Lawress Hall has undergone a multi-million pound renovation by Lindum Group to convert it into a office space designed specifically for the ‘post-pandemic’ hybrid workforce of the University of Lincoln’s Professional Services departments. The building, built just north of Lincoln in the mid-1990s as a HMRC training centre, has been comprehensively refurbished to accommodate modern, agile working practices. It features new office furniture and ICT equipment, with extra-wide monitors and integrated docking stations, to enable staff to work from any workstation across a series of dedicated team ‘home zones’ which facilitate collaborative working. Bevan Adams, Project Manager for the Lawress Hall renovation in the University’s Estates Department, said: “The renovation of Lawress Hall is a significant development for the University, providing a superb new facility to support hybrid working practices and collaboration post-pandemic. “We have attempted to stay true to the original design vision in the aesthetic and finish and have engaged with colleagues to inform new ways of working. We are proud of the finished building, and grateful to Lindum Group for its support in delivering such an ambitious project on budget in such a short timeframe. “Feedback so far has been extremely positive, with colleagues appreciating the opportunities to come together again as teams and collaborate across departments in the vast open plan floorplates and meeting areas, all set in the beautiful grounds of the Riseholme Park Campus.” Ron Adamson, Lindum Construction Manager, said: “The transformation of this building has been significant. We have been able to turn what was a tired and outdated building into an exciting, modern, and vibrant space. “The inside of the building now matches the beautiful surrounding grounds, with living walls and greenery throughout. The Riseholme Park Campus is well known for its work in the agricultural sector and so it was important to us to bring a feeling of nature to this new addition.”

St Barnabas Hospice has ben given £90,354 from the Community Champions scheme run by Lincolnshire Co-op. St Barnabas was the chosen Champion in various locations in the county, including the city of Lincoln, East Lindsey, South Holland and other areas. Every time a member shopped in a Lincolnshire Co-op outlet between March and June, a donation was made to their local Champion. Money was also raised through activities, staff and community fundraising events and collection boxes throughout spring. A total of £165,929 was raised for local hospices, with St Barnabas receiving the majority. Rebecca Franks, Director of Patient Care at St Barnabas says: “We are so grateful to the Lincolnshire Co-op and all its supporters for this incredible donation. It will make a huge difference in the care we provide. “To give an indication of how far this money will go, £896 pays for one day of a patient’s stay in our Hospice for specialist end–of-life care. We also offer our care and support in people’s own homes around the county, which comes at a cost of £18.84 per hour. “Apart from vital medical care, we also provide wellbeing services such as counselling, bereavement support, welfare and benefits advice. £57.10 pays for our bereavement helpline to run for a day so we can give urgent support to those struggling with their grief. “All our care and support are free of charge to the patient as we believe everyone should have access to high-quality, compassionate care when they need it. “As a charity, we rely on the kind donations of local people, and we put that money right back into their own community. Annually we need to raise over £6.5million to continue providing our service, so this donation is very gratefully received.” Sam Turner, Community Manager at Lincolnshire Co-op, said: “St Barnabas has been there for so many families in our community during some of their most difficult times, providing essential care and enabling terminally ill patients to live the remainder of their lives comfortably and with dignity. “This funding has come directly from the community that they work so hard to support, making it even more special. “Thank you so much to our amazing members, colleagues and customers, who have all contributed to this total by getting involved with fundraising, donating change or shopping with their dividend cards.” To find out more about St Barnabas Hospice, the care services it provides and how to support the charity further, visit: www.stbarnabashospice.co.uk

The Mouse House Cheese Co and Lincs & Notts Air Ambulance (LNAA) are celebrating a unique partnership which will help keep the iconic yellow helicopter flying to critical incidents and delivering life-saving treatment to patients. Based in Thorpe St Peter, in rural Lincolnshire, the Lincolnshire cheesemakers have created a charity cheese box containing four of their delicious, waxed cheese truckles. For every purchase, a donation will be made to the Lincs & Notts Air Ambulance. Tanya Taylor, LNAA’s Head of Corporate, Community and Events, said: “We are incredibly grateful for the fantastic support from all the team at The Mouse House Cheese Co. No one wakes up thinking they will need the help of the Lincs & Notts Air Ambulance, but with our crews on call 365 days of the year, our highly skilled doctors, paramedics, and pilots are there to help people involved in life-threatening incidents every single day. The enhanced level of pre-hospital emergency care we deliver to patients at the scene, gives people with the most severe injuries and medical conditions the very best chance of survival.” Mollie Haines, Founder of The Mouse House Cheese Co understands that being situated in such a remote location, should a critical incident occur the need for the air ambulance would be vital in bringing a life-saving crew to the scene within minutes. She said: “We are excited to announce our partnership with Lincs & Notts Air Ambulance with our new charity box. Every time a purchase is made, we will be donating £8.00 directly to the charity to raise vital funds that they need to keep operating. “The Lincolnshire Air ambulance provides an essential service, especially for rural areas. The Mouse House is based at our farm at Lymn Bank, and we are aware of the need for the air ambulance in an emergency. As a family run business, we want to make a difference and support this important charity which carries out such an important role. We hope that we never need the LNAA, but to have the reassurance that it is there is vital to us.” The LNAA Gift Box can be purchased on the Mouse House website, or at their shop at Bailgate, Lincoln.

