A motorist whose car veered off an icy stretch of road and ended up upside down in a ditch full of freezing cold water has thanked emergency services who he says helped save his life.

Emergency services were called to Cherry Holt Lane in Pinchbeck this morning at 4:52am reporting an overturned vehicle with a man trapped inside it.

PC Phil McAllister was one of the officers who arrived on scene. Concerned for his safety, PC McAllister took the decision to jump into the 12-foot deep ditch to free motorist Dave Anthony from his vehicle. He was able to keep Mr Anthony’s head above water until he was freed from the vehicle, despite the freezing temperatures.

Mr Anthony was treated by paramedics on scene but thankfully sustained no injuries.

He said: “I’d like to say a very, very big thank you and that my family and I appreciate everyone’s efforts today. I would have been a goner if PC McAllister hadn’t jumped in to get me out. He was brilliant and I think he deserves a commendation for what he did today.

“If it wasn’t for him, and the emergency services, I would’ve been underwater and you would’ve had a fatality instead of just a soaking wet, freezing cold bloke. Thank you.”

Chief Inspector Dave Plumb said: “PC McAllister put himself in danger to save a life, which illustrates that public safety is and will always be our number one priority.

“We’d also like to take this opportunity to remind the public to please be careful and to remember to drive to the conditions of the road.”

St Barnabas Hospice is celebrating after receiving a legacy gift of £393,000 to open a state-of-the-art Wellbeing Hub in Boston, Lincolnshire. 

As the leading hospice care provider in Lincolnshire, the charity relies on fundraising and legacy gifts to offer free end of life care from a patients’ point of diagnosis. 

In 2019 career-driven, philanthropist Stefan Novak left his legacy to the Hospice to increase services in Boston. After careful consideration, the Hospice’s executives have announced plans for a multi-functional ‘Wellbeing Hub’ to replace its previous site on Green Lane. Work on the redevelopment will start in Spring 2021. 

Stefan Novak was known in Lincolnshire for his zest for life despite losing his sight at the age of 10. His accomplishments included a successful career in investment banking, creating audiobooks for the blind and charity fundraising. His legacy gift will ensure launch the next phase of St Barnabas’s vision.

The new site, to be named ‘Novak House’ will see a complete renovation and repurposing of the existing site and will be dedicated to Mr Novak in recognition of his work and his gift to the Hospice. 

Mandy Irons, Head of Wellbeing at St Barnabas Hospice, said: “Helping people to live as well as possible for as long as possible while supporting their families t is so important to everyone at St Barnabas.  

“Stefan Novak and his family have enabled us to create a custom-designed hub that brings our wellbeing and clinical care together, which will help us to achieve the very best we can for local people. Novak House will be our flagship wellbeing hub and our blueprint for developing further hubs across the county.” 

The Wellbeing Hub will support patients and their families with physical, spiritual, emotional and psychological needs through its community and wellbeing teams. The Hospice’s welfare and benefits team will also provide advice and guidance through the hub. Appointments will also be available with palliative care consultants, palliative rehabilitation teams and talking therapies teams. The hub will also boast relaxation areas and outdoor space for families to take some much-needed time out.

The new facility will also provide a base for the St Barnabas community team to care for patients and their families in their own homes. Professionals from many different organisations are involved in a patient’s care, and the hub will also host space for other services, such as Macmillan, Marie Curie and the NHS community teams to come together to support patients and their families through the specialist palliative care multidisciplinary team approach. 

St Barnabas Hospice CEO, Chris Wheway added: “Our mission at St Barnabas is to offer outstanding end of life care to everyone, when they need it and where they need it. Our vision is to keep pushing forward, improving our facilities and caring for more people year on year. Simply put, if this generous legacy had not been gifted, we would not be able to continue with the plans for the Wellbeing Hub in Boston. It is a testament to Mr Novak, who had a vested interest in palliative and end of life care in Lincolnshire.

“2020 has been an incredibly difficult time for everyone, including St Barnabas Hospice. We have lost a substantial amount of funds through our shop closures and cancelled fundraising events and have a lot of work to do to recoup these losses. 

“I am proud to say that our clinical and non-clinical team have kept working throughout the Pandemic. We have been forced to change our ways of working, but our care has remained, and our patients and their families have been supported.”

Chris continues: “I hope 2020 has reminded everyone that end of life care is essential, our goal remains the same – everyone in Lincolnshire deserves the right to a good death. The development of our services in Boston has been required for a long time, and we are excited to see the project move forward and benefit all our patients and staff in South Lincolnshire.” 

A dog that was missing for more than a year has been reunited with its owners, thanks to help from South Kesteven District Council.

Diesel, a three-year-old Staffie-cross, was found by a member of the public on the outskirts of Stamford – more than 80 miles from the Birchfield area of Birmingham where his owners live.

Mrs Julie Ebanks said they had never given up hope of getting Diesel back and it was the best early Christmas present they could have wished for. He was collected by her son, Juebe, on Friday (Nov 27).

“We jumped with joy when we received the call from the council to say Diesel had been found,” said Julie. “We phoned everyone to let them know he was coming home.”

Diesel had been missing since September last year. Julie said he had been in an enclosed garden when she went on the school-run but was nowhere to be found when she returned. The family searched the area without success and the next day reported him missing.

Diesel had been micro-chipped and that made the reunion possible. The woman who found him contacted SKDC who arranged for him to be collected by a dog warden. He was checked for a micro-chip, which provided details of his owners.

“It is because he is micro-chipped that we never have up hope,” said Julie. “This just shows the value of having it done. If you really love your dog you want every chance of getting them back if they go missing.”

