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Wyndham Park Bowls Club will be open on the 24th April at 12-00 till 14-00, and look forward to welcoming anyone who would like to try outdoor bowls.
The club is covid safe and adheres to all recommended procedures,
Bowls mats and jacks are sanitised before, during and after use.
All they ask is you bring with you is a pair of trainers or flat soled shoes to wear on the green.
For further information contact Ian on 07752641152.
The vast majority of children, 99%, have been offered a place at one of their preferred primary schools this year.
There are around 7,000 children wanting a primary school place this year, and 6,745 (95.39%) children will receive their first preference school. This is an increase on last year’s impressive 94.19% and 2019’s 95.02%.
A further 334 children (3.31%) have been offered their second preference, and 33 (0.47%) their third preference. A small minority of children, 58 (0.83%), will be offered a local school that isn’t one of their three preferences.
The vast majority of parents/carers will receive an e-mail containing a secure link to their offer letter on 16 April – go to http://www.lincolnshire.gov.uk/schooladmissions for further information.
Parents have until noon on 17 May 2021 to lodge an appeal against a school’s decision not to offer a place. If they return the appeal by the deadline, it will be heard before the start of the school year. If it is received late, it will still be heard, but this may be in September.
Because of appeals and movement on the reserve list, it is usual for the percentage of first preference to increase by the time children start in September.
Martin Smith, assistant director for education, said: “I’m delighted to see so many children getting their first choice school and this should be even better by September.
“It’s always our intention to support as many parents as possible with their preferences, and, yet again this year, the overwhelming majority of parents have been successful in gaining admission to the school of their choice.”
Network Rail yesterday completed a £2.7million project to upgrade two railway bridges in Grantham which carry the busy East Coast Main Line.
The work to strengthen the bridges – spanning Barrowby Road and Springfield Road – will keep the railway running reliably and make sure people can pass safely underneath it for years to come.
Over the last seven months, Network Rail teams have carried out vital repairs to the steel and brickwork on the bridges, as well as re-waterproofing them and re-painting sections.
The work was carried out in stages to make sure one of the two roads could stay open for the vast majority of the project. The improvements to the railway bridge at Barrowby Road were completed in early December 2020, before work began at Springfield Road in January.
The wintry weather which hit the region in February caused some delays to the work, and Springfield Road fully reopened yesterday (Friday 16th April).
Paul Rutter, Route Director for Network Rail’s East Coast route, said: “This vital work to strengthen the two railway bridges in Grantham means they are fit for purpose for the future – to carry the East Coast Main Line and for people in the community to safely pass underneath them.
“We carefully planned the project to minimise disruption for people in the community as much as possible. The weather brought some challenges and we want to thank drivers, residents and businesses in Grantham for their continued patience while the work was carried out.”
Activists like Greta Thunberg are joining this year’s 48 hours of global action. And as former primary school teacher Abby Milnes of education resource experts PlanBee shows, even the youngest children can get into the spirit of the day with simple activities near to home
A whopping 70 percent of teachers said say they don’t feel they have been properly trained to teach about climate change, with 40 percent saying it was rarely even mentioned in their school, according to a recent poll by TeacherTapp.
So, it’s all the more important that we can join the movement to educate ourselves, and our children, on the need to protect the global environment
Earth Day provides a way for us all to demonstrate support for environmental protection and to teach each other about environmental issues. It was first held in 1970 in the US and has now grown to international dimensions, with events across the globe. These aim to encourage people to come together and join the world leaders to discuss what we can do to prevent the potential disasters which could result result from climate change. They include a global youth summit which consisting of panels, speeches and discussions featuring today’s youth climate activists, including Greta Thunberg.
This year’s theme is ‘Restore Our Earth’.
April 21st will focus on the education of children in schools and the crucial role that educators play in ensuring that future generations have a good knowledge of what climate change is, and the steps that can be taken to combat its effects.
On the 22nd there will be a global climate summit with workshops, panels and performances on topics such as:
● Climate and environmental literacy
● Climate restoration technologies
● Reforestation efforts
● Regenerative agriculture
● Equity and environmental justice
● Citizen science
● Cleanups, and more.
Earth Day offers everyone, young and old, a chance to join together in a common cause: to make changes to combat the effects of and reduce further climate change. It is the perfect opportunity to help to educate the younger generations on steps we can all take to help our environment in the short term, as well as changes we can make to our lifestyles to make changes in the long run.
Your Earth Day activities can be as large or as small as you want them to be.
This is something everyone can participate in, no matter their age. Take a walk around your local area and take note of all the different animals, insects and plants you can spot. How many different kinds can you spot?
You may like to use these free identification charts for birds to help you.
Or create a scavenger hunt for each other, you could use these I Spy Outdoor Challenge Cards as a starting point.
Encourage younger children to identify where plants are growing, and where they are more likely to find insects – for example, under logs, stones or dark damp spots.
Older children may be encouraged to think about the food chains that they can see. What does a caterpillar eat? Does anything then eat the caterpillar?