The final piece of the jigsaw has dropped into place at the historic Alfred Enderby Smokehouse on the Port of Grimsby. Started last September, the work by local firm ES Rudkin Ltd has included reinstating historic features as well as improving security features on the building. And now, following the re-rendering of the gable wall earlier this year, Creative Start Arts in Health CIC, led by Sam Delaney, have completed the end wall over the last few weeks, repainting and incorporating traditional signwriting, finishing off the building’s exterior and completing the works covered by the £150,000 PSiCA (Partnership Scheme in Conservation Areas) grant awarded in 2022. Patrick Salmon, MD of Enderbys, said: “It’s fantastic to see the work completed on the main building to secure it for years to come, and the signwriting is literally the cherry on the proverbial cake – it looks amazing. We’re working on our plans for the future and the second building so that we can involve the community and visitors more in learning about the traditional processes and our work.” Sam Delaney from Creative Start CIC said: “To be involved in the signwriting for one of the most iconic gable ends in Grimsby is just brilliant. I’ve had the pleasure of working with James Atkinson who is a member of the Creative Start Programme – he’s been a big support for me on this job. The results really do speak for themselves – the style of the work perfectly complements the traditional processes used in the smokehouse.” The building, listed as a Grade II structure, is one of the few remaining smokehouses in the area which still uses the geographically protected cold-smoking method. Old maps show this building was originally constructed as a smithy between 1896 and 1905, but between 1917 and 1928 was converted to fish curing and has remained so ever since. Alfred Enderby Ltd is one of four companies which form the Grimsby Traditional Fish Smokers Group, which received EU recognition for its method. Since the work started, the traditional chimney cowls have been cleaned and repaired, and cast iron rainwater gutters and downpipes have been installed. Enderby’s plans don’t stop there, though! A new grant for £150,000 through the same PSiCA scheme has been awarded for works to the next-door building, building 13, the former Marconi building. This will be spent on structural repairs, making way for Enderbys to expand into it. The grant money will be used to remove the PVC windows and doors, reinstate more authentic Crittal-style windows on the first floor, repair the roof, repair and repoint the masonry and install new cast iron rainwater goods. Enderbys are aiming to use the new building to expand the business, and also to enable a bigger, more accessible space for group visits and tours to learn about the protected Traditional Grimsby Smoked Fish method. North East Lincolnshire Council Cabinet member for Tourism, Heritage and Culture, Cllr Hayden Dawkins, said: “I’ve been down to see the building and it looks marvellous. We have a deep history in our ports, and Grimsby is known worldwide for its smoked fish. Enderby’s are one of a few remaining traditional smokehouses that keep this work going. “This area of the port is a unique place, and we must continue to look at how to make it safe and welcoming to work in. There are many different sectors starting to use the older buildings and help to revitalise the port area, which can only be a good thing – we must help protect our port, and be proud of it.” Simon Bird, Regional Director of the Humber ports, said: “It’s great to see this historic building being revitalised and renovated. This smokehouse has been a landmark for many years on the Port of Grimsby and it’s right to see its unique character restored, as part of instilling pride in this part of the port known as the Kasbah. Patrick Salmon has done much to promote the wider seafood industry in Grimsby and the art of cold-smoking, and we look forward to continuing to work with him for many years to come.” David Walsh, Historic England, said: “The completion of the works to Enderby’s smokehouse is a key milestone in the regeneration of the historic docks. The new signwriting by Creative Start CiC highlights the importance of the smokehouse in Grimsby. Enderbys, together with the recent conservation works on nearby buildings, now forms a striking entrance to the Kasbah conservation area.” The PSiCA is being delivered as part of the Greater Grimsby Heritage Action Zone. The scheme has a total pot of £1m and is a joint project between Historic England and North East Lincolnshire Council, with support from ABP. The PSiCA grant scheme is open to businesses on the Kasbah on the Port of Grimsby or organisations that may be interested in moving to this conservation area.

New-and-improved facilities at Tulip Academy’s Waterside Campus in Spalding have been officially opened.

Work has begun on the next phase of the enabling works for the new multi-million pound Emergency Department at Pilgrim Hospital, Boston. Some hospital services have already relocated so that part of the existing hospital can be demolished to make way for the new department. From next week, the existing H-block building next to the Emergency Department will be demolished to make way for a substantial two-storey extension. For this to take place, the Urgent Treatment Centre has relocated to the ground floor of the Outpatients Department that used to be the home of the Royle Eye Department. The Royle Eye Department, orthoptists, maxillofacial and oral surgery teams have all moved to the second and third floors of the former Maternity Block that is to the left hand side of the main hospital entrance. The hospital’s bus stop and non-emergency ambulance bays have also relocated. Once completed, the finished transformation will see the new department more than treble in size and include state of the art innovations and infection prevention control measures, have more cubicles to treat patients and a bigger resuscitation zone for the sickest patients. It will also include a separate area dedicated to providing emergency care for the hospital’s youngest patients and their families and have more training rooms for staff. United Lincolnshire Hospitals NHS Trust Chief Executive, Andrew Morgan, said: “Patients and visitors will soon start to see real progress in our work to create our new state-of-the-art Emergency Department at Pilgrim hospital as we move into the demolition and construction stages. “I would like to thank all of our teams for their support in relocating into the new areas that have been created for them. None of this would have been possible without their support and that of all of our partner organisations. By working together, we are going to give our patients and staff the first-class Emergency Department that they need and deserve for the future.”