Homes & Gardens Lincs & Notts Air Ambulance County Motoring Interview with Hannah Dale Homes & Gardens Lincs & Notts Air Ambulance County Motoring Interview with Hannah Dale £2.95 APRIL 2025 THE REGION’S FAVOURITE COUNTY MAGAZINE WWW.LINCOLNSHIRETODAY.NET www.blmgroup.co.uk BLM GROUPGROUP BLM £2.95 APRIL 2025THE REGION’S FAVOURITE COUNTY MAGAZINETel: 01778 422700 47 Spalding Road, Bourne, PE10 0AU sales@timberdisplays.co.uk OPEN Monday9.00 - 16.00 Tuesday9.00 - 16.00 Wednesday9.00 - 16.00 Thursday9.00 - 16.00 Friday9.00 - 16.00 Saturday9.00 - 16.00 SundayCLOSED Roxie’s Roots YOUR LOCAL FRIENDLY, FAMILY RUN PLANT CENTRE Large selection of bedding plants, shrubs, climbers plus much more. We also supply decking, sleepers, block pavers, sawn timber, compost, bark, top soil and manure with delivery available. The Coffee Shed The ‘shed’ has been built in house by Timber Displays and we are very proud. We have lots of yummy cakes and some very nice coffee to offer. We have a lovely patio area to sit and enjoy the sun or if you prefer the seating inside. Roxie’s Roots The Coffee ShedWelcome… April is still firmly in spring but we’re starting to see warmer weather, with some scorching days in March. If one remembers last year, you might recall days so hot that dogs were passing out from heat stroke and grass turned yellow, and that may be a repeat this year – and for years to come. Climate change is already affecting us and it’s important to be prepared and aware of it, so if you have elderly relatives or animals then keep them in mind. Bring water when walking dogs and make sure not to overexert larger breeds with shaggier coats. Huskies and dogs bred for colder climates may find it especially difficult to regulate temperature, and none of us want our beloved pets to be uncomfortable. If you have space for it, a paddling pool of cold water is fun for both the family and the animals. Still, it’s not all bad that the weather is turning warmer. It’s more opportunities to get outside and have fun, and there’s plenty to do in Lincolnshire – be it walks, trails, shopping, or visits to our many monuments and attractions. Pubs and restaurants with beer gardens will be especially attractive as the days get hotter, offering both a chance for some socialising and good food. Given that pubs have been suffering over recent years competing with large chains offering cheaper drinks, this is a great opportunity to get out, have fun, and also support a local part of our communities. Good reading, as always. Michael Fisher Editor and the Lincolnshire Today team from the editor Group Editor: Steve Fisher Editor: Michael Fisher Journalist: Tess Egginton Sales Director: Angela Cooper Accounts & Circulations: Angela Sharman, John Downes (01472) 310301 Design & Production: Gary Jorgensen, Mark Casson Advertising: Tel: (01472) 310302 Editorial: Tel: (01472) 310305 Part Of The Business Link Magazine Group: Armstrong House, Armstrong Street, Grimsby, N E Lincs DN31 2QE Email: lincs-today@blmgroup.co.uk Website: www.lincolnshiretoday.net ISSN No: 1366-1299 FRONT COVER PHOTO COURTESY OF STOCK.ADOBE.COM/HELEN This magazine is now fully recyclable. By recycling magazines, you can help reduce waste and add to the 5.5 million tonnes of paper already recycled by the UK paper industry each year. Before you recycle your magazine, please ensure you remove all plastic wrapping, free gifts and samples. If you are unable to participate in a recycling scheme, then why not pass your magazine onto a local hospital or charity? LincolnshireToday @lincstoday lincolnshiretoday.net The magazine that cares WE CARE because we want to leave our world a better place than we found it Lincolnshire Today believes that being socially and environmentally responsible is the key to maintaining a flourishing business that our customers will be pleased to use and our staff will be proud to be part of. Community - From a very local point of view, we strive to be a ‘good neighbour’. We also extend that into the much broader local community, through financial support of local causes and charities. Environment - Our actions extend to: conservation of energy and natural resources, minimisation of waste and ensuring our trading partners do likewise.Features 6 THIS MONTH IN LINCOLNSHIRE What’s been going on in the county this month? 24SAVING LIVES The Lincolnshire and Nottinghamshire Air Ambulance has saved countless lives across our region, but as costs continue to rise the charity needs the help of everyone more than ever. 30BRIGHTEN UP YOUR WARDROBE Now spring has sprung, the time has come to brighten up your closet. 40BOLD, SUSTAINABLE, AND VERSATILE STYLES Hair trends for women are embracing individuality, creativity, and sustainability. 42O’BRIEN’S OPTICIAN Now available in Brigg - breakthrough treatment for Dry Eye Disease (DED). 44WATER AEROBICS: A FUN AND EFFECTIVE WAY TO STAY FIT Water aerobics, once considered a low- impact activity for older adults or rehabilitation patients, has evolved into a mainstream fitness trend. 