Push to grow twin town membership
A push to boost membership of Grantham Twinning Association – and help visitors from its German twin town feel even more welcome – is to benefit from a donation by South Kesteven District Councillor Jacky Smith.
Grantham is twinned with Sankt Augustin, in the western German state of North Rhine-Westphalia.
The twinning club has 29 members and is hoping to increase this number to give more opportunities for Grantham based clubs and groups.
The £100 grant will help meet the costs of pamphlets and publicity to increase activity in Grantham.
Cllr Smith, who is Cabinet Member for Communities, Health, Wellbeing and Skills, said: “Over the years the twinning club has done a lot to promote Grantham when they have been over in Germany, which has brought visitors back to our town.
“For a long time we have felt like the poor relations of the two because the Germans always provide our visitors there with some very nice brochures and souvenirs and it is about time, that when they come here, we can do the same for them. They are always trying to attract members and this push is part of that.”
Twinning Association chairman Dennis Hannant said: “This money is very welcome. It will help us produce a new membership pamphlet explaining our aims, as well as helping design and launch a facebook page. We’d like to increase membership by another ten hosting families.”
Airfix modelling exhibition returns to Lincoln this month
You can see more than 100 models of the iconic Spitfire, and much more, at the Museum of Lincolnshire Life on 26 and 27 January.
Over two days, visitors will be able to admire hundreds of models, including planes, military vehicles, tanks and battleships.
All the exhibits have been made by members of the Lincoln Branch of the International Plastic Modelling UK Society, some of whom will be on-hand to talk about their models.
Anya Johnson, visitor experience officer, said: “We’re thrilled to welcome back the modelling society for what has become a really popular event.
“Not only is it a showcase of magnificent craftsmanship, but it’s also an opportunity to enjoy the rest of the museum too.”
The exhibition will be open from 10am to 3.45pm each day.
Entry costs £2.50 for adults, £1 for children and concessions, and £5 for a family ticket (two adults and up to three children).
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Funding approved for Dysart Park play equipment
Youngsters are set to benefit from a complete overhaul of play equipment in Grantham’s Dysart Park, thanks to a £55,000 grant.
The money, awarded by WREN’s FCC Community Action Fund, will pay for the refurbishment of the park’s play area including resurfacing and the supply and installation of new equipment.
The grant was made following a successful bid by South Kesteven District Council, which owns the park, and Dysart Park Action Group.
The Action Group raised almost £6,000 in match funding to support the bid, mainly through its annual Summer Fun Days. At the 2018 event refurbishment options were on show and visitors voted for their favourite.
SKDC Cabinet Member for Retail and Visitor Economy, Cllr Nick Robins, said the investment would make a huge difference to the park, which is visited by around 30,000 people a year.
“It’s fantastic that WREN has awarded this money. This is a very important community facility and the work will only add to its appeal,” he said.
“This is just the start of work as SKDC is committed to investing further in not only Dysart Park, but all of the parks it owns.”
WREN is a not-for-profit business that awards grants for community, biodiversity and heritage projects from funds donated by FCC Environment through the Landfill Communities Fund.
Cheryl Raynor, WREN’s local grant manager said: “We are delighted to be supporting the Dysart Park refurbishment project and pleased that our funding will provide such a fantastic facility for children.
“WREN is always happy to consider grant applications for projects that make a difference to local communities and we’re really looking forward to seeing this one take shape.”
The park site was given to the people of Grantham in 1908 by Sir Lionel William John Manners, late Earl of Dysart. In his will he stated that the land should be used for recreation purposes only.
District councillors Michael Cook and Graham Jeal are members of the Action Group, while officers prepared the application for WREN funding.
Cllr Jeal said: Dysart Park is a popular and well-used community park. The Action Group has worked hard over several years to deliver the Dysart Park Fun Day, which has generated the match funding resources for this redevelopment of the children’s play area.
“I congratulate all those hard-working volunteers for this fantastic achievement and thank all those who have made the Fun Day such a success. I look forward to working with SKDC to continue investment in Dysart Park.”
Lydia Gallaher, chairman of the Action Group, said: “The council support has been invaluable. It was recognised that areas of the park required improvement, with the play area being the start.
“Although money generated from the Fun Days has allowed for the purchase of park benches in the past, it is a welcome achievement for the Action Group, in partnership with the council, to be able to make more of an impact.
“The benefit to the community will be that families, especially those with young children, will soon be able to enjoy new and exciting play equipment, making the park an even more attractive place to visit.
