being selected.
Last year more than 2,000 people from Lincolnshire nominated good causes to receive an award, resulting in two local charities landing donations.
Mark Hews, Group Chief Executive of Benefact Group, said: “We’re delighted to be giving away another £120,000 in valuable donations to causes around the country. We know that charities across the country are struggling, and for many the festive season is a critical time. We’re asking residents to take a few minutes of their time to nominate a cause they especially care about.
“Benefact Group is the third largest corporate donor in the UK and has an ambition to be the biggest. Owned by a charity, all of its available profits go to good causes, and the more the Group grows, the more the Group can give. We know that £1,000 can make a huge difference to the incredible work that charities do and we’re looking forward to seeing how this financial boost will change lives for the better.”
Image: Stock.adobe.com/Halfpoint
Police plan new HQ in Scunthorpe town centre
Hundreds of police officers are a step closer to being based in the heart of Scunthorpe town centre, with plans unveiled for a new station set to be built in the High Street.
Land next to the multi-million pound enterprise and innovation hub has been identified for the new police station, with a formal planning application to be submitted in the coming days.
The building will be home to up to 200 police officers and staff, with residents able to conveniently access support and report crime.
When complete, the police station will help bring peace of mind to shoppers, workers and visitors, increasing visible policing in the area.
Cllr Rob Waltham, leader, North Lincolnshire Council, said: “Working with a range of partners and with millions of pounds of Government cash – we are creating a new, vibrant town centre – diversifying the high street and bringing new people into the town for new reasons.
“Having a centrally located police station is a huge part of this – with the police officers included, the enterprise hub will bring upwards of 450 people into the heart of the town every day, which will be a huge boost.
“I’m pleased we have been able to act on residents’ feedback – lots of people have told us they would welcome a stronger and more visible police presence in the town centre – so to deliver on this priority alongside Humberside Police and the Police and Crime Commissioner is brilliant.”
The new building will replace the existing station on Corporation Road with state of the art facilities for the public and a working space for Humberside Police officers and police staff.
Police and Crime Commissioner Jonathan Evison from Barton said: “The existing Scunthorpe Police Station has served the town well for decades but does not reflect the high standard and working environment required by a police force in the 21st Century.
“I’m pleased to be working with North Lincolnshire Council and Humberside Police to build this new police station which will improve the service to the public and provide better working conditions for police officers and staff.” The new police station forms part of the ambitious plans to radically transform Scunthorpe, re-shaping the high street, creating jobs, and building a new future, with millions of pounds of Government backing.£41m has been received from the Towns Fund, together with £10m in Future High Street funding, £36m from the Levelling-Up Fund for Scunthorpe and Barton and almost £6m through UKSPF.
Bedding donation comes at a perfect time for Bransby Horses
Equine rescue charity Bransby Horses has been given animal bedding worth £7,000 by Saxilby-based Prime Pellets.
Bransby Horses Estates Operations Manager Chris Foster said: “This donation could not have come at a better time for us. Having been forced to bring a few of our animals in following the floods and the cost of everything being what it is, this was a truly fantastic gift. We would like to say a massive thank you to Prime Pellets.”
Prime Pellets Sales Manager David Camm said: “We make pellets for animal bedding, cat litter and biofuel and we had a surplus because we have just taken over the site in Saxilby. We thought a horse or animal sanctuary would want the wood pellets so we contacted Bransby Horses and was really pleased to hear they could use them.
“I think there was about 20 tons of bedding, and we hope to be able to donate more to them in the future.”
Wood pellets can make comfortable and economical horse bedding, being very absorbent, dust free and biodegradable.
Laceby Manor’s spa boutique – open for your festive gifting needs
With Christmas just around the corner many will be scrambling around to find the perfect gift for loved ones, so why not give your friends, family, or even yourself a spa treat to relax from the inevitable stress that arises this time of year.
Laceby Manor’s spa boutique is open for festive gifting needs, from spa products, home scents and gift sets to Laceby Manor vouchers which can be redeemed against spa days and treatments, as well as golf, pro shop, restaurants and spa suite overnight stays.
The spa boutique is open daily from 6am to 9pm on weekdays and 6am to 8.30pm on weekends. It will close at 5pm on Christmas Eve. Plus, the team is able to support and advise on gifts for those who don’t know what they’re looking for!
Family law team does it again!
Sills & Betteridge Family Lawyers are celebrating this week having won the prestigious and fiercely competitive Children Law Team of the Year national award at the Lexis Nexis Family Law Awards.