47OLD AND STRONG Warmer weather means more opportunities to get out and about – and that could be just what our elderly relatives need most. 50WARMER DAYS As the days get warmer there are more opportunities to eat outside. We bring you some great snacks that can be cooked ahead of time for eating outdoors. APRIL NOW SPRING HAS SPRUNG, THE TIME HAS COME TO BRIGHTEN UP YOUR CLOSET. contentsWITH BUTTERFLIES UNDER THREAT, GARDENING WITH OUR FLUTTERING FRIENDS IN MIND IS VITAL. 54ALL ABOUT BOSTON The market town and inland port was once one of the most powerful towns in the country, and its heritage and history reflect it. 58COUNTY MOTORING There are always new motors on the horizon, ranging from entry level to business executive. Here are a few that might make it to our roads. • We put the Maserati MC20 through its paces 64WHAT’S ON There’s always something going on in Lincolnshire. 68AN INTERVIEW WITH… Lincolnshire Today spoke with wildlife illustrator and founder of Wrendale Designs, Hannah Dale. Desirable homes 10A MARVELLOUS MODERN HOME Tucked away in the village of Caythorpe, this month’s featured property is a spectacular surprise. 16CAPTURING NATURE’S BEAUTY Grace Ellen’s photographic style of painting uses differing mediums to create a textured and detailed vista. 18THE BIG SPRING CLEAN Is the big spring clean a cliché? Ed Fuller from Fullers Landscaping explains that it is absolutely not! 20BUTTERFLY-FRIENDLY GARDENS With butterflies under threat, gardening with our fluttering friends in mind is vital..Sleaford’s cinema development fund swells to £5m Business hub to be created at Grantham Library Cllr Richard Davies, county councillor for Grantham West, studies plans for Grantham Library with Boglarka David, Cultural Services Advisor. Grantham is set to benefit from a new business hub, which will bring flexible workspaces with modern technology to the library. The transformation will see a new IT suite equipped with business software added, as well as drop-in working zones kitted out with acoustic booths and ‘bubbles’. Facilities have been designed with flexibility in mind, meaning the spaces can be used as additional study space for library users, as well as by local education providers, community groups, and more. Visitors can also look forward to a refreshed and redecorated library, with new carpets fitted throughout. Grantham is the third library in Lincolnshire to benefit from the addition of business hubs, following Lincoln and Spalding libraries, and work is expected to start later this summer. An additional £2.2m has been put aside by North Kesteven District Council to fulfil its aspirations to deliver a cinema in Sleaford. By dedicating this new allocation within its £310m 10-year capital programme for targeted investments in projects District-wide, and adding to the £2.8m already earmarked, the Council has built a total fund of £5m. This ensures that it can move forward as swiftly as possible when ongoing discussions with a potential operator are concluded. Council Leader Cllr Richard Wright said: “We remain fully committed to our intention to deliver a new cinema for the area. Currently there are complex legal discussions underway with a potential operator to bring forward a fresh proposal that sits within a broader vision of regeneration. “I am optimistic that we are not too far away now from concluding what are called Heads of Terms and so it is essential to have the funds committed and put aside for as soon as they are needed.” All new buildings in North Lincolnshire to have solar panels Every new home or industrial unit built in North Lincolnshire will have to include solar panels, council leader Rob Waltham has announced. This will see hundreds of new buildings generating green, clean, electricity every year. The new rule is included in the council’s draft local plan, agreed at North Lincolnshire’s Cabinet meeting. Cllr Rob Waltham said: “We are seeing solar farms popping up all over the place, taking up valuable farm land and being a blot on the landscape. It makes far more sense to include the panels on houses, factories, and other buildings. The council has already worked with local schools and other facilities to fit panels – generating clean energy and reducing bills. “When the new local plan comes into force, every development will have to include solar panels as standard or planning permission will not be given. This should reduce the demand for farmland and put the panels where they should be.” latest news © stock.adobe.com/bernardbodo © stock.adobe.com/mmphoto © Lincolnshire County CouncilNorth East Lincolnshire Council are to help renovate up to 60 homes on a Grimsby street. Rutland Street, on the East Marsh, has been identified as the location for the new scheme following a borough wide assessment. The initiative, known as retrofitting, will look to provide improved energy efficiency, better living conditions