Small and micro-businesses in North Kesteven will be given a boost thanks to a £1m grant fund from Central Government.

Following the Government’s announcement of a new top up grant to support those affected by Covid-19, the District Council will receive a total of £1,035,000 to help businesses in the district to continue trading.

Applications will open on Monday 1^ST June.

Council Leader, Councillor Richard Wright said: “We understand how difficult it has been for businesses in the district during this time, so to be able to offer this further support of funding is a welcome relief.

Our economy is part of the back bone that makes this district thrive, and anything we can do to support it further we will.

We urge those eligible businesses to apply as soon as they are able.”

The fund will target small and micro businesses not eligible for support under the existing grant funds; the Small Business Grant Fund (SBGF) and the Retail Hospitality and Leisure Grant (RHLG), or the Self Employed Income Support Scheme (SEISS).

Business which have already taken advantage of the Government ‘furlough scheme’ or ‘bounce back’ loans can apply for support from this fund.

Eligible businesses must have:

1)      Significant ongoing property costs
And/or
Suffered a significant drop in income due to Covid -19
Evidence will be required for either of these key determining factors.

2)     Have been trading on 11th March 2020.

3)     A plan to continue trading when circumstances allow.

Applications will remain open for an initial two week period before closing to allow the Council to evaluate demand.

Final decisions will not be made until Wednesday 1^st July. The Grant Team will contact businesses directly should further information be required during this period.

For further information on eligibility and how to apply head to www.n-kesteven.gov.uk/DiscretionaryFund

A Lincolnshire businessman was given a guard of honour by doctors and nurses when he finally left intensive care after spending more than three weeks fighting for his life with coronavirus. 57-year-old George Barker from Sibsey, says he is only alive today thanks to all of the amazing care he received while at Pilgrim Hospital, Boston. George had been looking after his wife Amanda and son James who had both been bedbound with suspected coronavirus when he first started to feel unwell. Amanda said: “I had been so unwell and George had been taking such good care of me. I just remember every time I woke up he was starting to look more and more unwell. That was when I realised I needed to get on top of this. “George is never ill and as soon as I saw him lose his appetite and fall asleep in the middle of the day I knew something was very wrong.” Amanda had been calling NHS111, but when she saw her partner of more than 20 years deteriorate further she knew she had to call an ambulance, despite George’s protestations that he was OK. Amanda added: “I snuck out of the room and called 999. When the ambulance crew arrived everything happened very quickly. I was not even able to give him a kiss and a cuddle to say goodbye. As I was tearful and walking back to the house I just heard George shout ‘I love you’. “That was the last time I heard his voice for more than three and a half weeks.” Once he arrived at hospital George was taken into intensive care and put into a medically induced coma. Amanda, who could see the hospital from the couple’s back garden, got regular updates from the nurses on the unit. She said: “The nurses were simply amazing. During the calls they kept telling me that they were sorry that I couldn’t be there with him, but assured and promised me that they were with him and looking after him. They gave me regular updates and even put a phone to his ear so that I could talk to him. “One day shortly before he came round we tried this and they told me that his eyes were flickering and he was responding when I was talking. It really was the best news. I cannot thank them enough for the way they supported me, as well as the care they gave George that saved his life. “It takes a special person to be a nurse and I believe George’s were simply the best.” George admits that he cannot remember very much about the ambulance crew or arriving at hospital. As soon as he came round George was determined to get better and when he was unable to walk the distance needed by the physios to be able to transfer him out of intensive care, he spent many hours in the night raising and lowering his legs to get his muscles working again. He managed to walk the distance the next morning even with his chest drain still in place. He was able to talk as soon as his tracheostomy was removed and he devoured all of the food around him when seeing if he was able to swallow. Amanda added: “Once he came round he really did defy all of the odds. There was no stopping him.” George added: “I thought the nurses were planning something, but I never expected to have a guard of honour as I left intensive care. Seeing them all cheering and clapping was such a surprise. Especially as I wanted to be the one clapping them.” As his way of saying thank you, George has offered to do odd jobs for the nurses who cared for him through his business Dananglia Roofing. He added: “I can never repay all of the doctors and nurses for what they did for me, but if ever they need any roofing work – they just need to give me a call and I will be there.” The couple, who have eight children between them, one grandchild with another two on the way, are looking forward to spending time together as George continues with his recovery. Amanda added: “I can never say thank you enough, so again thank you to everyone at Pilgrim hospital for getting George back home with me, as my life would have been so worthless without him in it.”   A video of Mr Barker leaving intensive care can be found here: https://youtu.be/f328XdreQxE

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Five men have been charged with several drugs offences in our latest action as part of the Violent Crime Reduction Initiative (VCRI).

