New picnic benches have been installed in South Kesteven District Council’s Wyndham Park, courtesy of the Rotary Club of Grantham. The latest show of support for the park marks the club’s 90th anniversary.

Three benches are outside the park’s Visitor Centre and another three have been placed near the outdoor paddling pool. Two have fixed extensions making them accessible for all.

Rotary Club President Rod Tyler said: “We wanted to mark our anniversary with something the town and residents could use and what better place for the benches than Wyndham Park, which is used by so many people of all ages?

“They are made of cast iron so not only will they be used by all generations now, they will also be there for generations to come.”

The benches were paid for by the Rotary Club, donations from its members and a grant from the Rotary District Foundation. Among the club’s previous contributions to the park is a popular outdoor gym, paid for with money raised from its annual Swimarathon.

Guests at their unveiling included Rotary District Governor Peter Berry; the Chairman of SKDC Cllr Breda-Rae Griffin; the Cabinet Member for Commercial and Operations, Cllr Dr Peter Moseley; and the Mayor of Grantham, Cllr Dean Ward.

In thanking the Rotary Club for the donation of the benches, Cllr Griffin said: “It’s wonderful that the Rotary Club recognises the special place Wyndham Park has in the hearts of so many people and we are very grateful for the contribution it has made to the to park’s continuing popularity.”

~ NO RESTRICTIONS ~
Grantham gig featuring 4 Grantham bands…
• RATS ARSE • Aubrey Eels & The Baron • The 1855 • Under The Cosh •
We’re coming out of lockdown and all playing in our hometown, this probably won’t happen again…
~ NOT TO BE MISSED ~

Gareth Davies MP has commented on the importance of first aid training after meeting with Nikki Cooke, CEO of the charity Lincolnshire LIVES. Founded in 1970, LIVES provides training courses in basic first aid and CPR for up to 20,000 people each year alongside their broader role as providers of ‘immediate care’.

This includes a Community Emergency Medicine team with three cars equipped with doctors or senior practitioners able to respond directly to 999 calls and provide treatment in peoples’ homes without the need to be admitted to hospital. Gareth also heard about the success of their new Fall Response team, a group of 13 full time responders who are trained in treating elderly people who have fallen at home and require aftercare. 

Mr Davies said: ‘LIVES provides a vital service, especially in our rural communities through their specialist response teams, as well as equipping others with first aid knowledge, giving people confidence to help in a situation where somebody is ill or injured. 

I have pledged to support a future campaign to bring new first aid training courses to schools and village halls across our local area as the the administration of immediate first aid has been proven to be the difference between life and death in countless situations’.

Eileen Wood and Eithne McVittie, Housekeepers, Grantham

Eileen and Eithne were nominated for their dedication shown during their redeployment during the COVID-19  pandemic. They are described as being meticulous and taking such pride in their work. They treat the chemotherapy suite at Grantham like it is their home and they are expecting a royal visit. The staff and the patients on the unit love them and everyone is always made to feel so welcome when they arrive.

Fidelma Kenyon, Head of Planning, Capital and Costing, Lincoln

Fidelma is recognised by her colleagues and peers as somebody who is always willing to support them, even when under extreme pressure to deliver against her own priorities, both inside and outside of the department and organisation. Fidelma is described as the first person to offer help and put herself out, even if that means driving equipment around to people’s houses (miles out of the way) to make sure they are set up and sorted. She has worked tirelessly to raise the profile of the finance team and also volunteered to help in a number of areas during the pandemic.

Debbie Natrass, Medical Secretary in Haematology, Lincoln

Debbie was described in her nomination as hard-working and patient-focused where nothing is ever too much trouble. She works so hard to make the patient experience the best it can be, chasing and co-ordinating appointments, keeping everyone informed, chasing samples and results so they are ready in time for appointments, and always without a word of complaint. Patients regularly say how helpful she is and what a difference it makes that they speak to her. In exceptional circumstances, she even hand-delivers blood forms and appointment letters, and spends endless evenings and weekends prepping everything to make the team’s lives easier, and improve the experience of patients.

Amy Parkin, Children’s Community Team Admin Support, Grantham

Amy’s busy workload involves processing orders, and arranging the delivery of consumables for at least 350 service users. During the past 12 months Amy has  dealt with illness, an office move, being separated from her team, and home schooling. Amy’s biggest challenge to date has been dealing with delays in supplies, the shipment of or the discontinuation of supplies. Amy will trawl through the internet and ring all over to source an alternative without hesitation.

Amy is described as always showing compassion towards families, always having a smile on her face and is accepting of a challenge.

Grantham firefighters attended an oven fire on Village Street, Gelston, this morning

There was severe fire damage to 100% of the cooker, 10% of surrounding cabinets in kitchen, and smoke damage to remainder of property.

They extinguished the blaze by removing electrical components of cooker, using two Breathing Apparatus and a water bottle.

It was caused by an electrical fault within the oven.

A fire crew from Corby Glen came across a car stuck in flood water on Station Road, Corby Glen, just before noon today.

They used manpower to push car out of the water.

