Police are seeking information to find Lee Brophy, who has absconded from HMP North Sea Camp.

He was on temporary release from the prison but failed to return on Wednesday, March 20.

He is described as white, 5ft 9 tall, with brown hair, blue eyes, and has a small scar above his right eye. He has a tattoo on his back which reads “RIP mum”.

It is thought he may be in the Beckenham area of London.

Anyone who has information, or who sees Lee Brophy, should call 999 quoting Incident 300 of March 20.

Hospital chiefs will look to secure funding to expand Boston Pilgrim Hospital’s A&E department following concerns of patient overcrowding.

Bosses United Lincolnshire Hospitals Trust said it is continuing talks with NHS England and NHS Improvement over capital funding to expand the department after they failed in a previous bid.

Directors at ULHT said processes put in place to reduce the amount of people in A&E have so far “not been able to resolve the issue”.

But the trust insisted emergency departments across the country were also under pressure.

Health inspectors raised concern about the A&E department in December 2018 and said they “remain concerned” about the unit.

Care Quality Commission officials found that patients were waiting more than three hours to be assessed and that children were “placed at the risk of harm”.

Trust bosses confirmed that a further unannounced visit by the CQC inspection took place in February 2019.

Neill Hepburn, medical director at ULHT, and Michelle Rhodes, director of nursing. Picture: Steve Smailes.

ULHT said a lack of access to primary care was partly to blame for the numbers of patients attending A&E.

But Michelle Rhodes, director of nursing at the trust, said ULHT was doing “lots of work in the department”.

“The big issue that remains is the overcrowding of the department,” she said.

“Although we are doing lots of work to reduce the patients that are coming in, it is not having the affect that we would want.”

A number of measures have been put in place in the department, including a GP streaming service and a frailty service to deal with older patients.

Boston Pilgrim Hospital. Photo: Google Street View

ULHT recently failed in bid to NHS England for capital funding to increase the size of Boston’s A&E.

But, Kevin Turner, deputy chief executive of the trust, said ULHT are continuing conversations with the organisation over the department.

“Bearing in mind that our A&E departments were designed many years ago based upon low demand, one of the factors we have at Pilgrim is that we probably need to expand the size of the department,” he said.

“We are looking to work with our colleagues in NHS England and NHS Improvement to put forward a case for additional financial resources to be able to do that.”

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• International Women’s Day: Friday 8 March
• Countryside Lincs: Sunday 14 April
• Show Comes to Town: Saturday 25 May
• Tractors in Town: Sunday 16 June
• Lincolnshire Show: Wednesday 19 June & Thursday 20 June

CELEBRATING its 150th year in 2019, the Lincolnshire Agricultural Society is hosting a number of fun, family-friendly and exciting events at the Lincolnshire Showground as well as branching out into Lincoln centre to mark its milestone anniversary.

The events will offer everything from the latest farming machinery, arts and crafts and farmyard animals to adrenaline racing entertainment, educational challenges and the best of Lincolnshire’s food produce.

For more information, press tickets and competition opportunities contact Charlotte Phillips or Katie Nelson at Cartwright Communications by emailing charlottep@cartwrightcommunications.co.uk or calling 0115 853 2110.

International Women’s Day at The Showground

What is it?

International Women’s Day is a celebration of the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women from across the globe.

The Lincolnshire Showground is celebrating the day with a two-course lunch followed by an afternoon of networking and inspirational stories, hosted by celebrity chef Rachel Green, to acknowledge women working in agriculture or who have achieved something fantastic from their Lincolnshire roots.

When is it?

Friday 8 March, 12.30pm arrival

Where is it?    

Indoors at the Epic Centre, Lincolnshire Showground

Who is it for?

Anyone is welcome!

Ticket information

Tickets are priced at £22 per person, including a two-course lunch. Please contact Sarah Duxbury on 01522 585501, or email sduxbury@lincolnshireshowground.co.uk

Countryside Lincs

What is it?

Returning to the Showground for its fifth year, Countryside Lincs is a fun-packed family event, all about food, farming and the countryside. With eight different zones to explore, families will have the chance to meet a huge range of animals, including farmyard favourites and birds of prey, as well as Aldabra giant tortoises.  Visitors will also be able to try a range of local foods and turn their hand to a range of activities from arts and crafts, to archery and an Easter Egg hunt.

When is it?

Easter school holidays, Sunday 14 April 10am – 4pm

Where is it?

Both indoors and outdoors at the Lincolnshire Showground making it the perfect all-weather event.

Who is it for?