It follows action by Lincolnshire Police and the East Midlands Special Operations Unit.

The following people have been charged:

• Stephen Tootell, aged 35 of Ville Road, Scunthorpe, was charged with conspiracy to supply a Class A drug;
• Spencer Watkins, aged 44 of Fen Road, Timberland, was charged with conspiracy to supply a Class A drug; possession with intent to supply a Class B drug; production of a class B drug;
• James Will, aged 33 of Exley Square, Lincoln, was charged with conspiracy to supply a Class A drug; possession with intent to supply a Class B drug; production of a Class B drug;
• Daniel Long, aged 31 of High Dyke, Navenby, was charged with three counts of conspiracy to supply a Class A drug; and conspiracy to supply a Class B drug.
• Jake Mann, aged 30 of Goldsmith Walk, Lincoln, was charged with three counts of conspiracy to supply a Class A drug; and conspiracy to supply a Class B drug.

All five were bailed to appear at a Lincoln Magistrates’ Court hearing, in July.

–          In a separate operation which is also part of the VCRI, a 27-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of possession with intent to supply Class A drugs, following a warrant executed in Gainsborough, on Friday. He has been released under investigation.

The most recent charges and arrest are part of our ongoing Violent Crime Reduction Initiative, which was launched in January.

It is aimed at reducing and preventing further offences of this type, focusing on victims, and engaging with partners to reduce harm in our communities.

Find out more here: https://www.lincs.police.uk/news-campaigns/news/2020/new-initiative-aims-to-tackle-violent-crime/

Greater Lincolnshire leaders want devolution for speedy COVID-19 recovery

As a result of the Covid-19 outbreak, Burghley House, near Stamford, will remain closed for the rest of the year.

This is because of the relatively small size of some rooms, narrow routes and physical restrictions on two-way access, meaning that appropriate measures to observe social distancing are not possible.

Miranda Rock, House Director said: ‘With a heavy heart and after much discussion about the practicalities of movement through the State Rooms, we have taken the difficult decision not to reopen the House to visitors this year.

“This conclusion was not reached without careful discussion and consideration of all the challenges that we would face in complying with social distancing. At the end of the day, a visit to Burghley is meant to be enjoyable and we did not feel that we could offer our visitors a high-quality experience.’

As a charitable trust, Burghley House Preservation Trust follows a continuing program of extensive restoration work on the fabric of Burghley House.

This period of closure will be used to make sure that some of the more complex and time-consuming repairs are addressed so that the House can continue to be enjoyed by visitors for many generations to come.

The gardens are currently closed along with Government guidance concerning ticketed outdoor venues. This will be kept under constant review with the prospect of opening the gardens later in the summer.

The parkland will remain open daily from 7am to 6pm, free of charge. All other facilities including the Orangery Restaurant, Garden Café, Gift Shop, Garden Shop and toilets remain closed.

For more information, please see website at – https://burghley.co.uk/news/covid-19-coronavirus-update

What a Skegmess! Day-trippers defecate on beach

Lincolnshire County Council is reminding people using the car parks in the coastal country parks, that overnight stays are prohibited.

As people can travel more widely for exercise, the council has opened the car parks in popular coastal beauty spots to avoid on street parking and disruption to residents, wherever possible.

However, there have been multiple reports of people breaching both the Covid-19 instructions and the local byelaws, and staying overnight in motorhomes in the car parks. These areas will now be monitored and enforcement action will be taken where necessary.

Cllr Colin Davie, executive councillor for economy and place, said, “We know that people from the local area will be visiting Lincolnshire’s beaches to exercise, so we’ve opened the Coastal County park car parks. However the coast is not open to holidaymakers and overnight stays have never been permitted in these carparks. It’s disappointing that some people are exploiting the facilities in this way, when the majority are following the rules.

“We will be enforcing the byelaws – including over the bank holiday weekend and anyone found on the site at night will be reported to Lincolnshire Police.”

This applies to the county council car parks at:

Chapel Six Marshes

Wolla Bank

Anderby Creek

Marsh Yard and Moggs Eye

Huttoft Car Terrace

A Lincolnshire family have found a creative and compassionate way to pass the time during week nine of lockdown by running 35k for Mental Health Awareness Week.

Rosalind (aged 6) and Emmeline (aged 4) alongside their parents, Jaime and Claire Tunstall, are fundraising for local mental health services for children and young people by running 5k a day for seven days.

This year’s Mental Health Awareness Week runs from 18-24 May, centred around the power and potential of kindness. It is more important than ever that we are kind to one another, and that we understand the impact and importance of maintaining good mental health and wellbeing.

