< Previous70 LINCOLNSHIRE TODAY CARING stay at the home they may have known for years, or move to a smaller, more manageable bungalow or, if feasible, move in with the family. All these options come with the benefit that the property can be specially adapted with handrails, stair lifts, easy to reach cupboards and through the Disabled Facilities Grant, applying via the www.gov.uk website, help can be obtained to cover the costs for equipment and adjustments to a home without affecting an ageing relative’s benefits. Another issue to be considered, is if an elderly relative wants to stay in their own home, is the cost-of-living crisis. The national charity, Age UK, a leading organisation which advocates for the elderly stated in October, via Caroline Abrahams, the Charity Director: “with the cost of food and energy soaring…. pensioners on low and modest incomes are confronting the fact that basic goods and services are increasingly beyond their means.” So, with Age UK offering objective, up to date advice and options for the elderly, it’s a good call to research the budget available for an elderly relative (Age UK Advice Line open all year - 0800 678 1602). There are some simple ways you can help your elderly family members live a good and fulfilling life, however, and these can make a marked difference. There are always the obvious points of spending time with them or being around more, but it’s worth considering some of the lesser talked about options that can greatly increase both their quality of life, and their health. Firstly, consider helping an elderly relative with technology to better stay in touch with people digitally. Not everyone in their later years is able to use tech devices, for example, a smart speaker which can not only answer questions and play music on demand but can also be used for voice calls once set up. Demonstrate how to do something on a smartphone or tablet, writing clear, basic instructions down so they’re not forgotten. It can also be worth contacting local community projects, charities or services - an elderly relative can get involved with a befriending service, a charity that matches © stock.adobe.com/Lumos spLINCOLNSHIRE TODAY 71 CARING 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 volunteers with an elderly person to help with practical things like shopping trips, walking their dog, or groups that meet regularly and do a range of activities. Google, or Facebook community groups, local community hubs, Government websites, churches or community centres all signpost to these kinds of services. Finally, try to help an elderly relative to get out every day if possible - those who have mobility or certain health issues might not be able to but getting out of the house each day, even walking to the end of the street and back can mean interaction with neighbours or passers-by and daylight, fresh air and exercise can also be great for general mental and physical health. Overall, there are many ways to help an ageing relative, whether the elderly member in your family is living independently, with you or in a retirement home. Show them that you’re available with regular chats, visits, telephone calls or emails to them (if they are computer literate). This can help them avoid feeling lonely, useless or bored which prevents depression or exacerbating physical illness. Encouraging an elderly person to open up and express themselves and their wants is essential – and through this, ideas can be discussed and developed, not only to help them but the family too, as all can be reassured that the elderly relative is living their last years both happily and healthily. © stock.adobe.com/luckybusiness72 LINCOLNSHIRE TODAY COUNTY MOTORING BMW 5 Series Sedan The new BMW 5 Series Sedan now offers the entire range of electrified drive technology. Just a few weeks after the market launch of the all-electric BMW i5 and the combustion engine variants equipped exclusively with 48-volt mild hybrid technology, two plug-in hybrid models will already be launched in November 2023. In the eighth generation of the world’s most successful business sedan, the plug-in hybrid models are characterised by extremely spontaneous power delivery, clearly increased efficiency and a significantly increased electric range. Both models feature the latest BMW eDrive technology for plug-in hybrid systems, which motors Upcoming is combined in the BMW 530e Sedan with a four-cylinder petrol engine and in the BMW 550e xDrive Sedan with an in-line six- cylinder petrol engine from the BMW Group’s latest Efficient Dynamics modular generation. Skoda Scala Proudly wearing Skoda’s famous Monte Carlo badge, the flagship model in the new Scala range features 18-inch Ursa black brushed alloy wheels and full LED Matrix headlights with AFS (adaptive front light system) with cornering function and dynamic indicators. Monte Carlo models are also equipped with a panoramic sunroof with extended tailgate glass, rear view camera, We look at some of the motors expected to come soon - with some of them entering the market as early as spring 2024. Skoda ScalaLINCOLNSHIRE