This could lead into discussions about biodiversity and what may happen if you took away a food source such as leaves and grass. What would happen to the caterpillars, and their predators?
One of the main focus of this year’s Earth Day activities is cleaning up our environment to make sure waste ends up in the right place. Recycling is becoming easier and easier to do and commonplace in the UK, but there are still some areas that end up covered in litter. Why not take a look around on your walk and do your bit to clear up litter? Most councils will have litter-picking equipment available to book out to use in a litter pick. Why not organise some of your local community to help? Or think even bigger and tackle a larger area such as a local park or beach. You can even register your cleanup on the Earth Day website!
Everyone has a ‘foodprint’. This is the environmental impacts that are associated with growing, transporting, storing of and producing our foods. While vegetarian and vegan diets can help reduce your foodprint, you don’t have to give up your favourite foods for good. How about having a meat-free day? Learn new ways to cook meals with meat replacements, or just tasty ways to cook vegetables in different ways!
Do a taste test with your children. Do they prefer roasted, steamed or boiled carrots? Try new fruits for dessert and have your children help you prepare them. Life skills and new experiences in the same move!
Create a garden together. Whether it is a window box, a vegetable patch or just a single herb plant, teach your children how to care for a plant and keep it healthy. Even better if you get to use the fruits (and/or vegetables) of your labour in a new recipe!
Ask your children think about the energy and water being used at school and at home. How can we make sure we don’t waste energy and water unnecessarily? Challenge the children to create posters to put up around the area to remind users to turn off lights or the tap when they aren’t’t being used.
Our Waters Scarcity lessons may be a suitable resource for this!
PlanBee is passionate about creating age-appropriate resources to help primary school teachers, and parents feel confident when educating children about climate change. Their carefully designed ESR (Education for Social Responsibility) curriculum challenges children aged five to 11 to explore what climate change is and how it can affect not only humans but the world around us.
Earthday.org has a bank of educational resources to use with children of all ages to contribute to and learn about the environment around them.
Click here to find out the other areas our ESR curriculum cover.
An enterprising couple are offering people the chance to win a luxury £600K house in Yorkshire for just £2.50
Jayne and Steven Lawrence hope that by raffling their six-bedroom, detached property in Sheffield, they can also raise around £20K for Alzheimer’s Society, a charity close to their hearts.
Jayne, of Great Limber, near Grimsby, Lincolnshire, is determined to support Alzheimer’s Society after losing her mum, Gloria, to dementia last November.
She said: “Mum was a wonderful person – really attractive and always paying attention to her appearance. Mum was a highly respected principal of several care homes that specialist in Alzheimer’s and dementia. She was passionate about her job, making a difference to the residents while supporting family members, this makes her story all the more poignant.
“She was only in her 60s when we first realised something didn’t seem quite right and it was heart-breaking to see her deteriorate over the years that followed.
“My dad Geoff did an incredible job caring for mum for more than 10 years, until she passed away aged 78.
“With dementia, it’s as though you’re grieving for the person you love even though they are still with us. Eventually, mum was unable to recognise members of her own family.
“She was in a care home towards the end and there were times when I would wear sunglasses during visits because it was so painful to see her as she was and I didn’t want mum to see me upset.”
Jayne and husband Steven built the three-storey property on land belonging to Jayne’s parents in 2003.
The architecturally designed house represents Jayne and Steven’s love for contemporary design and period style features. It offers multi-generational living and has planning consent for a double garage with accommodation above.
Jayne, who is Head of Operations at the Department of Computer Science in York, has previously raised funds for Alzheimer’s Society alongside sister Helen when they took part in one of the charity’s Memory Walk events in Clumber Park, Nottinghamshire.
If Jayne and Steven achieve their target of 400,000 ticket sales, one lucky winner will get the keys to a dream house for a stake of just £2.50 – and a donation of around £20K will go to Alzheimer’s Society.
But even if ticket sales fall short of the target, a sizeable cash prize will be awarded to the raffle winner.
There are 850,000 people living with dementia in the UK, including an estimated 76,130 across Yorkshire and Humber.
Ju Lee, Community Fundraiser for Alzheimer’s Society, said: “We are thrilled that Jayne and Steven have chosen Alzheimer’s Society as the potential beneficiaries of this raffle.
“We rely heavily on the goodwill of fundraisers to enable us to support people living with dementia, campaign on their behalf and fund research.
“Coronavirus has shattered the lives of so many people with the condition. They have been the worst hit by the pandemic and need our support now more than ever. People like Jayne and Steven are helping to make that possible.”
Grantham Lions Club would have been celebrating its 50th birthday this month, if it hadn’t been for lockdown.
Instead, they can only dream about celebrating a belated golden anniversary in the not too distant future.
The club, which has raised £100,00s for local charities, was founded on 8th April 1971, and included Terry Finnegan and Tony Wilde – who is still a member. The organisation has held its meetings at The Angel & Royal Hotel since its inauguration.
It is best known these days for the annual charity concert, which over the years has been stages at Priory Academy and Walton Academy. It had been held at BMARCo Social Club, Springfield Road, until its closure in the 1980s. Also the Santa Claus tour of Grantham estates.
