< Previous120-121:Layout 1 11/5/12 14:07 Page 1Rimmer Bros -a 30-year storyIn March 1982, two Triumphenthusiasts - Bill and Graham Rimmer -started their own business, the plan wasto buy, sell, service, restore and sell partsfor Triumph sports cars. To finance theiroperation, they sold their own Triumphsand took over spare buildings at theirfamily farmhouse.Rimmer Bros was a modest operation,business was slow. To pay the bills atfirst, they became retained members ofLincolnshire Fire Brigade, and evenrenovated and sold used lawn mowers.Both brothers are still involved andboth are still rabid classic car enthusiasts.More recently, shelves have had to sharespace with Range Rover, Land Rover,Rover SD1 and MG-Rover componentstoo.These days, the buildings are burstingwith 75,000 sq ft of storage space onthree floors. Sixty people run theoperation, which is expanding to storeeven more stock.In the early days, availability was theproblem, “We realised Triumph franchiseswere beginning to convert to Austin-Rover outlets, which meant they were leftwith Triumph parts, tools and expertise asa diminishing asset,” says Bill. Graham adds: “We found a list ofnames and addresses, wrote to more thana hundred and bought up stock, bringingit back here.”By chance, several importantcomponents suppliers contactedRimmers, suggesting if demand existed,they could re-start production. The resultwas a reincarnation of parts, from rubberO-rings to rear light assemblies. Two big moves have been needed toaccommodate stock, in the mid-1980s, aredundant egg-packing station atBranston seemed to offer a solution, but :“Five years later, the business hadbecome five times bigger and we had torent other warehousing.”In 1991, the present complex inBracebridge Heath was found, but spaceproblems continued as opportunitiesmounted up. Gaining of British MotorHeritage approval was followed by thebuying up of all Rover SD1 parts availablefrom the Canley factory, which requireda fleet of hired artics to move.Rimmers moved into supporting the‘classic’ Range Rover in 2000, it wasn’tlong before they started to support theDefender range too.In the mid-2000s, two acquisitionsoccurred. First there was MG-Rover’splunge into receivership, and not longafter, the news that hundreds of RoverSD1 build kits were sitting in a disusedfactory in Chennai, India. Bill first of allconcluded a deal with XPart, to set upthe MG-Rover parts business, then madea visit to India, inspecting SD1 stocks.In the mid-1980s Rover had agreed tosupply kits of SD1 parts for assembly inChennai to be re-engined, but thisproject floundered and many completekits remained under-delivered: “I foundat least 600 complete kits, still in originalshipping crates. ‘ says Bill, “I wasamazed, it was going to secure the long-term parts supply for the SD1 for a long,time.”More than twenty shipping containerswere needed to carry the stuff back andspace was found to store and catalogue it.Reel forward to 2012, where Bill andGraham’s enthusiasm is undiminished.Within months, a new building will havebeen added to double stock holdingcapacity and a new product range, partsfor late Jaguar cars, will have joined themodel range.Who said that the classic car hobbywas a declining phenomenon?LINCOLNSHIRETODAY121COUNTY MOTORING120-121:Layout 1 11/5/12 14:07 Page 2Taking to the skies122LINCOLNSHIRETODAYactive lincolnshireThe closest I’ve ever got to flying isa comfortable (if budget airline) planeseat, with a magazine to read, one ofthose miniature cans of Canada Dryand a few hours to while away. So,when the opportunity came up to seethe skies from an altogether moreexciting angle, I jumped at the chance.Fly365 is described as a one-stopshop for aviation, the Fly365 FlightTraining School is run by MalcolmHowland, an affable ex-RAF man cantake you through the whole cavalcadeof all things aeronautic. Based at theformer wartime RAF base at Wickenby,just a short drive from Wragby orMarket Rasen, they have an enviablelocation. With a café downstairs forbudding pilots to mix with seasonedpro flyers alike and a small, but packedaviation history museum in the formercontrol tower, the scene is set foranyone new to flying. Pilots’ uniformsstand alongside a host of medals, oldcontrol equipment, and a sense of thepast hangs in the air. Visits fromformer servicemen and women arecommon says Malcolm, who is to takeme into the skies later.A short walk to a hangar close to therunway and it’s into a