Families and children of all ages

Ticket information

Advanced tickets are priced at £18 for a family of four, £7 for adults, £4 for children and under 5’s are free. For more information and to purchase advance tickets, please visit www.lincolnshireshowground.co.uk/countryside-lincs.

Show Comes to Town

What is it?

Ahead of the highly anticipated Lincolnshire Show, visitors can get a taste of what’s to come when ‘Show Comes to Town’ visits Lincoln city centre. Animals, tractors, interactive activities and local exhibitors will be all be on show, as well as top tips and highlights for this year’s Show from the Lincolnshire Showground team, as well as advanced tickets on sale.

When is it?

Saturday 25 May 9am – 4pm

Where is it?

Lincoln Cornhill

Who is it for?

Children and families who want to get a sneak peek at what’s to come at the Lincolnshire Show

Ticket information

This event is free for anyone to attend

Tractors in Town

What is it?

In the run up to the Lincolnshire Show, Tractors in Town is a new event for 2019 which will feature a tractor trail taking place throughout Lincoln city centre. Vintage and new machinery will be featured in the trail, as well as an interactive trail sheet for little ones to enjoy. Visitors will be able to purchase advanced tickets for the last time ahead of the Show.

When is it?

Father’s Day, Sunday 16 June

Where is it?

The trail sheets can be collected from the Visitor Information Centre on Castle Hill, Lincoln

Who is it for?

Tractor lovers, children and families

Ticket information

This event is free for anyone to attend

Lincolnshire Show:

What is it?

As one of the top county shows in the country, the Lincolnshire Show is a true celebration of rural Lincolnshire with an eclectic mix of exciting entertainment, food, shopping, music, horticulture and farm life. Visitors will be able to explore more than 600 trade stands, watch impressive displays in the Main Ring and sample delicious Lincolnshire produce cooked by top chefs live in the Lincolnshire Kitchen.

The two-day event, aimed at all ages, will also include a range of animal exhibitions, daring stunts, air displays and lively music to provide visitors with non-stop entertainment.

When is it?

Wednesday 19 June & Thursday 20 June

Where is it?

Outdoors, Lincolnshire Showground

Who is it for?

Everyone – whether you are six or 60, there is something that everyone will enjoy!

Ticket information

Advanced tickets are £20 for adults, £17 for 17 to 22-year-olds, children are £6 and under-fives go free. Family tickets, admitting two adults and up to three children are priced at £42. Car parking is free on both days.

For more information on tickets, exhibiting, sponsorship opportunities, membership or hospitality packages, please visit www.lincolnshireshow.co.uk

ENDS

For more information, please contact Charlotte Phillips or Katie Nelson at Cartwright Communications by emailing charlottep@cartwrightcommunications.co.uk or calling 0115 853 2110.

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A new website has launched for Bourne’s first CiCLE Festival later this year.

As activity builds towards the festival, organised by South Kesteven District Council, the web site – www.bourneciclefestival.com – will be constantly updated.  

It carries detail on the four major cycling events taking place over the weekend (31 August – 1 September) – men’s and women’s elite races, a time trial and an amateur riders’ sportive.

Cllr Nick Robins, SKDC Cabinet Member for Visitor Economy said: “The momentum for this event is starting to build amongst residents, businesses and the cycling community and now we have the website live to add to that.

“It’s even got suggestions for how people can get involved with what promises to be an amazing event.

“We would love to see communities along the route arranging events to celebrate what’s happening on their doorstep, perhaps a village BBQ, race bunting, painted or even knitted cycles along the route”.

Cycling route plans are now online, with timings, car parking, activities in Bourne over the weekend and ideas for community events along the race route. 

Most of the UK’s professional teams have indicated an interest in participating, with entries opening on 5 April, and the website will carry profiles on riders and teams taking part. 

The sportive, run by Bourne’s cycling club the Bourne Wheelers, takes place over three different distances and can be booked via an online link.

There will also be full details of events in the town, from BMX cycling displays to heritage cycles.

www.bourneciclefestival.com

The Diocese of Lincoln and the University of Lincoln are to host an international conference on climate change.

The conference, titled Moana – Water of Life: Navigating Climate Change For Planetary Health and to be held from Friday, 30th August to Sunday, 1st September 2019, will involve two days of lectures and workshops shaped around the disciplines of science and theology. There will be a service in the Cathedral on the final day, followed by a lunch at Edward King House.

Bishop Christopher said, “For decades we have been aware of the science of climate change. The challenge now is to move from knowledge and understanding to action. This conference allows us to learn more about the issues and decide how we can respond to them.”

The conference will explore how water can give life and also take life with the extremes of too much water and not enough water. An aim of the conference is to launch the diocesan environmental policy that will identify how we as individuals, and as a diocese, can care for God’s creation for generations to come.

