A programme of refurbishment work has been completed at Grantham fire station, along with the addition of a new training facility in the grounds.

A new Skills & Education Hub at Lincoln City FC’s LNER Stadium is starting to take shape, with the steel frame of the extension to the existing Stacey West stand now complete. It follows extensive groundworks, which have included a new mains water supply, increased power supply, and a state-of-the-art pitch irrigation recycling system. Once complete in August 2024, the new building will provide the Lincoln City Foundation with the facilities and office space to expand its social impact work in the local community. New matchday stadium toilet facilities will also be integrated with the existing Stacey West stand. As part of the work, a new 70,000 litre tank has been installed at the stadium. This will be filled with rain water from the pitch and the roof, via the new irrigation system. The water will then be reused on the pitch. Recycling rainfall in this way will save the club thousands of pounds on its water bill as it relies less on mains supplies. Richard Shaw, Lindum Group Director, said: “It is fantastic to see the progress being made at the Stacey West project, with the new frame giving us a good idea of what the finished building is going to look like. “It is important to us that we can not only provide a dynamic space for the Lincoln City Foundation, but also help the club lower its environmental impact and running costs. We are very much looking forward to the completion of the extension and becoming part of the history of the Stacey West stand and the stadium as a whole.” Damian Froggatt, Director of Operations at Lincoln City Football Club, said: “After four years of planning and having secured over £2m in funding, we are delighted to see construction work well underway. The new build will provide over 1500 square metres of dedicated new space from which Lincoln City Foundation can expand its vital social impact work, further establishing Lincoln City Football Club as a true community club.” Work can now begin on the brick work and concrete floor slab. Bricklayers started on site at the end of August, giving the people an idea of what it will look like when it is finished.

The wife and two young children of a man who died after a heart attack have reached a £975,000 settlement with a Wakefield hospital trust that incorrectly discharged him. The 36-year-old man had visited Pinderfields Hospital in Wakefield with chest complaints a month before his death, when an ECG showed significant abnormalities and he should have been referred to the care of a cardiologist. Instead, he was given reassurance and discharged. The man later suffered a heart attack at his home and died. Wilkin Chapman, the largest law firm in Lincolnshire and East Yorkshire, represented the man’s widow and their two young children. With the support of the firm’s medical negligence team, it was identified and subsequently accepted by the defendant, that the man should have been admitted to hospital and given blood-thinning medication. He would then have undergone an angiogram, followed by angioplasty. This treatment would have avoided his death and he would have had only a modestly reduced life expectancy. At a round table meeting with Mid Yorkshire Teaching NHS Trust, which operates Pinderfields Hospital, the team successfully reached a compromise settlement for £975,000. This was subsequently approved by the County Court in Leeds, bringing an end to the claim. Jonathan Baker, a partner within Wilkin Chapman’s medical negligence team,  said the settlement would go some way towards helping the family move forward with their lives after the avoidable and devastating tragedy. He said: “This was an absolutely devastating case for the family, particularly when it became clear how easy this would have been to avoid. Whilst we were able to help the family to achieve a suitable outcome, it is hoped that lessons can be learned to prevent such tragic circumstances occurring again.”

The Digital Poverty Alliance (DPA) have expanded their Tech4Families scheme to help drive digital inclusion by connecting disadvantaged families across Lincolnshire Coast with laptops and digital access. The scheme consists of microdonations from customers of Currys, allowing the DPA to purchase new laptops for children experiencing digital poverty. Parents are able to apply online or via a dedicated text line, and the successful families will receive a laptop and resource pack. The scheme was initially launched in September 2022, targeting five key areas in the UK including Staffordshire, West Cumbria, the Norfolk Coast, Neath Port Talbot and Bridgend, and Ayrshire, and is now being extended to Lincolnshire Coast – an area in the UK with a high level of digital poverty. The Tech4Families expansion aims to provide deprived families across Lincolnshire Coast with digital access by rolling out laptops and devices, equipping them with resources they need to gain equal opportunities, helping to support the 11 million people in the UK currently experiencing digital exclusion. Elizabeth Anderson, Interim CEO of the Digital Poverty Alliance, said: “Tech4Families is more than just a programme, it is a catalyst for change. The expansion signifies a renewed dedication to empowering families with the tools and resources they need to navigate an increasingly digital world. “Access to laptops and digital resources is not only necessary from an education perspective but it allows individuals to apply to job advertisements which are often online, opens more job opportunities in ‘work from home’ roles and provides people with access to services, such as online banking. “We hope that this Tech4Families expansion can deliver more individuals across the UK with the support they need and we’re excited to extend its benefits to even more communities. Providing people with access to resources, equipment and connectivity will not only benefit individuals, but also the wider community and economy, and this must be the priority for businesses, policy makers and third sector parties.” The expansion will support the aims of the DPA’s National Delivery Plan, launched in the House of Lords earlier this year, which set out six key missions that stakeholders must work towards to achieve the goal of ending digital poverty within the UK by 2030. Catrin Hale, Group Social Impact manager for Currys, said: “Digital Poverty is a nationwide issue that needs addressing, so we are proud to be involved with an initiative that brings such huge benefits to individuals’ lives. “Enjoying amazing technology, through being in possession of the skills and devices to access them, should be an essential for everyone: allowing people to connect, learn, work and carry out everyday tasks. “After seeing great success in our initial five target areas, we hope that the Tech4Families extension across Lincolnshire Coast provides more communities with the digital access they need to improve their quality of life.” If you wish to apply for the Tech4Families scheme, or donate in support, please visit https://digitalpovertyalliance.org/tech4families/ or text your name and address to 07984 445476 to receive a paper form.