sizeable, yetwarm flight suit where I get my firstlook at what we’ll be piloting throughthe air. It’s a small, but perfectly-formed Pegasus Quantum 912flexwing microlight (try saying thatafter a few drinks). About two thirdsthe size of a small hatchback, it lookslight and nimble, but very safe. Wewheel the microlight out onto thegrass and get in. It’s a tight fit, butfeels perfectly safe. Despite being heldin only by a tightly-yanked seatbeltand with next to nothing on eitherside, fear doesn’t really register asMalcolm performs the pre-flightchecks, checking and re-checking thatthe wings are moving properly, thatfuel is being delivered to the four-cylinder 80 hp four-stroke engine thatactive lincolnshireIn our new series we areseeking out the moreactive and unusualexperiences our countyhas to offer. And as MikeShields discovers, thesky really is the limit.Taking to the skiesOne stop shop for all things Aviation! Flights start from £75The Control Tower, Wickenby AerodromeLangworth, Lincoln. LN3 5AXTel: 01673 885111 / 07831 439651Flex and fixed wing microlights or Cessna 152s! Why not visit Wickenby to have a look?Or log on to our website at:www.fly365.co.ukWickenby Wings and Wheels Open Weekend 16/17th June122-123:Layout 1 11/5/12 14:11 Page 1LINCOLNSHIRETODAY123is liquid and air cooled. Followingsafety checks, we taxi onto therunway, before picking up a massiveamount of speed and taking off withinseconds. The sheer speed of take-off isa surprise, but at a much less rapidascent than a traditional aeroplanebound for a holiday destination, thatodd popping of the ears never occurs. Lincolnshire’s scenery is oftenderided as being flat and largely thesame, not so from up here. The scaleof farm land can be seen in intricatedetail from up here, the browns ofnewly-ploughed fields contrasts withthe green of well-tended gardens. Thereal splendour comes from the brightyellow of oilseed rape, its vividbrightness means the countrysideshines with colour even though theweather is patchy. We head over toMarket Rasen, cars and peopleseemingly miles below as Malcolmstates through the crystal-clear commsthat we are at 5000 feet. Theeffortlessness with which you canoperate the wings is amazing,Malcolm’s deft touch translates tomassive changes in direction, it seemsso easy to fly. Within what seems like minutes, weturn on ourselves and head backtowards the runway, our descent slowand purposeful as we get closer to theground. The beauty of being insomething so light means that landingis a graceful affair, floating centimetresabove the ground until we feel we canmake contact between wheel andconcrete. In all, we were probably upin the air for around twenty minutes,but it feels a lot less, it’s easy to seewhy people get the flying bug oncethey start!Back in the hangar the only after-effects seem to be cold hands, butthat’s nothing a coffee can’t fix back atthe control tower, where people stopme to ask about my experience. Ofcourse it was brilliant.FLY365 offer flights and training inFlex Wing Microlights, Fixed WingMicrolights, Cessna 152s, de HavillandTiger Moth and Aerobatic training canbe provided Zlin 242 side-by-sideAircraft. Their services also includetrial lesson gift vouchers, GeneralFlight Tests, aircraft shares, annualpermits and servicing, certificates ofexperience and Test, flight training,microlight sales, servicing and Rotaxengine servicing and much more.If you fancy giving flying a go, orwant to get your pilot’s licence, we canthink of no better place to learn, givethem a call on 01673 885111 or visitwww.fly365.co.uk. You’ll be glad youdid.active lincolnshireactive lincolnshireMalcolm Howland122-123:Layout 1 11/5/12 14:11 Page 2124 LINCOLNSHIRETODAYBUSINESS LINCSGROWINGbusinessWe may have technically hit adouble dip recession in May, but it’snot a disaster. Business owners allacross Lincolnshirebreathed a sigh ofrelief after theConfederation ofBritish Industrypredicted a positive2% economic growthfor the year 2012.This came after thesudden fear of adouble dip recessionwhen the economicgrowth turnednegative for a briefmoment in May.Technically a sign ofa double dip recession, the media ran ahead with the horrorand shock, while many business owners decided to watch andwait before panicking.The CBI’s prediction put some faith back into the economy,with their predictions for the future of the British economy,including the figures that we could see up to 2% growth byearly 2013. Growth is expected