An important part of the conference will be to explore climate change with our link diocese of Polynesia. Invitations are being sent to representatives, and students from St John’s Theological College in New Zealand will also attend. Readers of Crosslincs will recall that Bishop Christopher visited Polynesia in 2016 and 2018. He saw first-hand the effect of rising sea levels on the islands.

He was impressed with the commitment from the younger generations to protect their home for future generations. Bishop Christopher believes the participants from Polynesia will help develop our understanding of climate change.

“The rising waters of the Pacific are a threat to life but also a source of life and we face the same issue here in Lincolnshire with too much water and not enough water. We are all interconnected, and I hope by exploring this issue with local businesses and landowners, our link diocese, and the University of Lincoln, we can contribute to the global conversation on climate change,” said Bishop Christopher.

Speakers at the conference will include Professor Elisabeth Holland from Fiji. Her dedication and passion led to the honour of being named co-recipient of the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize shared between the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), of which she was a member, and Al Gore for their work on climate change.

There are two other speakers from Oceania. Archbishop Winston Halapua, the former bishop of Polynesia and Primate of the Anglican Church in Aotearoa New Zealand and Polynesia, will speak on his experience of climate change. Dr Emily Colgan, from Aotearoa New Zealand, will speak on reading scripture in the context of climate change.

There are two speakers who will provide a perspective on climate change from the Episcopal Church of the United States. Bishop Marc Andrus, the bishop of California, led the Episcopal Church delegation to the United Nations conference on climate change last year, and Lynnaia Main, the Episcopal Church representative to the UN. Professor Mark Macklin, Head of the School of Geography at the University of Lincoln and Director of the Lincoln Centre for Water and Planetary Health, will speak, plus his colleague Professor Edward Hanna.

Professor Hanna says the conference will provide ways that people can respond to concerns around human effects on climate change: “This collaboration with the Diocese of Lincoln helps to raise awareness on the issue of climate change and its effects both locally and internationally.

“A key focus of my research is the Greenland Ice Sheet, and I have seen first-hand that this vast mass of ice is melting and shrinking in size. Rising sea levels and more extreme weather arising from climate change will affect people around the world and so each of us needs to play a part in finding solutions to this growing problem.”

The charge to attend the conference will be £40 per day and £75 for both days including lunch. Students will be able to attend for free. There will be a special conference dinner held in the Cathedral Chapter House on Saturday night costing £50.

Accommodation is available at the University of Lincoln for £49 per person per night. For more details please contact the bishop’s office via wateroflife.conference@lincoln.anglican.org

The nine-month improvement project will ease congestion at Holdingham Roundabout and the Sleaford Rugby Club junction by increasing capacity and improving traffic flow in all directions.

Cllr Richard Davies, Executive Member for Highways and Transport, said: “As it is now, traffic on both Holdingham Roundabout and at the Sleaford Rugby Club junction experience congestion at various times throughout the day, making it difficult for drivers to properly plan their journeys.

“As a result, we’ve carried out a number of traffic surveys looking into how we could ease some of that congestion as the number of vehicles on the road continues to grow each year.

“What we found was that a combination of adding new lanes and installing traffic signals is the most cost-effective and beneficial solution.”

As part of the works, the following improvements will be made:

• Additional lanes at each approach to Holdingham Roundabout
• Traffic signals installed at Holdingham Roundabout on the A17 dual carriageway approach and the A15 western bypass approach
• New lanes installed on all approaches to the A17/A153 junction
• Traffic signals installed at the A17/A153 junction

Cllr Davies added: “Work on the rugby club junction is expected to start in April 2020 and is likely to last for three months. Once complete, we’ll move onto Holdingham Roundabout, with a view to completing the entire job by Christmas 2020.

“During this time, we’ll do our absolute best to minimise disruption, but road users should expect a mixture of lane closures, temporary traffic lights and overnight road closures to ensure a safe working area for the contractor.”

Ursula Lidbetter MBE, Chair of the Greater Lincolnshire LEP, said: “The Sleaford Growth Project seeks to bring together a coherent package of projects over three distinct phases. A provisional growth deal allocation of £2m is in place to support this initial infrastructure phase of the project, which will enable over 2,000 new jobs and around 1,700 new homes.

“The Greater Lincolnshire LEP is pleased to be working with North Kesteven District Council to develop these improvements to the A15/A17 Holdingham Roundabout and the A17/A153 junction, providing access to Sleaford Enterprise Park. In addition to supporting significant growth for the area, the scheme will also address and futureproof key network capacity issues.”