Launched 12 years ago, the event celebrates excellence in family law work and recognises its vital contribution to society.
The ceremony, which was held in London and hosted by TV star John Culshaw, saw the team shortlisted for 2 other categories – Financial Remedies Team of the Year and Region Family Law Firm of the Year in the Midlands & Wales.
Head of family law at the firm, Helen Derry said: “We have some extremely talented lawyers who work tirelessly to meet their clients’ needs, often influencing landmark changes in the law. I am delighted that their work has been recognised by such an esteemed panel of judges in a category of other highly respected family law practitioners.”
The results come in hot on the heels of the team’s recent Legal 500 legal directory rankings where they maintained their Top Tier status – the highest accolade a legal team can reach.
Jake Bugg comes to Grimsby Auditorium
Jake Bugg has announced his Your Town Tour for 2024, which will see him play 15 headline dates across the UK at some of the country’s smaller towns and venues, bringing live music back to the heart of communities – including Grimsby Auditorium on Sunday 10 March.
“I can’t wait to get out and play tons of tunes to people in their hometowns,” Jake says, kicking off in Warrington on March 5th, 2024. He will perform two sets per night, acoustic and electric, rattling through his biggest hits, as well as tracks from his latest album, the Top 3-charting Saturday Night, Sunday Morning.
With local venues constantly under threat of closure, and grassroots music scenes dwindling, the Your Town Tour is Jake’s bid to bring a high profile live show back to some of the country’s towns that have seen drop offs in big touring artists visiting in recent years.
Over the last few years, the 29-year-old, who has 5 albums and numerous hit singles to his name, has grown into himself and gone from strength to strength. He stepped out of his comfort zone and is in the form of his life.
His new music was embraced across the media. Saturday Night, Sunday Morning’s two stellar singles ‘All I Need’ & ‘Lost’, both produced by Steve Mac, were inescapable hits, booming across the airwaves, playlisted on Radio 1, Radio 2 & Radio X, and Jake turned in a stellar performance of ‘All I Need’ on Graham Norton on BBC1.
Hibaldstow Christmas lights set to wow locals once again
An illuminating light display at a house in Wood’s Meadow, Hibaldstow is set to wow the crowds as a father and son team get ready to unveil their annual Christmas Lights Show.
Ross Carrick has been decorating his dad’s house every Christmas for about 17 years and this year has pulled out all the stops to create another astonishing display of festive lights and decorations.
New for 2023 are a line of nine nutcrackers, shipped all the way from the US, which take centre stage in front of the house as well as eight reindeer which join Santa in pride of place in the front garden.
Ross’s enthusiasm for creating these Christmas spectacles stems from when he was a child and together with his dad David, would visit some of the displays in and around North East Lincolnshire.
Seventeen years on and he has amassed a staggering collection of lights, collected from all corners of the UK and as far afield as Germany and the US. His oldest decoration featuring Santa asleep on the moon has featured in every one of Ross’s light shows.
Ross said: “Dad always knows it is nearly Christmas, when I tell him it’s time for his house to be covered in tens of thousands of lights!”
Ross believes Christmas is the most magical time of the year and his display attracts thousands of visitors. As well as entertaining parents and their children, he is hoping to raise vital funds for Lincs & Notts Air Ambulance at the same time. He said: “I want people to enjoy the light show and also help me in raising as much as I can for the Lincs & Notts Air Ambulance. What they do is so important for our communities.”
The grand switch on is Friday 8 December at 5pm and the light display will be on show every Friday, Saturday and Sunday from 5pm-9pm as well as Christmas Day and Boxing Day. And a special visitor will also be arriving on Christmas Eve between 4pm and 5pm.
Scouts in Wragby are getting bigger
Due to the increased interest in Scouts (boys and girls aged 10 to 14), the 1st Wragby have opened a new Scout Troop.
Adult volunteer Tammy Dolling said: “Our Scout Troop was full and we had several children aged 10 who wanted to become Scouts. Opening our second Troop meant the Cubs (boys and girls aged 8 to 10) could join and children on our waiting list could also join.”
Since opening, some of the activities the Scouts have been involved with include camps, the do-it-yourself badge, climbing, and participation in the UK Parliament week. Activities planned for 2024 include a camp in May, stop motion animation (film making technique), fencing, archery, and an Expedition Challenge.
Kieran said: “Since I’ve been in Scouts, I’ve done lots of activities I have never done before such as climbing, kayaking, camping and preparing and cooking a meal with other Scouts. This has helped me build my self-confidence, team working and communication skills. I’ve also been able to achieve my chef, camper and time on the water badges.”