The SKDC Arts team is looking for heart-warming images of what residents can welcome back into their lives thanks to the gradual easing of lockdown.

Whether it’s an image of grandma, the hairdresser or even a local dance class – the possibilities are endless.

A successful Lockdown Photo Competition last year illustrated how life changed due to the pandemic and the winners, along with shortlisted entries in this year’s competition, will form an exhibition at the Guildhall, Grantham.

The new competition continues until July. Entries will be published on the Stamford and Guildhall Arts Centre’s websites, and winners will receive a goody bag and £50 voucher.

SKDC Cabinet Member for Culture and Visitor Economy, Cllr Rosemary Trollope-Bellew, said: “We were delighted with the high standard of imagination, creativity and photography last year, along with the excellent support from members of the public casting their votes and we’re expecting a similar response this time.”

Entrants can be as creative as they like – images can be taken on cameras or phones, can include special effects and be in either black and white or colour.

How to enter

Email image(s) as a jpeg file to box1@southkesteven.gov.uk or use the hashtag #skdcphoto on Instagram.

The competition is open to all ages but under 16s must have permission from an adult.

Anyone pictured must give consent for their image to be used. The deadline for entries is 1 July.

8-9 July 2021

Belvoir Castle is going for full 1920s glamour this summer with an open-air production of F.Scott Fitzgerald’s iconic, jazz-age tale ‘The Great Gatsby’.

The immersive experience comes 100 years after prohibition ended and will bring all the sparkle of the Roaring Twenties to Belvoir Castle for two nights Thursday 8th – Friday 9th July. Performed by Heartbreak Productions and the Nick Carraway Quartet, tickets for the open air theatre are on offer for adults as well as families, recommended for children aged 9 upwards.

Guests will join band leader Nick in a night of glamour by the lakeside as he recounts the story of the infamous Gatsby, indulge in delicious food and drink and get into the swing of things with fantastic jazz music.

Belvoir Castle’s Head of Events Charlotte Cobley said “We are thrilled to host Heartbreak Productions and their wonderful adaptation of this much-loved classic.

“What better way to enjoy a summer evening than with music performed live transporting you on a wonderful story with a delicious cocktail in hand in our stunning lakeside setting?  We hope that people will get into the spirit and dress up in their finest 1920s glad rags.”

With outdoor theatre and cinema events proving more popular than ever this summer, tickets for The Great Gatsby are expected to sell out in record time.

Visitors are encouraged to bring their own low-backed seating or rugs. Food and drink will be available from The Fuel Tank restaurant including a selection of hand-fired pizzas which will be available for collection before the performance.

Tickets are £20 for adults with child tickets for ages 9-16 at £10 and can be brought at:

The Great Gatsby 2021

For over 70 years, Gonerby Hill Foot has been home to VacuLug which is a leading commercial tyre retreading specialist, providing tyres for fleets across the U.K.

Gareth Davies MP met with  Executive Chairman, Haarjeev Kandhari, and his team to hear about all of their success and plans for the future.

Mr Davies said: “It was fantastic to hear how Vaculug has grown and adapted over the past seventy years, all while retaining a close connection to its Grantham roots.“

The customer vote is live now and groups will receive their donations August-September after the online votes have been counted.

Grantham Passage, Lincolnshire Emergency Medical Response and Grantham Foodbank have all been shortlisted from the local area and are in the running to receive £500 with both runners up receiving £200.

Customers can now vote online for their favourite good cause at www.asda.com/green-tokens 

If you would like to nominate a local charity or good cause for future Green Token Giving votes, please go to www.asdafoundation.org/how-to-apply and fill in a Nominate a Cause form and either drop it into Asda Grantham Customer Service Desk or email it to community_grantham@asda.co.uk

A free webinar is being held as part of the ‘Room at the Inn’ project and pubs in Lincolnshire are being invited to join in.

Business Lincolnshire in partnership with Team Lincolnshire and Heritage Lincolnshire is hosting the event on Tuesday 29 June, aimed at pubs looking to provide or develop any type of accommodation as part of their offer.  

The ‘Room at the Inn’ project is a countywide project, supporting the county’s tourism recovery strategy.

Providing accommodation can be a great way to boost a  pub’s turnover, whether in terms of converting upper-floor rooms or outbuildings to B&B rooms, or using  land to provide a caravan or camping site, motorhome stopover or glamping holidays.

Tourism is growing strongly in Lincolnshire, and increasing numbers of visitors are interested in staying in high quality pub accommodation.

The webinar is designed to help pubs –both those starting to think about developing accommodation or those looking to improve what they already offer. It will cover a range of topics to help pub owners and managers, including understanding the accommodation market, defining their target market, potential earnings, planning considerations, financial assistance and more.     

Cllr Colin Davie, executive councillor for economic development at Lincolnshire County Council explains: “As we ease out of lockdown, this expert advice is available to help pubs interested in adding or indeed upgrading accommodation.

  “For many pubs across our region, life after lockdown still has many challenges, but domestic tourism could also present new opportunities, with many people choosing to holiday in the UK, not just this summer, but for the foreseeable future. For many pubs, diversifying their offer may be the key to future-proof their business.”

