The Research Team within the county’s NHS provider of mental health, learning disabilities and autism services, Lincolnshire Partnership NHS Foundation Trust (LPFT), has been named a finalist for ‘Outstanding Achievement by a Team’ at the CRN East Midlands Research Awards 2021.

This category provides recognition of the outstanding achievements of research teams in the East Midlands, and awards teams that have gone above and beyond what would normally be expected to achieve outstanding results.

Dr Ananta Dave, Medical Director at LPFT, nominated the team for their positive team spirit, work ethic, “can do” attitude and exceptional contribution to clinical research.

Dr Dave said: “Our Research Team do everything they can to ensure that participants have a positive experience and are empowered to take part in further studies in the future. 98% of LPFT research participants say they would consider taking part in research again.

“They actively encourage our community to be part of local and national research which aims to better understand and prevent health problems. Without these vital studies and amazing volunteers, it would be impossible to develop treatments and improve quality of care.”

The nomination for the award included several key achievements from recent years, including successful bids for pilot study funding, upskilling and providing research experience for doctors, the #LincsJDR300 Join Dementia Research campaign, and involvement in urgent Public Health trials.

LPFT is one of only a handful of mental health and learning disability trusts nationally to be part of the SIREN study, which researches immunity and COVID-19. Over 90 staff at the Trust were successfully recruited and the data collected helped to inform the national COVID-19 response and vaccination programme.

Tracy McCranor, Clinical Research Manager at LPFT, said: “Being a finalist for the CRN East Midlands Research Awards is a great achievement for the team who have worked tirelessly and adapted quickly to deliver urgent COVID-19 trials during the pandemic.

“The team have proven their resilience and ambition, and demonstrated their skills in translating NIHR (National Institute for Health Research) priorities into swift action at a local level.” To find out more about getting involved in research with LPFT, please visit www.lpft.nhs.uk/research

This week has seen a significant announcement from the Ministry of Justice about how those whose actions lead to the death of an emergency worker will be punished.

A new piece of legislation, called Harper’s Law, will be passed “as soon as possible”, and today, Deputy Chief Constable of Lincolnshire Police, Jason Harwin, explains why this is such a major milestone.

“Every day, our officers report for duty knowing that they could be harmed in the line of duty. They do this because they feel a shared sense of responsibility to keep our communities safe from harm, and they do it willingly knowing the risks.

“But even one assault or incident of harm is one too many, and the effects can be devastating. In the tragic case of PC Andrew Harper, responding to a call in the line of duty led to his death through harrowing circumstances. Myself and colleagues across all police forces mourn his loss. But this week, we also share in celebration with his loved ones, whose hard work and commitment to making those who assault emergency workers pay the dearest price they can, has paid off. 

“The Ministry of Justice has now announced that Harper’s Law will be passed “as soon as possible”, which will see mandatory life sentences for those who kill an emergency worker in the course of their duty including police, prison officers, firefighters and paramedics.

“Our officers and staff are here to keep you safe and to work with you in protecting communities and making this the safest place to live, work and visit. We are grateful that most of our communities are really supportive of Lincolnshire Police and work well with us, but there remains a small minority who would assault an emergency worker. This is completely unacceptable and it is definitely not part of the job.

“At Lincolnshire Police we take this extremely seriously, and we will look to prosecute those who carry out these attacks.

“It’s vital that we protect the protectors.

“In December last year, we and the Police Federation introduced robust measures to investigate assaults on officers, including working with the Crown Prosecution Service to press for an increased number of successful prosecutions, as well as support being available from immediately after the attack through to the completion of the court process and beyond.

“Harper’s Law is a significant new piece of legislation which complements those measures, and is an important milestone which we support wholeheartedly. We’d like to pay special thanks to PC Harper’s wife and family for making this a reality.”

Find out more here: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/government-to-introduce-harper-s-law

John Bartlett says…

All being well, as long as Boris does nothing to stop us, we will be going ahead with the Christmas Toy Run this year.

It will be leaving Bottesford at 11am on Sunday 28th November.

Please remember to bring some loose change with you as it will also be going to the Birchwood School. 

A very worthwhile cause.

Unfortunately, the lockdown has meant we had to cancel last year and the Easter Egg Run for two years.

Loooking forward to seeing you all again and hope the weather stays fine for us.

As usual in recent years, it will turn right at the ‘Muddle’ roundabout on to Barrowby Gate as they are not permitted by the authorities to go through Grantham town centre.