and other upgrades such as external wall insulation to the houses. Should it be deemed a success, further funding may be sought to beautify and green up the external areas of the street with new fencing and greenery with potential for community-led tree planting. In Summer 2024, the Council was awarded £3.1 million by Government to carry out the pilot project to help improve house valuation and encourage investment in the area with plans now approved by cabinet. An initial phase of surveys will be undertaken before the final stage of works is sanctioned. A similar scheme was implemented in Guildford Street in 2017, just 200m away from Rutland Street. House prices are now higher on Guilford Street, partially due to the retrofitting programme. Council to help renovate 60 homes on Grimsby street Work starts on major extension to Grimsby sixth form college Work has started on a transformational extension at a sixth form college in Grimsby. Lincolnshire and Yorkshire construction firm, Hobson & Porter, plans to complete the £1.1m build by the end of summer, in time for the new term. Cambridge Park Academy is on Cromwell Road in Grimsby and its sixth form college for special educational needs (SEN) pupils will almost double in size once the work is complete. The project is part of the expansion of North East Lincolnshire Council’s sufficiency strategy for special educational needs and alternative provision. Once work completes, the council owned building will accommodate up to 28 pupils aged between 14 and 19 years old and 24 staff. The project will see a new single-storey extension created alongside 12 car parking spaces with electric vehicle chargers, a drop off zone and a new entrance road. The building will have 88 solar panels on the roof, air source heat pumps and underfloor heating. As part of the build, Hobson & Porter is also carrying out landscaping, which includes specialist outdoor educational play equipment. Revesby Country Fair offers £1,000 to young people working in the countryside The organisers of Revesby Country Fair, a popular Lincolnshire family day out, are offering grants of up to £1,000 to support young people living and working in the region. The Revesby Rural Activities Fund, which has doubled from £500 last year, is available for people up to the age of 25 living in Lincolnshire. The grants aim to give young people the chance to participate in rural activities including traditional skills and crafts, game-keeping and horticulture. The funding can be used to pay for travel to rural activities, driving and tractor licenses, towing courses and IT costs – among many other expenses. John Roe, Chairman of Revesby Country Fair, said: “We’re thrilled to be able to increase our bursary offering for young people across Lincolnshire and support them in their early careers. Growing up and starting work in a rural area can be difficult, but we need to do all we can to encourage the next generation of rural and agricultural workers.” Councillor Philip Jackson, Leader of North East Lincolnshire Council, Christopher Glenville from Hobson & Porter, Rebecca Taylor, Head of SEND and Inclusion at North East Lincolnshire Council, Owen Peart, Trainee Architectural Technician, Paul Waites from Hobson & Porter and Lee Hartley from Hobson & Porter © North East Lincolnshire CouncilNorth East Lincolnshire Council awarded £400,000 to get active North East Lincolnshire Council have been awarded over £400,000 to help North East Lincolnshire get more active. Sport England announced the £401,159 grant for North East Lincolnshire as part of their £250 million round of funding for 53 areas across England. This investment will build upon the foundations across the borough that are essential in ensuring everyone can be physically active. It will support the delivery of the Council’s Sport and Physical Activity Strategy, supporting residents to lead more physically active lives. The strategy was developed to align with Sport England’s wider national strategy “Uniting the Movement” that recognises the need to focus investment and resources on the communities that need it most. Specifically, this is about building the movement from the ground up by working with organisations and communities to understand the issues and barriers facing people to get active, and working together to develop local solutions. latest news © stock.adobe.com/Brian Jackson Byyourside then,nowand inthefuture Learn about our free Will Writing Service at ambucopter.org.uk/will Ourfirsthelicopter,1994 LNAACT REG CHARITY 1017501GET MORE OUT OF YOUR RETIREMENT Modern living, exclusively for the over 45s HOMES AVAILABLE NOW 25 ASHFIELD PARK | SONATA 46' X 12’ | 2 BEDROOM, 1 BATHROOM £149,950 27 KIRKSTEAD BRIDGE | HAYDEN 36’ X 12‘ | 1 BEDROOM, 1 BATHROOM £145,000 Discover the ultimate retirement lifestyle with our stunning homes in Scunthorpe and Woodhall Spa, both surrounded by beautiful countryside. 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