The webinar will provide a unique opportunity to learn more about:

·       The market opportunity

·       Types of accommodation, serviced and non-serviced, you could consider

·       Examples of income, costs, potential profits and other benefits to be gained from accommodation development

·       How regional brewer and pub company Batemans are responding to the opportunity accommodation development offers

·       When you might need planning permission and how to go about it

·       How exploiting your pub’s heritage can help attract visitors

·       The keys to successful pub accommodation development and operation

The event will be presented by a panel of leading experts including:

Andrew Keeling –  Director, Hotel Solutions

Lynn Thomason – Director, Hotel Solutions

Chris Jones – Profit Partnership Manager, Batemans

Sarah Grundy – Senior Commissioning Officer, Historic Places, Planning Lincolnshire County Council

To register your place Sign up here

Cleaning teams from Lincoln, Boston and Grantham hospitals are getting to grips with 183 new pieces of kit to make sure the sites are as clean as can be.

Many of the new vacuum cleaners, carpet cleaners, scrubbers and ride-on machines have already been delivered to the wards, clinics and areas across United Lincolnshire Hospitals NHS Trust.

They will replace or upgrade existing machines that are used every day by the housekeepers and cleaning teams across the Trust.

Director of Nursing and Director of Infection Prevention and Control, Dr Karen Dunderdale, said: “Our teams have always done an amazing and continuous job of keeping our hospitals clean.

“They have played a vital role during the COVID-19 pandemic and it is right that we give them the best possible equipment available to carry on with their sterling work.”

The new kit includes:

·       90 new vacuum cleaners (including back-pack versions)

·       two carpet cleaners

·       91 scrubber dryers (including ride-on versions)

Housekeeping Section Leader, Michael Martin, is based at Lincoln County Hospital and has worked for the Trust for 11 years.

He said: “Over the last year with the COVID-19 pandemic we have been busier than ever as a team. Having all of these new pieces of equipment is going to make such a difference to all of our housekeepers and cleaning teams from across the Trust.”

The Provident Financial Group have recently announced it is closing its home credit operation, also known as ‘doorstep lending’, after it become inundated with compensation claims from its customers.

The high-cost credit sector continues to see increased customer claims for unfair treatment.

Data from the Financial Ombudsman Service shows claims filed against the door step sector hit 6,000 in the final 3 months of 2020.

Doorstep lending is just one part of the ‘high-cost credit sector’ where interest rates are over 100% and can be as high as 5,000% APR.  This results in people paying back £hundreds more.

Jason Eaves, from the Notts and Lincs Credit Union said: ‘Whilst it’s good news for consumer, the risk is that another high-cost credit provider, or worse illegal loan sharks, will fill the gap created by Provident closing’  

‘The Credit Union will consider a loan application from anyone living or working in Nottinghamshire or Lincolnshire.  We are a local, not for profit, community owned lender and are already helping thousands of people across the two counties.’ Jason continued.

Details of the Credit Union can be found at:

Home

A Grantham care home has teamed up with a Nottinghamshire cupcake business to provide support during the pandemic.

Red Court Care Community on St Edmunds Close in Grantham has been working with Ringrose Cupcakes in Newark to help kick-start the economy. Over the last few months, it has been very difficult for businesses to get back on their feet and this is why Red Homes Healthcare Group has decided to give back to the local community.

Throughout the pandemic, businesses from across Grantham have generously donated a number of edible goodies, toiletry hampers, bouquets of flowers and gardening supplies to the care home and this has not gone unnoticed.

Lin Amos, general manager at Red Court Care Community said: “We have been overwhelmed with the support we’ve received from the local community over the last year. It has been tough, but we’ve come together as a family and got through one of the hardest periods in our lifetime.”

“We were really excited to receive the cupcakes from Natalie because it’s very rare we have branded cakes delivered from Newark to our door. We are very fortunate to be working with such a talented baker.”

“Nothing was too much trouble for Natalie and each of our residents received their very own Red Court branded cupcakes. This is just one of the many ways we make all who reside with us feel included and part of the Red Homes family.”

“I’m delighted we have been able to work with Ringrose Cupcakes on such a lovely campaign and I’m very much looking forward to working with the business again in the future.”

Natalie Connett, owner of Ringrose Cupcakes said: “Back in January I was contacted by Red Homes Healthcare and asked to provide cupcakes as a special treat to each of their care homes. I agreed immediately and started planning what the cupcakes would look like as they wanted a red theme.”

“For the past few months, I’ve had the pleasure of delivering the cupcakes and meeting the care home staff. It has been lovely to be so warmly welcomed – after all everyone loves a bit of cake!”

“It’s been a difficult year or so with care homes being at the sharp end of the pandemic and it has been lovely to help put a smile back on a few faces.”

Red Court Care Community is located on 12 St Edmunds Close in Grantham and provides care for up to 49 residents. To find out more about Red Court Care Community, contact Lin Amos on 01476 576 811 or visit www.redhomes.com/our-homes/red-court-care-community/.