to be flat for the secondquarter of this year, due in part to the extra bank holidayfrom the diamond jubilee, but it will begin to raise for thesecond half of the year.Inflation is anticipated to be somewhat higher than theBank of England’s expected average, though that is mostlydue to the increase in oil prices, it should still decreasegradually to come close to the BoE’s target by summer 2013.Interest rates are expected to stay the same for the periodforecasted, with an increase anticipated for the end of the2013 period. John Cridland, Director-General of the CBI says “We havealways said the path back to sustainable economic growthwill be a long and difficult one, with many bumps along theway.” They were definitely right about that. John Cridland,Director-General ofthe Confederationof British Industries The factson autoenrolmentfrom A P Robinson & Co AccountantsAre you and your business ready for one of the biggestshake ups about to hit businesses around the country? It willaffect all businesses, from those with just one employee tothe mightiest business giants.Some of the many obligations you will now face includethe requirement to automatically enrol employees into apension scheme, the need to pay pension contributions foremployees who join that scheme and the obligation tocomply with the new laws even if you already have aworkplace pension scheme.Despite the vain hopes of some deluded souls, the fact isthat it is not going to go away. The good news is that byplanning early and getting the right advice you can preventthe pain, without aspirin and water. The bad news is that youwill incur daily penalties if you don’t do what you should.This isn’t just one fine, but an endless series until youcomply. For details of how this will affect you and clearstraight forward advice to ensure that you meet allof your obligations, call A P Robinson & CoAccountants on 01472 345888.A P Robinson & Co are a well established firm of qualified accountants and business advisors serving Grimsby, Lincoln, Brigg and Scunthorpe. Not only are our staff highly experienced, customer driven and trustworthy,above all we are personable – a friendly face to accounting!We offer a comprehensive range of services, which have been tailored to fit the needsof any size of business, whether you are a start up or an established company.Accounting Auditing Taxation AdviceBusiness Planning and Consultancy ServicesHR and Payroll Information TechnologyIn-house Financial Advisory ServicesIf you would like to speak to us, please do not hesitate to get in touch.T: 01472 345888 E: enquiries@aprobinson.biz or visit www.aprobinson.biz107 Cleethorpe Road, Grimsby, North East Lincolnshire, DN31 3ER124-125:Layout 1 11/5/12 14:14 Page 1LINCOLNSHIRETODAY125BUSINESS LINCSYou need toknow thisabout willssays Diane GendersIf a husband leaves a wife and children but no will, thewife will only get the statutory legacy amount for asurviving spouse with children, which is £250,000 plusinterest. After personal and household items everythingelse is halved. Half goes to the children equally at eighteen,with the other half forming a life interest for the survivingspouse with the remainder to the children.This means that the widow receives income for her lifeand the capital passes to the children. If there are nochildren, but the deceased does leave a parent, brother orsister or their children, the surviving spouse will receivethe first £450,000 plus interest, house contents and halfthe residue absolutely - but may have to share the rest ofthe estate with the deceased’s family. This procedure is exactly the same for registered civilpartners. Unmarried and unregistered couples, however,have no entitlements to each other’s estate at all.Everybody of all ages and circumstances should have avalid and up to date will. We can help you put onetogether that ensures your wishes will be enacted. For moreinformation, contact Diane Genders Solicitors on Lincoln01522 516500, email diane@dianegenders.co.uk or visitwww.dianegenders.co.uk.Hodgson ElkingtonResidential Lettingsnow HE Lettingssays Jill ElkingtonYou may have heard thatHodgson Elkington LLP andAcQuest Property Managementhave joined forces to form what webelieve to be an all-encompassing,professional agency offering acomplete residential letting service.News of the merger has beenextremely well received by our respective clients who areassured that our excellent standards will be maintained