North Lincolnshire Council has launched a new initiative to support people who want to stop smoking during Stoptober.

In partnership with Scunthorpe-based retailer Liquid Mist, the council has made 3,500 free vape starter kits available to residents. The scheme, called Swap to Stop, is open to anyone aged 18 or over living in the area.

The kits, which include a device, e-liquids, and a quick start guide, are designed to help smokers begin a 30-day quit attempt. After completing the first month, participants can share their progress to receive a refill pack and continue their journey.

The programme responds to research showing that vaping is significantly less harmful than smoking and one of the most effective ways to quit. Alongside the free kits, people can also access support from the council’s Healthy Lifestyles Team, which offers guidance, nicotine replacement, and advice on medicines.

Additional tools are available through the NHS Quit Smoking app and personal quit plans, designed to increase the chances of success. Evidence shows that those who stay smoke-free for 28 days are five times more likely to quit for good.

Image credit: North Lincolnshire Council

The Air & Space Institute (ASI) Newark has reasserted its strategic partnership with Nottingham Trent University (NTU). The partnership, which was first established in 2023 when the ASI facility was under construction, gives the Institute’s Higher Education students the chance to complete a top-up degree, delivered by NTU at ASI, after finishing their Level 5 Higher National Diploma (HND) studies. ASI Newark launched in 2021, with the first intake of Higher Education students starting in 2024 studying programmes designed for future air and space engineers. Since then, the purpose-built ASI HQ boasts simulators, a full Airbus A318, multiple workshops and dedicated seminar space. Those who join ASI after leaving school are able to gain their Level 3 qualifications in an industry-standard facility and progress to study either a Level 4 and 5 Aerospace Engineering or Space Technologies Higher Technical Qualification (HTQ) before progressing to the full Level 6 BEng (Hons) Aerospace Engineering (Top-Up) degree. Lincoln College Assistant Principal Higher Education, Mel Watson, said: “Collaboration is one of the key things we look for in order to strengthen our ability to develop truly employer-led training and this partnership with Nottingham Trent University will provide a clear career pathway from schools right through to degree level. “Since the inception of the ASI, we’ve been amazed at the ambition and focus of our students. This partnership will no doubt give people that edge they need to enter what is a buoyant and thrilling industry to enter at the moment.” Thanks to this new partnership with NTU, students can stay on at ASI after finishing their Level 5 qualification to complete a full bachelor’s degree. Professor Sarah Speight, Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Provost at Nottingham Trent University, added: “At Nottingham Trent University, we are proud to deepen our partnership with the Air & Space Institute. This collaboration reflects our shared commitment to creating accessible, high-quality pathways into the aviation and aerospace industries. “By combining NTU’s academic excellence with ASI’s cutting-edge facilities and employer-led training, we are equipping students with the skills, experience and qualifications they need to thrive in a fast-evolving global sector.”

Children coping with the effects of cancer within their family are being given a friendly monster to help them through their anxieties. United Lincolnshire Hospitals Charity has teamed up with Lincoln County Hospital’s Macmillan Cancer Information and Support Service to provide colourful furry monsters help children cope when a member of their family is diagnosed with cancer. The idea of the Worry Monster is for children to write their worries on a piece of paper, unzip the monster’s mouth and put the worry in it for the monster to eat. The parents can then read the child’s worries and either post a response back or sit and talk with the child about their anxieties. The Macmillan Cancer Information Support Service Lead Nurse, Beverley Flockhart, said: “It is a sad time when families come to the unit and ask for more information to help their children cope with the cancer diagnosis of a member of their family. “The worry monsters are an amazing resource. Sometimes writing down a worry can be helpful in itself. So, when a troubling thought comes into a child’s mind, they can scribble down their thoughts or draw a picture and feed it to their worry monster.” Charity Manager Ben Petts said: “United Lincolnshire Hospitals Charity exists to provide additional equipment and resources for our patients and their families that the NHS cannot fund. The worry monsters are part of a suite of resources that we can provide for families living with cancer. Thanks to our supporters, more than 190 children now have one of these friendly monsters to help them through such a worrying time in their lives.” The Macmillan Cancer Information and Support Service has three hospital-based information centres at Lincoln County Hospital, Pilgrim Hospital, Boston and Grantham and District Hospital. The service is available whether people have a cancer diagnosis, need help and advice on behalf of a friend or relative, or are worried about cancer. Health and social care professionals can also use the centre as a resource for themselves or for information and support for their patients. More information on the work of United Lincolnshire Hospitals Charity can be found on the website: www.ulhcharity.org.uk. More information on the Macmillan Cancer Information and Support Service can be found by visiting https://www.ulh.nhs.uk/services/macmillan/, or alternatively, for information, support or just someone to talk to, call Macmillan’s free, confidential support line 7-days a week on 0808 808 00 00 or visit macmillan.org.uk/whateveryouneed.

North Lincolnshire Council has issued hundreds of fines in recent months as part of its campaign to tackle littering and anti-social behaviour.

In August, 177 penalties were handed out, with most focused on Scunthorpe town centre. Offences included dropping litter, begging, cycling in restricted zones, and drinking alcohol in the street.

The council spends more than £1m a year keeping public spaces clean and manages over 4,000 bins across the area. Officials say the investment is aimed at making it easier for people to dispose of rubbish responsibly while discouraging nuisance behaviour.

