< Previous60 LINCOLNSHIRE TODAY There’s an often incorrect idea that education stops after school, that if you failed or chose not to earn a qualification in school or university, that it is somehow lost to you forever. This is patently false as anyone who has visited a university will have seen plenty of mature students, but it’s still an altogether pervasive mentality that keeps many people from progressing in life. The reality is that there are plenty of schools, facilities and training providers who can help people learn new skills and valuable trade qualifications, and that all too often it is our own misconceptions holding us back. It can be hard to find time in the busy adult world for schooling and study, this is undeniable. The thought of attending lessons or even having to study may also be anathema, something to be looked back on fondly but to never subject ourselves to again. There are bigger problems, be those children, rent, bills or our jobs. It’s easy to make excuses, but that’s ultimately all that they are. If lockdown has taught us anything, it is that we can be more adaptable than we knew. Many have had to work from home and change their entire lives, and many will want to continue working from home, sometimes against the wishes of their employers. Some may even be considering new work opportunities, new careers and new employment. If so, it can only help to improve one’s CV with a qualification, be that an NVQ or some other industry-specific trade accreditation. Training providers have been keeping up with their own adaptations during lockdown, introducing virtual classrooms and more options for distance learning. 62 Á Never too old to learn The old adage goes that you can’t teach an old dog new tricks. Luckily, we’re not dogs and it’s never too late to learn something new, earn a qualification and shake up your career. 60-63.qxp_Layout 1 19/08/2021 13:46 Page 1LINCOLNSHIRE TODAY 61 EDUCATION © Shutterstock /Rawpixel.com Winner winner! We have a selection of these lovely aids to give away. These foam information boards, courtesy of Poundstretcher, help to encourage learning at home for young children and toddlers. As well as providing vital information that’ll put your little ones in good stead for starting school, they also double as a sensory play toy. To win one of these boards, all you need to do is send an email with the subject heading ‘Sensory Boards’ to competitions@blmgroup.co.uk. You can also check out the boards on the Poundstretcher website www.poundstretcher.co.uk/organs-foam-board. Competition closes at 23:59 on Wednesday 15 September. 60-63.qxp_Layout 1 19/08/2021 13:46 Page 262 LINCOLNSHIRE TODAY EDUCATION These usually include a means of interacting or seeking help from a personalised or group trainer, alone with regular assessments. Unlike in a normal school where teachers have to account for hundreds of students, this training tends to be a lot more focused on making sure the trainee succeeds, with plenty of resources and time offered for that purpose. It might even be better to think of adult training as entirely different from a school environment entirely. Indeed, there are no efforts to enforce a uniform (except in cases of health and safety if applicable) and the people teaching on the courses are professionals well aware that they are dealing with mature and responsible adults. When it comes to training, the most important thing to think of is what kind of career the training will help someone achieve. That always has to be the ultimate concern and the main purpose for seeking it in the first place. Perhaps you want to change career entirely, or maybe just seek out that promotion which always seems out of reach. Whatever the case, there are a wide array of jobs that can be achieved without full university degrees. These include payroll and junior/assistant accountant positions, care work, teaching assistants, operations management, health and safety, driving and haulage, construction, engineering and many more. There are a host of courses that can be searched online via reputable training providers, and our region plays host to plenty. There may well never be a better time for it either. As the country and our region comes out of lockdown, the economy will naturally star to recover. This is going to mean new business, new jobs and new job opportunities. Careers such as engineering already have large skill shortages, making individuals with engineering qualifications very valuable. Getting ahead of the curve It’s worth noting that many of the courses also include options for further learning later on. While gaining an accreditation may only secure you a job at the bottom rung of the ladder, it doesn’t stop there. There are further courses and qualification to earn later on that can help someone progress. Quite often, the best part about these jobs is that they rely on these qualifications, meaning that as long as a person is willing to put the effort into learning them, promotion is always a realistic possibility. The same cannot be said for a lot of other jobs. With all that in mind, why do people so often feel resistant to the idea of further education and training? Is