New play equipment planned for the park, which will be installed by Wicksteed
“The Action Group has worked hard over the years to promote and improve the park. The successful WREN application and the new play equipment it pays for will make that hard work and dedication worthwhile.”
The Action Group has eight volunteers, and is always on the lookout for more. It organises family events, including the Fun Day, and raises money to improve the park. The volunteers meet every four to six weeks with breaks in the summer and at Christmas.
“We attend the meetings to provide input in discussions about the park and its events and to support the work of the Action Group towards improving the park or laying on events,” said Lydia.
“Volunteers are always welcome to join and play their part in helping to shape and develop what is a very popular park that hold a special place in people’s affections.”
Work on the play area is expected to start in March and take up to three weeks to complete.
Anyone interested in volunteering with the Action Group should email lydgallaher@gmail.com
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Former Grantham manager to take over at Forest
Nottingham Forest are set to appoint club legend and former Grantham Town boss Martin O’Neill as manager to succeed Aitor Karanka, according to BBC Radio Nottingham.
The 66-year-old, who played 371 games and won the European Cup as a Forest player, ended his five-year spell as Republic of Ireland boss last November.
After leaving Forest in 1987, he was appointed manager of Grantham Town FC at the London Road Ground. He remained in post for two years before leaving for Shepshed. It was his first managerial post.
He returns to a Reds side who are ninth in the Championship, four points outside the play-off places.
O’Neill will become Nottingham Forest’s 11th manager since June 2011.
The Forest job would be the Northern Irishman’s first return to club management since a mixed spell with Sunderland, which saw him guide the Black Cats away from relegation from the Premier League in his first season but then struggle again the following campaign prior to his sacking in March 2013.
Voted into Forest’s all-time greatest XI in 2016, O’Neill has considerable stock with supporters. Like his Grantham predecessor Terry Bly, he is in the Norwich City Hall of Fame.
He was part of the Brian Clough side that rose from the second division to champions of Europe, playing in the 1980 European Cup final having missed out on a place in the team 12 months earlier when goalscorer Trevor Francis took his place.
As a manager, O’Neill enjoyed a meteoric beginning to his career.
He guided Wycombe Wanderers into the English Football League, twice won the League Cup with Leicester City and led Celtic to three Scottish Premiership titles, three Scottish Cups and a League Cup – as well as the 2003 UEFA Cup final.
However, his experiences since coaching Aston Villa, who he guided to three consecutive sixth-place finishes in the Premier League, have failed to produce the same success.
Support bereaved families in Lincolnshire
New bereavement suites in Lincolnshire’s hospitals are helping to provide families with comfort and support following the death of a baby.
The new suites, already open at Lincoln County Hospital and soon to be opened at Pilgrim hospital, Boston are there to make memories and give families and chance to grieve in a quiet, comfortable space away from the hospital.
To help with further development of the suites, the maternity team at Lincolnshire’s hospitals are asking for donations of items such as towels, clocks, pictures and un-opened toiletries.
Bereavement Midwife, Nicky Kirk said: “I am very proud to be able to offer families a dedicated bereavement suite. Losing a baby at any stage of pregnancy is a very traumatic experience, so to be able to offer families the use of the suites is so important.
“We have already received some amazing donations from staff and patients, for which we are very grateful. I really hope they can provide some comfort to anyone that may need them at a very distressing and emotional time.”
Beware of the ‘double scam’
A Stamford man has been conned out of his life savings after falling foul of a ‘double scam’.
The victim, who is in his 70’s, was targeted by fraudsters at the end of last year and was duped into transferring over £20,000.
The scam was unusual as it was actually a ‘double-scam’ – fraudsters pretended to be from two different companies in separate phone calls.
The first fraudster claimed to work for BT and said that the victim had run up a higher than normal landline phone bill, but was entitled to a ‘special discount’. The scam appeared believable as the fraudster already had many of the victim’s bank account details.
The victim became sceptical and went to visit his local bank, however before he could get there, he received another call – this time from someone claiming to work for the National Crime Agency.
This fraudster said that £400 had been deducted from his bank account, and that his local bank wasn’t to be trusted as a member of staff there was under investigation. He was asked to go to his bank and transfer money to an account to help their investigation. Sadly, the victim did so and transferred £21,500.
This man is the latest victim in nearly *300 telephone impersonation frauds which have been reported to Lincolnshire Police over the last six months.
The victim anonymously shares his story:
“I’ve travelled the world and have lived in London so I considered myself to be quite savvy apart from with the online world, but I’ve been caught out.