andthe personal touch for which both companies have beenknown will continue. Our reasoning behind the merger is tobring two new Partners into the business – Sam and IainO’May, who share the same core values of honesty, integrityand professionalism. When choosing a managing agent, it’s extremely importantto know professionally trained staff will be managing yourproperty and our clients are assured that the seniormanagement expertise and knowledge offered by Iain, Samand myself will allow us to provide a comprehensive, superblevel of service for landlords. However, this commitment tohigh standards couldn’t be attained without ourknowledgeable staff. As there are so many aspects involved inthe property management process, it’s essential that youconsider the qualities of the team who will be responsible forlooking after your investment! At HE Lettings, we don’t sell houses – we pride ourselves onbeing letting agents and professional property managers first.As a result, we’re entirely focused on widely marketing yourproperty, finding you great tenants and subsequentlymanaging your property efficiently and effectively, with theminimum of fuss and always acting in your best interests. Ourexpertise is based on over twenty years’ experience in theindustry and we are proud of our association with the RoyalInstitution of Chartered Surveyors and the Association ofResidential Letting Agents.We strongly believe that, with the combined knowledge,experience and professionalism offered by HE Lettings, ouragency will deliver a level of service unprecedented in thecounty. For more information,email info@helettings.co.ukor call 01522 698899.Highly Experienced Team of Family LawyersDivorce and Separation Wills & ProbatePower of AttorneyAdministration of Estates Court of ProtectionCall for more information on01522 516500www.dianegenders.co.ukOffices also in Nottingham124-125:Layout 1 11/5/12 14:14 Page 2126 LINCOLNSHIRETODAYEDUCATIONWith unemployment rising everhigher, one of the most hatedcriticisms a job seeker can hear at themoment is that they lack “life skills.”In fact, many young adults are leavingschool, college or university andfailing to find jobs, despite beingeducated to an apparently high degree.University graduates are turned awayfrom jobs that ten years ago mighthave been an easy win, for lacking keylife skills. More galling is that fewpeople are willing to explain whatthese life skills actually are, and howone goes about gaining them. The definition of life skills are theskills necessary to solve problems andsituations that will commonly arise innormal life. These can be sorted intodifferent categories such as financial,social, analytical and more. Forinstance in the financial life skills areayou might want a child to learn howto budget, how to save money, andhow to appreciate money. We canlearn this through trial and error, butwhy not teach people before mistakesare made? Schools can go a long way toteaching these skills, for instancemaths can teach children to budget, toorganise work, and to use criticalthinking. History on the other handcan teach research skills, and how tolearn from past mistakes. There are skills that need to betaught outside of school however, forinstance conversation and listening.Both of these areactually not taughtfully at schools, in aclass settingconversation isdiscouraged, and onecan easily guess thatmany students don’tfully listen to what isbeing said. Sittingdown occasionallyand having serious discussions withchildren can help build these skills.That’s not just the “how was yourday” discussion, it could be aboutbusiness, politics or even football, solong as you are rewarding clearthinking and analytical skill. Holdingthese discussions or debates will help achild learn what is acceptable and not,and how to lead a conversation. Thiscould help them earn a job, convincea person to accept their opinion, oreven impress their potential partner. Giving pocket money and jobs canhelp with the financial life skills,especially if you help a child earn andsave their money towards somethingthey really want. This teaches theobvious skills of being frugal withmoney, saving and planning ahead. Italso enforces that working for moneyis a positive thing, because you getwhat you wanted at the end of it.What’s more we always enjoysomething more if we have had towork for it. Again, school doesn’t leadto an immediate reward, so childrenmight be associating work withboredom and