Community groups in South Kesteven are being urged to apply for project funding before the next council funding deadline of 20 August.
More than £7,000 was awarded to four projects across the district in the last allocation round of South Kesteven District Council’s Community Fund.
Boothby Neighbours were awarded £800 to set up a Good Neighbours Scheme, operated by volunteers, to help less able residents have access to assistance to help them complete tasks. The Boothby Pagnell group also hopes to prevent isolation through transport to village events and new social gatherings such as a breakfast club.
The D Day Darlings wartime tribute choir will be singing at the Caythorpe Gala in September thanks to a council award of £1,740. Gala organisers have booked the choir to celebrate the Arnhem 80th Anniversary event at the village’s annual 216 Parachute (Signals) Squadron reunion, commemorating Caythorpe’s rich history with the Parachute Regiment.
Grantham’s Christchurch Methodist church is to have a fully functional sound system in its Shepherd Hall thanks to an award of £3,699 towards the total cost. The sound system, with speakers, amplifiers, sound induction loop driver and mic system will enhance the versatility of the hall, making it suitable for a wide range of activities benefitting the local community.
Bourne’s SCIFEST will be staging two community events at Bourne Corn Exchange in September and October thanks to a council award of £1,135 towards the total cost. The aim of the science-based events is to engage with families with school-aged children, to increase the profile of science and give an understanding of how science touches all lives.
Cllr Rhea Rayside, SKDC Cabinet member for People and Communities, said: “Once again a wide range of extremely worthwhile causes are benefitting from our SK Community Fund awards, all set to make a beneficial difference to people’s lives.”
Community groups can apply for up to 80% of eligible costs to a maximum of £5,000, with the remaining 20% as a required applicant contribution.
The small grants scheme can fund 100% of project and event costs up to £2,000, with no match funding required. This scheme is only open to groups that hold £10,000 or less of financial resource.
For Community Fund enquiries and application forms email: communityfund@southkesteven.gov.uk
Image credit: Stock.adobe.com/Stockfotos-MG
East Mercia Rivers Trust given £150,000 after pollution incident
East Mercia Rivers Trust, charity formed by the merger of Welland Rivers Trust and Lincolnshire Rivers Trust, has received a financial boost of £150,000 after the Environment Agency accepted an Enforcement Undertaking offer from Reckitt Benckiser (UK) Ltd.
The payment is part of an undertaking offered by the company for a leak of aerosol production trade effluent from its site on Sinfin Lane, Derby. The pollution occurred on 12 August 2021 into the Cuttle Brook as it flowed through Sinfin golf course.
Reckitt Benckiser produces household cleaning products, healthcare products and infant/child nutrition products. The undertaking occurred because of a discharge that led to the death of 371 dead bullheads and 10 sticklebacks. It also caused a prolific growth of sewage fungus and perfumed odour to the brook.
The effluent was found to be seeping out of the bank of the brook within the site. It also resulted in low oxygen levels and was 130 times more polluting than untreated sewage. The company took prompt action to stop the polluting discharge and investigate the cause. It had stopped by the following day.
In addition to the donation, Reckitt Benckiser has spent £300,000 to prevent any recurrence of the pollution incident and paid the Environment Agency’s costs of over £10,000.
Paul Chambers, Environment Officer for the Environment Agency said: “Enforcement Undertakings allow polluters to positively address and restore the harm caused to the environment and prevent repeat incidents.
“The Environment Agency will consider acceptance of Enforcement Undertakings submitted for suitable cases to restore the environment, improve practices of the offending company and avoid longer criminal court cases. However, we will prosecute in appropriate cases.
“As well as donations totalling £150,000 to East Mercia Rivers Trust that will bring great benefits to the environment, Reckitt Benckiser has made significant improvements to the Sinfin Lane site drainage system, and particularly its trade effluent pipework.
Rachel Butler, Executive Director at East Mercia Rivers Trust said: “The donation from Reckitt Benckiser has directly contributed towards a major river restoration project as part of East Mercia River Trust’s ambition to restore the Upper Witham landscape at scale.
“An important limestone river, this watercourse forms the headwaters of the Witham catchment and is home to white-clawed crayfish and brown trout amongst other native flora and fauna.”