Since April 2016, dog owners in England, Scotland and Wales who do not have their dog micro-chipped and registered with an approved database can face a fine of up to £500.

SKDC’s Cabinet Member for Commercial and Operations, Cllr Dr Peter Moseley, a dog owner himself, said: “We do our very best to reunite lost dogs with their owners and it is wonderful to do so with a family pet that was missing for such a long time.”

It is not known if Diesel escaped or if he was stolen to be used as a stud dog.

Spring Lodge, a sexual assault referral centre run by Lincolnshire Partnership NHS Foundation Trust (LPFT) has been providing support to people in the county for 10 years.

The centre, which is jointly commissioned by the Office of Police and Crime Commissioner and NHS England and Improvement, supports any adult, male or female, who has been raped, sexually assaulted or sexually abused at any point in their lives.

Since opening its doors in March 2010, the centre has helped 2,275 men and women through its Independent Sexual Violence Advisor and Forensic Medical Examination services.

Amanda Farquhar, Manager of Spring Lodge, said: “Our aim is to help empower people by informing them of their options and assisting people in making their own decisions about their recovery.

“We do not just work with recent cases nor do we only work with those wishing to report to the police which is a common misunderstanding.”

One of the services provided by the centre is the Independent Sexual Violence Advisor (ISVA) service, which offers practical and emotional support to anyone who has been raped or sexually assaulted, either recently or in the past. The team can help with everything from understanding any possible legal case and the police process, even if clients don’t want to make things formal, through to moving on and counselling support.

One of the centre’s female clients said: ““The ISVA support service has been nothing but a positive experience for me and my support worker has been so patient with me.

“Whilst my investigation is now over, I still receive regular support, with the focus shifting to building a more positive life for myself and my family.

“Life has finally become worth living. I have hope, excitement and faith in myself. Additionally, a few ghosts from the past have been laid to rest, enabling me a level of peace that I have never felt before.”

Earlier this year the centre achieved the Lime Culture Quality Standards for Independent Sexual Violence Advisor Services, showing the service’s commitment to delivering excellent care to clients.

Spring Lodge also provides forensic medical examinations, as well as the opportunity to gather intelligence from victims wishing to tell the police about their perpetrator without reporting or giving their name.

Being part of LPFT means that the centre can support clients to access further mental heatlh and counselling services, without the person having to go through their GP, which is welcomed by clients who do not wish to have to tell their story all over again.

One of the centre’s male clients said: “I didn’t think I needed any support but once I reached out and asked for it after many months of trying it alone, I wondered why I hadn’t done it sooner.

“The help I got was invaluable both from an emotional and practical point of view.”

The centre continues to expand its team and recently received funding to recruit its first male ISVA, a positive step forward in the support it offers and news which has been wholly accepted by clients.

Marc Jones, Lincolnshire’s Police and Crime Commissioner, said: “The centre can be rightly proud of the amazing work they have done to support and help survivors of abuse for the last decade.

“The staff provide critical services to people desperately in need and the work is both physically and emotionally demanding.

“I want to thank all of the staff at Spring Lodge for their 10 years of dedication to helping others and wish them success for the future.”

For more information about Spring Lodge and the services it provides visit www.lpft.nhs.uk/spring-lodge or call 01522 524402.

Someone somewhere may be in serious harm.

Police received a call yesterday morning, Thursday 26 November, from a local man who had found a bag containing white powder on Allness Close, Birchwood, Lincoln.  

They have had the powder tested which has confirmed the bag contains cocaine with a street value of up to £50,000.

A spokesman said: “We know that whoever had possession of this cocaine will be missing it and could come to serious harm. 

“We know it’s unlikely they will get in touch but we urge them to do so.  Their safety is our first concern before we speak about the drugs.”

DS Vikki Goddard, Lincoln CID, said: “I ask anyone who has any information about these drugs to contact us.  This is an incredibly large amount of cocaine and it will be missed. 

“We know whoever it belongs to may be looking for retribution and there will be an outstanding debt.

“Anyone who knows anything about this can call us on 101 or alternatively call Crimestoppers anonymously.”

Choosing where to raise a family can be one of the biggest decisions any parent can make.

While some people choose to raise their families in the area where they grew up, many others look to relocate based on the quality of life, and to give their family the best option to thrive.

To help make this decision a little easier for parents, Royal London has analysed crime level data, community engagement, education standards and the number of family households for areas up and down the country. Each factor was then weighted and scored to reveal the best areas in England for families to thrive.

Sussex revealed as the best area in England for a family to thrive, followed closely by London.

The historic county of Sussex has been revealed as the best area in England for a family to thrive.

Known for its stunning coastline and national parks, Sussex scored highly in the study thanks to its high number of community schemes and its high education rates.

Coming in a close second place is London.

It has great education rates and has seen an 8% increase in family households residing in the area over the last 6 years according to ONS¹ data.

The South East had the most areas in the top ten ranking making it the best region in England to thrive.

The top ten areas can be seen in the table below:

Mona Patel, consumer spokesperson at Royal London, said: “Quality of life can have a big influence on families and their moving decisions. Our analysis shows Sussex with its high education rates and community schemes, as the best area for families to thrive in England.

“Parents want their children to enjoy an idyllic childhood, filled with carefree adventures, fun and friendship. And a lot of that is centred around the environment in which they grow up.  With the exception of London, the data shows that families are more likely to thrive outside of big cities.”

The full findings can be seen at: https://www.royallondon.com/articles-guides/life-insurance/best-place-in-England-for-families/

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