wasted time. There are more practical skills whichcan be taught in both the classroomand at home, such as cleaning,organisation and householdmaintenance. Remember all thosehilarious newspaper tales of DIY goneincredibly wrong? Well, that’sgenuinely a lack of life skills rearingtheir head. Why not teach a child howto make small repairs, and what toolsserve what purpose, helping them tocook simple meals or making themclean their room? Again these are nottruly taught at school, as a studentcould be intelligent enough to passtheir exams even while disorganised,and as such no teacher would punishthem for it. Helping children to have a widerange of skills and abilities willhonestly set them on a much betterpath for the future, and can perhapseven end the current stigma thatgraduates have a single set of skills,and no other abilities whatsoever. Skilledfor life What are life skills, where should welearn them, and what can we do to helpchildren learn them?School teaches us many important skills,but it’s not always readily apparent howthese can transfer into real life. 126-127:Layout 1 11/5/12 14:18 Page 1LINCOLNSHIRETODAY127EDUCATIONQueen Elizabeth’sGrammar School,HorncastleQueen Elizabeth’s Grammar School in Horncastle is a highperforming school, with specialist school status in science,maths and modern languages. It was judged ‘outstanding’ inits most recent OfSTED inspection. Offering 120 places in Year7 each year, it attracts pupils from as far afield as Lincoln, theWolds and Boston. The time is fast approaching for children to be tested forentry to Lincolnshire Grammar Schools. 11+ testing for entryin September 2013 takes place in early September for pupils inYear 6 of primary school. Parents wishing their children to betested for entry to Queen Elizabeth’s in September 2013should contact the school as soon as possible. The school is holding an Open Evening on Wednesday 26thSeptember at 6.30pm, for parents and their children to meetstudents and staff and to learn more about this outstandingLincolnshire school.Lincoln Castle AcademyLincoln Castle Academy are exceptionally proud of theoutstanding educational opportunities available. Students benefitfrom a diverse and challenging curriculum, an impressive andmodern learning environment and an inclusive, caring ethos. The Academy has a welcoming, vibrant atmosphere. The staff areproud of their history of nurturing young people and continue todevelop approaches to ensure students enjoy and achieve.Dedicated Key Stage Co-ordinators and Form Mentors ensuresmooth transition between your child’s key stages and aidcontinuity, while monitoring their progression and achievement. The Academy aim to promote the highest standards of teachingand learning through their talented and dedicated staff. Staff raisestudents’ self-esteem, together with a sense of responsibility andcommunity through the teaching of curriculum subjects andthrough an extensive enrichment programme. The 2011‘Outstanding’ Ofsted inspection recognised students’ “excellentattitudes to learning”, reporting “students really enjoy theirlessons”.Lincoln Castle Academy are committed to providing the besteducation for every student and supporting them to seize thevaried and enriching opportunities provided. They believe thatwith support, every child should succeed.Tel: 01507 522465 Fax: 01507 527711 www.qegs.lincs.sch.uk Email: enquiries@qegs.lincs.sch.ukSPECIALIST SCHOOL STATUS IN SCIENCE, MATHS & MODERN LANGUAGESGraded outstanding by OfstedADMISSION TO QUEEN ELIZABETHʼSGRAMMAR SCHOOL, HORNCASTLE FOR SEPTEMBER 2013Parents wishing their children to be testedfor possible entry to Queen ElizabethʼsGrammar School in Horncastle for September 2013 should contact theschool about registration in May 2012. Please note that registration forms will begiven to pupils in Year 5 through our localprimary schools in late May.Arrangements can be made to visit theschool by contacting the HeadteacherʼsPA. Our Open Evening is onWednesday 26 September2012.For further information please telephone the school on 01507 522465One of Lincolnshireʼs Leading SchoolsSelective, 11-18 co-educational schoolHigh expectations and highly qualified staffFirst rate examination resultsExcellent facilitiesHappy caring atmosphereTransport available over a wide areaQUEEN ELIZABETHʼS GRAMMAR SCHOOL, HORNCASTLE126-127:Layout 1 11/5/12 14:18 Page 2128-129:Layout 1 11/5/12 14:20 Page 1128-129:Layout 1 11/5/12 14:20 Page 2Next >