it because we associate learning with being a child? Is it because of our egos? If so, perhaps it’s time to take a step back and ask what is really best for ourselves, and whether we couldn’t rise just a little higher. It’s never too late to improve oneself. © Shutterstock /skipper_sr 60-63.qxp_Layout 1 19/08/2021 13:46 Page 3Queen Ethelburga’s Collegiate An Excellent rated (ISI) school welcoming children aged 3 months to 19 years. Find out how we can help support your child to achieve their aspirations in our unique prep, middle and senior four-school model. Call to arrange a private tour or join us at our next open day on 2 October 2021. www.qe.org “To be the best that I can, with the gifts that I have.” www.qe.org | admissions@qe.org | 01423 333330 | York YO26 9SS Shortlisted for Independent School of the Year for Performing Arts and Independent Prep School of the Year. 60-63.qxp_Layout 1 19/08/2021 13:46 Page 464 LINCOLNSHIRE TODAY Any series of articles on Lincolnshire heritage must of course include a look at historic “Uphill” Lincoln, often referred to nowadays as the Cathedral Quarter. Some things discussed here will of course be familiar - others may (I hope) be less so! This article is different too in that it takes the form of a brief walking tour starting from Castle Hill and passes several information boards that will add to what is written here. We shall cover most of the area covered by the Roman city – the Lindum Colonia - but we will necessarily jump back and forth across the centuries from Roman times to the C20th as we reach the varying points of interest. But wherever we look, especially around the cathedral close there is, all around us, a cityscape of historic and characterful buildings. Start down Steep Hill to reach, on the left, the ancient Norman House (circa AD1180) that is sometimes misnamed the “Jew’s House”. Facing it across the road is the former Harlequin Inn, restored but probably late C15th. Further down we find the proper Jew’s House and Jew’s Court. The former dates from about AD1250, and retains many original features, particularly the doorway and upstairs windows. Jew’s Court is largely C17th but upon earlier foundations and was possibly a former synagogue. Turn into Danes Terrace to reach the strikingly modern “Collection” museum (2006) with its stunning modern interior. Just beyond the museum a gateway accesses the Usher Gallery, architecturally a complete contrast to The Collection. It was bequeathed to Lincoln by James Ward Usher, a city sheriff, to house his collection of coins, watches and porcelain. It was officially opened in 1927 by the Prince of Wales using a solid gold key. Inside is the nationally celebrated collection of Peter de Wint paintings and Alfred Lord Tennyson memorabilia. Surrounding the gallery are the Temple Gardens laid out in the mid C19th by Joseph Moore a local solicitor who charged the public to enter. After he died, they were abandoned until purchased by Lincoln Corporation in 1920 as a site for the gallery. All this is within the area once covered by the Roman city as it spread from the original legionnaires fortress downhill towards the Witham. Walk down through the gardens to Lindum Hill and turn left uphill to reach (on the left), and make the steep climb up, the Greestone Stairs to Greestone Place, passing through a mediaeval Cathedral Close postern gate and past a magnificent, buttressed mediaeval tithe barn dating from about AD 1440. Continue upwards and enter the Cathedral Close where, on the right, is the redbrick Our September “exploration” heads to our historic county city of Lincoln. heritage Lincolnshire explored Newport Arch Exchequer Gate 64-65.qxp_Layout 1 19/08/2021 13:47 Page 1LINCOLNSHIRE TODAY 65 C14th Chancery, home until her death in 1403 of Katherine Swynford, the mistress and eventual wife of John of Gaunt. Ahead, past the east end of the cathedral, is the memorial statue of Tennyson with his dog (1905). Nearby the Priory Gate, another cathedral precinct entrance, leads into Eastgate. Outside the Lincoln Hotel, we find our first visible Roman ruins, their city’s eastern gate. From here the East Bight follows the line of the city wall, via the site of a Roman aqueduct and on to Newport Arch the Roman city’s northern boundary and England’s only Roman gateway still in everyday use, (See the story of its near demolition by a lorry in 1964 on the adjacent information board.) Across the road in West Bight there is more of Roman Lincoln where part of the Forum boundary, known as the Mint Wall, rises some 25 feet in height. Continuing into Westgate it’s worth a short detour to the right to see “The Strugglers” inn with its bizarre sign. It was a vantage point when hangings took place on the top of Cobb Hall, one of the castle towers. Eventually once the Lincolnshire hangman, William Marwood of Horncastle, had invented the “long drop” executions took place out of sight within the castle. Return along Westgate to St Paul’s-in-the- Bail now excavated and a church site since about the C4th but before that a legionnaires fortress. There have been a series of churches here, the first probably of wood, then stone in Saxon times. (mid C7th.) The