Construction team goes the extra mile for hospital charity
The team behind the construction of two new NHS community diagnostic centres (CDCs) in Lincolnshire are going the extra mile to raise funds to enhance care.
Staff from United Lincolnshire Hospitals NHS Trust (ULHT), modern methods of construction specialist MTX and DAY Project Management are joining forces to walk 35 miles over two days in aid of the United Lincolnshire Hospitals Charity.
The team hope to raise £15,000, which could fund equipment such as an interactive Kitten Scanner to help children to prepare for an MRI scan.
The challenging route the team plan to take will start at Skegness CDC in Old Wainfleet Road, Skegness, and end at Lincoln CDC on Lincoln Science and Innovation Park.
These two new facilities, which are currently under construction and due to open in winter 2024, will offer patients improved access to state-of-the-art diagnostic testing away from busy hospital sites, including CT, MRI, X-ray, ultrasound and echocardiograms.
Alistair Nelson, CDC Design and Implementation Lead at ULHT, said: “During our work to develop the CDC programme in Lincolnshire, we have seen first-hand how these community-based NHS facilities are making a difference to helping patients to access the tests they need quickly and easily.
“We, along with our construction partners, wanted to see what else we could do to support our youngest patients. Our fundraising could contribute towards equipment such as a Kitten Scanner. There is currently one such scanner at Grantham hospital and it has made a significant difference to the children who have been able to use it, allowing many to have their scans without the need for any sedation or a stay in hospital.
“We’re excited to take on this challenge, and offer our thanks to the Lincolnshire Ramblers Association, who have provided incredible support and advice in creating the route for the walk.”
MTX Managing Director, David Hartley, said: “The creation of a network of CDCs is a key element in improving access to care and patient experience across the country. We are delighted that United Lincolnshire Hospitals Trust has chosen to partner with MTX for delivery of two new facilities, based on our proven track record of rapid and cost-effective delivery.
“The opportunity to further support the Trust in their endeavour to purchase innovative equipment comes as a welcome challenge, and one that Team MTX are looking forward to taking on!”
DAY Project Management Director, Phil Davies, said: “DAY Project Management are really proud to be supporting United Lincolnshire Hospitals in delivering two community diagnostic centres at Lincoln and Skegness providing state-of-the-art community-based NHS facilities. The chance to undertake a charity walk and raise funds to support patients is something we are delighted to be involved in.”
The United Lincolnshire Hospitals Charity has previously supported the CDC programme by funding benches at Grantham.
The charity also funded the original Kitten Scanner that has made a massive difference for young patients at Grantham and District Hospital.
United Lincolnshire Hospitals Charity Fundraiser Gary Burr said: “As a charity we fund the extras not covered by the NHS and we’ve been proud to have previously supported Lincolnshire’s CDC Programme. We hope to see further enhancements at Lincoln and Skegness CDCs, which will help to make our spaces even more relaxing and welcoming for patients. We wish the team the best of luck in their challenge.”
The walk will take place on Friday 16 and Saturday 17 August 2024.
Donations to support the team’s charity challenge can be made via a JustGiving page by following this link.
Image: courtesy of United Lincolnshire Hospitals NHS Trust. ULHT CDC Design and Implementation Lead Alistair Nelson, DAY Project Manager Adam Nevin, ULHT Procurement Head of Category Kate Savage, and MTX Project Manager Conor Brogan outside Skegness CDC
Conker the donkey adds his weight to council’s fostering campaign
Conker the donkey, goats, and highland cows are the latest to show their support for foster carers in North East Lincolnshire, after Nunny’s Farm became the latest business to join the Council’s fostering-friendly scheme.
The animals at Nunny’s Farm, in Nunsthorpe, Grimsby, were out in force as council officers met with the farm owners Joanna and Neil to discuss how they can work with the local petting farm.
Nunny’s Farm is the latest business to sign up to NELC’s Fostering-Friendly business scheme, which encourages local businesses to consider how they can best support local foster carers, from offering discounts on local goods and services to offering extra support to employees who may also be foster carers.