Another innovation was the Beaujolais run, where members travelled to France for the first Beaujolais Nouveau of the season.
Godfrey Mackinder, who has been president since July last, and a member for 33 years, said: “Such a shame we can’t celebrate this milestone in the way we would like.
“Let’s hope for all our sakes we will be back to normal.”
Network Rail has completed a £2.7million project to upgrade two railway bridges in Grantham which carry the busy East Coast Main Line.
It is set to reopen later this afternoon.
The work to strengthen the bridges – spanning Barrowby Road and Springfield Road – will keep the railway running reliably and make sure people can pass safely underneath it for years to come.
Over the last seven months, Network Rail teams have carried out vital repairs to the steel and brickwork on the bridges, as well as re-waterproofing them and re-painting sections.
The work was carried out in stages to make sure one of the two roads could stay open for the vast majority of the project. The improvements to the railway bridge at Barrowby Road were completed in early December 2020, before work began at Springfield Road in January.
The wintry weather which hit the region in February caused some delays to the work, and Springfield Road will fully reopen today (Friday 16th April).
Paul Rutter, Route Director for Network Rail’s East Coast route, said: “This vital work to strengthen the two railway bridges in Grantham means they are fit for purpose for the future – to carry the East Coast Main Line and for people in the community to safely pass underneath them.
“We carefully planned the project to minimise disruption for people in the community as much as possible. The weather brought some challenges and we want to thank drivers, residents and businesses in Grantham for their continued patience while the work was carried out.”
Robert Geoffrey Barber passed away peacefully at Holme Leigh Residential Care Home Navenby on Tuesday 6th April 2021 aged 96 years.
Beloved husband of Dorothy. He will be sadly missed by all his family and friends.
His funeral service will take place on Monday 26th April 2021 at Grantham Crematorium at 11.30am.
Family flowers only. Donations for Marie Curie can be forwarded to Robert Holland Funeral Directors, 14st Catherine’s Road, Grantham, NG31 6TS.
A new study conducted at the University of Worcester and published in The Journal of Steroid Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, has found low fat diets decrease men’s testosterone levels by 10-15%.
Optimal testosterone levels are critical to men’s health. Low testosterone levels are linked to a higher risk of heart disease, diabetes, and Alzheimer’s disease. Healthy testosterone levels are also key for men’s athletic performance, mental health, and sexual health.
Since the 1970s, there has been a decrease in men’s average testosterone levels and rates of hypogonadism (medically low testosterone) have been increasing. Low risk dietary strategies could be a useful treatment for low testosterone.
The study was a systematic review and meta-analysis, which combined together the results of 6 well-controlled studies with a total of 206 participants. These studies first put men on a high fat diet (40% fat), and then transferred them to a low fat diet (20% fat), and found their testosterone levels decreased by 10-15% on average. Particularly bad were vegetarian low fat diets causing decreases in testosterone up to 26%.
The authors linked their results to similar studies conducted in humans and mice. These studies found high intakes of monounsaturated fats found in olive oil, avocados, and nuts may boost testosterone production. However, omega 6 polyunsaturated fats predominantly found in vegetable oils, may damage the cells’ ability to produce testosterone. This is because highly unsaturated fats such as polyunsaturated fats are more prone to oxidation, which causes cell damage.
“Low testosterone levels are linked to a higher risk of heart disease, diabetes, and Alzheimer’s disease.”
The authors stated that further research needs to be done in this important area. The lead researcher Joseph Whittaker said, “Ideally, we would like to see a few more studies to confirm our results. However, these studies may never come, normally researchers want to find new results, not replicate old ones. In the meantime, men with low testosterone would be wise to avoid low fat diets”.
Dietary fat is a controversial topic in nutritional science, with proponents of various diets often in stark disagreement (low fat vs low carbohydrate). The benefits of low fat diets such as reduced cholesterol levels, should be weighed up against the potential downsides, such as decreased testosterone levels.
Traditionally, dietary guidelines have focused on limiting fat intake, with the current UK and US guidelines limiting fat intake to less than 35% of total calories. However, as more research on the benefits of high fat, low carbohydrate diets is done, this traditional view is coming under increasing scrutiny. In recent years, high fat diets have been shown to decrease triglycerides, decrease blood pressure, increase HDL cholesterol (aka ‘good cholesterol’), and now with this latest research: increase testosterone levels.
ITV’s hit game show Tipping Point is returning for a 12th series and is on the lookout for Lincolnshire contestants.
The quiz show first aired on ITV in 2012 and is presented by Ben Shephard. Four contestants answer questions to win counters, which they then use on a large coin pusher arcade-style machine for a chance to win money.
The show is searching for “fun, confident people who enjoy quizzing and would like the opportunity to win thousands of pounds using a combination of skill, judgement and chance” to take part in the next series.i
Online applications can be filled out online here until the deadline of May 7, 2021.
The deadline for postal applications is May 3 and it is advised to email apply@rdftelevision.com for more information and applicants must be aged 18 or above.
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