TODAY 73 COUNTY MOTORING black door mirrors, radiator grille and lettering on boot lid. To deliver a sporty driving experience to go with the Monte Carlo’s dynamic look, the range-topping model also comes with Drive mode select with Sport Chassis Control as standard. Inside, the Scala now adopts the interior concepts first seen on the Enyaq range with Loft, Lodge and Monte Carlo design selections available on SE, SE L and Monte Carlo models respectively. Inspired by modern living environments, the new design selections introduce new materials and colours to the Scala range and feature increased use of recycled materials and 74 Á BMW 5 Series Sedan74 LINCOLNSHIRE TODAY COUNTY MOTORING For All Your Motoring Needs Rear of: 120 Daubney Street, Cleethorpes DN35 7NU T: 01472 240 800 E: johnsmithautos@live.co.uk www.jsmithautorepairs.co.uk • Servicing • Repairs • MOTs • Diesels • Catalysts • Specialist Engine Tuning Family run business for over 20 years Tel: 01472 812130 www.lincsvwa.com Unit 3, Woodside Park, Station Road, Tetney, Grimsby. DN36 5HX Find An Experienced Motor Mechanic In Tetney, Near Grimsby n Servicing n MOTs n Repairs n Brakes & Tyres n Engine diagnostics n Car Batteries n Exhausts n ECU Remapping n Air Conditioning Testing/repairs/Re Gas VW, AUDI, SEAT & SKODA SPECIALIST natural fibres to further reduce the Scala’s production CO2 footprint. These include recycled materials for the upholstery, flooring and floor mats and natural, renewable raw materials in other areas. The door trim panels, for example, are partly made of fibres from hemp and kenaf - a type of hibiscus. The headliner also contains a proportion of these fibres for added strength. Volkswagen Tiguan In a world premiere, Volkswagen is presenting the all-new Tiguan and with it the third generation of the best seller. The Tiguan is one of the most successful Volkswagen models in the world today. More than 7.6 million buyers have chosen the compact SUV since its debut in 2007. The new model will reach dealerships as early as the first quarter of 2024. The compact SUV comes with a completely new design. As a particularly striking feature, the front of the vehicle has a powerful look with flat LED headlights and glass-covered horizontal strip. The radiator grille openings are now located at the outer sides of the bumper, where air curtains ensure optimum air routing. The cleanly designed front end highlights the fact that the drag coefficient has improved from 0.33 to 0.28. This silhouette is characterised by athletic shoulders over the wheel housings (with up to 20-inch wheels). A new horizontal LED strip adds emphasis to the unmistakeable Tiguan rear end. LINCOLNSHIRE TODAY 75 COUNTY MOTORING Renault Scenic E-Tech The Renault Scenic story began when the compact MPV first revolutionised the market in 1996. Its name, short for Safety Concept Embodied in a New Innovative Car, hinted at its fresh approach, and as families’ travel habits and aspirations have evolved over the years, the Scenic has changed with them. Today, the new latest generation version can be specified with an all- electric powertrain that features a compact 87kWh battery and a 160kW (220hp) motor, capable of delivering a 379-mile range (pending WLTP certification). The 2.78m wheelbase ensures a spacious cabin, including a 278mm knee radius at the back and a 545-litre boot. Its pioneering Solarbay opacifying glass roof and ingenious rear armrest are just some of the comfort-enhancing touches. The OpenR Link multimedia system features more than 50 apps and the ability to help plan your journey effortlessly. The all-new Scenic E-Tech electric’s signature sound sequence has been created in collaboration with renowned composer Jean- Michel Jarre. Renault is aiming for carbon neutrality in Europe by 2040 and worldwide by 2050. As a result, up to 24% of the Scenic E-Tech electric’s materials are recycled and 90% of its mass - including the battery - is recyclable. Renault Scenic E-Tech76 LINCOLNSHIRE TODAY INTERNATIONAL BOMBER COMMAND CENTRE The International Bomber Command Centre (IBCC) is centred on three tenets – Recognition, Remembrance and Reconciliation. In November, along with all Commonwealth countries, our focus is on the second of those tenets. A t memorials across the country people will gather together in ceremonies on Remembrance Sunday, buglers will play the Last Post and Reveille, prayers will be said, and wreaths will be laid. The IBCC is no different and our annual Service of Remembrance will be on the 12th November at the Memorial Spire, surrounded by the Walls that carry the names of 57,861 men and women who gave their lives serving Bomber Command in WW2. An important part of our service is the Roll of Honour, where volunteers read out the names of every Bomber Command veteran who has passed away in the preceding 12 months. For many at the IBCC, this is particularly moving as many of those named will have been well known to the team. We will be joined by personnel from local RAF stations, representatives of associations and local business representatives. In 2022, 37 different