< Previous20 LINCOLNSHIRE TODAY ARTISTIC LINCOLNSHIRE S tudying textiles and fashion at university, Linda Charles’ background is evident throughout her work. The use of heavy textures, multiple forms of mixed media and gold and silver leaf, along with the patterns, all show elements of her experiences in life. Linda continues to break new ground as she strives to develop new ideas that connect on both cerebral and visual levels. Her most recent collection is her sell-out Pulp re-imagined collections, where she combines her love of the imagery of the pulp paperback books of the 40s, 50s and 60s with a back catalogue of famous hits, artists, and lyrics. Always inspired by music, Linda paints to music in her studio and it was there that she came up with the idea of combining elements of classic songs and artists with the look and feel of old paperback books and classic cinema. “The first one I came across featured a stunning woman running from a pair of headlights following her in a remote area - Immediately ‘Born to Run’ by Bruce Springsteen played in my head and the concept was born! I have so much fun with these collections because they combine the two artistic concepts of audio and visual.” We take a look at the artwork of Linda Charles this month, who combines her love of pulp paperback books, music and fashion to create striking art. Meaning in patterns If you’d like to see Linda’s work for yourself, head down to Lincoln’s Little Red GalleryLINCOLNSHIRE TODAY 21 THE LITTLE RED GALLERY Love art? Then we’d love to meet you, please call in for a cup of tea and a chat. The Little Red Gallery are feeling ‘Love’ with a fantastic range of pieces and perfect gift ideas.22 LINCOLNSHIRE TODAY Ed Fuller from Fullers Landscaping helps you put your leaves to beneficial use. leaves Love yourMAKE COMPOST: Fallen autumn leaves are a great source of brown material for your compost bin. By ensuring they are moist but not wet, mixed with green material and turned once a month to allow oxygen to circulate, they will eventually break down into a thick black compost – rocket fuel for your plants, flowers and lawn. LEAF MULCH: If you have a large number of fallen leaves, using them as mulch is a great alternative to throwing them away. First, collect them and shred them using a rotary mower. Once you have shredded the leaves, place them around your plants and flower beds – two or three inches thick, avoiding the stem as this can cause the plant to rot. Leaf mulch has several great benefits. Not only does it break down into a great soil conditioner, but it will act as insulation for plants and vegetables, and also protect useful animals like worms from prey. © stock.adobe.com/Elenathewise L eaf mulch has a number of great benefits and this is the time of year when you seem to be building piles and piles of endless leaf fall. It can seem like a thankless chore, and while a few leaves won’t cause any problems, hazardous, slippery wet leaves and subsequent blocked drains and gutters can be a nuisance and cause a real headache. However, there are many ways to put your leaves to good use, and here are five ways of how you can put them to work! HELP YOUR LAWN: When leaves fall onto your lawn, set your rotary lawnmower on its highest cutting height and mow over them without the back bag attached. This will shred the leaves into small pieces enabling them to break down into the lawn. This makes a great soil conditioner and helps the soil to retain moisture and remain healthy throughout the winter. Love your1. Clear up fallen leaves, especially from lawns, ponds and beds 2. Plant tulip bulbs for a spring display next year 3. Prune roses to prevent wind-rock 4. Plant out winter bedding 5. Cover brassicas with netting if pigeons are a problem 6. Stop winter moth damage to fruit trees by using grease bands around the trunks 7. Put out bird food to encourage winter birds into the garden 8. Remove pumps and lights from shallow ponds and keep tidying your pond. Especially after fallen leaves 9. Lift parsnips and store in boxes with sand, and harvest brussels sprouts 10. Dispose of excess debris unfit for compost by having a bonfire – but check for hedgehogs! LINCOLNSHIRE TODAY 23 FULLERS Call 01522 868717 or 07867 510544 landscapinglincolnshire@gmail.com www.landscapinglincolnshire.com GARDEN ADVICE Specialised Service in Garden Design and Landscaping Backed by a highly-skilled and experienced team, we’ve built our reputation on an ability to provide our clients with professional, tailored garden design and construction services. Around the garden BAG THE NUTRIENTS FOR LATER: During the spring and summer months, it can be difficult to find sufficient brown material for your compost bin (a percentage of brown material is essential for healthy homemade compost). By storing leaf fall in bags in a cool dry place, it allows a rich source of brown material for the following year. So the best thing is to put the leaves in a bag and leave them in your shed. INSULATION: Now this one may sound strange, but will be beneficial if your over-wintering plants are in your shed or unheated greenhouse. Collect as many leaves as you can, dry them out, and bag them up. Pack as many as you can tightly together and store them in the cold areas of your greenhouse or shed to act as insulation. These can then be used as the nutrient brown material needed for your compost bin in the spring and summer. Collecting the leaf fall is a job that unfortunately you need to keep on top of. If you decide to put some on a bonfire then please remember our friendly hedgehogs. It is advisable to burn a bonfire on the same day that it is built otherwise local hedgehogs may