“The call from BT came at about 11am. I was told that my bill was very high but they could offer me a special discount. They already had my long card number and just asked me to confirm my sort code and account number which I did. At the end of the call, I became suspicious and thought I best visit my local bank.
“The phone rang again though, and this time it was from the National Crime Agency. The caller said there had been a wave of discrepancies at my bank and that it was being investigated. They added that £400 had been taken from me and that if I visited the bank and transferred money it would help them to catch the culprit.
“Everything happened very quickly in what turned out to be a complete scam. I bumped into a friend on my way home and I mentioned what had happened, it was just a brief chat but then she came flying back round the corner and said she had checked online and it was a scam.
“I was very distressed, I didn’t sleep well that night and didn’t want to see anyone all weekend so I shut myself away – I felt completely abused. My advice is be cautious, don’t give out any information and put the phone down then call the police if you are in any doubt.”
Detective Constable Marilyn Sayle, says:
“We are heartbroken for this man and we are doing all that we can to recover his savings and bring the offenders to justice. This is incredibly sad at any time of the year, but the fact that it has happened in the run up to Christmas makes it even worse.
“It is unusual for a victim to be targeted twice in quick succession like this, but fraudsters will try every trick in the book – if you have caller ID they can even make it look like they are calling from the organisation or authority they say they are from, so you can’t be too careful.
“We all have a duty to protect the vulnerable who are routinely targeted in these crimes, so please look out for those in your local communities and report any concerns.”
If you have been contacted by anyone claiming to be from an organisation or authority asking you for bank details or to purchase items, please call us on 101 or contact Action Fraud on 0300 1232040.
For more information on fraud and scams please visit: https://www.lincs.police.uk/reporting-advice/fraud-and-scams/
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Appeal for science volunteers
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Do you have a passion for science? A love for Newtonian physics? Then maybe Woolsthorpe Manor could be the perfect match.
The world changed here. In this 17th century Lincolnshire farmhouse, Isaac Newton saw an apple fall from a tree, split light into rainbow colours and tried to solve the system of the universe – all before he was twenty-four years old.
Could you bring your knowledge and enthusiasm to inspire our visitors to learn about Newton and his scientific legacy? Join us in 2019, Our Year of Space, and help us deliver our most exciting and innovative science programme yet.
Our volunteers might be found demonstrating Newton’s work through interactive exhibits in the Science Centre, assisting with school groups, doing pop up science, giving talks or hosting science tours in the Manor. We can offer training and support and links with organisations such as STEM and the ASE.
Our ambition at Woolsthorpe is to inspire our visitors into a lifetime love of science.
So whether you bring years of industry experience, are looking to retrain as a science teacher or are an A-level student looking to build up your skills, there are opportunities available here.
Come to our ‘Taste of Volunteering’ Event on Wednesday 6 February 2019 10am -12. Take a tour, meet the team and find out about all the volunteering opportunities on offer. If you cannot make the date, please get in touch.
Booking advisable – email us at woolsthorpemanor@nationaltrust.org.uk or call 01476 860338 . Assistance dogs are welcome.
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Occupational therapy and physiotherapy degree apprenticeships trail blazed by Trust
New occupational therapy and physiotherapy degree apprenticeship courses, developed by United Lincolnshire Hospitals NHS Trust (ULHT), have now been approved for delivery in England.
Over the last few months, ULHT has been leading the trailblazing group helping to develop the standards and end point assessments of the programmes which will give more opportunities for staff to develop and progress in their careers.
The courses allow apprentices to complete a BSc (Hons) degree qualification whilst working within the services, and after successful qualification they will become eligible to apply to the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) for registrations as occupational therapists and physiotherapists.
Now that the apprenticeships have been approved, ULHT will be working with neighbouring Trusts and universities to ensure apprenticeship roles and programmes are available for people from Lincolnshire to access.
It is hoped that these new degree apprenticeships will help to see an increased number of registered physiotherapists and occupational therapists being trained at ULHT as well as across England.
These programmes will give opportunities for ULHT staff working as support workers who have proven they can give high quality care to patients and have the ability to meet the academic demands of the degree, but may not hold the traditional academic qualifications required to meet the entry requirements for university.
Anita Cooper, Clinical Lead for Therapies and Rehabilitation at ULHT said: “I am absolutely thrilled we now have these programmes approved by the Institute For Apprenticeships (IFA).
“The apprenticeships will facilitate the training and recruitment of the additional staff we need, as well as providing new opportunities for local people to join our professions.
“They will also provide a different opportunity for people to enter the professions, widening access and enabling employers to grow their own workforce to meet local needs.”