Councillor Margaret Cracknell, Portfolio Holder for Children and Education at North East Lincolnshire Council, said: “It’s great to see Nunny’s Farm has signed up to the scheme, and is ready and willing to offer support to our foster carers.
“We’ve had some fruitful initial discussions about opportunities for children and families, for foster carers, for looked after children.
“Nunny’s Farm is a fantastic local resource, offering children in our area an opportunity to get hands-on experience with animals and amongst nature.
“I’m pleased to be able to welcome Neil and Joanna to our fostering-friendly business scheme and look forward to working with them in the future to support our foster carers.”
Joanna said: “We are proud to be part of this amazing initiative, especially as Neil’s father was fostered as a young boy. It is a great way for us to be able to pay it forward, and we are excited to work closely with the families on this scheme in our community.”
East Lindsey Councillors pump money into communities
East Lindsey District Councillors have been allocated funds to support organisations and community projects in their wards through the Councillors’ Community Grant Scheme.
The scheme provides councillors with the opportunity to support non-profit organisations in the East Lindsey area. Recent grants have been awarded to a wide range of beneficiaries, including the Wragby and District Social Group, Horncastle and District Community Association, and a range of community events and public buildings.
The latest round of grants incoudes:
Wragby – Councillor Ru Yarsley has awarded £200 to Little Angels Toddler Group to assist with purchasing role-play clothes and equipment for the children.
Spilsby – Councillor Ellie Marsh has awarded £500 to Spilsby Recreation Ground to assist with their playing field drainage works project.
Wragby – Councillor Ru Yarsley has awarded £400 to East & West Barkwith Parish Council to assist with their D-Day commemoration project.
Wragby – Councillor Ru Yarsley has awarded £150 to Wragby and District Social Group to go towards the costs for their monthly outings, which help tackle loneliness within the local area.
Spilsby – Councillor Ellie Marsh has awarded £500 to 2nd Spilsby Scout Group to assist with their kitchen refurbishment.
Wragby – Councillor Ru Yarsley has awarded £150 to Wragby Market to help with market advertising, using new signs.
Horncastle – Councillors Sandra Campbell-Wardman, Richard Avison and Fiona Martin have awarded £1,000 to Horncastle and District Community Association to assist with the installation of a hearing loop in their main hall.
Withern and Theddlethorpe – Councillor Travis Hesketh has awarded £595.20 to Withern Village Hall to assist with purchasing an electronic till and EPOS System.
Mablethorpe – Councillors Claire Arnold and Kate Marnoch have awarded £1,000 to Flanders Friends to assist with purchasing equipment for their 1940’s weekend, including banners, high visibility jackets and gazebos.
Fulstow – Councillor Edward Mossop has awarded £500 to Utterby Village Hall to assist with their building restoration project on the village hall.
Skegness – Councillors Richard Cunnington, Danny Brookes, Mark Dannatt and Billy Brookes have awarded £2,000 to East Coast Pride to assist with the 2024 pride event taking place in September.
Withern and Theddlethorpe – Councillor Travis Hesketh has awarded £500 to Maltby Le Marsh Women’s Institute to assist with hiring speakers to present to their groups.
Tetford & Donington – Councillor Daniel Simpson has award £250 to Hemingby Village Hall to assist with the costs associated with their 50th Anniversary Celebration.
Spilsby – Councillor Ellie Marsh has awarded £500 to Spilsby and District Public Hall to contribute towards purchasing a new fridge.
Louth – Councillors Rosalind Jackson, David Hall, Sam Kemp, Andrew Leonard, Darren Hobson and George Horton have awarded £1,340 to Louth Navigation Trust to assist with their Slipway to Summer community event.
Lincoln Book Festival opens its 2024 chapter
Lincoln Book Festival 2024 will take place from 26-29 September, bringing big name authors and rising stars of the publishing world to the city for four days of engaging talks, readings, discussions, workshops and Q&As.
The theme for this year’s festival is “generations” and the most eclectic programme in the festival’s 20-year history features plenty of options for audiences of all ages to come together and connect through all aspects of the written word, packed into four days.
Highlights include:
- Chef, food writer and presenter Rick Stein, signing copies of his glorious new book, Food Stories.