organisations took part in the wreath laying including Bomber Command veteran, Jack Cook, and Op Manna survivor, Coby van Riel. If you, or your organisation, would like to lay a wreath as part of the service, please email susan@internationalbcc.co.uk. In addition to this public service, we have a special ceremony which is created for primary school children. It involves children from local schools attending the Centre and, for those who can’t travel or who are further afield, we create an assembly package which includes pre and post session teaching materials, a PowerPoint learning resource and a video created for each year. Last year saw 365 children on site and a further 1,795 taking part virtually. This years’ service takes place on the 9th November. If your The Power of Remembrance LINCOLNSHIRE TODAY 77 INTERNATIONAL BOMBER COMMAND CENTRE school would like to take part virtually, please contact our Learning Team on 01522 514755 or learning@internationalbcc.co.uk. As part of this service the children will each be provided with a biography of an individual who is listed on the Walls of Names. These biographies have been created by a team of IBCC volunteers. and have taken seven years to research and build. They have now compiled over 11,000 of these snapshots into the men and women behind the names, and they are still working on others. They help to connect the children with the people of Bomber Command, bringing them to life and engaging them in their stories. This is core to the work of the Centre. It is about the stories of those who were there. Flt Lt Douglas Davidson Middleton RAF 39105 Douglas Davidson was the one of three Canadian brothers who served in the RAF before he was killed during a raid on the Baltic port of Wismar in July 1940. He was the second pilot of Honington-based 9 Squadron Wellington 1 L7795, which was shot down by a night fighter, crashing in Eckernforde Bay, near Kiel during the attack on the night of July 19, 1940. Bomber Command had sent 83 aircraft to a variety of German targets and his was one of three which failed to return. He is now remembered on the Runnymede Memorial along with all but one of his crew. Douglas had joined the Royal Air Force in 1933. His father, the Rev Fred Middleton, was the pastor of the Grace United Church in Dauphin, Ontario and both his brothers, Bruce and Donald, also served as pilots, all three after being taught at Dauphin public schools and collegiate. Douglas was married in 1936 by Evaline and they had a daughter, later settling in Axminster in Devon. The others who died were the pilot Sqdn Ldr John Monypenny, observer Sgt Fred Watson, wireless operator/air gunners Sgt Walter Cowell and Sgt Merle Gott and rear gunner PO Harold Lees. His name can be found on panel 212. Sources: Bombers First and Last by Gordon Thorburn/Canadian Virtual War Memorial/9 Squadron. F/L Geoffrey Stevenson Stout DFC RAFVR 145510 Geoffrey Stout was a decorated 617 Squadron Lancaster pilot who was killed after giving other members of his crew time to escape from their blazing bomber. His Lancaster, NF923 KC-M, was heading back to Woodhall Spa for a bombing raid on the Dortmund-Ems canal at Ladbergen with its 12,000lb Tallboy still on board when it was intercepted by a night fighter flown by one of the Luftwaffe’s top-scoring aces late on the night of 23 September, 1944. The cannon fire from Hpt Heinz Wolfgang Schnaufer’s fighter ripped through the Lancaster over Holland, knocking out three engines and started a serious fire in the bomb-bay. Geoffrey Stout ‘held the aircraft steady’ according to historians to allow at least of the five on board managed to bail out before the six-week-old Lancaster crashed near Lochem. Geoffrey died in the crash the other casualties were the navigator while the flight engineer died two days later in hospital in Enschede. The Lancaster was Schnaufer’s 96th ‘kill’ and one of four Lancasters he shot down that night. Geoffrey was the 23-year-old son of Jacob and Emma Stout of Whitehaven in Cumberland. He was a graduate of Trinity College, Cambridge and had first served with Bomber Command early in 1943, flying a full tour with 9 Squadron at Waddington and Bardney before being was awarded his DFC in September that year. He later joined the ‘Dambusters’ at Woodhall and was one of the pilots which flew on the famous shuttle raid through Russia before narrowly missing the battleship Tirpitz. He is now buried in Lochem New General Cemetery and is remembered in his home town and on the impressive 617 Memorial in Woodhall Spa. The others who died were the flight engineer PO Alan Benting and navigator FO Clyde Graham MiD. The other members of the crew were bomb-aimer FO W Robert RCAF who evaded capture and wireless operator FO R Allen DFC, mid-upper gunner Flt Sgt P Whittaker DFM and rear gunner FO R Petch DFC who all became prisoners. His name can be found on panel 102. Sources: 617 Squadron Association/Bombers First and Last by Gordon Thorburn/Cumbria Memorials.78 LINCOLNSHIRE TODAY what’s Spalding November 4 Casting the Runes - South Holland Centre You are invited to the edge