final Victorian one was demolished in 1971. On reaching Bailgate turn right. Bailgate was of course once the Roman Ermine Street as it headed north out of the city. Here we enter the area of the Roman Forum; look for the positions of some of its pillars marked by circular stone setts in the road. We then arrive back at Castle Hill with the church of St Mary Magdalene on our left in its northeast corner. The original church here, a parish church outside the cathedral close, was built around 1280 but that was entirely rebuilt in 1685 and again in 1882. Finally go through the magnificent C14th Exchequer Gate, the largest entrance gate to the Close. Nothing quite prepares any Lincoln visitor for the experience of passing through this to reveal the view of the amazing wall of masonry that is the cathedral’s west front. Of special interest, and curiosity, however is the row of elegant houses seen to the left. These were the first in the city to have street numbers and are appropriately still known as the “Number Houses”. The “Collection”, Usher Gallery, cathedral and castle are all recommended visits during or after the walk. So doing will mean that our tour could easily occupy most of a day. Street maps are available from the TIC on Castle Square or a map- dispensing machine outside St Mary’s church. Readers may have noted I have omitted two important Lincoln Uphill heritage sites. I have already written about the castle [January 2017] and we shall look at the cathedral next month. by Hugh Marrows Tennyson Memorial Usher Gallery Castle HillHarlequin Inn Roman East Gate Remains 64-65.qxp_Layout 1 19/08/2021 13:47 Page 266 LINCOLNSHIRE TODAY CARING Making a difference through fostering More foster carers are needed throughout the county, to help provide secure, loving homes to children and young people. Though at times tough, fostering is a rewarding experience. © Shutterstock /Prostock-studio 66-69.qxp_Layout 1 19/08/2021 13:49 Page 1LINCOLNSHIRE TODAY 67 CARING You can foster! Are you interested in fostering but think you wouldn’t be eligible? Think again! Foster carers are needed from all walks of life to meet the varying needs of the children in their care, and Lincolnshire Fostering Service is committed to recruiting a diverse range of foster carers from differing backgrounds and life experiences. We value the different perspectives people can bring to our team and believe that an inclusive fostering community enriches the lives of our children. We consider each application on an individual basis so you can be a foster carer if you: • are single, married or unmarried • are heterosexual, lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender • have had your own children or not • are a homeowner or renting (however, you must have a spare bedroom) • are from any ethnic or religious background • and there is no upper age limit to foster In terms of practicalities, there is a fostering allowance, as well as good support and training for those who provide a home for a child in need. Find out more at one of our bi-monthly online information events by booking your place at www.lincolnshire.gov.uk/fostering. If you feel that you could offer a home to a child or sibling group, apply to foster today at www.lincolnshire.gov.uk/fostering or call our friendly team on 01522 554114. Transforming the lives of children and young people, foster carers continue to be in high demand across the county as stable, safe, and loving homes are sought for those who cannot be cared for by their family. Over 65,000 children live with almost 55,000 foster families in the UK each day, and for many a foster carer will provide the first positive experience of family life, giving their time, energy, and patience to children, building trust, being available to talk to and celebrate achievements with. Each child has their own set of needs, and foster carers are tasked with meeting these and helping kids reach their potential. Children will come into care for a plethora of reasons, from a parent’s illness and temporary family problems to domestic violence, addiction, and neglect. Social workers then work to help families make homes safe, looking to reunite children with parents where possible. Whether overnight or for many years, there are several different types of foster care that can be specialised in. Some are called on in emergency situations, where carers may be required at any time of day or night to take a child for a few days, while longer term arrangements are made. Others take care of children on a short-term basis (overnight or for a few months) before the child goes to a permanent placement or returns home, and some care for kids long-term to provide them with security, where they may not be able to return to families for years or at all. Amongst others, there are also short break carers, who give part-time care, for example looking after a child for a few hours a week or for a weekend to give foster carers or families a break, and the option for fostering to adopt. A foster carer will usually specialise in caring for a certain age group, and focus on a gender, ethnicity, as well as children with disabilities, asylum-seeking children, and