see it as a free hotel and decide to hibernate inside it. If not then please check your bonfire before setting it alight. © stock.adobe.com/Monkey Business © stock.adobe.com/top images24 LINCOLNSHIRE TODAY LINCS & NOTTS AIR AMBULANCE Q&A Can you tell us a little about the Lincs & Notts air ambulance and what you do as an organisation? Our team of doctors and paramedics train constantly to ensure they are at the top of their game, to deliver emergency medicine to patients with life threatening illnesses and injuries on scene, whether that’s at the roadside, in the countryside or along the coast. It is this intense level of care that can prevent death and disability caused by traumatic injuries. Our doctors and paramedics deliver emergency blood transfusions, anaesthetics, surgical operations and advanced pain relief – treatments usually only possible in a hospital. A team of pilots fly our iconic Agusta Westland 169 helicopter, one of the most modern air ambulances in service today. With a top flying speed of 180mph it enables the pilots to transport the crew to some of the most seriously ill and injured patients at the scene of the incident, anywhere in Lincs and Notts within 20 minutes of leaving our HQ near Waddington, south of Lincoln. When the helicopter is unable to fly, either due to bad weather or if the emergency is in an urban area, then our fleet of critical care cars take over. This combination ensures that we can respond to calls every minute of the day, every day of the year, wherever the patient may be. Do you keep in touch with patients after you have helped them? We know that being involved in a serious incident or medical emergency can change someone’s life dramatically. Which is why, over the last three years, we have invested in developing our patient and family support service. Whether they are welcoming a past patient to meet the crew, being there for a family at a funeral or simply making the tea and listening, the team are there to help and support anyone who has been affected by a trauma the crew attended. Q&A Lincs & Notts Air Ambulance The Lincs & Notts Air Ambulance has flown out over 1,300 times this year already, and their work keeps getting busier. We speak with Stuart Elms, Chief Operating Officer for Lincs & Notts Air Ambulance, to learn more about the work this life-saving charity performs.LINCOLNSHIRE TODAY 25 LINCS & NOTTS AIR AMBULANCE Q&A The team have forged lasting relationships with some families and they regularly receive messages and letters of thanks from those they have helped. Can you give us an idea of how busy you’ve been in our region over the past few months? There is no doubt that the demand for our services is increasing. By the end of September this year our crews responded to 1,322 missions, signalling that 2023 will be the busiest year on record. The summer months from 1 June to 30 September have seen a 10% increase on last year with our crews responding to 640 missions. In fact, in one busy week they were called to 56 incidents including road traffic incidents, cardiac arrests and accidental injuries, all in the space of ten days. And behind every one of these calls are mums and dads, children and grandparents, friends, colleagues and neighbours – all in need of the Lincs & Notts Air Ambulance. How can people get involved with supporting and fundraising for LNAA in Lincolnshire? As a charity we receive no direct funding from the Government, and we are not part of the NHS. It will cost £10 million this year to deliver our life-saving service and we rely on the generosity of organisations and people in the communities of Lincolnshire and Nottinghamshire for support. There are many ways to fundraise for LNAA. In particular, challenge events are growing in popularity, and we are currently asking people to take up the opportunity to climb Mount Kilimanjaro. Other challenges events closer to home include the London Landmarks Half Marathon, and for thrill seekers, sky- diving experiences. And, with Christmas around the corner, tickets are now on sale to join an evening of festive cheer at our first ever Christmas Carol Concert. All the details of our events can be found on www.ambucopter.org.uk our website here www.ambucopter.org.uk/find-an-event Another way to support us is to become an LNAA volunteer. Our volunteers are our ambassadors and we have a range of roles available. What’s next for the LNAA? We never sit still at Lincs & Notts Air Ambulance and our clinical team are constantly striving to deliver the very best care that they can. Next year, we celebrate our 30th anniversary. When we look back to those early days in the 1990s when we only flew the helicopter if we had sufficient funds to do so, to today where we are responding to over 4 missions per day, performing life-saving operations at the roadside, we realise how far we have come. 26 LINCOLNSHIRE TODAY FASHION Joe Browns With jumpers abound this season, enhance your outfit with a statement jacket as Joe Browns does here with this enchanting, embroidered piece. LINCOLNSHIRE TODAY 27 FASHION Winter arrives Winter arrives With winter on its way it’s time to wrap up with a new wardrobe.28 LINCOLNSHIRE TODAY FASHION Left: Aspiga Shake up your workwear this season with this fashionable corduroy suit from Aspiga. Middle: Cotton Traders Smart, sophisticated, and perfect for snuggling up in, this coat from Cotton Traders will see you through the season stylishly. Right: Threadbare Take your knits up a notch with this teal V-neck jumper dress from Threadbare. Opposite: Barbour Banish the rain and wind while serving a classic look via a trench coat, such as this elegant number from Barbour. Next >