Minister for Local Growth, Jake Berry MP, said of proposed investments on the A46 and in Sleaford: “We are committed to boosting economic growth across the Midlands Engine and the whole of the UK to build a country that works for everyone. 

“This £4.5 million investment from the Local Growth Fund will greatly improve two important road junctions and enhance the flow of traffic at these key sites in Lincolnshire. These schemes will not only improve journeys for local residents and all those who use the roads of Greater Lincolnshire, they will also unlock up to 2,300 new homes in the area.”

Councillor Richard Wright, Leader of NKDC, said: “We know that traffic at both Holdingham roundabout and Sleaford Rugby Club can be extremely busy and the much-needed improvements at both junctions will help to ease congestion as more homes and employment space are created in the town.

“As a District Council we are delighted at the success of the funding bid made to Greater Lincolnshire Local Enterprise Partnership which shows great confidence in the ability of the authority to deliver major infrastructure and capital projects, and are pleased to be working alongside Lincolnshire County Council in both schemes’ delivery.”

The proposed £5m scheme will be discussed at a meeting of the county council’s Highways and Transport Scrutiny Committee on Monday 11 March, with final approval to be given by executive councillors at a later date.

When approved, the scheme will be funded by the Greater Lincolnshire Local Enterprise Partnership, North Kesteven District Council, Lincolnshire County Council and Section 106 contributions.

For more information about this and other major highways projects, visit www.lincolnshire.gov.uk/majorprojects.

TWO inspiring Lincolnshire business women leading the way in the county’s agricultural scene are Jayne Southall and Jane Hiles – both women have an interesting background and a story to tell about their successful careers and how they entered the world of agriculture. 

Jayne Southall, CEO of the Lincolnshire Showground

Jayne Southall is an inspiring role model for women in agriculture and women in business.

After joining the finance team at the Lincolnshire Showground in 2006 and stepping up to ‘acting-CEO’ twice, in 2011 she was offered a one year contract to take on the role full time and has since taken the commercial side of the business from strength to strength, smashing glass ceilings and pre-conceptions every step of the way.

Passionate about promoting Lincoln to event organisers and visitors around the country, Jayne drives the culture of working with local suppliers, supporting the local community and sharing its successes wherever possible. Internally, the small team of just 22 are encouraged to suggest new ideas for events with many of these events now forming part of the Showground’s annual calendar.

Due to the structure of the charity and business, Jayne works alongside a board, trustees and her own team to bring an exciting, diverse range of events to the Showground every year. In turn, the revenue from this supports the charitable work of the Lincolnshire Agricultural Society, which owns the Showground – and, as it’s celebrating its 150th birthday this year, is more important than ever.

Jane Hiles, chairman of the Lincolnshire Agricultural Society

Jane Hiles has had an impressive career and makes a habit of being the ‘first female’ in a number of her ventures.

Jane started out as a trainee surveyor where she found herself as one of only two females on a course of over 300 students. She then joined Halifax, working her way up the ranks to become the first female regional manager for the bank.

Following years working for Halifax and subsequently Rightmove in various locations around the country, she returned to her home of Lincolnshire and became involved in the Lincolnshire Agricultural Society.

She continued her lifelong habit of ‘being the first female’, by becoming the first female treasurer, and later the first female chairman of the society, stating that her life was destined to entwine with the Lincolnshire Agricultural Society as she was born on the morning of the 1953 Lincolnshire Show.

Four years into her chairmanship, the society is celebrating its 150th birthday in 2019, and Jane leads the charity in supporting a whole host of events and programmes at the Lincolnshire Showground, including the annual Lincolnshire Show, which promotes food, farming and the countryside.

International Women’s Day at Lincolnshire Showground

This year, the Showground is celebrating International Women’s Day with a series of talks from inspiring Lincolnshire women, hosted by celebrity chef Rachel Green.

The event will take place at Lincolnshire Showground’s Epic Centre from 12.30pm on Friday 8 March. Tickets are priced at £22 per person, including a two-course lunch. For tickets please contact Sarah Duxbury on 01522 585501, or email sduxbury@lincolnshireshowground.co.uk

For more information, please visit www.lincolnshireshowground.co.uk

Four people were arrested and released under investigation following the discovery of stolen motorcycles on Monday.

During the early hours of the morning (25 Feb) police received a report of a shed burglary on Boston Road, Sleaford. Three motorcross bikes were stolen.

Following further information, in the early afternoon three motorcross bikes were recovered from a property and four people arrested on suspicion of burglary.

The four arrested were all male aged 23, 23, 40 and 46.

If you have any information, please call 101 quoting incident 30 of 25/02, or email force.control@lincs.pnn.police.uk