- Author Jules Acton, a fresh new voice in nature writing, and her brilliant debut title, Oaklore.
- Music scenes, eras and movements with Britpop pioneers Audrey Golden and Jane Savidge, talking tunes with Dr Guy Mankowski.
- In conversation with YouTuber, author, and LGBT campaigner Jamie Raines and podcast collaborator and creator Shaaba.
- Verse and Vibes open mic night – a chance for local creatives to perform original prose or poetry.
- Tips on how to get published for creative writers – an interactive workshop with Writing East Midlands.
- The Book Club live collaborative podcast – bring your book club to join the discussion in this real-time recording.
- Paranormal research, stories and scepticism plus a ghost story writing workshop revealing secrets of the genre.
- Flash fiction short story competition winners celebration and launch event.
Council seeks opportunity to make more Grimsby town centre grants to businesses
North East Lincolnshire Council is on the lookout to offer more capital grants for business ventures and community-based organisations to reactivate empty properties in Grimsby town centre.
The aim of the scheme is to bring forward smaller projects which will enhance the major regeneration works that are currently taking place, including a repurposed Riverhead Square, major works at St James House to create a small business hub, an NHS Community Diagnostics Hub, the Horizon Youth Zone, and a new cinema and leisure development.
The fund can cover projects that fit with at least one of the following six town centre priorities identified in the Masterplan:
- Introduce more diverse uses to the town centre
- Reconnect the town centre and the community with the waterfront
- Promote and support community ownership and participation
- Identify development opportunities within the town centre, including low-carbon initiatives
- Prioritise health and wellbeing activity in the town centre
- Enhance employment, skills and entrepreneurial opportunities
An interview with local bestselling author Joy Ellis
Upon the release of her new audiobook, One More to Die, Lincolnshire Today spoke with Joy Ellis, the Lincolnshire Fens-based crime thriller author. Having written more than 30 novels, including three series, Joy’s success can be seen in 12 UK #1 best-sellers, with her works selling over 3.7 million copies in English and translated into 14 languages.
Could you tell me a little bit about yourself and your journey to becoming a published author?
We came to live in Lincolnshire from Surrey in the millennium and I started thinking about writing as soon as we got here and I saw the location. We were wandering around the lanes one misty evening, and I thought “this is the perfect setting for a crime novel.” I started writing in earnest around five years after that. We’d retired, were enjoying ourselves, and I realised that writing is what I really wanted to do, so I buckled down and got absolutely nowhere for years. I sent books off, got loads of rejections, and became very unhappy about it. I had two books taken by a publisher who mainly dealt with hardbacks for libraries which were very expensive and very short print runs, but I knew that wasn’t the way I wanted to go. As soon as I decided it was time to give up, as I was wasting my life and that of my partner Jacqueline, I had an amazing phone call from Jasper Joffe of Joffe Books. He had picked up one of my books that I’d put on Kindle. He said he loved it and asked if I would join them. From that moment I never looked back.
You have chosen the Lincolnshire Fens as a setting for your stories for some time. How does living in Lincolnshire encourage or influence your writing?
Almost all of my books are set here. Frankly, The Fens are one of the main characters. They literally are based around The Fens and everything about them. I don’t think they would be the same anywhere else. This is just such a different kind of landscape and it’s perfect for my characters and my books.
Your new audiobook, One More to Die, has just been released on Audible, could you tell us about it and why you think people would enjoy it?
I think they’ll enjoy it for the narrator alone. Hayley Atwell (Agent Carter, Mission: Impossible, Captain America), who is a massive star, is so good. I’m delighted she said she’d do this. She has the perfect voice for my lead character, Detective Inspector Kate Carter. She’s investigating a murder but suddenly realises she has attracted a stalker and without giving too much away, it’s two things running in parallel. She’s trying to work whilst being stalked, which is very scary, and then it all gets too much. It gets quite exciting, shall we say, and because it’s a novella, where you have to get quite a lot into a short space of time, it has plenty of pace.
What inspired you to write One More to Die and what was the process of writing it like?