With mental health awareness in mind, the family chose to fundraise for Lincolnshire Partnership NHS Foundation Trust’s (LPFT) mental health services for children and young people. The money will be donated through the Trust’s charity, which enhances services and facilities not otherwise funded by the NHS.

Whilst discussing his children’s 5k a day challenge, Jaime said: “Mental health is very close to our hearts, and when we heard that Mental Health Awareness Week was coming up, we all decided we would like to fundraise locally.

Both myself and Claire have been furloughed and we’re trying our best with home schooling and creating routines, but it is tough. Lockdown has been a hard challenge for everyone; our girls are desperate to go to school and see their friends.

In the past I have completed marathons to fundraise for charities, so as a family we decided that was something we could all set our minds to. A friend pointed us in the direction of LPFT’s charity and we set up our fundraising page.

The girls have done their first day today (Monday 18 May) and it’s provided a great focus and challenge for them. They’re excited to complete their full 35km and we’ll see how much money we can raise to support our local NHS.”

Philip Jackson, LPFT’s Non-Executive Director and Chair of the Trust’s charity committee said:

“It’s fantastic to see families coming together to support their local mental health and learning disabilities services during these unprecedented and difficult times.

Mental Health Awareness Week is a national campaign that we whole-heartedly support, and with this year’s theme being kindness, the impact of this generosity is more prevalent than ever.

We would like to thank the Tunstall family, and we hope that Rosalind and Emmeline taking on their challenge will bring a smile to many people’s faces during this difficult time.”

The Tunstall family’s fundraiser can be found on Virgin Money Giving here: https://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/JaimeTunstall.

Police are appealing for witnesses and information after a fatal collision yesterday.

At around 7pm a single vehicle collision occurred on the A153 Speedway corner, Ruskington. The female occupant of a black Ford Ranger – a 40-year-old woman from the Lincoln area – was sadly pronounced deceased as a result of the incident.

Policee would like to hear from anyone who may have been in the area around the time of the incident or anyone who saw the collision or the Ford before or after the crash. Anyone who has dashcam footage and was also in the area at those times is also asked to get in touch. 

There are a number of ways you can get in touch:

• Via non-emergency number 101, quoting incident number 366 of 15/05/2020
• By emailing force.control@lincs.pnn.police.uk- please remember to put the reference 366 of 15/05/2020 in the subject box.
• In an emergency always call 999

Lincolnshire ICU nurse’s pandemic horrors left her shaking

Police have launched an investigation after a man is believed to have deliberately coughed and spluttered at an employee working in a mobile safety camera van.

At about 2.10pm yesterday (13 May), a motorist in what is thought to be a Transit van pulled up alongside our vehicle on Lincoln Road, Sleaford.

The motorist is then believed to have left his van and walked to the mobile safety camera vehicle before coughing inside it. He then got back into his van and drove off.

Part of the van’s registration plate was captured by cameras and officers are investigating.

Superintendent Paul Timmins, Head of our Specialist Operations Unit, said: “Attacks on any emergency worker are completely unacceptable, especially so during the current Covid-19 pandemic.

“Many of those who operate our mobile safety camera vans are police staff carrying out vital work to crack down on speeding motorists.

“Even if the roads are quieter, speeding is never acceptable – it is one of the main causes of fatal and serious collisions – so those operating our vans are carrying out really important work and keeping our road users safe.

“I would appeal to anyone who may have seen this incident, or who has information, to contact us on 101 quoting Incident 203 of 13 May.”

Julia B says…

SKDC should do this to save us all money

Councils set to merge in bid to save £15.45m over 10 years

More than 20 members of the Boston Youth Jazz Orchestra have virtually united to thank the Boston Pilgrim Hospital with a stunning online performance of ‘We’re Still Standing’,  see https://youtu.be/sEcLxU-PDCw

The performers, aged between 12-18, are from schools across the Boston area and wanted to show their support of the NHS as well as all key workers in their local community.
The opportunity was coordinated by the award-winning Lincolnshire Music Service, the lead organisation of the Lincolnshire Music Education Hub funded by Arts Council England.

Lee Hextall, area manager, Lincolnshire Music Service said, “We’re very proud of all these young people overcoming all the technical challenges and joining together to produce this wonderful thank you recording. It’s been a fun worthwhile adventure whilst our music centre rehearsals are suspended.”  

Orla Johnson, trombonist with the Boston Youth Jazz Orchestra (BYJO) added, “Being able to carry on making music with BYJO during this time is amazing, even if it is in an usual way.”