There is queueing traffic and traffic heavier than normal due to ‘rubber-neckers’ slowing to look at accident on A1 Northbound at the Hungerton turn-off, Great Ponton.

Several vehicles are said to be involved, with one car on its side.

This is affecting traffic towards Grantham. Travel time is 20 minutes.

Blessings were bestowed on Lincolnshire’s gritters in Sturton yesterday (Wednesday 24 November) at a ceremony at the county’s Sturton by Stow depot – with the Bishop of Grimsby, the Right Reverend Dr. David Court, being welcomed to the depot.

The annual ceremony plays a meaningful part in the county’s winter preparations, which include assessing salt stocks and test-driving the gritters before icy weather sets in.

The Bishop of Grimsby, the Rt Revd Dr. David Court, said: “The annual blessing of the gritting teams is an opportunity to thank them for their hard work, heading out in all weathers and at all hours to make the roads as safe as possible for the public to use.

“Many people in Lincolnshire live in rural areas and rely on the roads being gritted to ensure they can still get to the shops, doctors, or even check on family and friends during cold weather. At the ceremony, we will bless the equipment and pray for the teams’ safety.”

Cllr Richard Davies, executive member for highways, said: “With winter just around the corner, our gritters are well-prepared, having been out on training runs and testing out routes that will treat nearly 2,000 miles of county roads.

“The Bishop’s blessing will see our teams through the colder months ahead.

“This year, we have a fleet of 43 gritters and 29,000 tonnes of salt ready for use.

“But remember: even treated roads can be dangerous, so please take care and drive to the conditions. Motorists can find out more by following @LincsCC_roads on Twitter for the latest.”

For more information about gritting in Lincolnshire, including what we grit and when we grit, visit https://www.lincolnshire.gov.uk/faults-maintenance/view-gritting-routes.

A Roman villa containing a rare mosaic that depicts scenes from Homer’s Iliad has been found beneath a farmer’s field.

The mosaic, found south of Grantham, in Rutland, has been described as the first example of its kind in the UK.

It was discovered by the landowner’s son and investigated by archaeologists from the University of Leicester.

Historic England described the mosaic as “one of the most remarkable and significant… ever found in Britain”.

The mosaic and surrounding villa complex have now been protected as a Scheduled Monument by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) on the advice of Historic England.

The complex is thought to have been occupied by a wealthy individual from the late Roman period.

Jim Irvine, son of landowner Brian Naylor, made the initial discovery after spotting “unusual pottery” on a walk during the 2020 lockdown, and contacted the archaeological team at Leicestershire County Council.

He said: “My family have been farming this land for 50 or 60 years.

“During lockdown last year, I noticed some pottery on the ground which didn’t look like any pottery I’d seen before.

“We came down here with a spade and I dug a shallow trench and I was in exactly the right place.”

Historic England then funded urgent excavation work at the site by the University of Leicester.

The mosaic, which forms the floor of what was thought to be a dining or entertaining area of the villa, measures 11m x 7m (36ft x 23ft).

Mosaics were regularly used in private and public buildings across the Roman Empire, and often featured famous figures from mythology.

However, the Rutland mosaic is thought to be unique in the UK as it features Achilles and his battle with Hector at the conclusion of the Trojan War.

Investigations have revealed the large villa is surrounded by barns, circular structures and possibly a bath house.

The complex is likely to have been occupied by someone with a knowledge of classical literature, between the 3rd and 4th Century AD.

John Thomas, deputy director of the University of Leicester Archaeological Services and project manager on the excavations, said: “This is certainly the most exciting Roman mosaic discovery in the UK in the last century.

“It gives us fresh perspectives on the attitudes of people at the time, their links to classical literature, and it also tells us an enormous amount about the individual who commissioned this piece.

“This is someone with a knowledge of the classics, who had the money to commission a piece of such detail, and it’s the very first depiction of these stories that we’ve ever found in Britain.”

Duncan Wilson, chief executive of Historic England, added: “To have uncovered such a rare mosaic of this size, as well as a surrounding villa, is remarkable.

“Discoveries like this are so important in helping us piece together our shared history. By protecting this site we are able to continue learning from it, and look forward to what future excavations may teach us about the people who lived there over 1,500 years ago.”

The site is on private land and not accessible to the public but discussions are ongoing with Rutland County Council to set up an off-site display of the villa complex and its finds, Historic England said.

Further excavations are planned on the site in 2022.

The discovery of the Rutland villa will be featured as part of Digging for Britain on BBC Two and iPlayer in early 2022.