The process of writing was really good with One More to Die. There’s something about writing novellas; it’s very immediate and once you’ve got an idea in your head it flows very well because it’s not like mapping out a full-length novel. I really enjoyed this one. I’ve also always wanted to do a particular character who is a DI and very, very efficient, but she’s two people. At home she’s going around in her hoody and has wild kids, mad dogs and lots of cats. She’s a completely different person to who she is at work. I loved that because you can bounce backwards and forwards, and of course when somebody like this stalker intervenes and cuts into both of her lives, she finds it difficult to cope. They’ve taken away her family life and are also interfering with a murder investigation, so it provided great tension for me to work with.
What do you think it is that keeps drawing you back to writing crime thrillers?
Partly because my partner Jacqueline is a retired police officer, which helps a lot because I have a sort of in-house consultant for police procedurals, which is massive. But they also fascinate me; I’ve always loved reading mysteries since I was tiny. Put my mysteries with Jacqueline’s career and we’ve turned out with police procedurals!
You’ve written numerous books, including three series. What keeps your creative cogs turning?
Oh, heaven knows! It’s as much a surprise to me as it is anyone else, believe me! It’s little things; some tiny thing that sows a seed. I’m one of these writers that doesn’t plot or plan very carefully or lay everything out and know where everything is going. I literally write chapter one with an idea in my head and off we go. It’s kind of organic, I think.
Your series Jackman and Evans is currently being developed for television, starring Richard Armitage as DI Rowan Jackman. Do you remember how you felt upon hearing the news?
I was just over the moon. It’s a dream. I know it will be ‘based on’, rather than being the exact books, but because Richard Armitage is already my narrator for the Jackman series, I know he knows my character. He’s such a nice man and came up here to see The Fens and talk to me about my characters before he even narrated the audiobooks because he wanted to get it right, and I admire that because he is such a busy man. I can’t wait to see it. A lot of things will change, but I hope it’s done sympathetically. They have a very good screenwriter, one of the best, so let’s hope with a great cast it’ll do well!
Do you have any advice for aspiring Lincolnshire authors?
It’s very rewarding but be prepared. You’ve got to have that passion that will carry you through the bad times and when you get rejection slips back, as everyone does. Before I planned to give in, I probably had been writing for over 10 years. That’s a lot of time to commit to something, but heavens I am really pleased I did.
Do you have any other future book releases on the horizon?
I have another in the DI Nikki Galena series coming out later this year and I’m writing the next Jackman as we speak.
Where can people find you?
I have a really good website designed by a lovely young man who works for me, Luke. He’s very creative and does fabulous things on Facebook, including teasers for the next books coming out. So go through Facebook and the website, or through Joffe Books or Audible.
Is there anything else you want to add?
A thank you to everyone. We writers would be absolutely nowhere without the readers, and they have been so supportive to me. We’ve got a massive base of people who follow us. I love them all. I also want to give a huge thank you to Jasper Joffe, for trusting me and taking the books. We’ve been working together now for eight years, and he’s been a fabulous publisher. He really cares about his authors. It’s been a fantastic journey so far, and now I’m of an age I’m certainly not planning on giving up!
One More to Die is available now, exclusively on Audible.
| In One More to Die, smart, happy-go-lucky mum of three, Detective Inspector Kate Carter, leads a team to investigate the murder of a man found in the wreckage of a car. Upon discovering a vital clue — a vintage vinyl record from 1964 — the team are set upon a suspenseful journey of twists and turns to discover the truth. Meanwhile, Detective Inspector Kate soon finds herself contending with something dark in her own life as she becomes victim to an obsessive stalker. |
Carenza Lewis leads hunt for Fulbeck’s role in Operation Market Garden
Time Team presenter Professor Carenza Lewis from the University of Lincoln will co-direct a dig to uncover traces of Lincolnshire’s part in Operation Market Garden, one of the largest Allied airborne landings in history.
Taking place between 15 and 17 August, “Digging Market Garden” will celebrate South Kesteven District Council’s 80th anniversary commemorations of the Battle of Arnhem, as a project collaboration between the Universities of Lincoln and Oxford, Wings to the Past, and the Ministry of Defences’ Operation Nightingale.