The latest figures follow summer patrols that concentrated on hotspots for street drinking and other issues in Scunthorpe. Enforcement teams are now extending their presence across towns and rural areas.

The authority has made clear it intends to continue backing residents and businesses who take pride in their communities, while targeting those whose actions undermine public spaces. The approach is part of wider efforts to create cleaner, safer environments across North Lincolnshire.

Image credit: North Lincolnshire Council

A new website documents the remarkable back-stories of how south Lincolnshire hosted Airborne Forces from three nations ahead of two major World War II operations. It is part of Soldiers From The Sky, a project supported by The National Lottery Heritage Fund gathering largely untold accounts of how Allied Airborne soldiers from Britain, America and Poland prepared for D-Day and Operation Market Garden (Arnhem) – two of the most audacious military actions of 1944. South Kesteven District Council was awarded £147,500 to illustrate how the district absorbed thousands of troops, witnessed their training and saw paratroopers leave from local airfields aboard giant airborne armadas. Ferrying them into battle were the unsung heroes of America’s IX Troop Carrier Command, launching waves of C-47 transport aircraft from airfields around Grantham at Fulbeck, Folkingham, North Witham, Saltby and Barkston Heath. Stamford rang to Polish voices and American troops charmed local communities as South Kesteven was transformed into a combat training area with the British 1^st Airborne Division centre stage. The skies were regularly full of US C-47 Dakota aircraft manoeuvring for paratrooper practice drops. Elite American Pathfinders spearheaded the D-Day airborne invasion, flying from a local airfield to set up drop zone location markers in enemy territory to guide in their countrymen. It’s a story that has won support from the highest military levels. Lieutenant General Andrew Harrison, formerly Colonel Commandant of the Parachute Regiment, backed the project from the outset and narrates a video on the website. He said: “As a Regiment, we embrace our Airborne heritage in the Netherlands and what happened as our Airborne soldiers fought to seize and secure key river bridges at Arnhem in 1944. “What is exciting to discover, thanks to this project, is how much of our British 1^st Airborne Division history and that of our Allies lies in this quiet corner of Lincolnshire, which has been largely undiscovered until now. “It’s very rewarding to think that so many more people will now gain an awareness of what happened in South Kesteven in 1944.” Thanks to Soldiers From The Sky, South Kesteven has a new visitor trail of national and international significance. It includes evocative airfields, pubs where Airborne troops of three nations supped English ale, cherished churches where they worshipped, soldiers’ wartime accommodation still welcoming visitors today – and a host of stories. Lt John Grayburn, posthumously awarded the Victoria Cross for his bravery holding the road bridge at Arnhem against overwhelming odds, spent the build up to Arnhem on the Easton Estate near Grantham. Others were killed in training, including 26 Polish Paratroopers and eight American aircrew who died in a mid-air collision near Stamford. Dogs of war included Major Jerry, the Dalmatian killed with decorated American veterans in a mid-air training collision near Grantham in December 1944 and sheepdog Smokey, rescued from a bomb site in London to become a much-loved mascot for Polish troops. War diaries have revealed gruelling training marches and mock battles, with trails inviting travel through beautiful countryside once familiar to airborne troops preparing to join the fight for freedom. Places of interest include sites with airborne heritage still welcoming visitors today, including Easton Walled Gardens, the Hare and Hounds in Fulbeck (the heart of British 1^st Airborne Division activity), the Angel and Royal Hotel in Grantham and St Vincent’s Church in Caythorpe. The website also has an informative education pack for KS2 pupils as part of its Poppies on Pebbles creative initiative that encourages art, poetry and Remembrance. The 18-month project has included commemorative events, development of a smartphone app, visitor-friendly information for Airborne-related sites, the planting of 2,400 maroon Airborne Tulip Memorial bulbs and new information boards. Cllr Bridget Ley, SKDC’s Armed Forces Champion, said: “We are delighted to offer this unprecedented and exciting chance for people to discover, explore and share the back-stories to this amazing chapter of our military heritage. “We are extremely grateful to National Lottery players and The National Lottery Heritage Fund for enabling us to celebrate this amazing chapter in the District’s history. “The website is a living legacy to those who briefly called this District home, those men of three nations who trained here and left for battle, many never to return.”   Image shows: British paratroopers pre-Arnhem departure from RAF Barkston Heath

Temple Gardens in Lincoln will host an unusual art exhibition on Tuesday 30 September, when three buses are turned into temporary galleries.

The one-day event brings together photographs captured at bus stops and along routes across Lincolnshire, featuring everyday journeys and the people who take them. Visitors will be able to step inside the vehicles to view the collection from 10am until 2pm.

The exhibition marks the finale of Catch the Bus Month, a national campaign led by Bus Users UK. Throughout September, Lincolnshire County Council’s LincsBus service has shared daily images online to highlight the role of buses in the county. These posts have reached more than 60,000 people.

The photographs now move offline and into the heart of the city, offering a closer look at life on the buses and the diversity of passengers who rely on them.

Alongside the exhibition, the council has pointed to continuing investment in bus services, including real-time information screens, new shelters, and affordable fares.

Entry to the exhibition is free.

Image credit: Lincolnshire County Council