Professor Carenza Lewis has been awarded a British Academy medal, in recognition of her distinguished accomplishments in landscape archaeology and lasting impact on social sciences. Carenza Lewis is Professor of Public Understanding of Research at the University of Lincoln, and is awarded the British Academy Landscape Archaeology Medal 2023. This annual award was created by British Academy Fellow Professor John Coles, to establish an Academy medal for its field – awarded for the very first time in 2007. Professor Lewis is the first woman to receive this award. Professor Lewis is well-known for her time on the hit Channel 4 show Time Team and joined the University of Lincoln in 2015 as Professor of Public Understanding of Research. A specialist in medieval archaeology, her research into the historic development of rural settlements has over decades involved thousands of members of the public in new excavations. These have thrown new light on the origins of today’s villages and towns and the impact of events such as the Black Death plague pandemic. Since 2019, she has introduced this publicly engaged approach to archaeological investigation into Europe and spearheaded innovative research into the public benefits of participation in heritage. Some of Lewis’ other public engagement initiatives include ‘Dig School’ which provided a virtual experience of archaeology to teachers and school children during the 2020 Covid-19 pandemic, and real-world archaeological digs for University of Lincoln humanities students, investigating a never-before explored location within the beautiful and historic grounds of the University’s Riseholme Campus. Professor Lewis said: “I was stunned to be awarded the British Academy Landscape Archaeology Medal 2023! Such a very prestigious award has to be a pinnacle of anyone’s career, and I am absolutely delighted. “I am both immensely proud of and humbled by this honour, not least on behalf of all the people – including literally thousands of members of the public – who have taken part with me in archaeological fieldwork advancing knowledge about the historic landscapes we all share. “It has been an absolute privilege to work with so many people over the years in developing new insights into the past development of historic settlements and landscapes in the UK and Europe, in benefitting so many people and places in the present, and in widening access to historic landscape archaeology for the future.” Professor Lewis will be awarded her medal in person at a dedicated British Academy ceremony in London on Wednesday 11 October.

The first two prosecutions under strict North Lincolnshire Council rules about dog fouling have gone through the courts, with fines of £466 being handed out. A recent ramping up of rules and a zero tolerance policy by council enforcement officers has led to a major clampdown on anyone seen not picking up after their dog or not carrying the means to pick up, both of which are a criminal offence. Anyone seen breaking the law must give their details to council enforcement officers, and unpaid fines will be pursued by the courts. The council’s web site explained that Daniel Boothby, of Hereward Place in Scunthorpe, failed to pay a £100 fixed penalty notice after failing to pick up after his dog on Queensway. It went on to say: “The case went to Doncaster Magistrates’ Court where he pleaded guilty and was fined £100 with costs of £326.04 and a £40 victim surcharge – a total of £466.04. “Kim Seager, of Hereward Place, Scunthorpe, received a £100 fixed penalty notice for not carrying poo bags, the means to pick up after her dog, also on Queensway. She did not pay the fine and was slapped with the same amount when her case went before the court.” The recent ramping up of Public Space Protection Order in North Lincolnshire came after residents called for greater protection against nuisance behaviour and more stringent measures against perpetrators. As well as dog fouling it also included new bans on town centre cycling, street drinking and begging.