The dig will explore the daily routines of the 1st Airborne Division servicemen stationed at Fulbeck Manor near Grantham during the conflict, with veterans and service personnel from the Royal Air Force and British Army, and local communities all taking part in the field work.
Professor Lewis said: “Digging Market Garden is a brilliant opportunity to explore some of the ghost archaeology of World War Two, while also helping people from today’s armed forces. 80 years ago, Britain was carpeted with wartime infrastructure, including at Fulbeck where maps show a massive airbase from which ill-fated ‘Operation Market Garden’ was launched in 1944.
“Fulbeck’s wartime structures are mostly now long-gone, but childhood memories still preserve mysteries. One of these is a Nissen hut adjacent to Fulbeck Manor House, which resident Julian Fines remembers clearly, but the 1940s maps don’t extend this far so its function is unknown.
“In 2024, excavations with armed service personnel and families will hunt for clues in the beautiful Manor gardens that can tell us more about this chapter of history that is rapidly slipping beyond living memory, while simultaneously offering a positive community experience that will benefit participants’ wellbeing.
“I’m delighted to be working on this with Wings to the Past, as a follow-up to the University’s 2019 excavations at Riseholme, regaining momentum lost during the pandemic in our efforts to support military families through archaeology.”
Despite the many news reports, war diaries, and historical accounts of Market Garden, little is known about the preparations and build-up to the deployment, and the dig in August will offer a vital opportunity to investigate, record, and commemorate the airborne heritage of South Lincolnshire.
All events are free to attend and open to the public:
- 15 – 17 August, “Digging Market Garden” archaeological excavation: Fulbeck Manor, between 10am – 4pm.
- 16 August, “By Air to Battle: South Kesteven’s Airborne Heritage”; illustrated talk, Fulbeck Village Hall at 7pm.
- 17 August, Military memorabilia exhibition and finds from the excavations, Fulbeck Village Hall between 10am – 4pm.
Great Coates reaches national final of Britain in Bloom contest
Great Coates has reached the national Britain In Bloom final, showcasing its impressive floral displays and community work throughout the North East Lincolnshire village.
The annual Britain In Bloom awards, run by the Royal Horticultural Society, celebrate villages, towns and cities that have gone the extra mile to beautify their area.
Having won the East Midlands in Bloom category, they were put forward to the national judging in the large village category. Great Coates is one of eight in the category including the likes of Floral Forest in Guernsey and Saundersfoot in Bloom in Wales.
Royal Horticultural Society Judges Roger Burnett and Ian Beaney visited the village to compare its displays to the other competitors before an overall winner is declared late this year.
For founders and long time residents Mike and Dawn Stewart, it’s an honour to even be nominated. Dawn said: “We started the group five years ago after myself and Mike wanted to make the area near the war memorial look more appealing.
“After that, two of our friends decided they wanted to help us do more to the village in general and it went from there.”
To start with, Dawn and Mike spent four hours a day taking milk bottles full of water around the village for the flowers they’d planted. Now, the 16 strong volunteers take it in turn watering the 160 displays, taking two hours at a time.
“I’ve lived here 65 years now and we just want to bring it back to it’s former glory and hopefully put North East Lincolnshire on the map,” said Dawn.
Clerk of the village council, Carl Thomas, is also part of the volunteer group and says that there is more to their efforts than just flowers. “We litter pick, commemorate significant events and look after the train station after becoming adopters on behalf of East Midlands Railway and work with local community groups to teach them about gardening.”
“After that, two of our friends decided they wanted to help us do more to the village in general and it went from there.”
To start with, Dawn and Mike spent four hours a day taking milk bottles full of water around the village for the flowers they’d planted. Now, the 16 strong volunteers take it in turn watering the 160 displays, taking two hours at a time.
“I’ve lived here 65 years now and we just want to bring it back to it’s former glory and hopefully put North East Lincolnshire on the map,” said Dawn.
Clerk of the village council, Carl Thomas, is also part of the volunteer group and says that there is more to their efforts than just flowers. “We litter pick, commemorate significant events and look after the train station after becoming adopters on behalf of East Midlands Railway and work with local community groups to teach them about gardening.” 