Tammy said: “Scouts provide skills for life for children and young people. It gives them the opportunity to flourish and develop their confidence outside the classroom. They get the opportunity to help plan the programme and to try many different activities.”
In a recent poll 94% of Scouts said they had developed useful skills. Scouts offers over 200 activities from abseiling and coding to drama and water-zorbing. For further information about Wragby Scouts, please contact Tamatha.dolling@lincolnscouts.org.uk For further information about Scouts please visit www.scouts.org.uk
“Not the outcome we were hoping for” – Council to consider all options following RAF Scampton decision
Mrs Justice Thornton has dismissed West Lindsey District Council’s Judicial Review claim, that the Home Office acted unlawfully in their decision making in March 2023 to use the RAF Scampton site for asylum accommodation, under Class Q for a period of 12 months.
Mrs Justice Thornton dismissed the claims on the following grounds:
- The Secretary of State for the Home Department was entitled to rely on General Permitted Development Rights and the definition of ‘emergency’ as set out in Class Q.
- Although it was accepted by Mrs Justice Thornton that the site would likely be used for longer than 12 months, because the plans were not well developed when the decision to use the site was taken in March 2023, the Environmental Impact Assessment screening was not required to assess the impact of the development beyond 12 months.
- Although the development proposed caused significant risk of community tensions and the Secretary of State chose to limit engagement with local authorities and stakeholders, the judge found that reliance upon engagement and experience from previous sites to be sufficient.
Lincolnshire entrepreneur overcomes cancer setback to win national award
Lincolnshire entrepreneur Kirsty Gale, who was recently diagnosed with breast cancer, has been crowned Businessperson of the Year at the SME National Business Awards 2023 at Wembley Stadium.
Kirsty (43), founder & CEO of the UK’s largest dress specialists Red Carpet Ready, was chosen from thousands of entries by a national panel of judges and was presented with the award at a prestigious ceremony on 1st December 2023.
After leaving school at 16 with only a handful of qualifications, Kirsty started Red Carpet Ready in 2013 without any outside financial support or investment and has achieved impressive year-on-year growth.
Despite difficult trading conditions, the company is on track to achieve a record turnover of £1.6m – an increase of 14% on last year – and was recognised as one of the UK’s fastest growing female-led companies in this year’s E2E Female 100.
Winning Businessperson of the Year is the latest in a long list of accolades Kirsty has achieved and is even more remarkable given that she was diagnosed with stage two breast cancer in October.
She recently underwent an emergency lumpectomy and is facing an intensive course of radiotherapy but said her diagnosis has been a catalyst to achieving even greater success.
“I was absolutely thrilled to win Businessperson of the Year as it’s been a really tough year for me personally and I was up against some of the UK’s top male and female entrepreneurs,” explained Kirsty.
“Being told I have cancer was devastating and I was worried about the future as I have an 11-year-old daughter who needs her mum, as well as a business to run, but I am determined not to let it defeat me.
“Instead, I’ve tried to turn something negative into a positive and used it to fuel my ambition. Becoming a market leader is hard work but staying on top is even more of a challenge, which is why I’m constantly striving to lead from the front and exceed customer expectations.
“I’m a strong believer in bricks and mortar; Red Carpet Ready is a shopping destination and we attract thousands of customers from all over the UK every year to our venue which has five luxury showrooms and over 3,500 different styles, all under one roof.
“We’re open seven days a week and provide exceptional levels of customer service to give people an experience they’ll remember for years to come. I also design our own dress label, RCR Exclusives, which is manufactured globally and is by far our bestselling brand.
“Despite facing further treatment I’m full of optimism for 2024 and what we can achieve. I hope my story can inspire others to start their own business; you don’t need to have qualifications or be an expert, but you do need to have the vision and drive to succeed.”
A spokesperson from the SME National Business Awards said: “This year we have had a record number of entrants into the SME National Business Awards. Reaching the finals is a huge achievement in itself, especially considering the wealth of talent and the calibre of entrants for 2023.
“The Businessperson of the Year award is one of our most highly sought after categories, so to take home the gold trophy is a testament to Kirsty’s hard work and determination. We are pleased that her efforts have been recognised and awarded at a national level.”
Image – Left to right: Oliver Roylance, Red Carpet Ready marketing manager, Kirsty Gale, Red Carpet Ready founder & CEO, and Tara Kemp, Managing Director, Astar Accountants