of your seat, on a journey to the darkest corners of the night. Expert on the so-called supernatural, Edward Dunning is a scholar and a sceptic. But when he crosses paths with the mysterious Mr. Karswell, Dunning’s life becomes a waking nightmare. A chilling new adaptation of M.R. James’ classic ghost stories featuring remarkable puppetry and a haunting original soundtrack. Scunthorpe November 4 Noel Fitzpatrick - Beyond Supervet - The Baths Hall Noel Fitzpatrick takes to the stage this autumn as he brings his uplifting and motivating show back on the road, told with passion, humour and raw truth, learned from the thousands of animals he has helped through his career – and the people who have loved them. Grantham November 4 Bonfire Night at The Engine Yard - Belvoir Castle Prepare to be dazzled at the Belvoir Castle Bonfire Night at the Engine Yard. Warm up with your favourite autumnal comfort foods and enjoy Bonfire Night in style in the light of the stunning fireworks displays with Belvoir Castle as the backdrop. Scunthorpe November 8 Fairytale of New York - The Baths Hall Direct from the West End and after a phenomenal sell out debut tour, Fairytale of New York is back with an even bigger production for 2023. It’s the ultimate feel good Irish-inspired Christmas show. Grantham November 11 Belton Remembrance Day Walk - Belton House Come and join the Belton rangers on this Remembrance Day Walk and enjoy a tour of the WW1 Machine Gun Site, visit the Commonwealth War Graves at Londonthorpe, ascend Bellmount Tower to learn about its role in the war, and chat about the original Home of the RAF Regiment. Grimsby November 14 Christmas Memories - Grimsby Auditorium Neil Sands and his wonderful cast are back with the new 2023 production of their hit show, a spectacular spirit lifting, heartwarming, afternoon of festive nostalgia. Join them for a dazzling sleigh ride of yuletide memories, filled with over 60 of your all-time favourite Christmas songs and Carols that will have you singing along from start to finish and bringing back so many wonderful memories of Christmases past. Described as ‘Like A Sparkly Christmas Card Come To Life’ with its shimmering stage set, stunning costumes, beautiful Christmas Stamford November 11 Stamford Pottery Market - Stamford Ballroom The Stamford Pottery Market returns to The Arts Centre in Stamford for the second time this year - on Saturday 11 November - just in time for Christmas shopping! With over 25 local potters displaying their work, there will be a wide range of pottery creations to suit everyone – from beautiful domestic and garden ware to all manner of ornaments, jewellery and sculptures – large and small. You may just find that special gift for a friend or relative – or something for yourself as a treat. © stock.adobe.com/GVS80 Á LINCOLNSHIRE TODAY 79 trees and even falling snow, this is the perfect pre-Christmas treat, warming your heart on the coldest winter’s day, taking us all back to a time when Christmas was ‘The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year’. Lincoln November 18 Historic Pubs Walking Tour - Castle Hill New for 2023, this walking tour provides a deep dive into Lincoln’s historic pubs, breweries and beer houses and the stories they have to tell; both past and present. The tour comprises of a walk around the historic core of Lincoln and visits to five local public houses on route - giving you the opportunity to taste some of the local ales and beers the area has to offer. The Historic Pubs Walking Tour will take place monthly on Saturdays. Each tour lasts around 3.5 - 4 hours. Drinks are included in the price of the tour which will include a half pint of traditional beer (alternative drinks available). Grantham November 18 - December 31 Twelve Days of Christmas - Belvoir Castle Brand new for 2023, step into a world of Christmas wonder at Belvoir Castle’s ‘Twelve Days of Christmas’, designed by the renowned Charlotte Lloyd Webber and team! Prepare to be © stock.adobe.com/Adam Lincoln November 12 IBCC Service of Remembrance - International Bomber Command Centre On 12 November, the IBCC in Lincoln will be holding their annual Service of Remembrance at the Memorial. The service will include hymns with the IBCC Orchestra and Choir, poetry readings and a Roll of Honour for the veterans who have left us in the last year. The memorial will conclude with a wreath laying. © stock.adobe.com/Tarun Chauhan Spalding November 4 Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland - South Holland Centre Box Tale Soup invite you down the rabbit hole into a timeless world of wondrous fantasy. Carroll’s Wonderland floods onto the stage in a whirl of strange contraptions and curious characters. No matter how young or old, everyone will find their own moment of magic in Wonderland and make it safely home again – the only danger is, you may not want to leave! Featuring a cast of just two human performers, a dozen colourful handmade puppets and a beautiful set that unfolds from a vintage trunk, alongside a magical soundtrack of original music composed especially for the show. Next >