young parents. Currently, more carers are particularly needed to provide teenagers, disabled children, and siblings with a home. All sorts of myths frequently get in the way of people fostering, such as that being single, transgender, or religious means you cannot foster, but foster carers are wanted from a wide variety of backgrounds - so long as they hold the skills and qualities to help children in foster care - especially since the best possible match for a child is wanted, regarding location, culture, lifestyle, language. For those looking to get into fostering, the basic criteria see most services expect you be at least 21 years of age and living in the country, have a suitable spare bedroom, and have the time to care for a 69 Á 66-69.qxp_Layout 1 19/08/2021 13:49 Page 268 LINCOLNSHIRE TODAY Proudly serving the families of Gainsborough and the surrounding areas for over 5 years With sincere empathy and understanding, your loved ones as if they were our own. As your local family run and owned funeral directors, we have dedicated our lives to guiding those in our community through the difficult times of bereavement. 41 Heaton Street, Gainsborough DN21 2EA39 High Street, Saxilby, LN1 2HA www.cliffbradley.co.uk info@cliffbradley.co.uk Funeral Plans from £2,785 Private Chapel of Rest Day and Night Service Pre-paid funeral plans 01427 81061901522 708888 Email: earwork.info@gmail.com www.earworx.co.uk Tel: 07935 392965 / 01482 689994 279 Willerby Rd, Hull HU5 5HP Ear Wax Removal | Ear Care & Advice Specialist Nurse Practitioner Funeral Services Our funeral homes provide the best facilities including private arrangement rooms and peaceful chapels of rest. We also provide a funeral dividend during this difficult time of bereavement. A service from caring professionals To find out more contact your nearest funeral home: Lincolnshire.coop/storefinder 01775 711 959 www.countrycourtcare.com Spalding Common, Spalding, Lincolnshire, PE11 3AS Fenchurch House Care Home Fenchurch House provides the kind of care we’d want all of our loved ones to receive. Our brand new home is beautifully furnished, whilst retaining a warm family atmosphere that makes Fenchurch House feel extra special. If you’re concerned about how your relative is coping and would like them to have more support, Fenchurch House provides family-led care in a luxurious and homely environment. • Bistro Café • Fisherman’s Arms Pub • Hair and pamper salon For more information about life at Fenchurch House Care Home contact Customer Relations Advisor Morgan Hicks on 07834 790 400 or email morgan.hicks@countrycourtcare.com. • Tailored meaningful activities • Daily Fine Dining • Luxury en-suite bedrooms 66-69.qxp_Layout 1 19/08/2021 13:49 Page 3LINCOLNSHIRE TODAY 69 CARING child. As one is assessed by fostering services, additional factors up for consideration include your health, financial security, friends and family, your past, previous convictions, and experience with children. Providing care, foster carers will also advocate on the behalf of children, support their education, health and social wellbeing, work with a team of professionals and in partnership with the child’s social worker, one’s own, and birth families, attend meetings and keep records, and build skills, receiving ongoing training and support. Foster carers will receive an allowance covering the cost of looking after the children they care for, sometimes alongside a fee for the work they do, and will gain the chance for continued professional development amongst other forms of support. In becoming a foster carer, one needs to choose a service to foster with and get in contact, which may then lead to an invitation to an information session or a meeting with a member of the team. You can then ask to be assessed to foster, completing an application, and being assigned a social worker to start a detailed assessment on a person’s suitability, family, and preferred type of fostering. Background checks will be completed and home visits. One will be invited to training to develop the skills for fostering, and a report will be submitted for a fostering panel to make a recommendation on your approval. The process from application usually takes up to 8 months. After approval comes the arrival of a foster carer’s first fostered child, who may well be emotional, feeling isolated, confused, and the move might cause distress. Foster carers will need to help them feel safe, prepare and perhaps personalise their room. In an ideal situation a placement will be planned with a chance to meet a child, get to know their likes and dislikes, potentially establish a relationship with their parents, and get the house fully ready before they move in. Many foster carers will create a booklet about their family and routine to welcome the child. While being a foster carer can be difficult, and with children from different backgrounds potentially displaying challenging behaviours due to their past experiences, it is also highly rewarding, as foster carers help children flourish, help them get permanent homes, and make a huge difference to their lives. © Shutterstock /SewCream 66-69.qxp_Layout 1 19/08/2021 13:49 Page 4Next >