Anyone, anywhere in the UK could be in need of life-saving care at any time. Lincs & Notts Air Ambulance (LNAA) will showcase its life-saving work alongside other AAs across the UK during Air Ambulance Week, kicking off on 9 September 2025. And this year, Prime Minister Sir Kier Starmer has expressed his thanks to the Air Ambulance community, including LNAA. In a letter to all Air Ambulances, the PM said: “This Air Ambulance Week, we proudly stand with the UK’s 21 air ambulance charities in celebrating the extraordinary work they do every single day.” He highlighted the importance of the service, describing Air Ambulances as a “lifeline for thousands” and went on to say: “We extend our heartfelt thanks to these charities and to everyone who helps keep these essential services flying, from the crews to the fundraisers and volunteers who make every mission possible. Your commitment saves lives.” So far this year, LNAA has responded to 1,065 missions and had one of the busiest days on record in August when it responded to eight emergencies. In fact, August became the busiest month on record with 157 missions. Of those missions, 44 were RTCs, 52 were medical events such as cardiac arrest, 16 were assaults and 25 were accidents. To find out more about the charity, you can meet the team on 13 September at Lincoln’s Waterside Centre and at Asda in West Bridgford. LNAA’s CEO Karen Jobling said: “As a charity we are completely funded by donations from the communities we serve. We know that some people believe that we are funded by the Government or through the NHS but it is the generosity of individuals, families, business, trusts and many others who fund our missions 365 days of the year. “That’s why AA Week is a great opportunity to showcase our amazing life-saving service that saves lives across Lincs & Notts, all thanks to donations.”

Lincolnshire councils are drawing up new plans to sustain the county’s tourism promotion after Destination Lincolnshire ceased trading earlier this year. The organisation, which managed a visitor website and promoted the region, went into administration in May, and its staff were made redundant.

Council officers across the county have since increased collaboration to ensure tourism support continues. Led by Lincolnshire County Council, the group is meeting more frequently to coordinate efforts and maintain momentum.

Work is now underway on a new destination management plan, being developed by the South and East Lincolnshire Councils Partnership with Boston and South Holland district councils. This plan will include specific actions for each district and closer engagement with businesses in the visitor economy.

The aim is to strengthen the county’s profile, attract more visitors, and protect the economic benefits linked to tourism, with the new framework designed to replace the gap left by Destination Lincolnshire.

While details are still being finalised, the focus will be on sustaining events, supporting local enterprises, and creating strategies that can boost jobs and growth through the visitor economy.

  Image credit: Stock.adobe.com/Nicola

For many critically ill newborn babies, the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) is the first home they will ever know. Some of these at-risk babies rely on the units’ specialist care and treatments to overcome trauma suffered during their birth. Thanks to a generous legacy donation to the United Lincolnshire Hospitals Charity, the NICUs at Lincoln County Hospital and Pilgrim Hospital, Boston have received a revolutionary machine that is invaluable in treating newborns who are deprived of oxygen before or shortly after birth. Practice Development Nurse, Dave Speck said: “When complications happen during labour, a baby can be deprived of oxygen, leading to injury to the brain. It is essential that we treat them straight away, by cooling their body temperature. We have just six hours to do this and prevent potential brain damage or other complications that can impact the child’s entire life. “The Criticool is a system to assist with this treatment of ‘therapeutic hypothermia’. A cooling blanket is wrapped around the baby and cold water is pumped through tiny tubes which reduces the infant’s body temperature. The baby is carefully monitored and rewarmed to normal body temperature after 72 hours.” Prior to receiving the Criticool system, the only option was to allow the baby to cool down naturally and the NICU Team would request an immediate transfer to a specialist hospital at either Nottingham’s Queen’s Medical Centre or Leicester Royal Infirmary via a specialist ambulance service which was sited at Castle Donington. Time was always against the team working to transfer the baby within the crucial six hours which was distressing for the parents, especially as in some circumstances, they would not be able to travel with their newborn child. Having this equipment within the Neonatal Intensive Care Units guarantees that the team can cool down and stabilise the baby within that critical time and parents can be with their child, holding and getting to know their baby whilst it is being treated. The risk of unrecoverable brain damage and the need for other medical interventions are significantly reduced and the baby can recover quicker and leave hospital sooner. If the baby still needs to be transferred to another hospital, the mother often has had time to recover from giving birth to be able to travel with her child thus preventing parent and child from being separated from each other. United Lincolnshire Hospitals Charity Manager, Ben Petts said: “We are incredibly proud to provide these Criticool systems for the hospital neo-natal units. They are truly life-saving pieces of equipment that give our highly specialised medical teams a critical resource in providing exemplary care to our most vulnerable patients.” Gifts in wills account for almost 70% of income for United Lincolnshire Hospitals Charity. Leaving a gift in your will to your local hospitals charity will help them continue providing those additional extras to support thousands of future Lincolnshire patients. More information can be found on the website: http://www.ulhcharity.org.uk/wills   Image: Lincoln County Hospital Neonatal Intensive Care Unit’s Practice Development Nurse, Dave Speck demonstrating the Criticool system.